2013 was my first full year of blogging and full of new recipes and cooking challenges. I got to know a lot more foodie friend's, joined a group recipe sharing page on Facebook, joined the Crazy Ingredient Challenge, participated in many giveaway's, and took part in Christmas Week, which more than doubled the number of desserts I have shared with you and the amount I normally make in a year, for that matter! I thought I would share with you some of my favorites from the year, just click on the highlighted title and it will take you to the recipe post 🙂
In January I was a bit obsessed with bacon. It actually started on New Year's Eve, when I made these fabulous Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs.
Then I ended the month with a bacon recipe round-up, 58 Recipes with Bacon! Among other things, that month I also shared my husband's favorite Honey Herb Pork Chops.
The bacon obsession carried over into February with the best guacamole ever, Spicy Guacamole with Bacon and then these great Bacon Burger Stuffed Peppers that I adapted from my friend Becca. I LOVE Becca, she got me over my hatred of stuffed peppers!
March was full of all sorts of different things. I had asked on my Facebook page how many meals a week my reader's made that was completely homemade, and was surprised that a large number of them said "all of them." So, I did a truthful post called Pre-Packaged/Processed Foods and Why I Sometimes Use Them. You can learn a lot about me in that post, including which processed foods I won't use, ever. Ironically, March was also the month I shared my Homemade Ramen Noodle Soup,
which quickly became one of my most popular recipes this year, and my Roasted Chicken Broth, also completely homemade.
I love two of the recipes I shared in April, these gorgeous and delicious Lemon Bars that I adapted from my friend Cindy for Easter,
and a favorite soup that I've been making for years, Asparagus Soup with a Dill Oil Drizzle. I can't wait until asparagus is in season to make it again, and the Lemon Bars are going to become dessert for every Easter!
In May I shared a grilled recipe for the first time, and of course it was Flatbread Pizza's!
I don't really grill, I leave that to my husband. It's not that I can't, I just have an irrational fear of lighting the propane grill. It's only irrational until I set my face on fire, right? I also participated in an ingredient swap in May, and received a package of dried Montmorency Cherries, which I used to make a nice, summertime salad, Spinach Salad with Cherries.
Those dried cherries keep really well, I finished them off in December with another recipe, but we will get to that 🙂
In the summer I lined up guest posters, because I wasn't cooking as much, and we always have a lot going on. I did still cook and blog new recipes occasionally, and my favorite from June is a very easy recipe I have been making for years, Crock Pot Salsa Chicken. I almost always make tacos with it, but it would be good on almost anything. The stand out guest post from June was this Sriracha Slaw from my friend Christina.
In July my daughter turned 4, and we got a pool! I was really busy that month, so I was thankful for my guest posters. Somewhere in there I did find the time to make another popular recipe, Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Salad. It's a copycat version of Walmart's deli salad, and it tastes exactly the same and is much less expensive! It ended up being my most popular recipe of 2013!
I also signed up for the Crazy Ingredient Challenge that month. Every month on the 20th a group of bloggers post a recipe using two ingredients that don't normally go together. The first month the challenge was cauliflower and chocolate, and I made Bacon Wrapped Cauliflower with Dark Chocolate!
By August my summer was starting to settle down, and I did a guest post for my friend Cindy incorporating her Bacon-Mozzarella Accordion Style Garlic Bread to go with a Slow Cooker Spicy Lasagna. Her bread recipe is fabulous, I need to make it again!
It was getting a lot cooler in August, so I ended up making Miso Soup and loved it, no more waiting to go to my favorite Japanese restaurant to have it!
In September I finally got around to making a recipe I had thought up weeks before after our daughter asked for cupcakes for breakfast one day, Bacon Egg and Cheese Corn Muffins. These muffins would be perfect for a brunch, or weekend breakfast!
September is also my sister's birthday, and I gave her a few choices for her birthday dinner. She chose Coconut Shrimp which was September's Crazy Ingredient Challenge, tomato and coconut. Well, I have never really liked coconut, like at all, but turns out I loved these shrimp!
I posted a LOT of new recipes in October, and they were about a varied as you can get. I started the month with a Fabulous Soup Collection full of great soups. I just LOVE this collection, there is something for everyone in it!
On Halloween, my foodie friend Becca got married and a group of us threw her a virtual bridal shower. I made Cashew Crusted Chicken Fingers with a Honey Teriyaki Dipping Sauce for it for it. They are really good and perfect for a get together.
In November I decided it was time to move this blog to self-hosted. I know less than nothing about the technical stuff involved with it, so I am thankful that I have my husband and blogging friends to hep me. Luckily so far I haven't needed too much help. I hope I didn't jinx myself!
I took part in a Secret Subject Swap and my subject was “What is an experience that was bad, but that you are thankful for it happening?” Mine was the first time I ever cooked, can you imagine?! The first thing I cooked was tacos, and I'll let you read the post to find out what happened, but this time I made more grown-up up tacos, Ground Beef Tacos with Homemade Taco Seasoning.
December was pretty much all about Christmas, and festive recipes. I started the month with this Festive Stilton and Walnut Pie
and then I was onto Christmas Week, 6 days of Christmas desserts and giveaways! I never posted a new recipe 6 days in a row before, that was a bit tough, but so much fun! My favorite recipe out of all that I shared that week was Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookies with Salted Caramel. I am not making it up when I say they are AMAZING!!
There you have it, my favorite recipes of 2013! See you in 2014 with many more!
