Your Top 10 Favorite Recipes for 2015

Thank you to everyone who visited this little food space this year. Truly, thank you so much. It means a lot to me that you drop by and check out what's going on over here. Of the 160 posts this year, these were the ones that, you, my favorite readers, visited the most. Here are the top 10 favorite recipes of 2015, plus two posts that don't include recipes.

Savory Corn Muffins

These savory corn muffins are airy and moist, and full of cornbread flavor. What's wonderful about these muffins is that they have all of the moistness and rise of a sweet muffin along with the savoriness of corn bread.

Caramel Custard Tart with Sliced Almonds and Pumpkin Seeds

This Caramel Custard Tart with Sliced Almonds and Pumpkin Seeds is so completely decadent and rich. It can also be quite the showstopper with its deep caramel color and the toasted nuts and seeds. I used toasted and salted pumpkin seeds in this tart to compliment the sweet caramel, which turned out to be a great choice. 

Cranberry, Walnut, and Pecan Rye Bread

This cranberry, walnut, and pecan rye bread will make your house smell amazing while it is baking. It's the combination of the the toasted walnuts and pecans, plus, naturally, the smell of baking bread.

It's delicious with goat cheese or Boursin and, of course, it's wonderful just toasted and buttered.

Salmon Rillettes for the Feast of the Seven Fishes

This Salmon Rillettes spread is a totally delicious mixture of poached salmon, peppery smoked salmon, a lot of spiciness, and a little butter.

This is the perfect first course for the Feast of the Seven Fishes.

Anadama Bread with Sesame, Flax, and Poppy Seeds | Sweet Corny Bread

The first time I made Anadama Bread was five years ago. This was when I first started baking bread and was baking my way through Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice. Since then, I've made a lot of bread. In fact, my friend Sally of Bewitching Kitchen counted the number of bread recipes I have on my index and came up with 247 (and growing). Yikes!!! That's a lot of loaves between my first Anadama Bread and this one.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

These Chocolate Almond Biscotti are a little more tender than the typical biscotti. They are crunchy, but they are tasty on their own, without the required dunking in coffee or wine. Kids actually like these!

Stained Glass Christmas Cookies with a Hard Candy Center

Welcome to Day 6 of Christmas Week. This year we have over 35 bloggers sharing festive sweet recipes for the event.

I've always wanted try making Stained Glass Cookies.

Stained Glass Cookies? They are cookies with brightly colored see-through hard candy in the middle. If you poke a hole through one side of them, you can actually hang them as Christmas decorations.

Cranberry Sourdough Country Bread

This Cranberry Sourdough Bread is soft and moist on the inside with a dark crunchy crust. It is delicious toasted and buttered, and is great for turkey sandwiches (maybe with a schmear of stuffing and turkey gravy!). I also love it for apple and grilled cheddar cheese sandwiches.

Chewy Sugar Cookies for Santa

Welcome to Day 3 of Christmas Week. A huge group of talented bloggers joined forces to bring you some holiday cheer. We hope you love all the festive recipes we're offering up this week. Be sure to enter the giveaway to win some amazing prizes.

Do you like your sugar cookies crispy or chewy? I like both, but when I think of the traditional sugar cookie, I always think "chewy" and coated in sparkling sugar.

Onion Bagels

How would you like to have freshly baked bagels on a Saturday or Sunday morning without heading out to the bagel shop? Well, you can.

Yes, you'll have to get up about two hours earlier than everyone else, but you will have amazingly fresh bagels, making it totally worth it.

Molasses Ginger Cookies with Fresh Ginger

These molasses and ginger cookies are so perfect for the holidays. The cookies are soft and chewy, and the fresh ginger adds a lovely warmth... perfect for Christmas giving.

I took about three dozen of these to the office, and they quickly disappeared, pretty much faster than anything else I've ever taken to work before.

Pain de Mie - Pullman Bread

Baking a Pain de Mie loaf has been on my list of breads to make for quite a while. In fact, I bought the Pullman pan a few months ago, and it has been taunting me from the cupboard.

Pecan Kringle

This Pecan Kringle is the perfect breakfast treat for Christmas morning.. or any morning! The pecans in the filling are toasty and flavored with buttery cinnamon and brown sugar.

Corn Dog Mini Muffins

I know, I know. These Corn Dog Mini Muffins are a bit of a novelty, but they really made me happy.

My Top Ten Favorite Dinner Rolls - So Far - I'm on a Roll!

