The Best Recipes to Make this Year

With just a little olive oil, some crushed garlic, aromatic herbs and lemon peel you can prepare these Marinated Olives with Garlic, Thyme and Rosemary. These olives are the perfect, easy, make-ahead appetizer for entertaining. Serve with this Marinated Feta Appetizer and some rustic bread!

This Water Bath Canned Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter is easy to make. Jars of Pear Butter make excellent homemade gifts for teachers, friends, or neighbors during the holidays.

Reader Review:

“It took a good eight hours to cook down, but I now have some beautifully fragrant, dessert-quality pear butter. My husband’s eating it with a spoon as I type this. He wants to put it on ice cream. We have 2 huge pear trees that are FULL this year. It’s good to have a recipe that’s seriously worth the time.” -Karen

In this Kale and Frozen Berry Smoothie, frozen wild blueberries, strawberries, red raspberries, and blackberries are combined with mango, fresh Kale, chia seeds, and orange juice for a refreshing smoothie.

This recipe for Southwestern Black Bean pasta is a great pantry recipe for a 30 minute meatless meal! It features pasta with a smoky tomato sauce and plenty of black beans. This simple vegetarian black bean pasta dish only takes a few minutes to prepare and uses mostly pantry ingredients.

Reader Review:

"I made this for my family this evening, and it was excellent. We will be adding it to our recipe book! We are a vegetarian family with three young children, and it is often a challenge to find healthy meals that my kids like." -Erica

This quick pickled vegetables recipe is so easy – no cooking required! These Vietnamese Bahn Mi inspired vegetables are a great addition to sandwiches, lettuce wraps, and more. Come learn how simple it is to make these quick and easy Asian pickles.

Dinner just got super quick and easy thanks to this sheet pan meal featuring roasted pork, carrots, golden beets, red onion, Brussels Sprouts, and parsnips.

Have you made a sheet pan dinner before? This Fall Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin with Honey Balsamic Roasted Vegetables is an easy sheet pan meal with tons of flavor!

This Easy Restaurant Style Salsa is so good and so easy to make! It is perfect for Taco Tuesdays or as a Super Bowl Appetizer served with Nachos or Tortilla Chips.

Reader Review:

"Thank you for this awesome recipe. This is now my go-to salsa after trying many recipes that didn’t satisfy for taste or texture. So easy and delicious! I’ve already shared it with several friends!" -Kathryn

This Easy Brownie Recipe is our go-to anytime we need a quick dessert or an easy chocolate recipe if we're craving something sweet. I love that they require minimal ingredients, so I usually never need a trip to the store to make them.

Easy Homemade Brownies are the perfect quick dessert to whip up at home. They only take a few minutes and totally satisfy your chocolate cravings. Just like the recipe promises, they’re easy (and super fudgy)! Plus, I bet you have all the ingredients on hand.

Reader Review:

"I just made these for dessert tonight; only problem is I made the mistake of tasting them, and now I don’t think they’ll make it till after dinner!  Simple & delicious!! " -Joan

This is the best brussels sprouts recipe! And it is so easy to make! Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Balsamic are a fantastic side dish that is full of delicious flavor - caramelized, roasted brussels sprouts, savory bacon, and tangy balsamic vinegar.

This is another side dish that is always popular in our family for the holidays, but we enjoy it many times year round as well.

Reader Review:

"These are fantastic! Mine are just fresh out of the oven and I haven’t found many vegetables that i would actually want to eat as a choice….and these I would choose! They are simply perfect!I’m printing this one off :)" -Kristen

Homemade Southwestern Pork Rub features a mix of brown sugar, garlic powder, oregano, chili powder, cumin, pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper for a flavorful spice rub.

A great chicken rub recipe is essential for any summer BBQ. This Homemade BBQ Chicken Rub features a mix of brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika for a flavorful homemade spice rub. We use it all the time on a variety of recipes, but especially love it on our Easy Smoked Chicken recipe.

Reader Review:

"Awesome rub, we’re enjoying tremendously. Thanks" -Reg

Italian Chicken, Mushroom, and Zucchini Skillet is a great dinner recipe for busy school nights. This easy recipe features pan seared chicken tenderloins, zucchini and sliced mushrooms in garlicky herbed tomato sauce. Such an easy Chicken Skillet Recipe!

Reader Review:

"This was a keeper! I’m a huge fan of these land of lakes starter saute sets ….my house smelled amazing! I was drooling! My husband loved this meal, was full on the first plate (never happens!)" -Lindsey

This past year I began experimenting more with Instant Pot Recipes, like this Instant Pot Italian Beef Ragu with Pappardelle. This is one of the best comfort food recipes we made in the last year. Perfect for a cold, winter night!

Chuck roast is cooked until tender with garlic, herbs, and plenty of tomatoes in this Instant Pot Italian Beef Ragu with Pappardelle for a delicious and hearty family pasta night recipe.

Serve it up with a side salad and a simple salad dressing!

