Three years ago today, I started up this blog with a recipe for ginger peach pandowdy baked in a cast-iron skillet. It was a year after I graduated college, I had a lot of free time on my hands after getting home from work, and I wanted to channel my creative energy into some things that I loved: writing and cooking.
I had no grand visions for what the blog could be or become. For me, it was as simple as making food, taking some photos, and writing about it. Maybe weaving in some stories about other creative ventures or travels that I was embarking upon. Which hopefully, more or less, it still is.
I’ve learned a lot about food and a lot about myself over these past few years, and as the blog has grown beyond its borders and stretched its arms into the far-reaching corners of my life, I am incredibly grateful to my friends and to you, my readers, both the newcomers and the ones who’ve been here from the start, who make this space such a joy for me to return to again and again. Thank you!
To celebrate, I’ve rounded up my top five favorite recipes that I’ve shared here on this blog over the years. Here they are, in no particular order. Love and gratitude to you!
1. Lavender lemon bars
These lemon bars are seriously the best you’ll have anywhere. They’re tart and tangy, and sneaking some lavender blossoms into the shortbread crust just puts them over the top.
2. Butternut squash galette with goat cheese and sage
I love galettes. They’re pies for lazy people, and savory versions taste so decadent even if it didn’t take much to put them together. I’ve also made individual portions of this galette for freezing and enjoying later.
3. Full moon soup with parsnips and celeriac
This recipe and post are very close to me. Instead of writing just about food, I put myself out there to talk about my food philosophy and spiritual philosophy (they are very closely intertwined for me), and readers responded with so much love and support. This soup is the most comforting thing in the dead of winter.
4. Carrot cake with chai spices
I feel like carrot cake often gets a bad rap, which is a shame because well-made carrot cake beats chocolate cake any day in my book. My go-to recipe uses warming chai spices in the batter.
5. Limoncello
I never thought I would or could make limoncello (or any kind of liquor, for that matter), but here we are! And the results rival anything you’d get from a sunny seaside town in Italy. The process is basic, but the product so rewarding that I wonder why people don’t just put in an hour of work to reap the benefits. The past year has been a doorway into learning how to preserve and put up foods, and learning to make limoncello has been a remarkable part of that process.
Happy Anniversary and congratulations! Personally, I vote for the limoncello . . .
Haha, you would 😉
We have almost the same blog birthday! : )
congrats on the anniversary! I love galettes for the very same reason – and that carrot cake looks gorgeous!
Reblogged this on In the Woodshed~ By Toscano Interiors and commented:
So I LOVE this blog!!! She has some of the most amazing and unique recipes! Not too mention her content is pretty fun too! I wanted to share this with all my blog followers. Enjoy!
~Candance
Congratulations on a great blog! Loved the post!