Gratitude + Your Top 10 Recipes from 2011
Before I go into your favorite Perry’s Plate recipes from 2011 I’d like to take a minute and tell you how great you are.
I am so impressed with and grateful for you all. Seriously. I’ve loved reading all of your entries to the magazine subscription/Williams-Sonoma giveaway post. I’m touched at your kind comments and how you turn to your families, your friends, and to God for solace during all of the rough times in your lives. Many of you have had a pretty rocky year. I’m grateful that a silly giveaway can bring so much perspective — gratitude is a powerful thing. There is a quote my friend Satya left in her entry that I’d like to add here. If anyone knows the source, I’d love to know who said it. (Update…it was Melody Beattie who said this. Thank you, Lyn!)
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
I love this time of year. And like you, I am most grateful for my God who sustains me, my family, for the ability we have to support ourselves, and for our health. When it comes down to it, those really are the most important things.
I feel like I’m wrecking the moment here, but I’d like to share the most popular posts from 2011! These were the most popular recipes from the 2011 posts, but of course the most popular (by far) is still the circa 2008 Cinn-a-bun Cheesecake. I feel like I need to make it again and post photos that do it the justice it deserves. Having over 300,000 page views on that post alone this past year with mediocre photos gives me the same feeling as if 300,000 people snuck into my house and saw my cluttered closet instead of my tidy living room.
There were a few other high-ranking oldies, including my grandma’s Impossible Coconut Pie, the Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna, the Portobello and Black Bean Enchiladas, and naturally, the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes. Today, though, it’s all about 2011.
Let’s get started!
1. First of all we have the ever-popular, Pinterest-invading Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas. Never fails to please.
2. These little Pretzel Nutella Ice Cream Bites flew around the internet for a while and ended up being featured on several sites!
3. I have made this Balsamic BBQ Chicken several times, and it deserves it’s spot in the top ten. For. Sure.
4. My whole bread-making world turned upside-down (in a good way) when I discovered the methods in Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. This Whole Grain Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Crusty Bread is still my favorite variation.
5. I have to say that this one surprised me. The Chicken and Roasted Broccoli Salad with Goat Cheese was something I threw together on a whim one day. It’s nice to see something so healthful reach the top 10!
6. Crispy Shredded Chicken Tacos still make me swoon. Apparently they make you swoon as well.
7. Indoor Nutella S’mores with Homemade Graham Crackers. I don’t think I really need to say much more, do I?
8. Pesto Zucchini “Spaghetti” pretty much blew my mind. I was deeply converted to my mandoline slicer after this.
9. These humble and not-so-photogenic Sweet Potato Foil-Packet Tacos are surprisingly good. They even won me a contest last spring!
10. I must confess something. Every time I see photos of Pumpkin-Coconut Chowder with Shrimp, my stomach does little somersaults (in a bad way). I loved it when I made it, but it happened to be during the early days of my morning sickness and my appetite was very fickle. As I was writing the post for it just a couple days later, I couldn’t stand looking at the pictures because they suddenly made me sick. Even though the morning sickness has (mostly) gone away, my feelings about this soup haven’t. It really is good though!
I’d say it’s high time for a new recipe, don’t you think? I’ve got a new one for you later this week along with some New Year’s Eve bites. It’s good to be back!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking - "But they look SO good despite all the sugar and dye. They're..."
Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) - "Luckily I have never had a sweet tooth, so I eat very little..."
Jenny Friden - "Great series! I considered myself fairly educated on healthy..."
Lauren — December 27, 2011 @ 3:46 pm
Those Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas are seriously so Popular on Pinterest! I see them EVERYWHERE!!
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Kristi — December 27, 2011 @ 3:51 pm
Whoa! I am so glad you posted this list, I have made most of these recipes several times but somehow I never even saw the pesto spaghetti! Never Fear! It’s on the menu for tomorrow. I truly love every recipe I have ever made from your site, thanks so much for sharing with us : )
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Natalie replied: — December 29th, 2011 @ 4:27 pm
I think you’ll like that “spaghetti” since we share the same taste buds and all :)
Lyn Toney — December 27, 2011 @ 4:55 pm
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
― Melody Beattie
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Kathryn — December 27, 2011 @ 5:06 pm
oh my gosh! the layered enchaladas, zucchini spaghetti, balsamic chicken, and pumpkin-coconut chowder are all beloved by me (and some of my family, I’m working on them!) It’s funny… I have a similar problem with the chowder. A couple weeks ago, I came down with the stomach flu one night after eating it, and you know how throwing-up a food can ruin it, right? I hope I forget the incident soon because I love that soup!