Reader Review:

"I made this as written (I did leave out the optional balsamic), and my partner and I agree it was delicious and I will definitely make it again. Great comfort food." -Anna

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken is the perfect shredded chicken recipe for your next Mexican recipe. Packed with flavor and super tender thanks to hours in the crock pot, this recipe is sure to please!

We make this recipe any time we want an easy taco night or when I needed Mexican Shredded Chicken for my Enchilada recipes: Chicken, Black Bean, and Spinach Enchiladas or Homemade Chicken Enchiladas with Chile Gravy Enchilada Sauce.

Reader Review:

"After trying a few different crock pot chicken recipes, this one is the one I’ll go back to again and again. The flavors in this are perfect! Chicken came out very tender and juicy! It was perfect for our large family gathering. Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe." -Darrin

Do you need a go-to easy chicken recipe? This Baked Honey Mustard Chicken is my favorite quick dinner idea and even the pickiest of eaters are usually won over.

You can't go wrong with a recipe with over 4.5 stars from more than 85 reviewers. This Baked Honey Mustard Chicken features Chicken tenderloins baked in a sweet and savory honey mustard sauce with sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Reader Review:

“I made this for dinner tonight and I’m so glad that I did! It was so easy to make (few ingredients) and the taste was phenomenal! I paired it with some wild rice and zucchini. My husband loved it as well….I’ll definitely be making this again in the near future.” -Mimi

Easy Smoked Chicken is a great summer meal. The chicken turns out incredibly flavorful, tender and juicy. Perfect for BBQs or any time you want to cook a whole chicken but want to do something a little different than traditional roasting.

After smoking the chicken, make pulled chicken for smoked chicken sliders.

Serve your smoked chicken with baked beans, the best classic potato salad, and Creamy Jalapeno BBQ Coleslaw. Or summertime drink of choice is this easy watermelon lemonade recipe.

Homemade Chili Garlic Oil is incredibly easy to make and a simple way to enhance the flavors of any dish. It is great used as a dipping oil for artisan bread, added to pasta dishes, drizzled in soups, sauces, or on pizza. Your creativity is the only limiter when it comes to using this Chili Garlic Oil.

This is The Best EASY Nachos recipe and a must have for all your game day appetizer needs. Ultimate Easy Nachos whip up in a pinch and make game day appetizers super simple to prepare (and serve). Topped with spicy refried beans, tomatoes, olives, green onions, and of course plenty of cheese, they're both tasty and colorful. Head over to the post for tons of ideas to customize your nachos.

Most of us are familiar with lemon curd. Raspberry curd, however, is a lovely red curd that's slightly tangy - perfect for spreading on scones or toast! Wondering how to use up extra egg yolks or what to make with frozen raspberries? This Raspberry Curd is the perfect recipe!

These Almond Butter Cookies are the tastiest I’ve tried and make a great addition to your regular cooking baking. They’re the perfect alternative if you have a peanut allergy! No peanut allergy? They still make a great addition to your regular cooking baking.

This Easy Homemade Cough Syrup is essential to have on hand during the winter months. Sure, this suggestion isn't something fun or tasty to eat, but a good homemade cough remedy will save you when you're nursing a winter cold or the flu. Try this homemade cough syrup as a natural remedy for your next sore throat or cough this winter.

Strawberry Fool is one of the easiest dessert recipes that you can make! t’s basically strawberries and cream taken up a notch! Simple dessert, yet delicious! My kids love this recipe and we've made a lot of adaptations using different berries or fruits, or a combination of fruits. You can use fresh or frozen fruits in this easy dessert recipe.

Try this Vegetarian Pizza for your next Friday night Pizza Night rather than ordering in! This Vegetarian Pizza is loaded with bell peppers, olives, onions, and even more fresh veggies! The mixture of salty feta and creamy mozzarella really make this veggie pizza.  Make sure you check out my tips for awesome pizza at home.

This is The Best Smoked Pork Shoulder Smoked recipe!

Pork Shoulder is a classic summertime BBQ recipe, but it is great year round, too! Come check out my tried and true method for making Traeger Smoked Pulled Pork along with my 9 pro tips for the best smoked pork – I’m including my favorite pork shoulder brine and pulled pork rub.

Summer BBQs sides to serve with this pulled pork: baked beans, the best classic potato salad, and Creamy Jalapeno BBQ Coleslaw. Don't forget watermelon lemonade to wash it all down.

Reader Review:

"I love this recipe! We’ve tried a couple others and the pork seems a little dry. This recipe is fool proof and comes out with a nice bark and OMG the moistness!" -DZL

The most popular recipe this year is Traeger Smoked Turkey! The Traeger has been our favorite "kitchen appliance" purchase from the last 5 years. Turkey Smoked on a Traeger is one of my favorite ways to cook turkey for Thanksgiving.

Come check out my tried and true method along with my 8 pro tips for the best smoked turkey! We make this throughout the year as well, but instead of smoking a whole turkey we will use our Traeger to smoke turkey breast.

