On Friday I brought you your 14 favorite recipes from 2014. Today I'm sharing my favorites from the year. Looking back through my posts, I realized I made quite a few awesome recipes. A few of these we eat time and time again while others are ones I need to remember to remake in 2015.

And this is where I struggle. There are only so many meals in a day. I want to remake all of these again and again, but there are literally hundreds of other recipes I want to try. Oh, the trial and tribulations of a food blogger.


14. Breakfast Risotto - I love risotto and I love runny eggs. Put the two together and you've got one heck of a dish. The poached egg is key - you want that gooey yolk to mix with the risotto, almost like a sauce. So amazing.


13. Chicken Stew with Biscuits - This was a surprise winner for me. I'm not usually a fan of chicken pot pie, which is pretty much what this is. But there's just something wonderful and comforting about this dish. The biscuits on top just make it even better. I love that everyone gets their own biscuit.


12. Skillet Chicken Saltimbocca Spaghetti - I love one pot meals and this one is incredible. Salty, tangy and easy to make.


11. Collard Greens - I tried this recipe a year ago and it was a huge flop due to an excess of salt. I scaled way back on the salt this time and they were pure perfection, with just a hint of spicy goodness.


10. Oven Fried Chicken - To go with those delectable collard greens, we had this killer oven fried chicken. Not to toot my own horn, but this was some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. Moist and flavorful, with a crackly crust.


9. "The Gobbler" - This sandwich is the perfect way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers. I can't wait for my mom to make another roast chicken with all the trimmings so I can make this again.


8. Grilled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Brown Sugar Grilled Onions - These are some incredibly flavorful sandwiches. Don't be put off by the word "grilled" - you can make these year-round on an indoor grill pan or even just a regular skillet.


7. Baja Fresh Grilled Salsa - We made this salsa for a get together with our friends and inhaled it. I love how easy it was to make, too.


6. Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs - These are my new favorite meatballs. So simple to make and I love the addition of the melty cheese inside. My new favorite way to eat them is just with some sauce and extra mozzarella, with some crusty buttered bread to mop it all up.


5. Grilled Hawaiian Chicken with Coconut Rice - I wish Baby Girl could eat coconut because this rice was outstanding. Definitely the highlight of the meal, although the chicken was also delicious.


4. Chicken Piccata Risotto with Crispy Capers - Again with the salty, briny capers. What can I say, I have a thing for those little buds of goodness.


3. Pasta with Chicken Meatballs - Another fantastic meatball recipe, only lighter because they're made with chicken instead of beef. These were like little pillows of softness that melted in our mouths.


2. 3 Cheese Rosemary and Pepperoni Pizza - We make a lot of pizza and this one is, hands down, our all-time favorite. No contest. The fresh rosemary is key and you can't go wrong with three different cheeses.


1. Chicken Chorizo Patty Melts - I made 3lbs of fresh chorizo early in 2014 and had no idea what to make with it. SP did some searching online and found these patty melts. And the rest, as they say, is history. We fell hard for the wonderful flavors. When I found the last bag of chorizo in the freezer I actually shed a tear, knowing we wouldn't be able to enjoy another round of patty melts. I plan to make another batch of chorizo in the spring just so we can eat these again and again.

2014 was a tough year for us. Nothing catastrophic happened, it was just little things that piled one on top of another until we cried uncle. As we watched the ball drop on New Year's Eve, we both breathed a sigh of relief that 2014 was finally over and we could look forward to a fresh start in 2015. That's not to say we didn't have some good times in 2014. The highlight of the year was our first family trip to Disney World. And we tried to spend more time with family and friends, something we want to do more of in 2015.

As for this blog, I wasn't the best blogger in 2014. I'm hoping to change that this year. I want to focus on making new recipes and rediscover the joy of cooking.

So, while I didn't make a ton of new recipes in 2014, I figured it would still be fun to share your favorites and mine from the past year.

Here are your favorites from 2014. I'm not surprised to see any of these on the list. In fact, some even made my favorite list, which will post on Monday.


14. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars. Peanut butter and chocolate are a perfect match so it was no surprise that these were just as amazing as they sound.


