I love New Year’s Day.  It’s a chance to reflect on the past year and celebrate experiences to come. In that spirit, here are the 10 most popular posts on Flavorful Journeys from 2014:

1. Homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

You can’t go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs, especially when everything—from the pasta to the sauce—is made from scratch! This dish takes some time to make, but it’s totally worth it!

2. Chocolate Truffle Tart

This chocolate truffle tart was my first recipe post of 2014. I wanted to bake something that would set the mood for the year, and this indulgent treat proved the perfect choice!

3. White Truffle Oil Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese is a classic comfort food, but when you add truffle oil, cream, and Parmesan and fontina cheese, you get a memorable epicurean experience.  Sprinkled fresh rosemary makes the luxuriant flavors pop! If you try one new mac and cheese in 2015, make it my truffle mac and cheese.

4. Spicy Pork and Mustard Green Soup

This spicy pork and green mustard soup holds a very special place in my heart. Not only is it a delicious mainstay for surviving the cold Chicago winter, but this post made it onto Bon Appétit’s website! Check out the article here.

5. Butterfly Cupcakes

A friend and I had lots of fun making these gorgeous butterfly cupcakes. My favorite parts are the chocolate wings and antenna. Some cupcake decorations sacrifice tastes for looks, but not these cupcakes!

6. Chocolate-Raspberry Glass Cupcakes

Halloween is when my morbid side comes out—I love creating creepy treats. Sugar glass dipped in vivid “blood” accents these glass cupcakes, which combine my favorite dessert flavors (chocolate and raspberry). These might reappear (minus the glass) come Valentine’s Day.

7. Crock Pot Cuban Black Beans and Rice

This Cuban black beans and rice recipe is a household favorite! It’s fast, easy, and so tasty. Plus, it’s a crock pot meal, so you can make it in the morning and have dinner waiting after work!

8. Mother’s Day Brunch Menu Bon Appétit 2014

This Mother’s Day brunch features strawberry-rhubarb salad with mint and hazelnuts, smoked trout salad, a lox platter with capers, radish, cucumber, and red onion slices, and bagels with horseradish-dill schmear. You’re sure to please by making this for your mother (or anyone, for that matter).

9. DrunkSkull Bloody Mary + A Giveaway

I wasn’t a huge fan of bloody marys until I read A Deep and Gorgeous Thirst, by Hosho McCreesh. It’s an example of a unique genre called “drunk poetry,” and it mentioned bloody marys so often that I had to have one—the author was kind enough to share this recipe. These bloody marys are spicy and refreshing, just as they should be.

10. Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi-Bokkeumbap)

I went on a Korean kick this year, and I’m glad that my readers enjoyed it as much as I did! This kimchi fried rice makes a great weeknight dinner.

Thanks for following my cooking adventures this year; I hope you’re looking forward to what 2015 will bring as much as I am! Happy New Year!

If you have a favorite that didn’t make the list, comment about it below.

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