It's been a long time

When the April issue of Gourmet arrived in my mailbox, I was absolutely inspired to resume blogging "Fork & Spoon." Its cover photo, showcasing a dreamy Pecan Spice Cake with seemingly hundreds of layers against a cerulean blue backdrop, triggered an intense excitement within.

Unfortunately, between preparing to interview for a new position at work (which I didn't get), wrapping up my final semester of grad school, and taking a long-anticipated vacation to Washington, DC, only now have I had a chance to sit down and write.

So, just to catch up, here are my Top 15 Moments in Food since I last wrote (in no particular order other than chronological):

15. Manically, but lovingly, preparing a pre-Christmas feast with Todd's family;
14. My Christmas Eve Feast of Seven Fishes with my family;
13. My Latin American-inspired Christmas dinner menu, featuring roast prime rib of beef with an herbaceous chimichurri;
12. Meeting Rita Moreno during a post-cabaret dinner at San Francisco's celebrated Canteen restaurant;
11. Starting to write the business plan for my gourmet food market idea;
10. A day of cupcake baking with my four-year-old niece;
9. An inspired olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting class at Birmingham's Community House;
8. Pre-show hors d'ouevres and cocktails at Centaur in Detroit;
7. Ilan (and his fauxhawk) defeating Marcel (and his Wolverine coif) in Season 2 of Bravo's "Top Chef";
6. The long-awaited delivery of my new, stainless steel Kenmore Elite refrigerator and range;
5. My "small plates" dinner party in honor of Elise's birthday;
4. Coffee and croissants with the homeless in DC's Dupont Circle;
3. Cardamom ice cream at Urbana Restaurant & Wine Bar in DC;
2. Country pate and pommes frites at Firefly in DC;
1. My springy Easter Brunch menu for my family, featuring Crab Cakes Benedict

Next up: checking out the newly-launched, once-a-month Sunday brunch at Detroit's Avalon Bakery.