in 2011, watch this space

 a lot happens in a year (i mean, also nothing happens, but i guess you just need to zoom in more closely).

one thing that happens: over time, you selectively forget how much of a tedious pain it is to write, re-write, revise, check links, research, spell-check, take photos, process, crop, edit, upload, format, then do it again, multiple times a week. and then there's all the dishes to be washed.

but the fact is, there's a reason i forget. because so many little, sweet things happened in this year that i wished i could share here, if only i still blogged.

guess what, tannaz? you still blog.

i still blog!

i say this with trepidation. we'll see how it goes. i cleaned up a little around here, and like i said, there are so many little things that went undocumented:

- Discovering the Silver Lake Farmer's Market, and with it, my kitchen.  Finally fell into a groove of buying produce, enjoying having things set up just so in my kitchen, cooking and experimenting, and (in the rare days when I have time to slow down), doing it right.  You should have some yu choi.

- Impromptu tangerine mulled wine for two on a wintry night in a couchless apartment.  It was a triumph.  Not elaborating here.

- Buttered kimchi chow at Chego.  Street-bro hospitality, LA-ethnic fusion, and explosive flavors.  Dave made me a mixtape (J Live!) expressly for the trip.  Fitting.  Roy Choi is a genius, and we are lucky to have his contribution to our city's culture. (A-Frame similarly cozydelicious.  This food is love.)

- I re-christened myself: Brown Sugar Shorty. If I were ever to enter some sort of blogging secret society (as if one would ever let me in), this would be my codename.

- I started a little edible garden on my balcony!  It's tiny, but having basil, marjoram, parsley, and mint on hand at all times, not to mention the occasional strawberry or tomato, is major.  A lot of plants gave their life for me to get to this point.  But the major thanks go to Marta Teegen and her fantastic container gardening class.  Take her classes.  Buy her book.  Go to her market in Echo Park.  (Get the fancy French blue cheese.)

- Two amazing bake sales came and went.  In addition to our regular annual No Cookie Left Behind bake sale in June, we also held Cookies Without Borders, a wildly successful emergency sale to benefit the earthquake relief effort in Haiti.  We brought together droves of bakers, bloggers, and with the addition of a raffle, tons of local business too, and all in all, we raised over $9700.  Tremendous.

- Bar Covell!  I welcomed my new favorite bar to the neighborhood.  Over and over and over again.  Wanna go?

- The endless search for the new hood's perfect cappuccino (it's important) only led me to the bar at Vinoteca Farfalla, at 6 o'clock in the morning, while watching Lando Calrissian's -- er, Landon Donovan's heroics on the USA World Cup team.  Still searching for my regular spot.  Damn good cappuccino, though.

- I walked over to Little Dom's as many times as I possibly could justify (including today!).

- I, along with other members of the UAFTP (United Angelenos for Transcontinental Playgoing, obvs) discovered the best bar in NYC, Orient Express.  We also 'discovered' Balthazar, and Shake Shack, and the amazing High Line, and even more amazing, Prune.

- The search for matzoh cake meal on the day before Passover started nearly led to tears.  Toto, we ain't in Fairfax anymore.

- 11 in 11!  The dream of the Metro edition of 11 in 11 finally came true.  Over 11 spots in 11 hours, all on the Red and Gold lines: amazing goat stew, breakfast burritos the size of a baby (but tastier), slaw dogs, deep fried everything, unmentionable parts of cows, beer and wurst and mochi, oh my, all ending with margaritas downtown.

- A meal at Test Kitchen -- the wonky experimental vibe, running into friends, exquisite flavors, friendly/yummy bar situation, and an insane strawberry creme brulee parfait -- reminded me of the importance of getting out of the office, and affirmed everything I believe about food (sometimes I forget). (Walter Manzke was behind the burners that night, for those keeping track of such things.)

So that's what happened in 2010.  Camera battery is charging as we speak.  2011 starts tomorrow, and guys, I still blog.