Top Ten Recipes for 2016

These recipes are the most popular reader favorites for 2016. 

Here they are! Karen's Kitchen Stories Top 10 most popular recipes for 2016! These were your favorite recipes, and I thank you so much for visiting, commenting, critiquing, and following Karen's Kitchen Stories. I can't believe it's been another year!

The Last Word Cocktail

The Last Word Cocktail is reputed to be an old-timey cocktail, originating in Detroit, and dating back to pre-Prohibition. All I know is, it's pretty tasty. 

Evidently, The Last Word Cocktail, after languishing in obscurity for about 80 years or so, enjoyed a sudden resurgence when a Seattle bartender recreated it and began serving it around 2006. According to folklore, he discovered the cocktail in a book that was written in 1951.

Smoked Gouda Cheese Spread

This Smoked Gouda Cheese Spread is a wonderful appetizer spread on crackers, mini toasts, and crudités. It's perfect for cocktail and bowl game parties. 

I love this Smoked Gouda Cheese Spread on garlic melba toast or Carr's Table Water Crackers, but any good cracker will do.

Shanghai-Style Shrimp, Sweet and Sour Cabbage, and Slow Stir-Fried Red Peppers | Wok Wednesdays

For the months of November and December, the Wok Wednesdays group made three recipes from the book The Breath of a Wok. The recipes include Sweet and Sour Cabbage, Shanghai-Style Shrimp, and Slow Stir-Fried Red Peppers. 

This dish is Florence Lin's Slow Stir-Fried Red Peppers. This recipe is so simple, and so delicious. Other than oil and a little bit of salt and sugar, there is just one ingredient, red bell peppers.

Countdown to 2017: Best Appetizers and Snacks

The following are my favorite appetizers and snacks from 2016. 

I can't believe that 2016 is coming to a close. I know, it's just a date, but still, time seems to be flying by.

Cheddar Muffins

These Cheddar Muffins could really be delicious cheesy bread masquerading as muffins... or maybe cheddar biscuits disguised as muffins. 

These cheddar muffins are loaded with cheese and flavored with shallots, just a bit of cornmeal, Dijon mustard, freshly ground black pepper, and Tabasco sauce. They have just the right amount of kick.

Espresso Chocolate Sablés

These Espresso Chocolate Sablés are filled with the rich flavor of coffee and chocolate, and have a wonderful crumbly texture. 

Sablés you ask?  A sablé is the French shortbread! It's just fancier because of the name... and maybe a little more grown up.

Salted Chocolate Pecan Caramel Bars

These Salted Chocolate Pecan Caramel Bars are incredibly decadent and sophisticated at the same time. 

These salted chocolate pecan caramel bars consist of a delicious deep chocolate shortbread cookie base, topped with a salted chocolate caramel, and then sprinkled with toasted pecans.

Sourdough Golden Beet Braided Bread

This Sourdough Golden Beet Braided Bread incorporates a puree of raw golden beets into the dough.

This Sourdough Golden Beet Braided Bread was chosen by Cathy of Bread Experience for the monthly Bread Baking Babes bake-along. Each month, one of us introduces a new recipe, and the rest of us make it our own.

Alaskan Seafood Bubbly Bake

This Seafood Bubbly Bake, with halibut, crab, scallops, and shrimp, is so creamy and flavorful. 

This Alaskan Seafood Bubbly Bake is now one of my favorite recipes on this blog. This says a lot, because I luuurve all of the recipes I've posted here (well, maybe some of the baguettes and that darn pain de beaucaire have caused some frustration, but they were still tasty).

St. Lucia Buns | Lussebullar

St. Lucia Buns are a Swedish holiday tradition, symbolizing the winter solstice. Today, December 13 is St. Lucia Day in Sweden. It is also known as the Festival of Light, and ushers in the holiday season in the country. 

In its honor, I've made these St. Lucia buns, the official bread of this holiday. The buns are scented with saffron, which also gives them their lovely yellow color.

Mini Ciabatta Loaves

These Mini Ciabatta Loaves are deeply flavored from the dark brown and shatteringly thin crust. 

The dough for these mini ciabatta loaves is 92 percent hydration, which results in one of the lightest, airiest, and moistest loaves of bread. When you take them out of the oven, they sit there and crackle and sing for you for about five minutes! If you are a bread geek, you know exactly what I mean.

Bread Box Round Up for December 2016

Welcome to The Bread Box Round Up, a collection of wonderful loaves, rolls, and flatbreads from food bloggers who bake bread!

I am so grateful for the bloggers who have shared their posts this year!

