Happy New Year, everyone! I’m excited (and mildly terrified) to see what 2015 has in store for me. I graduate this May and will finally be able to start my career as a pharmacist! With that will come moving to who knows where, so there are a lot of unknowns for me at this point, which is pretty scary! I officially begin my second half of my final year of pharmacy school this Monday.
Before totally diving into the new year, though, I always like to look back through the blog to see what all of your favorite posts were, and I also like to highlight my absolute favorites!
This was a year when I didn’t have as much time to get into the kitchen as often as I would have liked, but what I did make, I’m really happy about! I also tried to hone my food photography skills a little more… I’ve definitely improved a ton, and there’s still so much more I could learn! I finally got a tripod for Christmas, so I’m really excited to be using that to photograph recipes in 2015! Hopefully I won’t need 10 of each shot to make sure they aren’t all blurry from my hands shaking! 😉
2014 Reader Favorites:
1. Creamy Greek Yogurt Mac & Cheese – This recipe was last year’s top reader recipe, too, and for very good reason. We have this mac and cheese all the time, and we’ve made so many variations (here’s a buffalo chicken one); it’s always fun to mix it up with different vegetables and flavors! The best part is how quick and easy it is!
2. Slow Cooker Sesame Garlic Chicken – Another great weeknight dinner, although this one takes a little longer to cook than the mac & cheese. Still totally easy, though, as you just dump it into the slow cooker! This is great for when you have a Chinese takeout craving.
3. Blueberry Zucchini Muffins – An oldie but goodie. Whole wheat muffins filled with zucchini and absolutely bursting with blueberries!
4. Baked Zucchini Bites (with Gluten Free Option) – We haven’t made these in a while, but I definitely need to pretty soon! This is a quick and easy appetizer that’s bursting with flavor.
5. Slow Cooker Applesauce (No Sugar Added) – I can’t even keep track of how many times I made this recipe, especially since we had about 70 pounds of apples! It doesn’t get any better than homemade applesauce.
6. Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole – This is another recipe that features Greek yogurt to make up the cheesy sauce base, and it’s also packed with protein from the yogurt, black beans, chicken, and quinoa. A great quick dinner!
7. Cheesy Stuffed Banana Peppers (Gluten Free) – Greek yogurt was a definite hit this year. These banana peppers are full of cheese and Greek yogurt to make it a little lighter, packed with flavor from garlic and Italian spices! We love making banana peppers in the summer.
8. White Peach Sangria – Another recipe that I’ve made over and over again this year for a lot of family get togethers! Such a refreshing (and boozy) drink.
9. Homemade Cheez Its – Ah, it wouldn’t be a round-up without these cheez its! I also made a gluten free variation this year with buckwheat flour. Always a hit!
10. Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free) – Classic chocolate chip cookies easily made gluten free with buckwheat flour. Yum.
My 2014 Favorites
1. Double Chocolate Molasses Crinkles – Even though I totally just made these, they were definitely my favorite cookie this year. They might even be my favorite cookie I’ve ever made. They’re that good.
2. Shrimp Scampi with Fettuccine – This is one of our favorite easy dinners. It’s a carb load, but it’s totally worth it!
3. Whole Wheat Bacon Buttermilk Pancakes – Alex got me to make these, and I’ll never look back. Putting bacon inside of a fluffy pancake will never get old.
4. Homemade Sour Mix – This year I learned my love of whiskey sours… and bourbon. Now I’ve got myself a nice bourbon collection, and I’m turning into a bit of a whiskey sour snob. I always have simple syrup on hand so I can quickly whip up homemade sour mix at any time!
5. Chocolate Mousse Pie – This was my birthday treat in 2014, and I can’t wait to make it again. It’ll surprise you that there’s tofu in there.. but it’s so delicious!
6. Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free) – Definitely one of my favorite healthier cookies. I almost forgot about these.. must make some soon!
7. Cashew Chicken – Another one I almost forgot about… Alex loved this one a lot, so I better make it again soon!
8. Chicken and Gnocchi Soup – This soup is very similar to the one you’ll find at Olive Garden, but a decent bit healthier. I use Greek yogurt to make it creamy.. so good.
9. Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins – I love the combination of orange and chocolate, but I always forget about it. These muffins are the perfect breakfast treat (and they are pretty healthy!
10. Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks (Gluten Free) – This is a recipe I was pleasantly surprised about. I never expect gluten free breadstick or pizza recipes to be good, but these were definitely the best I’ve ever had!
Here’s to another year of fantastic food, friends, family, kitties, adventure, and good health!