Top Ten Most Viewed Recipes at Stirring the Pot!

In January of 2025, my blog turned 16 years old! Over the years I've written 1,214 posts and made at least 1220 or so recipes. Recently, I've been looking at my stats to see what recipes have been viewed the most and thought it would be fun to do a roundup of the TOP TEN MOST VIEWED RECIPES ON MY SITE. 

Once I compiled the list I studied the results and came up with some observations. One, all these recipes use normal, everyday ingredients. Two, there were also somewhat budget-friendly. Three, they all make the most of simple ingredients. Each one of these recipes can be made by anyone. Some may take a little time, but all are very approachable.

So here we are...16 years, 1214 posts, and 1225 recipes later. THE TOP TEN MOST VIEWED RECIPES of all time here at Stirring the Pot. Please click on the recipe title to be directed back to the original post.

Ina Garten's Roasted Sausages, Peppers, & Onions

The NUMBER ONE MOST VIEWED recipe of all time, here at Stirring the Pot is Ina Garten's Roasted Sausages, Peppers, & Onions. Funny enough, sausage with peppers and onions has always been one of my favorite dishes to eat. It seems like it's also a big favorite with others. Ina's version is the best around and perfect for weeknights as everything roasts right on two sheet pans in the oven. Easy to put together and easy clean up makes this dish a winner. Full of flavor and oh so delicious. 

Yotam Ottolenghi's Falafel with Spiced Chickpeas and Fresh Vegetable Salad

This recipe for Ottolenghi's Falafel comes in at the NUMBER TWO MOST VIEWED recipe here on Stirring the Pot and although it is time consuming to make, it is quite delicious! Ottolenghi has a knack for creating dishes with the most wonderful flavors and textures. This dish is no exception: crispy falafel with fluffy pita break and crunchy fresh vegetables...it's hard to go wrong here.

Jamie Oliver's Nasi Goreng

 

I remember making this dish one day back in 2016. I didn't have much to eat, but I just happened to have the ingredients for Jamie Oliver's Nasi Goreng and I threw this together on a whim. Who knew it would be the THIRD MOST VIEWED recipe on my blog? This is a delicious combination of basmati rice with onions, garlic, ginger, chiles, snap peas, hot sauce, and soy sauce all topped with a crispy bubbly frie degg, drizzled with more hot sauce and garnished with quick pickles. If that doesn't wake you up first thing in the morning then I don't know what will! 

Meeting Giada De Laurentiis and her Chocolate Rice Pudding

 

Way back in 2010, I had the opportunity to meet Giada De Laurentiis, watch her do a live cooking demo, and have her sign my copy of Giada's Family Dinners. I shared my experience, as well as the photos, and since Giada loves chocolate, I made her Chocolate Rice Pudding. The Chocolate Rice Pudding is a good dessert, but I think the views are there to see the pictures and stories Giada shared. This was certainly a big highlight in my life with food. Such fun!

 

Jamie Oliver's Ground Beef Wellington

 

At first I was surprised to see Jamie Oliver make the top ten list twice, but the more I looked at the list of most viewed dishes, the more I noticed the recipes were all economical, ingredients that people were likely to have on hand. If you notice, many of these recipes are extremely affordable and downright budget-friendly. But we've arrived at the NUMBER FIVE MOST VIEWED recipe and we have Ground Beef Wellington! This recipe is so simple and delicious, ground beef with veggies and seasonings placed into two sheets of puff pastry, rolled, and baked. Its so easy that almost anyone can do it and the presentation is great! It elevates ground beef in a way that makes it feel so special and yet it's easy enough to do on a weeknight!  

Jacques Pepin's Crepes filled with Strawberries and Topped with Cream

 

When I was a kid, my friend's parents would make all us girls crepes for breakfast after every sleepover. It is such a core memory and I'm so happy that Pepin's crepes are the SIXTH MOST VIEWED recipe on my site! It just makes my heart happy. These crepes are delicious and you can fill them with sweet or savory fillings. This is definitely a recipe that everyone should try!

