With that said, I’m looking forward to getting back into the kitchen and cooking more outside of my comfort zone in 2018. I started this blog to give myself a creative outlet, and I want to try more new things in the new year. As we get ready to close the book on 2017, I wanted to share my ten most popular recipes from the past 12 months. They may not be the most unique or extravagant, but I believe the best food is simple — and delicious. Here’s to another year of good eats!

1. Five Easy Weeknight Dinners

I’m not surprised to find this collection of recipes is my top post from 2017. If there’s one thing we could all use more of, it’s time. These dinners come together quickly and easily, making them great for nights when you really don’t feel like cooking.

2. The Best Banana Cookies

These cake-like cookies are my husband’s favorites. They’re topped with a frosting that melts in your mouth.

3. Healthy Almond Butter Banana Bread

This may be my favorite recipe of 2017. I made this healthier version of banana bread more times than I can count, and I have yet to get sick of it. The almond butter gives the bread the perfect texture.

4. White Texas Sheet Cake

This cake is the one everyone requests for birthdays and special occasions. The secret ingredient? Almond extract.

5. Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I’m counting down the days until summer so I can make this zucchini cake again. The summer squash makes this cake perfectly moist.

6. Chicken Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner

Sheet pan dinners got really popular in 2017, because they’re effortlessly healthy. This one is our favorite, especially in the winter.

7. Southwest Cheesecake

This spicy, baked spread can feed a small army. It includes three of my favorite things: green chiles, cheddar cheese and salsa.

8. Spaghetti Squash With Spicy Meat Sauce

The secret to this delicious meat sauce is using a combination of sweet and hot Italian sausages. This is a recipe that’s always in our weeknight rotation.

9. Chocolate Chip Banana Blondies

Are you starting to sense a theme? I love baking with bananas! These blondies are inspired by one of my favorite treats: banana and Nutella crepes.

10. Summer Berries With Mascarpone Whipped Cream

There’s nothing better than berries and cream on a hot, summer afternoon. While temperatures are near record lows right now, I’m dreaming of this dessert.

The post Top Ten Recipes Of 2017 appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

Every evening when I go outside to water our plants and garden, I close my eyes and take in the amazing, natural smells they all emit. While I’m a big fan of flowers, the potted herbs lining our back deck produce my favorite smells. My parents have always been gardeners, so the smell of fresh herbs has always signaled summer to me. It reminds me of running around the backyard as a kid looking for caterpillars on the dill plants and summers filled with my mom’s homemade pesto.

Fresh herbs help elevate everyday meals with their strong fragrances and flavors. I plant a wide variety of herbs in pots on our back porch every summer to use in everything from drinks to desserts. Basil and mint are the two I find myself using most often.

I wanted to throw together an easy dinner last night with what we had on hand, so I plucked some herbs from their pots and made this healthy meal come to life. I always cut chicken breasts in half because they’re so large they can easily be split. It’s very important to make sure you don’t marinate this chicken for more than one hour because there’s vinegar in the marinade, which will give the chicken an odd texture if it sits too long before cooking.

You can easily swap out other herbs you have on hand for the ones I use in this recipe. I served our chicken alongside kale I sautéed in a small amount of butter, but it would also taste great with my everyday salad. To make this meal a bit fancier, you can cut a slit in the middle of the chicken breasts and stuff them with goat cheese. Because everything’s better with cheese, right?

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 large chicken breasts, weighing about 1 lb. total
• 1/4 cup high-quality olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
• Salt

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Take each chicken breast and cut it in half vertically in order to get four, thinner chicken breasts. Season chicken generously with salt, place in a gallon-sized freezer bag and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, herbs and red pepper. Carefully pour marinade over the chicken in the plastic bag. Squeeze all of the air out of the plastic bag before sealing it and tossing the chicken to coat. Refrigerate chicken for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
3. About 15 minutes before your chicken is done marinating, preheat your grill over medium-high heat. Once it’s preheated, place chicken on grill and cook for three to four minutes on each side, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove chicken from grill and serve immediately. Season with more salt to suit your taste.

[/directions]

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Cheers to the long weekend! What are your Memorial Day plans, friends? We’re heading to Illinois to spend some time with family. All that’s on our agenda is spending a lot of time outside grilling, biking and swimming. That’s what holiday weekends are meant for, right?

Anytime there’s a summer gathering, my mom and I whip up a batch of this sangria. She got the recipe from a bartender when my parents were in Spain several years ago and it’s been our go-to summer drink ever since. It’s not overly sweet, which is my big complaint with most sangria. I’ve found this is a recipe that both wine lovers and people who aren’t huge wine fans enjoy.

I like to make this the night before a party so the fruit has time to soak, allowing its flavors to really come through. We served a pitcher during a casual get together on our porch last night and there wasn’t a single drop left!

I will warn you, slip this sangria slowly. It’s so good that you’ll want to have a few glasses, but it will sneak up on you. And there’s nothing worse than starting the work week with a killer headache from a little too much indulging.

Stay safe and enjoy the extra day off!

Summertime Sangria

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1 1.5 Liter bottle of Lambrusco, chilled
• 4 oz. light lemonade
• 1 oz. Cognac
• 2 oz. Cointreau
• 2 oz. Gin
• 2 Tbsp. sugar (optional)
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1 peach, sliced
• 1 nectarine, sliced
• 1/4 cup strawberries, sliced

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Combine Lambrusco, lemonade, Cognac, Cointreau, Gin and sugar in a large pitcher. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
2. Carefully pour fruit into the pitcher and stir until it’s submerged in the sangria. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving.

[/directions]

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It’s officially the weekend — cheers to that! I’m spending the morning getting a few things cleaned up around the house before my family gets into town this afternoon. We’re celebrating my brother’s birthday in Bloomington and then heading to Cincinnati to see the Cubs face the Reds Sunday. Crossing my fingers for another no-hitter!

Whenever we have guests in town, I try to make sure our pantry and fridge are stocked with a variety of healthy and delicious snacks for their visit. We love taking people out to our favorite local restaurants, but I also like to have ingredients on hand to whip up quick meals if we feel like staying in.

Having a few breakfast items ready is especially important. Nothing is worse than waking up earlier than everyone else and having to wait around to eat breakfast when you’re starving. I usually get some English muffins or bagels, fresh fruit and yogurt that guests can help themselves to. And, I like to whip up this homemade granola, too!

I love throwing some granola into my yogurt or fruit because it makes me feel satisfied for longer. I only recently started making my own after looking at the sugar content of my favorite brands. Making the granola myself allows me to control the sugar content and throw in whatever I’m craving that week.

This combo featuring almond butter, nuts and coconut is my go-to recipe lately. It’s just slightly sweet and has the perfect amount of crunch. The great thing about granola is it only takes about ten minutes to make — so easy!

I’ll serve this up Sunday morning with some vanilla yogurt, fruit and Bloomington bagels before we hit the road for Cincy. What are your plans for the weekend?

Almond Butter Coconut Granola

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut
• 1/4 cup cashews or almonds
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine oats, coconut, nuts and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. Place almond butter, honey and coconut oil in a small, heatproof bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, or until melted. Stir until combined.
4. Pour melted almond butter mixture over oat mixture and stir until well-coated.
5. Place a large piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Carefully spread granola across parchment paper. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Cool granola at room temperature before storing in an airtight container.

[/directions]

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