My 2013 recipe round-up (Kitchen Vignettes by Aubergine)

It's been one helluva year.

2013 was the year I officially left the big city lights and the fulfilling job I had there, in a leap of faith to move back to the east coast, closer to the ocean, my family, my sweetheart, and my dream of growing as much of my own food as possible.

It hasn't been an easy leap that's for sure. I dove into it all a bit starry-eyed and it took a particularly grumpy and uncompromising border guard last February to make me realize cross-border romance is not always a walk in the park. But despite a rather unsettled year with a lot of back-and-forths across the border, I managed to finally find a resting place on a magical farm on the northern shore of Nova Scotia. Through it all, I cooked, ate, discovered new recipes, and shared the worthy ones with all you wonderful friends and fellow food lovers. Where would I have been without you and the enthusiasm and encouragement you shared with me? In some ways, this blog became my home, the place I came back to again and again, wherever I happened to be throughout this nomadic year.

From finding new ways to sneak

furry creature cameos in my videos, to starting to blog for PBS Food to

interviewing my favorite GMO activist, to starting a monthly giveaway, it's been an adventurous year and I've learned so much along the way. I can't thank you enough for your kind-hearted words, your stories, your recipe ideas, and your feedback on my videos, posts, and recipes. To all the new readers, a warm welcome to you! Here's to another year exploring food together. May this new year bring you joy, adventure, and everything you most deeply wish for.

Here's a look back and a little round-up of this year's most popular recipes.