Ina Garten's Kielbasa with Mustard Dip

In the heart of the pandemic, Ina Garten released her cookbook, Modern Comfort Food, and it was certainly a bright spot during a difficult time. One of the first recipes I made from the book were her Kielbasa Bites with Mustard Dip and it was a big hit! I am so glad this recipe is the SEVENTH MOST VIEWED recipe on my site. It is so quick and delicious! Simply cut up some kielbasa, fry it until crisp and then dunk it in a mustard dip made with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, and horseradish. So many times people go out of the way to make really expensive appetizers and this one is so economical and people can't get enough of it!

Madhur Jaffrey's Butter Chicken

I think everyone loves a saucy chicken over rice dish, and it turns out Madhur Jaffrey's Butter Chicken is my EIGHTH MOST VIEWED recipe of all time. Chunks of chicken breast in a creamy sauce made with tomato puree, garlic, ginger, garam masala, chili, cayenne, coriander, lemon juice, and cumin make for one comforting and quite beautiful meal.  

Ina Garten's Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

 

Fitting my theory, Ina Garten's Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp uses ingredients that most people have on hand. Ingredients that don't break the bank: apples, citrus zest, sugar, cinnamon, flour, oatmeal, and butter. Put those simple ingredients together and you have the old-fashioned quintessential American dessert, or the NINTH MOST VIEWED recipe on my site, apple crisp. This one is delicious with loads of buttery crispy topping. Perfect on it's own, but also great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or even yogurt.  

Ina Garten's Engagement Roast Chicken

The TENTH MOST VIEWED recipe on my site belongs to Ina Garten with her Engagement Roast Chicken and truly, this is THE BEST ROAST CHICKEN! The skin turns out perfectly golden brown, the chicken is moist and it is sitting on the most flavorful and delicious bed of roasted and buttery onions that become all caramelized. If you wanna make a killer roast chicken, try this recipe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February IHCC Potluck!

photo credit

Top Twelve Recipes of 2024!

 2024 was a shorter year in the kitchen for me. Due to some medical issues I didn't really start cooking until sometime in mid February, but once I got cooking I got lucky with some great dishes! Normally I only do about 10 top dishes for the year, but this year I have 12!

The dishes below aren't ranked from 1-12, but they are in calendar order of how I cooked them throughout the year, February thru December. If you click on the title of the recipe you'll be directed back to the original post with the recipe!

First up is How Sweet Eats Chicken and Bacon Ranch Puff Pastry Pizza. I truly love the puff pastry pizzas from How Sweet Eats. This version uses leftover chicken, or rotisserie chicken, with cheese, bacon, dill, scallions, and a drizzle of ranch dressing. If you love these flavors then this will be a big hit for you too! Easy enough for a weeknight, but delicious enough for a party or entertaining, you simply can't go wrong!

Next up is the dish I made more than anything else this year, How Sweet Eats Our Favorite Baked Cheesy Rice. I made this dish out of necessity because I was on a mild diet and we ended up loving the baked rice dish with bits of crispy sharp white cheddar on top and creamy white cheddar underneath. It became a staple dish everyone craved and went well with so many things. I bet I made it at least 25 times throughout the year!

Why make one puff pastry pizza when you can make two? How Sweet Eats Puff Pastry Breakfast Pizza was also a grand slam in the breakfast department. Again, it's hard to go wrong with flaky puff pastry with eggs, bacon, cheese, and herbs! If you want something easy that is rather impressive first thing in the morning go with this recipe! It is dressed to impress and tastes delicious! Would be great for a Sunday breakfast, a girls brunch, or any situation where you need to entertain.

How Sweet Eats Oreo Peanut Butter Pie is hands down THE BEST PEANUT BUTTER PIE we've ever had. I'm not the biggest Oreo fan, but Oreos do make for a great crust for the luscious peanut butter mousse that goes inside. The first day the peanut butter mousse is light and creamy, but after several hours in the fridge, or overnight, the peanut butter mousse gets thick and dense like cheesecake. When you top this pie with Oreos and peanut butter cups and whipped cream it is the most decadent and delicious of all desserts!

