My Favorite Recipes of 2020

I am excited to share my favorite posts of 2020 with you, because it is one of my favorite posts of the year! Truth be told all of the recipes I share with you are tested multiple times and enjoyed in my home, but I do have a few favorites of the bunch.

It is hard to pick just one favorite recipe per month, so I opted to share two because why not!? These recipes range from savory to sweet, and incorporate a variety of different cooking styles.

2020 was a strange year. It was hard, but it allowed me to evaluate my life and adapt. I will be happy to see 2020 come to an end, but it was a time for lots of learning and prioritizing.

Pre-COVID19, I got to take my Dad to a basketball game with my sister, and we saw a few great movies with the boys in the theatre. Kellen participated in basketball and Rowan started gymnastics class with a friend. There were many dinners out with my family, Ron, and my friends. I even went to The Office musical with a few friends. We also went to a Winter Family Fun day at a local camp. I participated in-person board meeting for two different community non-profits I work with. I was also teaching as a substitute teacher in our school district while working on my book.

Our school district closed the day after Kellen's winter concert in March. It was a very intense moment because I suddenly became unemployed because sub teachers were not included in the virtual plan initially. However, with the help of readers who come to my space my family was very fortunate. I am forever grateful to all of you.

The following months included the same things many people experienced. Masking, drive-by birthday parades, sanitizing, grocery delivery, virtual schooling, and social distancing.

One shinning light for me in spring was the when my cookbook was published. The Serial Killer Cookbook was one of my favorite projects, and I am so proud of it. Check out my affiliate link to learn more, or purchase a copy of the cookbook!

This summer we sent most of our time at our cottage. My sister, nephew, and my family were so grateful for this time together. We have a small COVID bubble, and spent a lot time within that group. We also collected a lot of rocks, and my sister and I enjoyed learning how to identify different stones.

In fall, school was still virtual as our area started having increasing infection rates, but I was able to take long-term teaching positions and it has been wonderful to be back in the classroom virtually. I recently took a content competency test and am now able to teach language arts and english along with my social studies certification.

The holidays were kept in small groups and the news of a vaccine has made me feeling hopeful. It is hard to keep a group small when worrying about feelings of other, but it was (and still is) important to us to be vigilant.

What I look forward to in 2021 is getting my COVID-19 vaccine. I am reading that teachers are in the next group, and I patiently wait for updates from the State of Wisconsin. I am very hopeful my children will be able to safely return to school later this spring or fall, and we can start to adjust our live again. I look forward to seeing more family and friends, eating at restaurants, movies, and lap swimming again!

In my 2019 Favorite Recipes post I said, "I can only hope that 2020 allows me the same opportunities to grow and learn new things". I think in a way it has. It has been much less in my control, but there have been incredible moments of growth and understanding the human condition for community and caring for the people we love.

Let's get to the recipes!