The Chicago Food Swap celebrated its fourth anniversary on December 6 with an outstanding swap. There were new faces, old friends, delicious food and prizes. Yes, prizes! To mark the occasion, we had two culinary-themed door prizes at the December swap: the new KitchenAid Precision Press French press, which I gather is the gift for the at-home barista this year and a stunning 9.5 inch, nonstick crêpe pan from Anolon. Christmas and Hanukkah came early for two of our swappers!

The swap offerings were varied and delicious. I think the hottest items of the day were Lisa and Jorge’s tamales, of which you could choose pork, rajas con queso or vegetarian. I am very happy to say that I traded my vin de pêches (peach wine) for three veggie ones. They made a delicious dinner along with some black beans brought by new swapper Emilio.

Other savory items included a variety of soups from new swapper Julie — I scored the roasted red pepper one — red lentil soup from vegan swapper (and amazing home cook) Betsy; pizza sauce from Gena; puttanesca sauce from Shelby, which is already garnering rave reviews; rice salad; and a farro salad from Sandy.

Ah, but it is the time of year for sweets, isn’t it? There were some amazing cookies and candies on offer at the December swap, including chocolate bark and holiday-themed lollipops from Lori and Evan; peanut brittle; chocolate brioche from award-winning baker, Anna; honey coconut caramels; spicy Mexican hot chocolate crinkle cookies from Chris and Steve; apple cinnamon bread from my neighbors Keli and Gary; and Gena’s beautiful, nut-free rugelach filled with homemade jams.

Perhaps one of the best confections on offer was chocolate walnut fudge from Sandy, who swears by Mamie Eisenhower’s recipe — indeed, Sandy even had a commemorative Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower plate on display in case anyone wasn’t sure who Mamie Eisenhower was. Even though my poor Zuzu can’t eat the fudge because of the walnuts, I swapped for it anyway. I am powerless in the face of fudge and a commemorative presidential plate.

I particularly noticed that there were many pickles and chutneys on display this month. New swapper Wendy brought a variety of pickles, including cauliflower and green tomato, that she made from produce grown in her Peterson Garden Project community garden plot. New swapper Ada, who came with Wendy, had that Chicago classic mixed pickle giardiniera to swap. The mix of vegetables looked stunning in the jar.

Experienced swapper Maren brought pickled red cabbage, which amused me because I recently developed a pickled red cabbage recipe for a new project I am working on. It was helpful to compare notes. And blogger Kristina had beautiful pickles in stunning Weck jars to trade.

I don’t know that I have ever seen so many different chutneys on offer, but I noticed pear, apple and cranberry chutneys. It must be that time of year! Indeed, chutney is the perfect accompaniment to the roast meats that grace the holiday table, as well as a festive cheese plate.

In short, the sweet, savory and preserved foods on offer this month all demonstrated culinary prowess and creativity. As always, I came away from the swap energized and inspired. But the highlight of the afternoon  was when Tracey, a new swapper, hugged me and thanked me for organizing “such a wonderful event.” She confessed that she had been nervous walking in but that she quickly felt reassured by how friendly everyone was and she planned to return.  If I had a nickel for every time a new swapper told me that!

If you have ever thought about attending a food swap, whether it is in Chicago or near where you live, just do it! It may seem scary at first, but you will have a wonderful time meeting other passionate home cooks and gardeners and drawing inspiration from them. I promise that people will want to trade with you and you will go home with some delicious treats. What more can you ask?

So, why not make attending a food swap one of your goals for 2016? And if you need any help with what to bring, you can order my cookbook, Food Swap, which has 80 recipes for delicious and creative food swap items plus lots of advice on how to get the most out of your food swap.

Happy swapping!