This favorites roundup is quickly becoming a How Sweet Eatspalooza, but her site offered many recipes I wanted to try and they all became instant hits! This One Pot Garlic Butter Shrimp and Orzo from How Sweet Eats was quick and delicious and we've had it a couple times since. I've noticed that people love quick shrimp dishes, as they tend to garner some of the most views on my site, so I wanted to include this one because it is a great weeknight dish!

This roundup makes it look like my family eats A LOT of puff pastry, but I can assure you we do not. It is always a hit though, and for a special treat these Cheeseburger Puff Pastry Pockets from How Sweet Eats are sure to be a favorite in your house too! What's not to like about savory beef and cheese pockets in a crispy-crunchety crust?

This Lemon Butter Chicken from How Sweet Eats is lemon forward, and you do have to like lemon, but the garlic and herbs also come front and center and the chicken bakes up so tender and flavorful. This is a healthy, quick, and delicious weeknight dinner that any lemon lover would adore.

I make a lot of regular ol' rice krispy treats, but I really love peanut butter so I wanted to try my hand at How Sweet Eats Salted Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats and it should be illegal how good these are. The balance of flavors is perfect and the peanut butter with the gooey marshamallow gives a this a fluffernutter feel. These are addictive and hard to stop eating! 

This summer I made 10 wonderful ice cream recipes from The Gourmet Cookbook, but it was this recipe for Maple Walnut Ice Cream that stood out from the rest. I loved this recipe so much. The consistency of the ice cream and the subtle flavor of the maple syrup with the crunchy walnuts...it was heaven!
 

Who doesn't love a good meatball recipe? These Pesto Zuppa Toscana Meatballs from Half Baked Harvest are made with turkey and a pesto red sauce base with cheese on top and they were so good, and even better the next day. I enjoyed mine with some soft, fluffy naan bread, but they are also delicious on their own, and I bet just as good over pasta.

 

I knew Erin French's Glazed Butter Cake was going to be delicious, but it was mind-blowing delicious. Like probably ONE OF THE BEST DESSERTS I'VE EVER MADE! This isn't even my favorite type of dessert, but this is INCREDIBLE warm with whipped cream and berries. If you make any of the recipes on this post, make this one. It's just unbelievably delicious.

My last recipe of the year, Ina Garten's Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits, was the perfect way to end a great year in the kitchen. The biscuits were soft and fluffy with yummy pockets of cheese and we gobbled them up for breakfast in no time.

I'm excited to see what 2025 brings and hope that next year is just as delicious! 

 

My Top Ten Recipes of 2023

I made a lot of delicious food in 2023 and I didn't want to continue on without showcasing my Top Ten Favorite Recipes of 2023! The recipes below are in order of my top favorites, starting with my most favorite of all! If you click on the recipe title you will be directed back to the original post and recipe!

How Sweet Eats Pepperoni Puff Pastry Pizza I am obsessed with this puff pastry pizza! I highly encourage everyone to go over to the How Sweet Eats blog and search all the options for puff pastry pizza! This is a great way to get something quick and delicious on the dinner table during the week! All you need to do is set out the puff pastry the morning of, then come home and spread the pastry out, top it, and bake it in the oven. It is a crispy flaky delight and you can do pretty much any toppings you'd like. My family loved this pepperoni pizza option best, but I liked How Sweet Eats Zucchini, Lemon, and Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Pizza best of all because it's light and fresh and zingy. I ate it on repeat all summer long! Other puff pastry pizza options are Pesto Caprese, Pickle Lovers', and Bacon, Sage, and Pumpkin. Check them out if you need a quick delicious weeknight recipe that everyone will love!

Ina Garten's Spicy Pimento Cheese Dip  Look, there are three recipes I made on repeat in my kitchen and this recipe is one of them. Ina's Spicy Pimento Cheese Dip is THE ONLY DIP recipe you need. I made this so many times, in fact I made it anytime we went anywhere. It is insanely delicious. The first time I made this I made half a batch and I quickly learned never to do that again. We are whole batch people for this recipe. You eat it on crackers and celery and really anything else. You will be slathering it on everything from baked potatoes to burgers to grilled cheese to any sandwich, soft pretzels, even a breakfast sandwich. I took it to the 4th of July party and it was the first thing gone within a half hour. Make this and put it on everything. It is the perfect hint of spicy, without being too spicy and it just goes with everything. People go nuts over it!

