The year 2017 challenged me personally, professionally and politically. Place at the Table served as a space for exploring creativity in the kitchen, escape and distraction from the world, and pure enjoyment. As I reviewed the last twelve months, I found surprising variety among the five top recipe posts of the year. While I found inspiration for these posts from several sources, each one counts as an original recipe. All posts first appeared in 2017 and ranked the highest number of readers.

I hope sharing creative adventures here provided you at least half as much joy as it brought me. The top five original recipes for 2017 on the blog are:

1. Ali Nazik – This Turkish dish can claim the advantage of posting early in January of this year for maximum exposure. I have not made this recipe again since January, but the post drew readers from all over the globe. Enjoy this smoked eggplant yogurt pureé with ground beef stew.
2. Torta Mortadella – This recipe favorite which some called “bologna cake” proved fun to make. I created this recipe in reaction to several unappetizing videos of a bologna cake posted on Facebook. This version utilizes fancier ingredients. Bologna proved a popular subject on the blog this year (see Battle of the Bologna Biscuits in Memphis).
3. Sourdough Baking for Beginners – Learn how to maintain sourdough starter and bake your own fresh bread.
4. Braised Chicken Thighs with Lemon Verbena – The gift of fresh herbs from a friend led to something new in the kitchen.
5. Poached Egg Omelette – My love affair with soft egg yolk led me to perfecting this breakfast marvel.

Many thanks to all of you who read this blog and share a passion for cooking, hospitality and tasty food. May peace, prosperity and great cooking reign in your new year!