I love home made dinner rolls. They're perfect for holiday dinners, and they are great for making sandwiches out of leftovers. These are great straight out of the oven, and leftovers are easily revived with a 20 second turn in the microwave.

These rolls are my favorites (so far), and will make you look like a superstar. You'll never go back to "brown and serve" rolls again. Here are my Top Ten:

Browned Butter Snickerdoodles

These Browned Butter Snickerdoodles are pretty magical. They are chewy and cinnamon-y, and not your average snickerdoodle. This is because they have a slight nutty caramel flavor from browned butter.

Chrysanthemum Bread with Sausage, Pepperoni, and Mozzarella Cheese

My version of this Chrysanthemum Bread probably doesn't make you immediately think "that looks just like a flower!" It did look like a flower at one point, but then I tossed a handful of grated mozzarella on top just before placing the carefully shaped bread in the oven. What else was I going to do with leftover cheese?

Butterflake Rolls

These Butterflake Rolls are brushed with melted butter between layers of enriched dough prior to baking. They are so soft and tender, and are perfect for a family feast.

I pulled these out of the oven around 5:00 PM, a little early for dinner. For "quality control purposes," I pulled a small layer off of the smallest roll, spread a teensy bit of butter on it, and taste tested it. About 15 minutes later, I felt it was necessary to try one more layer "just to make sure."

Normandy Apple Bread with Levain and Apple Cider

This Normandy Apple Bread is made with both dried apples and apple cider in the dough. It's name is derived from the apple growing regions of France.

This recipe calls for dried apples, which you make yourself. I used some honeycrisp apples that I found at our local farmers market, and loved them. You an use any tart/sweet apple you prefer. I had a hard time judging how many apples to use to get to the correct amount, and made way more dried apples than necessary. Fortunately, the leftover apples were tasty on their own.

Sandpot Stir-Fried Chicken Rice | Wok Wednesdays

This Sandpot Stir-Fried Chicken Rice is a traditional Cantonese dish. Rice is cooked in a sandpot, while chicken, ginger, and shiitake mushrooms are stir-fried in a wok. Before the rice is fully cooked, the stir-fry mixture is placed on top of the rice to finish cooking.

As Grace Young says, this "exemplifies the fuel efficiency of Chinese cuisine." The hot rice continues to cook the chicken, and the juices in the chicken flavor the rice.

Potato and Rosemary Pizza | Pizza di Patate | with Rosemary

I am absolutely crazy about this Potato Pizza. The crust is super crunchy and the potatoes are incredible.

Amazingly, the pizza is topped simply with thinly sliced potatoes, diced onions, and rosemary. The trick is to slice the potatoes as thinly as possible so that they will cook more quickly, and crisp up on top.

Raspberry Jam Crumb Muffins

These Raspberry Jam Crumb Muffins are very tender and moist, filled with raspberries and a swirl of raspberry jam, and then topped with streusel. I made my own raspberry jam to fill these muffins, but jarred jam would work just as well. What's so cool is that you can use either frozen or fresh raspberries, so you can have these muffins any season.

Hot (or Cold) Crab Dip

This Hot Crab Dip is the perfect game day snack. It will make your friends and family very happy, and keep them fueled for a long day of game watching. It kind of reminds me of the hot crab dip my mother used to serve in clam shells in the 1960s for cocktail parties.

This dip can also be made ahead of time, and is just as good cold the next day. Make it for a potluck. Your friends will swoon.

Slow Cooker White Bean and Chicken Chili

This slow cooker white bean and chicken chili was a huge hit in our house. What I love about its that the broth is thickened with hominy, which is pureed with broth. No cream, flour, or corn starch were (or is it "was") sacrificed to make this chili.

While this is not your typical dump and go slow cooker recipe, the advance preparation is well worth it.

Hong Kong Style Silky Stir Fried Minced Beef | Wok Wednesdays

This week, the Wok Wednesdays group is making Hong Kong-Style Silky Stir-Fried Minced Beef. 

Grace Young, the author of the cookbook, Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge, says that she first tried it in Hong Kong and loved its richness. She got this recipe from Chef Danny Chan. 

The secret to the richness of this dish is hand mincing the beef, and then adding an egg and two egg yolks to the partially cooked meat. It's a really interesting technique. The beef is spread out in a layer in your wok, and the whisked eggs are dropped on top to cook for about 45 seconds, and then stir fried. The eggs pretty much disappear into the meat mixture, but, as Grace says, make this dish "sumptuous."

