Showing posts with label Top 10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top 10. Show all posts

Monday, February 6, 2017

2016 Top 10 Blog Posts

2016 was a very good year for me personally as well as my blog.  I had more traffic to the blog than I've ever had. This is now my 5th anniversary of food blogging, which seems like such a long time, but then again, it has gone so fast too.  I still enjoy cooking and writing about it... with as much travel thrown in as possible too!  I didn't do as many posts as I have historically, but working full time and taking some night classes can wear a girl out.  

It's a crazy variety of recipes that made my Top 10 in 2016, but here they are!


 

Strawberry Arugula Avocado Tostados
I received a call out of the blue from the California Giant Strawberry farmers, asking me to create a recipe for their fresh berries.  I received a huge book of fresh strawberries shipped to my door, which is quite inspiring for sure!  I had a blast and earned a little cash.  I really thought of something outside of the norm for doing with these berries, this was a fun, fresh and different appetizer to have. 




Ham and Cheese Croissant Bake
It all started with a huge bunch of leftover croissants.  Everyone knows they get a little stale after the first day, and honestly, how jazzed can you get about leftover croissants over and over?  Well, I must say they taste quite terrific made into ham and cheese sandwiches, soaked with eggs and baked as a casserole.  A keeper for sure.
 

Butterscotch Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
Just something I made for work one day, they taste pretty terrific, I must say!

 

Paige’s French Onion Soup
Made with love for my darling daughter.  It's the soup she likes best!


 
Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Onions
One of those meals where you have a pork tenderloin to cook but no inspiration... hmmm, a couple of apples hanging in the fruit bowl as we didn't like the texture.  Roasted and sauteed up with onions, those apples became the best side dish/seasoning for roasted pork tenderloin.


 
Pear Blue Cheese Salad with Maple Dressing
Another inspiration from a long weekend in the Columbia River Gorge and a great lunch salad that I had on a beautiful sunny almost Fall day. Pears, Blue Cheese and Pecans are augmented deliciously with a bit of maple in the dressing.

 
Inspiration from the Summer Olympics in Brazil, a very yummy cocktai!



I had a great business trip to Germany, including Munich's Oktoberfest and remembered a great burger I had in our own Leavenworth Bavarian village. Very soon we were eating Bratwurst burgers of our own!



We had a wonderful time in Venice with our good friends, renting a darling 2 bedroom hotel room complete with a mini kitchen and living room with balcony's overlooking the canal.  Seemed like the perfect dish to make in Venice. It was.


Chicken, Spinach & Artichokes Baked in Foil
Sometimes the best "keeper" recipes are born from laziness... this is one of those.  It tasted delicious and more complex than it took to throw it together.  I highly recommend this!


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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Top 10 Most Popular Posts 2015

A good year, 2015.
You know it was a good year if 4 of your top 10 recipes are about Hawaii!
Ahh... I love that place. So I'm loving that others enjoyed reading them too

Here's the most popular recipes posted to my blog in 2015.  I always take a couple editorial "liberties" as it's hard to compare something that was on your blog for 11 months and got 500 views to something posted last month and got almost two hundred! 

I'm a little embarrassed that my most viewed 2015 posting was a "dump" cake involving a cake mix, but that's the way these things work. Everybody likes easy, they do, they really do.

Here's a better summary of what was popular
- 2 desserts
- 2 boozy drinks
- 2 restaurant/travel reviews
- 2 basic egg recipes/techniques!
- 1 appetizer
- 1 salad/easy dinner  


 
 
Inspired by a trip to Mama's Fish House on Maui
  

Trainwreck bar and grill 
A post about a little restaurant in Burlington with the best bloody Mary.
 

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Top 10 Most Popular Posts 2014

2014 was a very, very good year for me.  I feel very blessed.

It's funny, when I look at was most popular of what I posted in 2014, it brings back a ton of memories and good times. I think food does that for me. Food, friends and memories. 
And, for the first year ever, I had a travel post in my Top 10... actually two!!!

Among my favorite moments personally, professionally and on the blog?
  • Posted another 100 recipes (...just one more to go before Midnight on 12/31/14).
  • Came in #8 (again...) for the KING 5 Best of Western Washington Food Blog
  • Traveled to over 12 countries, for both pleasure and for work. Russia, Italy, Germany, Thailand, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and a couple more...  I loved them all.
  • Played non-stop with my hubby of 29 years.  Still having as much fun as in the beginning, might even be more.
  • Saw our 21 year old finally get a driver's license, a car and got enrolled in college
  • Saw our 24 year old go back to college...

It was a very good year....
I'm not sure if 2015 can be any better, but I'm going to give it a go. You in?

Here's the summary:

  • One Martini
  • Two travel posts- Jamaica and Rome
  • Three Healthy - Week of lunches, Kale salad, yogurt semi-freddo
  • One pasta
  • One Crockpot soup
  • One dessert
  • One jam
 It really was a Almond Magic cake...  

 

I think all you Seahawks fans can all relate to this, Beast Mode Martini


One of the most favorite recipes from early on in our marriage, Pasta with Pepperoni & Pepperoncini  


A business trip to Italy, with a little fun thrown in on the weekend- Rome Cooking Class.


Peach Almond Semifreddo
Tasty and made with yogurt instead of cream 
 
 
I do this every week so I really ought to take a better picture!

 

 Mango Lime Jam 
We shared this (and took this picture) on a boat in the San Juan Islands. A nice memory.
 
 

Here's my other Top 10 posts from past years!
Top 10 Most Popular Posts 2013
Top 10 Most Popular Posts 2012
Top 10 Most Popular Posts 2011