I love this week…the time between Christmas and New Years when I’m never sure what day it is….PJ’s are considered appropriate day wear…and there are endless treats and coffee. Seriously…it’s the best! I’m only partly serious….sometimes I get dressed and DO things! I have a post of the Top 10 Things To Do the Last Week of the Year, which has been pretty popular. Another list I always gravitate to are Top Recipe Posts….so I thought why not have a look back at 2018 and see what recipes people really liked and responded too. Fun!
As my business grew and got busier, I was finding it more difficult to find the time to come up with recipe posts. Adding Vicki MacDonald as a Simple Local Life recipe contributor was one of the best decisions I could have made. Vicki is a passionate home cook and the recipes she shares with us are always delicious…and very popular. Many of the top recipes of this past year are hers. 🙂
Let’s get to it…
Top 10 Recipe Posts from 2018
4-Ingredient Coleslaw Recipe
What’s better with a barbecue than a side of tangy, crunchy coleslaw? This 4-ingredient coleslaw recipe is quick and easy to make at home and complements barbecued steak, chicken, ribs or other meats so well.
No Bake Monster Cookie Energy Balls
These No Bake Monster Cookie Energy Balls are dangerously good! It’s really like eating cookie dough…without the worry of eating raw eggs….LOL! They remind me a lot of our favorite M&M’s cookie. The combination of peanut butter, oats and honey…with chocolate and M&M’s sprinkled in, make this sure to be a family favorite.
Haskap Jam-Haskap Strawberry Freezer Jam
After visiting the Haskap U-pick at South Shore Farms in 2017, I was excited to try my own haskap jam with the berries I brought home. South Shore Farms had some jam samples at their Open Farm Day and it was delicious. The Haskap and Strawberries combine into a beautiful deep color. A dish of this would look beautiful on a cheese plate. Haskap-Strawberry Freezer Jam is sweet with a slightly tart undertone from the Haskap . We are supposed to review jam like a fine wine right? 😉
Chickpea and Black Bean Summer Salad
There are several things I love about Chickpea and Black Bean Summer Salad, one is that it has a lot of pantry ingredients…beans, chickpeas, corn, etc …are great items to make sure you have on hand to throw together some easy meals. So then a quick trip to your local market to pick up the fresh ingredients and you are all set. Keeps for days, protein filled and perfect to pack for lunches.
Blueberry Lemon Buttermilk Cake
I just love the taste of lemon zest when it’s added to a blueberries in a recipe…so fresh…and…zesty. 
So what could be better than the two combined…in a cake…that you can eat for breakfast! Blueberry Lemon Buttermilk Cake takes no time to mix up and makes a perfect size pan for overnight guests or to invite someone over a for a coffee and cake.
Pasta with Bacon and Broccoli
One of Vicki’s family favorite recipes…Pasta with Bacon and Broccoli… is simple to make and requires very few ingredients. Mmmm….bacon. 😉
Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole
This recipe was only published a week ago…and is number 4 already on my top recipe posts of 2018! This is a prefect make ahead breakfast for Christmas…or hey…maybe even New Years. Decadent and delicious …you have to try Vicki’s Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole.
Crockpot Turkey Soup with Rice
Crockpot Turkey Soup with Rice is a super easy recipe that makes use of leftovers, and really, what tastes better on a cold day, than turkey soup?
Pioneer Woman’s Best Ever Lasagna
For the second year in a row, my top 2 recipes are the same. I love the Pioneer Woman and in truth she sort of inspired my blogging journey way back when. She is an empire now, but I started following her when she was just an accidental cowgirl. 😉
Everyone needs a good lasagna recipe and I have settled on Pioneer Woman’s Best Ever Lasagna. When the Pioneer Woman says it’s the “best ever”….I pay attention. A lot of you did too….this recipe continues to be a big hit.
Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Pot Pie
Posted nearly two years ago, Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Pot Pie has been my most viewed recipe, ever since …by a LANDSLIDE!
Anytime I make a turkey I make sure I have all the ingredients on hand to make Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Pot Pie…except…you know…with turkey. A quick meal to assemble, hearty enough to please everyone and it just hits the spot. Yum!
This was FUN! I love looking back and seeing what the top recipes were each year. It also gives me inspiration for what sort of recipes to focus on for 2019. Thank you so much for following and liking, sharing, and making some of the many recipes we shared this year.
Do you have a favourite recipe from the blog? What sort of recipes would you like to see more of? Leave a comment and let us know.
