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After sharing the Top 10 Recipes of 2014, (as chosen by all of you!), I couldn't resist sharing my own favorite new recipes from this past year. This is one of my favorite posts to compile each year, as I remember the foods that my family loved best of all.

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As we countdown the days until the new year, I'm having fun looking back and remembering the recipes I've shared with you over this past year. Today I'm sharing the Top Ten New Recipes from 2014. These are the recipes that were viewed the most frequently this past year. Counting down from #10 to #1, here are the most popular recipes as chosen by Barefeet In The Kitchen readers:

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Merry Christmas! For the final Favorite Things Giveaway of 2014, I'm giving away (3) $50 Amazon Gift Cards to the best readers and friends I ever could have imagined. I'm wishing each and every one of you a wonderful finish to the holiday season. All you have to do to be entered in the giveaway is leave a comment telling me what you will buy if you win.

This is my favorite time of year! I'm going to curl up on the couch, read as many books as I can, make our favorite recipes, find snow to play in, and watch lots of movies while snuggled into warm blankets. We're going to visit with family and friends, relax, and spend our days eating, laughing, and playing. I plan to make the most of every moment through the end of the holiday season.

I'm taking a blogging vacation from now until the second week of January. I have a couple of things already scheduled to share, so you'll see them here while I'm away, but beyond that I'm officially on my Christmas break!
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Creamy vanilla ice cream with a hint of cinnamon and plenty of finely crushed crunchy peanut brittle, this ice cream turned out even better than I imagined it would when I first had the idea. The tiny sprinkling of cinnamon adds an unexpected depth to this ice cream without a strong cinnamon flavor, so don't even think of skipping it.

I initially planned to give this batch of ice cream to friends, (I honestly do try to give away as much of our ice cream stash as possible, in the interest of actually being able to wear my favorite jeans!) but I couldn't stay out of this ice cream! I had to make another quick batch of peanut brittle, just to make more ice cream for gifting. This is one of my favorite ice cream flavors I've ever made.

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I thought I was done with the holiday treats for this year and then I ran across my friend Sue's recipe for Easy Microwave Peanut Brittle. I'd printed it to try a while back and I'd even picked up the peanuts at the store. With a few free minutes this afternoon, it was the perfect chance to make it. In less than 10 minutes time, this candy was cooling on the counter!

This candy was so easy to make and completely delicious, I couldn't resist squeezing in one more candy recipe this year. (And don't give all of this peanut brittle away too quickly, I have an awesome use for a few pieces of the candy tomorrow!!)

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In contrast to many holidays in the past, this year I have spent more time out of the kitchen than in the kitchen. However, I still wanted to give homemade treats to friends and family. Edible gifts will probably be my favorite things to give for as long as I am able, but the lesson I've learned over the years is that the gifts do not need to be fancy or time consuming in order to be appreciated.

If you're looking for a last minute gift idea, I hope that one of these will help you! These recipes are all favorites on the blog and each one requires just a few minutes hands on time. With a quick grocery shopping trip and about an hour in the kitchen, I had enough goodies and treats for over a dozen food gifts.

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This Italian Red Wine Roast Beef slowly cooks in the crock-pot creating an unforgettable dinner with almost no effort at all. This smells so fantastic as it cooks, I could hardly wait to taste the roast the first time I made it and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Seasoned with just a light blend of Italian spices and then cooked in red wine, this roast is happily eaten by every member of the family.

I've been making this Red Wine Roast Beef for a couple years now and it never fails to impress. The aroma while it cooks is almost as amazing as the resulting meat. I could eat this roast beef every week all year long.

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Smooth chocolate combines with peppermint to make this classic holiday treat. Whether you want a dessert for a party or a gift for a friend, Peppermint Bark is perfect for almost any holiday occasion. I'm going to show you today just how easy it is to make. Once you've made peppermint bark at home, the odds are good that you'll never be tempted to buy it again.

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If you're looking for some last minute gift ideas, I have you covered with everything from our favorite training chopsticks to the best hand warming coffee mug ever. This list is chock-full of fun kitchen and food related gifts ranging from $3 - $30. AND check back later this week for a HUGE giveaway and a chance to make your Christmas extra special!

