My 12 Favorite recipes from 2017

I started a little link party last year, well, actually in January 2017 asking bloggers to share their favorite recipe from the previous month.  Not the one that had the most views, but their own personal favorite.  That one recipe that amazed, delighted and blew them away with how good it was.  Their first one was actually the one they made in December 2016, but we'll say they were all from 2017.
And I got some great responses.   I'm going to continue First Monday Favorites in 2018 as well, because it's just fun.

I decided to go back and look at my favorite recipes from this past year and I'm sharing the links here.
In January I shared my favorite recipe, it was a Gingered Cranberry Compote/Chutney

And I used part of it for a  Cranberry Blush Cocktail 

Cranberry Orange Chutney Wings were totally scrumptious as well.

 

February I shared my recipe for Scottish Style Sausage Rolls, and in fact I've made them a couple of times since.

In March I featured a soup from my childhood, Klassisk Klar Suppe med Melboller. with lots of vegetables because I'm a grownup now and eat my veggies.

April I had to say that the Deluxe Carrot Cake

I made for the Legion Cake Raffle won as my favorite recipe for the month.
In May I featured another dish I'd been craving, a Rullepølse.

  Basically it's a rolled sausage.  I'd been craving one for a long time, and finally got around to making it.  In fact I've got some in the freezer, sliced and ready for eating, I've made it a couple of times for myself.
The next month, I made a real summery soup called Raspberry Soup,

and it was a hit, not only with me, but with some friends.
But wait, I'm not done with the soups just yet.  For July I had to share this one, Onion Veloute Soup.  
I made it for #SoupSaturdaySwappers, and totally loved it.

Next up is the Danish Remoulade Sauce followed by my  Lighthouse Crabcakes.  which became the next month's favorite recipe.  I've made them a couple of times since then and they're always well received.

 And I can say that the Crabcakes were award winning, I won first place with them.
The next month we were invited to a Brats and Sauerkraut dinner and I was asked to bring a hot potato salad.  My mind flew to the one my Mom made, but I'd never written down the ingredients and luckily for me my cousin came to my rescue with her mother, my Faster Magda's recipe.  So I made a Warm Potato Salad.

  And that one became my favorite recipe for the month.  Everyone raved about it, and they ate all but one teeny little serving so I had that for lunch the next day.   That took care of September's favorite, next up October.
This was one of those cakes that amazed, delighted and totally blew me away with how good it was. Candied Ginger and Pumpkin Bundt Cake. 

I mean HELLO!!! it was so moist, rich and flavorful.
and...
I made an incredible Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Cake

for a Legion cake raffle, and luckily for me one of my friends won it and shared it out.   I've got this on the list to make again and again.  I don't think it should be just for Thanksgiving.

I'm still trying to decide what was my favorite recipe for December this year, but you'll have to wait until the First Monday Favorites rolls around on January 1, 2018

And that's my overview for the year, my favorite recipes, month by month.
Here's the links to every month, and best of all you can see what my other blogger friends thought was their favorite recipe or post for the month:
January
February
March 
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

I have a feeling that 2018 is going to be a fantastic, over the top, great year. 
I want to wish every one a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.

I'm currently working on my next cookbook, a collection of fun appetizer recipes.  Stay tuned...

All images are the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking and Sea Palm Treasures © 2010-2018 with all rights reserved thereof. They may not be used without the express permission of either Sid's Sea Palm Cooking or Sea Palm Treasures.

My cookbook Hygge - Danish Food and Recipes is available as a Kindle e book or in paperback on Amazon.

Autographed copies are also available at the Danish Windmill in Elk Horn, Iowa or on their website.

Sambal Kagang Udon Noodle Soup for #ChefYaki #Fortune

Have you ever made something that tasted so good you wanted to keep eating it and eating it and eating it til it was all gone?
But you don't have to feel guilty if it's this soup.

I took a blogger challenge from Chef Yaki at JSL Foods to come up with a soup for their current blogger challenge.  BTW you can buy them at Albertsons, Target and other fine stores.
They're also on Facebook, as well as Twitter.  #ChefYaki  #Fortune
They sent me three packages of Udon Noodles, Chicken, Mushroom and Original Flavor.  

I used the Original Flavor for this soup. 

 

 Hey, I think I got a winner here. 
It's so flavorful, and yet light and a little bit spicy and absolutely perfect for those of us who indulged a little much in the Christmas goodies.
But you can eat this year round if you like. 
I think I'm going to.

This soup was created using Udon Noodles which I received from JSL foods for the sole purpose of creating a soup for their blogger challenge. 
I participated in this last year and came up with a couple of great recipes as well.  I made a Yaki-Soba Noodle Spring Roll with Shrimp and some Bok Choy Stir Fry with Yakisoba Noodles.  


