Countdown to 2015: Top 10 Reader Favorites of 2014

These are my ten most visited recipes for 2014. I've never compiled a list of my most "popular" posts. First, there's always the burning question, do I prorate the visits? As a wannabe statistician, do I need to age the data to account for more time having passed?

Then there's the issue of bots and spammers who account for about half of the traffic to blogs. My blog's platform doesn't really distinguish between real and fake visitors when giving me visitor statistics. Thank goodness for Google Analytics (are you falling asleep at this point?).

I am fascinated by which posts take off and which posts kind of languish without attention. It doesn't really change what I do here, because I like to make and post about food that we will actually eat. My favorite thing is to challenge myself to try new techniques.

And of course, bake bread.

Blogging about food has been an amazing creative avocation, and the best part has been "meeting" simply wonderful people who share my interest in food, cooking, and writing about food and cooking.

I added up the numbers and decided that prorating and aging the data was way too much trouble. Here's list of your top ten favorite recipes of 2014 (plus a bonus).

1. Sourdough Polenta (Grits) Bread 
2. Bouchon Bakery Shortbread Cookies
3. Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Taleggio Cheese
4. Caramelized Onion and Shallot Braided Bread with Gruyere
5. Jalapeño Cheddar Coins
6. Salted Peanut Caramel Sauce 
7. Slow Cooker Asian Glazed Wings
8. Individual Potatoes au Gratin
9. Roasted Vegetable Focaccia
10. Garlic Gruyere Pain de Campagne Boule
11. Section Challah 

My New Year's blogging resolution? To finally get a logo and to learn Lightroom. Please hold me accountable. 

This year, Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes and Secret Recipe Club is hosting a round up some of the best recipes of 2014. Visit her blog to see what other bloggers have contributed to this Best of 2014 round up.

Countdown to 2015: My 10 Best Dessert Recipes of 2014

These are my top 10 dessert posts from 2014. When I compiled this list, I realized I need to expand my dessert world. There are an awful lot of cookies on this list. It's probably because there are just two of us in this house.

With cookies, I can either pack the leftovers into my grandkid's lunches and take the rest to work. They also keep longer.

My 10 favorite dessert recipes of 2014 (that I made) are:

• Buttery ginger shortbread cookies - I love, love, love shortbread.
• Glazed doughnut cookies - an Italian treat that can be decorated for any holiday.
• Chocolate espresso white chocolate chunk cookies - the name says it all.
• Vanilla sprinkle cookies - sprinkles!!!
• Chocolate coconut macadamia nut ice cream - I need to make more ice cream!
• Chocolate hazelnut sables - such an elegant little cookie.
• Witch fingers - scare the children.
• Peanut butter thumbprint cookies with salted peanut caramel filling - the caramel sauce is divine. 
• Cranberry crackle tart - this is so good. Go buy cranberries now and make this. 
• Chocolate cheesecake brownies - chocolate and cheesecake, right?

This year, Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes and Secret Recipe Club is hosting a round up some of the best recipes of 2014. Visit her blog to see what other bloggers have contributed to this dessert round up.

Brioche Flower with Cherry Preserves

This Brioche Flower with cherry preserves can be made with any sweet or savory filling. I used cherry preserves, which went perfectly with the brioche dough.

Countdown to 2015: Best Appetizer Recipes of 2014

These are my favorite appetizers from 2014. They are wonderful for any dinner party. Some are easy, others are a bit more complicated, but all of these are tasty.

My favorite appetizers for 2014 are....

• Black Pepper Taralli - A little southern Italian pretzel that you can make ahead. They go wonderfully with wine. 
• Scallop and Pesto Purses - An impressive but easy appetizer that you can assemble in advance and bake just before serving.
• Jalapeño Cheddar Coins - A savory cookie that can be made in advance, and then sliced and baked as needed. They are excellent with cocktails. 
• Greek Salad Skewers - Cucumber, feta, tomatoes, and Kalamata olives. All you need is a toothpick. Easy!
• Mini Maryland Crab Cakes - Really easy, really good. They would also make excellent sliders.
• Hoisin Beef and Scallion Rolls - Meat lovers will thank you. 
• Thai-flavored Pork Belly Skewers - I am so in love with these. This was my first time trying pork belly (except bacon of course), and now I get it. So good. 

