Today, I am celebrating my three year (!) anniversary of writing this food blog with a list of my top 10 favorites from the past year. As I reviewed my posts, I saw quite a few recipes that we loved and have made over and over again. This was previously something that is quite rare for us, as I have a list of new recipes to try that is seemingly a mile long, and I like to try many new recipes each week. Please enjoy a second look at some of these favorites of ours.
1. S'mores Cupcakes
I am starting off with the only dessert recipe on this list - quite a change for me! I think part of the reason for the lack of sweets on the list this year is my switch over to clean eating. I was baking up less and less of the decadent treats. These cupcakes were wildly popular at a summer cookout last year, and are a really fun twist on a classic summer treat.
2. Whole Wheat Breads
I'm sort of cheating here, but I have loved everything that I have made so far from Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads book. Reinhart really knows what he is talking about, and I return time and time again to this book for bagels, bread, burger buns, pizza dough, etc. The time commitment may seem intimidating, but it's really not that bad if you plan ahead.
3. Southwestern Chicken Pizza
When it comes to homemade pizza, my husband and I have had a blast creating unique topping combinations at home. I came across this pizza recipe one day while looking for a way to use up tomatillos, and it became an instant classic in our house. It's our favorite pizza recipe, by far!
4. Artichoke Stuffed Turkey Burgers
I don't think it gets much better than a burger stuffed with artichokes and fontina cheese. Need I say more?
5. Pico de Gallo
I was dying to find a replacement for my husbands all-too-frequent snack of chili+salsa+velveeta. One weekend, at his suggestion, we made an old favorite of his from back home. I fell in love, too, and demanded we make it every weekend thereafter. Though we have missed some here and there, this pico de gallo recipe is pretty much a given on the weekends in our house.
6. Oat Bran Cranberry Pancakes
Bisquick used to be my standard pancake "recipe." I slowly began to branch out and try various scratch pancake recipes, but after the turn to eating clean, still needed something more nutritionally sound. The search was most definitely over after trying this recipe, and I now use it as a base for just about any kind of pancakes (though truthfully, apple cinnamon is almost always what we end up making). The batter seems thin after preparing it, but puffs up nicely while cooking and ends up being a great texture.
7. Lemon Thyme Roasted Turkey Breast
For the first time last year, I went with a turkey breast on Thanksgiving instead of a whole bird. I knew I wanted to add some flavor to it, and Cook's Illustrated came through for me yet again. This was absolutely phenomenal, and I plan to use it for a long time coming!
8. Baked Oatmeal
Between whole wheat bagels and baked oatmeal, I was never short on healthy, filling breakfast ideas this year. A warm bowl of this oatmeal was a perfect, and very quick, way to start those cold midwest winter mornings.
9. Italian Chicken Patties
This unassuming dish packs great flavor and comes together relatively quickly without too much effort. Perhaps it's the gravy talking, but I was instantly in love.
10. Sesame chicken and noodles
This was yet another dish that had us fighting for the leftovers. I think it's a must-try if you like sesame!
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