Happy Blog-iversary to me! I can’t believe it’s been one year and 97 posts (!) since I started Planet Byn! I love my little blog so much, and want to thank you for reading and supporting me over the past year (and eating the benefits!). I’m actually in Halifax for work right now, but I’ll be having a Belated Blog-iversary party when I get back! Crack pie, anyone?

Here’s a few fun facts from the first year:

Top 5 Most Viewed Posts

1. Boeuf Bourguignon – Shout outs to Dinner with Julie for sharing this post on Twitter and via her website, causing a dramatic spike in my page views and making me smile for a week!
2. Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing (V.II) – Definitely need to get back to working with Royal Icing, and practising my piping, flooding and detailing skills.
3. Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting – Blog stats let you see what words and phrases people have entered into search engines that led them to your blog; nutella frosting is a pretty common hit for me.
4. Pretzel M&M Cookies – So many requests for these cookies at my Christmas Party!
5. Chuck Hughes in Mississauga & No-Knead Bread – Lots of people Googling Chuck find their way to Planet Byn! Love it!

My Favourite 5 Posts

1. Skillet Strawberry Jam – This jam has seriously changed my life.  Of everything I’ve made over the past year, I love this because it combines so many of my favourite things: fresh berries that I picked myself, learning how to make something at home with no additives or preservatives, and a sweet, delicious outcome. Is it June yet?
2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars – One of my first posts! These treats have a bit of a sentimental meaning for me, as they come from the very first food blog Danielle introduced me to way back in the Summer of 2008. And they taste incredible!
3. Montreal Eats (link is to the first post) – I spent two weeks in Montreal last spring, and basically ate my way through the entire city: bagels, smoked meat, Garde Manger, cupcakes, steak et frites and so much more.  I can’t wait to go back.
4. Blondie Throwdown Pt. I & II – I don’t usually get all Alton Brown on my baking, but this was a fun experiment to research blondie recipes, bake three batches, and we had a blast judging the results.
5. Slowcooker Pulled Pork – While there’s definitely a baking focus on Planet Byn, I’ve also posted a handful of dinner ideas. This pulled pork is easy, awesome, and when you live in a condo with no barbecue, it’s the closest you’ll get to a backyard feast. This post also introduces you to the fact that I cook for awards shows the way most people cook for sporting events. Welcome to my world.

And in the spirit of the upcoming Oscars, here are my shout-outs:

– Big thanks to my friends and most frequent commenters: Brooke, Danielle, Erin, Kristine, Leianne, Lydia and Tatiana!

– Special thanks to two amazing Canadian bloggers Gwendolyn at Patent and the Pantry and Tonya at What’s On My Plate for reading and commenting. You made my day!

– Shout-outs to my brother Chris for sending me the most amazing, supportive email when I first sent out the link to my blog a year ago (“Robyn – I am *impressed*. You know I do Internet stuff for a living, so I know a little bit about this, and your blog is really, really, really high-end. You write extremely well – where did that come from?”) (haha)

Finally, some goals for Year 2 on Planet Byn:

– Invest in a DLSR, actually read the instruction manual, possibly take some classes, and work on my food photography.

– Tatiana has suggested a “What’s Boiling” sub-page, as apparently I have a lot of food-related rage issues to work through (Galen Weston, flat bagels, Bay Street restaurants, etc) and she says I can’t fool people who don’t know me into thinking I just bake cupcakes with sunshine and rainbows (was anyone ever under that impression? haha).

– Stop being afraid of yeast, and finally make some bread and bread products like soft pretzels and cinnamon buns.

– One word: UBE!

And with that my friends, the baking hiatus is officially over, and I’ll be back tomorrow with the cover recipe from this month’s Bon Appetit magazine. Danielle got me a subscription for Christmas! Love it!

Thanks again for reading! It means so much to me!

xoxo

Byn