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My Favorite Recipes of 2020

Published on December 31, 2020 By Emily. Updated on December 31, 2020

I think nearly everyone’s relationship with their kitchen and cooking changed this year. Many, many folks found themselves in the kitchen more than ever. I actually found myself in the kitchen less than I would have hoped. Parenting two kids was never something I was worried about, but I obviously didn’t anticipate a lack of other caregivers or external activities for those kids. Nor did I anticipate trying to teach from home with both of those children at home the majority of the time. Thankfully, daycare has mostly been open since August. Still, I worked far more weekends than I would have liked.

Nevertheless, we still ate 3 meals a day and I discovered some recipes I really loved. This year I leaned into one pot meals, preschooler friendly food and my slow cooker. I also made a lot of Budget Bytes recipes and remembered to take photos.

Bon Appetit Kale Pesto

Kale Pesto with Whole Wheat Pasta – Bon Appetit

Kale is one of the most reliably available vegetables from our CSA. I am always on the lookout for new ways to use it that everyone will eat. This kale pesto is super easy to make and very delicious. I omit the pistachios for allergy and cost reasons and I don’t feel that the recipe suffers as a result. This recipe also freezes great.

Whole Grain Pancake Mix - King Arthur Flour

Homemade Whole Grain Pancake Mix – King Arthur Baking

Generally speaking, I am not a baking mix person. I don’t pre-make pancake, waffle, biscuit or any other mix for future use. But this recipe is all about that – it makes 10 cups of baking mix that can be stored “indefinitely”. We stored our mix in a big mason jar at the back of the fridge. It is a whole grain mix, but I found these pancakes to be much lighter than some recipes and the flavor is great. Using milk resulted in a batter that was too thin; buttermilk or yogurt resulted in a successful batter.

Skillet Pot Pie

Vegetable Pot Pie Skillet with Cheddar Biscuit Topping – Budget Bytes

This recipe hits the comfort food sweet spot and it is pretty simple to create. I use my 10-inch stainless steel skillet to make it and it all the ingredients fit just fine. Every time I’ve made this pot pie skillet I’ve used a different blend of frozen vegetables and they’ve all been great. I always feel like the amount of “filling” (sauce and vegetables) is a little low relative to the biscuits, but its all so delicious that I keep making it anyway.

Beef Stir Fry Noodles

Beef Stir Fry Noodles – Budget Bytes

For something so simple, this dish is so satisfying. I used egg noodles, peas and shredded carrots for my version and would do it again. Only half a pound of ground beef is needed, which is a nice bonus. These Beef Stir Fry Noodles were a hit with everyone in my household.

Sausage Cassoulet – Dinner for Everyone by Mark Bittman [affiliate link]

I didn’t do much cookbook cooking this year, but my sister bought me Dinner for Everyone for my birthday and I’ve made several recipes from it. The book contains an easy, a vegan and an “all out” version of each recipe. The Sausage Cassoulet is the easy cassoulet recipe and involves cooking sliced sausage with onion, garlic, white beans and tomatoes in a thick stew. The stew is topped with bite-sized pieces of bread and the whole thing is put under the broiler. The result is hearty, warm, rich dish.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala – Budget Bytes

As noted above, I was really intentional about using my slow cooker this fall, partially for the novelty and partially to make dinner prep easier. This is the only new recipe I tried that made my 2020 Favorites. Generally, I find slow cooker recipes that require anything besides throwing everything in the slow cooker to defeat the point of slow cooking, but I followed the instructions and seared the chicken before putting it in my Crock-Pot. It was totally worth it and gave the chicken additional complexity.

Sheet Pan Chicken Tikka – Smitten Kitchen

This is another chicken tikka recipe, but it is very different from the Budget Bytes one above. This Smitten Kitchen recipe is a sheet pan bake of yogurt and spice marinated chicken, cauliflower and potatoes that’s designed for weeknights. The chicken comes out so juicy and flavorful and every time I make it I promise myself next time I’ll make extra chicken. I’ve had good results with just roasting potatoes when I didn’t have cauliflower and I imagine other vegetables would work as well.

One Bowl Whole Wheat Banana Bread - Wholefully

One Bowl Whole Wheat Banana Bread – Wholefully

This recipe wins the title of “most baked” recipe of 2020. I didn’t count the number of times I made Cassie’s banana bread this year, but it was probably at least a dozen. This is a fantastic recipe for making with kids as it doesn’t require any special equipment and is hand mixed. I make the recipe with vegetable oil (instead of coconut), a mix of white and wheat flours, no nuts, and a handful of chocolate chips.

