Countdown to 2022: Most Popular

Counting down the most popular/viewed recipes of 2021 to ring in the new year!

I love seeing the most viewed recipes on the blog at the end of the year. I didn't know what to expect this year with my lack of posting in the last fourth, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

Countdown to 2022: Best Desserts

Counting down the best dessert recipes of 2021 to ring in the new year!

I went to scour for some crockpot recipes and did not have any of note to share, so no crockpot post tomorrow! But today is all about the best dessert recipes and even though the number of desserts I've made the last few years has been a lot fewer than other years, I still am so excited about them!

Countdown to 2022: Best Main Dishes

Counting down the best main dish recipes of 2021 to ring in the new year!

Main dishes is where I shine and by that I mean, I post a lot of main dishes because I make a lot of main dishes. In 2021, I have made very few breakfast and desserts so I know here in a year or so (depending on how quick I can get back on a regular posting schedule) when I'm posting 2021 recipes, it's going to be slim pickings for the Countdown. I'm still trying to post 2020 recipes. Anyways, please enjoy what I deem the best main dish recipes I posted in 2021.

Countdown to 2022: Best Breakfasts

Counting down the best breakfast recipes of 2021 to ring in the new year!

I'm honestly surprised that I have enough recipes to even share for breakfast since I have barely made any the last few years, but alas, I have a handful!

Countdown to 2022: Best Appetizers & Snacks

Counting down the best appetizer and snack recipes of 2021 to ring in the new year!

I honestly almost forgot about the Countdown this year until earlier this week. If you're a regular reader, you'll know I've basically stopped posting. I just haven't had time. Marching band mostly ended but then all the end of the year stuff started happening and I really didn't get much of a break LOL. I hope maybe in 2022 to get back to posting at least once a week.

Feel free to leave your link in the comments to your round up posts if you are also doing round ups of your favorite recipes of the year. If you click the "countdown to" label at the bottom of this post, you will find past years' Countdown posts - as always, I'll follow the same schedule as the years past.

Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo

Hello everyone! It feels like it's been so long! Marching band season + full time job feels like two full time jobs sometimes and I was not prepared for the lack of free time I was going to have. Marching band is winding down and I actually had a relaxing, calm weekend last weekend, so I think I'll probably be able to start posting more regularly soon. I definitely have taken a different approach where if I am stressed I don't force myself to have to do things. It was not the end of the world if I didn't post. However, I have been blogging for 11 years and still have plenty of recipes to share (and save for me too).

This one is pretty self explanatory - a copycat Olive Garden alfredo. We love a good chicken alfredo in my household and we definitely loved this recipe. What's super wild to me is seeing the island from the old house in these pictures because I am that far behind on sharing recipes LOL.

Cream Cheese Rippled Pumpkin Bread

This recipe reminds me so much of Starbucks Cheesecake Muffins with its delicious cream cheese layer!

Happy September! Although I've waited until September to post any pumpkin recipes - I've had many pumpkin things and also have plenty of pumpkin things to share. I don't know that I'll get around to sharing them all in the next few months, but I'll try. This is a recipe I've actually made a few times but still don't do a great job getting the cream cheese layer lower down. It still turns out so well and so delicious but isn't as pretty as the original :)

Easy Cheesy Sausage & Pesto Ring

This easy dinner is like a savory monkey bread but less work!

This was one of the first foods I made back when we had moved into our current house. Since it was April 2020, we were still having issues finding some foods especially meats. I got lucky and was able to get sausage to make this recipe. It's very reminiscent of monkey bread but there's no cutting up all the biscuits. It's so much less effort and still turns out incredibly.

Easy Taco Salad with Homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing

Taco salad is classic but this one comes with a homemade cilantro lime dressing with tomatillos!

Hello, readers! I apologize for the lack of regular posting lately - life has been wildly busy. Honestly, just throwing in work for me has eaten up any time I had to do anything at a leisurely pace. Add in also volunteering with the high school marching band on Friday nights and I'm straight exhausted every weekend but also trying to catch up on all the things I have not done during the week. I'll continue to keep posting but it is going to be much more sporadic. At the time, I plan to at least get a post up each Monday. If I'm able, I'll post more (keeping to MWF schedule), but no promises!

Now this recipe - taco salad is taco salad. It's kind of a no brainer really. However, this one sets itself apart with the homemade cilantro lime dressing. It really makes the whole dish. I want this dressing on everything forever.

German Chocolate Cookies

Forget cake, these German Chocolate cookies will absolutely win you over!

