Best Recipes of 2014 Reader’s Choice Award Winners

I’m so excited to bring you the Best Recipes of 2014 Reader’s Choice Award Winners! Thank you so, so much to everyone who voted. It makes my day. I love finding out which recipes you all loved most throughout the year, and these awards are a great way for new readers to get ideas about which recipes were the biggest hits. To see all the options for this year’s voting, click here.

Whether you voted this year or not, if you’re reading this right now then thank you too. Thank you for being here, for reading my blog and for cooking along with me. Thank you for commenting on posts, sharing the site with friends, posting your recipe pics on Instagram, pinning my photos, sharing the links on Facebook and writing me to let me know you tried a recipe. I love interacting with you on social media and seeing what you’ve made and I feel incredibly blessed and grateful that so many of you have tried my recipes and shared the site with friends. THANK YOU. Whether you’ve been here since I started blogging 4 years ago or this is the first post you’ve read of mine, I am genuinely thrilled that you’re here and I hope you come back again and again for years to come.

Just last week (on Christmas Eve) was my 4 year “blogiversary.” There’s so much more I can’t wait to do with my blog, but it’s also fun to look back on how far it has come. For the past few years I have recapped some readership, social media and posting stats, mostly for me to look back on. While I certainly don’t blog for the numbers (hopefully this doesn’t come across as tacky), it’s fun for me to look back and see how much my blog has grown over the past year. Here we go again:

Four years. 342 posts. 17 million+ blog page views (according to Google Analytics). 47,695 Facebook likes. 34,061 Pinterest followers. 12,900 Instagram friends. 2,236 Twitter followers. A year ago I hadn’t done too much with Instagram yet, but now it’s one of my favorite social networks! My Instagram account is a blog/personal hybrid so I feel like I get to share more of my life and get to know you all better as well. I started following some of the Weight Watchers members and other instgrammers that frequently make and post my recipes and I absolutely love following their journeys and learning more about everyone. Shout out to my Instagram buddies!

I can’t say this enough: It overwhelms me that so many of you out there read my blog, make the recipes I post here and give me such great feedback, encouragement and inspiration. THANK YOU!

I am also so thankful that many of you took the time to cast votes for your favorite recipes. It was so fun for me to see what all your favorites were this year! The results are below and for each category I’ve pictured the winner and then listed the runner up along with my own vote (which didn’t count in the standings, I’m just listing it for fun).

Looking for more scrumptious reader favorites? Check out the winners from previous years: 2013 winners, 2012 winners and 2011 winners! It’s also funny to see how far my photography has come (though I still have a lot to learn!).

Without further ado, here are the winners of your 2014 Reader’s Choice Awards:

1. Best Appetizer Recipe: Enchilada Cheese Rolls 

Runner Up: Cheesy Spinach Pinwheels

Emily’s Pick: I’m torn between so many of these and almost went with the Greek Layer Dip, but I’m picking the Cajun Roasted Chickpeas because every time I make them it takes every ounce of willpower I have not to eat them all in one sitting (and sometimes I do). They’re addicting.

2. Best Salad Recipe: Doritos Taco Salad (by a landslide!)

Runner Up: Avocado Chicken Salad

Emily’s Pick: I am going with the majority on this one, Doritos Taco Salad

3. Best Breakfast Recipe: Sausage & Stuffing Brunch Bake

Runner Up: Pumpkin Chocolate Baked Oatmeal Singles

Emily’s Pick: I almost went Blueberry Pancakes, but decided on Pumpkin Chocolate Oatmeal Singles. I love baked oatmeal.

4. Best Dessert Recipe: Mini Apple Pie Tarts

Runner Up: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Emily’s Pick: Mini Apple Pie Tarts. I loooove fruity desserts

5. Best Soup/Stew Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Runner Up: The Best Turkey Chili

Emily’s Pick: I will pick the Beef Stew as well, because it is incredibly easy as well as delicious

6. Best Pasta Recipe: Sausage Tortellini Skillet

Runner Up: Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Bake (though the Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Shells were only one vote behind – this was a competitive category!)

Emily’s Pick: Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Bake all the way for me. I love that recipe.

7. Best Muffin Tin Meal: Cheeseburger Hash Brown Cups 

Runner Ups: the Chicken Parmesan Wonton Cupcakes and Thai Peanut Chicken Wonton Cupcakes were tied for second with the Mexi Meatloaf Muffins just one vote behind – stiff competition!

Emily’s Pick: this was tough, but I think I am going to go with Chicken Parmesan Wonton Cupcakes, they were awesome.

8. Best Side Dish Recipe: Loaded Cauliflower Bake

Runner Up: Parmesan Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Emily’s Pick: Garlic Roasted Green Beans with Almonds. I love Green Beans.

9. Best Casserole Recipe: Bubble Up Pizza Casserole

Runner Up: Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole

Emily’s Pick: I was a bit torn on this because I really loved the Chicken Parmesan Quinoa Bake but I went with the Bubble Up Pizza Casserole too because I think it really was my favorite.

10. Best “All-American” Recipe: Meatball Pizza 

Runner Up: Slow Cooker Mustard-Rubbed Pulled Pork (this was actually tied for first but I wanted to have one winner in every category so I broke the tie)

Emily’s Pick: Lemon Pepper Iced Tea Chicken (love this marinade)

11. Best Sandwich Recipe: Cheddar Apple Bacon Grilled Cheese

Runner Up: Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese

Emily’s Pick: California Club Sandwich (I love anything with avocados…yum)

Thanks so much again to all of you for reading my blog, cooking my recipes and encouraging and inspiring me with your comments. I wish you all a happy and healthy 2015 and I hope you’ll stay tuned for more lightened up comfort food recipes in the new year!