Anyway, our little message exchange made me think about other recipes I think deserve a little attention. I thought it might be fun to put together a post of “Recipe Superlatives” as a fun way to look back on some of the recipes I’ve shared in this space that you may have missed, overlooked or forgot about throughout the years. And if you happen to have a blog where you also share recipes, I’d love to see a few of your “recipe superlatives” as well!!
Recipe Superlatives
Recipe I’m the Most Proud Of: Hearty Vegetable Bolognese
This recipe is one of my all-time favorites because it’s completely vegetarian and absolutely packed with vegetables but somehow maintains an almost meaty flavor and texture. This Hearty Vegetable Bolognese was inspired by a local plant-based restaurant that used walnuts to mimic the texture of ground beef found in traditional Bolognese sauce. I incorporated crushed walnuts into the sauce along with mushrooms, carrots, onions, bell peppers and olives. The end result was a heavenly semi-homemade Hearty Vegetable Bolognese sauce that the entire family loved! Truly this recipe is probably one of the best ones I’ve shared on this blog to date. Everything just kind of worked in this dish from the fresh veggies and buttery walnuts to the Italian seasonings.
Favorite Cookie Recipe: Mimi’s Sugar Cookies
Chalk this one up to nostalgia, but there’s no beating the recipe I shared for my grandmother’s sugar cookies. Mimi’s sugar cookies will always take me back to my childhood. I couldn’t wait to reach my hand into Mimi’s cookie jar during any visit to her house in Gettysburg because I knew a soft, pillowy and perfectly sweet homemade sugar cookie would be waiting for me.
Must-Make Vegetarian Recipe: Butternut Squash Grain Bowl
Now that cooler weather is here (or at least hopefully on the horizon), this Butternut Squash Grain Bowl is a must-try. It’s warm and comforting, creamy and savory and a one-pot meal that tastes fantastic as leftovers, too! It is, without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite meatless meals.
Most Labor-Intensive But Totally Worth It Recipe: Best Ever Morning Glory Muffins
You’ll need to bust out the food processor for this one but it’s worth the pain of cleaning that bad boy to make these Best Ever Morning Glory Muffins. I’m so grateful Sunflour, a local Charlotte-area bakery, allowed me to share this coveted recipe on my blog because their morning glory muffins are second to none!
Most Underrated Entree: One Pot Chicken Cabbage Bowl with Sesame Ginger Broth
The recipe that inspired this post! If you love cabbage, chicken and Asian flavors and are on the lookout for a simple weeknight meal that will allow you to use up some leftover chicken, check this one out! It can easily be made Paleo/Whole30-approved (just swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos — I usually do this anyway) and it’s always a hit in our house.
Most Underrated Dessert: Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Bars
I know these bars aren’t an overly glamorous dessert but oh my gosh they are SO GOOD. Whenever I make my Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Bars for friends and family, they always ask for the recipe and it’s a dessert recipe I think deserves a little more love on the blog. If you’re looking for next-level delicious, try one of these bars straight from the oven topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Heaven!
Best Side-Dish Recipe: Winning Cornbread Recipe
This is the cornbread recipe that won first prize at a chili cook-off last year so I figured it deserved a shout out. It’s the perfect side dish to accompany a hot bowl of chili or chicken noodle soup and after I shared this recipe on the blog, I heard from a bunch of you who ended up making this cornbread for football tailgates, Thanksgiving potlucks and more which was a lot of fun for me! I love it when you let me know you made and enjoyed one of my recipes — it truly makes my day!
Best Breakfast to Feed a Crowd: Crustless Vegetable Quiche
With the holidays on the horizon, many of us will be hosting family and friends and looking for delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes to make that will serve a crowd. This Crustless Vegetable Quiche is a recipe my Aunt Laurie passed along to me after she made it for my sister’s baby shower and my baby sprinkle. Everyone raved about it and it’s the kind of recipe you can make for breakfast or brunch that’s worth of a special occasion or a lazy Sunday morning at home.
Favorite Go-To Weeknight Recipe: Chicken Sausage Sweet Potato Bake
Without a doubt, my Chicken Sausage Sweet Potato Bake is the blog recipe we make most often during the week. It’s such a simple recipe and always a go-to for me since I usually have all of the ingredients on hand to throw it together in a flash.
Must-Make Pumpkin Recipe: Pumpkin Icebox Cake
‘Tis the season for pumpkin spice everything! This recipe for Pumpkin Icebox Cake is what dreams are made of if you dream about cinnamon whipped cream and Biscoff cookies. (You do, don’t you?) It’s a great recipe to keep on your radar for Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving… pretty much any fall get-together!
Weird Recipe That’s Surprisingly Tasty: Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Fudge
When I initially had the idea to make a high-protein fudge recipe, I thought it had the potential to be delicious or a complete disaster. Thankfully this Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Fudge ended up knocking my socks off and it’s a recipe I’ll make when I find myself struggling to get a decent amount of protein into my diet since I know I’ll always be in the mood for a sweet piece of fudge.
Favorite Prep-Ahead Breakfast Recipe: Peanut Butter Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal
If you’re looking for a healthy breakfast recipe you can prep ahead and enjoy all week, this Peanut Butter Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal is a great one to try! This is also one of my go-to recipes to prepare when we have guests in town since I can have it prepared in the fridge the night before and simply pop it into the oven in the morning, making breakfast totally stress-free.
Recipe Family and Friends Most Rave About: Banana Bread Protein Pancakes
If there’s one recipe I hear about most often from my family and friends, it’s my Banana Bread Protein Pancakes. They’re simple to whip up (no protein powder required), freeze well (perfect for batch cooking!) and are a big-time hit with kids as well.
