Ahhh! I can’t believe Real Life Dinner is turning 10! What a ride it’s been over the years. I’m excited to share some of the memories and things you might not know about Real Life Dinner over the next few days, but today I want to share my TOP TEN FAVORITE DINNER RECIPES! I’m also super excited to kick the week off with a great GIVEAWAY, one of four giveaways I’ll be posting about this week. Details for this giveaway will be at the end of the post! Don’t miss your chance to enter!

One of the funny things about blogging is that for the most part, you don’t have any control over which of your recipes get good traffic or go viral. I’ve been super surprised over the years by some of the recipes that have gone viral, but probably even more surprised by the ones that get very little traffic. There are some KILLER recipes on Real Life Dinner that never got their time in the spotlight. Some of that is because they were posted when I was still new and didn’t have a lot of followers. Other reasons are probably because the pictures aren’t great, so they don’t have that eye appeal, and some just don’t seem to hit the constantly changing SEO and algorithm markers…keeping up with that is by far my least favorite thing about blogging. YUCK! 

But today, as I am kicking off a week of blog celebration, it feels fitting to post my TOP TEN FAVORITE DINNER RECIPES! …tomorrow I’ll post my favorite desserts. 🙂

Let’s get this started in no particular order.

Best Chicken Tetrazzini: Okay. Maybe there is an order because this one really should be at the top. This is my personal all.time.favorite. dinner recipe. Just so crazy good! I think it doesn’t get people’s attention because the pictures aren’t the best, and it just doesn’t have anything flashy to make it look special, but you best believe, it is very special! A true MUST-MAKE recipe.

Stuffed Meatloaf: This stuffed meatloaf is always going to land in my top 10. Such comfort food with delicious flavors, sort of fancy, but not hard to make. It’s a keeper and perfect for company or a nice family dinner. This recipe is extra special to me because it’s the meal my mom always made me when she would come to help me with my babies.

AMAZING MANICOTTI: I hate to sound dramatic, but this is a life-changing recipe. So good. I got this recipe right after I got married from my friend, Jackie, and have been loving it for the last 19 years. It is also funny to think that before making this recipe I had never cooked with olive oil–never. My mom didn’t use it growing up. My friend told me that I had to use olive oil, or it wouldn’t be the same, so I bought some. Now I only use olive oil in anything that is a tomato based recipe.

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs: This had to make the list because I make it all.the.time. My kids love this chicken, and so do I, but I especially love how simple it is to make. The flavor is awesome and the chicken comes out so tender. You just can’t go wrong with this simple but awesome dinner.

Minestrone Soup: This is one of those recipes that I tried to get on the site for years. It would be eaten so fast, I would forget to take a picture, or it would be too dark by the time I got it made to get a good shot. I finally just decided I didn’t care if the pictures weren’t going to be perfect. I needed to get it on the blog–because every time I made it, people raved and asked for the recipe. Just watch. When you make it for others, they will do the same to you, too. 

Green Curry with Chicken and Potatoes: Okay. This recipe is the bomb! Seriously, so dang good and SOOOO simple. If you aren’t making this in your regular rotation, you gotta get it in there. SOOOO good! You will love this combination of flavors. My kids literally lick the pan clean every time I make this. I think we can all agree the pictures are less then eye appealing and may be the culprit for this one not being famous.

Sheet Pan Fajitas: I know this one looks pretty run-of-the-mill, but it’s not. It is so dang good and so full of flavor. I just love how quickly and easily it cooks up. It’s especially great when you don’t want to fire up the grill to get some good fajita meat grilling. Typical fajitas have got nothin’ on this sheet pan recipe. You’re going to LOVE it!

Kale and Sausage Soup with Cannellini Beans: So, again, the pictures…not helping it win any beauty pageants, but if you can just look past that and whip up a pot of this incredible soup, you’ll see that something amazing has been hiding in plain sight. The garlic and sausage make this soup sing, and the beans and kale make it such a healthy choice for cool fall nights. Don’t let soup weather pass you by without making this stellar soup!

Creamy Cilantro Verde Enchiladas: These are fantastic! I got this recipe about 15 years ago from a friend, and it is still a family favorite! The sauce is so good! It’s the kind of recipe that you will fight your family for the leftovers. At this point, I don’t even dare make it unless I make two pans…too much drama ensues. 

Amazing Stuffed Shells: This one really might have the worst picture of all the recipes on my site. Not only was this recipe published in the early days before I did step-by-step pictures, but it’s also one of those recipes that every time I made it, I forgot to get a picture before we devoured it. So even though it was really dark that evening and I didn’t even take time to plate it, I snapped this shot so I could get the recipe up. I had full intentions to re-make it soon and take better pictures…well, that still hasn’t happened, and the poor recipe rarely even gets a glance, even though it is legitimately stellar! Like, 6 stars stellar!

I knew it would be hard to stop at 10 favorites, so I’ve just got to add a few honorable mentions. 

• Chicken Black Bean Chiliques
• Pulled Pork with Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce
• Workman’s Roast
• Classic Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles
• Pork Adobo
• Thick and Creamy Tomato Parmesan Soup

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

I’ve always thought an epic way to celebrate the Blog’s 10-year anniversary would be to have a huge party where each of my friends brings a favorite recipe they’ve made from the blog. I’m planning to do this in real life, but I thought it would be fun to extend a virtual party to all of you! From today, August 21, through Midnight (Eastern Standard Time) on Sunday, August 27, 2023, you can be entered to win a $250 Amazon Gift Card by participating in my Virtual Blog Birthday Party. There are two ways to enter. (If you do both, you get two entries.)

Two Ways to be entered to win a $250 Amazon Gift Card:

• 1. Comment the word “FAVORITE” along with your review of your favorite recipe on Real Life Dinner.

AND/OR

• 2. Make and photograph your favorite Real Life Dinner Recipe and share it on social media, or send it to me in an email at reallifedinner@gmail.com. (Your photo will be shared on my social media). 

I will announce the winner in a final birthday post and on Social Media on Monday, August 28, 2023. Good Luck!

Disclaimer: To be eligible for giveaways, you must live in the Continental United States or have an APO/FPO mailing address.