Mark Bittman's Sichaun-Style Cucumber Salad The second thing I made on repeat all summer long was Mark Bittman's Sichaun-Style Cucumber Salad. My friend Linda kept growing the most delicious cucumbers and bringing them to me left and right. I made this refreshingly delicious and flavorful cucumber salad several times a week and ate the whole bowl myself. It was so zesty and zingy and just popped with flavor. I craved it on repeat and took it with me to every family gathering where it was a big hit! 

Donna Hay's Smoky Halloumi and Couscous Salad I must have ate this salad at least once a week all throughout the summer! I love halloumi cheese and having it on a salad gives you a good excuse to eat it and call it healthy. Coat the cheese in some herbs and fry it in a pan until it gets all squeaky and chewy. Serve that over pearl couscous that pops in the mouth with some fresh spinach and tomatoes and a smoky paprika dressing...it's heaven!

Ina Garten's Hot Dogs In Puff Pastry  Poor Ina got a lot of flack on social media about adding a recipe for hot dogs in her cookbook. I'm not sure why because I think most people do love them and they're definitely family friendly. Plus, Ina has said over and over again that she loves to mix high end ingredients like puff pastry with low end ingredients like hot dogs. And listen, when Ina creates a recipe for hot dogs you make it because she is pretty much the Queen of recipes and let me tell you...this recipe is so good! Just buy enough to double the recipe because your family will inhale these. We especially loved these with a little sprinkle of the Everything But the Bagel seasoning on top and then we loved to dunk them in a mixture of mayo and mustard. You could even make these and cut them into minis for a party. They are so savory and juicy and delicious!

Half-Baked Harvest's Creamy Roasted Cherry Tomato Ricotta Pasta I had my eye on this pasta recipe for awhile and over the summer I grew the most delicious cherry tomatoes and I paired them with a fresh basket ricotta from the Murray's cheese department of my Kroger store. If you haven't tried the fresh basket ricotta then you should! The cherry tomatoes roast in the oven with herbs and garlic and then get mixed with the fresh ricotta, Parmesan, and butter before getting mixed into the pasta. It is so creamy and dreamy and flavorful. It was my favorite pasta dish of the year, a creamy garden fresh explosion of flavor.

Ina Garten's Blueberry Breakfast Ricotta CakeI've made a lot of cakes in my day, but none like Ina's Blueberry Breakfast Ricotta Cake. I can honestly declare it THE BEST CAKE I've ever made. It is utter perfection. In fact, I follow the Barefoot Contessa Fan Page on Facebook and this cake cycled on repeat on that page as person after person made it, shared it, and declared it amazing. The crumb is so tender and moist and ratio of blueberries to cake batter is just right. There is a hint of lemon and it is just oh so good served warm. If you find yourself in need of a cake for any reason just do yourself a favor and make this one.

Ruth Reichl's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies If you're a big oatmeal chocolate chip cookie fan, then Ruth Reichl's recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies is for you. Oatmeal chocolate chip is probably my all-time favorite cookie and I think this recipe is the best, hands down. Ruth calls for a lot of oatmeal, making these cookies thick and chewy and more substantial than a regular old oatmeal cookie. These babies are thick! You can use chocolate chips in this recipe, but I prefer chocolate chunks so I buy bars of Ghiradelli chocolate and cut them into big chunks. Give them a try!

Tessa Kiros' Milky Way Ice Cream Sundae This was my husband's favorite dessert of the year and I can see why. Not only is this dessert delicious, but it's so easy a kid could do it. All you need is three ingredients: milky war bars, cream, and vanilla cream. You simply cut up the milky way bars and throw them in a pan, add some cream and melt. The milky way bars melt down with the cream to create a thick fudge-like sauce that is delicious poured over vanilla ice cream. Buy some extra milky war bars to cut and garnish on top of the sundae and you have a big hit for the whole family!

