12 Favorite Recipes of 2012 & The Most Popular Post of the Year!

2013 is almost here! Do you have big plans for New Years eve? Parties perhaps? An evening at home watching the ball drop? I can't believe I have had this little blog for nearly a year now. Time sure does fly by fast! My first post was on New Year's day last year! In the spirit of the new year, I thought it would be fun to post my 12 favorite recipes of 2012, and at the bottom of this post, you'll see what the most popular post of the year was! 

Starting this blog was a great decision. It brings me great joy to take pictures and try new foods, and I learn something new everyday. I am so grateful for anyone who has taken a second to look at my little corner of the web. I have a long way to go, and I hope you stick around for the journey. See you next year!

Blood Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad

This was a truly beautiful salad, and was totally different from the norm. Before this salad, I had never had beets or fennel. Needless to say, I greatly enjoyed both, and I can't wait until blood oranges are in season to enjoy this salad again!

 Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies 

I have probably made these cookies about twenty times this year. I am always so happy when I make them, because they turn out perfectly every. single. time. I'm pretty sure they're Chris' favorite as well! :)

  Irish Brown Bread

A goal I had this year was to learn how to make homemade bread. I did the best I could while I was in China using my "easy bake", and I was still able to produce this beautiful loaf while I was over there. I was able to do it, and you can too! I plan on making this again for St. Patty's day, along with some sort of Irish stew.

 Leek Toasts with Blue Cheese

It is no secret that I am in love with leeks. These toasts only deepened my love for them. They were so SO creamy and flavorful, and incredibly simple. Oftentimes less is more, and this recipe is a perfect example.

 Cilantro Lime Shrimp 

Another perfect example that less is more. This shrimp takes only a few minutes to prepare and is very healthy and flavorful. I am making a promise with myself to eat more fish and less meat this year, so hopefully I can bulk up my seafood section in the recipe index! 

 Elvis Granola

This is hands down my favorite granola. There's not really much else to say, other then don't skip the banana. Make this.

 Cauliflower Fritters with Lime Yogurt Sauce

These were the first fritters I ever made, and they definitely stand out in my memory. More fritter recipes are on the horizon for 2013! 

Dal Nirvana

It is no secret that I am a lover of Indian food. I seriously need to amp up the Indian recipes on this blog to reflect that! This dal is definitely a favorite, and is part of my regular rotation. I always have canned tomatoes and lentils on hand for this recipe. It's cheap (great for broke grad students!) and takes about 30 minutes to make, with barely any hands on time. Perfect for a busy week night!

 Texas Cake 

Chocolatey, buttery, and delicious, this was a favorite when I was growing up. Who doesn't love warm gooey chocolate cake!?

 Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers 

I loved these peppers. These would be great for my gluten free pals! (Hey Erin and Katelyn!!) I actually just remembered I still have some filling left in the freezer. Score! 

 Baked Rigatoni with Chicken Sausage 

I loved baked pasta, it's just so comforting and filling! This was simple to prepare and very delicious, perfect for a cold winter day! I know it looks a bit odd in the pics, but as I mentioned in the post, I kind of messed up the second pan. Freeze unbaked!

Cranberry Orange Pumpkin Muffins

These are hands down one of the best muffins I've ever had. All the wonderful elements of fall are wrapped up into a handful of deliciousness! These will be repeated many times for sure!

Last but not least, this was the most popular recipe on the blog this year:

Chewy Skor Toffee Bits Cookies

I'm not sure if this cookies popularity was because of they're tastiness or lots of pinning on pinterest, but this recipe has had more page views then any other recipe on this blog. Full of caramely goodness, they are also one of my favorites!

Again, thanks for stopping by. See you next year with even more cooking and delicious food!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! The ornament you see in the picture holds a photo of me and my sister sitting on Santa's lap when we were little. It is  one of our favorites. I have had a wonderful day eating and playing games with my family. I hope your day was also filled with happiness, joy, and of course, delicious eats! Cheers!

Dark Sticky Gingerbread

It would not be Christmas without gingerbread, molasses cookies, or gingerbread men. Out of all the flavors that are associated with holiday baking, I think the combination of molasses and ginger is my favorite. This gingerbread was wonderful and full of flavor and spice. With the exception of about 3 or 4 pieces, I'm pretty sure I nearly ate the whole pan! I halved the recipe to fit a 9 x 9 baking dish, so I wasn't too bad, right? I can also say with absolute confidence that the bread tastes even better the next day, especially with a hot cup of tea. Nummy!

