The theme of 2022: spicy.
It’s hard to pinpoint a perfect word that sums up 2022. All I know is that a hell of a lot happened and it all seemed so fast.
Between starting work at my dream job and figuring out fatherhood, it has been a rollercoaster of a year. The first 6 months were spent waiting in anticipation for James to arrive. Then once that magic moment came in June, it’s been a whirlwind of parenthood – and despite the craziness – some of the best moments of my life to date.
In fact, our little one is already 6 (almost 7 by the time I post this) months old already. He’s beginning to do all the “I can’t wait until he…” things I said about last time this year when we announced to the world that he was on his way.
He’s ever curious about the world around him – whether it’s screaming in joy at the sight of trees on our family walks to trying to grab our cat’s tail. His sense of exploration and adventure has been a delight to watch as we experience the world through his little blue eyes. Each day brings a new adventure.
And while we are still a long ways off from him getting to try all the adventurous recipes found on this blog, he has started his foray into the world of foods and flavors, getting to try peaches, squash, pumpkin, and all the usual baby firsts. But we did find that, after much drooling and begging, his favorite seems to be grandma’s garlic and sun-dried tomato hummus. So who knows? Maybe it won’t be long until he starts sampling some recipes from the blog.
While it was hard to define 2022 as a while, it was much easier doing so through the lens of food. Looking back on the top ten most viewed recipes of the year, it’s easy to see that spice – from hot pepper BBQ to fiery baked chicken – was the predominant flavor theme this year.
As for 2023. I see some new experiments on the horizon. With a new dutch oven, stand mixer, and sausage stuffer, there is a whole new world of food that awaits. In the meantime, take a taste back through the year with the top ten blogs from 2022.
10. Baked Peri Peri Chicken: Breaded and baked chicken recipe that’s coated in Nando’s Peri-Peri hot sauce.
9. Coconut Curry Polenta: A new take on polenta, this recipe combines a creamy coconut curry sauce with the comforting cornmeal porridge.
8. Tart Cherry Hearts: A quick and simple sweet Valentine’s Day recipe for tart cherry and cream cheese stuffed hearts.
7. Flaming Hot Chorizo Scotch Eggs: The Scotch Egg, already an indulgent meal, gets an unholy makeover with the addition of a chorizo and hot cheeto crust.
6. Jalapeno Popper Salad: A salad that’s not afraid to bring the heat, this jalapeno popper salad is a spicy and fresh twist for your next summer salad.
5. Smoky Blackberry Ancho BBQ Sauce: The Smoky Blackberry Ancho BBQ sauce packs a deliciously sweet BBQ sauce with a heat that really sneaks up on you.
4. Jalapeno Popper Crunchwrap: Crunchwrap meets jalapeno poppers in this delicious mess of a food mashup.
3. Spicy Beer Nuts: Meet the perfect companion to a cold glass of beer with this spicy hot beer nuts recipe.
2. Pineapple Peach Scotch Bonnet BBQ Sauce: A spicy and sweet bbq sauce made with peaches, pineapples, and fiery scotch bonnet peppers.
#1. The McPizza: Say hello to the McPizza – a recipe that captures all the indulgent flavors of fast food and pizza in one delicious bite.