I know that I say it every year but; I cannot believe that another year has already gone by! Time has just been flying by and I have been so busy lately that I almost missed it but luckily I noticed it on the calendar just in time.
This last year certainly has been filled with a lot of tasty new food! I have continued to enjoy exploring new foods, cuisines and cooking techniques while not forgetting about old favourites. Where ever do I get the time for all of these recipes?
Over this last year I have had the chance to meet a lot of great new friends both online and in the real world. I had a blast attending and meeting so many amazing people at the International Food Bloggers Conference this year and I am looking forward to attending more of such events in the future.
Closet Cooking has also seen some changes over the last year including moving from blogspot to it’s own domain closetcooking.com which was wonderful to finally realize! I also managed to add some social media ‘follow’ buttons to the site and some social media ‘share’ buttons to the posts. I was even able to finally figure a way to add a recipe index which I had been wanting to do for a long time. More recently I have been working on improving my recipe format including adding cooking times and using the hrecipe format.
Year four also saw Closet Cooking move into the modern age by getting on both Twitter and Facebook! It was a long time in coming and although I am still figuring out how to use them, I am glad to be on them as it has bee a lot of fun.
One thing that I like about a blog birthday is that I am reminded to take the time to go back and look over the past year to remember where I am coming from and what I have done. I went through all of my post from year three and I will leave you with some of my favourites:
Closet Cooking’s year starts off in spring which is perfectly in time to enjoy the fresh bounty and this Asparagus and Baby Artichoke Quinoa Salad is an amazing way to do it.
Asparagus is one of my favourite foods and you just know that I am head over heals for it in the form of this Asparagus Grilled Cheese Sandwich!
This year saw me experiment a bit with my food photography and this Yogurt Panna Cotta with Strawberry Jelly is definitely one that I remember fondly. In it, I played with shallow depth of focus, light and composition.
This was the year that I discovered the banh mi and my first experience with a banh mi was with Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp Banh Mi which is an amazing blend of flavours and textures that just daces in your mouth!
Blueberry season is still pretty far away but I can still dream about these Blueberry Maple Pecan Cinnamon Buns impatiently while I wait.
I had never even thought about a savoury cheesecake before this Gorgonzola Cheesecake but now I am undeniably hooked. It’s amazing how baking cheese brings out its flavour and those crispy bits along the outside are the best parts!
Lets not forget about snacking! This Greek 7 Layer Dip, a Greek take on the classic 7 Layer Dip not only tastes great but it is pretty healthy to boot!
Next up were these Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings) which in addition to being addictively good, are surprisingly easy to make at home once you get the hang of it and I even made my own wrappers!
More recently I tried a new chocolate cheesecake with Guinness in it and this Guinness Chocolate Cheesecake was was definitely the best cheesecake that I have had in a long while!
As you all know, I am a huge fan of grilled cheese sandwiches and this Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich has to be my crowning achievement with respect to grilled cheese sandwiches so far! The the heat of the tender roasted jalapenos is tempered by the gooey melted cream cheese and the stringy jack and cheddar and the crumbled tortilla chips add a bit of crunch.
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Closet Cooking’s Birthday 2012 and 1500 Recipes!
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Closet Cooking’s Birthday: 2009
Closet Cooking’s Birthday: 2008
Happy birthday! Yours was certainly one of the first blogs that inspired me to start my own.
congrats on your blog's anniversary!! the guiness cheesecake is next on my to-do list! keep making delicious recipes i can show off to my family!!! ♥
Congratulations on four prolific years! I am constantly amazed at your creativity…keep up the great work!
Happy Birthday Closet Cooking! You've fed us royally!
Yum yum yum! I absolutely LOVE your blog and your photos are beautiful and look mouthwateringly delicious. Congrats on continuing to evolve and for experimenting so much in the kitchen and sharing it with the rest of us!
Congratulations on four years. Your food always looks good to me!
Happy Blog Anniversary! Every year it gets better and better! Thanks for sharing all these delicious creations with such beautiful photos and easy to follow instructions.
Happy 4 year blogiversary, Kevin! I recently found you on Twitter and love this site. Can't wait for my 1st blogiversary 😀
Congrats! Keep up the good work!
Happy Birthday with your bloggie…
Hope there come much more with tasty recepies.
Because they are yummie…
Greetings
Jeanne
Happy blogbirthday!!!!Kevin, your blog is such a joy for me, full of great ideas and recipes…I love the job you are doing here, don't stop… ^_^
Happy 4th birthday! Great year so far 🙂
Congratulations on your birthday! I've been reading for over a year now so keep up the good work! X
Congratulations on your 4th blog-aversary! I've been reading for two years now and find your blog extremely inspiring so keep up the good work! X
happy b'day Closet Cooking – and Kevin u too 🙂 for making it so yummy 🙂
Happy blogiversary and to many more! All your creations are marvelous and I love visiting your blog.
