Almost 2 years blogging: my ~7 best posts
| August 18, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under Uncategorized |
In October my small blogging adventure turns 2 years old, so I was pleased to be nominated to keep the “7 Links” Project going. Thanks to my friend Mardi of eat.live.travel.write, adorable elementary school French teacher turned prolific food blogger (check out her 7 links), for inviting me. The project is described as a way of “uniting bloggers (from all sectors) 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”. I had fun raiding my lost arch(ives) trying to find 7 of my best posts for the pre-assigned categories (great ride down memory lane), and then picking a few other bloggers that I cherish to do the same.
I’ve learned and grown so much since my very first blog post (Plum torte in the summer) back in October 2009… yet I am excited because I know I have so much more I want to write about and share with you: my community of like-minded friends and fellow food lovers. Grazie for following me and my adventures in food, travel and life!
1. Most beautiful post >>> It’s hard for me to pick just one. I like A quiet Easter with roasted lamb and colomba (you will love these traditional Italian Easter cakes) because it represents my life-style philosophy: understated elegance, focused on conviviality, centered around a table of shared meals and conversations. However, I also think I should reference the photo-rich posts from my trips to Italy (Sorrento, Pompeii, Naples and Puglia – Summer 2011, Rome – Summer 2011, Sorrento and Rome January 2011) and my dinner party posts (A Fall symphony, Party in white, Summer evening, Thanksgiving feast, Romantic dinner for two). Honorable mentions go to Savory blueberry jam with balsamic vinegar and rosemary (who won me the DMBLGIT Good Looking Blog award in the aesthetics category) and to End-of-summer farmer’s salad with green bean bundles (who won me a Serenbe contest).
2. Most popular post >>> Tortine di yogurt al limone (mini lemon-yogurt-oil cakes). I am always amazed at the power of media, referrals and social networking. This post was probably the most popular for two reasons: 1) I appeared on TV making these delightful cakes and b) it received much attention when featured on stumbleupon.
3. Most controversial post >>> Dinner in a cemetery: first time and second time. Coming to terms with our own mortality is not a daily undertaking, it is a slow process that accompanies us through life. Life is as much the absence of death as is it the presence of vitality. Every year, around Hallow’s eve, my husband and I attend this special dinner event, set in Atlanta’s historical cemetery. It is a wonderful reminder of how ephemeral life is and that we should enjoy it, now. I think these posts might be controversial for some, since a place of death is a striking place to have dinner, but for me life and death are inseparable. (Ok, so maybe “controversial” is a bit of an exaggeration here, but I try to stay away from politics on my blog and this is the best I could do for this category!)
4. Most helpful post >>> Home- made pasta: agnolotti di zucca (pumpkin ravioli). In this step-by-step, instructional photo tutorial, I describe how to make a velvety smooth pasta dough and then turn it into delicate filled morsels: agnolotti, a ravioli typical of the Piedmont Region.
5. A post whose success surprised me >>> Snow, chicken confit and candied kumquat financiers (also, French apple tart, and Moroccan bisteeya). My blog is mostly about Italian cuisine, so I am always pleasantly surprised when I get a lot of interest in posts about foreign (to me) and ethnic cuisines (French, Moroccan, even American).
6. A post I feel didn’t get the attention it deserved >>> I think that some of my best posts are the ones in which I pour myself out and bring back memories of my life gone by. These posts might pass by quickly through your eyes -mingled in with more mundane recipe posts- and miss the attention (I think) they deserve. [That said, I am always thankful for any input and comment from my readers.] My favorite post in this category is one I wrote recently: Le mie estati (my childhood summers, in Italy). Others include: Il caffé: art, ritual, magic, and random acts of kindness; On wild food foraging; and my small series of meditations that I call “Tiny journeys in my kitchen”[Full cup, empty bowl, half-full glass, a simple lunch, coffee for you, Mediterranean simplicity, 5 minutes a day].
7. The post that I am most proud of >>> Après-diner with friends: Crêpe Suzette & Sidecar cocktail. Creating a video is not an easy task. I had to create one for project food blog (it was my challenge #7). I must say I had a lot of fun thinking of what to choose for the recipe, inviting my friends to participate, and then putting it all together.
Hope you enjoyed the ride through my lost arch(ives)…
And now (drum roll) here are the bloggers* (listed alphabetically) I am nominating to share their best 7 links (can’t wait to read your posts!):
- Amuse-bouche for Two (Tracy) > love her dialogues
- And Baby Cakes Three (Nicole) > love her writing
- Bellalimento (Paula) > love her philo-Italianity
- Frenchie and the Yankee (David) > love his photos
- Oui Chef (Steve) > love his hearty-ness
- Sippity Sup (Greg) > love his creativity
* I invited one blogger at a time to find my chosen 5. When I did not hear back I moved on to the next invite. But right as I was about to post, I got a 6th yes!
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Wonderful to see your 7 links, especially the controversial one, quite interesting!
just wanted to let you know that the link to the last one, Apres dinner with friends leads to a broken page, at least for me. Not sure if the problem is on my end or yours, but decided to tell you, just in case
Hope you are preparing for your own 2 year bloggiversary party!
Sally: thanks for stopping by (and letting me know of the link…heading over to try to fix it now)!
I am thrilled to se your blog through your eyes, which is what makes this seven links project so fascinating. Thais for including me… GREG
Greg: well said! We see our world differently than others do…
What a treat! And I love the video. How funny that you made crêpes!! I love it.
Great post and links. Very insightful to go back and look at what you’ve accomplished. It’s very nice to see the evolution of the blog and you at the same time.
I am very flattered to be one of your picks. Thanks again!
David: it was a good exercise, made me think of my progression. Can’t wait to see what you put together!
Molto Divertente! Ma adoro tutti i tuoi posts! Adesso devo farlo an’chio ; ) xoxo
vero? Paula: sono sicura che il tuo sara’ bellissimo!
I remember it was your “controversial” post and poetic nature that first drew me to you…but how I missed commenting on Le mie estati eludes me when that photo of you with the sea urchin totally captured my imagination:
She rose from the sea
Her fearless, sun-kissed face spoke
Food is my future!
Donna: wow, I LOVE the poem, so sweet of you!
I can’t believe you’ve done so much in two years, you lead a very busy life. inspiring, to say the least!!!
Nicole: definitively busy, but trying to slow down…
Yay, congratulations on your two years! LOVE those photos for your summer childhoods, so candid and full of life. Please post more! There are worse things to look at on a Monday morning than gorgeous photos from the Italian coast.
Also, I’m dying to try your mini lemon yogurt cake.
Diana: so glad you stopped by. It’s been fun testing your recipes.
Gosh, it is amazing how much you have shown us. A beautiful life. The little girl Amelia photographs are especially darling.
PS – I took the plunge and posted my 7… http://chezdanisse.blogspot.com/2011/08/one-of-those-things.html
I love this list – and I NEED to get to know those lemon cakes. Intimately.
[...] naturally, I could only jump at her 7 Link invitation and say Sì, grazie with my most energetic Italian [...]
Hi Amelia! It has been too long
I just came across your video and could not leave this page without leaving a comment – you are STUNNING! So comfortable on camera and such a delight. Congrats to you!