Save or Splurge? Recommended Gifts for Your Favorite Cook or Baker

When I first got into cooking and bread baking (not very long ago), I started collecting kitchen tools, gadgets, cookbooks, pots and pans, small electrics, and various other things one might find at Sur la Table or Williams Sonoma. Remodeling our 1960s kitchen and the completion of my master's degree collided. 

Five Spice Turkey Noodle Soup

This Five Spice Turkey Noodle Soup is not your average turkey noodle soup. 

I started this Five Spice Turkey Noodle Soup on the day after Thanksgiving. I simmered the Thanksgiving turkey carcass to develop an amazing stock, and then used the stock the next day to make this soup.

Banana Chocolate Espresso Swirl Muffins

These Banana Chocolate Espresso Swirl Muffins are light and moist, and have a decadent swirl of espresso enhanced chocolate throughout the middle. 

The flavors in these banana chocolate espresso swirl muffins take muffin-osity to a whole new level. I promise you, if you bake them, they will disappear. Plus, you will be very popular.

Pumpkin Rolls with Salted Maple Butter

These pumpkin rolls with salted maple butter are over the top wonderful for a holiday dinner. They're also perfect for sandwiching leftovers the next day. 

You can pull the dough for these rolls together and set it aside in the morning to rise while you are assembling the rest of the holiday meal. You can even make the dough a day in advance, and let it rise in the refrigerator. The rolls themselves only take about 15 to 17 minutes to bake, which is perfect timing while your turkey or roast is resting.

Black and White Cookies

Black and White Cookies consist of a four inch diameter cake-like vanilla cookie thinly glazed with vanilla and chocolate icing. 

Evidently, the question, "Who makes the best Black and White Cookie?" is hotly debated in New York, both throughout the state and all five boroughs of the city. Not being from New York, I did a little "research" on the interwebs, and came across lots of lively discussions about where to find the best Black and White Cookie.

Smoked Salmon Paté

This smoked salmon paté is one of my favorite "go-to" appetizers. It is easy to make, and wonderful spread on crackers, crostini, or bagels.  

I could pretty much eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's that tasty. To stop myself from eating the entire recipe, I took about half of it to work, set it in the break room, and it was wiped out by mid morning. This makes me happy.

Rye Porridge Bread (Pain Bouillie)

This Rye Porridge Bread is representative of French rye breads; dense, moist, and flavorful. 

This month the Bread Baking Babes, hosted by Kelly of A Messy Kitchen, are making a traditional rye bread with a porridge. The porridge in this case is a mixture of rye flour and rye chops that is mixed with boiling water and allowed to soak overnight. I had about half of the recipe of rye chops in my freezer, so I supplemented it with 10 grain cereal.

Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs

These Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs are such an elegant hors d'oeuvre. 

They are topped with shredded smoked trout, chives, and bits of red onion. They were even better than I had expected.

Sourdough Onion Pockets

I have wanted to make this Onion Pocket Bread for a long time, so when my friend David adapted it to include a sourdough starter, I couldn't put it off any longer. I'm so glad I made these. They are delicious, and a pleasure to make. 

These Onion Pockets were by far the most popular item at a New York City kosher dairy called Ratner's, which opened in 1905, and closed in 2004. They were served with a small bowl of butter, and according to Stanley Ginsberg and Norman Berg, the authors of Inside the Jewish Bakery, "..Jews from all over the New York metropolitan area would go to Ratner's just for the rolls."

Middle Eastern Steak and Potato Layered Casserole | Sainyet Bataba Tabakat

This Middle Eastern Steak and Potato Layered Casserole is such a wonderful savory dish. It's a great way to enjoy potatoes without frying, or adding cheese and cream. 

The flavors of this Middle Eastern Steak and Potato Layered Casserole are pretty amazing. I'm in love with how the different elements of this dish meld together.

Bread Box Roundup for November 2016

Welcome to The Bread Box Round Up, a collection of wonderful loaves, rolls, and flatbreads from food bloggers who bake bread! 

I'm starting with these gorgeous Asiago Cheese Bagels from Are You Cooking? Zosia baked my recipe along with the The Bread Baking Babes as a Buddy. What does that mean? Check out her post! Thanks Zosia. I am so happy to feature your gorgeous bagels.

Sourdough Pumpkin Milk Bread

This Sourdough Pumpkin Hokkaido Milk Bread is so soft and flavorful, and perfect for breakfast toast. 

It is the perfect bread for sandwiches and toast, and an excellent way to use up leftover pumpkin puree. The bread doesn't taste like pumpkin, but the puree adds a gorgeous color to the bread.

Wok Wednesdays | The Breath of a Wok

Beginning in September, after completing Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge, the Wok Wednesdays group has begun wokking our way through Grace Young's earlier book, The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore. This is an intimate book, with so many stories about the chefs who contributed the recipes, as well as over 50 pages on buying and seasoning a wok. This is not just a cook book. It is a work of love and a cultural treasure.

