Goodbye 2009! Favorite Recipes of '09:

2009 has definitely been an interesting year for us!  All in one year I started a new job, realized that I hated that job and didn't want to work in accounting or finance in general anymore, quit that job, and started a graduate program to become an elementary school teacher.  I never would have predicted that I would make such a drastic change, but I'm so glad that I'm doing this now.  Kevin's had some big changes in his career too - he left UBS and financial services behind to start a new career in sales at Infor, which he is really liking so far.  I think things are changing for the best, and I hope that 2010 will be a great year :)

I have only been blogging for the past 3 months or so and only have about 50 posts to choose from, but I wanted to look back and pick a few of my favorite recipes that I blogged about in 2009.  In no particular order, here are my top 9 from '09:

Whenever I ask Kevin to give me suggestions for what he wants for dinner, Chicken, Noodles & Dumplings are always at the top of his list.  This is the perfect comfort meal for the wintertime, and has such a great flavor.  It's so simple, but there's something about this meal that keeps me making it over and over again.

This baked goat cheese is one of the easiest appetizers that I make, but it's so good that we could eat it once a week.  Goat cheese and marinara just go so perfectly together.

This salad (Lana's Salad) is now my go-to salad for special occasions.  The dressing is SO good.  My Aunt Lana brought this to many family gatherings growing up, and I can see why everyone always requested it.

This Shrimp Scampi Linguini recipe was adapted from one of my favorite food network stars - Ina Garten.  This recipe is easy enough to make for a weeknight meal, but it's also nice enough to make when you have company over.  I've made this many times, and it's always great!

Even though I just posted this recipe today, it was so good that I wanted to include it in this post.  If you love bananas like we do, you will love the combination of waffles and bananas foster.  This is the perfect breakfast for a special occasion.

This beef tenderloin is a great meal to make for a special occasion or when hosting guests for dinner.  It's one of the pricier meals I've made this year, but totally worth it.  The marinade gives the beef tenderloin a great flavor, and ours turned out really tender and juicy.

This apple bread pudding recipe is to die for!  If you're a bread pudding fan you should try this one out.  The flavor is so good, and the whiskey sauce on top really makes it amazing.  It's super easy to make too.

My mom and I made this Cioppino (Italian Seafood Stew) in November, and I've been thinking about that flavorful broth ever since!  All of the different seafood can get pricey so I'll probably only make this for special occasions, but this was the perfect meal for me now that I'm a shellfish lover.

This toasted ravioli recipes is one of my favorite appetizers.  There's something about the crispy coating that goes perfectly with the pasta and cheesy filling, dipped in warm marinara, of course.  I just love toasted ravioli in general so I'm glad that it's so easy for me to make at home.

So those were my 9 favorites from '09, and since 2010 will be my first full year of blogging, I'm sure that there will be some great new recipes to come!  Before I sign off for the year, here are 10 things that I know for sure that I want to try to make in 2010:

1.  Ebelskivers - I just got a great new ebelskiver pan from my mother-in-law for Christmas, and I can't wait to try it out!

2.  Homemade Eggrolls - I love Chinese food, and I've wanted to make homemade eggrolls for awhile now.

3.  Individual Beef Wellingtons - I've seen a few blog posts on beef wellington lately, and they look really good for a nice dinner.

4.  Risotto - For some reason, I've never actually made risotto at home.  I would love to make a seafood risotto.

5.  Buffalo Chicken Dip - I've heard so many bloggers talk about this "crack dip," but I'm finally going to make it myself in 2010 to see what all of the fuss is about :)

6.  Crab Rangoon - Another chinese recipe that I want to try, and this one should be pretty easy.

7.  Bread - I've made homemade bread a couple of time, but in 2010 I want to try making different kinds of bread from scratch.

8.  Homemade Ice Cream - I have the ice cream attachment for my kitchenaid mixer, but when I've tried a couple recipes in the past, they were just okay so this year I want to make some blog worthy homemade ice cream.

9.  Lobster Bisque - Kevin and I love love love lobster bisque, but I've never made it at home.

10.  Veal Saltimbocca - One of my restaurant favorites, but I want to perfect it at home!