This year, Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes and Secret Recipe Club is hosting a round up some of the best recipes of 2014. Visit her blog to see what other bloggers have contributed to this appetizer and snack round up.

Countdown to 2015: (My) Best Main Courses of 2014

These are my favorite main courses from 2014. I would make each of these again without reservation. I would (and have) serve them for guests, and I would (and have) make them just for me. They are that good (and foolproof).

My favorites main courses from 2014 include the following:

• Cranberry horseradish pan fried steak - so quick and easy
• Stir-fried ginger tomato beef - this is oh-em-gee good
• Apple and ham pizza - you need to give pizza a try, this one is amazing
• Spicy dry fried beef - healthy goodness
• Skillet pizza - this is about the easiest way to make artisan pizza ever
• Cashew chicken - once you make this, you will feel like a stir-fry maven
• Five spice chicken with sugar snap peas -"only" 13 ingredients, but totally worth it
• Crispy soy chicken - one of my favorite recipes for cooking a whole chicken
• Beef and sweet potato stir fry - so lean and healthy
• Sichuan pork with peppers and peanuts - super easy stir-fry
• Tropical pork and pineapple kebabs - another healthy and lean dish
• Maggi steak banh mi with daikon and carrot pickle - banh mi, where have you been all of my life? 
• Individual baked macaroni and cheese - just because.....

This year, Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes and Secret Recipe Club is hosting a round up some of the best recipes of 2014. Visit her blog to see what other bloggers have contributed to this main course round up.

Countdown to 2015: Best Crockpot Recipes of 2014

Slow cooker meals are just about the best comfort food. They are perfect for the summer, when you don't want to turn on the oven, and perfect for the winter, when you want a meal that will take off the chill.

My favorites from 2014 are these Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Baby Back Ribs, these Slow Cooker Asian Glazed Wings, these Slow Cooker Asian Beef Short Ribs, and this Slow Cooker Beef and Potato Stew.

This year, Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes and Secret Recipe Club is hosting a round up some of the best recipes of 2014. Visit her blog to see what other bloggers have contributed to this crockpot round up.

Carrot and Cauliflower Puree with Browned Butter

This Carrot and Cauliflower Puree was the perfect side dish for Christmas dinner this year.

It was my turn to host the annual family Christmas Eve soiree. On the dinner menu? Ribeye roast beef, red wine dijon cream sauce, spinach gratin, goat cheese mashed potatoes (contributed by my cousin), and this carrot and cauliflower puree.

Cranberry Horseradish Pan-Fried Steak

This cranberry horseradish pan-fried steak is a fabulous way to use the inevitable leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

The glaze for this steak combines the sweetness and tartness of cranberry sauce with the spiciness of the horseradish to make an outstanding glaze.

I make my own cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries, and hate to toss out the leftovers.  It's an attachment issue. You understand, right?

For this cranberry sauce, I used this recipe, but any whole cranberry sauce will do.

You don't even need a barbecue to make these steaks because they are pan-fried and then finished in the oven. I used this pan, but any cast iron or oven proof stainless steel pan will do. Totally easy!

For another recipe using leftover cranberry sauce, check out these cookies. They are delicious and so easy.

We loved these steaks. The sweet-savory cranberry sauce and horseradish flavor combination is pretty amazing. Next time, I'd probably reduce the cooking time in the oven by about a minute because I like a pretty rare steak.

Totally easy, totally tasty.

Cranberry Horseradish Pan-Fried Steak

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/4 C cranberry sauce (not jelly). I used leftovers from this recipe. 