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am so excited about these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are so amazingly soft and cake-like, and get better over time. They're pretty much pumpkin pie in a cookie.... with chocolate chips.

Tangzhong Whole Wheat Bread

This Tangzhong Whole Wheat Bread is absolutely the best sandwich bread ever! And guess what? I am the host kitchen for the Bread Baking Babes, and had the privilege of choosing this month's bread.

Bread Baking Babes you ask? We are a small group of bold, boisterous, and hilarious women who share the love of baking bread (and wine). We live across the globe, and come together every month on the 16th to share our experiences with a recipe chosen by one of the members. Everyone gets to play around with the recipe, so be sure to click on the thumbnails at the bottom of this post after the recipe to see the rest of the Babes' versions of this bread.

Sesame Seeded Semolina Bread

This Sesame Seeded Semolina Bread has a wonderful nutty, sweet flavor and a beautiful yellow crumb. It is wonderful with butter, and makes delicious toast. It is the perfect accompaniment for fall's soups, stews, and chilis. It also makes delicious garlic bread.

The best part? You make the dough in advance, shape it, and bake it the next morning.

Hakka-Style Stir-Fried Shrimp and Vegetables | Wok Wednesdays

This Hakka-style stir-fried shrimp and vegetables is such a simple dish, yet it is so delicious. It is symbolic of the Hakka, as Grace Young (2010) describes, "the gypsies of China." They were originally from northern China, were driven out by a multitude of reasons, and forced to settle in an area where they were second class to the Cantonese. In the 1800's they were again forced to leave their homes due to famine, disease, and natural disasters. Many ended up in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, as well as "contract laborers in Hawaii, the Caribbean, South America, North America," and many other places across the globe (Young, 2010).

Cheddar Cheese Crackers

I'm pretty excited about these cheddar cheese crackers! They have such a wonderful savory flavor... and they came out crispy!

I've always had good luck making savory shortbread crackers, but have been challenged at times with creating a crispy yeasted cracker. Sometimes they can come out tough or chewy instead of crunchy.

English Muffin Bread

I have made this English Muffin Bread many times, and can't believe I never posted it! This bread, sliced, is kind of the equivalent to English muffins, without the griddle. The bread pan is dusted with corn meal to mimic traditional English muffins. This bread is delicious toasted and spread with butter and jam. The combination of yeast and baking powder produces the "nooks and crannies" that one would expect from English muffins.

Cornbread Bacon Muffins

These cornbread bacon muffins combine the sweet and savory flavors of the bacon, corn bread, and the secret ingredient, maple syrup.

The thick cut bacon is julienned and then cooked to a golden color. Next, the bacon is cooked in maple syrup. The muffins also contain toasted pecans and brown sugar.

No Knead Jalapeño Cheesy Dutch Oven Bread

No Knead Jalapeño Cheesy Dutch Oven Bread. How do you feel about bread that has a custardy interior filled with melty cheese and bits of jalapeño peppers? Yeah. Me too.

Stir-Fried Salmon with Wine Sauce | Wok Wednesdays

This Stir-Fried Salmon with Wine Sauce popped up in the Wok Wednesdays rotation around the same time that my cousin brought back this gorgeous piece of salmon he caught in Alaska. He goes up there every year to go fishing and brings back amazing freshly caught and flash frozen salmon, cod, and halibut. He is so generous to share it with family.

Praline Pecan Coconut Shortbread Bars

These Praline Pecan Coconut Shortbread Bars are deliciously crispy and rich. The shortbread base is easy to put together in the food processor, and the topping comes together in one pan.

Conchas (Mexican Shell Bread)

I am totally excited by these Conchas!

Individual Meatloaves with Chili Sauce

These individual meatloaves with chili sauce are so amazingly good.

It's just meatloaf, right? Not really. First, these are mini meatloaves, which makes them extra fun to serve, especially to kids.

Second, instead of bread or crackers, the binder in this dish is rolled oats. Gluten free! (Did I just say that?).

Sourdough Focaccia with Preserves

This Sourdough Focaccia with Preserves takes some time to make, but the results are so worth it. The bread has the tang of sourdough, which is balanced with the honey in the dough and the cream and preserves brushed on top.