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Chelsea — December 27, 2011 @ 8:38 pm
I must say that I don’t have a mandolin slicer but it will probably go on my birthday wish list. Ryan picked me up a Salter Digital Kitchen scale for Christmas (He didn’t even see my wishlist!) and I’m excited to get to use it! Now I can try all the fabulous British recipes in my Nigella Lawson cookbooks…
Thanks for always creating fabulous and enticing meals and sharing your talents with the world!
(and thanks for being a friend)
-Chels
P.S. CUTE family picture. And I love your baby belly!
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Rachel @ Baked by Rachel — December 28, 2011 @ 12:08 am
Ooh I’d love tacos and s’mores right now!! Delicious list.
btw What an adorable family photo!
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Natalie replied: — December 29th, 2011 @ 4:28 pm
Thanks Rachel! Decent family photos are hard to come by these days without an extra hand to push the shutter button! And my kids are reaching the age where normal smiles are almost impossible for them to muster…
Kay @ The Church Cook — December 28, 2011 @ 12:21 am
Great photo of your beautiful family and scrumptious collection of recipes! Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!
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Natalie replied: — December 29th, 2011 @ 4:28 pm
Thank you Kay! I hope your New Year is great as well!
Jodi J. — December 28, 2011 @ 1:06 am
I don’t think I’ve ever swooned before but those chicken tacos are bringing me right there. Yum! They will be a must-make this week!
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Joanne — December 28, 2011 @ 1:14 am
You are the best, natalie! Thanks so much for always providing us with such delicious food!
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marla — December 28, 2011 @ 1:14 pm
Such a beautiful photo of you and your sweet family! I always enjoy these re-cap posts. Also, I might need to borrow that wonderful quote from you for my New Years post. So poetic, true and freeing!
Love your blog updates too :)
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Natalie replied: — December 29th, 2011 @ 4:29 pm
Thanks Marla! It IS a good quote, isn’t it? Happy New Year to you!
Krista — December 28, 2011 @ 4:07 pm
I swear, I come to your site and spend hours here! One recipe leads to another… it’s an addiction! Great roundup!
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Bree — December 28, 2011 @ 4:44 pm
Every one of these recipes looks fabulous!
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Sonia The Healthy Foodie — December 29, 2011 @ 12:58 am
WHAT??? I can’t believe what you said about your pumpkin soup. I’ve kept that picture in my inbox for weeks and every time I’d look at it, I’d start drooling big time. That soup just looks soooo good. Again today, when I saw the picture, I thought OMG, I so have to make this one someday…
So while you can’t stand to look at the picture, I can’t take my eyes off it. AND I need a tissue or something to wipe off the drool. Funny!
I still think it looks way yum! And I still think I need to make it someday! :)
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Natalie replied: — December 29th, 2011 @ 4:30 pm
I know, Sonia… it’s tragic. Did you read Kathryn’s experience above? That soup was the last thing she ate before she got the stomach flu so she’s experiencing similar aversions… even though she loves the soup. You’ll still like it!
Jessica — December 29, 2011 @ 3:11 am
Oh that Cinnabon cheesecake. I remember that still. Sooo good. I love that I’ve made almost all of these. And your little family looks so cute.
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Natalie replied: — December 29th, 2011 @ 4:31 pm
I love that you’ve made almost all of them too! :) Thanks!
Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) — December 30, 2011 @ 4:49 pm
Love the new look of your blog! I haven’t been able to get on here for a while – your page wouldn’t load for me. Looks like it is fixed now though!
Those are some great recipes! I want to try the broccoli salad!
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Ann — December 31, 2011 @ 5:21 am
What a delicious year it has been! I’m so glad we were able to meet this year in the bloggy world!
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Cara — January 3, 2012 @ 12:10 pm
No matter how you chose them, these are some seriously good posts :) Can’t wait to see what deliciousness 2012 brings!
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