This year I decided that I would have a New Year's resolution that I could stick to. I thought about it for a while and eventually landed on baking. So with my trusty mixer and collection of pans, I set off on a 52 week baking adventure. It's been a fun journey and there have been some ups and downs, but we've finally arrived at week 52.

This week I had a bunch of bananas slowly rotting on my counter. Normally, I would turn this sort of thing into a loaf or two of banana bread. However, I wanted to end this series on a more spectacular note, and plain old banana bread just wouldn't cut it. So I brainstormed and came up with Banana Cupcakes with a Dulce de Leche filling and Chocolate Buttercream frosting. They came together quickly, and were a real treat to my sweet tooth. To get the recipe, read more

Happy holidays everyone! It's been quiet in the food world — after all, we've all been pigging out on cookies, hot cocoa and feasts, right? — but just in case you missed anything, here's what went down this week.

• New Year's is just around the corner, and to celebrate we've provided everything you need to plan a New Year's Day brunch party.



• Just in time for New Year's Eve, here are instructions on how to open a bottle of champagne.
• Warm up your weeknight with a hearty minestrone soup.
• Don't forget to take pictures of your food and submit them to our Savory Sights group.
• If you've got gift cards burning holes in your pockets, maybe you'll find a great self-gift idea in one of our holiday gift guides.
• Christmas may be over, but this game is still fun. Can you match the food to the Christmas carol?
• Finally, the end of the year is quickly approaching. To help you remember just what happened this year we've been going crazy with our Best of 2007 coverage. This week we looked at:
  • The most-talked about newspaper food section stories
  • Your favorite food reality contestant and food reality judge
  • Our favorite cocktails of the year
  • The year's favorite food trends

  

  • The biggest debates in food choices
  • The best best food cities
  • Your favorite restaurant chain and grocery store
  • Our favorite food holiday
  • A global adventure via recipes from around the world
  • The most emailed stories of the year
  • The year's weirdest gadgets
  • Our favorite homemade ice cream sandwiches

Every Sunday for the past year, we've brought you either a delicious Sunday Dinner that you could really sink your teeth into, or a delightful Sunday BBQ that you could treat your family with. As part of our Best of 2007 coverage, I thought it would be fun to pick my favorite three dinners and favorite three bbq recipes. From the top left corner, going clockwise:

• Handmade Gnocchi with Pesto
• Roasted Chicken Drumsticks with Garlic
• Chimichurri Beef Steak
• Beef Bourguignon
• Grilled Peaches and Goat Cheese Crostinis
• Pomegranate Grilled Lamb Chops

How about you? Is there a Sunday meal that you think we missed?

For those of you worried that the end of the holiday season means you'll no longer be able to enjoy the specialty red cup drinks at Starbucks, then stop stressing out. Here's a recipe so you can make your own delicious peppermint mocha. — Brewed Coffee

Whenever I see something I like — such as these root beer float cupcakes — I have a tendency to share it with all of my friends. Well, according to the geeks you guys do the same thing! I had them pull some info for us and we discovered which stories were the most emailed of 2007. Here, from top to bottom, are the top ten emailed stories of 2007. Oh and is anyone else detecting a pastry theme here?

1. 52 Weeks of Baking: Pecan Pie Cookies
2. I Heart Candy: Heath Bar Cake
3. Reader Recipe: Root Beer Float Cupcakes
4. Red Velvet Birthday Cake
5. Teri Hatcher Goes on a Cupcake Outing
6. Top Ten Food Trends for 2007
7. 52 Weeks of Baking: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
8. How to Make Ghost Toast
9. Happy Hour: Jell-O Shots Three Ways
10. Top Ten Harry Potter Related Recipes

So what do you think? Did you email any of these around?