2012 has been a wonderful year here at Daisy’s World. Over the span of 104 posts, I have shared recipes, photographs and snippets of my life.  I have also connected with many of you who took the time to share your thoughts and comments, which I truly appreciate.

I enjoyed some blogging success this year. First of all, Daisy’s World celebrated its first anniversary in April. When I started, I didn’t really intend to have a public blog. It was just a way to share recipes and things happening in my life with my family and friends. I had no inkling of how much time and effort I would eventually put into this blog, or how much I would love the creative outlet it has given me. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that Daisy’s World would reach over 1 million views or be read by people all over the world.

In May, my post on Raspberry-Basil Italian Cream Soda was featured on WordPress’ Freshly Pressed, which significantly increased the blog’s visibility and led to a huge increase in subscribers. It also caught the eye of the folks at Lucky Brand, which led to my gig as the “resident foodie” for A Lucky Life, the company’s official blog.

Also, as a newbie, I was excited to attend my first food bloggers conference, BlogHer Food, in June. This conference gave me the inspiration to keep honing my cooking, writing, and photography skills.  My confidence got another boost, a couple months later, when I was approached by companies in New Zealand and Canada interested in using one of my recipes and photos, for a fee!

The best part of 2012 was the time I spent in the kitchen, doing something I really love.

So now, it’s time to say goodbye to 2012 and welcome 2013, but not before a look back at some of the best dishes of the year.

Most Popular Post – Condensed Milk Pound Cake (March 6)

This is my favorite kind of afternoon snack, with some coffee or tea. This pound cake is moist from the condensed milk baked right in and to give it my decadent touch, I drizzled more condensed milk and chocolate syrup on top. Apparently, many of you share my love for this sweet indulgence because it is the most viewed post of 2012.

Ingredient of the Year – Rhubarb

I had never cooked rhubarb until this year and I absolutely love it. Fresh rhubarb is not readily available in Southern California, and it only makes the briefest of appearances in grocery stores and farmers markets.  I love the tart flavor and the beautiful bright pink color. Thank goodness for frozen rhubarb, which is more readily available so I was able to make this Rhubarb Ice Cream, Mini Cheesecakes with Blood Orange and Rhubarb Compote, and Rhubarb Curd, which I used for one of my favorite dishes of the year, Rhubarb-Vanilla Bean Shortbread Bars.

Now, on to the countdown of the top ten favorite dishes I made this year:

#10 – Midori Sour Ice Pops (August 3)

#9 – Salted Caramel Chocolates (March 17)

#8 – Red Currant and Poppy Seed Cake (August 22)

#7 – Pork Meatball Báhn Mì (January 30)

#6 – Pastel de Tres Leches (February 12)

#5 – Eggs Poached in Chunky Tomato Sauce (May 7)

#4 – Rhubarb-Vanilla Bean Shortbread Bars (May 17)

#3 – Honey Walnut Shrimp (January 2)

#2 – Hazelnut Frangipane and Nutella-Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart (August 1)

#1 – Individual Peach Upside Down Cakes (August 13)

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