Cheers,
Rosa
I am usually a silent reader of your wonderful posts.
I am from overseas and am very glad to congratulate you for the 4Th Blogbirthday.
You are an amazing and very inventive cook and it gives me a great pleasure to read your posts and try some of your recipes.
Keep going on and be happy and successful.
What a great roundup of recipes! The savoury cheesecake and the quinoa salad look especially terrific!
Coming here is always a highlight of my day, Kevin, so thanks for doing what you do and for always making such delicious food! Happy 4 years!
Happy happy birthday Kevin! You dont look a day over 3! 🙂
Happy Blog Anniversary! Your blog is one of my favorite. I made a lot of things from your blog.
Happy Birthday !!!!
Happy Blog-versary Kevin! Closet Cooking is one of my favorites and I can't wait to see what the next year brings 🙂
Happy blog birthday! Keep up the good work and delicious recipes. xx
Happy Blog Birthday Kevin! One thing for sure, your photography skills have dramatically evolved over the years.
I just love, love, love your photos and always look forward to your new posts.
Yours is one of the first blogs that I started to follow and to this day, remains a constant source of inspiration for me, one of my favorite destinations for beautiful photos as well as mouthwatering recipes.
Please, keep up the good work!!!!
Happy Birthday, my friend! here's to another year filled with food and good friends! anne
http://www.anniebakes.net
Happy Birthday! I too am amazed by your creativity.Your blog is one of my top five faves.
Happy 4 years old! One thing I love about following a blog – is the evolution. You continue to tantalize and stretch boundaries. It's grand to look back and so satisfying to look ahead.
Happy birthday to Closet Cooking!
Kevin, I admire your blog above all others I read (there's a LOT!). You were the first to inspire me to start a food blog, as well as inspire me to try new and exciting foods. Whenever I'm in need of inspiration for a new recipe, I always come to you first! You've come so far, and you have done an amazing job. I very much look forward to the delicious and creative recipes you'll bring in the next year. 🙂
Happy Blogiversary Kevin!
your blog and a few others are the ones that inspire me to create.
please keep up the fabulous work.
you are the best of the best and should have a cookbook deal by now.
happy birthday! Still going strong!
Happy Birthday, Closet Cooking! I just love your blog…I totally by-pass Epicurious now and go straight to you!
Congrats on 4 years.
I love your site. Your recipe for Maple Pumpkin Pie cheesecake has become a staple in my dessert repertoire.
Keep up the good work!
Happy blog birthday. I don't comment often … maybe once in the past, but I do read your posts. I made your jalapeno popper dip for New Year's Eve and it was a huge hit! Thanks for all you do!
I just stumbled upon your website yesterday, and I wanted to say I just love it. Your recipes look fantastic, you take great photos, and I enjoy very much your writing style! Keep up the great work, and I look forward to trying more of your recipes. The spinach and artichoke dip turned out great and I ate half of it for dinner. MmmmmmMmm.
Congratulations! This blog inspires me to cook more often.
Happy 4 years! Your blog is one of the first I started reading over 3 years ago. Love it.
Happy 4th blogiversary! I'm glad that I have been following your blog for about 2 years now. Keep up the good work, can't wait for more of your creative and outrageous combinations.
Congrats Kevin! How did I miss the jalapeno popper grilled cheese sammie?! Love it!
Happy 4th! And many moooooore!!!
Happy blog anniversary. I love your blog. Love seeing what yummy-sounding food creations you'll come up with next. Keep 'em coming.
I think that the best compliment that I can give you is to share the fact that my family insists I make your banana cinnamon bread every single week. Happy Birthday!
Congrats! Thank you for all the great recipes!
I don't know how I stumbled on your blog but I am so glad!
I have referenced and drooled over your posts for a month now and am in absolute awe. Keep keepin' on!
Congratulations! I love, love, love your blog! I came across it a few months ago looking for a more interesting grilled cheese sandwich than my standby cheddar on wheat and have been reading ever since. I've enjoyed many more recipes too. Thanks!
Congratulations – always love reading!
Happy Blogoversary, Kevin!! I'm so happy for you and this site 🙂
Happy birthday to closet cooking ! Please keep posting the lovely recipes 🙂
http://kitchensojourn.blogspot.com
Happy blog birthday! I only just discovered this blog, and am having a blast going through all the posts. Congratulations on 4 years!