Amazing to think that the year that we earned the most miles and points was also the year without spending a single one. I typically plan our international travels 9-12 months in advance, and with NSPpeanutToo arriving in March, had started researching new adventures that weren’t too far away: Belize, Columbia, Mount Rushmore. You know, the usual. Then 2020 hit, and we found ourselves in a state of perpetual stay. While there were, and have been, many challenges, it has also been a time for pause, reflection, and intention. And one of my favorite outlets, which has been more infrequent over the years than I would have liked, is cooking, baking, and using food to bring people together.
Let me be clear. I didn’t set out on a culinary journey, so you will have to forgive the inconsistencies, lack of quality photos, and general forgetfulness writing this months after the fact. But I thought it would be nice to look back at the year and review some of my favorite culinary creations.
This journey started in early March, right after the birth of NSPpeanutToo. Things moved quickly, and we went from delivering in the hospital, to two weeks later being part of a shelter-in-place order. While we were OK on the toilet paper front, we obviously needed to stock up on frozen burritos, stuffed chicken breasts, pizza rolls. And of course, beer:
Quarantine Grocery Shopping
As there was no heading to Chicago to view the green-dyed-river, the standard Guinness was in order on St. Patrick’s Day:
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
While we had a particularly cold spring, it stayed dry enough to light the grill:
Grilled French Baguette with Parmesan and Basil
Marinated Skirt Steak
Cedar-Planked Salmon
Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan
I tried for the first time a fruit-infused vodka. I’m not quite sure why, I don’t particularly like vodka, and this was no different:
Pineapple Infused Vodka
NSPpeanut loves to bake. And we embraced trying to bake different foods:
The Tiramisu was good, but having an entire pan of it lying around is dangerous:
Tiramisu
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
We sampled a lot of different recipes for a Strawberry Shortcake. This was by far the best, a little bit more of a biscuit than a cake, but still sweet enough to be a true dessert. Given how many different strawberry shortcake recipes we made, if anyone can figure out which one was the best (we lost track), that would be great.
Strawberry Shortcake
As the world was seemingly stuck in a lockdown, it was apparent that many small local restaurants would have trouble weathering the storm, so we tried to support local-owned businesses. One of our great finds was Ciao Bella, which sold “make-your-own-pizza kits.” NSPpeanut had a ball, and we made dozens of pizzas throughout the spring and summer. I will say the obsession led to a purchase of the Ooni Koda 16…which takes pizzas to a whole new level.
Sausage & Pepperoni
Supreme Version 2
Classic Margherita
Kale, Pistachio, and Cheese Pizza with an Olive Oil Based Sauce
Supreme
The Pizza Princess
Standard Pizzas
While these pizzas were great, we also mixed in making our own pizza crust. Bakingsteel’s 72-hour pizza dough provided an extra crunch and was our favorite.
As spring turned to summer, we lit up the grill at every opportunity. Proteins were mainly steaks, but others made appearances:
Boneless Ribeye
We often use different rubs for the corn. One of our favorites is a simple chili-lime combo:
Bone-In Ribeye
Filet
Jalapeno Smoked Bacon
Sesame Seared Tuna with Corn on the Cob
Chicken Kabobs
Side dishes often contained variations of potatoes, but also included the occasional vegetable that wasn’t corn on the cob:
Mashed Potatoes
Grilled Potatoes
Bok Choy
Chili Lime Rubbed Corn on the Cob
French Baguette
Full Meals:
Labor Day: Watermelon, Mashed Potatoes
Labor Day: Pork Ribs and Brisket Nachos
Jalapeno Bacon BLTs
NSPwife’s Panang Curry
NSPwife’s Chicken Pad Thai
Shrimp Street Tacos
Black & Bleu Steak Salad
Desserts were always a must:
Apple Pie in the Making
Finished Apple Pie
Grilled Peaches with Brown Sugar and Vanilla Ice Cream
Creme Brulee
NSPwife Made NSPpeanut’s Birthday Cake
We even ordered some specialty items in:
Clams and Clam Chowder Flown in from Maine
Clam Bake
NSPwife’s best meal ever made: Homemade Lobster Rolls
Lobster Steaming
Lobsters Flown In from Maine
One of my favorite finds in 2020 was learning how to make my own gnocchi with a classic pomodoro sauce:
Gnocchi in the Making
Gnocchi in the Making
Gnocchi in the Making
Gnocchi in the Making
Gnocchi in the Making
Gnocchi in the Making
Pomodoro Sauce in the Making
Pomodoro Sauce in the Making
Pomodoro Sauce in the Making
Our Favorite Wine
Gnocchi Pomodoro
One of the toughest recipes to perfect was French Onion Soup. It seemed I could never get it quite as dark and savory as my favorite from Mon Ami Gabi:
French Onion Soup
Pecan Cinnamon Rolls Prep
Pecan Cinnamon Rolls Prep
Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Spicy Sausage Tarts
Chicken & Corn Chowder
Italian Beef & Provolone
One of my favorite dishes I ordered over the past couple of years was a spicy Lobster Tempura with Pork Belly. This was an attempt at a recreation, which turned out pretty darn good:
Lobster Tempura, Pork Belly, and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes
Olive Oil Bread with Specialty Salts, and Fine Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar
Joe’s Stone Crabs, Courtesy of Goldbelly
Chicken Marsala
Pasta Carbonara & Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
Of course I had to introduce my girls to the delicacy of Texas Toast:
Texas Toast
Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
And like everyone else during the pandemic, we bought an Air Fryer. I can’t stress enough how awesome an air fryer is. So quick, so easy, so flexible. NSPpeanut loved making donuts in the mornings:
Cinnamon Sugar Air Fryer Doughnuts
Buffalo Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Olive Oil, & Balsamic Vinegar
I couldn’t quite get the carrot cake right. It didn’t help that the crazy recipe I used placed them in round cake tins. Not sure if that is usual, but certainly did not help my ability to make even layers and make sure everything was set:
Carrot Cake
I made an attempt at a chocolate peanut butter cheesecake. And boy was it a success. It was my second time feathering, and I thought it came out pretty good. My previous cheesecakes sometimes fell to the notorious “crack,” but upon doing some further research, one pastry chef stated that as long as you don’t over-whip the eggs – which puts too much air into them – you should be fine. It seems like that was great advice (of course, also use a water bath). Maybe it was luck, but given the complete absence of a crack, I’ll never overwhip the eggs for a cheesecake again!
Cheesecake Pre-Over
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake
Overall, utilizing food as both a distraction and creative outlet, in a time where we were mostly locked in a house with a newborn, was a great experience. We found some new favorite recipes, learned a ton, and look forward to taking it into 2021.
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