Countdown to 2011: Desserts

I don't know about you, but I certainly had a fun week drooling over looking at your top breakfast, bread, soup and stew, meatless main dish, and main dish recipes over the past week.  If you're just stopping by today, welcome to the party!  It's not too late to link up your best recipes of 2010.   

We saved the best for last!  Or, perhaps, if you have a sweet tooth like me, we saved the hardest day for last.  Today is dessert day!  I'm so excited for today ... good thing just gazing at delicious desserts doesn't add inches to my waistline.  Bring on the scouting of the best desserts of 2010.

#10 - Dark Chocolate Decadent Brownie

{You'll never know these are made with 

whole wheat flour, dark chocolate and applesauce!}

#9 - Sweetheart Cake

{A perfect Valentine's Day dessert}

#8 - Zucchini Cookies

{Don't want to let people know they have zucchini?  

Just peel those veggies first!}

# 7 - Key Lime Bars

#6 - Mint Ice Cream Pie

{this is in our freezer right now ready to ring in 2011!}

#5 - Berry Crumble

{This one has even doubled for a breakfast at our place!}

#4 - Sweet Potato Dark Chocolate Chip Bars

{Try these. Trust me.}

#3 - Grandma's Rhubarb Meringue

#2 - Peppermint Ice Cream

{this is a perfect way to use up candy canes!}

#1 - Rhubarb Gingersnap Cheesecake

{my first attempt at cheesecake!!}

Now it's up to you to bring this one home!  Thank you all so much for participating this week - and Happy New Year!

Enter your link below, please be sure to link back to this page so that others can enjoy the countdown to 2011. {Note - the linky below is temporarily inactive}

Here are the best dessert recipes of 2010:






Linked to the 2010 Recap Carnival, Show Us Your Life: Desserts

Countdown to 2011: Main Dishes

This has been such a fun week!  I've enjoyed your recipes greatly and am grateful for the inspiration to try new things.

We have just two days left before 2011... and two big sections of recipes to highlight.  Today is the best main dishes of 2010.  Tomorrow, get ready for the best desserts.  Oh, I'm having such a hard time choosing!

Our best main dish recipes {as voted by Frog Prince} are:

#10 - Zucchini Boats
{uses homemade cherry BBQ sauce!}

#9 - Italian Sausage Spinach Penne
{a hearty and delicious dinner}

#8 -  Brown Rice Casserole

{especially delicious with spinach!}

#7 - Sweet Potato Risotto

{sweet potatoes and Italian sausage = amazing!}

#6 - Chicken with Peppers
{elegant; nice enough to serve to others}

#5 - Spinach Chicken and Pasta
{quick, easy and refreshingly good}

#4 - Ham and Potato Casserole
{perfect for leftover ham}

#3 - Ham and Garden Veggie Shells
{another easy leftover ham meal;
made on the stove-top in minutes}

#2 - Tuscan Lemon Chicken
{delicious on or off the grill}

#1 - Grandma's Sloppy Joe's
{We rediscovered Frog Prince's grandmother's recipe
 and converted the recipe to the crockpot.  Yum!}

Now, I can't wait to see your favorite main dishes from 2010. Please add your link below, and remember to include a link back to this post in your recipes linked up below!

Countdown 2011: Meatless Meals

Even though Frog Prince and I enjoy meat in our menu, we have many recipes without meat.  I will tell you up front that many of our meatless recipes use chicken broth; this can easily be substituted with vegetable broth to make the meals vegetarian. 

Here are our best meatless meals from 2010:



Stuffed Shells
   Frog Prince and I enjoy these on a special date night –   they are easy to make, but taste like a fancy
   restaurant made them for us!



Healthy Mac and Cheese
   Mac and cheese made with sweet potatoes.  Yes, it
   tastes good too. 




Cheesy Green Bean Skillet
   A one dish dinner that we’ve also made entirely in
   the rice cooker!  Yummy and cheesy; you won’t miss
   the meat at all. 
  


Veggie Scramble
  Great for breakfast and also for dinner!

   


Spinach Squares
   These cheesy spinach squares are hearty enough to
   be served as the focal point of the meal, but also
   make a delicious accompaniment!




Spinach and Mushroom Calzones
   These are incredible.  Trust me.





