Favorite recipes from 2013, yours and mine both, just one "best" recipe per month. Looking back, does it strike you as it does me that my recipes are becoming simpler, more family-friendly – still real food and still healthy, flavor-forward and seasonal of course, those are the touchstones of my food sensibility, after all – but also more ready for preparation on a whim? Is your food sensibility evolving too? What was new in 2013, what do you look forward to in 2014? First, your favorite recipes! Each one is pictured in the collage above. Starting in the center , Kitchen Parade's top recipe for 2013, homey comfort food, a simple Hamburger Casserole . You couldn't get enough of this! Now, clockwise from the upper lefthand corner. First, Easy Skinny Turkey Roll-ups with Fresh Veggies , these are such an easy lunch, they keep and are great to carry along. Next, my own obsession for a few weeks, so easy to put together on a whim, just tortillas topped wit...

I so hope you love my family's recipe for savory potato blintzes, soft pillows of mashed potatoes lightened and enriched with cottage cheese and wrapped in tender crepe packets, baked in the oven until steamy hot , the better to contrast with big dollops of sour cream on the side. Sounds sooo good, right?! These pretty golden bundles are perfect for a vegetarian brunch or on the side with other holiday foods. For anyone who's only tasted sweet blintzes, oh my, you're in for one amazing savory treat ... Homemade Savory Blintzes, Made from Scratch. A Family Tradition for Generations. Hearty & Filling But Surprisingly Low in Calories. Budget Friendly. Great for Meal Prep. Holiday Brunch & Party Friendly. Vegetarian.

A rustic cake that "pops" with fresh cranberries. It's best made a day ahead so works especially well for potlucks and holiday food gifts. Fresh & Seasonal, Special Cake for the Holidays. Great Choice for a Hostess Gift or Make-Ahead Dessert to Carry for Office Parties and Holiday Gatherings.

A Spanish stew called “Chilindron” – that’s pronounced [chill-in-DRONE] – pungent with onions and roasted red peppers. And yes, there’s that color, that gorgeous dark-red color, that emerges as the braising liquid cooks down in the oven, leaving the meat cloaked in a flavor-packed sauce. Real Food, Fresh & Filling. A One-Pot Meal, Weekend Special. Low Carb. Weight Watchers Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free.

My Iowa grandmother's recipe for Homemade Butterhorns – some people call them Thanksgiving Crescent Rolls, yes? – made with a rich yeast dough shaped in the familiar "cornucopia" shapes that so suit a Thanksgiving table. I like baking a mix of "mini" Homemade Butterhorns for Thanksgiving dinner and larger rolls for after-dinner turkey sandwiches! An Old Family Recipe, Updated for Contemporary Tastes. Nothing Quite Like Homemade Bread Made from Scratch. An Easy Dough to Work With, Easy to Roll the Distinctive Butterhorn Shape. A Thanksgiving Essential.

For a man-pleasing meal, start with lamb or venison shanks and braise them in the slow cooker or the oven, filling the house with a savory welcome-home. The meat will practically fall off the bones and the sauce is silky smooth. Hello, long fall nights by the fire ... Approachable, Homestyle Whole Food, Simply Prepared. A New Addition to Slow Cooker & Oven Slow-Cooking Recipes for either a traditional slow cooker or the oven (my favorite). Low Carb. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian family and the many Canadian readers and visitors who pop into Kitchen Parade and A Veggie Venture for Thanksgiving recipes! May your long weekend be filled with "good times" and "good food"! If I could bring everyone a dish of the World's Best Green Bean Casserole , I would, I really would! But for anyone still on the hunt for recipes, two places to visit: The famous collection of Favorite Recipes for Thanksgiving's Favorite Vegetables at A Veggie Venture An eleven-year collection of Thanksgiving recipes at Kitchen Parade For those who don't eat meat, ideas for Thanksgiving Vegetarian Entrées (Oh! I'm suddenly tempted to cook a turkey this weekend!) But when it's all over and you're wondering how to use up the last of the turkey, think "soup" – in fact, think "healthy soup"! Turkey Sweet Potato Soup is one of my oldest recipes, a healthy colorful soup made with sw...

So memorable, these onions, just thin slices of onion cooked until soft and dark and sweet in the slow cooker. My recipe for Caramelized Onions is "extra special" thanks to tiny touches of brown sugar and dry sherry. And now? My recipe is "extra easy" by switching from cooking the onions on the stove to cooking them either in a slow cooker or "slow cooking in the oven". Real Food. Vegetarian, Easily Switched to Vegan. Low Cal. Low Carb. Weight Watchers Friendly. Gluten Free. Great for Meal Prep.

So here's the question. Should pork still be "pink" after it's cooked? Am I straddling the fence by answering sometimes "yes" and sometimes "no"? My reasoning just might surprise you ... and I'd love to know yours, too. Please do chime in ...

Happy Salad Days , All! Welcome to my salad version of that famous hot-weather favorite, the BLT Sandwich. A good BLT is such a late-summer indulgence of good bread, bacon and tomato. But really, isn't a Wedge Salad really a BLT without all the bread? Right?! For my salad version, start off with a much lighter but completely rich Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing where it "pays" to pay attention to texture. Drizzle the dressing over a wedge of iceberg lettuce, a juicy tomato, crispy bacon plus a few bread crumbs cooked in bacon grease. Then, y'know, just call it “dinner”! Tonight, maybe?! Fresh & Seasonal. Summer Classic. Low Carb. High Protein. Weeknight Easy.