Our First Blogoversary + Celebratory Giveaway
I’m so happy today because yesterday marked The Avid Appetite’s 1st birthday! I wanted to share this article yesterday, however, with big changes in our eating, I had to just push it off a day. I’m thrilled and a little in disbelief that this little blog is a year old. How did a year go by so fast? I feel like it was just yesterday that I was reviewing site designs and functionality (for hours upon obsessive hours).
I thought it would be fun to share a little behind-the-scenes stuff with you about what goes on here in the avid kitchen. Oh and scroll down to find out about our giveaway in celebration of the big blogoversary!
10 Things You Might Not Know About The Avid Appetite
1. TAA is a recreation of my original blog, Between JC & Manhattan, which focused on my exploits in and around New York City (though there was a lot of food involved). There were hardly any recipes on there until its final few months when I was already working on relaunching the site to be more food-focused.
2. Until very recently, I literally received 0.00 comments on my articles. The only ones I did receive were from my sisters (Kimberly has commented on almost every post I’ve ever written), my mom and Shaun, who would comment under different aliases so that I’d think it was a random reader. Love them all for this.
3. The design of the site was done by a friend and ex-colleague from my Sesame Street days who used a photo of my Anthropologie apron as inspiration for the color palette and pattern. When she came up with the logo I literally squealed with excitement. I adore its whimsy and playfulness.
4. Shaun and I brainstormed the name of the blog for months. Painfully, I might add. Shaun would send a list of names. I would send him a list of names. Repeat. Again and again. None of them felt right. When I suggested The Avid Appetite it was like the skies opened up and started singing ‘Hallelujah!’ because we found ‘the one’!
5. I often take many, many photos of every dish that I make. Like 10 from every angle. This has led to a serious overload on my Mac Book and I have since had to get an external hard drive just to house my photos. I hope that once I get better with the DSLR I can cut down on the number of photos I take. But using the DSLR is so fun, that it’s probably unlikely this will ever happen.
It took sooooo many photos to get this just right.
6. Speaking of photos, Shaun often has to wait extra long to eat dinner and sometimes dinner even needs to be reheated before we eat since it takes such a long time to get just the right photos that I want. I’m not crazy, I just like things the way I like them.
7. Readership has grown about 6 times of what it was last January. Yowzah! I’m so thankful for each and every single reader, I can’t even tell you how exciting it is to get comments on the site or in person about the blog. I do put a lot of time, energy and effort into creating solid content for you guys, so it’s extremely exciting and rewarding to see how far we’ve come in just one little year.
8. I’ve made lots of blog buddies! This is one of my favorite aspects of blogging. I have virtually met so many fantastic bloggers and I hope to one day meet some of them in person!
9. After cooking up 83 {!} recipes this year for you, I have a whole new view on celeb chefs. While some of them I admire, think are fab and just want to hang out with for a while (Ina Garten, Tony Bourdain, Mario Batali), others I’m a little over. They’ll remain nameless except to say, really?
Ina's chocolate cupcakes. She never fails me.
10. I’m always blogging - 24/7, even when I’m doing other things. I like to say that it kind of takes over my life at times. Though through any of the unmotivated moments, failure to receive comments, botched recipes, wasted money on said botched recipes, I wouldn’t give up this blog for the world. It has become the most rewarding and gratifying hobby that I could ever imagine enjoying! So a giant thanks to everyone who reads and comes back for more!!
Now for the giveaway part. To celebrate TAA’s birthday, I’m giving away something that I am currently digging: Rocco DiSpirito’s Now Eat This! Cookbook! I'm semi-obsessed.
I won this in Heather’s giveaway and I truly adore this book. I have made the buffalo chicken tenders and penna alla vodka and cannot wait to make them again and again. So I thought I’d do a pay-it-forward of sorts (but with a new book, you can’t pry mine from my cold lifeless body). I’ll also throw in some other surprise goodies as well, so be sure to enter. Here’s how it works:
You can enter the giveaway starting now!
The deadline to enter is Thursday 1/20 at 6pm EST.
To enter, simply leave a comment! Any comment ya like!
For an extra entry, like us on Facebook and leave yet another comment telling me that you did so (shameless self-promotion, booyah!) Oh, and if you already like us on Facebook, just leave a note about that too :)
The winner will be announced on Friday, with the giveaway shipping out on Monday morning.
