Gone with the Wind ...

Right this very moment Gone with the Wind is running on television ... not that I am watching ...
As looking at the year 2013, it is almost gone ... gone as the wind and no matter how hard you try, you don't get it back. Even while moments where there you couldn't catch them and keep them ... as with the wind. You never really can catch it.
Before we go on rambling any further into the realm of Philosophy and the like I rather like to focus on Cooking Around the World. Was the almost past year a good one? You never know. What do you think? Did you enjoy it? And if so, what was it in particular you liked?
As you wish you might tell me ...
From the actual process of carrying out something I guess I have to say I liked my Hawaiian luau most.

It was really fun, digging in the garden and cooking under the ground.
What then seemed to be most popular on the blog in 2013 apart from guest posts and round-ups?
By the way, the Bloggers Around the World: India was quite successful. However, in the months after the participation declined ... a lot. Still, I will continue with Bloggers Around the World in 2014 even if I'm just participating alone, which in fact could already happen this very month still. Ah, no worries!
Let's head into the top five of 2013 ...
Spot number 5 is already gone with the wind for quite some time as it was in February. It was the chance to try a recipe I had bookmarked before. I really should do this more often again, blog about the experiences I made with some recipes I bookmarked. Actually this one was a quite simple one, but nevertheless delicious.
Although no one left a comment on that post, quite a lot viewed Bookmarked Recipe: Onion Soup on a Sandwich.

Well, at least it was enough to be the number 5. I still wonder, though how the picture would have looked did I have a better camera.

For the number 4 we have to go to more recent times, to October. That was the time for Greek cooking here on the blog (and for everyone who wanted to join). Again, it was nothing too fancy. I don't do too fancy too often around here anyway.
Indeed it is a quick and easy recipe. Hm, maybe that is why the post is called Quick and Easy Greek Lunch - Strapatsada. Have you tried it for yourself. I for sure will do it again.

Around the time when I wrote that post I had quite some not so easy decisions to make and by now most of those things have turned out very well. I am satisfied with that. Are you satisfied as well so far?

For number 3 I had some furry help. Well, I applied some other tricks as well, but ... mainly chocolate wins most of the time ... at least for me. Add some marzipan to it and there is very little chance to fail.
What are we talking about then? Some pralines we are talking about. To be more precise: Am I lazy or crazy - Ginger-Marzipan-Chocolate-Pralines. Quite some flavor going on there.

Do you know what the problem is with those things? They are gone far too quick. No, not gone with the wind. Rather gone with the storm - so fast they went.

Now we are already at number 2. Back then I said it would be lovely for someone to take me along to forage wild mushrooms. By now that already happened. So I know a few things. However, I moved and now I am on my own regarding foraging and I am not so sure I would do it right when I get the chance to go for it again.
Nevertheless you can also cook something lovely and delicious with bought mushrooms. Well, you have to pay for it, but isn't that what we have to do most of the time. Right, I don't even have a garden anymore to get herbs from. Ah, that is some kind of setback. Life goes on, no worries!
Yes, it could be true that I am talking too much at this very moment, for I haven't even mentioned what number 4 is. You know, that it has something to do with mushrooms.
Here is it then: Creamy Mushroom Pasta.

Who doesn't like pasta? Who? You? Fine, that can happen, but I know far more people who love pasta than those who can live without it.
As far as I am concerned, I believe I managed to get a delicious looking photo for this post. I wish I could do this even more often. You even might have noticed that I worked on getting new plates. Still I am looking for a few more in the next year. I hope I can find something useful and pretty nearby or ... anywhere else.

We are almost there now. The year is almost gone. This post is almost at the end, but ... hopefully ... this blog is not. After all I didn't do any shocking comments at the beginning of this post and ... I am not going to do it now. There is still so much to try around the world. Consequently I will keep on trying. One day I even might end up with cooking up a storm in my kitchen. Until then I will stay with the wind ...
That very wind is now about to carry us to the number 1 of the year 2013. As you will even so on the photo, it's a bit of an older post of 2013, it's from January. You may say now, with being posted in January it had more time to be watched, so that it is only natural to get more hits. Not necessarily. If a post is a bore, it doesn't matter how much time it gets to be watched. However, that post wasn't a bore and it still gets hits.
Nevertheless, I also applied my special kind of top 5 formula to give younger posts a chance as well. While it's not complicated mathematics, I still don't want to bore you with that formula.
Speaking of complicated, the title of post number 1 could have been a bit complicated. At least you can get the impression when you read it. Anyway, I had made me decision and so it was no big deal. Only if you wished to mess with the original recipe you would get naming problems. However, the way as it is, it could only get one name.
Therefore, without further ado, I bring you the number 1 post of 2013. Really? Yes!
It is: Gemelli pasta vegetariana al forno. Now again, who was it saying he likes no pasta?
Pasta always goes. Above that you don't need meat all the time to eat well.

Again, this post didn't get too many comments. Never mind ... although I really appreciate some nice comments.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but all this has made me a little bit hungry again. Maybe I should think about cooking and eating again. Who knows, that could lead to the first post of 2014 then.

I hope you enjoyed this little round-up of 2013. Vey very soon, it will be gone with the wind  ...