In planning for the new year and creating a content calendar for Bite by Bite, I always enjoy taking a look back at some of my favorite things that I cooked (or assembled) over the previous year. It’s a good exercise in that I always stumble upon a dish or two that we loved, that I’d completely forgotten about.
Reviewing the past year, I came up with an assortment of 12 things that I prepared this past year that I really enjoyed. You’ll notice I didn’t say “cooked” because some of these dishes didn’t involve cooking at all but rather “assembling.” There are a couple salmon dishes, several chicken dishes, a salad and some empanadas, among other things.
Forever a fan of the Venn Diagram, I naturally tend to pick out similarities or patterns, and this resulted in three takeaways for me:
I never tire of experimenting with different cole slaws, thanks to my friend Barbara.
2025 was the year of the sweet potato for me, as I simply could not get enough.
An over-easy fried egg or two on top of anything automatically elevates the dish into new territory.
I’m including the dates of the publication in which the dishes ran. You may find them at easttexasnews.com. Or, if you see one in which you’re interested, email me at editor@polkenterprise.com and I’ll send the recipe to you.
I made “Taco Spiced Salmon with Cilantro Slaw” (Feb. 5, 2025) from slenderkitchen.com and served it with brown rice and black beans. It was excellent and Hubby immediately requested we add it to the rotation. It was very easy and quick to prepare and was so good. It couldn’t be easier and it was packed with flavor.
I discovered “Healthy Chicken Salad” (Feb. 9, 2025) on foodbymaria.com and absolutely loved it. Definitely not your mother’s or grandmother’s chicken salad, it is chock full of ingredients that don’t normally come to mind when we think of chicken salad. Healthy and refreshing, it is filled with different flavors and textures. I think it’s the perfect lunch that I could never tire of.
Jen Hatmaker’s “Spicy Jamaican Patties” (April 2, 2025), were easier to make than I expected, were something a little different, and were so good. Though I’d have called them empanadas or meat pies, I learned they’re basically the same thing. A Jamaican patty is a semicircular pastry that contains various fillings and spices baked inside a flaky shell, often tinted golden yellow with an egg yolk mixture or turmeric.
I was hesitant to include this “Deconstructed Salad with Roasted Split Chicken Breasts” (June 13, 2025), but did anyway to illustrate that you can have a healthy, filling meal without actually having to cook anything. Though I roasted split chicken breasts, I could have just as easily picked up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery instead.
Jen Hatmaker’s “Honey Mustard Pecan-Crusted Salmon” (June 29, 2025) is super easy, makes a stunning presentation and is delicious. I served it with asparagus, purple onions and grape tomatoes that I drizzled with some olive oil and seasonings and roasted on the same pan as the salmon. It was a super healthy meal and every bit of it was delicious.
“Tamales with eggs over easy” (Aug. 31, 2025) is another one I was hesitant to include, but did so to show that your imagination is the only thing that limits you in the kitchen. One Saturday morning, just to shake it up a little bit, I steamed some tamales, sprinkled a little shredded cheese on them, topped them with a couple of eggs over easy and then drizzled the whole thing with salsa verde. I served it with fresh tomato and avocado on the side and had I not known better, would have thought it was from a fancy brunch spot.
Something that was both amazing and brilliant in its simplicity, was the “Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese” (Sept. 7, 2025) from themom100.com. If you’re a jalapeno popper fan like we are, then you must try this.
Black beans and sweet potatoes pair so well and are both very versatile so we really enjoyed the “Black Bean Sweet Potato Taco Skillet” (Sept. 16, 2025) I found at delish.com. While we don’t necessarily actively endeavor to have meatless meals, this is a perfect recipe for those that do. The recipe was super easy to prepare, was hearty and filling and we loved it. Hubby even asked, “Are you sure this doesn’t have meat in it?”
The recipe for “Crispy Baked Chicken Cutlets” (Oct. 5, 2025) at healthyfitnessmeals.com looked easy, sounded good and was still relatively healthy. While the recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are pounded into cutlets, I did one better and just purchased them already in thin cutlet form, thus eliminating the pounding step. They were very good and had a nice crunch.
The “Maple-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato Wedges and Brussels Sprouts” (Oct. 30, 2025) from eatingwell.com were easy and absolutely delicious. I truly lost count of how many people came up to me in the weeks following me writing about it to tell me that they’d made it or were going to make it.
You know I’m a big soup-lover and Caroline Chambers’ “Green Chicken Tortilla Soup” (Nov. 2, 2025) may be one of the best soups we’ve ever eaten. It was so good that we both consumed two large bowls of it in record time. In addition to tasting incredible, it was very easy to make (with a number of items that are already in your pantry) and it was super healthy and nutritious.
“Creamy Chicken Tamale Pie” (Dec. 3, 2025) from halfbakedharvest.com was hot and filling, perfect for a cold winter night. It also provided an opportunity for me to experiment with polenta, an ingredient that I’d eaten before, but had never cooked.