The best turkey brine for smoked chicken is this Rosemary Beer Brine.

Cookie dough freezes extremely well and is the perfect sweet treat to keep stashed in your freezer to instantly satisfy those sweet tooth cravings. Here’s how to freeze cookie dough and bake it later.

Who doesn’t love a freshly baked warm cookie with a glass of milk? If that sounds like you, then you’ll want to check out these cookie recipes. I love these Almond Butter Cookies (great if you have someone with a peanut allergy) and these Copycat Subway Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies!

This classic restaurant style salsa is so tasty! It is great canned to keep on hand in your pantry for any time the craving strikes, or to use as gifting!

Reader Review:

"Thanks for the awesome recipe. I’ve tried almost a dozen salsa recipes looking for a restaurant style salsa that I like and this is it! So easy to make and tastes great! Recipe made 7 pints and a bit left over to snack on. Perfect!" -Kathryn

Click HERE to save this recipe to Pinterest!

Have you ever wondered if you can freeze fresh spinach? Well, you can! Freezing spinach is really simple, and handy if you would like to have extra vegetables stored in your freezer.

Come learn all about the 4 different ways I like to freeze spinach and several ideas for what to make with frozen spinach! Looking for ideas to use your spinach? Check out these Spinach Recipes!

Click HERE to save these instructions for freezing spinach to Pinterest!

Next time you make a batch pancakes or waffles, make some extra and follow this quick and easy tutorial for how to freeze pancakes and waffles (I’ve also given instructions on how to reheat pancakes and waffles!).

You’ll get to enjoy them throughout the next few weeks for breakfast with hardly any effort at all. Your morning routine and family will definitely thank you!

Try this Healthier Waffle Recipe and find lots of Pancake Recipes here.

Reader Review:

"I just made a huge batch of chocolate belgian waffles which I am going to cut in 4s and freeze using your method! Thanks! I don’t know why it hasn’t occurred to me to do this earlier, I make waffles a few times a week. Now dad has an easy breakfast to make the small ones!" -S.B.

Click HERE to save these instructions to Pinterest!

Have you ever wanted to make a half a recipe of something but there are an odd number of eggs in the original? Me too.

One of my favorite kitchen tips is how to measure partial eggs because it comes in handy when you're making adjustments to recipes.

Reader Review:

"I was wanting to half a recipe an it called for one egg and I draw a blank. I could not for the life of me figure out how I was going to half that egg. Thanks so much!" -Amanda

Click HERE to save this Kitchen Tip to Pinterest!

You know when a recipe, particularly something like a biscuit or scone recipe, tells you to cut the butter into the flour mixture?

4 different ways to cut butter into flour for recipes like pie crusts or biscuits. The 4th method of cutting butter in flour on this list is my all time favorite kitchen tips, and also the best way to cut butter into flour if you’re wondering “what can I substitute for a pastry blender”!

Reader Review:

"OMG. I want to kiss you. Not being creepy, sorry. Just, I live in China and I don’t own a food processor or a pastry cutter thing so this is life-saving and awesome and quick and YAY! Thank you muchly!" -Kelly

Click HERE to save this kitchen tip to Pinterest!

Have you every opened your pantry to find your delicious, liquid gold honey suddenly completely crystallized? It's a bummer, but the good news is there is no need to toss it out.

It hasn’t gone bad at all, thanks to the antibacterial properties of honey it can actually last for several years. Learn how easy it is to decrystallize honey so you don't have to throw it away! Find Honey Recipes in the recipe index.

Reader Review:

"Wow, I had no idea you could do this, Katie.  I sure don’t like it when I’ve had to throw away honey and now I will bookmark this so I never forget.  Great post!" -Robyn

Click HERE to save these tips for how to decrystallize honey to Pinterest!

Can you freeze kale? Absolutely!

With a little organization, you can easily freeze kale for use in smoothies or other recipes that don’t require kale to be fresh. It is way easier than you think. I’ve got four methods for you to choose from, plus a few recipe suggestions for you.

This post breaks down exactly how to freeze kale four different ways, depending on how you'll want to use the frozen kale. Find Kale Recipes in the recipe index.

Click HERE to save this tutorial on how to freeze kale!

Out of buttermilk? No worries! Learn all about common buttermilk substitutes as well as how to make easy homemade buttermilk.

These tips for homemade buttermilk work great in this recipe for Chicken Pot Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust! Find more Buttermilk Recipes in the recipe index.

Reader Review:

"Thank you so much for taking the time to write this blog post. I just realized that I’m running short on buttermilk and this post that you wrote is exactly what me and my family needed thank you so much!" -Dr Kirsten Grant

Click HERE to save this recipe for Homemade Buttermilk Substitutes to Pinterest!

Can you freeze grape might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about grapes. But, the good news is that you can! Frozen grapes make a great addition to smoothies as well as a healthy, cold snack during summer.

Click HERE to save this tutorial to Pinterest!