One of the fifth grade teachers at my elementary school was as popular for his likeable personality and teaching style as he was for his birthday–he was born on Leap Day. We all thought it was so funny that he was only 7 or 8 years old, but I remember feeling a little sad for him. When you’re young, birthdays are really special days, and I figured he got cheated.
Similarly, the end of February marked the fifth anniversary of The Fountain Avenue Kitchen—sort of. Because the official launch date for my blog was February 29, it won’t technically turn five until 2032!
Since the inaugural day in 2012, I’ve posted approximately 700 recipes. I’m mildly perplexed that there’s still a long list of recipes I haven’t found time to share. Of course, there’s a whole other list that’s in the works and plenty of things I still want to try.
When 2016 came to a close, I assembled a collection of my favorite recipes from the year. It’s easy to lose track of the many soups, salads, and slow cooker recipes we see in the course of a year, and I figured that a quick recap might be helpful. Twenty recipes made the cut, and many readers told me that the list inspired them to try a new recipe or two. Many also inquired about reader favorites.
So to celebrate the latest milestone, I thought a collection of reader favorites from the last five years might be fun. One of the all-time standouts is first on the list: Jen’s Incredible Baked Meatballs. It’s a slight adaptation of one of the many foolproof recipes shared with me years ago by my good friend Jen. The easy recipe is one of the first from my blog that went viral, being Pinned, shared, and Tweeted countless times. To date, there are nearly 200 positive reviews on the recipe post, which doesn’t include the many social media comments, emails, and face-to-face mentions I’ve received.
Early on, I kept thinking that I needed to retake the photo. On a busy night in 2012, I had hastily snapped a picture of the raw meatballs with my phone just before I popped them in the oven. Carpools or a very hungry family likely kept me from photographing them once cooked, so the photo that has traveled wildly through cyberspace all these years is simply raw meat. But nobody ever complained, so I eventually decided to leave well enough alone!
****************
Happy cooking and cheers to the next five!
Wow — Happy 5 Year Anniversary, Ann! So many of us have benefitted greatly from your culinary gifts and your great discipline in refining your cooking art and sharing it with us. Thanks, too, for being such an encouraging presence to reluctant and unmotivated cooks like me . You have a wonderful way of inviting people into the adventure and joy of creating lovely, healthy meals. As I looked through your past 5 years of favorite recipes, I realize that I’ve made many of them. (In fact, I have a binder that is strictly printouts of Fountain Avenue Kitchen recipes.) See the effect you’ve had on me? Thank You! God Bless you as you continue your important work.
Your comment would bring warmth and sunshine to even the dreariest day — thank you for your kind words, Rila! The years sure have passed quickly, in no small part to people like you who take the time to express the kind of thoughtful feedback that fuels me to keep doing what I’m doing. Sending a big hug your way!
Happy 5th Anniversary my talented friend, Ann. Your recipes are perfect for the every day cook like myself. You make them so easy to follow and tasty too! Cheers to the next 5 years and all that it may bring. Thank you and have a great week xoxo
Thank you for your lovely message and so nice to “see” you, Beverley! I can’t quite believe it’s been five years…and what a pleasure to have known you since the beginning!