This bread recipe was contributed by two of the most amazing bread bakers in our Artisan Bread Bakers Facebook group. The formula was developed by Josep Pascual, a master bread baker who teaches classes all over Europe for professional bakers. He taught a course with my dear friend Ralph, the owner of Breadworks, who also makes and teaches about bread baking in the Netherlands. With Josep's permission, Ralph contributed this recipe for the August BOM, or Bread of the Month.

Rosemary, Garlic, and Parsley Whole Wheat Bread

This Rosemary, Garlic, and Parsley Whole Wheat Bread will fill your house with the amazing aroma of garlic and rosemary when it is baking. It is wonderful for BLTs, and makes wonderful toast.

The dough for this bread comes together easily, and has a very short rise time, making it easy to make in an evening for the next day.

This month, the #BreadBakers were charged with baking bread containing at least half whole grains. These loaves are about 60 percent whole wheat and have a mild whole wheat flavor.

Tiny Chocolate Layer Cake with Sour Cream Chocolate Ganache Frosting

My grandsons (with an assist from grandma) made this tiny chocolate layer cake for their dad on his birthday.

Their dad, my son, had to work on his birthday, which kind of stinks. A lot. On the upside, we got to watch the boys all morning while their dad was at work... which translated into "let's make a cake for daddy!"

I'm all over this one.

Checkerboard Tangzhong Rolls

These Checkerboard Tangzhong Rolls are so soft and fluffy. When you separate them, the crumb just pulls apart into deliciously thin ethereal sheets of goodness.

Tangzhong you ask? It is a starter made of flour and water, and sometimes milk, that is cooked to exactly 149 degrees F (well maybe not exactly in my case), cooled, and added to the dough. The resulting bread is amazingly soft. It's the kind of bread that is so good with just salted butter.

Apricot, Almond, and Toasted Coconut Muffins

Apricot, almond, and toasted coconut muffins baked in mini muffin pans! They make it so easy to justify having just one more. After all, they are so tiny!!

They are filled with toasted coconut, toasted almonds, and lots of dried apricot bits. They aren't overly sweet either, and are perfect for breakfast. Of course, if you want to be sinful, you can eat them warm (or re-warmed in the oven), slathered with some butter and apricot jam... not that I would do that... ahem.

Make-Ahead Cold Oatmeal with Honey and Raspberries

This Make-Ahead Cold Oatmeal with Honey and Raspberries is just about the easiest way to grab a nutritious breakfast that, in my opinion, is way more satisfying than a breakfast bar or a bowl of cereal.

The oatmeal is mixed with yogurt, milk, and honey, and layered with raspberries (other berries would work nicely too), and then allowed to chill overnight in the refrigerator to soften and thicken. Best part? No cooking involved. The oatmeal is eaten cold.

Apricot, Almond, & Olive Oil Cake with Vanilla and Lemon

This apricot, almond, & olive oil cake is incredibly moist, and the flavors of the apricots, lemon zest, almond flour, and vanilla seeds combine perfectly to create a delicate and tasty cake.

Grandma Pizza

This Grandma Pizza is sort of a cross between pizza and focaccia, and originated from the memories of Donna Curry, the author of the amazing bread baking cook book, Make Ahead Bread: 100 Recipes for Melt-in-Your-Mouth Fresh Bread Every Day.

Pita Bread | Tuesdays with Dorie

Bread is an amazing thing. Combine four simple ingredients, flour, water, salt, and yeast, and you can come up with so many different loaves, rolls, flatbreads, pastries, and other wonderful and delicious breads.

For example, pita bread. How do little rolled out disks of dough suddenly puff up while baking, creating a big pocket of air, ready to be filled with tasty salads, spreads, or vegetables?

It's pretty magical!

Demerara Shortbread Cookies

These Demerara Sugar Shortbread Cookies have a wonderful faint salted caramel flavor that will call you back to the cookie jar all day long.

Demerara sugar you ask? It is a coarse, large crystal raw sugar that is native to Guyana. Unlike brown sugar, it is not flavored with molasses, but is naturally golden brown.

The edges of these cookies are rolled in the sugar before baking, and then the sugar melts and hardens to create a lovely rich tasting coating.

L'Otto di Merano | Italian Rye Bread | Bread Baking Babes

L'Otto di Merano gets its name from its shape, two balls of dough baked together to resemble a figure eight. I'm not sure about the figure eight resemblance (see below), however, this bread is super soft and moist, and the dough is supple and really easy to handle and shape.

It makes wonderful sandwiches and toast, and is tasty with smoked salmon or melted cheese. I love toasting it and topping it with a fried egg, salt, and pepper.