Ah, long time, no see everyone!
Yes, it's the 2nd to last day of our Oregon trip and I've finally found a few moments to write. It has been Busy with a capitol B! We've been going non-stop, but man, it has been fun. I'll save pictures for when I do my Oregon or December wrap-up but we've basically been on what I like to call a "Food and Drink Tour" of Oregon. Seriously! We've travelled to Southern Oregon to dine at a couple of places in Ashland. We've stopped at a restaurant in Eugene. We've traveled to Portland to visit family and wine-taste with friends. There was a boozy breakfast in Albany. We saw "Holiday Office Party" in Corvallis. Drove the backroads through Independence. Had a wine-and-hor-dourves night with some of my biggest blog fans (Hello Glaeser family!) I can safely say I've seen the entire I-5 corridor of Oregon on this visit 😁
And now, as I mentioned before, it's the day before our last day. I don't know where the time went. My mom was sniffling a bit today because she doesn't know where the time went. The hubby and I were going to try to go to Portland again today, but with all the long car rides and minimal yoga-back-stretching time, my back is not up to it. Especially with driving back to Portland and spending all day Friday on a plane. So today, today we rest. And whilst resting (and heating my back), I thought I'd bring you the top recipes of 2016.
2016 was a rough year for me, with the back injury and dealing with subsequent depression. But while it was tough, I still found I shared some quality content. Some of my best recipes and pictures yet in fact. For me, the year was more about quality than quantity. To be honest, I would love to post more in 2017. I'm feeling hopeful about that one.
But enough talking shop. Let's talk food!
In 2016, I bought a sprializer. And I love my sprializer. Besides the panini press, I think it was one of my most used tools of the year. This recipe is very fast and easy, yet the taste is pure elegance. It would be a perfect meal to prepare for company. Fish-lovin' company, that is 😂
One of the best jam's I've ever made! Not only is the color brilliant and beautiful, but peaches and raspberries marry in the best way. From jam to scones to cobblers and crisps, raspberry and peach were made for each other. I made 2 large jars of this jam in the summer, prior to our huuuuuge family reunion, and they were long gone by the time all of my family left.
Ah, Chicken and Dumplings. Every cook should have a recipe for Chicken and Dumplings up their sleeve. I mean, it's basically a creamy chicken soup with little biscuits floating around in it. Who can top that in terms of comfort food?
Rhetorical question, folks, simply a rhetorical question 😁
This would be my number #1 recipe of the year. I ate it all summer long. For lunches. For dinners. With every single type of red wine that I could get my hands on. Nothing goes better with red wine than mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar.
Word to the wise? Save this recipe for summer. It needs summer-ripened tomatoes to achieve the desired delectability.
Another spiralized recipe! Zoodles quickly became one of my favorite foods in 2016. My only qualm was the lack of zucchini's I received from my own garden. This is another recipe best saved for summer, especially for those delightful little burst tomatoes.
Funny story- my Dad is very proud that one of his recipes made the list. This has led to a little family challenge here in Oregon. My brother, seeing that Dad made the list, wants in on the action. He challenged his girlfriend (also a major foodie. She fits right in in this family 😁) to a recipe battle. He is going to give me a recipe to feature on the blog in 2017, and so is she. Whoever's recipe gets the most views next year is going to have make dinner for the other. For my part, I'm just excited that the family is getting into this food blogging thing!
My only round-up to make the 2016 list, and I can see why! Who doesn't love cake? Everyone will find something they love on this list.
The perfect cupcake for the chocolate chip cookie lover. The cake is decadent and rich, and that frosting! That frosting is the kicker on this one. It tastes exactly like chocolate chip cookie dough. You must try it!
Another super-easy, super-comforting recipe makes the list. If you have pesto and marinara pre-made and ready to go, this dish takes no time at all to get on the dinner table.
Oh, boy. Another personal favorite to make the list. These are scrumptious. While these take awhile to make the first time around, they make awesome time-saving leftovers. Store the leftovers in the fridge and they will last for days. All you have to do is re-heat them in the oven for 5-7 minutes and you are ready to go!
It's not hard to see why this recipe made the list. I want one just looking at the picture!
This one is a true winner! I put this salad dressing on everything. Every person I've ever served this to has asked for the recipe. It's the only salad dressing the hubby wants to take in his lunch. And, bonus- this post contains the links to 5 recipes to use this on.
Ok, so I was slightly taken aback at how high on the list this recipe was. It's basic. It's easy. It's affordable to make. It will keep for the days in the fridge. It's perfect to pack in lunches. It's just an all-around great recipe to keep on hand. And the people tell me they love it by how many times it was viewed!
Desserts are always popular, so it was no surprise to me that this cake made the list. Another easy, affordable recipe that seems fancy thanks to those lovely black specks of vanilla bean.
If you're a home cook that's tried to replicate a restaurant pad thai, you know there's some awful recipes out there. Trust me, there's no ketchup or anything else supremely weird in this recipe. I've made a lot of pad thai's at home, and this is the only recipe that has come out actually tasting like real pad thai. It was insanely popular on the blog in 2016. If you love pad thai, you need to try this!
Ok, no surprise here. This cheesecake was the most viewed recipe on my blog since about April of this year. What did surprise me was how many times it was viewed, which was 271,917 times.
What??
Yeah, I've never seen numbers like that on my blog. I mean, my Pecan Pie Cake was really, really popular in 2014 and it's only garnered 67,721 views.
It's safe to say the people have spoken. Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecake rocks! 🤗
That's all for 2016! However, there were a couple other things I wanted to mention. First, I want to talk about this recipe from 2015, Chicken Fajita Casserole. This casserole didn't even make the top recipes of 2015. Granted, I was shocked that it didn't make the list as it was one of my absolute favorites that year, but still.
And now, from not even making the cut last year, it's my second-most popular recipe of all time. Crazy!
At 74, 344 views-
Lastly, I thought folks might want to check out my past collections-
~Past Years Collections~
~There you have it folks! Tons and tons of excellent recipes, all in one post! Here's hoping 2017 tops even 2016 in the recipe department! 😄
These all look sooooo good. I am glad you have been having a blast on your trip. Safe travels home!
ReplyDeleteThank you Carlee! It's sooo nice to home, especially on a cold day like today! 😄
DeleteThey all look delicious but my fave from this review is the banana cake with vanilla bean frosting. It was fabulous! My husband loved and and I plan on making it again next time I'm at the store and bananas are on sale! the best recipe I ever got from you still --- General Tso's Chicken!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that banana cake is hard to beat! Definitely one of my faves. And now I'm craving that General Tso's, ha ha. I guess I know what dinner is going to be tonight! 😄
Delete