Well, it’s February, and long past time for the ubiquitous year-end posts. Why am I even bothering at this point? Good question, and I guess the answer is that this is more for me than for you. I kind of like looking back over all the recipes I made in the past year with my fellow French Fridays with Dorie cooks and remembering my favorites. We’ll just call this my own personal little FFwD Oscars.

To start with, Dorie has changed the way I roast chickens, earning her m. Jacques’ Armagnac Chicken my Favorite Savory Recipe of the year. Her method is simple and straightforward and the end result is juicy and flavorful. It has become my go-to chicken recipe which I have made more times than I can count. And on the sweeter side of life, Dorie’s Coconut Friands was my Favorite Dessert. This was another incredibly easy recipe and has become the recipe which I pull out anytime I have egg whites to use up. Which means that I make these little cakes pretty much every time I make ice cream.

The one which I least expected to like, and thus the Most Surprising Recipe of the year, was Dorie’s Sardine Rillettes. This recipe caused quite a stir among the Doristas and not everyone was a fan. But I learned that I like sardines and this delicious spread makes a quick and easy party appetizer. This recipe also reminded me once again that the recipes which push me out of my comfort zone remain my favorite FFwD experiences. Whether I end up liking the recipe or not, I enjoy the experience of trying something new.

All of the recipes I’ve listed so far were easy, but the all time Easiest Recipe of the year was Dorie’s Hummus. I eat hummus all the time and had no idea how simple it was to make it myself at home. But, while Dorie’s simple recipes will probably always make my heart go pitter-patter, one which was decidedly not easy, but Well Worth the Effort, was her Blueberry-Mascarpone Roulade. I had never made a roulade before because I had always been too intimidated by the process. But Dorie patiently walked me through it and the end result was elegant and delicious.

While not exactly a true repeat of Dorie’s original recipe, her Nutella Tartine inspired me to start spreading nutella and orange marmalade on my morning whole wheat english muffin, and thus becomes (kind of) the Most Repeated recipe of 2012.

And, as I did last year, I have to pay tribute to my husband for joining me on this little culinary adventure of mine. His favorite recipe, and thus the Happy Husband recipe of the year goes to Dorie’s Top Secret Chocolate Mousse. Did I mention that he has a sweet tooth?