Recipe Blog Readers Seem to Make Most Often: Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
Not only are my Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins the recipe you guys seem to make the most often, but they’re definitely one of the recipes we make the most often our house, too! I’ve highlighted these muffins on the blog a bunch only because they’re Chase’s absolute favorite muffins and I typically make a double batch so I can freeze half of them since they’re also freezer-friendly. Simply pop one in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and it’s like new!
Most Pinned Recipe: Simple Shrimp Dip
This Simple Shrimp Dip is a family favorite (you can find it at nearly every family gathering involving my mom’s side of the family) and it’s currently my most pinned recipe on Pinterest! It makes a ton so this recipe is a fantastic one to keep on hand as an appetizer for parties and cookouts. Sunday football anyone!?
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I made your paleo blender muffins recently and they are delish! I’be been eating them slightly warmed up with fresh raspberries and a dollop of whip cream on top! Yum!
Thank you so much for letting me know! I am so, so glad you like them!
This is such a fun round up of recipes, I look forward to making some of them. The pumpkin muffins are on the list, as I have an open can in the fridge
Love this post concept!! Bookmarked so many of these : )
I love the butternut squash grain bowl! It’s become one of my fall staples. So easy and yummy! I’ve found it also freezes pretty well.
This is so great to hear!! Yay!
Your chicken sausage bake is a HUGE hit in my house! I love making it because it is just so darn easy and delicious, and even hubby loves it! 🙂
I’m typically not a fan of brown meat (chicken thighs) and I think that’s why I’ve always avoided the cabbage bowl recipe. I don’t know why I’ve never thought, ‘I’ll add white meat chicken’ to make it more appealing to my palette. I will give it a try!!
I make your baked chicken at least once a week, but we grilled the chicken and it is SO good! We often do dinner with our neighbors and they’ve coined the chicken “Katie’s Chicken” though I don’t take credit for this amazing recipe!
I’m also curious how you make your Brussels Sprouts? We made them for the first time and they weren’t crispy at all, but not quite soggy. Maybe just soft and squishy?
Ha! I love that! I actually NEED to update that recipe because I’ve been making chicken thighs with a very, very similar version of that marinade lately and it’s just my fav!
I love this blog post! I can’t wait to try some of the ones I haven’t made yet!!! Thanks!
We just made the chicken sausage and sweet potato bake earlier this week! It’s one of my favorites. I’ve had Mimi’s cookie recipe saved forever but I’m scared to make them and have mine not live up to your reviews.
I’m so glad you like the chicken sausage recipe! If you do decide to try the cookies, I really hope you like them. They’re the best if you make them REALLY big, so I love making them around Christmas for holiday parties, etc.
I made your pumpkin muffins this week and love them! I like the level of sweetness (or that they’re not overly sweet). I didn’t have whole wheat flour so used regular all-purpose and they still taste great!
So glad they were a hit!! And I agree about the sweetness — sometimes muffins seem almost more like cake to me and I love that they’re not a total sugar bomb!
Thank you so much for these Julie! I have tried your recipes in the past and they have become family favorites. Looking forward to more great eats thanks to you!
I love your grandmas cookies! I make them every year for christmas!!
We had the chicken sausage dish two night ago…and we love it. It’s a regular in our house! We substitute brussel sprouts in place of the apples….SO yummy.
This is such an awesome post! I have to admit that I’d forgotten about some of these recipes, but I definitely want to try the butternut squash bowls and chicken sausage bake! I have a feeling both of those are going to find their way onto my upcoming meal plans 🙂
I have several of these recipes pinned, and have made your choco chip almond butter bars before – they are so good that i can’t have them hanging around the house. Wanting to make your pumpkin icebox cake next!
I think my favorite recipe from your blog is the cookie dough overnight oats! So yum!
I made a crazy simple shrimp/avocado toast that I got such rave reviews about today. It’s literally just 3 ingredients but my husband was ALL about it and has already requested it tomorrow. I guess simple is best sometimes. hah!
We love this one in our house! Have shared with family friends who love it as well. Can easily be whole 30 compliant too if that’s your thing ?
https://www.pbfingers.com/crock-pot-coconut-chicken-cauliflower-rice-stew/
Banana bread protein pancakes! I used to make them all.the.time years ago when first started reading and completlety forgot about the recipe. Planning to make them for Saturday breakfast! Thanks for the reminder.
I loved seeing your recipe roundup and it made me realize just how many of your recipes I’ve made! I especially love the almond butter bars and that chicken cabbage bowl. The healthy snack we make on repeat over here: https://thecuriousfrugal.com/healthy-single-serving-banana-bread-gluten-free/
My all time favorite recipe of yours that I have tried is the two ingredient pumpkin cookies. They are just amazing, and they couldn’t be easier to make. I usually top them with Martha Stewart’s Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkle some pumpkin pie spice on top. So good! The easy baked chicken is also a favorite in our house. I can’t wait to try the chicken sausage bake!
Hi Julie! Sorry if you have addressed this before, but do you know if anyone has tried to make the pumpkin muffins with almond flour? Would love to make this gluten free!
This is such a fun idea for a blog post!! I may have to steal it from you 😉 But seriously, it’s a great way to point us to some recipes that we may have missed
Let me tell ya – those almond butter bars last about 27 hours at my house. Underrated – never! They are delicious. We also love your pumpkin muffins (my 2 yr old helped make a batch last weekend) and the quiche with spinach and breakfast sausage you had posted (doesn’t look like it made this round-up). Thanks for sharing your recipes!!
What?!?! No best salad? Hands down this one:
https://www.pbfingers.com/chopped-broccoli-and-brussels-sprouts-salad-with-honey-mustard-vinaigrette/
Love that it lasts a long time and has nuts for protein—perfect lunches!