Thursday, December 27, 2012

2012 in Review: My Favorite Posts

2012 was a pretty crazy year for us.  I turned 30, we took some fun trips, went to some excellent restaurants, moved to a new house, and most crazily, found out we are expecting twin boys (any day now!!)!!  I hope 2013 is maybe a little less crazy, though with 4 kids under 5 in the house, somehow I doubt that it will be.  I definitely had my ups and downs this year when it came to eating and blogging, but through it all, I hope I've brought you some delicious food and somewhat entertaining writing.

I struggled a bit when it came to compiling my favorites of the year.  I had a few months where I couldn't really eat anything thanks to morning sickness, and my appetite is kind of weird right now thanks to my tic-tac sized stomach and horrific heartburn.  But these are the recipes that really stood out throughout the year for us.  I hope you all have a very festive and safe New Year's, and I look forward to sharing more joy, craziness, and deliciousness in 2013!

This Chicken and Sausage Stew was a family favorite.  It's easy to throw together, is relatively healthy, super hearty and comforting, and the leftovers are pretty killer too.  A definite win all-around.


Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quinoa was kind of a surprise hit, but it's quick, super healthy, and again - the leftovers are awesome.


Red Velvet Berry Cobbler, however, was not a surprise hit.  I knew we'd love it, and of course we did. It's really more a summer dish thanks to the loads of fresh berries, but I think you could make it using frozen berries that have been drained really well.  Valentine's Day dessert, anyone?


Baked BBQ Pork Taquitos were a play on the infamous chicken taquitos, and a quite successful one at that.  We always have pulled pork in the freezer, so I'm always looking for fun and different ways to utilize it.  They also use my favorite homemade bbq sauce and ranch dressing.  Even more reason to love these!


We made a meal out of this Grilled Halloumi with Grape Relish several times this spring and summer.  A platter of this, some fruit and charcuterie, and a bottle of wine are all you need for a date night at home.


This may just be a case of wanting what I can't have, but a glass of this strawberry-rose' sangria would be so perfect right now.  I'm also already longing for spring and warm weather, so that may also have something to do with it.  Either way, when I brought this to a party, every single person asked me for the recipe.

It's definitely easy to see why I loved the Goat Cheese Potato Gratin.  It's a potato gratin.  With goat cheese.  So decadent and delicious.  I highly recommend that you find some way to make this.  Sooner rather than later.


This Foil-Baked Fish with Feta, Chickpeas, and Roasted Tomatoes was a remix on the ever-popular foil-baked fish with black beans and corn.  Same method, totally different flavor profile.  But it was really great - I had honestly forgotten about it, but now I'm adding it to my menu for next week.


Just like the skillet lasagna, these Lasagna-Stuffed Portabellos are kind of a deconstructed lasagna.  We all really loved these, and I definitely plan to make them again soon (and hopefully get a better picture -eek!).



I made a lot of burgers this year, but these Mushroom-Crusted Turkey Burgers might be my favorite.  A great weeknight meal that's a little different than a run-of-the-mill turkey burger.  Mushrooms + Havarti cheese definitely put these in another league.


These Cornmeal-Herb Waffles with Salsa and Poached Eggs are definitely something to make soon.  They'd make a great New Year's Day brunch.  I'm including them not only because we loved this meal so much, but also because they opened up the floodgates when it came to poached eggs.  It was my first attempt at making them at home, and I haven't stopped since.


Now that Caroline has outgrown her egg allergy, I foresee several omelets baked in bread boules in our near future.  This one was a kale and bacon omelet, and it was the first time that Joey admitted to liking kale.  While I loved this combo, I can't wait to experiment with some other variations and ideas.  And yet again, the leftovers are great - a wedge of this makes a great breakfast the next day!


Mocha-Frosted Espresso Brownies did nothing to slow down my coffee addiction.  You have an espresso-laced brownie, coffee buttercream, and espresso ganache.  They are goooood.

So that's it!  My favorite recipes of the year.  Thanks again to all of you wonderful people for reading and inspiring me.  Here's to a great 2013!


8 comments:

Krissy said...

The goat cheese gratin made our top 10 that I will be posting tomorrow :)

Lindsay (life and kitchen) said...

I want those waffles RIGHT NOW!

Joanne said...

I LOVED the recipes on your blog this year and have pinned SO MANY of them!! Those waffles...and the stuffed bread omelet. LOVE. Here's to a great 2013 for you and all the kiddos!

Unknown said...

Wow, what a year for you guys!! Wishing you a great 2013 - can't wait to hear about the arrival of your babies :) PS - I need to make those red velvet berry cobblers asap!

Anonymous said...

These all look awesome! I am definitely going to try that cobbler, and the goat cheese gratin!

descriptive essays said...

This is one of the best ever post. Hope to see more photos and videos.

Anonymous said...

These all look good. The Loaded Baked Potato Soup http://uk.bestessays.com/essay_uk.html especially sounds good. Thanks for sharing.

Deenaar said...

Thank you for very nice sharing. I read this article very useful and interesting.
ScrollNavigator Crack

Post a Comment

 
BLOG DESIGN BY: SHERBET BLOSSOM DESIGNS