2 tsp prepared horseradish

2 New York Strip Steaks (1 inch thick) about 12 ounces each

Instructions

1. Rub each steak all over with the olive oil and salt and pepper. 
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
3. Mix the cranberry sauce and horseradish in a small bowl.
4. Heat a cast iron pan on medium high heat. 
5. Sear the steaks in the hot pan and cook until seared, about 3 minutes. 
6. Flip the steak over and spread it with the cranberry horseradish sauce. 
7. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for about 4 to 5 minutes. 
8. Move the steaks to a cutting board, cover with foil, and let rest for about 5 to 10 minutes. 
9. Slice the steaks and serve. 

Adapted from Cook the Story

Lime Meltaways

These Lime Meltaway cookies are super easy to make. I made the dough in advance, and baked the cookies the next day. You can also make the dough and freeze it, then slice and bake the cookies when "needed," making them the perfect cookie for gifting.

What is a meltaway cookie, you ask? It's a butter cookie made with powdered sugar and cornstarch (you could also use tapioca). The cookie is incredibly crumbly, so when you take a bite, it kind of "disappears" in your mouth, in a tasty "what was that wonderfulness?" sort of way.

I know there's a bite missing. Someone had to make the sacrifice so you could see the interior of the cookie. It's a tough job.

While these were made with lime, you could substitute lemon. orange, or grapefruit, or any combination of citrus. You could also just go with vanilla or chopped pecans if you prefer. We're flexible around here.

There are many ways to coat the cookies with the powdered sugar. You can place the cookies in a plastic bag with the powdered sugar and shake to coat them, dredge them in the sugar in a bowl, or sift the sugar over the cookies. I ended up dredging the cookies in a bowl, and then sifting more sugar over them.

If you're wondering about the little cups, I used these.

This post is part of the Secret Recipe Club Cookie Carnival. Sixty (yep, sixty!) of us have been randomly assigned another blog from which to make a cookie recipe (big thank you to Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes for putting this together). I was assigned Grandma Loy's Kitchen.  She has three children and three grandchildren, and has been married to the love of her life for over 50 years. Just like me, she enjoys reading cookbooks like novels. I'm with you, Loy!

After the recipe for this cookie, you will find links to dozens of wonderful cookie recipes.

Lime Meltaways Recipe

Adapted from Grandma Loy's Kitchen, adapted from Martha Stewart.
Makes 48 cookies

Ingredients

12 T unsalted butter
1 C powdered sugar, divided
Zest from 3 large limes
2 T fresh squeezed lime juice
1 T vanilla
2 Cups minus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, cream the butter and 1/3 C powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the zest, juice, and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
2. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, and salt together, and add to the mixing bowl. 
3. Mix on low until the flour is just incorporated. 
4. Divide the dough in half, and shape into two 1 1/4 inch diameter logs. Wrap the logs in wax or parchment paper, and then wrap in plastic wrap (see note above about paper towel holders).
5. Refrigerate for at least an hour, and up to 24 hours. The dough can also be frozen and used up to two months later.
6. Preheat the oven and line two baking sheets with parchment.
7. Slice the logs into 1/4 inch disks and place them on the parchment, about 1 inch apart. 
8. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 15 minutes.
9. Let the cookies cool slightly on a wire rack, and then dredge, shake, or dust with the remaining powdered sugar while they are still warm.
10. Keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

An InLinkz Link-up

Stir-Fried Ginger Tomato Beef | Wok Wednesdays

I almost missed making this Stir-Fried Ginger Tomato Beef from Wok Wednesdays. The post was supposed to be up on December 3rd, which snuck up on me way too fast..... something about the recipe schedule not being posted until after the weekend.... that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Then I saw my friend Cathy's post about how much she loved this dish. I definitely needed to give this dish a try.

