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Monday, December 31, 2012

Best of 2012 - Recipes

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Seriously?! Another year has passed?! The thought kind of blows my mind! 2012 was another year full of blessings and of good food. While I have my sights set on more delicious recipes in the new year, I wanted to take today to highlight some of my favorites from the past year!

It was not at all an easy decision, but I tried to keep things reasonable and am sharing ten of the best from 2012. 

Without further ado...

More than anything I cherish the memories associated with these Black and White Cookies--they will forever remind me of one of my best friends and the fun we had celebrating her wedding in 2012. And after having a Black and White cookie while visiting her in NYC in August, I have to say I liked mine better!

When my mom asked me to recreate a sundried tomato spread she'd had at a restaurant (that I had never tasted), I wasn't sure what would come of it. Little did I know I'd be discovering one of my favorite new appetizers!

We ate a lot of Mexican food this year and honestly I'd recommend most of the recipes we tried this year (especially this salad and these enchiladas)! These tostadas were at the top of my list--I think I could eat these once a week and not get sick of them!

If a recipe is a repeat in our house, you know it's above average. I make this whenever we're in need of a veggie-full meal...this grilled salad with balsamic appeared at least four times at our house in 2012!

I of course can't skip the contest-winning Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream Cheesecakes. I'll never be too old for the classic flavor combination and this was definitely a fun twist on the original!

Our search for the perfect turkey burger is over. We might change up the toppings, but the base recipe for these burgers were by far the best thing we discovered this summer!

I made lots of ice cream again this year, mostly recreating flavors I'd had elsewhere. I loved the Cinnamon French Toast and the Maple Whiskey with Candied Bacon flavors, but the Salted Pretzel Caramel ice cream was my favorite of the favorites! If you don't have an ice cream maker, I also loved the exact same flavors in these bar cookies.

While these are a little too indulgent for an everyday breakfast, these Buttermilk Pancakes with Mascarpone, Berries, and Granola are seriously awesome when you're wanting something a little more exciting for your morning meal. Ryan and I 'mmmmed' our way through the stack of pancakes!

I didn't make a lot of new pumpkin recipes this year, mostly sticking to old standbys like these cookies. However, I don't think many new pumpkin recipes are needed when you have a cake like this one. Cover anything in [brown butter] cream cheese frosting and I'm bound to like it but this was truly outstanding!

Another year of kale love! Our fridge is rarely without a large bag of fresh kale and I tried several new kale recipes this year. It was tough to pick a favorite between the sweeter salad with apples, craisins, and feta and the one pictured above, but there's something about the shaved brussels sprouts, almonds, and parmesan that I just can't resist.


Special shoutout for the amazing birthday cake Ryan made me in August! I still cannot get over the sheer hugeness of it! 

One Year Ago: Favorite Recipes from 2011
Two Years Ago: Favorite Recipes from 2010