Christine's 2006 Countown, Part 2

First, a sincere apology about some recipes in my last post. Black Bean soup definitely has at least 2 cups of broth in it, or else it wouldn't be soup. And Hoppin' John--well. Black-eyed peas, when dry, don't have to be soaked overnight at all--I cooked them without a presoak on New Year's Day (for prosperity, baby!) with no problem at all. And there's a dash of basil in there, and I don't usually use cayenne, so I have no idea why I put that in the list. Also, when I make these on the stove from canned peas, I add no more than a cup of broth, unless I'll be cooking rice with it. Maybe Erin's really is better, or at least more structurally integrated.

Secondly, sorry there aren't any recipes in this post yet. I'm in the middle of revising a 15 page paper on poems about trauma. It's all a mess. Posting recipes in a few days will be a joy. So trauma-free, recipes.

And on to the final five--

5. Nana's (and Paula Deen's) Gooey Butter Cake

I literally have been looking for this recipe for the last decade. Oh Paula, a void in my taste memory is complete. With most of a pound of butter.

4. Kugel with Shredded Apples to Make All Jewish Men Cry for Their Mothers

This kugel won the knock-down Kugel Cook-Off of 2005. Take that, Koritz!

3. Pear Cake with Riesling and Olive Oil, so good I can't even explain it. I will say that more than one beautiful person has requested I make this cake this year. As in, it's so memorable that you will crave it and shrug off how much olive oil you're using. In a cake.

2. Cilantro Ravioli with Pumpkin Filling, and a side of roasted fennel with parmesan is an absolute must--the only time it's been worth it to make my own pasta so far.

1. Corn and Cheese Beggar's Purses. Just wait for the recipe, then you can make them, eat them, and die a delicious death. It's phyllo! And muffin tins! And oh man I'm getting hungry already.

There are so many others that almost made this list:
Tassajara whole wheat bread;
Giada's tuna and artichoke salad with olive tapenade;
snickersnap cookies;
carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and candied carrot peel decoration;
Cooking Light's Roasted Shallot and Butternut Squash Baked Penne;
brownies from a box from Aldi ... that save my life ...
my aunt's signature chicken salad ...
Easy Breezy Apple Cake ...
red wine ice cream ...
lavash crackers and hummus and pan-fried zucchini;
my favorite lasange, and on and on and on. It's been a year of good food. Let 2007 be the same.