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This Brown Sugar Pound Cake is hands-down, beyond any doubt, the best pound cake I have ever tasted. My friend Sandra brought it to a party last month and I LOVED it. I asked her for the recipe after the first bite and she was nice enough to send me the link the very next day.

I played with the recipe over the past couple weeks and I'm thrilled with the gluten free version; it tastes every single bit as amazing as the original. Whether you need a traditional dessert or a gluten free version, this cake is 100% guaranteed to impress.

I made this cake for a Christmas party last weekend and it was a huge hit. I saved a slice for my breakfast the next morning and I'm not even kidding, I have missed this cake every morning since. If the #cakeforbreakfasteverydaydiet was really an option, I'd be all over that.

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Creamy, rich, thick, Caramel Glaze Topping is perfect for drizzling over your favorite desserts. I poured this glaze over the Brown Sugar Pound Cake and it was spectacular.

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If you know my family well, the odds are good that you know how much my youngest son LOVES oatmeal. When you ask him, at any moment of the day, what he would like to eat, he grins at you and says, "Oatmeal, Oatmeal, OATMEAL!" Even after over two years of hearing this, I still laugh every single time.

This kid loves oatmeal so much that he would eat it all day long and happily does request it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While oatmeal is just about the easiest meal ever, there are limits to when I am willing to serve it. He does however, order it every time it is available on a restaurant menu, yes, even for dinner.

My answer to the monotony of daily bowls of oatmeal is to be as creative as possible with minimal effort. Most of these recipes take less than ten minutes effort and the results are two-thumbs-up delicious.

We bake our oatmeal in the oven, simmer it on the stove, and cook it in the Crock-pot. In over three years of blogging, I've amassed more than a few oatmeal recipes. Today I'm sharing our Top Ten Oatmeal Recipes, as voted on by my whole family. These are tried and true favorites and I'm willing to bet they will become favorites in your home as well.

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Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream. This is some of the creamiest ice cream I have ever made and for the record, it is nothing like the mint flavored ice cream you can find in a store. Pure peppermint deliciousness from start to finish without even a hint of a chemical or mass produced flavor.  This Peppermint Ice Cream is surprisingly light, sweet, and minty. I think I dipped a spoon into the freezer container about 15 times the first time I made this and I'm not even a huge fan of peppermint!

Peppermint Ice Cream is a spectacular combination of winter flavors and summer refreshment. I can promise you now that I'll be making this Candy Cane Ice Cream in June, just wait. I'm trying, I really am, but there aren't even words to describe how fantastic this ice cream is. If you hang out with me on Instagram, you may already know that it blew my mind last week. I'm still so impressed with this ice cream, I've made two more batches just to share it with friends.

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I'm so excited to be giving away this fantastic Anolon cookware next in the series of my Favorite Things Giveaways this Christmas!

For the past year, I've been on the hunt for new pans. My main requirements were that the pans be medium-heavy weight stainless steel, oven safe to 500 degrees, and comfortable to hold. These pans do all of that and they look fantastic as well.

A couple months ago, Anolon sent me several pieces of their Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel cookware to try and let me tell you, this cookware is fantastic. I've stir-fried, sautéed, broiled, boiled, sauced, fried, and all-around cooked my heart out with these pans. I'll be the first to admit that I am brutal on my cookware. These pans clean up beautifully and they are dishwasher safe as well.

The cookware looks every bit as gorgeous today as the day it arrived at my door and I'm thrilled to be giving away my favorite pieces! One lucky winner will receive (1) 12.75-Inch Covered French Skillet and (1) 5 Quart Covered Dutch Oven. All you need to do to be entered in the giveaway is tell me what you will make first in your new cookware.


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Frito Pie Huevos Rancheros is what happens when a craving for Huevos Rancheros meets a need for Fritos. This breakfast begins with a layer of chips, then you add black beans, chile sauce, roasted potatoes, melting cheese, bacon, and top the whole pile with an egg and more chile sauce.

