(Top L-R: Oatmeal Scotchies, market-fresh tomatoes, callaloo;
Mid L-R: Broccoli rabe, fresh (unbrined) olives, Morganstern’s (NYC) Avocado Ice Cream Toast;
Bottom L-R: Esquites, Dominique Ansel’s (NYC) Cronut, fresh corn)
Yes, you read that correctly: 2018; and yes…I am a year late. I really enjoy looking back over the past year and summarizing it all in a ‘farewell to the year’ post. It’s just unfortunate that I only realized now that last year’s piece never made it to print. So many amazing things happened last year, I would be remiss to not give it the proper attention it deserved. Here is 2018 in a nutshell, and then be on the lookout for my 2019 post!
After nine years of stay-at-home momming, I went back to work. I am now a school nurse at a Title 1 school. I see—on average—50 kids per day in my clinic. That’s correct, 50 on average. per. day. I am fortunate to be instrumental in getting these children the often neglected care that they require. It is stressful; it is exhausting; the rewards, however, are overwhelming. Work-life balance continues to be a challenge, but I just keep doing the best that I can from day to day. I’m also lucky to be able to be home with my middle-schooler after school and enjoy the same days off that he has. For me, this job is the perfect balance of getting a piece of ‘me’ back, but yet still being here for him without the need for child care.
Although I only posted three times in 2018, I still managed to come up with some favorite recipes from the blog as well as my faves in the other departments.
My Veg Table’s Best of 2018:
Favorite Food magazine: Bon Appétit (4th year in the lead)
Favorite non-food book: The Muralist, B.A. Shapiro
Favorite cookbook: Cooking for Jeffrey, Ina Garten
Favorite local restaurant: Annata Wine Bar
Favorite MVT savory recipe of 2018: Esquites (Mexican Street Corn)
Favorite MVT sweet recipe of 2018: Spiced Molasses Cookies
Favorite place visited: Antelope Canyon, AZ
We had a few big trips this year. Spring Break took us to Arizona and the Grand Canyon. We took my mom along for the adventure to celebrate her 70th birthday! We covered a lot of ground in Arizona: Sedona, Phoenix, Antelope Canyon and we even skied in Flagstaff—a snow-covered mountain in the middle of the desert, who would’ve thought?! We ended that trip in Las Vegas to see the sights and eat the food! Over the summer, we rented a cabin in the small town of Burnsville, NC. Some friends joined us for some laid back time spent cooking, foraging, fishing, and just enjoying mountain life; a quick road trip took us back to Asheville again! My annual trip to see family in Pennsylvania included a trip to New Hope, PA and a tour of the Winterthur Estate in Delaware. To round out the year, we spent time in PA again for a wedding and then traveled to NYC for Christmas where we saw HAMILTON on Broadway! What an awesome year of adventures! By the time 2018 wrapped up, I had no idea just how much traveling was in the cards for 2019…
2018 was a very exciting year full of changes and new experiences. I love my new job as a school nurse and I love that we were able to take my mom on her ‘bucket list’ trip. Writing had taken somewhat of a backseat while getting used to our new normal. So, although you are only reading this wrap-up of 2018 in the last few days of 2019, I felt it necessary to share—albeit a year late—the highlights of this life-changing year; they should not slip through the cracks just because time got away from me. Check out my Best of 2019 and have an amazing 2020!
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