This recipe is one of my all-time favorite cookie recipes and they did not last long. No one could stop eating them. The coconut pecan frosting is sooo good. Honestly, you could use the premade kind but I feel like this homemade version is not only better tasting but also holds up a bit better.

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

This casserole is cheesy with yummy broccoli and chicken - sure to be a family favorite.

We tend to eat a lot of broccoli in our household because it's one vegetable we all really like a ton. Casseroles are something I think a lot of Americans - especially in the Midwest - grew up eating, so they are very much a comfort food for me. This one has homemade sauce and a good amount of cheese. Super easy to make and really yummy. The original recipe had mushrooms (that you saute with the onions) but Cami is the only one who eats mushrooms so they usually get omitted.

Crockpot Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken

A great and versatile recipe for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, etc.

This is another one of those recipes that just does not photograph well, but it tastes amazing. It's super versatile and you can use it in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc. We did tacos/burritos and used tomato, lettuce, cheese, and I did avocado ranch dressing too. It makes a good amount so it's great for a crowd or for meal prepping.

One Pot 30-Minute Cheeseburger Pasta

All the goodness of cheeseburgers in a quick pasta dish with peas thrown in there so you get your veggies too!

I think I'm starting to edge into the recipes I started making when we first moved back in April 2020 to our new home. I cannot express how excited I was for the amount of natural lighting - it has really made taking pictures of food way easier - especially since I have gotten rid of my DSLR and am just using my phone. This recipe was a great, easy meal for the hecticness of moving. I didn't have pictures of it, but I loved it with ketchup. It was giving me a bit of tatortot casserole vibes and it needed the ketchup to make it complete!

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

Who needs red sauce beef lasagna when you can have chicken lasagna with a rich cream cheese based sauce and spinach!

So my family doesn't like lasagna. None of us do. However, we have been trying white sauce recipes or recipes that utilize cottage cheese instead of ricotta and that seems to have served us well. This particular recipe is white sauce AND cottage cheese. It really reminds me of One Pot Chicken Lasagna Soup that I've posted previously and make quite a bit.

Chocolate Crunch Cookies

Rich and chewy chocolate cookies with caramelized Rice Krispies and chopped Crunch bars mixed in!

I have made cookies with Cornflakes before and really enjoyed them but was really psyched to try a chocolate cookie recipe with caramelized Rice Krispies cereal in it. It was every bit as wonderful as I anticipated. The Crunch bar bits were a super nice touch too.

Lemon Pepper Wings

Crispy chicken wings that have a lemon pepper dry rub and a buttery lemon pepper sauce brushed after they are baked.

I love cheese pizza but we don't eat it a lot because Nick doesn't like it because there are no toppings. So to compromise, I'll make wings so we have a meat with the dinner. When our family (my husband's three siblings and their spouses and kids and his mom and dad) gets together, we tend to get Wingstop. A family favorite is the lemon pepper wings. We get them every single time. I had to find a recipe and see if we could get some of the magic with homemade wings!

Korean Beef Bowls with Veggies

Ground beef and onions seasoned with the most delicious Korean sauce served over rice with stir fry veggies!

I LOVE little bowls like this that have loads of veggies and are over rice or quinoa. This one has this amazing sauce that really sets it apart from other recipes that I've had. Nothing else really holds a candle. You can vary the vegetables to your liking but I really liked the red bell pepper, zucchini, and carrot combo. Such a colorful and delicious meal!

Beef, Bean, & Cheese Burritos

Classic beef and bean burritos with all the fixings - perfect quick weeknight meal!

I love a good easy recipe like this one! I also have to mention that the blog I got it from is one of my favorites. I went to plan the recipes I was sharing this week and realized all three came from the same blog - so this must have been when I had first found it and saved a ton of their recipes. So if you want to find a ton of great recipes, check out Carlsbad Cravings!

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

Who needs spinach artichoke dip when you can have your favorite appetizer as a dinner?!

I am always surprised at what my family is willing to try when I pick something for the meal plan that is more "off the cuff" - I think that Nick will eat spinach artichoke dip sometimes, but not 100% sure. The kids have never had it. I love it! Of course, this being a one pot meal was a plus and I really liked the garlicky spinach. I don't think it's the rest of the family's favorite pasta dish (to be fair, there are so many to choose from), but I was really happy I put it on the menu and finally got around to making it.

Ultimate Bangers and Mash

A classic British dish with the most amazing onion gravy ever!

I really cannot express how much I love this recipe. But I can start with the fact that I don't like bratwursts and I don't like gravy and I reluctantly made this because I felt like it was something my family would enjoy. I ate brats. I ate them and liked them! The onion gravy is probably my all-time favorite gravy and one I would eat with so many different meals. It's incredible.