So there you have it. A little Happy Birthday to us, if you will! I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading over the last year as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing with you :)
-Rachel
31 Comments | January 17, 2011 | Share Article | Email Article | tagged blogging, blogoversary | in Giveaway, The Avid Appetite Print Article | Permalink
Reader Comments (31)
I like I like! Love the 10 things we didn't know:) Sesame street days? I must re-read some old posts!
I love learning all these new pieces of information about you! Happy Blog Birthday!!!
Congrats on the blogoversary! I'm so excited about the giveaway -- thanks to you, I got "Now Eat This!" out from my local library to give it a spin. I already made Chicken Cordon Bleu, which was mostly fabulous and would only require slight tweaking to meet my and my hubby's tastes better. I'm excited to try out many other recipes in it, so I'd love to have my own copy to have and hold!! :-)
Congratulations. You have worked so hard on this put so much love into it and I am so happy that you are getting people to love it too. Keep it up and next year will be three times as big. Love you lots. And I really want that book.
I love reading your blog and trying the recipes you make on my own. Loved the Almond Sweets! Hubby and I are looking forward to making the Irish Carbomb Cupcakes, too. YUM! I already like you on Facebook!
Happy Birthday TAA! I am a new reader and I just LOVE this blog! I can tell the hard work you put into your posts and I love your writing style. This is a great post for a new blogger like me because it serves as helpful tips! Good job!
I stumbled upon your blog because I follow hauteapplepie - I love following yours! Being in the kitchen, weird as it sounds, is therapeutic for me. I love trying new dishes - so thank you for all the ideas. Happy Birthday TAA!!! BTW - your pictures are amazing!
Happy One Year!! You know I love your blog - but you must expand on the Sesame Street days now!!!
Congratulations!!! Time flies when you are being wonderful!!! Enjoy your blog very much! (Can't even imagine hitting a year, but it will be fun to look back and see how far we have come...hopefully it will be as far as you!)
Happy Birthday TAA! I love this blog dearly included but not limited to its witty writing, creative and delicious recipes, and the fact that it gives me a noble cause to eat pizza. Congrats on everything you've done so far and can't wait for the next year and many more :)
Congrats on 1 year! I have mine on thursday. Crazy how time flies. And I love the look of your site. How awesome a friend helped with it.
Great Blog! Happy Birthday and good luck this year :)
-Jenny
I am with you on the blog taking over your life, lol, and I take a ton of pictures of my food too (I don't keep the ones I don't end up using on the blog though).
I love this list...I have been reading your blog for at least a few months now and I love it and you, keep it up :)
Thanks so much everyone!! You are making me blush over here :)
Steph, I really need to go back and erase all of the {many} blurry or just bad photos that I have taken. I could probably clear up half my drive!
I am so happy I found your blog! I love your content and I look forward to reading more!! :)
I liked you on Facebook! :)
Happy Birthday TAA! Obviously I love the blog and make your recipes almost EVERY time I cook or at least consult it for a recipe before moving elsewhere - tonight I am making your balsamic chicken and your potato "chips" for dinner!
I served up pizza dip on my ski trip this weekend AND everyone obviously loved it and talked about "the blog".
p.s. love sandy's comment "I want that book".
Happy Anniversary! I Love your blod and look forward to many more anniversaries!
yay for blog anniversaries! congrats!
i feel ya on the comments. all my friends comment on my facebook, instead! oh well. :)
and I would loooove that book. I need to go "like" you right now!
I loved the facts on this blog! And I do the same with taking ovvverrloads of photos with each dish. My boyfriend asks "why not just take one or two?" and I responde with a "hahaha..no, can't happen." :P Glad your readership has increased so much, too! Congrats and happy bloggy birthday!
Aww you are so cute! I love your blog, I cant really remember how I found it, but Ive been reading for like 2 weeks now...you are very fun to read! Thanks again for all the laughs & recipes ( I love the jets cake!! )
I liked you on facebook!!
Happy Anniversary!! I would love to see what you would make for a Superbowl party!
Happy Anniversary Rach!!! Love reading your blog... P.S. - Made the New England Clam Chowder in Rocco's book yesterday... FANTASTIC!! (So take me out of the running for the prize :) )
Happy bday! I love your photography...I think all that obsessing over the photos is a good thing. You get great shots! Keep up the good work.
- Rivki