Another Year in the Blogosphere

Yup. Two years of food and recipe blogging right here on these pages. Two years of blabbing about what I had for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Two years of barely-tested recipes, uninformed opinions, mediocre food photos and an enduring dislike of beets. Two years of messing up my kitchen, girded in my trusty apron, and telling you how it turned out.

And many of you keep coming back! Gee whiz! Thank you so much!

Blogging my messy, seasonal adventures has gone beyond a hobby to become a habit, and is rapidly becoming a lifestyle. As I look back at the nearly 200 posts I’ve flung out there, I’m a little surprised that I’ve posted so regularly, typed so many words, uploaded so many photos, tried so many new things. I’m thrilled that the number of readers seems to be increasing. I’m somewhat amazed that my attention-challenged self has kept with this for two years. And I can’t believe I’ve eaten that much food.

I don’t think much is going to change in the new Messy Apron year that begins today. Certainly my focus will stay the same: trying to cook seasonally with as many local and sustainable ingredients as I can get my hands on (and can afford), cooking through my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes, keeping my Whole Food Quotient (WFQ) high, having fun, enjoying my meals and snacks, and not obsessing about any of the above. Let’s face it. Healthy sustainability is virtuous (and trendy), but without some homemade ice cream or cookie dough on my apron, I’m just going to feel deprived…and cranky.

I have added a new feature in the column to the right titled “On the Back Burner.” Here, I’ll be listing some of the things I’ve been considering lately, and projects I’m working on, like the
“Cooking from My Bookshelf” challenge I’m planning to force myself to embrace. It involves cooking at least one new (that is, untried by me) recipe from each of the cookbooks I own.

Um, wish me luck with that one.

Since I’ve added “On the Back Burner,” I’ve changed “What I’ve Been Eating” to “On My Plate (and My Apron)” just so it matches a bit better. I’ve also included, under “The Messy Apron Extras,” a link to a Recipe Index by Category (Soups, Desserts, etc.) along with the Alphabetical Recipe Index. Don’t forget, if you can’t find something in the index, you can search for it with the handy-dandy Google application in the right column as well. I also recently added some guidelines for commenting on posts. I’d love to hear more from you.

Launching and sustaining The Messy Apron has been one of the most engaging and satisfying things I’ve ever done. Sometimes it’s a lot like work, but it’s fun, it’s productive, it’s a learning experience, and it’s a social connection. And, best of all, it’s delicious. Thanks so much for reading!

Here are the ten recipes from posts from the last year (April 16, 2010-today) that have been visited most by readers.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Roasted Tomato and Olive Galette
Apple Turnovers with Dried Fruit
Seitan Stir Fry with Asparagus, Green Beans and Black Bean Garlic Sauce
Plum Upside-Down Yogurt Cake
Broccoli Cheese Casserole with Mustard Rye Croutons
Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
Milk Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies
Finnish Cardamom Bread   
Red Flannel Hash with Spicy Mustard