Discover the Most Loved Recipes of 2018: A Look Back at Your Favorite Dishes on Crunchy Creamy Sweet!
As another year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to pause, reflect, and celebrate the culinary journey we’ve shared. Here at Crunchy Creamy Sweet, our mission has always been to bring joy and simplicity back to your kitchen, making dinnertime a delightful, stress-free experience for everyone. We believe that home cooking, even from scratch, should be accessible, flavorful, and incredibly satisfying. And as we look back at 2018, it fills our hearts with immense pride and gratitude to see which recipes resonated most with you, our amazing community of home cooks.
This past year, you’ve embraced easy weeknight solutions, explored comforting classics, and even ventured into new flavor territories with enthusiasm. We’ve poured our passion into developing dishes that are not only delicious but also incredibly approachable, ensuring that even on your busiest days, a wholesome, homemade meal is within reach. It’s truly rewarding to find many of my own personal go-to dishes making it onto this coveted list, proving that great taste and simplicity are universally appreciated. Get ready to dive into the most popular recipes of 2018 – the dishes you cooked, loved, and shared. We hope this collection inspires your culinary adventures in 2019 and beyond, bringing even more deliciousness to your family table.
YOUR TOP 10 FAVORITE RECIPES OF 2018
- Quick & Easy Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls: Elevate your weeknight dinner game with this incredibly flavorful and ridiculously simple Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl. Far superior to any takeout option, this Asian-inspired delight can be on your table in just about 20 minutes, making it a regular fixture in many busy households. Featuring tender, succulent chicken coated in a luscious, sweet, and garlicky homemade teriyaki sauce, served alongside fluffy rice and vibrant steamed broccoli, it’s a perfectly balanced meal that satisfies every craving. The secret lies in fresh ingredients and a quick cooking method that doesn’t compromise on taste.
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup: When cold and flu season hits, or you simply crave a bowl of pure comfort, this Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup is your ultimate remedy. This recipe revolutionizes the way you make this classic dish, delivering a hearty, flavorful pot of goodness in a fraction of the traditional time. The pressure cooker works its magic, tenderizing the chicken and infusing the broth with deep, rich flavors, creating a nourishing soup that’s perfect for warming you from the inside out. It’s truly the fastest and easiest path to homemade comfort.
- Roasted Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower: Forget bland vegetables! This Roasted Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower transforms humble cauliflower into crispy, irresistible bites that even the pickiest eaters will adore. Instead of frying, these florets are baked to perfection in the oven, achieving a delightful crunch and golden-brown exterior. Each bite is bursting with the savory aroma of roasted garlic and the nutty, salty kick of Parmesan cheese, making it an incredibly tasty and healthier alternative to traditional fried snacks or a fantastic side dish for any meal.
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes: Achieve perfectly fluffy, tender baked potatoes every single time with the help of your Instant Pot. This game-changing method eliminates the need for aluminum foil and significantly cuts down on cooking time, making it ideal for busy weeknights or when you’re craving a hearty side without the long oven wait. The pressure cooker steams the potatoes to an incredible softness, resulting in an interior that’s wonderfully airy and ready to soak up all your favorite toppings, from butter and sour cream to chili and cheese.
- Cheesy Spinach Dip Chicken Pasta: Prepare to meet your new favorite comfort food obsession! This Cheesy Spinach Dip Chicken Pasta ingeniously combines two beloved dishes – creamy, decadent spinach dip and satisfying pasta – into one unbelievably cheesy and luscious meal. Tender chicken pieces are tossed with pasta in a rich, velvety sauce infused with the flavors of classic spinach dip, creating a dinner that’s both indulgent and incredibly satisfying. It’s a dish that demands to be made and will undoubtedly become a staple in your recipe rotation.
- Garlic Butter Mushroom Pork Chops: Unlock a world of flavor with these incredibly tender and juicy Garlic Butter Mushroom Pork Chops. Seared to a golden perfection and then simmered in a luscious sauce featuring aromatic garlic and earthy mushrooms, these pork chops are packed with an unbelievable amount of flavor. This quick dinner comes together effortlessly, making it an ideal choice for a weeknight meal that feels gourmet. The rich, savory sauce blankets the chops, ensuring every bite is a burst of deliciousness.
- Instant Pot Chicken Thighs: Discover the ultimate easy way to cook bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs to absolute perfection using your pressure cooker. These Instant Pot Chicken Thighs emerge incredibly tender, juicy, and falling off the bone, with crispy skin if you choose to broil them briefly afterwards. Not only does this method yield flawlessly cooked chicken, but it also offers a fantastic bonus: the opportunity to create a rich, flavorful gravy right in the same pot. It’s a versatile recipe perfect for meal prep or a satisfying family dinner.
- Homemade Teriyaki Sauce: Skip the store-bought bottles and whip up the best and easiest homemade Teriyaki Sauce you’ve ever tasted! Requiring only a few simple pantry staples, this versatile sauce is incredibly easy to make and infinitely better than its commercial counterparts. Its perfect balance of sweet, salty, and umami flavors makes it an excellent accompaniment for a wide array of Asian dishes, from succulent chicken and shrimp to delicate salmon and vibrant vegetarian stir-fries. Elevate your cooking with this essential condiment.
- The Best and Easy Sweet Potato Casserole: A true Thanksgiving holiday classic made incredibly easy, this Sweet Potato Casserole is a must-have for any festive gathering. Creamy, perfectly spiced mashed sweet potatoes form the base, but it’s the irresistible praline topping that truly sets this dish apart. A crunchy, buttery, and sweet pecan topping creates a delightful contrast in texture and flavor, elevating this side dish to star status. It’s a recipe that guarantees applause and requests for seconds!
- Black Bean Taco Salad: Enjoy all the vibrant flavors of a classic taco salad with a healthier, lighter twist. This Black Bean Taco Salad is a refreshing and satisfying meal packed with an abundance of fresh vegetables and hearty black beans, providing a wonderful plant-based protein alternative to chicken or beef. Each forkful delivers a delightful crunch and an explosion of Mexican-inspired flavors. The homemade dressing, simple yet utterly irresistible, ties all the components together beautifully, making this salad a delightful and wholesome choice for lunch or dinner.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for being such an integral part of the Crunchy Creamy Sweet family this year. Your enthusiasm in trying our recipes, your thoughtful comments and invaluable feedback, and your wonderful shares of the dishes you’ve created – often with your own creative twists – mean the world to us. It’s your engagement that truly fuels our passion for developing and sharing even more delicious, accessible recipes. As we step into 2019, let’s toast to another year of joyful cooking, shared meals, and countless delicious moments. May the new year be even more flavorful and full of culinary adventures!