This recipe, from Grace Young's book, Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge, is the author's take on a dish her mother used to prepare for Grace and her brother to get them to eat more rice. The sauce is delicious poured over the rice. I served it in a bowl to drench the rice in the delicious liquid. It's kind of like a Chinese gumbo (forgive me Grace!).

The recipe calls for whole canned tomatoes in juice, a serendipitous discovery after Grace Young could not find decent tomatoes in the market to poach and peel. The addition of the juice and the consistency of the canned tomatoes made the dish even more flavorful.

This stir-fry was very easy to make. You cut flank steak into small strips and mix it with minced ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, cornstarch, sugar, salt, pepper, and sesame oil. Your mise en place should also include sliced green onions, the tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and a small bowl containing dark soy, rice wine, and sesame oil.

Mise en place? Do not attempt stir fry without it. Unless you want your kitchen to look like a hurricane hit it. Cray cray!!

Have your table set and your rice ready, because the total cooking time is about six minutes. Dinner for two!

I was a little nervous about boiling tomatoes and tomato juice in my seasoned wok, so I did stop to rinse my wok before sitting down for dinner.... oh, and I snuck in a couple of photos too =)

I think this might be my new favorite from the cookbook.  Get the book, join us on Wok Wednesdays. You won't regret it.

The food editors at the San Francisco Chronicle picked this recipe as one of their favorites from the book. The recipe can be found here.

No Knead Quinoa Bread

This Quinoa Bread really surprised me. I'm not at all experienced with this grain and was a bit skeptical because it has been kind of a fad. When the #BreadBakers group decided to use quinoa as a theme this month, I finally broke down and bought a bag of the stuff.

Maple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

These maple cupcakes must be pretty spectacular. I took them to work, and they disappeared pretty quickly. Before lunch.

Stollen

Stollen is the German Christmas bread. According to Peter Reinhart, in the book, Bread Baker's Apprentice, the shape of the stollen symbolizes the blanket of the baby Jesus, and the colored fruits represent the gifts of the Magi. Dresden is considered the home of stollen and even hosts an annual stollen festival where they unveil a giant (huge!) loaf.

Couronne | Mixed Starter Bread

I did the happy dance after making this Couronne bread. The mixed starter dough may take a weekend to make, but it is so totally worth it. The resulting bread is crusty, crusty, crusty, and the soft interior is filled with the uneven holes for which bakers of rustic loaves strive.

The recipe was contributed by Steve Sullivan, founder of Acme Bread Company, one of the pioneers in the artisan bread movement, to the PBS Series, Baking with Julia, and the resulting book, Baking with Julia, written by Dorie Greenspan in 1996.

This dough begins with a small piece of leftover bread or pizza dough. I used used a piece of firm starter that had been sitting in my refrigerator for a couple of weeks from this bread. This is called the "old dough starter." About 8 hours later, the starter is fed again, and allowed to rise.

The dough is "mixed method," in that it also includes a small amount of instant yeast in the final dough. There are a lot of steps to creating this dough, but the resulting dough is simply amazing and a dream to work with.

Once you've made the dough, you can make baguettes, wheat stalks, pain fendu, boules, walnut bread, or this couronne.

To create the hole in the middle of the dough, you plunge your elbow into the center of the shaped dough (Yes, I did it).

The top of the couronne is decorated with a string of "pearls" made from extra dough. My pearls got a bit off kilter as the dough was rising, but that's why they call this bread "rustic," right?