Ina Garten's Baked Sweet Potato Fries with the Best Sweet Potato Fry Dipping Sauce I crave these thick wedges of sweet potato fries dunked in the creamiest sweet potato fry dipping sauce. In fact, I could eat them daily and never tire of them. Ina's sweet potato fries are cut into thick wedges and coated in olive oil, brown sugar, salt and pepper then baked in the oven. I like these better cooked in the air fryer, but either way works. What makes the fries so delicious is the sweet potato fry dipping sauce made from mayo, Sriracha, and smoked paprika. It is so savory, and creamy, and spicy, and addictive. I literally cannot stop eating them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January Potluck @ I Heart Cooking Clubs

photo credit 

My Top Five Dishes of 2022!

 It's time for my favorite post of the year...My Top Five Dishes of 2022! 

 
Here at Stirring the Pot, it was the year of Julia Child! I have two rather mind-blowing dishes of Julia's to start off our countdown.

Here are my TOP FIVE FAVORITES OF 2022, starting with Number One! Please click on the recipe title to be redirected to the original post and recipe!

Hitting the list at NUMBER ONE is Julia Child's Supremes de Volaille a l'Ecossaise, otherwise known as Chicken Breasts with Diced Aromatic Vegetables and Cream. I mean holy cow folks, or should I say holy chicken...this dish will knock your socks off. The chicken is so tender and that sauce....well, it was so velvety and flavorful...it kind of reminds me of the flavors in a chicken pot pie. It's visually stunning, and so comforting and delicious.

Julia's Biftek Hache a la Lyonnaise or rather her Ground Beef Burgers with Onions and Herbs, is not only crazy delicious...but economical and rather easy. Listen, DO NOT sleep on this dish. It is simply not just a beef burger with sauce. It's buttery and flavorful from the addition of butter and herbs and the burgers get dunked in flour before being fried so they form a little crust for texture. It looks simple, but I can assure you that it's delectable. This is a very close SECOND to Julia's chicken recipe above, simply depends on the day!

I also cooked a lot with Ina Garten this year and her newest cookbook, Go-To Dinners, is full of gems. I've made quite a few recipes from her new book and by far the best was her Ravioli En Brodo. This is a light brothy soup with complex flavors. We were blown away by the flavors and really enjoyed the addition of fennel. It's hard to beat fluffy pillowy ravioli in a flavorful broth. So comforting and delicious!

 You might think I've lost my mind, but WOW, Ina's Parmesan Chipotle Popcorn was something else! Cheesy, spicy, buttery, crunchy, and hot...it is ONE OF THE BEST SNACKS ever! I just loved it! Make it for yourself. Make it for a get together. Make it for your family. You can't go wrong!

Coming in at Number Five is dessert!  It was really tough to chose a favorite dessert for this roundup. I had three that I was considering: Dorie Greenspan's Salted Chocolate Hot Fudge Sundaes, Ina Garten's Milk Chocolate Oreo Ice Cream, and this one, Tessa Kiros' Sipi's Strawberry Cake. I chose Sipi's Strawberry Cake because it was made with local and seasonal strawberries from the farmer's market and they were the most delicious strawberries I've had in years. Not to mention, the cake was a stunner and what's not to love about fresh berries and cream? 

Bonus: Tessa's Hasselback Potatoes deserve a big Honorable Mention for two reasons: first, they are a new family favorite. Everyone loves the golden brown crunch on the bottom of the potato, the crispy slices on the top of the potato, and also the rather fluffy interior. They are indeed THE NEW BAKED POTATO in my house! And also, the post I wrote for Tessa's Hasselback Potatoes was pretty much my favorite to write all year. This recipe should come with a warning: Delicious, but quite the hassle!

 

 

 

HAVE A DELICIOUS NEW YEAR!!

My Favorite Half Baked Harvest Recipe!

Over at I Heart Cooking Clubs, we have been cooking the recipes of Tieghan Gerard featured on her blog, Half Baked Harvest. I always like to pick a few favorites at the end of our six months and feature them here.

