Ode to Food 2009!

In the spirit of the year's end, I shall pay homage to my favorite food adventures of 2009! Special thanks to all the cooks, friends, and culinary connections I made this year as I began my great foodie adventure!

Thanks for:

1. Grandma Schreiber's yorkshire pudding, eggy and buttery with au jus sauce as a dip.

2. Meeting fellow foodies Christy Majors, Jan Maguire, Mindy Reed, Susan Stein and reconnecting with foodies Nicky Vallee and Janet Newcomb!

3. Chef Aaron Kiefer's kobe beef sliders, onion tarts, mushroom rolls, apple cranberry stuffed quail,and bread pudding made with challa.

4. Zin American Bistro's roasted chicken salad with roquefort.

5. Ongoing adventures with David Dixon and Lisa Vossler in our Ladies Raw Oyster and Chardonnay Club!

6. Hugh Van Horn's grilled chicken and gorgonzola salad.

7. Julie Rogers' egg fritattas, lamb stuffed pitas, chicken curry and cheese grits.

8. Charlotte Duplay's paneer.

9. India Oven matar paneer dinners with Gene.

10. The existence of our special Hungry Pie supper club.

11. Oyster farms with Robert Birnbach.

12. Paul Ortega's salads with herbs from the new garden.

13. Ginger beer floats.

14. Malbec wines.

15. Discovering Korean food and kimchi with Robert Birnbach.

16. Staying at Chef Andrea Rappaport's house in San Francisco with a shelf full of cookbooks, and especially the ones from Turkey.

17. San Francisco's Lucca deli and the best mushroom pizza and fresh ravioli ever.

18. Asian beef salad at Les Vallauris.

19. Marilyn Prebul's boyfriend's dolmadas.

20. The brie, pineapple and duck omelette at Piero's Acqua Pazza.

21. Lisa Vossler Smith's holiday corn souffle.

22. Learning to make a lentil, cherry tomato and simple sugar salad that didn't taste like dirt.

23. Ace Hotel's chilaquiles, made by Jihun Heath

24. Don Diego's barbecue chicken quesadillas.

25. El Mirasol's special purple tomatillo sauce on enchiladas.

26. The Sandcliff grapefruit martini created by John Mich.

27. Take out bread and cucumber/tomato salsa from Red Tomato.

28. Filet mignon salad and nori roll at Tropicale Restaurant.

29. Mary Jensen's Canadian fries with gravy.

30. Arlene Rosenthal's organic garden swiss chard and lamb dinners.

31. Danny Johnson's chorizo breakfast trek in the Mission District

32. Three a.m. Mission District burritos with Tara and Jamie after Greek Theater concerts.

33. Sunshine Cafe huevos rancheros breakfasts with April, Mom, Nick and Mikey.

34. The discovery of Palm Greens in Palm Springs and their exquisite use of peanut sauce.

35. The chocolate Godiva martinis and cherry chocolate cupcakes at Party Lab for my Cherry Secretary art show.

36. Native Foods' ghandi bowl and tempeh chips.

37. Casual pad thai lunches at Thai Smile.

38. Room service with Ian LeWinter for his 50th at Shutters on the Beach -exquisite horseradish encrusted salmon and hot fundge sundaes!

39. Nicky Vallee's Harissa pasta with rock shrimp.

40. Cooking again with mom: swedish pot roast, chili, taverns, and the like.

41. Lemongrass, thai chili, cilantro, coriander, pimento and ginger!

42. Dark chocolate of all kinds.

43. Wheat thins.

44. Onion bagels, toasted with cream cheese and green olives.

45. Goat cheese and cranberry relish.

46. Jarlsberg swiss cheese.

47. Halvah.

48. Morroccan chicken at Spencers with fig and date sauce.

49. Mole.

50. Manhattan in the Desert's cheese blintzes with honey.