Mixed Starter Bread Couronne

Ingredients

Old-dough starter

1/2 ounce of risen dough from white bread or pizza (I used two week old firm starter)

1/4 C warm water

2/3 C unbleached all purpose flour

Second Starter

All of the old-dough starter

1/4 C warm water

3/4 C unbleached all purpose flour

Final Dough

1 1/4 C water

1/2 tsp instant yeast

All of the second starter, cut into pieces

3 1/3 C (14.15 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour

1 T Kosher salt

Instructions

1. Break up the old dough into pieces and add them to a medium bowl. Add the water, and let sit for about 5 minutes. 
2. Add the flour and mix with a dough whisk or spoon. When the dough gets too stiff, remove it from the bowl and knead by hand until the flour is incorporated. Place it back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for about 8 hours (after the 8 hours, I refrigerated this starter until the next morning). 
3. Mix the second starter the same way you mixed the first starter. Let rise for four hours, and then refrigerate for 1 to 8 hours (I refrigerated mine for 1 hour). 
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water, the yeast, and the second starter pieces. Let sit for 5 minutes. 
5. Add all of the flour and mix with a spoon to just incorporate. 
6. Mix with the dough hook on low to fully incorporate the flour. Let rest for 10 minutes.
7. Sprinkle the salt over the dough. Mix on medium to medium high for about 8 minutes. 
8. Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 90 minutes in a warm spot (about 85 degrees F). 
9. Gently stretch and fold the dough over itself from all four "sides," and let it rise, covered, for another 45 minutes.
10. Take a 10 inch cake pan or springform pan and place a small (3 to 4 inch) bowl upside down in the middle. Cover with a tea towel, and rub the towel with flour.
11. Cut off a 5 ounce piece of dough. Pat it into a rectangle, fold it over itself several times to develop tension, and roll it into a small log. Cover and set aside. 
12. Shape the rest of the dough into a rough ball. Plunge your elbow into the center of the dough to create a hole. Using a floured hand, continue to expand the hole. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. 
13. While the dough is resting, make the "pearls.' Roll the rope until it is about 24 inches long. Using the side of your hand, indent the rope by sliding your hand back and forth every inch or so. Place the "pearls" into the basket, circling the small bowl. 
14. Place the rest of the dough, flipping it over (very carefully) on top of the "pearls." Cover and let rise for about 90 minutes. 
15. Place a pizza stone in your oven, and preheat it to 450 degrees F. Set up the oven for steam or place a large metal bowl over the pizza stone (this is what I did). 
16. When the dough is ready, place a piece of parchment over the cake pan, cover with a peel, and flip the whole thing over. Remove the cake pan and the tea towel. Transfer the dough to the stone and cover with the hot metal bowl. 
17. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes, covered, and then 20 to 25 minutes more, uncovered. The bread should be very brown, with an interior temperature of 200 to 210 degrees F. 
18. Cool completely on a wire rack. 

I am participating in Tuesdays with Dorie. To see how other bakers fared, check out this link. 

French Onion Soup

French onion soup is my all time favorite. I love the caramelized onion flavor, the toasted baguette croutons, and the gooey gruyere cheese on top. The beef broth is sweetly flavored with fresh thyme.

This soup is really tasty, looks elegant, and the base can can be made in advance, making it really easy to prepare for company. Why haven't I made this before (she says, smacking herself in the forehead)?

Thank goodness for Secret Recipe Club led by Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes, who works really hard to keep things going. It's a group of bloggers who are assigned another member's blog from which to choose a recipe to make once a month. We all reveal whom we had on the same day and at the same time. This was the impetus I needed to make my all time favorite soup.

My assigned blogger is Susan of Food, Baby, Life. She is raising three boys, all under 5 years old, and lives in Australia. She's actually been blogging for almost six years! Now that she is a mom, she likes to cook healthy, but I'll forgive her for that (just kidding Susan!). She also has been an avid Tuesdays with Dorie baker. Just check out her Recipe Index.

I immediately chose Susan's French Onion Soup, and I'm so glad I did. Delicious!

French Onion Soup Recipe

Adapted from Food, Baby, Life, who adapted it from Taste.com 

Serves 6 to 8 as a starter, and 4 to 6 as a main course. 

