2022 – what a year of cooking! In March, nearly 7 years and 1271 recipes later I officially finished the project in the most magical and unforgettable way with Ina herself walking me through assembling her Boston Cream Pie. I cannot fathom how unbelievably lucky I was to get to experience that and still have to pinch myself wondering if this is real life?!
But Ina wasn’t done with us – she also released her 13th book, Go-To Dinners, which I’m working my way through now!
Finishing the project allowed me to finally explore some of the cookbooks on my bookshelf, and I had a fantastic time cooking from In Bibi’s Kitchen, Korean American, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, and Salt Fat Acid Heat.
Unfortunately, I got a little too excited cooking from these books which took me away from developing my own recipes, but I did create a handful that I loved including Carrot Cake Trifle; Lemony Farro Salad with Grapes, Pistachios & Pickled Red Onions; and Crispy Chicken Thighs & Roasted Potatoes with Serrano-Cilantro Cream Sauce.
And after being pushed toward Reels all year, I spent August creating a Beyonce-themed recipe/video series – I loved the final videos but filming all the time made cooking in the kitchen kind of miserable so I’m back to photos with a video every once in a while – and have some balance in my life again.
Today, I’m recapping my favorite recipes from the year – whether from Ina, a Cookbook of the Month, or an Ina Cheat Day.
TOP 10 INA RECIPES
Since I finished the project this year, I only made about 60 Ina recipes compared to the usual 200+ but here are the top 10 from 2022 in no particular order.
Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake (Recipe not online)
Easy Eggs in Purgatory (Recipe)
Chicken in a Pot with Orzo (Recipe)
English Rib Roast (Recipe)
Salted Pistachio Meringues (Recipe)
Boston Cream Pie (Recipe)
Caramelized Butternut Squash with Burrata (Recipe not online)
Cinnamon-Spiced Shortbread (Recipe)
Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie (Recipe)
Baked Rigatoni with Lamb Ragu (Recipe)
COOKBOOKS OF THE MONTH
I cooked my way through four books this year – making at least two recipes from each chapter. Click on the book titles to see every recipe I made from the books but I highlight a few below.
APRIL 2022
Hawa Hassan’s In Bibi’s Kitchen
Prego Rolls (Steak and Piri Piri Sandwiches) (Recipe)
Spiced Chicken and Onion Samosas (Recipe)
Chicken Biryani (Recipe not online)
MAY 2022
Eric Kim’s Korean American
Budae Jjigae (Recipe)
Milk Bread with Maple Syrup (Recipe)
Aunt Georgia’s Soy Fried Chicken with Jalapenos (Recipe)
Gochugaru Shrimp with Roasted-Seaweed Grits (Recipe)
Jean’s Perfect Jar of Kimchi (Recipe)
JUNE 2022
Deb Perlman’s Smitten Kitchen
Gooey Cinnamon Squares (Recipe)
Harvest Roast Chicken with Grapes, Olives, and Rosemary (Recipe)
Potato Frittata with Feta and Scallions (Recipe not online)
SEPTEMBER 2022
Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat
Buttermilk-Marinated Roast Chicken (Recipe)
Summer Panzanella: Tomato, Basil, and Cucumber with Torn Crouton (Recipe)
Chicken and Garlic Soup (Recipe not online)
INA CHEAT DAYS
Here are my favorite non-Ina, non-Cookbooks of the Month recipes!
Woks of Life’s Mapo Tofu with Fermented Black Beans (Version of the Recipe)
Illyanna Maisonet’s Califas Shrimp (Recipe)
Eric Kim’s Soft Sugar Cookies With Raspberry Frosting (Recipe)
Ali Slagle’s Turmeric-Black Pepper Chicken With Asparagus (Recipe)
Julia Turshen’s Ribs with Gochujang, Fish Sauce + Honey (Version of recipe)
Lidey Heuck’s Chickpea Salad With Fresh Herbs and Scallions (Recipe)
Sahara Bohoskey’s Coconut-Harissa Meatballs (Recipe)
Dan Pelosi’s Vodka Sawce (Recipe)
Eric Kim’s Gochujang Caramel Cookies (Recipe)
STORE-BOUGHT IS FINE RECIPES
While I didn’t find nearly as much time as expected to develop my own recipes, here are a few that I’m most proud of just in case you missed them!
Crispy Chicken Thighs & Roast Potatoes with Serrano-Cilantro Cream Sauce (Recipe)
Lemony Farro Salad with Grapes, Pistachios & Pickled Red Onions (Recipe)
Carrot Cake Trifle (Recipe)
BEYONCE SERIES
With Instagram forcing creators to Reels, I spent August curating a Beyonce-themed menu. Loved the videos, but hated the process! I hope you enjoy them!
Check out the full series here.
Other “Best of” lists here.
