Best of 2013: Your Favorites

I hope you all had a wonderful December full of fun family celebrations and holiday cheer! My blog break this month started out as unintentional, but became purposeful around the middle of the month. I had so much going on this month, just like everyone, and shelving the blog for a while gave me time to focus on just allowing myself to enjoy the season to the fullest. Our Christmas was downright magical; seeing the boys' faces on Christmas morning is probably  my most favorite thing, ever. Looking forward to 2014, I'm ready to get back into our routine and start cooking again (not a lot of that happened this month, that's for sure!).

But before we bid 2013 adieu, there's one more task: to recap the most popular recipes of the year here at Cassie Craves. Today I'm bringing you the most popular recipes on the site according to you, and tomorrow I'll share my own personal top 10 favorites.

10. Chocolate chip cookie pudding cake.

 

This layered dessert is impossibly rich and crave-worthy -- like chocolate chip cookies, pudding, and cheesecake had a delicious culinary baby together.

9. Chipotle chicken cheesesteaks.

Here's an instance where your favorites and mine definitely intersected; these sandwiches are one of my favorites of the year, too. It's amazing how just the simple addition of chipotles in adobo can take a sandwich from pretty good to incredible. These have become a family favorite in our house.

8. Beer-battered zucchini rings.

Flavorful and indulgent, these zucchini rings are the perfect use for the zucchini giants that show up in my (and probably your!) house every August.

7. Farfalle with chicken in sun-dried tomato pesto cream sauce.

It's funny that this recipe showed up in the most popular of the year, because it was literally made from odds and ends that I just had lying around -- and it sat in the drafts folder of my posts for the longest time. I don't know why it took me so long to share it, because it's so delicious, and it absolutely deserves its spot in this countdown!

6. Slow cooker chicken bacon ranch sandwiches with ranch slaw.

This is one of those recipes that is just perfect in every way. The hands-on cooking time is less than five minutes, and the results are so tasty. These sandwiches are a huge hit with kids and adults alike!

5. Chocolate chip cookie whoopie pies with cookie dough buttercream filling.

 

I'm pretty sure these whoopie pies are one of the best desserts I've ever made. Not only are the whoopie pies themselves chocolate chip cookies, they're filled with a cookie dough buttercream made with brown sugar. They're the ultimate chocolate chip cookie experience.

4. Minion cupcakes.

 

I made these cupcakes for Will's third birthday last year, and he's already asking for me to make them for him again this year. I think they are just about the cutest cupcakes I've ever seen!

3. Recipe rewind: creamy tomato tortellini with chicken and broccoli.

Since I re-posted this recipe earlier this year, it's graced our meal plans frequently. It's just so good, and so simple -- made with only a handful of ingredients, most of them pantry staples. My kids would happily eat this once a week or more.

2. Crock pot chicken with 40 cloves of garlic.

I was dubious of this chicken the first time I tried it; 40 cloves of garlic sounds like a ton. But I was definitely a convert upon my first taste of this juicy, flavorful chicken. I love this recipe because we always have leftovers, which can be turned into all kinds of new dishes.

1. Cake batter dip.

This dip is by far and away the most popular recipe I posted this year, and I can definitely see why. It's such a fun and festive treat for all kinds of occasions. It's also incredibly addictive, and the recipe makes a ton -- so it's perfect for sharing! (If you can bring yourself to share it, that is...)