Seven (Yes 7!) Years of Blogging

February 28, 2014  •  Food for Thought

I almost missed it. The day snuck up on me while I was busy, and I almost forgot to mention that 7 years ago today I did my very first blog post. If I’m honest (and many of you know I’m brutally honest), it was horrible. I had decided to blog about what I made for dinner, and here’s what I wrote:

Salmon
I drizzled the fish with basil olive oil (my summer creation) and seasoned it with salt and pepper before covering and baking for about 30 minutes.

Pasta
Using a food processor, I made a huge dent in the fresh spinach, mixing it with cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, garlic, basil, salt, and a splash of half and half. I mixed al dente penne pasta with this spinach sauce – really good!

Spinach
Trying even harder to use up as much of that bag as I could (not to mention feeling very responsible about the nutrition packed dinner I was creating), I sauteed some sliced garlic in extra virgin olive oil then added the spinach, stirring and cooking just until it wilted.

I didn’t include a single picture at all. In fact, it wasn’t until later that it even dawned on me that a food blog should have photos of food, and it was much later than that when I actually learned how to take a decent food photo. You can see my early blogging as that old site is still up: Michele’s Dinner Journal. Just try not to laugh too hard when you see it.

I’ve come a long way in the blogging world since then. I’ve posted about 1400 blog posts and my site has been visited by nearly a million people from virtually every country in the world. In fact, the only countries where someone has NOT visited my blog are 4 countries in Africa (Chad, Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Somalia), Turkmenistan, North Korea, and Svalbard (which I must admit I’ve never heard of).

I like to think I’ve found my voice over the years: honest, a little self-deprecating, practical. And I like to think my food photography has come a long way. I earned some nice freelance food writing opportunities in the past few years along with a cookbook contract. And despite what you’re going to read in a post next week about my lack of enthusiasm, please keep in mind I wrote that 2 days ago. Luckily, my heart is still in this little blog of mine. I hope you’re still enjoying it too. Thanks for your loyal support!

Comments

3 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Susan Schneckner says:

    Congrats! I look forward to reading future posts by you!

  2. Janine Fugere - As Seen by Janine says:

    Dear Michele,

    I’m so happy that, despite your aforementioned soon to be coming post about your lack of enthusiasm, the celebration of your 7th Blogging Birthday has infused some new excitement in you!
    As your sister, I’ve known you “forever” ~ well, okay, since I was born when you were two ~ and I can truly say I’ve never known you to be happier and more fulfilled than since you began your food blogging, writing, coaching, and foodie photography.

    Love you and I’m VERY proud of you!

    Love, Janine

  3. Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says:

    It will be five years for me in May. Hard to believe.

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