Here's what I've made so far.....

The photo above is of Jean Yueh's Beef with Onions and Peppers. According to the author, "this is a simple Shanghai-style family dish...." It's a simple dish, naturally sweet from the onions and peppers. We loved it.

Candied Ginger and Oatmeal Muffins

These Candied Ginger and Oatmeal Muffins combine the goodness of oatmeal, whole wheat flour, and candied ginger. 

The candied ginger adds just the right amount of spiciness to these muffins. Along with the rolled oats, I used a combination of white whole wheat flour and "regular" whole wheat flour.

Spicy Angel Hair Pasta with Halibut and Tomatoes

This Spicy Angel Hair Pasta with Halibut and Tomatoes is such a satisfying Mediterranean style dish. 

This dish of spicy angel hair pasta with halibut and tomatoes includes the most amazing halibut from Alaska.

Caramel Apple Cookies

These Caramel Apple Cookies are soft and moist, and are so reminiscent of  the flavors of fall. 

As a nutritional bonus, these caramel apple cookies are made with whole wheat flour. I also used demerara sugar, which adds a wonderful caramel flavor... perfect with the apples.

Potato Bread | Potato Pain de Mie

This potato bread is so perfect for toast or gooey grilled cheese sandwiches. 

I baked this potato bread in a pain de mie pan, also know as a Pullman pan, which results in a long loaf with four corners, but you can also make it in a regular 10" by 5" two pound loaf pan, or two 8 1/2" by 4 1/2"one pound loaf pans.

Mini Cheesecakes with Salted Caramel

These Mini Cheesecakes with Salted Caramel are so ridiculously delicious and creamy. 

I'm not sure what it its about this cheesecake recipe, but the combination of ingredients is pretty amazing.

Spelt Pita Bread

This spelt pita bread, made with a mixture of whole grain spelt and all purpose spelt, is so much fun to bake. 

Baking pita bread requires a super hot oven equipped with a baking stone, and a very short baking time. If you are like me, and love staring through the window of your oven as your bread bakes, you will enjoy making this bread.

Bread Box Round Up for October 2016

Welcome to the Bread Box Round Up for October 2016, a collection of wonderful loaves, rolls, and flatbreads. 

Each month, I am posting a round up of homemade and artisan breads from around the blogosphere.

Want to add your bread to the Bread Box? I'd love to share your homemade bread. Check out the instructions at the end of this post. Send me your breads, flatbreads, pizzas, buns... anything with yeast or sourdough.

Ciabatta Bread with Poolish

This Ciabatta Bread with Poolish is really easy to make, and makes amazing sandwiches and crostini. 

The dough for this Ciabatta Bread with Poolish is really simple to put together. You can shape it into one large loaf or several small loaves or rolls.

Cream Cheese Filled Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

These whole wheat pumpkin muffins are filled with a sweetened cream cheese filling in the center. They are also topped with an amazing streusel topping.

While pumpkin is pretty much a cliche this time of year, these muffins are so worth it. I used 1/2 of a can of pumpkin puree, and saved the rest for pumpkin martinis, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, cranberry pumpkin rolls, these pumpkin dinner rolls, and these cinnamon swirl pumpkin rolls later.

Chocolate-Toffee Crinkle Cookies

These Chocolate-Toffee Crinkle Cookies are essentially just soft and rich brownies or truffles in a cookie form. 

They are loaded with dark chocolate chips and Heath toffee bits. They are really easy to make, and will make your favorite chocolate lovers very happy.

Cinnamon Coconut Rolls

These Cinnamon Coconut Rolls are a wonderful breakfast treat! 

These cinnamon coconut rolls consist of a super soft and light dough wrapped around a moist coconut filling. They are wonderful warm, and can be reheated with a 20 second turn in the microwave.

Kale and Feta Pesto Stuffed Cod

This Kale and Feta Stuffed Cod is so moist and succulent. It is so easy to make, and is the perfectly easy "company's coming" dish. You might actually get accused of being "fancy." 

Every year, my cousin goes fishing in Alaska. When he gets to the dock, the fish is cleaned and then flash frozen, shrink wrapped, and then shipped home. He ends up with a freezer full of amazing fish. Typically, he ends up with equal amounts of salmon, halibut, and cod.

Hearty Whole Wheat Bread with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

This hearty whole wheat bread is infused with ground toasted pumpkin seed "flour" as well as whole toasted pumpkin seeds. 

The bread is wonderful slathered in butter with a meal of soup and/or salad. It is also excellent toasted and buttered, and stands up well to flavorful cheeses and cured meats. I haven't tried it toasted with avocado, but I suspect it would be pretty tasty. The toasted pumpkin seeds are perfect partner to the stronger flavor of whole wheat.

