My Personal Favorite Recipes from 2011

Life really has nothing to do with popularity, now does it?

But popularity is certainly something to reflect on. And once I pulled up the Top 10 most trafficked recipes from my blog in 2011, I had to stop and think a bit. 
Were these my personal favorites???
Well, NO, they were not... that list included too many sweets for my liking!

Here are the recipes that really "floated my boat" ("stirred my crockpot", "heated my oven".... hahaha) in the past year.  Some are new additions that I tested during the year, and some of them are things I've probably eaten for 40 years (Thanks Mom!). It's hard to chose favorites when I only posted things that I liked already but here it goes...

Instead of saying too much up here, I'm going to tell you a bit about the recipe that I chose and why it's important to me.

Larb Gai

It's always been my favorite Thai recipe, but I never considered making it at home until last year.  I love the clean flavors that satisfy so much.  It's a great, light dinner for those times you want to keep it lower calories and lower carb.  I have a feeling that I will be making it soon as I contemplate taking off a few pounds in the New Year, 2012. It's super ironic to me that I first posted it last January. This recipe spent most of the year on my blog's Top 10 most trafficked recipes but got bumped off by Honey Badger Martini's and a couple of cupcake recipes!



Thai Chicken Nachos

Had these on a fantastic vacation to Napa and Sonoma with my hubby last Spring.  What a great trip, definately something to do again in 2012.  I like this recipe for the nice memories, but really it's the intense and unusual ingredients for nachos that make me so happy.  I've seen other recipes for Thai Nachos... but frankly, I think mine looks the best with it's great condiment additions and a more in depth sauce. Try them, you will love them.



Albondigas, Mexican Meatball Soup

Soup is my favorite food, as a category.
I would happily make soup every day, so it was really, really hard to just chose one soup. I know, I know, I could have just posted my Top 10 Soups, and no one was limiting my choice to only one soup.  My solution was this... my favorite soups are all Mexican, besides Chicken Tortilla Soup and Chicken Posole, so I choose one equally as good and easy to make too.  This recipe was inspired by the same vacation as above, but has a funny story attached to it. 




Moroccan Pot Roast

This blog posting was really a sleeper.  I bet not even 15 people looked at it the day I posted it. The weird thing about this one is that it consistently gets "hits" as people do searches online.  I also have a dear friend who made it for her book club dinner to a great success.  Why yes, I did have to offer 'tech support' on the phone as she is an emerging cook and not yet confident in her new found talent.  She did a great job with it, and many others in her club have been viewing and passing the recipe on. I've made this many times in the last couple years, and need to get it on the table again soon.



Asian Ginger Lime Salmon

This was so, so hard.
I love fish and once I reviewed the recipes I posted, I was like some sort of basket case... "this one", no "this one"... oh geez, this is the one.  The two very, very close contenders are; Maple Dijon Salmon on Spinach Salad and Salmon baked with Garbanzos & Spinach.  Oh yum!  I need to get to the store and get some salmon, I am getting hungry.

This recipe wasn't popular at all and hardly ever gets any "visits" (hits, traffic- whatever you want to call it)  This one is lonely.  Too bad, it's a so flippin' yummy with different flavors and textures that will make your taste buds very, very happy.



Spaghetti with Red Clam & Caper Sauce

Here is the recipe I have been eating for over 40 years.
It's the recipe that made me realize that I do like clams! Now, I've never become a steamed clam fanatic, but minced clams in this sauce make me very happy. I was an exchange student in Scotland in the early 1980's and this is one recipe I took with me to




Huevos Ranchero

It's not really fair to post a recipe that is really a side effect of another recipe, but in my blog I do give you some ideas on making this work without actually making my Crock pot Ranchero Pulled Pork. Once I ate this every morning for an entire week (I had a bunch of leftover sauce) and I was happy to do so.  These days, I do not order Huevos Rancheros in a restaurant as I am almost always disappointed.  It's such an easy dish, but it does need to taste like something yummy and not a sorry excuse for breakfast. Uh... I may be showing my opinionated side right about now... oh well.



Black Bean & Couscous Salad

I've been making this salad for almost 25 years.  A co-worker gave it to me so long ago, and it was instant love on my part (the recipe.... ahem... though she was a great gal!).  The salad seemed so 'fresh and modern'.... and funny thing is, that it still seems different and so perfect for sharing with friends.  I love that it is totally Vegetarian and Vegan friendly too. 




Greek Panzanella Salad

The things I like about this salad are many, they are; It's Greek, hasfeta, olives, tomatoes, and uses leftovers.  I love being able to use up a really great hunk of leftover bread to make a fantastic salad that comes together in minutes.  The other Greek salad that was a contender was Grilled Greek Potato Salad. I love, love, love Greek food!


Coconut Water Martini

A very memorable trip to Las Vegas enjoying these martini's at Rum Jungle inspired these coconut "waters".  It just says happy to me.  I hope it works for you too.

Don't complain about how many coconut rums you have to buy to make these, just... go... now and buy them.  You will not regret it.