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July 24, 2012

Mini Funfetti Cheesecakes for My 1st Blogiversary!

Mini Funfetti Cheesecakes

One year ago today, I hit 'publish' on my very first post on Once Upon a Cutting Board, making today my 1-Year Blogiversary!

When I started this blog, I wasn't even sure if it would last long enough to see an anniversary.  At the time, I just wanted a place to keep track of the increasing amount of recipes I was trying, and to share my growing love for food photography with others, even if it was just my family reading it.  One year later, I actually have readers beyond my family reading this, and my love for this blog grows stronger every day!

To mark the occasion, I thought I'd briefly look back at the past year through a series of short lists.  And, obviously, cheesecake!  But we'll save that until the end :)

Mini Funfetti Cheesecakes

How My Cooking Has Changed and Improved

Mini Funfetti Cheesecakes

How My Blog Has Changed and Improved

I've learned a lot about the technical side of blogging in addition to cooking, and have made what I think are some big improvements to the blog over the last year.  Let me know what you think!
  • New, cleaner design (I don't even want to show you a screenshot of the old design!)
  • An Ingredient Index for an easy way to find recipes that include a certain ingredient (this took me forever to figure out how to do so I'm quite proud of it!)
  • I joined Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest - Twitter took me a while to finally join but now I love it!
  • I've added Follow buttons, share buttons, and a print friendly button 
  • New commenting system (which might change again soon, I'm not sure I like this one - thoughts welcome!)
  • Updated my About Me page (this was actually only done recently, so check it out if you haven't yet!)
  • Improving photography (I hope!)

Mini Funfetti Cheesecakes

A Few Highlights from the Last Year

  • My very first Foodgawker acceptance - I will never forget how happy I was that night!
  • My beet hummus being featured on Glamour magazine's website - that was the first huge spike in traffic I had and it was so exciting!
  • My first original recipe being featured in Eat In Eat Out's premiere issue!
  • My first giveaway with Aurora Importing - I loved finally being able to give something back to my readers and working with the lovely people at Aurora!
  • My first time being featured on The Kitchn's Delicious Links - I never thought one of my recipes would be included in their daily picks so I was thrilled to see my popsicles featured recently!

Mini Funfetti Cheesecakes

What I’ve Loved about Blogging

  • Being a part of the food blogging community and talking to other bloggers! I love the friends I've made online and the great advice and opportunities I've received as a member of the Food Bloggers of Canada.
  • All the great food I've tried in the last year because I've pushed myself to try new things in the kitchen (and I've loved sharing that food with others!)
  • The readers!  Knowing that such wonderful people are out there reading my blog makes this all worth it, and every time I received a reader comment, it makes my day!

Mini Funfetti Cheesecakes


So THANK YOU for reading along this past year, I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!  If it weren't for you guys then I wouldn't have made it this far, so thank you so much!

To celebrate and show my appreciation, I made these festive little funfetti cheesecakes!  When I tried to think of what I should make to celebrate, I couldn't seem to get sprinkles out of my mind, so I used them (and some funfetti cake batter) to make these individual cheesecakes from Gingerbread Bagels.  They were so good and I loved how they use a Golden Oreo as a base!  They were a big hit with everyone I shared them with, and I'd highly recommend them for any celebrations you may have coming up!

To get the recipe, head over to Gingerbread Bagels!

Thanks again and cheers to another year! :)

20 comments:

  1. Congratulations Nat!!!! You have turned your passion into a reality
    and I am so proud of you. Over the year I have enjoyed tasting everything you
    have made and if I were to pick a favorite from the past year I decided it would be the Frozen Peanut Butter Pie :)






    http://www.onceuponacuttingboard.com/2011/08/frozen-peanut-butter-pie.html

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  2. Thank you! I've loved having a taste tester for everything :) And I think we're due for another peanut butter pie soon!

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  3. Congratulations! I can't believe how much you've accomplished over the past year - both on the technical side learning everything about blogging and in your cooking! Love these little cheesecakes too - so adorable and they really did taste like birthday cake but in cheesecake form!

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  4. Kiersten @ Oh My VeggiesJuly 24, 2012 at 6:13 PM

    Woo hoo! Congratulations on your blogiversary! I loved reading this post because I think so many of us food bloggers have a similar trajectory. (Like you, I NEVER thought I would be able to create an original recipe--it seemed so difficult!) Can you believe how much has happened for you in just one short year?! Imagine what you'll have done a year from now! :D The cheesecakes look like a great way to celebrate!

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  5. Awe, I absolutely love this post!!! What a great way to look back and reflect on your first year of blogging! :) I love that blogging inspires and pushes us to try new things and be more daring in the kitchen. And I love how it has enabled me to meet others who love cooking. Congrats on one year of blogging! Your blog is definitely one of my very favourites! :) Keep up the awesome work!

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  6. Tanti auguri on your blogiversary!!! It's wonderful to see great blogs start and grow up so much!! Hope to keep enjoying your talent and creativity for many may years!!!

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  7. Thanks, I love how festive sprinkles and cake batter can make anything! Excited to read your blogiversary post soon!

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  8. Aw thanks Kiersten! Your blog and the number of original recipes you create have been a great inspiration!

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  9. Thanks so much Courtney! You're definitely one of my favorites too and I love every comment and encouraging note you've given me!

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  10. Thank you so much for the nice comment and thank you for the continued support!

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  11. Congrats on completing your first year with this blog! I love stopping by here every week and look forward to another year of great recipes.

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  12. Congratulations Nat! I love reading your blog and I'm so happy that you have taken such an interest in cooking...not only because we get to try out some of your creations but I also think it's so important to be able to cook mostly from scratch rather than heating up prepared processed food. Looking forward to year two! Love, Mom

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  13. Happy 1 year! You've accomplished a lot in your first year of blogging. :)

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  14. Woohoo! MAJOR congratulations on such an awesome achievement! It's been so fun reading along with all of your deliciousness. :) Oh man do these cheesecakes look good!

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  15. Thanks Joanne, it's been fun reading along with your hilarious comments too! :)

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  16. I just found your blog and really like it. Keep it up. I'm from London On. Where in Cda are you? Great work.

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  17. Thanks so much, Catherine! I'm in the K-W area.

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