From the first crunchy, spicy, gooey, egg soaked bite, we loved this meal. I suspect I'll be making this again very soon. Frito Pie Huevos Rancheros is a delicious brunch option for any occasion.

Want a few more breakfast ideas for a fun weekend meal? How about Blueberry Lemon Baked French Toast? or German Apple Pancakes? These Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs are a fancy twist on a simple breakfast for any occasion.

What is YOUR food weakness? I've never been able to walk by a bag of Fritos without eating a handful!

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Peppermint Hot Chocolate is one of our favorite warm drinks this time of year. Hot tea has its place forever in my heart, as do Chai Lattes and Cafe con Leche, but there is something about a cup of cocoa that just beckons me to sit down in front of the Christmas tree and savor the moment. Mix together a batch of this hot cocoa mix today and have it ready for easy hot chocolate through the holiday season.

Ever since I made homemade hot chocolate for the first time a few years ago, and subsequently laughed at myself for thinking it was going to be difficult, I haven't bought another store-bought hot cocoa mix. Simple Homemade Cocoa requires nothing but unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, and milk. You can add chocolate chips, vanilla, whipped cream, miniature marshmallows, homemade marshmallows, just about anything fun or fancy will make it extra special.

Like at least half the people I know, I frequently stir my hot cocoa with a candy cane or drop a peppermint candy into the bottom of the mug. As I was stirring my cocoa with a candy cane the other day, while watching Sean and the boys set up our Christmas tree, I decided to see if I could grind up some peppermint candies and make a ready-to-use hot cocoa mix to enjoy all through the holidays. As I was hoping it would, the blender turned the peppermint candies into powder and everything dissolved perfectly. This is the smoothest, creamiest, peppermint hot cocoa I could have imagined.

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Today I'm sharing some easy kid-friendly recipes and a couple of craft ideas to help keep kids of all ages occupied and happy this holiday season!

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Cinnamon. Toast. Bars. If you make nothing else that I've shared with you, you NEED Cinnamon Toast Bars in your life. These bars are a twist on my beloved Cinnamon Toast Cake; it has been a favorite since I was a little girl. No fork or plate required, this is the ultimate handheld dessert for every cinnamon toast loving person.

Cinnamon Toast Bars are covered in a crunchy, caramelized cinnamon sugar topping that is like nothing else you've ever tasted. I've made these bars 6 times in the past month. They are crazy good, completely dangerous, and absurdly easy to make.

You don't have to take my word for it either. Rebecca at Foodie with Family made these bars in both the traditional and vegan versions and her family and friends loved them. Her post eventually led to this community thread over at King Arthur Flour. The comments made me laugh as they proclaimed their love for the Cinnamon Toast Bars.

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To kick off the Christmas season with a big, shiny, colorful splash, KitchenAid is giving one KitchenAid Stand Mixer to a very lucky Barefeet In The Kitchen reader. It will arrive at the winner's door straight from KitchenAid just in time for Christmas!


If this mixer isn't already on your Christmas wish list, it should be! I've had my black KitchenAid stand mixer for over ten years now and it gets used multiple times a week. I'm loving the look of all these bright and shiny new colors though! I wonder if I could talk Santa into bringing me the Empire Red one??? I'm already picturing it in my kitchen.

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Creamy potato soup with soft chunks of buttery potatoes and salty sweet ham is perfect with a salad on the side or just some crusty bread. This recipe is so over-the-top simple, it's hardly a recipe. However, awesome ways to use our leftovers make my heart go pitter-pat, so I'm sharing this soup with you today. I spent less than 5 minutes working on this meal and when we were ready to eat all I needed to do was scoop and serve. That is my favorite kind of easy dinner!

I was staring into the refrigerator over the weekend and I really didn't feel like warming up another plate of leftovers. (This is what tends to happen when you accidentally wind up with triple the amount of ham and potatoes as your family could possible eat!) I saw the container (okay, technically, it was pretty much a vat) of potatoes and a big package of ham and decided to see if I could improvise with what we had and come up with a new Baked Potato Soup. Unlike a few other recent recipe attempts, this improvised soup turned out fabulously and there was hardly a bite leftover!

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