Sweet Potato Gnocchi
   I had never made gnocchi before, and one of my
   former swimmers sent me this recipe. It was a hit at
   our place. 


What are your best meatless main dishes from 2010? 

Enter your link below. 

Please include a link back to this post at Finding Joy in My Kitchen so others can access this archive of recipes. 

Countdown to 2011: Soups

What a fun week it has been already.  I have added so many of your breakfast and bread recipes to my upcoming menus... oh my!  Thanks for all the inspiration.

Winter is just the perfect time for soup recipes!  It’s been a cold and snowy winter for us, so soup season started early.  Hey, I’m not complaining. 

Here are our best soup recipes from 2010:

Baked Potato Soup

Frog Prince and my sister get the credit for

this delicious recipe – creamy and oh so tasty!

Cheesy Spinach and Lasagna Soup

This one is our favorite recipe of 2010. 

Chicken Cheddar and Rice Soup

Another cozy, comfy soup with delightful flavor!

Crockpot Chicken Spinach Soup

A soup that cooks while we’re at work – what’s not to love?

Best part – you can toss in all the ingredients FROZEN in the morning. 

Yes Please. 

Italian Wedding Soup

I’d never had this soup before I met Frog Prince.

I don’t know why…. because this is great!

Tomato Soup

I’m not a tomato soup fan, but this is a soup

I’ll make again and again. 

Tasty, especially with grilled cheese!

What are your best soup and stew recipes from 2010? 

Enter your link below. 

Please include a link back to this post at Finding Joy in My Kitchen so others can access this archive of recipes. 



This post is linked to:

• Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods
• Works for me Wednesday

Countdown to 2011: Breads

Today is bread day!  Who doesn’t love a good slice of homemade bread – smothered with melted butter and honey?! 

Here are our best bread recipes from 2010:



Garlic Italian Herb Bread
   We made this bread to celebrate my sister’s birthday
   - a grown up version of garlic toast! 




Pumpkin Spice Bagels
   These are incredibly moist bagels, perfect with a hint
   of honey drizzled on top!  Best part – 180 calories and
   only a trace of fat in each bagel.   



Mom’s Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
   My mom used to make this bread when my sister and I
   were little girls.  She pulled out the recipe this year,
   and we haven’t stopped making it since.
  


Whole Wheat Hamburger and Hot Dog Rolls
   We had been searching for a good hamburger bun
   recipe and our search ended here.  These are ready
   in 40 minutes and double nicely as a dinner roll.   



Homemade Crescent Rolls
   I love a good crescent roll.  Although these take a
   little time to make, they are delicious.  We love to
   use them as pie crust in our quiche recipes!




Carrot Bread
   This one is for the rabbits.  Just kidding.  But, it is a
   great way to add extra veggies to your sandwiches,
   or breakfasts.  The carrots make the bread so moist!!




What are your best bread recipes from 2010? 

Enter your link below. 

Please include a link back to this post at Finding Joy in My Kitchen so others can access this archive of recipes. 

Countdown to 2011: Breakfast

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Today, we’re highlighting the best breakfast recipes cooked up in our kitchens during 2010. 

As I looked through our archives, I realized that in 2011, I want to try more egg-based breakfast dishes.  Almost all our breakfast recipes from 2010 are carb-based!  Oh well… guess that’s what happens when a girl loves her carbs. 



Wheat Blueberry Muffins made with Olive Oil
   Our family loved these fluffy muffins, especially
   with their crunchy exterior. 



Whole Wheat English Muffins
   Who knew English Muffins were so easy to make!  
   These were wonderful for breakfast with fresh
   blueberry cherry preserve – but also made great
   breakfast sandwiches. 


Baked Doughnuts
   One of my goals for 2010 was to make homemade
   doughnuts!  These are wonderful – and the best part;
   they are baked, not fried.




Pumpkin Spice Granola
   A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.  This was on our table from October
   until December.  We couldn’t get enough of it! 



Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
   Ready in just 2 hours, this is a great breakfast to
   throw in the crockpot in the morning.  It’s also filling
   enough to double as a dinner or brunch!



Maple Oat Scones
   Another first for us in 2010 was making scones! These
   were a winner in our book.



Okay – enough of our recipes, I can’t wait to see your best breakfast recipes from 2010!

Enter your link below. 

Please include a link back to this post at Finding Joy in My Kitchen so others can access this archive of recipes.