Super Popular Recipes ~ The Top 16 Recipes of 2016

As cliché as it sounds, it really is difficult to believe that 2016 has come and gone. It was a busy year for me. With our kids now grown and living in other provinces we decided to downsize and in September, sold the home that we had lived in for close to twenty years. Music Man and I have set out on a new, exciting and hopefully fun adventure.

We are presently renting a great house, but are hoping, in the very near future, to find the perfect “fixer-upper” to renovate. Stay tuned as I am sure there will be multiple blog posts associated with all of that stress…I mean fun…lol.

Before totally engulfing myself in a new year of blogging, I always find it enlightening to review our blog stats from the previous year.

Recipes make up a large part of our blog content, so I always love to look back at the most popular recipe posts from the past year.

I did a similar thing the last couple of years when I listed the Top 20 Recipes of 2014 and The Top 10 Recipes of 2015.

The following list of recipes is the top sixteen of our most visited in 2016.  They are listed in descending order of popularity.

 

The Top 16 Recipes of 2016

 

#1 Seafood Linguine ~ We make this delicious Seafood Linguine two or three times a year; almost always to mark a special occasion such as a birthday, Christmas or a family celebration.  It isn’t difficult to make and we usually all gather in the kitchen with a glass of wine and everyone pitches in to help.

#2 Broccoli Salad ~ There is a very good reason for the longevity of Broccoli Salad. It is simple to make, delicious can be made ahead of time (bonus!) and is easily customizable to suit your own family’s likes and needs. Set your imagination free and switch up the ingredients to make this recipe your own.

#3 Banana Oatmeal Muffins ~ The recipe makes a tasty, tender muffin with a nicely rounded top. Call me weird, but I like muffins with a nice dome like top. If they don’t have a top like that, I feel like I’m a bit of a failure at muffin making…lol!

#4 Caramelized Brussel Sprout & Bacon ~ Over the years my daughter and I have often experimented with the cooking of this vegetable and have finally come up with a winning recipe.  My daughter, Shannon, is actually the author of this delicious recipe for Caramelized Brussel Sprouts.  As much as I would like to claim this recipe as mine, it is all hers!

#5 Deer Guard Recipe ~ (I debated over including this in the “recipe” lineup, but thought since it made the top 5 and it is a “recipe” that someone may find it interesting…just don’t drink it!)

My husband was listening to the CBC one morning and heard about a recipe for a “deer repellent”.  We thought, what the heck, we would use it on the “salad bowls” (aka flower planters) and leave the rest of the yard to the deer. That was on a weekend and low and behold….days later, we still had flowers in the planters!

#6 Confetti Squares ~ These are definitely not difficult to make.  Just a little melting of butter, peanut butter, and the chips, then letting the mixture cool a bit. Stir in marshmallows, put them in a pan, toss in the fridge and you are done! Coloured marshmallows + butterscotch chips + peanut butter = happy kids!

#7 Sex in a Pan ~ Not sure how this yummy treat received its name, but I do know, the name is worthy of the dessert! I have made Sex in a Pan off and on now for the past twenty or more years. This is a bit of a throwback/retro type of dessert that you don’t see every day.

#8 Grammie’s Oatmeal Molasses Brown Bread ~ What is a girl to do with all of this wild weather but to head to the kitchen and start baking! We had a big ham dinner on New Years Day and a couple of days later, to my surprise, had some ham still remaining!  So for dinner that night,  to serve with the ham, I decided to make a big batch of homemade baked beans and a couple loaves of my grandmother’s Oatmeal Molasses Brown Bread.  I have modified her original bread recipe just a bit, but the results are still as fabulous!

#9 Skor Squares ~ I first had these super simple to make Skor Squares way back in 2004 or 2005. One of my colleagues would often bring them into work. We would have them as a little treat with afternoon coffee or just grab one to munch on as we walked past her desk.

We all raved about how good they were and she always told us how simple they were to make. Not sure we really believed anything so tasty could be so easy; that is until she brought in the recipe. There are only four ingredients!

#10 Overnight Steel Cut Oats with Chia ~ Just one of the many recipes that I love in the Fall PC^® Insiders Collection is the one for Overnight Steel Cut Oats with Chia. Organic certified whole grain oats – or groats –  have taken yumminess as well as the convenience to the next level.

#11 Traditional Roast Turkey with Apricot & Pecan Stuffing ~ A Classic Roast Turkey with all the trimmings will steal the show at any celebration or gathering.  Turkey is such a versatile choice, pairing well with many different flavour profiles, spice blends, seasonings, stuffings, and glazes.

#12 Chicken Parmesan ~ My husband is what I refer to as a Chicken Parmesan fanatic! This is his favourite meal and always his request when I ask him what he would like for his birthday dinner or any dinner for that matter. Have I ever mentioned that his birthday is the end of July, in the oppressive heat of summer? Standing over a hot stove in the dead of summer is true love…lol

#13 Apple Crisp ~ I have made and tasted many apple crisps over the years, but none is as delicious as this one.  Honestly, you will want to hide in a closet with a pint of vanilla ice cream and a pan of this apple crisp and eat yourself into oblivion!  It is that good!

#14 No-Bake Chocolate Macaroons {aka Frogs} ~ These Chocolate Macaroons are always a hit at any occasion. Trust me when I tell you, these simple to make, no bake morsels of chocolate, oatmeal and coconut will quickly become your “go-to” cookie and a family favourite!

#15 Breakfast in a Skillet ~ This so delicious and easy to make when you want something a little more substantial and impressive than plain eggs and toast for breakfast. It’s very simple and a little different from the regular Breakfast Bakes, in fact, this may be our new go-to to recipe for Christmas breakfast.

#16 Rosemary & Sea Salt Focaccia ~ This is one of my favourite recipes to make. I use my old standby pizza dough recipe and the resulting focaccia is beautifully light and delicious!  It was especially good cut into large wedges and dipped in some nice olive oil and balsamic vinegar…YUM!

Hope you have enjoyed this list of The Top 16 Recipes of 2016.  If you make any of these recipes, drop me a note and let me know how it turned out.

As always, if you have any questions at all about these or any of the recipes on the blog, please feel free to contact me and I will do my best to answer your questions.