Becky at Peohe’s in San Diego, which inspired the Avocado-Mango Salsa Stack
In October 2008 I posted my very first blog entry on http://www.goodcookbecky.blogspot.com – which means that this is my 4 year Anniversary blogging — and my 200th post since moving my blog to wordpress in February of 2010! Wow, time sure does fly. I asked some of my friends what they wanted to see in my anniversary post and they made some suggestions. Where was I when I started blogging? Where to I intend to go from here on out? What are some of my favorite recipes?
What first led you to blogging?
I first created my blog to share my favorite recipes with friends. I never really desired to be the top food blog, or to have it act as a source of income. I wanted to keep my blog clean from ads, so I never added any advertisers. I do however refer others to blogs that I also enjoy. I used twitter briefly to try to attract more foot traffic, but in the end it did not matter to me how many people came to my page. I have seen my readership grow though, and it has been interesting to me what subjects or searches draw people to my blog. Mostly though, I was just wanting to share my cooking with friends. It has been fun to see the amount of visitors grow from a few hundred hits in the first year to now having had 28,000+ hits! 🙂
The movie, Julie and Julia inspired me to be more consistent in blogging. I had already blogged some by the time the movie came out, but it inspired me to do more of it. And it inspired me to tackle a recipe that had been on my bucket list of cooking: Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon! I made it several times since… as a matter of fact, my son who is now 9 years old asked for it for his 6th Birthday! And he pronounced it like Julia Child would have, which further cracked us up!
Food that I have had at restaurants have made me seek to try various things – for instance the Avocado Mango Salsa Stack was a result of such – it was inspired by a Chart House Restaurant in San Diego, CA.
What are some of your favorite recipes that you have posted?
Well, this is a longer response.
TOP APPETIZERS:
Amuse-Gueule Au Roquefort (Julia Child recipe for a blue cheese ball appetizer- one of the best I have ever had)
Cheesy Sausage Dip (great with a sliced fresh French Baguette- no picture but a great dip)
Avocado Mango Salsa Stack (served with Tortilla chips)
Southwest Egg Rolls (like those served at popular restaurants- for that super bowl party)
BEST USE OF LEFTOVERS:
Chicken A La King (or use Turkey)
BEST COPYCAT:
RECIPES OF CELEBRITY CHEFS:
Paula Deen’s Jacket Potatoes with Bacon and Mushroom Sauce
Ina Garten’s Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta
Ina Garten’s Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes
Ina Garten’s Lemon Yogurt Cake
Martha Stewart’s Macaroni and Cheese
FAVORITE CROCK POT RECIPES:
FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD:
BEST BREAKFAST RECIPES:
Blueberry Stuffed French Toast (or Strawberry French Toast)
FAVORITE KID FOOD:
FAVORITE SANDWICHES:
FAVORITE SALADS:
FAVORITE CHICKEN RECIPES:
FAVORITE SOUPS:
BEST COOKIE OR BAR:
Hazelnut Chewies (made with Nutella)
Black Dog Restaurant Ginger Cookies
EASIEST FAVORITES:
Slow Cooked Baby-back Ribs (in oven)
BEST GERMAN FAVORITES: (see my German Food Tab)
Marillenknoedel
Apfelstrudel
Wienerschnitzel
Rahmschnitzel
German Beef Rouladen
German Red Cabbage
Semmelknoedel
Buttered Potatoes
Wolfgang’s Beef Goulash and Spaetzle (Wolfgang Puck)
MOST INVOLVED: but it is worth the effort
Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon
Where do you see yourself going in the next 200 posts?
I would like to incorporate more Germanic foods into my blog. These would be recipes that I have translated into English from various cookbooks that I own.
I hope to lose some weight- it has become a curse to be a good cook. My husband and I both face some serious health issues that we need to address with more healthy eating. And eating like the recipes on this blog will not aid in that too much!
My husband and I will be celebrating our 20th Anniversary next March – we will take our family to Maui for a week to celebrate this event. Later in the summer we will be traveling to NJ to visit my parents, who will celebrate their 50th Year of marriage. Good stuff!
Thank you readers for reading my blog and cheering me on. Okay, that is a lot of recipes… what are my absolute top favorites?
Chicken Piccata, Hazelnut Chewies, Basil Cream Chicken, Cajun Chicken Club Sandwiches and Italian Style Pasta Toss. For the kids, even the pickiest guest I have had likes Aunt Nancy’s Chicken Bites. It is a much healthier option to chicken nuggets. I hope you learn to love some of these recipes as much as my family and I have and hope I have inspired you to cook for your loved ones.
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