As we put a bow on the year and cinch it tight, it’s fun to revisit the calendar and see which recipes and articles were the most popular with readers.
You loved your slow cookers, peanut butter, Nutella (well duh!), and some simple pleasures like tomato soup, pumpkin muffins and deviled eggs.
Here, according to Google Analytics — which measures pageviews and visitors with precision — are a baker’s dozen of the most popular recipes on Shockingly Delicious in 2012.
- BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs in the Slow Cooker [1]: (pictured above) Who woulda thunk your most viewed recipe would be an ordinary cut of meat (often on sale!) cooked in an old-fashioned appliance? This recipe gets dinner on the table without muss or fuss, and does it deliciously. Winning!
[2]Nutella Hot Chocolate [3]: Published last December, this two-ingredient drink still delivers! Try it and then come back and tell me it’s all kinds of genius.- Green Chile Stew from the Pink Adobe [4]: Hatch chiles seem to have taken the country by storm this year, and this classic stew from the famous New Mexican restaurant shows them off nicely. Can’t find Hatch, which are only in supply in September? Substitute Anaheims.
- Shredded Beef Brisket in the Crock Pot for BBQ Beef Sandwiches [5]: That Crock-Pot – gotta love it! Who doesn’t like brisket?
[6]Peanut Butter Fudge [7]: Ah, finally, a sweet for my sweeties! This fudge is so easy you don’t need a candy thermometer – just a timer – and it makes a lot and is hard to put down. So make sure you have people to give it to. There will be a line waiting outside your door for it, don’t worry.- 5-Ingredient Gluten-Free Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies [8]: You…you have an obsession with peanut butter, right? Me too. Rich, classic, without flour, these will surprise and delight you. So easy you can make them after dinner when a dessert craving hits.
- Smoky Baby Back Ribs in the Crock-Pot [9]: my Crock-Pot got a workout this year, apparently. I hope yours did, too! I used to roast baby backs low and slow in the oven. Now I throw them in the slow cooker and forget about them until dinner pangs hit. Try it.
- Crock-Pot Caramelized Onions [10]: Slow and steady does the trick, to make a slow cooker version of caramelized onions. I make a large batch and freeze them in portions so I always have them around. They make everything better.
[11]Sweet Tomato Basil Bisque [12]: Shockingly…well…delicious! A fabulous, easy version of tomato soup with just the right touch of sweetness to balance the tomato tang. Just talking about it now, I want some.- Better Than Trader Joe’s Kale and Edamame Salad [13]: And that’s saying something, because their Bistro Kale and Edamame Salad is quite good! But it is expensive, which was my impetus for replicating it at home. While doing so, I made it better — lucky for us kale lovers!
- Halloween Deviled Spider Eggs [14]: A perennial favorite. Make them even if it isn’t October 31, and see how much more fun your party is!
- Super Easy Cheater Pumpkin Muffins [15]: That’s right, we take shortcuts. When they make delicious sense, who cares? A couple of ingredients is all this takes, and you’ll have pumpkiny goodness for breakfast or snack.
[16]Grilled Lemongrass Ginger Chicken [17]: [17] We all need a new chicken recipe, don’t we? Make this one yours! It’s a bit outside your usual envelope, but will surprise you with flavor.
Come back Wednesday, Jan. 2, to see my personal favorites for the year. They’re different than yours!