MinnesotaFromScratch is 3! {Happy Blogiversary}

Last week the blog turned 3! It’s amazing the opportunities I have been given that are a direct result of the blog, as well as the many fascinating people I have met through the years because of the blog. I appreciate each and every one of my readers, thank you!

2015 was such an incredible year. I personally, had one of the best years of my life. It was the first year since becoming a mother that I was really able to divulge myself into my interests once again. I was able to preserve throughout the seasons, making 2015 my highest yielding canning/fermenting year ever. If you are interested in what I preserved, follow this link. And one item not on that list is pickled red onions – oh my, YUM.

I had an amazingly successful year with my stamped metal jewelry hobby-turned-business, which is a hobby I started at the end of 2014, but has now morphed into a true passion. It’s not something I talk about frequently on the blog but it’s a very large part of my life and a big part of what made 2015 so wonderful. If you are interested in seeing what I’ve been up to in the custom jewelry sector of my life, here is a link to my page.

Another large highlight of 2015 was a trip to Boston I took with co-author of this blog, Kristin and two other of our family members from NYC. We all met in Boston for the Boston Fermentation Festival. I got to meet Amanda Feifer, blogger extraordinaire of Phickle and author of the new book, Ferment Your Vegetables. I also got to meet the co-founder of the event and potter of my favorite, most gorgeous fermentation crock, Jeremy Ogusky. At the event we got to sample many ferments from local fermenters and even judged in a pickle contest — that was a true highlight for me. We took advantage of being in Boston and toured it endlessly for the 3 days we were out there. What a lovely city – I can’t wait to go back.

Enough about me… here are the top 5 posts that kept people coming back to the blog in 2015:

#1. 101 Things I Love About My Mother  – This one moved up to first place this year. I had no clue anyone would be interested in this tribute to my mother, let alone become my most popular ranking post. 🙂

#2. Pickled California Mixed Veggies – An easy refrigerator pickled veggie recipe with lots of flavor that is a great addition to salads, bloody mary’s, or just a quick flavorful snack.

#3. Chunky Cream of Broccoli Soup – No Blender Needed.  – This post has been my 3rd most popular for the last two years. It’s a go-to recipe in our household, super easy and delicious. A crowd pleaser.

#4. Baked Zucchini with Mozz Cheese AKA “The New Garlic Bread” –  Baked zucchini is a perfect healthy substitute for bread when eating an Italian dish. It’s a wonderful side dish for any meal, really.

#5. Cucumber, Kale, Apple & Carrot Juice Recipe – A new recipe to make the list this year and I’m happy to see it on the top 5. Juicing is a terrific way to get a blast of vitamins and nutrients into your body quickly and it’s easy on the digestive system. I’ll be posting more juicing recipes in the weeks to come.

Happy 2016!