The winning recipe is Tieghan's Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup! It was my favorite recipe that I made of hers and one that I will likely make again.

 Thank you, Tieghan! 

I Heart Cooking Clubs will now start cooking the recipes of Dorie Greenspan and I am very excited for that!

My Top Five Recipes of 2021!

 

It may have been the year of slimming things down in the Stirring The Pot kitchen, but the #1 FAVORITE RECIPE OF 2021 does anything but slim things down.

To be fair, 2021 was full of tough times and comfort food was necessary. Ruth Reichl's Fettuccine Alfredo did a perfect job of comforting my family. This is THE BEST recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo I've ever tried and since I stumbled across this recipe, at the end of September, I have made this no less than 25 times.

There is a reason I've made it so many times. First, it requires a simple handful of ingredients that are always on hand: pasta, cream, Parmigiano-Reggiano, butter, and salt and pepper. I have made this for myself using traditional pasta and I have made this mostly for my 15 year-old son who is gluten free  and it works like magic every single time. If you're ever in doubt how to fill up a 15 year-old boy who works out for hours upon hours and has the hunger of 10 men, try making him some of this fettuccine alfredo. It works like a charm, every. single.time.

I realize this is not healthy in the least, but it is fast and delicious and you can have it ready in the time it takes to boil a pot of pasta. Plus, this is foolproof, every single time!

As always, click on the recipe titles above the picture to be directed to the original post and recipe

Ruth Reichl's Fettuccine Alfredo

Ok, so Ruth's Fettuccine Alfredo was the #1 recipe of 2021 by default, simply because it was THE RECIPE that I cooked on repeat in 2021, but if I had to pick my favorite recipe that I made, and the one that I would make if time wasn't a factor, it would hands down be Ina Garten's Rigatoni with Sausage and Fennel. I could tell you a million things about how it is probably THE BEST PASTA DISH I'VE EVER COOKED, and it is, but I will sum it up by saying that I text everyone I know who loves to cook, and some who don't, and told them IF THEY EVER MADE ONE RECIPE I SUGGESTED, IT SHOULD BE THIS ONE! Don't even worry if you don't like fennel! You will in this recipe. Don't skimp on any ingredients. Make it exactly as it is written! You will thank me. It is incredible! Definitely entertaining-worth. Definitely THE DISH to pull out if you want to impress someone.

Ina Garten's Rigatoni with Sausage and Fennel

For years and years I wanted to make Pork Chops with Sauteed Apples and Cider Cream Sauce and I finally got around to it. Guess what? It was love at first bite and now I can see myself making this every fall season. A real favorite, especially that cider cream sauce.

Ruth Reichl's Pork Chops with Sauteed Apples and Cider Cream Sauce

It's no secret that I love eggs! They are a star ingredient in the Stirring The Pot kitchen. I also love a recipe inspired by the farmer's market and on a trip to the Lexington Farmer's Market I got all kinds of glorious fresh herbs. I always turn to Mark Bittman when I have an ingredient I want to cook with and he came through with his recipe for a Bread Frittata. Now, you know we love potatoes here at Stirring The Pot, but bread is the way to go in a frittata and I learned that lesson when I made this dish! The bread retains its shape so well and really holds up well in the eggs, adding much more texture than potato and also really allowing the herbs to shine. The bread frittata is my new go-to for a quick breakfast. This has become another staple recipe, something akin to a Kitchen Sink Frittata, allowing me to use up all kinds of bits n' bobs of leftover bread, cheese, herbs, meat, and veggies.

Mark Bittman's Herby Bread Frittata

You simply CANNOT have a favorites roundup without a dessert, and Jamie Oliver's Peanut Butter & Jelly Brownies are the stuff of dreams!  I mean how can you go wrong with a dense chocolatey brownie with swirls of peanut butter cream and jelly, dotted with raspberries? Heaven. Just total heaven. 

Jamie Oliver's Peanut Butter & Jelly Brownies

And that's a wrap, folks. I wish you all a healthy, safe, happy, and DELICIOUS New Year!