So glad Kristy tagged me to do this fun 7 links post that’s been circling the blog world. I’ve had so much fun reading through old but notable posts on other blogs and it was fun to have a reason for me to look back over some of my own.
My 1 year blogaversary is coming up next month, so this is a good time to look back on where I’ve been over the last year…
The Goal
To unite bloggers in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again.
The Rules
- Blogger is nominated to take part.
- Blogger publishes his/her 7 links of his/her blog – 1 link for each category.
- Blogger nominates up to 5 more bloggers to take part.
- The best posts from participating bloggers will be posted on the Facebook, Twitter, and Blog at #My7Links
Most Beautiful: Honeymoon part 2: Kyoto
I decided to go with the most visually beautiful post because I don’t tend to write “inspriational” or “motivational” posts, which I think is what was intended for this category.
When Jeff and I honeymooned in Japan, Kyoto was the place that was burned most deeply into our hearts. It was rainy and gloomy for the entire 4 days we were there, and yet Kyoto was made even more beautiful by the cold quiet fog hanging in the air around us, by the clouds of mist draped low over the verdant mountains, and by the Kamo-gawa river full of rain and life making it’s rushing music just outside the window where we slept.
While Japan was certainly a new world for us full of confusion and curiosity, there were a few brief moments in Kyoto while walking along the Kamo hand in hand that both of us felt like we’d been there our entire lives and never wanted to leave. I still miss that misty place.
Most Popular: Kevin and Ashley’s wedding
It was the culmination of a week-long foray into wedding cake baking. I was so honored that my brother-in-law Kevin and his now wife Ashley asked me to bake their wedding cake for them, the only problem being that I had never baked a wedding cake before and was completely unfamiliar with some of the tools and techniques it takes to make it all happen.
I watched countless YouTube videos to learn each little part that I’d never tried before and spent hours practicing to make sure I could actually deliver what I’d promised. I can now say that I feel absolutely confident that I could do this again, and even better now that I’m more familiar with the process.
It made me so happy to see everyone following along with me during my epic cake baking week and the responses to the finished product were huge!
Most Controversial: Decatur Craft Beer Festival
I got some flack for this one after I posted a link to it on a local Decatur blog. Although I appreciated the hard work and countless volunteers that went into making this festival happen, I just really didn’t enjoy it. Decatur has an amazing beer culture and I expected a better festival here, so my criticisms came from a place of pride in my town rather than lack of appreciation for it. Still, I had many angry locals slamming me for saying negative things about their beloved beer festival, not just on my blog but on the blog I posted my link to. I still stand by my assessment though and I’m glad I was honest about it.
Most Helpful: How to season a Yixing clay teapot
I have a couple of “how tos” on the blog but this one is the one I’m most proud of.
Jeff and I are both tea nerds and have started a small but growing collection of authentic teaware. We’ve learned a lot about how to care for these items and how to use them to their greatest potential. Anytime a new pot enters our home it needs to be seasoned, much like a cast iron pan, to allow it to brew it’s best cup of tea. We had fun learning all about how to achieve this with the pot you see above, a Yixing clay beauty that we use exclusively for brewing pu-erhs (aged and fermented Chinese black teas.)
Surprise Success: Apple bars with cinnamon “cream cheese”
I created this recipe during a month of vegan cooking. I wasn’t really sure what I was making when I started, I think I was going for a raw bar but they wouldn’t hold together so I baked them. A Toffutti “cream cheese” icing topped them off and surprisingly they ended up delicious. Not bad for a total experiment.
The bars were a surprise success even back when I made them, but they skyrocketed when Angela of OhSheGlows featured them in her Recipe Link Love series. After that they got shared on a couple of sites around the web and to this day they’re still my most viewed recipe.
I only wish that my photography had improved by the time I made these, it pains me a little to see such terrible photos representing my blog around the web. Oh well. 
Not Enough Attention: Cold cure drink to kick the sick
Every time I or Jeff get sick I make this drink to nurse us back to health. Seriously, it completely knocks out a cold in 2 days if you make a ton of it and sip at it constantly. It has worked for me every time.
I’ve brought it up again a few times on the blog and recommended it to sick blog friends, but I don’t think it’s ever really gotten the attention it deserves. This stuff is magic people, you have no idea!
One reason that I think no one ever makes it is because it has so many ingredients, and if you’re sick you’re not in the mood to go out and get them if you don’t already have everything. So I’ll say this: The ginger and cayenne are the most important. If you have nothing else, those two in hot water or your favorite hot tea will do fine. Hey, no one said it would taste good, it’s medicine!
Most Proud: Introducing RipeTrack
This here is my little baby….RipeTrack.
Jeff and I worked on creating this produce seasonality database for many long months before finally debuting it on the blog. It made me so happy to hear all of your congratulations and praise for our hard work. It’s still the post that I’ve received the most comments on and I’m so proud that it was this one.
We’ve been meaning to do some work on the site for a while but we’ve both been caught up with personal projects. Someday though, we hope to turn RipeTrack into the best source for seasonal eating on the web!
I’m supposed to tag 5 people to do this post on their own blog, but I’m already a little late in the game and I think that everyone I would tag has already been tagged. So, if you want to do the 7 links post and haven’t been tagged yet, consider yourself tagged!
Do you have a favorite post of mine? What’s your favorite post on your own blog?
