By Kevin Williams
Well, here were are....end of 2016. Because of you, Amish365 receives a ton of traffic, over a million visitors a y ear! But there are years and years and years of posts and pages so that traffic is distributed over a ton of pages. Still, a few manage to capture larger shares of the traffic. And as you click, click, click away, my automatic stat keeper is logging which post claims the prize as the most visited. Usually I can predict which ones will land in the top spots, but there were a few surprises this year. So without further delay, in descending order, here are the Top 10 recipes of 2016 based on my stats!
10. Hobo Supper: This is a classic Amish supper. I can't say I am surprised this cracked the top 10, because it is just one of those hearty, comfort food meals.
9. Tears on Your Pillow Pie: Funny name, sweet, delicate flavor. Click here for the recipe for Tears On Your Pillow Pie.
8. Zucchini and Carrot Casserole: This entry slipped into the #8 spot and I was somewhat surprised, because zucchini recipes typically don't go over all that well with reader on Amish365.com. Click here for zucchini and carrot casserole.
7. Cinnamon Cream Cheese Roll-Ups: Yum. Really, that's all I can say. Click here for the recipe.
This recipe was the biggest surprise of 201
6. Amish Peach Upside-Down Cake: This recipe notched one of the biggest surprises of the year. "Peach upside down cake" recipes are a dime-a-dozen and because of that they just don't perform that well usually on the website, but this particular recipe performed well enough to almost crack the Top 5! Click here for the recipe.
5. Easy after Church 5-In-1 Casserole: This is a classic Amish casserole recipe, not surprised this made the Top 5. Click here for this delicious dish.
4. Butterscotch Cream Pie This perennial classic was obviously a favorite with readers. Click here.
3. Beautiful Broccoli Salad: Not surprised that this cracked the Top 3. Not surprised at all, this recipe is a perennial favorite on Amish365 and has occupied the #1 spot the past year or two. This is an amazing, amazing salad recipe so I'm not surprised it performs well, although it does far better than I thought it would. Click here for the recipe.
2. "Marriage Meatloaf" - This recipe is the most viewed recipe of all time on Amis365 although it slipped a notch this year. The recipe gets its name from a reader letter I received about it a decade or so ago. The reader stated that she really believed the meatloaf, in all its deliciousness, helped save her marriage. She said her husband loved the meatloaf so much that it brought them closer together, it was, she felt, one of the few things she could do to bring some happiness to their lives during a difficult time. Wow. Click here for this marriage-saving meatloaf.
DRUMROLL PLEASE.....Occupying the top spot for all recipes on Amish365 with the the most views is.............
Amish doughnuts took the top spot this year
AMISH DOUGHNUTS: So, we had a sweet knock back a savory for the top spot. I'm a little surprised at that, but these doughnuts are from an amazing Amish recipe and if you have a chance to make them (and eat them), you will not be sorry. Viewed 22,059 times this year, click for these doughnuts!
Marion Luchies
Hi Kevin: This is Marion from Ontario, Canada. This is the first comment I've made but wanted to tell you how much my husband and I enjoy your column. We look forward to it every day. Congratulations to Rachel and yourself on adorable Baby Bea's birth and little Aster is so cute. You two have two darling little girls. We live in Lindsay but it's near Glenarm where a lot of Amish & Mennonite people have settled. From May to Dec. we go out to Alva Stoll's Bakeshop a lot in the months he's open. We love the Amish people. We were so sorry to learn of your Grandma's passing, even though she's had a long wonderful life, it's still "Grandma". Our sister in law passed in Sept. of this year at 72 years old, but regardless of the age, a huge void is left. Just thought I'd say "hello" and tell you how much we enjoy your column. All the Best to You All in 2017. Sincerely, Marion & Ep.
Kevin
Marion, thank you so much for the kind words and so nice to have someone from the Glenarm area on the email list. I love the Lindsay, Amish settlement! I was there (so hard to believe because it seems like last year), I guess, six years ago..no, closer to 7 (blows my mind)...the food editor from the Toronto Star accompanied me and I met Alva and some others. The article is here: https://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/2010/01/27/an_amish_food_tour_of_the_kawarthas.html
I'd love to make it back during the summer months some day, I bet it is gorgeous there. Thank you again for the kind words, made my day to hear from somneone from the Glenarm-Lindsay area! - kevin
Nana
I have a question on the recipe for cream cheese crack rollups. Do you use just plain store bought white bread such as Wonder bread or something thicker sliced and with a more substantial texture such as homemade bread?
Kevin
Nana, you could use either...plain Wonder type bread would be fine