Dark Sticky Gingerbread

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup unsulphured blackstrap molasses

3/4 cup honey
1 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar 

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 teaspoons ground ginger 

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup milk

1 packed tablespoon grated fresh ginger root

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325F, with a rack in the center. Butter and line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan so the parchment hangs over by a couple inches. This will help you remove the cake from the pan later on. 

Combine the butter, water, molasses, honey and brown sugar in a medium saucepan and place over low heat. Stir the mixture frequently until the butter is just melted, and all of the ingredients are well blended. Remove from the heat, pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool. Do not refrigerate.

Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, all-spice and cloves, and set aside. When the molasses mixture feels just warm to the touch, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the milk and stir to combine. Fold the dry ingredients into the batter, but don't over mix. Some lumps are okay! Stir in the grated ginger.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes. Start checking for doneness after about 45 minutes. When the top of the cake springs back when touched you're good. 

Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, then, using the overhang of parchment (if you're using a rectangular pan), lift the cake out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. 

Recipe Source: adapted from 101 Cookbooks, who adapted it from this book

Raspberry Coconut Thumbprint Cookies

All semester I have been promising to bring some sort of baked good to work. Unfortunately I was swamped this semester, so that didn't happen until I was finished with finals (YAY!). I actually had something else in mind to bake, but I saw these little gems and couldn't resist. Is there anything better then toasted coconut? I'm not sure there is! These cookies were delightfully chewy and buttery, and I just loved the raspberry/coconut combination (raspberry zingers anyone??). I'm so excited to finally have a little more time to do some baking. Hooray for Christmas break!!

Raspberry Coconut Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut

Raspberry jam (supposedly apricot jam is tasty as well!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Cream together butter and sugar until they are just combined, then add the vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together flour and salt, then slowly add to the creamed butter/sugar mixture. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and roll into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into 1 1/4 in balls. Dip each ball into the egg wash, then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet (I lined mine with parchment just to be safe), and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger, or use the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon. Drop roughly a 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake 20-25 minutes,* until the coconut is golden brown. Cool and serve.

*Mine were done at 18 minutes, so check early just to be safe!

Recipe source: adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Chupe de Pollo con Chipotle

Yesterday was the last day of school for the semester. Thank. Goodness. I have been looking forward to this break for a while, and am so happy that I will soon be free of work and school for a few weeks. I have nothing on the agenda except for practicing, a few crafty things, and cooking and baking. LOTS of baking actually, so stay tuned! What are your favorite things to bake during the holidays?

Though I'm not on Christmas break yet (I have a paper and a project due, as well as a few other smaller assignments), I did want to devote some time to cooking today. I have eaten out way too much this week, because I did not prepare for such a hectic schedule! 

I made this soup when we were in China, and have been aching to make it for the longest time. It's incredibly hearty, and full of wonderful flavor, that really comes together at the very end. It isn't a great recipe for a weeknight meal, as it can be a little time consuming, but is worth the effort. Honestly, for me, It felt very therapeutic to chop and stir, and enjoy a little down time at home. 

P.S. the soup looks a little Christmas-y with all the red and green, right? :)    

Ingredients

1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cups onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregeno

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

6 cloves garlic, crushed

6 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs

2 medium red potatoes (about 12 ounces), diced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 (15.5 oz.) can white or golden hominy, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup whipping cream (I used milk, and it was fine, though I think I prefer it with cream)

1 cup chopped, seeded tomatoes

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 lime wedges

Directions

Remove 1 chile and 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can. Finely chop chile; set chile and sauce aside separately.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped chile, onion, and next 6 ingredients (through garlic). Cook 7 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil. Add chicken; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken with tongs or a slotted spoon, and cool slightly. Shred chicken with 2 forks or pull apart by hand; cover and keep warm.

Remove pan from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Place one-third of broth mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed broth mixture into a large bowl. Repeat procedure in two more batches with remaining broth mixture. Return pureed broth mixture to pan. Stir in potatoes and hominy, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in chicken and cream; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in reserved adobo sauce, tomato, cilantro, and salt. Serve with lime wedges.

Recipe Source: adapted from Cooking Light