Sweet Love and Ginger

Jessica

Top 20 Reader Chosen Recipes

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This blog has grown a lot in the last year.

My vision for it has changed.

I like the direction that we are going.

I hope that you, my lovely readers feel the same way.

In the midst of looking back at my favorite recipes last
year I realized that it’s pretty obvious which are your favorite as well. There
are quite a few recipes that got close to 20 times the traffic of my average
posts. That’s saying a lot if you ask me, and surprisingly some of these big
hitters are not my favorites. I do like every single recipe I post, I wouldn’t put
it on here if I didn’t, but some of them go up here because of a request or Chuck really loved it, not because I personally loved it.

I want to make sure that you know dear reader that I do
appreciate you, and your presence here and so here are your favorite recipes
since the inception of this little space a year and a half ago.
 
 
   1)     
Scalloped Potatoes
 

 

4)     
Apple Pork Chops

5)      Asian Marinated Grilled Scallops

7)     Classic Venison Stew

8)     
Asian Glazed Chicken Legs & Carrot Ginger Dressing

9)     
Clean Bruchetta Chicken & Alfredo Sauce
10)   
How to Prepare Chicken Paillards & a Recipe
11)   Homemade Ravioli with Spinach & Tomato Cream Sauce
12)  
Apple Spice Cake

 

13)  

Clean Roasted Garlic & Tomato Soup
 

 

 
15)  Cheaping out on Take Out 
 

16)  
Lemon Garlic Chicken & Pasta
 
17)  Cream of Spinach & Asparagus Soup

19)  
Beef & Broccoli Stew

 
20) Perfect Broiled Haddock

 

Filed Under: Round Up

25 of my Favorite Recipes from This Year

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Christmas is over, and it was blissful.

Now I can’t help but think about the new year thats coming.

This is that time of year when we
all start to look back and evaluate our year.

It’s been a busy, hectic, life
changing year for me and this little blog alike, so I want to take a quick
minute and share some of my favorite recipes from this past year. These are the
ones that are dearest to my heart for so many reasons.

 

21)  Creamof Spinach & Asparagus Soup

Filed Under: Round Up

Pesto Alfredo Sauce

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I posted a very similar recipe to this one way back before I
even had a follower. It’s one of my long time favorites, so I was excited to
get it out there. In the subsequent almost 2 years since I have learned a lot
about cooking, and writing recipes, and looking back I am not impressed.

This recipe is amazingly decadent, stupendously easy, and
not in the least bit time consuming. This is why it is one of my favorites.
Well that, and I have a deep love of pesto, but you already knew that.
Although the proportions are for the single diner, it is
pretty easily expanded for more, so don’t hesitate to serve it for a last
minute get together. Now all you need is a side salad with a nice vinaigrette and
your friends will think you are a veritable Martha Stewart.
The original recipe also included shrimp, because I like to
glam things up, not that it’s needed at all with this creamy deliciousness. If
you are interested in adding a protein to this, grilled chicken, shrimp, or scallops,
make wonderful additions.
Tortellini with Pesto Cream Sauce
3-4oz cup dry/frozen tortellini

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp prepared pesto

½ cup heavy cream

1/3 cup grated parmesan
cheese

Handful of cherry tomatoes,
halved

Prepare tortellini
according to package instructions. Meanwhile heat garlic, and butter over
medium high heat until the garlic becomes fragrant (1-2 minutes). Reduce heat
to low and stir in pesto, cook for an additional minute before adding cream.
Gently whisk in cheese and allow the mixture to thicken. Serve over prepared
tortellini and tomatoes.

Filed Under: Recipe Tagged With:

Clean & Easy BBQ Beans & Apple Sausage

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I feel like I’m drowning, but I’m sure that I am not the
only one.

There is always so much going on around the holidays I that I
think we all go a little nuts. Cooking dinner just doesn’t seem to fit in. I
mean I have to drag myself out of the house to go shopping again, and then I have
to clean up afterward? Who has that kind of time, when there’s all the other
shopping, wrapping, decorating and holiday get togethers to prepare and cook
for. I mean there are 2 office (Chuck’s & Mine) pot lucks I have to get
stuff together for the same damn day.
On top of all that everyone is probably gaining at least 500
pounds what with all the cookies, candies, and treats so it’s really important
that I have meals that are healthy and quick.
I have a few of these easy recipes hanging around, like this, this, and this.
Here is a new one to add to the repertoire, and if you are a
barbeque addict like I am this is a great healthy way to feed that addiction.
The key to quick is a pre-made barbeque sauce, but its hard to
find a clean sauce, I know. What it comes down to is reading the labels, they
are out there. Basically look for something with all natural ingredients, no
fillers or chemicals that you cannot pronounce, no msg, and very little
sweeteners. You can also make your own. This recipe is one of my favorites.
Clean BBQ Beans & Sausage

1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 package precooked Chicken and apple sausages, sliced
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 cans navy beans
1 cup barbeque sauce

In a large skillet sauté the onion and sausage with oil
until the onion has softened and become transparent. Add pepper, beans,
barbeque, and stir to combine. Once heated through serve.
Now pair this with a nice big green salad and you have the
perfect clean, hearty meal. 

Fitness Update & Man Cookies

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It’s time to recap my fitness journey again.

Only I have nothing to recap.

Whoops!

I actually worked out a couple days in the last 2 weeks! Aren’t
you proud?

My excuses are simple, I was sick for like a week, and then
we had an impromptu weekend long party when a bunch of our friends came into
town.  Let me tell you 5 people and 4
dogs in our tiny apartment make for a very good time.

I’m pretty sure I now have enough beer cans to cover our
grocery bill this week.   

Sunday morning when we woke up there was a little speed
cleaning to get the 4 square feet of counter space we have in our apartment
clean enough to make “man-cookies” and my raisin spice cookies
for the cookie party that I was co-hosting with my dear friend Amanda.

We did this last year to, and it’s a good time.

Basically you invite everyone over and each of them has to
bake a dozen cookies, not like your typical chocolate chip though because 12 dozen
of those would be boring. Everyone brings over their cookies; we make some
boozy cocoa, and proceed to put ourselves in a sugar coma. I may suggest that
you have some veggies and dip around to provide a slight break from the
sweetness. We also play some dorky games, like you know guess the movie, guess
the scent, Pictionary (Who doesn’t love Pictionary?). Then we split up the
cookies and head home to continue the sugar coma for the following week.

Since the man cookies are always a hit I thought I would
share the recipe here, again this is CHUCK’S RECIPE. He wants to make sure
everyone knows it. The original recipe can be found here, though Chuck’s version has a few changes, mainly the size. 

Man Cookies

1 package brownie mix

2 sticks butter

1 cup granulated sugar

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Prepare the brownies according to package instructions (tip
use the largest pan possible, to make the brownies thinner and easier to wrap).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugars, then add
eggs, vanilla and continue to beat the mixture until it is well combined.
Continue to beat while slowly add in flour, salt, baking soda. Once combined
use a spoon to mix in the chocolate chips. Place a large spoonful (or two) on
top and on the bottom of a 2inchx2inch brownie. Pinch the dough around the
outside of the brownie to cover it. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and
bake for 18-22 minutes or until they begin to brown. Allow them to cool a bit
before serving.

So that’s my story and about why I’m just continuing to
spiral into flabbiness. I suppose that it could be worse, and there’s always
next week. Thank god for next week.

How are the holidays helping your fitness goals?