13. Crunchy Baked Tacos. We have these tacos (or taco rice) at least every other week. It's simple to throw together and usually makes enough to put some leftovers into the freezer for another time.


12. Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions. This is a grilled cheese sandwich with the volume turned up. Melty, gooey perfection.


11. Loaded Baked Potato Dip. I wish I had more reasons to make dips. I think I need to invite myself to more parties, or throw a few of my own.


10. Corn Casserole. I do love it when a recipe calls for stirring a few ingredients together and baking.


9. Artichoke and Brie Dip. I wish SP and Baby Girl like artichokes. Then I might stand a chance of making this delicious dip again.



8. Broccoli Cheddar Risotto. I was on a serious risotto kick in 2014. Not surprised to see this one on the list. It makes a great side dish but if you add some protein like shrimp, chicken or even sausage it would become a one-pot meal.


7. Bang Bang Cauliflower. Man alive was this recipe good. I need another excuse to make it. I'll be sure to invite some friends over, though, since I can't seem to find a small head of cauliflower.


6. Pasta with Shrimp in Lemon Cream Sauce. I used this sauce as the base for various pasta dishes throughout the year. We even had this on New Year's Day 2015. It's just that good.


5. Chocolate Pudding. I love, love, love being able to make pudding from scratch. Rich and decadent, yet so easy to throw together. You just need to plan ahead so the pudding has time to cool.


4. Breakfast Bowls. These bowls need to make another appearance on my dining room table ASAP. How could I have only made these one time?


3. Avocado Enchiladas. Stuff some guacamole inside tortillas, smother with sauce and cheese, bake. What's not to love?


2. Perfect Roast Chicken. I may have only gotten around to posting this recipe in 2014 but I've been making it for years. Like the name implies, this comes out perfectly every single time.


1. Pasta alla Norcina. I admit, out of all the recipes I made in 2014 I was surprised to see this one at the top of your list. Don't get me wrong, it's a great pasta dish, but it just goes to show that you never know which recipes will grab your readers attention the most.

Sigh. I'm not ready for summer to be over. I know we technically have another 3 weeks until the official end of summer, but now that September has arrived we're on the downward slope into fall and winter. This is always a tough time of year for me. Fall will bring a lot of fun things (Baby Girl's 5th birthday, our trip to Disney World, our 11th wedding anniversary, Halloween, Thanksgiving in California) but it also means cold weather is right around the corner. And I'm not a fan of cold weather. Or the loss of natural light. So I'll be enjoying the last few weeks of warm weather and daylight after 5pm while it lasts.

Once again, August was another month of remakes. I've been making a few new things but still having trouble finding the enthusiasm to blog. Plus, I've made so many great things over the life of this blog and I like rediscovering old favorites.


Ever since I discovered these crunchy baked tacos I've been obsessed. I love how easy they are to make. I actually served these twice in August.


I'm sure you're all tired of seeing these refried beans on my recaps, but we love them. So easy I don't even need to look at the recipe anymore.


And you all know how much I love tilapia francese. This month's rendition was superb - perfectly cooked fish, flavorful sauce, a nice crispy coating. Mmmm.


I made this grilled corn, avocado and tomato salad all the time a few summers ago, but not much in recent years. It's always a family favorite. The smoky flavor from the grilled corn is my favorite part.


We all love these homemade chicken nuggets with honey mustard dipping sauce. What's not to love about crispy chicken and a tangy dipping sauce? I always make a ton of chicken so we have plenty leftover.


This cheesy zucchini rice is our summer go-to side dish. I can't get enough when zucchini is in season.


I'm continually amazed by these roasted potatoes. They come out perfect every single time.


For me, summer means tomatoes and basil. That's where caprese pasta comes in. I grow basil every summer so throwing this pasta together is super simple.


We eat this restaurant knockoff Texas Roadhouse salad at least once a week. So far we haven't tired of it. I think it's so funny that Baby Girl thinks that all salads include these ingredients.


Antipasti pasta salad is almost a meal in itself, but I usually serve it as a side dish. This recipe makes a ton but we rarely have much leftover. It's addictive.


I've been alternating burgers and flatbread pizzas on Fridays this summer. Always a favorite, especially with a variety of toppings.