You may also enjoy My Favorite Recipes of 2019.

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Filed Under: recipe review

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Emily
This week I - drove across the state for 4 days of This week I
- drove across the state for 4 days of 8 am to 4 pm professional development
- was incredibly impressed with the facilities and food at @wyliecenter and @tuppermanor
- wandered my undergrad campus at dusk
- started to wrap my head around @openscied
- spent quality time with @ryntintin12
- enjoyed several of Beverly's breweries and restaurants including @thecastlebeverly, @backbeatbrewing, @lavictoriataco, @oldplantersbrewing
- Enjoyed an evening with one of my closest friends from college
- took deep breaths and watched birds at the ocean 
- visited the mall and Whole Foods primarily to see what life is like for the other half of the state
- rediscovered a love of taking the scenic route, making unplanned detours and checking out small towns along the way
It was a cold and cloudy morning, but we made it t It was a cold and cloudy morning, but we made it to our second annual strawberry picking at @mountainviewfarm413, which included E's first tractor ride (she was very excited). We picked about 9 pounds of strawberries and I'm looking forward to eating them! 🍓
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#igers413_food #strawberries #LocallyGrowjln #PickYourOwn #LanesboroughMA
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires

#NorthAdams #NAmazing
Scenes from this morning in Adams, featuring @shir Scenes from this morning in Adams, featuring @shiredonuts, Poseidon Coffee, the Ashwillticook Rail Trail, St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Adams Free Library and beautiful flowers.
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#AdamsMA #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires
I don't have clear words to express my feelings ab I don't have clear words to express my feelings about the state of the world lately. As a teacher and a mother, it has been extra difficult this week to be fully present in my roles without thinking about innocent lives that should have had longer on Earth. How what has happened in each of the many mass shootings this year can happen anywhere. If you are feeling sad and frustrated too, you are not alone.

I don't have answers, but I'm trying to take care of myself and my biological and school families. I'm saying "I love you" a lot to my children and my students. I'm closely following and sharing the work of @everytown while contacting my state and federal representatives and the president. I'm going for walks and getting fresh air and trying not to overload on news. I'm sharing good resources in my stories as I see them.
UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @aloh UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @alohr3!

 @thelazygenius' second book, The Lazy Genius Kitchen, is finally here and I'm so excited! I don't purchase many books, but I pre-ordered this last July because I knew it would be right up my alley and then I pre-ordered a second copy because I knew that I'd want to give one away.

Author Kendra Adachi has been one of my favorite voices in recent years. Her principles (shared through her first book, The Lazy Genius Podcast and her Instagram) have helped me focus my priorities and give myself more grace. 

This book is NOT a cookbook (it has just 2 recipes), it is a kitchen guide - to help you "have what you need, use what you have, and enjoy it like never before". It is beautiful (full color!) and thoughtful.

I'm very excited to send this book to one of you.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below with one of your greatest kitchen struggles. 
I'll draw a winner at 8 pm on Friday, May 6.
This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram or The Lazy Genius, Kendra Adachi.
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#LazyGenius #KendraAdachi #NameWhatMatters #TheLazyGeniusKitchen #TheLazyGeniusWay #BookGiveaway
This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berk This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berkshire Teacher and Social Worker Appreciation Day free admission. After enjoying the student Art Invitational exhibit, the 4 of us took in several of the other galleries. Mass MoCA always impresses and it was delightful to be able to be out in the world with my kids.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #MassMoCA #ArtMuseum
Today I finally found my way into @plantconnector, Today I finally found my way into @plantconnector, in its new location on Main Street in North Adams. The shop is incredible - the displays are great and the plants are delightful. There's a refill station with bottles and jars for soaps, detergents and other products, a terrarium bar, and an abundance of sustainable and beautiful products. I'm now in the process of pondering who I can purchase Plant Connector gifts for in the coming months.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #ShopLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #PlantConnector
This is your periodic reminder that @berkshiremuse This is your periodic reminder that @berkshiremuseum is a great visit for all ages. The current Voyage to the Deep exhibit, which involves an interactive Nautilus submarine that my 5 year old spent literally hours in.  We also thoroughly enjoyed the Aquarium and Berkshire Backyard. Highly recommended - we'll be back soon!
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #BerkshireMuseum #PittsfieldMA
My January and early February menu plans for my @m My January and early February menu plans for my @mightyfoodfarm vegetables are finally up on the blog. See how we're making use of these beautiful items, as well as the items from the other pick up we made in the past month. 
Link in profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
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