About 1 year and 3 days ago I had the idea to document my dinners for 365 days straight. I had been tossing around the idea of starting a blog and this seemed like a unique and fun first blog topic. It's hard to believe that a year has gone by already and that I followed through and wrote an entry each and every day for 365 days!! It was fun, frustrating, exhilarating, exhausting and in the end, quite satisfying.
I'm proud to say that 176 of those 365 dinners took place at home (not including takeout - more on that below) and that I cooked all or part of nearly all of those meals (there was the occasional can of soup or bag of edamame as dinner - these meals do not count as "home cooked"). I feel that that is a tremendous accomplishment for someone who works full time.
Some of my favorite recipes that appeared during the past year are:
The remaining 189 non-home cooked dinners break down as follows:
140 at a restaurant (read on for those highlights)
16 takeout
15 cooked for us by a friend of family member
6 in an airplane or airport
4 at a sporting event
4 at other kinds of events (including 1 wedding)
3 at the office
1 room service while traveling on business
I had dinner at 66 different restaurants this year but some restaurants deserve recognition for having fed us very well.
Bistro Aix: 15 visits
Isa: 11 visits
Izzy's Steaks & Chops: 11 visits
Capannina: 9 visits
Balboa Cafe: 7 visits
Cafe Maritime: 5 visits
Additionally, we had the opportunity to dine at Chez Panisse and Zuni Cafe this year - two legendary Bay Area restaurants that are not to be missed.
The picture of this entry is a scan of a calling card I left behind (when I remembered) at restaurants throughout this year - my husband's brilliant idea.
Speaking of my husband, who was mentioned often throughout this blog - I want to thank him for his tremendous support this year. He often reminded me to take a photo of my plate and no matter how hungry he was or how eager to dive in to his plate, he was always patient while I did so. He also served as awesome tech support for me throughout the year, especially when my old site refused to be updated and I had to move things over to Blogger. Although I won't be documenting it on a daily basis any longer, I promise him tasty, adventurous, and/or fun dinners for many years to come.
And of course, I want to thank all of the readers of this blog. Whether you read my entries regularly or only once in awhile, I truly appreciate it. Another blog is to come one day soon, so check back for the URL. I'm still tossing around some ideas.
Meanwhile, I wish you many delicious dinners of your own!! Happy eating...
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Bette, congratulations on an amazing year of eating. As someone lucky enough to have shared a few of those evenings with you, I've loved following your blog, trying new recipes and laughing all the way. I look forward to seeing what you take on next. I know it will keep me entertained!
ReplyDeletei'm so sad the 365 days are over!! you did an amazing job - i'm so impressed with your cooking skills. :)
ReplyDeletecan't wait for the next blog!
-liz