We all loved this corn casserole the first time I made it, so I made it again for one of our Sunday dinners with my parents. Between the five of us we ate almost the whole thing.


I love the base sauce in this pasta with shrimp in lemon cream sauce so I'm always looking for ways to make it without buying shrimp. I've done chicken before and this month I tried tilapia. I cooked the tilapia separately and served it on top of the pasta. The sauce is simple but oh so good.


I've been making this antipasto salad as a chopped dinner salad lately and it's a family favorite.


I had some pork chops in the freezer and decided to remake pork chops with pineapple fried rice. The first time I made this recipe it was good, but not great. This time it was incredible. So flavorful. Beyond words, really. I wished I'd had a second stomach so I could have another serving.


I can't believe it's been years since I made these corn fritters. I've been obsessed with corn recently and these fritters are the epitome of summer. And easy, to boot.


I had a craving for creamy mac and cheese so I revisited Paula Deen's recipe. It's creamy and cheesy and delicious.

I know, I know. You're looking at the calendar and thinking "it's August 4. Why is she posting a July recap now?" As you may have noticed, I've been a little lax about blogging lately. Honestly, my heart's just not in it these days. I haven't gone through a phase like this in awhile so I guess I was due. I'm not making a lot of new dishes and I can't find the time or energy to blog the few new things I have made. I'm sure I'll snap out of it soon.

So...July. It was another busy month for us. Baby Girl is still taking swim lessons and this month she finally decided she wasn't scared of jumping in the pool. SP and I ran a 5K race on July 4 and had a great time. Work has been busy for both of us. The weather has been a bit on the cool side, not very summery, so we haven't spent as much time at the pool. And that's about it in a nutshell. On to the food!


Whenever I get a craving for pineapple I turn to these Hawaiian chicken sandwiches. There is just something about the combination of the marinade that makes these delectable.


And, of course, I can't serve the sandwiches without roasted potatoes on the side. Such a foolproof method. They come out perfect every single time.


I decided to combine a few individual servings of spicy pork and asparagus stir fry I had socked away in the freezer for dinner one night. I served edamame and egg rolls on the side and we relived the height of asparagus season.


I rediscovered my love for this antipasti pasta salad this month. I've made it at least three times. It's so good and so easy.


I brought these sopapilla cheesecake bars to my friend MaryEllen's house for dinner. She loved them so much she didn't fight me about keeping the leftovers and ended up serving them to her parents for breakfast the next day.


These crunchy baked tacos are our new favorite beef taco. We all love the crispy shell and I love how easy they are to make.


No Mexican night is complete without these homemade refried beans.


Once again, I made this recipe into fish sticks. I was never a fan of the frozen kind as a kid but these are head and shoulders above those. Positively addicting.


We've been loving cheesy zucchini rice now that zucchini is in season. I need to get this made a few more times before Fall.


I was cleaning out the freezer and found a package of meat sauce bolognese tucked away. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal.


Now that it's warmer I'm alternating making burgers and these flatbread pizzas on Fridays. I love roasting the tomatoes so they get super sweet. And the flatbreads are such a perfect vehicle for the tomatoes and cheese.


When I was cleaning out the freezer I made an amazing discovery - a lone package of homemade chorizo. I thought I'd used it all up, which was very sad since it meant no more chicken chorizo patty melts. Of course I had to make them and they were just as divine as ever. One of our all-time favorites.


I was stumped for an easy sandwich idea for dinner until Baby Girl turned on The Pioneer Woman. She was making these hot roast beef sandwiches so I added them to the menu for the following week. Yum!


These citrus chicken burritos require a lot of work, but are so, so worth it. Another all-time favorite recipe around here.


As much as we love regular tacos, taco rice is a nice change of pace. We all love mixing all the ingredients together in the bowl.


I wanted something healthy, bright and flavorful and SP said we hadn't had black bean patties in awhile. I decided to make these black bean patties with corn and avocado cream because I love, love, love the corn salsa and the avocado cream (and the patties, too. The whole meal is great).


I wanted an easy chicken taco recipe and remembered how much we liked these grilled chicken tacos with spiced mayo. I love how easy these are to make. I turned the leftovers into a quesadilla for lunch the next day and I think I may make them that way from now on.