Tortas de Chile Colorado de Res (Chile Colorado Beef Sandwiches)

Tortas de Chile Colorado de Res are Mexican sandwiches made with beef simmered in a wonderful red chile sauce. 

The beef is succulent, tender, and loaded with flavor. The chile colorado is amazingly easy to make, and is also perfect for making ahead. It can be served with beans, rice, and tortillas, or stuffed into bolillo rolls or French rolls for pretty amazing Mexican sandwiches.

Bread Box Round Up for September 2016

Welcome to the Bread Box Round Up for September 2016, a collection of wonderful loaves, rolls, and flatbreads. 

Each month, I have been posting a round up of homemade and artisan breads from around the blogosphere.

Bolillo Rolls

Bolillo rolls are the Mexican version of French rolls. They are crispy on the outside and super soft on the inside. 

 This bread is also known as pan Francés. While the Spaniards introduced wheat to Mexico, I understand that these rolls were introduced by the French (maybe during the ill-fated reign of Maximilian), and are now one of the most popular breads used for Mexican sandwiches.

Doughnut Muffins

These Doughnut Muffins are the perfect way to get muffins with a cake doughnut flavor without all of the fuss. 

The technique for these doughnut muffins involves creaming the butter and sugar, which helps create a cake-like texture. Once the dry and wet ingredients are combined, the tops of the muffins are brushed with melted butter, and then dipped in cinnamon sugar.

Vinegar Glazed Chicken | Wok Wednesdays

This vinegar glazed chicken is, according to Grace Young, a typical Hunan family style stir-fry. Grace simplifies the recipe by using crushed red pepper instead of dried chilies. 

One of the key ingredients in this Vinegar Glazed Chicken is Chinkiang vinegar, made from fermented rice. It's dark colored, and fairly mild and slightly sweet. If you can't find it, balsamic vinegar is a great substitute.

Soft Sandwich Bread

This soft sandwich bread is perfect for back to school lunch box sandwiches. 

It's "back to school" time, which means it's also time to plan for packing lunches for your kids. How cool would it be to make those sandwiches with homemade bread!

Salmon Burgers with Greek Yogurt Dill Sauce and Homemade Hamburger Buns

This salmon burger is so easy to make, and is pretty darned tasty. Amazingly, it is made from canned salmon. Naturally, I made homemade hamburger buns to go with these burgers. 

As I reported in this post about salmon noodle casserole, I easily succumbed to the lure of a large sleeve of canned salmon on a trip to Costco. I had a couple more cans left, so when my friend Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen suggested the Fish Friday Foodies make burgers this month...

And because I'm a bread nutcase, I definitely had to make ridiculously soft and tasty homemade hamburger buns to go with these salmon burgers.

New Orleans Style Beignets

Beignets, fried yeasted dough treats, are most famous in the U.S. as served by Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. They are presented generously dusted with powdered sugar along with a cafe au lait.

Did you know that beignets are the official state doughnut of Louisiana?

This is my first attempt at frying dough and I had no idea how easy it was! The dough gets all puffy and crispy in the hot oil, and the whole process takes about two minutes. No such thing as delayed gratification when frying dough!

Apricot Pochettes

These Apricot Pochettes are reminiscent of little French pastry desserts. They are made with a cream cheese and butter pastry dough, and are filled with just a bit of apricot preserves.

These cookies are like mini hand pies. The pastry consists of eight ounces of butter and eight ounces of cream cheese mixed with just a little over eight ounces of flour. That's a pretty incredible ratio.

Sourdough Hokkaido Milk Bread with Tangzhong

This Sourdough Hokkaido Milk Bread with Tangzhong combines two of my favorite bread techniques, using sourdough starter to leaven bread, and using the Tangzhong method, which involves creating a roux of flour and water. This technique creates an incredibly soft bread. 

In addition, the use of sourdough, or levain, adds flavor to the bread. This is because the levain ferments over time, getting yeast from the environment. In a nutshell, the longer fermentation helps the dough develop a deeper flavor. The use of sourdough also lengthens the "life" of the bread.

Crushed Red Pepper Grissini

These Crushed Red Pepper Grissini are super spicy, skinny, and crunchy. They are the perfect bar snack, and excellent with a glass of wine or a beer. 

These grissini are loaded with Parmesan cheese, herbs, hot sauce, and just the right amount of crushed red pepper, at least for me.

You see, I'm a huge fan of crushed red pepper. Don't tell anyone, but I keep a shaker of it in my desk at work, just in case there's a crushed red pepper emergency. For example, what if a pizza party breaks out and the pizzeria didn't send along any? Total emergency.