Best of 2013: Your Favorites

I hope you all had a great New Year's. We rang in 2014 with Baby Girl by watching the countdown and fireworks in London at 7pm ET and drinking sparkling cider. Then, once she was in bed, SP and I finished watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We needed a long movie to keep us awake until midnight. I think this is the first year since before Baby Girl was born that we actually stayed up to watch the ball drop.

As always, I'm a few days late with these two recaps. Better late than never, right? Today I'm bringing you your favorites from 2013 and Monday will be my favorites from the year.

13. Hashbrown Waffle with a Fried Egg

This is an ingenious breakfast idea, especially for someone who prefers savory to sweet. I was a bit skeptical of the potatoes cooking properly but they were perfectly crispy and the fried egg gilds the lily. Delicious.

12. Baked Oatmeal

This was a staple in our house for quite a few months this year. I'm still not sold on the idea of oatmeal for breakfast but SP is a big fan. I love recipes like this that allow you to make something from scratch and portion it out just the way you would with a store-bought packet.

11. Southern-Style Mustard Potato Salad

This potato salad is similar to my all-time favorite version, but unlike that version, Baby Girl actually ate and enjoyed this one. It's tangy and creamy and perfect for a summer BBQ.

10. Cannoli Cupcakes

I was happy to see these cannoli cupcakes make the list. If they hadn't been on this one they most certainly would have been on mine. Cannoli is one of my favorite desserts and these cupcakes are a fun twist.

9. Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Buttery Pan Sauce

Seeing this post made me realize we haven't had pork tenderloin in awhile. That has to change and soon. This is a super simple but very flavorful recipe that requires a little advanced planning, but is well worth the effort.

8. Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Pasta

I love when the pasta sauce takes less time to cook than the pasta. It always makes for easy weeknight meals. Unfortunately this is one of those dishes that includes artichokes, which SP doesn't like, so I haven't been able to remake it as often as I'd like.

7. BLT Spaghetti Carbonara

We eat a lot of carbonara in this house and I'm always looking for new veggies to add to make it a bit healthier. This version was one of our favorites this summer.

6. Copycat Chipotle's Chicken Burritos

I love a good burrito and these were no exception. I'd had a tough time finding a cilantro lime rice recipe I liked and this one hit the nail on the head. I wouldn't have thought to try basmati in Mexican food but it works so well.

5. Smothered Italian Chicken

This is another oft-repeated family favorite. You can't go wrong with crispy chicken smothered in a creamy sauce.

4. Shake Shack Burgers

I must have made these burgers a few dozen times this summer, they're that good. These definitely would have been close to the top of my favorites list if they weren't already on this one. In fact, seeing them on the list prompted me to put them on the meal plan again. The sauce is what does it for me - it elevates a plain burger to something extraordinary.

3. Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

I think it's safe to say that this is my favorite dessert of all time. It's incredibly dangerous for me to make because I could probably eat the whole pan myself. Looking at the photo again, I can almost taste them. I think another batch is in order soon.

2. Mini Apple Pies

These were a lot of fun to make. I love individual, mini desserts because everyone gets all the best bits.

1. Overnight Baked French Toast

I'm not surprised that this was the number one recipe from 2013. Everyone loves a good make-ahead breakfast casserole and this one is pretty awesome.