200 Posts Later...

Oh how satisfying it is to reach this milestone.  Two years ago when I started this blog, I was maneuvering my way through a galaxy of millions and was trying to find a voice and a style. I just wanted to be good at it. I remember when I was a kid there were certain things I could do. I could ice skate backwards with some twirls thrown in. I could spell like nobody’s business and have the elementary school spelling bee trophies to prove it. I could hit a smoking backhand in tennis and do one-handed cartwheels all over the yard.

As I got older and dissolved into adulthood with its responsibilities and car payments and retirement savings plans and happy hours I found myself not able to get back that childhood sense of satisfaction. This may sound trite but it was really through cooking that I was able to remember. When I won the blue ribbons at the Minnesota state fair for my jams, it was the first time in a very long time that I got my swagger back.

Now there is hardly anything so gratifying as pulling off a dinner party, tackling an impossible sounding recipe, or effortlessly whipping together a favorite meal like an old pro. On the flipside, I’ve had enough kitchen disasters happen that I’m barely phased when something burns, crumbles, falls, or refuses to rise. I promptly take out my camera, document the massacre, and send it off to my pals who will laugh and commiserate with me. They in turn do the same to me and I love it.

And so a blog, like much else, is always going to be a work in progress but I’m finding my way. This next year I hope to eat new things, get back into canning, and learn to like cilantro (I'm kidding! As if!). Thank you for reading and commenting, it means so much to know that you are all out there.