First of all, I want to thank you all for reading my little piece of the interwebs, here. I hope that you find not only recipes, but a laugh or a smile now and then as I share my life and family with you, along with the recipes.
I’ve been writing this blog since 2011, and it has come a long way since then. I started it on a whim, and knew nothing of how it “should” be done. I only made recipes that I found in cookbooks or on other blogs, I thought I had to post things quite literally as I made them – meaning that same night or the next day, even if I made multiple recipes, and my photography skills were…seriously lacking. I didn’t know anything about lighting, food styling, or props. I just made the food, plopped it on the plate for dinner, and took a quick picture with my little Canon digital camera. I think I even used a flash in the beginning.
I’d like to believe that I’ve come a long way in the past 7 years, even though I still have leaps and bounds to go to get where I’d like to be. I’ve started developing more and more of my own recipes, worked on my lighting set up and natural light use when possible, and I bought a good, DSLR camera that has truly made a world of difference in itself. I try to incorporate props and do more food styling when I can, and I know it also makes a huge difference.
In 2019, my goal is to make even more improvements, but mostly to find more TIME to do all these things. Having a baby really changed things for me, and now having her as a toddler makes it all the more difficult to find time to photograph at dinnertime. Because…toddler, who wants to be where mama is, and touch all. the. things. And also a new job that gets me home later in the evenings, and makes things more rushed to get dinner cooked and on the table at a decent hour. I haven’t been able to prioritize the blog as much, even though I still cook every night. I went from posting daily, to posting once a month. It makes me sad, because I love writing this blog, sharing recipes and stories with you all. But, being Mom is my priority and I can’t shove the kid aside for my own selfish hobby. I can, however, find a way to better manage my time so that I can do both. At least that’s my hope. And I thank all of you, dear readers, for sticking with me even when there may be a month in between recipe posts.
And, without further ado, here are the top 10 posts that you all were loving in 2018! Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to sharing so much more with you in 2019!! Happy New Year!
10. Southwest Steak Salad with Creamy Avocado Jalapeno Lime Dressing
9. Chicken in Creamy Basil Wine Sauce
8. Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Tart
7. Balsamic Chicken BLT Salad with Avocado & Feta
6. Mini Chicken and Waffles
5. Queso Shrimp Dip Nachos
4. Creamy Pesto Turkey Meatballs
3. Slow Cooker Tater Tot Casserole
2. Horseradish-Crusted Salmon
This one has been in the top 5 for a few years now!!
And finally, the #1 recipe of 2018, by leaps and bounds….
1. Venison Sausage Tortellini Skillet
2018 has been an amazing year, and I look forward to all that 2019 has in store! Wish you and yours a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!!
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