My Top 10 Dessert Recipes of 2016

#1 Chocolate Whoopie Pie Cake

This might just be one of the best cakes ever.  It is DIVINE. 

#2 Better Than Anything Zucchini Poke Cake
I turned a classic cake into a zucchini version and guess what?  You will have no-clue there is zucchini hidden in there.  This cake is fantastic.  

#3 Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling
A chewy red velvet cookie, made from scratch, sandwiched together with cream cheese frosting.  Totally delicious.   

#4 Triple Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These cookies became a favorite after one bite.  They are so stinking easy to make and everyone raves about them.

#5 Peanut Butter Cocoa Krispie Treats
I could seriously eat the entire pan of these by myself.  The familiar texture of a rice krispie treat, but flavored with chocolate and peanut butter.  Super yummy.

#6 No-Bake Chocolate Eclair Dessert
Layers of graham crackers, fluffy pudding and rich chocolate.  Decadent and incredible.

#7 Swirled Mint Chip Brownies
I have always loved chocolate and mint together and these brownies are rich and super tasty.  Melted mint chips are swirled into homemade brownie batter and then baked to perfection.

#8 Cookie Butter Bars
These bars . . . I have been known to increase my exercise routine, just so I can eat these bars.  I think they are fabulous.

#9 Pineapple Cheesecake Cake
There are so many flavor possibilities with this base cake recipe.  This pineapple version is delicious and perfect for Spring or Summer. 

#10 Strawberry Cookies 'n Cream Cookies
A chewy strawberry cookie filled with creamy cookies 'n cream bars and white chocolate chips.  These are always a huge hit.  

My Top 8 Main Dishes of 2016

#1 Grilled BBQ Chicken with Pepper Jack and Bacon
Grilled marinated chicken, barbecue sauce, crispy bacon and pepper jack cheese.  It really doesn't get much better than this.  I ate this so many times this year and I wish I was eating it right now. 

#2 Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Flatbread Pizza
WOW!  The flavor of this pizza is incredible.  You will be blown away by how good this is.  

#3 Chicken Cordon Bleu Rice Casserole
This is not your average chicken and rice casserole.  Everything you love about chicken cordon bleu is stuffed into this casserole and your whole family will love it. 

#4 Ranch Shredded Chicken Tacos
These tacos start with my go-to 4-ingredient Mexican Shredded Chicken and then are topped with ranch, shredded cheese, cilantro, diced tomatoes and whatever else you desire.  Super tasty.  

#5 Chili Cheese Baked Potato Casserole
I LOVE a warm comforting bowl of chili.  I always make a huge batch and eat it for days and days.  If you want to switch up your leftovers, combine your leftover chili with diced potatoes and create an amazing casserole.  

#6 Chicken Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder
This recipe is what started my love for sweet potatoes in savory recipes.  This healthy chowder is loaded with so many veggies and the flavor is wonderful.

#7 Shredded Pork Chimichangas
A fried chimichanga - what's not to love?  I stuffed mine with tender shredded pork, beans and cheese and topped with a bunch of yummy ingredients.  

#8 Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Quinoa
This recipe is great for week nights.  Once everything is prepped, the cooking part is super fast.  It's loaded with healthy ingredients and it tastes great leftover. 

My Top 8 Bread Recipes of 2016

#1 Cinnamon Roll Quick Bread
This bread is so soft and has an ooey, gooey, cinnamon swirl and a sweet vanilla glaze, just like a cinnamon roll, but in bread form.  

#2 Cherry Almond Bread
I LOVE this bread so much.  I can't get enough of it, it's a good thing one batch makes two loaves. 

#3 Cinnamon Roll Zucchini Bread
This is just like my #1 bread recipe, but it's loaded with zucchini.  It's really really delicious. 

#4 Peach Bread with Cinnamon Streusel Topping
This bread is made with mashed canned peaches and it has a delicious peach flavor.  The cinnamon streusel is the perfect crunchy topping.

#5 Mini Coconut Monkey Bread with Strawberry Glaze
My family loved this mini monkey bread.  You can pull it apart into mini bite-size pieces that are sweet and delicious.

#6 Copycat Chuck-A-Rama Rolls
Homemade rolls are one of my weaknesses.   These are big and soft and buttery and so tasty.

#7 Blackberry Jam Sweet Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
These sweet rolls can really be made with any flavor of jam.  They are so soft and comforting and the cream cheese icing on top is incredible.

#8 Two-Ingredient Cinnamon Chip Bread
This bread couldn't be easier to make and the flavor is so good.  It has a flavor of a cinnamon roll, minus the icing. 

S'mores Indoors

The weather has been really really weird here in Utah lately.  One day it feels somewhat warm and it's in the 50's and the next day there is a snow storm.  On those cold snowy days, warm comforting food is what we all want.  Ooey, gooey s'mores are one of those ultimate comforting treats.

