You Say it’s Your Blogday: CHG's Top Ten Recipes

Monday, June 30, 2008

You Say it’s Your Blogday: CHG's Top Ten Recipes

WOO! We made it! A year ago today, CHG launched with a smile, a strategy, and a semi-sensical mission statement. While world wide web domination is probably a couple of years in coming, we've carved out a neat little niche in the highly competitive arena of health-and-frugality-oriented food blogging.

So, thank you to everyone – all 158,126 of you – who’ve popped in over the last 12 months. I’ve really enjoyed writing for and learning from you. Y’all are aces.

And! Thank you to the 1,551 websites, blogs, and people who’ve sent traffic this way, especially MSN Smart Spending, Get Rich Slowly, Paid Twice, Frugal Hacks, A Good American Wife, Money Saving Mom, English Major Money, Serious Eats, and Frugal Upstate. Three cheers.

Also! Thanks to Jaime and Leigh for joining up, and Rachel for subbing in while I was on vacation. I'm way grateful for your viewpoints, limeades, and kale chips, ladies.

And finally! Thanks to The Boyfriend, for eating lots of crap in between the good stuff.

Which brings us to today’s food. In celebration of the whole one-year shebang, I went back and picked out my top ten favorite meals/snacks/whatever. While each of the 105 recipes on this site has been Boyfriend-Leigh-or-Jaime-tested and Me-approved, these guys I remember as being particularly tasty. Behold their wonder! (In convenient alphabetical order.)

Baked Apples
Source: The Cook's Bible by Christopher Kimball

Essentially a crustless apple pie, this warm, Autumn-y dessert makes me yearn for colder weather.

Cheesy Eggplant Bake
Source: AllRecipes.com

Bad name. Good food.

Chicken Provencal
Source: Cook's Illustrated's Best 30-Minute Recipe

Possibly my absolute favorite, and it really only takes a half-hour. Yay, olives!

Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Source: Epicurious.com (Falafel) and EatingWell.com (Tahini Sauce)

The Boyfriend's best-loved dish. You don't miss the deep-frying one bit.

Gazpacho Pasta Salad
Source: Cook's Country Magazine

Dude. I make this ALL THE TIME. For every occasion. Even when it's not appropriate, like a pasta haters convention.

Marcella Hazan’s Lemon Roasted Chicken
Source: WCHSTV.com via Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

To make this even better (as if), chop thick-cut carrots and Yukon gold potatoes into 1-inch pieces, drop 'em in the bottom, and roast along with the chicken. You won't know what hit you.