I used my new toy tool to julienne the carrots, but also used my amazing (ha ha) knife skills to cut the mini pepper in strips as well as the Bok Choy.

 The smell in the kitchen as this was simmering was fantastic. 

I couldn't wait to ladle it out into a bowl.  And then I thought it looked so pretty I had to keep taking pictures.

 after the Sambal Kacang sauce was stirred in.

 I also used a fork to wind the noodles onto the spoon.  Felt a touch Italian there.

And then decided that this also lent itself well to a mug.
I love mug soups. 

Yield: 2 ServingsAuthor: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Sambal Kagang Udon Noodle Soup for #ChefYaki #Fortune

prep time: 10 MINScook time: 20 MINStotal time: 30 mins

This light, slightly spicy soup is perfect for after holiday indulgences or anytime you want a slightly different soup. It's hearty enough by itself, but you can also add slivered chicken or beef to it as well.

ingredients:

• 4 cups water
  1/2 cup chicken stock
  1 package original seasoning for Udon Noodles from Chef Yaki
  1 star anise
  2 - 2 inch pieces of Lemon Grass, cut lengthwise
  1- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
  2 tablespoons Sweet Soy Sauce
  1 carrot, peeled and julienned
  1 small red pepper, seeded and sliced into julienne strips
  1 small Bok Choy, sliced into julienne strips
  Optional: 1/2 cup slivered chicken or beef

Sambal Kagang Sauce

•  1 tablespoon Chunky Peanut Butter
  1 tablespoon Sweet Soy Sauce
  1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek
  1/2 teaspoon Sesame Seed Oil

instructions:

1. Simmer the water, stock and seasonings with the lemon grass, ginger and star anise for 10-15 minutes. 
   Take the ginger, lemon grass and star anise out, set aside.  (you can simmer them in some water for an hour to make a lovely tea later on).
   
   
    Add the vegetables to the simmering stock.  Cook just until the carrots are tender.  Add the Chef Yaki Udon Noodles and let come to a boil, then take it off the heat. 
    Stir the Sambal Kagang sauce ingredients together.  Set aside
   Serve with a spoonful of Sambal Kagang Sauce and stir that in. 

Created using The Recipes Generator

Tapas for December 2017

I'm late, I know, but I have a good excuse, it was Christmas Eve yesterday and I was exhausted and I took the time to clean up and reflect and just hung out.

We did our usual Grinch Christmas Exchange and there was a wide variety of gifts and we all had pretty good time.
However this is about food.  What people brought and what we ate.
It was kinda dessert heavy this month, but then again, it's Christmas time and people do tend to bake a lot of fun stuff. 
First the main table

And the desserts

As usual, I managed to miss getting pictures of a couple of dishes, but then again, I had to greet people and direct where everything got put.
There was a cheese log,

and a relish tray

I made my Deviled Ham Spread and then attempted to make it look a little like a Christmas Tree, served it with my Something Seedy crackers.  (both recipes will be in my next cookbook).

and some lovely beans and carrots

and another Cheese Log with Cranberries

Some ham with a Mango Mustard sauce

and some lovely spicy beans

There was a spinach and artichoke bowtie pasta dish

and a layered cornbread

Some more ham, and my camera decided to colorize the picture, sometimes it just doesn't like pink.

I made a baked brie with Blackcurrant and Rosemary and tried to make it vaguely tree like, but I think it resembles a flounder. Hey, why not a Christmas fish? The Italians do it.  It tasted good though and I'll share the recipe next year.

I managed to get a shot just before these disappeared.   Chicken with pesto rolls

There was a lovely hummus and crackers

Gnocchi in a sauce.  I need to learn how to make them.

A quiche cut into pretty little shapes

 Now the Desserts, and why no one rolled out of here in a sugar coma, I'll never know.
I made a tray of some of the cookies I've been baking.  French Waffles, Mincemeat Tarts, Finsk Brod (recipe coming next year), Jødekager and some Butter Tarts.

We had a couple of loaf breads

 And a pumpkin pie

I also made a Citronfromage, cause I love it. 

 We also had the 'pineapple',

 And a red velvet and pistachio trifle

 Some Snoball cookies

 A Hummingbird Cake

 A chocolate cake with Key Lime Glaze on top

 Some healthy Orange sections, I think I got them all.

 and the final dessert, another Red Velvet cake

 Can't forget the tree with all the gifts underneath it.  There was almost enough room left to sit around.

And that's it, the final Tapas and Grinch Christmas for this year. 
Time to go put my feet up and relax.