Your top recipes of 2012.

Inspired by a food website I admire quite a bit, Food52, I thought I’d do a roundup of YOUR favorite recipes from 2012. These are the most popular recipes that fellow bloggers and readers liked here on writes4food and those that drew the most comments.

reader favorite recipes of 2012

Pasta with Spring Vegetables—Inspired by that very first batch of spring asparagus procured at the farmers’ market, this simple pasta recipe combines fresh seasonal vegetables and good tortellini.

Mac and Cheese with Spinach, Zucchini and Peas—This was one of my favorite recipes of 2012 as well, and for good reason. Who doesn’t love a good mac ‘n’ cheese? But this recipe incorporates some good-for-you (and tasty) vegetables into a healthy macaroni and cheese variation.

Summer Tomato and Corn Pizza—revisiting this healthy summer vegetable pizza now, when there’s snow on the ground, makes me long for summer produce. Perhaps I’ll tinker with an off-season version using the summer sweet corn I put in the freezer last August and some oven-dried summer tomatoes.

Oatmeal Raisin Cranberry Bars—I made this recipe for hearty oatmeal bar cookies to take on a road trip, and they’re just right for packing. Not too sweet, with nice bits of fruit and sustaining oatmeal, these bar cookies are great for lunchboxes, golf bags, car trips and other on-the-go occasions.

Pecan Pie Bar Cookies—This recipe was initially prompted by The Clara Project; unfortunately, my attempt at one of Clara’s vintage cookie recipes was a complete bust. So I hauled out my grandmother’s old copy of the Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book and found this fantastic recipe for pecan pie bar cookies instead.

Old-Fashioned One-Bowl Chocolate Cake—The very first recipe I drew from the collection of vintage recipes, and the inaugural post of The Clara Project. This simple chocolate cake is what I call a snack cake: super easy to make, delicious, uncomplicated.

Of the 144 new posts here on writes4food in 2012, a few of them drew a lot of your comments—and I’m grateful for your thoughts, insights and feedback. Readers both agreed and disagreed with my post about how couponing encourages overconsumption and not-so-healthy food choices. Apparently, a lot of you share my passion for vintage kitchen tools, as there were a number of comments on my post about my grandmother’s gift of her vintage Pyrex mixing bowls. Speaking of vintage, I was so pleased by your encouragement of The Clara Project that’s inspired by a collection of vintage recipe cards, an antique-store find. (More from Clara Shenefelt’s recipe collection coming in January.) Many readers came to this site seeking tips on how to cook with garlic scapes, a spring delicacy I can barely wait for. And lots of you were interested in cooking with whole grains like quinoa and farro.

I’m thankful to Frugal Feeding, Farm Fresh Eats, Alisa, Sandra and Karen for your generous comments, and to everyone who visits, reads, bookmarks and discovers the healthy and seasonal recipes here.

With my thanks,