What a year it has been! We have been in and out of hundreds of kitchens filming many talented people who shared the recipes and cooking techniques they hold near and dear to their hearts. We have learned something from each and every shoot and when we sat down to come up with our “Best of 2009″ lists, it was really a struggle to narrow things down. The Most Popular list was easy because it was based on actual video views. Can’t argue with that. But when it came down to picking Favorite Hero, Favorite Recipe and some of our other creative categories, we had a tough time. After serious deliberation, we have come up with the lists below. We hope you enjoy them and please feel free to post comments here on your own personal favorites. We hope you have enjoyed the how-to videos we have created this year and have learned as much as we have. We look forward to bringing you more of the same original, great quality how-tos next year. Happy New Year!!

Top 10 MOST POPULAR VIDEOS of 2009

1. World’s Best Apple Pie:  Bea Viera
2. Crispy Chewy Pizza Dough: Chris Parachini, Roberta’s Pizza
3. Smoked Sweet Pork Ribs: Mark Patuto
4. Barbecue Smoker Basics: Mark Patuto
5. Country Style Potato Salad:  Marjorie Druker, New England Soup Factory
6. Sugar Cookies: Denise Drower Swidey, Cook To Order
7. Mac & Cheese: Brent Mimeault
8. Apple Crisp:  Sarah Bacon
9. Royal Icing Tips & Tricks:  Denise Drower Swidey, Cook To Order
10. High Heat Roast Turkey: Diane Richmond

RECIPES YOU THOUGHT WOULD BE HARD TO MAKE BUT ONCE YOU WATCHED THE VIDEOS, DISCOVERED WERE EASY

• Cured Duck Breast:  Tony Maws, Craigie on Main
• Parmesan Palmiers:  Denise Drower Swidey
• Mini Cheesecakes:  Jean Gray
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries:  Maria Stathoulis
• Brisket:  Louisa Kasdon
• Duck Confit Sugo:  Jeff Potter (coming soon!)
• Chocolate-Almond Coffee Cake:  Susan Reid, King Arthur Flour

GO-TO DISHES WE MAKE OVER AND OVER AGAIN

• Chicken Pot Pie:  Brian Stone, Alice’s Last Stop
• St~Germain Cocktail: Rob Cooper, Founder of St~Germain
• Mac & Cheese:  Brent Mimeault
• Whoopie Pies:  Eunice Feller, Bread & Chocolate
• Spinach, Salami, Provolone Calzones: Sarah Bacon
• Ginger Cranberry Sauce:  Susan Zubatkin
• Sugar Cookies, Denise Drower Swidey, Cook To Order
• World’s Best Apple Pie:  Bea Viera
• Rosemary Cheddar Biscuits: Evan Percoco, BOKX 109 American Prime
• Carrot Cake: Clare Garland, Ashmont Grill

BEST FARM FIELD TRIPS

• Shy Brothers Cheese Farm
• Island Creek Oysters Farm
• Raising Turkeys

MOST EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS

• Breaking Down a Chicken: William Kovel
• Classic Roast Chicken: Jim Swasey, Chef/Instructor, Cambridge School of Culinary Arts
• How to Clean Squid: Simone Nakhoul, Stork Club
• How to Shell & Clean Conch:  Simone Nakhoul, Stork Club
• What is Quinoa?:  Richard Vallente, Legal Sea Foods
• The Art of Making Maple Syrup: Tia Pinney, Mass. Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary
• Trimming an Artichoke: Jody Adams, Rialto
• Basic Knife Skills: Adam Simha, MKS Design
• All About Gluten-Free Flours: Linsey Herman, Cake and Commerce
• Latin Grilled Mahi Mahi  & Avocado w/ Pineapple Salsa:  Chris Schlesinger, East Coast Grill

MOST CREATIVE RECIPES

Savory:  Braised Sunflowers w/ Herbed Ricotta, Chuck Draghi, Erbaluce
Sweet:  Coconut-Chocolate Sushi, Cedric Beguin, Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa

MOST DELICIOUS DISHES (the hardest category ever!)

Conor’s Picks
Sweet:  Sticky Buns, Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery
Savory:  Roasted Chicken w/ Schupfnudeln & Maple Cider Reduction, Martin Brock of Gary Denko

Jason’s Picks
Sweet: Margarita Cupcakes, Alina Eisenhauer, Sweet, Worcester
Savory:  Braised Short Ribs, Evan Percoco, BOKX 109 American Prime

Donna’s Picks
Sweet:  Chocolate-Almond Coffee Cake, Susan Reid, King Arthur Flour
Savory:  Skillet Fried Chicken, Rembs Layman, Tupelo

Lynne’s Picks
Sweet:  Sticky Toffee Pudding from Sarah Woodfine, Le Patissier at Troquet Restaurant
Savory:  Habanero Flank Steak Chili, Marjorie Druker, New England Soup Factory

Jessie’s Picks
Sweet:  Guinness Cupcakes, Blair Pendergast, Well Hello There Cupcake blog
Savory:  Chicken Pot Pie, Brian Stone, Alice’s Last Stop

Eleni’s Picks
Sweet:  Chocolate-Almond Coffee Cake, Susan Reid, King Arthur Flour
Savory:  La Caja China Roast Pig, Will Gilson, Garden at the Cellar

Andrew’s Picks
Sweet:  Sticky Buns, Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery
Savory:  Baked Stuffed Lobster, Martha Chadwick

UNSUNG HERO
Brian Stone, Alice’s Last Stop

Chef Brian Stone is putting his Johnson & Wales culinary degree to great use by wowing diners at his diner-esque spot in sleepy Dighton, MA, which he recently expanded to accommodate his growing fan base. His comfort food wonders like “Make Your Morning” Muffins and Chicken Pot Pie have us wishing we lived a little closer to Dighton.

