My 500th Posting!!!

I can't believe this is my 500th time posting! I started the blog on August 9, 2009 which means I've been a 'blogger' for 1 year and 8 months! The fact that I still have people interested is quite a feat! You like me! You really, really LIKE me!

For any blogger reaching certain milestones is a big deal. Celebrating Bloggaversaries, seeing your number of Followers grow and grow, witnessing your daily stats soar ... it all shows us that the hard work we put in is worth it. Blogging is a lot of fun but also a lot of work. To think that little old me (with my utter lack of 'puter knowledge and know how) pulled together a blog and actually had people (other than my family) who wanted to read about my hobbies and blatherings is pretty cool!

I've decided to take a stroll down memory lane and showcase some of my favourite recipes, blatherings and all-time favourite reads. In the past 500 posts I've blogged about a lot of stuff. Here's a breakdown about what I blog about.

Number of recipes posted: 241!!
Number of book reviews posted: 178!!
Inane blatherings from moi: 23
Other Stuff: 58
Nice comments from blog readers: PRICELESS!

After posting 500 times sometimes even I find it hard to remember all of my recipes. Thinking back to my favourite recipes made my own mouth water so I decided to showcase my 50 favourite recipes as we stroll down memory lane. For those of you who have a firm grasp of basic math (you math gurus, you!) you'll notice that math is not my forte and that I couldn't just stop at listing only 50 recipes. All of the recipes, book reviews and my favourite blatherings are linked to the original post to make it easier for you to find everything. Enjoy!!

Appetizers
• Double Tomato Balsamic Bruschetta
• Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Pesto
• Hot Broccoli Dip
• Crescent-Wrapped Brie

Soup/Salad/Sandwiches
• Bean & Bacon Soup
• Bacon & Potato Heart Stopper Soup
• Raspberry Balsamic Salad
• BBB (Basil, Bacon & Balsamic) Potato Salad
• Fruit, Feta & Balsamic Salad
• Chicken, Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Quesadillas
• Traditional Potato Salad
• Bermuda Spinach Salad
• Ultimate Grilled Cheese
• Rich & Creamy Tomato Soup
• Meal in a Bowl Soup

Breakfast/Muffins/Quick Breads
• Country Breakfast Bake
• Apple Fritter Pancakes
• Cranberry Orange Bread
• Best Banana Bread
• Double Berry Bran Muffins
• Mocha Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
• Mandarin Orange Breakfast Bites
• The BEST Bluberry Muffin You'll Ever Eat!

Pasta/Casseroles
• Sun-Dried Tomato, Bacon & Olive Pasta
• Spaghetti with Mega Meat Sauce
• Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce
• Mark's Lasagna
• Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
• Baked Pasta with Ricotta & Tomatoes
• Mediterranean Tuna Casserole
• Chicken Noodle Casserole
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Kitchen Sink Chili

Side Dishes
• Roasted Balsamic & Parmesan Asparagus
• Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
• Tangy Roasted Red Potatoes
• Simple Balsamic Roasted Veggies
• Scalloped Potatoes

Recipes Using the Beasties (Poultry, Pork, Beef & Fish)
• Turkey'n'Stuffin' Burgers
• Caramelized Baked Chicken
• Cranberry Pork Roast
• Grilled Citrus Salmon
• Baked Sea Scallops
• Shepherd's Pub Pie
• Fancy Fillet
• Make-Ahead Shredded Beef Sandwiches • Shepherd's Pub Pie
• Sensational Sloppy Joes
• Easy, Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
• Easy Crab Cakes

Cakes, Pies & Desserts
• Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Banana Split Cake
• Mini Oreo Surprise Cupcakes
• Maple Icing
• Tiramisu Layer Cake
• Chocolate Covered Oreo Cookie Cake
• Sour Cream Coffeecake
• Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes
• Gooey, Warm Apples
• Apple Crisp
• MIL's Famous Apple Pie
• Bavarian Apple Torte
• Strawberry Trifle

Cookies & Squares
• Chocolate Peanut/Freenut Butter Squares
• My Ultimate Brownies
• Chewy Sugar & Spice Cookies
• Double Chocolate Smarties Cookies

My Witty Yet Inane Blatherings
• Grocery Store Etiquette
• Yummy Noises
• My Favourite Things
• 101 Things About Me (see tab above)

Just Some of My Favourite Reads
• The Secret Daughter
• In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer
• The Help
• Bitten
• The Book of Negroes
• Still Missing
• Juliet
• The Last Olympian
• Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog
• Stolen Innocence
• Before Green Gables
• Certain Girls
• Momzillas
• Pillars of the Earth
• The Queen's Governess

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who visits my blog. I LOVE to hear from you and get such a kick out of getting comments on my posts. Without comments it feels like I'm just talkin' to myself (which I sometimes find disturbing)! Please feel free to share my blog address with your friends and family. In the blogging world 'the more, the merrier' is the key to success!!

Thanks again for all of your support and taking the time to visit little old me.