Fondue Dip & "Punschkrapferl" Petits Fours – Happy New Year!

<<- Take me to the recipe ->>

And it's the end of the year again! I don't know about you, but for me, 2014 just flew by. Maybe because it was one event after the other, maybe because I experienced so many amazing things, worked incredibly hard and enjoyed a ton of unforgettable, happy and funny moments - but 2014 was definitely my year.

Looking back, there were many wonderful moments to tell you about in my blog entries. I checked the statistics today because I wanted to know which of last year's posts proved the most popular.

The life changing bread

It's fitting that the „Life changing bread“, still the recipe getting the most clicks overall, topped the charts in March. One reason for that might be its promising name as well as the fact that it's incredibly healthy and delicious at the same time. Whether it can actually change your life, I don't know, but it's definitely a great alternative to other types of bread and an ideal start to a healthy New Year. The one thing that did change my life this year was this blog. And I'll be self-employed in 2015 running my own business - this one!

Foodtastic's 6-month anniversary

The next highlight has to have been Foodtastic's 6-month anniversary. For the occasion, I organised a prize draw, awarding a stylish Kenwood Mixer to the lucky winner. Thank you to all the participants and the many kind words you sent me!

Pumpkin meets fig, feta, honey and lentils

This dish seemed to be a particular winner in September - maybe it was the pictures that made so many of you click on the recipe, which combines some of my personal favourites like legumes (lentils), truffles (honey), ewe's cheese, juicy figs and pumpkin.

AMA Food Blog Award

This was hands down the year's most significant event of 2014 - winning the AMA Food Blog Award in the "newcomer" category. Many of you became fans of my website when I was still snoozing in Iceland - there's a two hour time difference. Of course I was gobsmacked when I woke up - I'm still super proud of this award today. Thank you so much to the AMA team for the incredible victory event at Stadtflucht Bergmühle. This award did wonders for my blog - it brought me many great contacts and commissions and it's one of the main reasons why I'm starting my own business in 2015.

Article in Gusto magazine plus chocolate cake with beetroot

In the aftermath of the award, life became pretty busy. I was contacted by the media - a lot - and occasionally even stumbled over articles on Foodtastic myself when browsing a magazine or the internet. There were some great ones among them in Die Presse, Falstaff, Kurier, Cooking - Österreich's new cooking magazine and vol.at. Just yesterday, there was a TV feature on foodtastic on the ORF channel and in December, there I was in one of my favourite cooking magazines: Gusto. Many Gusto readers went on to browse my blog, some of them looking for my juicy date loaf. I want to thank all those magazines and TV/online media creators for the amazing support and fantastic features. I wouldn't be where I am today without you.

In mid-December, I posted Nigel Slater's Schokoladenkuchen, which provoked a huge response - this one's one of my site's veritable treasures. I can only recommend you try this - you'll be glad you did!

ORF Feature

Two days ago, I had a record number of visitors to my blog. I couldn't believe my own eyes, when I saw the statistics this morning. Thanks to the feature on TV channel ORF, presenting my work and my blog, 1200 people clicked on my website in just one day. A huge thanks goes to Kerstin Polzer and the ORF team!

But it's you that I want to thank in particular - my readers. The most touching feedback I've received all year was through comments from all over the world about how I inspire people and how my blog reflects the time, passion and honesty that goes into my work. That's the best compliment a blogger can ever hope to get. THANK YOU!!!

To 2015, my new business in the new year and my own cookbook! It's all a little intimidating, but I'll stick to Ellen Johnson's attitude, who once said ...“if your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough“.

Right. But now we need to get going with our New Year's celebration prep. What does your ideal New Year's Eve party look like? Do you celebrate with friends? Family?
Every year in our household, we start the feast with smoked salmon on toast and some "Obers-Kren" (a mixture of whipped cream and horseradish).

As I have mentioned before many times, I like social and inclusive meals - the fondue being the ideal example. This year, my friends and I will again have a cozy fondue evening. A very important feature: the dips. I will share with you some of my Granny's recipes that she passed down to my Mom and that have been a very successful annual staple in our family for years.

Here's a great gift idea: instead of little marzipan pigs, bring some Punschkrapfen Petits Fours, decorated with lucky symbols. They're really time-consuming and complicated to make, so I buy mine at the confectioner's. For those of you who insist on making them yourselves, Hier is a great recipe, because nothing tastes like home-cooked food.
By the way, the pictures you see here - I took those for Vorwerk, a company distributing the Thermomix food processor. With the Thermomix, the Punschkrapferl are a proverbial piece of cake to make. I was seriously surprised at how fast they were done.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! To a wonderful 2015 with many exciting moments and great posts, fun and happiness!

Here's the link to those scrumptious fondue dips...

DELICIOUS COLD SAUCES FOR MEAT, FISH OR FRIES

The best accompaniment for red meat - be it classic steak or sirloin - are savoury-spicy sauces. If you have an oil- or soup-based meat fondue and want to add other types of meat like veal, pork, chicken or turkey, you can alter the basic sauce with just a few exotic ingredients and spices.