FAVORITE SHOOTS

Conor’s Pick: “All shoots with Linsey Herman from Cake and Commerce. Linsey is always a breeze to work with, relaxed, funny, organized. She has become our gluten-free guru and celiacs around the world thank her.”

Jason’s Pick: Raising Turkeys. ”It’s not every day that you get as great an appreciation for where your food comes from as I did the day we shot with Walter Gowey and his turkeys. As we captured these strikingly ugly birds on camera, so ugly they are beautiful, I hoped that every turkey farmer across the country had as great a relationship with their birds as Walter had with his. I imagined the turkey on my table that Thanksgiving had frolicked in the sun weeks earlier the way that Walter’s birds had that day.”

Lynne’s Pick: “King Arthur Flour shoots in Vermont with Susan Reid in her test kitchen. Including everyone’s favorite Chocolate-Almond Coffee Cake (the name alone does not do it justice) as well as Grilled Asiago Rounds, Whole Grain Brownies and helpful tips like Pulling a Window Pane. As Andrew would say, her videos are ‘Epic!’”

Andrew’s Pick: The Art of Making Maple Syrup. “I loved this shoot because I absolutely love maple syrup. I put it on anything! I also really enjoy understanding the process of how to make maple syrup and this video shows me how I could make it at home as well.”

FAVORITE HEROES

Everyone we’ve met has been absolutely wonderful and we love you all. But there are a few we thought went above and beyond the call of duty and really shined this year. They include:

Bea Viera – our Queen Bea and Lynne’s Mom who continues to share her simple, successful and absolutely delicious recipes she has mastered over her 79 years on the planet. There are 14 videos of hers on the site, including the #1 video of all time, World’s Best Apple Pie (it is!). We hope to see many more! Thank you, Bea.

Jody Adams, Rialto – Jody is a joy to work with and watch. Very calm and zen in her cooking style and she always invites us to the table to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Her Polenta w/ Spicy Baked Eggs is magical.

Susan Reid, King Arthur Flour – Susan is a salt of the earth baker who doesn’t take herself too seriously but who is a seriously incredible baker. Every word she utters is a new lesson for us and everything she makes is a new adventure in baking that we know will be a huge hit on the site. We all adore her Chocolate-Almond Coffee Cake which Eleni has made several times.

Alina Eisenhauer, Sweet, Worcester – Alina is always ready to go when we walk in the door. She has a commanding presence on camera and always delivers an A+ effort when the camera rolls. Her recipes are always right on and the flavors make your eyes roll back in your head. She is also a big promoter of her videos and how2heroes which we appreciate. Check out a few of her mouth-watering videos: Baked Cheese Fondue (drool), Margarita Cupcakes & the very popular Bread Pudding.

Rebecca Newell, Beehive – Rebecca is a laid-back chef who delivers some of the most incredible comfort food we’ve ever had, from Maple Bread Pudding (one of the best bread puddings ever) to Steak Frites.

The Pallotta Sisters, Nebo – This sister duo is always a pleasure to work with.  They greet us with a smile, offer wine before water, and always share great stories and laughter in the videos. Oh, and did we mention their food is insanely delicious? Try these recipes as soon as you can: Gluten-Free Eggplant Timballo, Zucchini Lasagna and Pizza Gana.

Eunice Feller, Bread & Chocolate – Eunice may own a bakery but she has mastered both sweet and savory delights from her Chocolate-Raspberry Cupcakes to her Grilled Corn Succotash w/ Edamame. We love how she always says how nervous she is but then she’s a dream on camera. Nothing to be nervous about, Eunice!

Evan Percoco, BOKX 109 American Prime – When Evan does a video, we all want to run home and recreate what he’s made immediately. Braised Short Ribs, Grilled Shrimp Gremolata…see our point? Evan also gets huge bonus points for enduring the pouring rain and first snow of the season while serving incredible Brisket Sliders on Rosemary Cheddar Biscuits at our Hoedown this year.

Brian Poe, Poe’s Kitchen at The Rattlesnake – Chef Poe is as good natured as they come. Always a pleasure to work with and with crowd favorite recipes like Citrus & Serrano Beer Can Chicken and Acorn Squash, Date & Jalapeno Salsa, you can’t go wrong. Brian also wins bonus points for enduring the elements at our Hoedown while serving up delicious Wild Boar Tacos.

Linsey Herman, Cake and Commerce. Linsey is doing amazing things with gluten-free creations and it’s always fun to find out what she’s got up her sleeve next. She’s also a joy to work with and is welcoming and super friendly to the crew. A few favorites: Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, Gluten-Free Whoopie Pies, Gluten-Free Apple Pie.

HERO OF THE YEAR:  MARJORIE DRUKER. Marjorie’s passion, kindness, talent and consistently wonderful foolproof recipes and videos makes her a clear candidate for this year’s winner. She also has been one of our biggest fans and does everything she can to help spread the word about her videos and how2heroes love. We invite Marjorie to a dinner at Lynne’s house on a date in 2010 that is convenient for her. Congratulations, Marjorie. And thank you for being you!

THANKS TO ALL THE HEROES WHO HAVE SHARED THEIR TIME, ENERGY, KITCHENS, INGREDIENTS, HUMOR, HAPPY MISTAKES AND EXPERTISE WITH HOW2HEROES. CHEERS TO YOU ALL!

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