Best Recipes of 2014

And so yet another year draws to a close, all year I found myself writing or doing the math on "2004" – then feeling puzzled why it didn't look quite right. Oops.

It's the week when many of us reach out to say thanks to those who bring meaning to our lives and I've been grateful to hear from so many of you in the last while. So please, let ME say thanks. I'm grateful for your time, your consideration, your comments, your emails, your likes, your shares, your PINs – and most of all that you invite me into your kitchen, trusting me to inspire the meals you prepare for those you most love, the shared curiosity for seasonal ingredients and healthy techniques, the ideas and pleasures that make the kitchen table the gathering place in so many homes.

Kitchen Parade is fast approaching 500 columns, a body of work that gives me immense pride. But it would be mere pixels careening about the internet without all of you. I thank you, I thank you.

Kitchen Parade's Best Recipes of 2014, all made with 'real food' not processed food. Fresh, easy, healthy, flavor-forward and seasonal. Nutrition information and Weight Watchers points too!

Your Favorite Recipes!

First, your favorite recipes, the ones that most attracted your attention! Each of your favorites is pictured in the collage above.

Starting in the center, Kitchen Parade's top new recipe for 2014, one I'm so excited that you love as much as I do! It's my latest "master recipe" – this time just eggs, hash browns, salsa and cheese, then adapt! You couldn't get enough of Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole!

Now, clockwise from the upper lefthand corner. Another breakfast recipe! I shared the recipe for Almost-Chewy Creamy Oatmeal way back in May, usually that means it's time to move onto something else (even if I do make it again off and on). But not this time, not this oatmeal! I still make it once or twice or even three times a month, I even carry the oats along to cook on visits to my dad and my sister. That's how good it is. Next up is the surprising Savory Cauliflower Cake, a moist, sturdy savory cake, strewn with bits of soft cauliflower with a touch of parmesan, a bit of a fuss to make but worth the time. And then again, no fuss at all? Bun-free Skillet Burgers with Tomato Gravy are on the table in an hour with no more than pantry ingredients, low carb and Weight Watchers friendly, it's perfect for weeknight suppers.

Now starting in the upper righthand corner. Okay, so you guys really do have a sweet tooth, don't you?! First up, chocolate! You don't need a mixer of any kind for Easy-Easy Chocolate Sheet Cake. It turns out dark, moist and chocolate-y, even two or three days after baking. Besides, aren't the sprinkles just fun?! There's no not-loving Snickerdoodle Bars, they are firm and chewy like blondies. On the lighter side, are bright and lemony Lemon Crinkle Cookies with Poppy Seeds, they're charged with lemon flavor. And last but definitely not least is a rustic country pie, Rhubarb Custard Pie. This was my very first rhubarb pie recipe, bites of tart red rhubarb with a delicate custard. Oh my, how long until rhubarb comes back in season?!

Continuing clockwise along the bottom row, starting at the bottom right corner, you'll love the Greek-style baked vegetables called Tourlou Tourlou, a rainbow of vegetables slow cooked in the oven. It's great for parties, served either hot or at room temperature. What, more veggies? Of course! To detox after the holidays, try this Slow Cooker Curried Vegetable Stew, it's warm with spices and your choice of vegetables. It's vegan, paleo and very Weight Watchers friendly. Another Quick Supper recipe (you love these!), Mexican Chicken Salad starts off with rotisserie chicken, it's tossed with lime-yogurt vinaigrette, black beans, jicama, corn and tomato. Yep, that easy! Finally, if you got a spiralizer or a "vegetti" for Christmas, start with this recipe, Zucchini Spiral "Noodle" Salad, a sexy, seductive zucchini-noodle salad.

Take a second look? We share many of the same favorite recipes from 2014 but honestly, I think that readers missed some good ones, especially the Summer Corn Bread with Fresh Blueberries. We're talking warm corn bread studded with fresh blueberries, people, I thought you'd be as crazy for it as I am. So I hope you'll take a second look at my favorite recipes from 2014, they're ones I make again and again, solid basics, nothing fancy, just good food prepared well. Without further ado, enjoy!

Pinterest For easy re-pinning, I am pinning Kitchen Parade's best recipes of 2014 on a special board on Pinterest. A Veggie Venture's best vegetable recipes of 2014 are pinned too but if you'd like the source, here are Best Vegetable Recipes of 2014 from A Veggie Venture.


My Favorite Recipes from 2014
SAVORY

(hover for a description, click a photo for a recipe)
January - Slow Cooker Curried Vegetable Stew February - Spinach Salad with Fruity Vinaigrette, Fresh Fruit & Glazed Pecans March - Lazy Man's Ciopinno, Shrimp & Fish Stew
April - Almost-Chewy Creamy Oatmeal May - Tourlou Tourlou (Greek Baked Vegetables) June - Estonian Deviled Eggs
July - Summer Corn Bread with Fresh Blueberries August - Green Bean Garden Salad September - Easy Beef Kabobs
October - Skillet Burgers with Tomato Gravy November - Chicken with Shallots December - Smoked Salmon Spread

My Favorite Recipes from 2014
SWEETS

(hover for a description, click a photo for a recipe)
Snickerdoodle Bars Pumpkin Cheesecake Rhubarb Custard Pie
No-Chill Cutout Sugar Cookies Homemade Chocolate Sauce In-a-Flash Easy-Easy Chocolate Sheet Cake

More 'Best of the Year' Favorite Recipes from Kitchen Parade




Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. Follow Kitchen Parade on Facebook!
Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Jackie1/01/2015

    Hello Alanna, are you still there? I enjoyed your recipes in the Webster Kirkwood Times very much. I don't know why your recipes stopped appearing in the newspaper. I had cut out many of them, and I still use them. I send you my warm regards and my appreciation for your recipes. Best wishes,

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello from the East Bay area of San Francisco; actually, we live in San Ramon. I'm an 83-year old woman, a granny and great-granny who really appreciates your recipes. And your commentaries are so informative. I don't really want anything, just a thank you for all your good ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the recipes...looking forward to more in 2015 and sharing them too with friends and family.

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Post a Comment

Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna