Happy 1st Blogoversary!!!

Whoa. A year has already passed. Time really flies. I must confess that I had meant to write a very special post for the Culinary Taste’s first blogoversary (which, incidentally, is also my 4^th wedding anniversary), but here I am, with a lot to say and very little time to do it. So I’ll try to be short.

Thank you.

Thanks to all the special people I met this first year. Thanks to fellow foodies, bloggers, readers. Thanks for helping, supporting, giving advice, reading or simply stopping by. Without you I wouldn’t be here, probably. I’ve thought several times of closing the blog – I’ve even thought that maybe I shouldn’t have opened it at all – but without the Culinary Taste I wouldn’t have met too many good friends – yes, friends. Dear friends.

I still remember the first moments, the first weeks after opening the Culinary Taste. All the disappointment and frustration of not having a single comment left, not a visit shown. But I didn’t give in. I kept on going on. And I now I love those first, unread posts as my dearest, my truest, my most honest creations. I have but a favor to ask and I hope you can do it. Just have a look at them if you want to make this day special. For me.

I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep the blog open: I wish I would, but it’s really too demanding for me now. If only I had another blogger to help me!!

Sorry if this post sounds a bit sad. I had imagined it to be cheerful and funny and happy. A good present for all my friends. But here it is.

Ok. Now let’s get a little funny. I’m honored to say that I was acknowledged by Yvette from Yvette’s Twistedvines in her Se7en Link Challenge post. Like her, I had heard about this challenge on Mandy’s blog and I’m happy to say that I can join in! Thank you so much, Yvette!

Well, what’s this all about? You have SEVEN different categories, and each blogger nominates a single post (their own posts, of course) for each category, then nominates up to 5 more bloggers to take part in the challenge and on it goes. As Yvette says, it’s a great way to personally look at how far your blog has travelled from when you started and look at your great achievements and maybe even remember some of those forgotten posts. Try it: you’ll find it incredibly funny!

Seven Categories:

1. Most Popular Post
2. Most Controversial Post
3. Most Helpful Post
4. Most Beautiful Post
5. Most Surprisingly Successful Post
6. Most UnderRated Post
7. Most Proud of Post

Here’s my most-something posts.

1. Most Popular Post

Probably, the Dairy-free Chocolate Cake. Well, it’s no news. This cake is so amazing that it couldn’t go unnoticed with such sweet-toothed gourmands like you around!

2. Most Controversial Post

I’ve never had really controversial posts. The only one I can think of is Curried Butternut Squash and Celeriac Soup with Leek and Crispy Bacon Topping: one reader left a comment complaining about the quantity of curry powder. Poor fellow! I wrote the wrong quantity, so his soup turned out a disaster!!!

3. Most Helpful Post

I dare say How to make Buttermilk. I thought buttermilk was easily found on markets, but I was wrong: it seems to be as rare as the Philosopher’s Stone instead!

4. Most Beautiful Post

I personally love the Chick in the Mead post because it holds a special place in my heart. It’s the post for my baby’s 1^st birthday. His cake was so cute! How couldn’t I adore it?

5. Most Surprisingly Successful Post

This surprises me too, but the most surprisingly successful post is surely Olive Pickles. It’s amazing how this post still gets a lot of traffic after so many months. It seems that olives rule the world!

Above left: Tuscan olivepickles; above right: Provençal olive pickles; bottom: crushed olives

6. Most UnderRated Post

Sage Pesto. It’s a quick, delicious recipe that’s never been taken into consideration. Probably because it belongs to those early posts I mentioned before that no one ever read. One of those I’d love you to read.

Sage Pesto

7. Most Proud of Post

Greengage Jam. Because it’s one of my favorite jams and because on this post I received my very first comment (from my cousin to whom I’m still endlessly grateful).

And now the 5 bloggers to take part in the challenge. Well, and the nominees are…

Shelvasha from Bouffe Delicieus
Rufus from Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide
Natalie from Cook Eat Live Vegetarian
Sally from Cooking Lessons
Michael from Oishii!

Hope you love this challenge, guys!

• blogoversary
• seven link challenge