Thanks to these "S'mores Indoors" you can enjoy s'mores all Winter long.  The classic s'mores ingredients are stuffed inside a Rhodes Warm-N-Serv Roll.  Warm-N-Serv Rolls are great, because all you have to do for this recipe is let them thaw, which doesn't take long at all.  No waiting for rolls to rise.

Imagine a warm soft roll stuffed with rich and creamy chocolate, gooey marshmallows and crisp graham crackers.  This really is a yummy treat.  I enjoyed two of them myself.  I like them best served warm.  If they have been sitting at room temperature, just microwave for 10 seconds until warm again.

Let me show you how easy these are to make . . .

First, get your ingredients ready.  You need Rhodes Warm-N-Serv Soft Yeast Rolls that have been thawed, graham crackers, snack-size chocolate bars and regular-size marshmallows.  

Cut top off of rolls and set aside.  Pull middle out of the inside of the rolls to form a bowl.  

Break a 2 1/2-inch square of graham cracker into pieces and place in the bottom of each roll bowl. 

Break each snack-size chocolate bar into pieces and place into each roll bowl.  

Press two regular size marshmallows into the bowl over the chocolate.  

Place top of each roll over marshmallows.  Place each roll onto a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 5-6 minutes or until edges of marshmallows start to melt.  Remove from oven and serve.

I am sharing this delicious recipe over at the Rhodes Blog today.  Click HERE to get this yummy RECIPE.  

This post is sponsored by Rhodes Bread and the recipe was provided by Rhodes Bread.   All opinions are my own and I have always been a fan of Rhodes Rolls.  Thanks for allowing me to work with the brands that I love. 

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My Top 8 Appetizers, Dips and Sides of 2016

#1 Jalapeno Popper Twice Baked Potatoes

I have always said I could eat My Favorite Twice Baked Potatoes every single day for the rest of my life.  Well, these potatoes have been added to that list too.  I LOVE these Jalapeño Popper Potatoes. I always make extra, so I can eat them for a few days in a row.  

#2 Skinny Green Chile and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

I am a huge dip person and I love that I was able to make this dip a little healthier.  It sure doesn't taste like a lighter dip and I can eat the whole pan of this by myself.  

#3 Mango Salsa

Who knew mango salsa was so dang good?  This immediately became a favorite after my first bite.  I made this salsa so many times last Summer.  

#4 Cheesy Stuffed Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks

Wow.  That is what I have to say about these breadsticks.  The flavor and the texture are both incredible.  Dip them in alfredo sauce and you will be in heaven.  

#5 Green Chile Jalapeño Cheese Bread

A warm, gooey, cheesy bread.  What's not to love?  I could eat this comforting bread for dinner and be completely satisfied. 

#6 Chocolate Toffee Apple Dip

This sweet apple dip is so addicting.  Between my apple trees and my parent's apple trees, we had a TON of apples this year.  This dip was the perfect thing to dip those apples in and dare I say, I would pick this over dipping apples in caramel?

#7 Grilled Corn Salsa

We eat a lot of salsa in the Summer with our fresh garden tomatoes and this recipe is fantastic.  It makes a big batch and it tastes good for days.

#8 Cinnamon Sugar Candied Nuts
These are so hard to stop eating once you start.  If you were to ask my family their #1 recipe for this category, they would pick these nuts.

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Chocolate Coconut Bars

I am officially done with my Christmas shopping and it feels so good.  It's crazy to think Christmas is only one week away and that it will be a new year soon.  What has been your favorite goodie you have had this holiday season?  I love it all . . . fudge, sugar cookies, brittle, toffee, cheeseballs, you name it, BUT if you want to try something different, yet still extremely delicious, these bars are a great choice.

This recipe instantly caught my attention because there are only a few ingredients needed, most of which I usually have on hand.  

This is one of those treats that would make a great addition to a holiday cookie platter and it's one that you could make a few days in advance.  The flavors are incredible and the texture is perfect with the snap you get when you bite into the chocolate, followed by the creamy coconut filling and the crisp graham cracker crust.  Easy to make and super yummy.

You might also Like:

Almond Joy Magic Cookie Bars

Easy Pretzel Toffee

Butterscotch Peanut Butter Bars

Reese's S'mores Magic Layer Bars

Chocolate Coconut Bars
adapted from: The Lion House
(Printable Recipe)

2 c. crushed graham crackers
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
4 Tbl. sugar
2 c. sweetened flaked coconut
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz.) pkg. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper; set aside.  Mix graham crackers, butter and sugar together and press into prepared baking pan.  Bake for 7 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle coconut evenly over the hot crust and pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top.  Return the hot pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.  Allow to sit for a few minutes or until the chips are soft.  Spread chocolate evenly over the coconut filling.  Allow the chocolate to set up and cut into bars.  This can be refrigerated to help the chocolate set.

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