The Best M&M Cookies

Soft and chewy M&M cookies perfect for packing in school lunches or snacking on in the afternoons!

I love pudding mix cookies - they are turn out so soft and chewy! I stumbled upon these while trying to find a recipe that I could possibly con my picky 6 year old into eating (back when he was 5). Mason loves M&Ms, so I figured I might be able to convince him to eat these. Of course, he loved them and it opened the door to him trying a lot of different cookies without hesitation!

Copycat McDonald's Pancakes

When you have a hankering for McDonald's pancakes, but you don't want to leave your house, I've got you covered!

When I was a kid, we had Dairy Queen and Burger King and that was about it in the area I grew up in. Occasionally we went to the bigger town almost an hour away and would get Arby's. It was pretty exciting when we got a McDonald's and we ate there a bit more when it was new. I personally loved getting the pancakes for breakfast. I like getting the frozen Eggo kind because they remind me so much of McDonald's pancakes (let's be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if they are the same thing or close to), so, of course, I jumped at the opportunity to try a copycat. I love copycats. These definitely aren't exact but they are close and they were great!

Linguini Carbonara

Rich classic carbonara with linguine pasta, peas, and bacon.

Matthew (my oldest) would eat carbonara every single day if he could. So we have it for dinner often and I have saved different recipes to try (my favorite is pesto carbonara). This is very much so a classic carbonara and really easy to make. It's so rich and full of flavor.

Churro Bars

Delicious bars with loads of cinnamon sugar that taste just like a churro!

I have yet to have an actual churro but I have many churro-flavored treats or things that resemble churros in some way - there's a Cinnamon Toast Crunch churro cereal that is so good! I love dessert bars and these are great. Lots of cinnamon sugar goodness!

Steak Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

Fantastic marinated flank steak with homemade cucumber tzatziki sauce that I dare you to not eat by the spoonful!

We had a German fast food restaurant locally for many years and we went every few months to get doner because it's sooo good. Unfortunately, before COVID even struck, the restaurant closed down and we lost our doner supplier. My understanding is that there a lot of things in the Europe area that are similar, including gyros. I am the only person in my family who likes lamb, so I thought this recipe would be great for sating the doner cravings but also not having my entire family complain about lamb. Also I don't have a rotisserie spit thing to throw a big bunch of lamb and beef on, so flank steak will have to do. I definitely want to try pita flatbread next time instead of pockets. I think it'd be way easier to serve.

Easy Low Carb Big Mac Salad

A lower carb version of a McDonald's staple!

I love Big Macs, but I try not to eat fast food because I find myself constantly disappointed by the quality. I'll crave a Big Mac and get it and feel like crap afterwards. I don't know if that's a "I'm in my 30s" thing or just because I don't eat a lot of fast food or if it's because fast food quality really is subpar nowadays. I digress. I love making copycat recipes at home and have made a Big Mac copycat, but I really like salad too and then I don't end up with a bunch of extra top buns. Win win!

Creamed Chipped Beef

A classic breakfast with chipped beef and rich gravy over toast.

I have always been pretty anti-gravy. However, when I was younger there was one exception: my grandma's chipped beef gravy. I had this recipe saved for so long and finally really had a craving for it and wanted it desperately. It tasted just like how I remembered and Nick and the kids loved it too, so it's definitely something we'll eat often.

Summer Grilled Corn Salad

The perfect summer side dish for any cookout - bright, fresh, and light!

I have some side dish recipe saved to try but I honestly usually forget about them. I tend to like to just make a couple vegetable, carb, and/or starch sides and call it a day. But I made this last summer and it is one of my favorite things ever. I love sweet corn and especially enjoy fresh sweet corn cooked on the grill. I love that this is just a ton of veggies. I did not make the avocado cilantro lime dressing but chose to use some of the elements of it so that Nick would eat it. He doesn't do dressing.

Blueberry Pie Yogurt Parfaits

This stunning yogurt parfait has all the flavors of blueberry pie and is a perfect breakfast or snack!

I pretty much eat yogurt for breakfast every day and have for a good while now. When I have the opportunity, I love making parfaits. There's something so satisfying about the different layers in the cup. I don't particularly care for blueberry pie - it's okay - but I love the elements of the pie in this yogurt parfait. I mean grahams and yogurts with fresh blueberries - YUM!

M&M Brownies

Classic fudgy brownies with M&Ms and chocolate chips mixed in for extra chocolateness!

This recipe is a very classic brownie recipe with chocolate chips and M&Ms added to it. They are fudgy and perfect with a glass of milk. Can't say much more about it - a solid recipe that is definitely going to be a go-to for me!