Ingredients

6 T unsalted butter

4 very large brown onions, peeled and sliced crossways into rings

3 garlic cloves, sliced and crushed

1 tsp sugar

3 T all purpose flour

1/2 C dry red wine

6 C beef stock

1 bouquet garni (a few sprigs of thyme, parsley, and bay leaves tied together or wrapped in cheesecloth)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 good baguette, sliced on the diagonal in 1/2 inch slices

1 to 2 cups of freshly grated gruyere cheese (depending on how gooey you want your cheese to be. Next time, I'm adding more =)

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a large (6 to 8 quart) saucepan or saute pan over medium heat. 
2. Add the onions and garlic and sprinkle with the sugar. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onions are soft and a medium golden color, about 30 minutes (I veered a bit from the original recipe here, and cooked the onions quite a bit longer)
3. Add the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is cooked through, about a minute or two. 
4. Add the wine, and cook for another minute or two. 
5. Add the broth and bouquet garni and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
6. Remove the bouquet garni and season with salt and pepper, to taste. 
7. Toast the baguette slices in a toaster, toaster oven, or under the broiler. If using the broiler, toast both sides. 
8. Place an oven rack about 6 to 8 inches below the broiler and turn it on. 
9. Fill broiler safe soup bowls or ramekins with the soup and top with two slices of the toasted baguette. Place a good handful of cheese in each bowl over the toast and soup. Place the bowls on a baking sheet, and broil for about a minute or two, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. If you don't have broiler safe bowls, you can sprinkle the toasts with the cheese, broil it, and place it on top of the soup. 

An InLinkz Link-up

20 Thanksgiving Day Recipes and a Bonus Turkey Leftover Recipe

I'm making my shopping list for Thanksgiving dinner. While I'll probably try a new recipe or two, most of the meal will be from my "tried and true" favorites, especially the turkey and the stuffing. Who needs the extra stress, right?

If you are in the mood to serve one or two new dishes, here are some of my favorites that you might want to try. They are all pretty tasty.

This pumpkin martini is a delicious way to use up any leftover canned pumpkin. While I'm usually not a big fan of sweet or creamy cocktails, this one is very good.

For an elegant appetizer, give this caramelized onion, goat cheese, and balsamic tartlet recipe a try.

You can also assemble a platter of toasts, Boursin, and caramelized onion jam. The jam can be made in advance, making this hassle free to serve.

This cabbage salad with Braeburn apples and spiced pecans is a perfect combination of sweet and savory, and all of the components can be made in advance.

If you like to serve soup, this carrot soup garnished with bacon is satisfying without being too filling. The bacon doesn't hurt either.

This is the easiest turkey ever. No brining, no flipping the bird over during roasting. The turkey is covered in salt pork and a wet cheesecloth, which makes the turkey super moist.

This post contains my favorite stuffing recipe (it's pretty old fashioned, but that's the way I like it), as well as a recipe for stuffed turkey breast, in case you don't want to cook a whole bird.

Of course, what would Thanksgiving be without a bread basket? Here are a few suggestions:
Pull-apart buttery dinner rolls. These are incredibly soft and fluffy.

Or you could make these fluffy Cranberry pumpkin rolls, 

or Sourdough cornbread rolls with fresh sage, 

or Spaccatini, little Italian rolls. I'm going to have a hard time choosing.

These sauteed carrots are so easy, and are full of flavor.

I have two mashed potato recipes. These garlic mashed potatoes are the bomb,

or if you'd like potatoes that you can make days in advance, these make-ahead mashed potatoes are amazing. You won't have any leftovers.

Once you've tried making your own cranberry sauce, you'll never buy the canned stuff again. This ruby port cranberry sauce is so good, and makes a great jam and cookie filling too.

Desserts you ask! How about apple cider pie,

or pumpkin cheesecake brownies,

or a pear and almond tart,

or mini pumpkin cheesecakes,

or cranberry and white chocolate shortbread cookies using the fresh cranberry sauce you just made?

Bonus recipe: Here is a wonderful recipe for turkey soup to make the next day.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!