Happy 2012!

Happy 2012, a day late!

Since everyone at WordPress and GoDaddy seem to be on vacation until tomorrow, the migration of my blog I mentioned a couple days ago hasn’t happened yet. So I thought I’d check in again, and recap 2011!

2011 was an exciting year.

Nick and I moved to Pensacola, Florida.

I started my blog.

We got engaged.

We moved, again, to Enid, Oklahoma.

I adopted my little snugglebutt, Cali.

Nick finished primary flight school with the Air Force and found out he’ll be flying jets with the Navy.

And finally, we moved, yet again, to Meridian, Mississippi.

2012 definitely has a lot to live up to! Our wedding in September certainly will be a highlight, as will be the weddings of 2 of my very best friends! I’m excited to see what’s in store for me job-wise, to see how much I manage to change and build up the blog, and to explore our new home, as well as all of the fun areas within driving distance (New Orleans, Memphis, and returns to Pensacola and Mobile, Alabama!). By the end of the year, we may even have an idea of where we will be “settling” for the next 3ish years. How exciting!

One last thing, before I take on 2012.

I wanted to share my favorite recipes from 2011!

It was really hard to narrow down the list (I made a lot of yummy things!), but here’s the best of the best:

Nick’s favorite: Coconut Curry Thai Chicken

This was definitely Nick’s favorite meal of the year. He asks me to make it again almost on a weekly basis. I’m so mean to him though, and haven’t recreated it yet. Not because I didn’t like it. I was SO delicious, and definitely in my top 5! But it was quite a bit of work! And when I’m going to spend a lot of time on something, I always want it to be something new, so I can blog it. I promise though, I will recreate Nick’s favorite dish again for him in 2012. And you should too!

My favorite: Buffalo Chicken Casserole

I am a self-proclaimed Buffalo-chicken-aholic. Always have been, always will be. So it’s really no surprise I am deeply in love with this casserole. The fact that it’s a healthy recipe makes it even better. Though I’ve only made it twice, I see many more recreations in my future.

My second favorite: Thai Chicken Burgers and Slaw

Holy freaking deliciousness! These burgers were a total surprise. Not that I was expecting them to be bad, but HOW good they were really surprised me. Admittedly, they are a LOT of work. But the flavors are killer, and well worth it.

Most recreated: Greek Quinoa Salad

I must have made this recipe a zillion times this year! It’s super easy, really healthy, and SO yummy! The perfect combination for making it over and over and over again. If you haven’t made this one yet, I highly recommend it! Definitely one of my favorites.

Best go-to: Homemade Meatballs

I LOVE this recipe! It’s so EASY, and so delicious. These meatballs knock the pants off storebought, and there’s absolutely no reason not to make them from scratch. I’ve made this recipe over and over again this year, especially for guests since it’s impressive and everyone likes meatballs!

Best dessert: Double Lemon Bars

I made LOTS of delicious sweets this year! In fact, honorable mentions include the most perfectly chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and chocolatey minty Grasshopper Bars. But the lemon bars come out on top as my favorite dessert of the year. Tangy, buttery, heavenly.

The internet world’s favorites (top 5 most-viewed):

Well, what a whirlwind year it has been. I’m glad that I will probably spend all (or at least the vast majority) of 2012 in one state. I’m sure that wedding planning will be crazy and 2012 will fly by in the blink of an eye. But for now, let’s ease in slowly! Cheers to 2012!