1. Last night, I received a KitchenAid stand mixer. For free. From my Mother-in-Law-Elect. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to joining this family.
2. Also last night: bananas, stuffed with chocolate, wrapped in foil, and grilled. I now have proof that Heaven is a place on Earth. (Thank you for the heads up, Belinda Carlisle.)
3. It’s CHG’s two year anniversary (er, as mentioned in the title)! Thank yous are in order to all you lovely readers, as well as Veggie Might’s Leigh, Jaime of City Kitchen Chronicles, and our frequent contributor, Rachel. Also, a huge shout out to all the blogs that’ve supported us for the last two years, including (but not limited to) MSN Smart Spending, Get Rich Slowly, The Simple Dollar, Money Saving Mom, Like Merchant Ships, Healthy Eats, Serious Eats, Casual Kitchen, Kalyn’s Kitchen, Thirty a Week, City Mama, A Good American Wife, Chief Family Officer, Mom Advice, and more…
I'm thrilled to helm CHG, and am warm fuzzified that so many people seem to like us. There will be plenty of giveaways this week to celebrate. But in the meantime, we proudly present our best recipes of the last 364 days. Behold, in alphabetical order:
Baked Eggplant with Mushroom-Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Cooking Light
Best. Eggplant dish. To ever appear. On the blog. And that’s saying a LOT.
Chipotle Pork TendersAdapted from Cook’s Illustrated
This could be CHG's manliest recipe, which isn't to say that folks of all genders won't flip their lids, as well. Excellent on burritos, to boot.
Nathan's Lemon CakeAdapted from Cooking Light
You say it’s cake you want? Keep looking. This piece is mine.
Pasta PuttanescaAdapted from Rachael Ray
We give thanks to Western New York for many things, including beef on weck, a consistently decent hockey team, and our state’s alfalfa supply. But mostly this Rachael Ray dish.
Pumpkin Orzo with SageCreated by Leigh
Imagine a world where risottos were wildly flavorful, but contained negligible fat. I bet this is served there.
Sublime Fruit SaladAdapted from Giada DeLaurentiis
The picture is worth a thousand … mmms. The actual salad will ruin all other salads for you.
Sweet Potatoes with MarshmallowsAdapted from my Ma
My favorite Thanksgiving food, and second favorite overall, after macaroni and cheese. Ma gave me more than good genes.
Tomato Bread SoupAdapted from Serious Eats
It’s better than any other tomato soup you’ve ever had. Not kidding
.Tunisian-Style Greens and BeansAdapted from the International Vegetarian Union
Never has something this healthy and green been so tasty. I could eat this for weeks.
White Chicken ChiliAdapted from Recipe Zaar & Simply Recipes
The motherlode.
Honorable Mentions: American Chop Suey, Autumn Apple Salad, Avocado Chicken Salad, Black Bean Burrito Bake, Easy Vegetarian Bean Chili, Indonesian Bean Stew, Kale with Mushrooms and Polenta, Mojitos, Peach-Blueberry Cobbler, Plums with Orange and Mint, Polenta Pudding with Blueberry Topping, Shaksouka, Spinach Rice Casserole, TzatzikiAgain, thank you so much for all your support and kind words, and be on the lookout for celebratory giveaways. They're gonna be sweet.
