2013 Year In Review Photo Montage Palooza

An easy read for a busy time, heavy on photos and light on words.  I hope you'll take a moment to drop in and catch up with me!

This is my last post for 2013.  I'm taking time to hang with the family, catch up on reading for pleasure, updating my recipe indices, writing up recipes and typing up blog posts.  I'll be back on January 1st, 2014 with a new recipe:  Soy-Sriracha Roasted Mushrooms (which will join the crowd at  Awesome Veggie Apps and Snacks--link to my Pinterest board).

Since 2013 was my first full year of blogging, I figured I'd post a year-end wrap up.  Because my inbox is overflowing, I'm keeping this up a while and sending the entire thing out on the RSS feed (want to follow me via RSS?  Click over there on the right to do so).  No need to stop by the blog, though page views are always welcome . . .

Google Analytics' Overview

Blogger's Overview (starting 5 years before I did ;)

My personal blogging stats

Speaking of page views, here's a few snapshots of my blog statistics.  I added Google Analytics in April, so that's why there's no data for the beginning of the year on that image.  The Blogger statistics include all the spambots who leave comments telling me how fastidious my writing is, but I don't think I'll change my comments to moderated just yet.  The final image is my own spreadsheet, where I keep track of the various numbers, including returning visitors (you came back!) and my monthly Adsense earnings.  I haven't actually gotten any money yet, but it's nice to see the numbers going up each month.

Most people who find my blog are searching for recipes, which is unsurprising to me.  The most common search terms for my blog involve variations of 'make ahead mashed potatoes',  'green tomato recipes', and 'tomato pesto recipes'.  Some of the search terms that are used to find me, though, are pretty funny ('can my dog eat tomato pesto [they like it]') .  My favorite search term is 'my husband wants me to wear pasties'.  And after googling that, she clicked on this recipe?  Okay then.

My most viewed pages are not a surprise to me, and they are completely due to Establish Bloggers choosing to feature or Pin one of my posts.  Thank you for giving me the increased visibility!  I enjoy joining in link parties and recipe round ups, and the two round ups I've done will not be my only ones (though I don't have specific plans for the next one--any suggestions?).  This post is shared with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop, the From the Farm Blog Hop, the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up, Tasty Tuesdays, What's Cookin' Wednesday.

While I have met many bloggers online this year, I've only met one in person (and she's shorter than she looks on her blog).  Thanks to Meghan I now have a granola habit.  Could be worse--she got stuck with Thai soup!

I've done two guest posts (someone wants me to fill in for them? how cool is that?):  one for Kristy of Gastronomical Sovereignty She Eats in which I rambled about gardening and putting up what I grow; and one for Jennifer of HOMEGROWN.org's CSA Cookoff series in which I actually managed to photograph a farm share box, create a recipe using the contents, photograph it, and write the whole thing up within a week.

I've been inspired by many cookbooks, and fortunate to review two this year:  Carrie's Experimental Kitchen: A Collection of Mediterranean-Inspired Family Meals where I got this delicious green bean recipe; and Melt:  the Art of Macaroni and Cheese where I got this amazing mac and cheese in a pumpkin and which inspired my pumpkin cranberry maple kugel.  If you didn't get what you wanted, or got cash--I recommend getting these books.

This is the 159th post I've published this year.  I blogged before, during, and after the growing season of my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share.  I blogged before, during, and after my spouse's most recent deployment.  I blogged during vacations.  I stayed up late and got up early because words were inside of me that needed to come out.  I debated how to break down my favorite posts of the year, and opted for a collage of my favorite muffin recipe, favorite pizza recipe and favorite focaccia recipe, favorite entree recipe, favorite appetizer recipe, favorite breakfast recipe, favorite condiment recipe, favorite soup recipe, and favorite side dish recipe.  You'll notice there's no dessert.  To be honest, since I live within walking distance of both Salted Caramel Killer Brownies and Salted Caramel Ice Cream--and because I have so many beets to roast--I usually leave dessert to others.

Want a peek behind the scenes?  Join my FB page, where I occasionally share what's happening right now in the kitchen (warts and all) and spotlight great recipes I find from other bloggers.

I hope you've enjoyed my summary of 2013.  Thank you, I appreciate that you stopped by to visit. I'm looking forward to 2014!

Fennel Pizza with Chicken Sausage and Roasted Broccoli

Italian-flavored chicken sausage and roasted broccoli on a fennel pizza dough

I have fennel seeds drying on a baker's rack/computer stand in my dining room, and I owe it all to Alyssa of Everyday Maven.  She showed me how to crush fennel seeds to add Italian sausage flavor, and it looked so easy I knew my daughter could do it picked up a bag of fennel seeds during my next Penzey's run.  I handed the mortar and pestle to my girl and the result was delicious.  

Then I bought a couple of fennel plants, and (in addition to feeding the Black Swallowtail caterpillars, can you see 4 in the photo above, and one wee Oliver?) I saved the seeds which are now drying on the baker's rack.

Did I use the fennel bulbs?  Um, no.  When I was ready to harvest the fennel and add it to spaghetti sauce there were 6 caterpillars simultaneously munching away, and I couldn't be that cruel.  I can harvest strawberries--leaving the poor varmints chipmunks to find something else to eat, but to deprive the world of 6 butterflies?  Not my style.  The fennel bulbs are now buried under snow and some of the descendants of those caterpillars are overwintering in cocoons nearby.  Perhaps there will be more fennel next year--enough to share.

I've been sticking these fennel seeds in soups, in ground meat, in bread . . . and now pizza dough.  This was a very versatile spice purchase.  Thanks, Alyssa!

Candied Grapefruit Peel

A tart, tangy, lightly sweet nibble, delicious with a cup of tea. Makes an unusual holiday food gift.

This recipe is from my favorite guest cook.  I'm just the photographer and note-taker here (and quality control manager--someone has to taste test!).  The recipe is simple:  grapefruit peels, sugar, honey or syrup, and water--but there is technique involved, so I've opted to use more photos and fewer words.

However if you like to read, don't despair!  For my 30 Days to Better Food Photography Challenge one of our early tasks was to 'write your food photo story' and I took the assignment a wee bit too literally, so after the recipe I'm sharing my short story, Grandma Came for Tea.  First, the recipe.