Everyone-- everyone-- does a year-end lookback these days, and here at the 101-Mile Kitchen I'm reviewing the top ten recipes that you especially loved in 2022. In descending order, here are the dishes that delighted you the most.
Drum roll, please!
Bringing up the rear of the Top Ten Recipes list, summer in a jar! Summer Basil Sauce is a magic in its simplicity. Five everyday ingredients and a one-minute whirl in the food processor, and you've got an extremely vibrant sauce that is lighter and more versatile than classic pesto. The pure essence of basil shines bright. This sauce freezes well, and I'm glad for my bright green stash to get us through the winter. Save this one to your summer recipe files!
I'm so happy that my new favorite comfort food, Vanilla Lemon Rice Pudding, made the top ten list of 2022! Gently sweet, creamy but not cloying, alive with lemon zest, and ethereal with vanilla bean. More exciting than other rice pudding recipes, yet as comforting as your favorite cashmere sweater. Make this one soon!
Number eight in our top ten list is Mediterranean Chicken + Artichokes. This quick-braised dinner is so so good. You'll love it for its silky sauce, fork-tender chicken, and mediterranean artichokes, olives, garlic, and oregano. Everything comes together in one skillet in under an hour. This is everything I want in a simple, elegant dinner.
The idea is simple: Many cocktails begin with muddled or syruped fruit, and/or a sugar-water simple syrup. What is sorbet if not fruit, sugar, and water? Save a bunch of steps and go straight for the sorbet in your freezer and whatever complimentary hooch you have in your home bar. Think of it as a light, boozy float in its construction, and an easy refresher to drink.
The idea is to put one firm scoop of sorbet and one shot of liquor or splash of champagne in a coupe or rocks glass. Easy peasy. I see why readers like you put this one in the top ten recipes for 2022!
Coming in at number six on our top ten list, garlicky greens and caramelized onion grilled cheese made with creamy brie is a rather fancy sandwich. I'm going so far to say this is the world's best grilled cheese to date.
If you're a fan of the classic tomato soup (keep reading for a top-notch recipe) and grilled cheese combination, this is the sandwich you'll want going forward. The slightly bitter greens, sweet earthy caramelized onion, and bloomy brie are the perfect foil to tomato soup. You'll love it!
For every aspirational, time-consuming, detail-laden recipe in a cook's repertoire, she needs ten like this one in her bag of tricks. These 20-minute, one bowl Quickie Olive Oil Drop Biscuits have elevated so many meals in my lifetime and deserve a spot on our top ten list.
Selling point number one-- quickie olive oil drop biscuits are made in lightning speed. As in, begin preheating your oven now, and your biscuits will be mixed and formed before the oven is up to heat. Next, you'll fall head-over-heels for them because they are highly customizable. Olive oil drop biscuits without any of the optional add-ins are deliciously simple, and they become even more remarkable with the addition of some cheese, fresh or dried herbs, or better yet, both cheese and herbs. Lastly, the recipe makes a small batch, perfect for most households. Yay for these biscuits!
Cowboy Sloppy Joes, made with ground beef, smoky seasonings, and a little beer (non-alcoholic is my choice) are a great way to rustle up some pretty decent grub! Make 'em and pretend you are on the Oregon Trail. Or just because you need a quick, tasty, protein-filled dinner. It makes me smile that these were a popular recipe favorite in 2022.
Delicious grown-up Coffee Rice Krispie Treats make the number three spot in our top-ten recipe list, and this one deserves the honor. This new twist elevates a childhood favorite to an adult delicacy. It's super easy, and wildly addictive. As addictive as coffee.
I was knocked over by a feather with the popularity of my modern take on Egg Foo Young! This recipe is a mash-up of tradition and change. I used Maggie Zhu's traditional recipe as the basis, and traded her brown sauce for a wonderful mushroom sauce, adding even more umami deliciousness. Maggie's instruction on achieving the traditional puffy egg omelette turns out perfectly every time. Chinese New Year is January 22, and you'll want to save this recipe to celebrate.
A recipe developer is sort of setting herself up to fail by naming a recipe "the world's best", but this one I truly believe is thee very best! High-quality canned tomatoes, herbs, and two super special secret ingredients take it the the crowning number one position in our top ten. And you have agreed, this soup is better than "pretty good" by putting it in the clear lead for top ten recipes in 2022. Put it into your repertoire if you haven't already. Oh yes, and the garlicky greens and caramelized onion grilled cheese recipe in the number 6 spot on this list is the perfect pairing.
Here are a few other recipes I'm particularly fond of (and proud of!) that didn't make the top ten. I think you'll like them, too.
Apple Olive Oil Cake
Warm Spinach Salad + Pancetta
Gingery Broccoli Beef Stir-Fry
An enormous thank you to members of the 101-Mile Kitchen Community for supporting my small business. You are mostly coming from smaller households of one, two three, or four people. I became aware of this early in 2022, and have responded by designing recipes scaled for you. Occasionally I create a recipe that is aspirational in nature, a bit challenging or extra time consuming, but most recipes you find here are done in less than an hour, or even half that time. I write recipes for people who like lovely restaurant quality food but don't want to spend hours every day to get it. You see this reflected here in our top-ten list.
There's more to come in 2023. If you'd like to be a part of the 101-Mile Kitchen community, you can take care of that here, and get my free Cool Weather Cooking Guide as my thanks. Happy 2023 to you!
You’re in the right place! I’m Pam Spettel, home cooking expert and guide, and I’m here to show you how to break up with cooking and hospitality anxiety, learn how to use recipes as guides rather than strict rules, and let your cooking intuition and confidence soar.
Superpower: Dreaming up recipes that work, serving them to my friends and family, and writing little stories about how cooking them well is the same as loving well.
Inspiration: Ingredients! The fresh, colorful, fragrant, local, seasonal ingredients found in the Pacific Northwest are my creative medium.
Heroes: Local food and wine producers– the people who keep me, my family, and our community nourished and happy.
