Anniversary Toast
Cheers! Today is the first anniversary of my blog, Toast.
Few projects in my life have been as entirely entertaining and rewarding. Thanks to those of you who read Toast, and those who take time to comment; you make me grateful and happy, and frankly, surprised. I truly never imagined that anyone would notice.
I'm particularly grateful to my delightful daughter, redfox of the hungry tiger, who showed me how. It was her excellent food blog that first filled me with envy (and still does). She and S., were very patient with me, explaining basic html, and many other things, while I learned just enough to carry on.
To celebrate, I have opened a bottle of dessert wine I've been hoarding, and I bought "a gift for my blog." (I approve of the practice which has developed in some quarters, where presents are purchased by the blogger, for the blog. I do not care one whit if it is excessively cute. )
First, the gift: I bought several baby rose geranium plants, which, as you can see, I am in the process of adding to my little porch-and-steps garden, among the herb plants. This purchase was inspired by Shuna's praise of these lovelies for their subtle, sweet enchancing flavors and my increasing curiosity about cooking with flowers. I am growing some other unusual (entirely legal) items in this tiny "garden", about which, more later.
And for you, my friends, a selection of 12 Toast Posts from Year I, one from each month:
May 28, 2005: Tea and Toast Part III: Toast
June 4, 2005: Potage St. Germaine with Pea Greens and Chives
July 7, 2005: The Hunt for Chinese Chews 1957
August 13, 2005: The Other Egg Salad
September 28, 2005:Green tomato finale
October 30, 2005:The Other Muffins
Novenber 25,2005: Cookie Swap:Perfectly Plain
December 19, 2005: Meyer Lemon Tea Cake.
January 24, 2006: Baby Bokchoy Braise
February 16, 2006: Praising Muhjaddarah
March 25, 2006: On Eating flowers: Walnut Cake With Roses
Aprril 10, 2006: Preserved Pears, Rabbit, and the Best Sauce
Thanks!
Happy Blog Birthday! I am a fellow Well Fed contributor and was just enjoying your write-up on The Cooking of Southwest France. I actually cook IN Southwest France, but can't find time to write about everything I cook and taste. Good luck carrying on with your blog! I've sure loved writing mine...
Posted by: Betty Carlson | May 20, 2006 at 01:37 PM
Happy Blogging Birthday and here's to many more to come!!!
Posted by: Pamela | May 20, 2006 at 02:49 PM
Happy Blog Birthday! Congratulations, Lindy. Here's to many more posts. I so much enjoy reading you - can't wait to see what this next year brings. And I love the selection of posts, what a clever idea. Can't WAIT to hear about your baking experiments with rose geranium...
Posted by: Luisa | May 20, 2006 at 03:06 PM
Congratulations. And thank you. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog since I first stumbled across it. And I particularly enjoy the fact you update so regularly - don't know how you manage it, but thank you. Here's to year two!
Posted by: Clare | May 20, 2006 at 03:30 PM
Happy blogiversary! Thanks for the greatest hits links, too. I hadn't read some of those.
Posted by: mzn | May 20, 2006 at 03:36 PM
Happy BlogBirthday, Lindy! I arrived at your toast party too late but am happy to join the throng, now!
Posted by: Alanna | May 20, 2006 at 04:36 PM
Congratulations and Happy Blog Birthday! I can't imagine how they could, but I am betting things will only get better (and tastier) from here. Love that you bought a gift for your blog, and I hope the dessert wine was worth waiting for! Your writing is so consistently wonderful. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Posted by: farmgirl | May 20, 2006 at 06:48 PM
Happy anniversary, Lindy! I will be interested to read about your experiences with the geraniums as I've never used flowers in my cooking. Your herbs ought to do well in this weather! :(
I'm also going to enjoy reading your selection of posts since I just discovered your blog a couple of months ago; thanks!
Posted by: Rebecca | May 20, 2006 at 08:46 PM
Congrats!
Posted by: phd | May 20, 2006 at 11:07 PM
Oh, happy Blogday to you, dear Lindy. The year has been a much better place thanks to Toast's -- and your -- presence in it.
Posted by: Bakerina | May 21, 2006 at 09:38 AM
Happy anniversary, Lindy. Thank you for an enjoyable year of reading and eating. I'm making the other egg salad right now. By the way, I think you are supposed to use the geranium leaves, not the flowers. I grow gorgeous regular geraniums, but have always found scented geraniums rather tricky, so good luck!
Posted by: Lynn D. | May 21, 2006 at 11:31 AM
Congratulations and happy anniversary! What dessert wine did you open?
Posted by: anapestic | May 21, 2006 at 06:27 PM
Happy Blog Birthday and many happy returns of the day, Lindy.
I look forward to my toast every day.
I had some geranium ice cream the other day at Greens in San Francisco--just my cup of tea.
Posted by: the chocolate lady | May 21, 2006 at 06:54 PM
Happy Blog Birthday, Lindy!
All the best in the year to come!
Posted by: Ivonne | May 21, 2006 at 10:00 PM
joyeux anniversaire! Many thanks for providing a most entertaining & informative blog!
Posted by: jennifer | May 22, 2006 at 12:51 AM
Hey Lindy,
A belated Happy Blog Birthday.....I love the way you have your post set-up to honor the occasion.
Keep Blogging! Your blog is a beauty!
Melissa
Posted by: Melissa | May 22, 2006 at 05:33 AM
Thank you all for your kind good wishes and for reading Toast.
'pestic- it was a beerenaulese (did I spell that right?) Yum. Lynn-I did actually know it was the leaves... I guess that means it's really a sort of herb, rather than a flower that you cook with. But the leaves smell and taste so much like flowers. I'm hoping the chocolate lady will describe the rose geranium ice cream.
Posted by: lindy | May 22, 2006 at 05:38 AM
Happy One Year Old! That's a long time and a lot of posts. You have a treasure.
Posted by: Tanna | May 22, 2006 at 05:56 AM
I think presents are definitely called for on your blog's birthday.
I've enjoyed your blog in the four or five months since I found it. Good writing, interesting food (I don't think you're ever in a food rut!), and as someone above remarked, you update so regularly.
Congratulations and looking forward to the coming year.
Posted by: Julie | May 22, 2006 at 07:50 AM
Happy anniversary Lindy (bit late, sorry)! Your Toast accompanies my first coffee in the morning for quite some time now, I am looking forward to many more slices. Love the way you celebrate this anniverary with a bite of toast throughout the year. Going to read them all.
Posted by: Baking Soda | May 22, 2006 at 03:29 PM
Hey.. Happy First Blogiversary to you too! :) How nice that both our blogs are under the same star. Your Meyer lemon cake is on my "gotta try" list - I LURVE lemon cakes! I dont think we get Meyer lemons here, but I'll try it with whatever IS available. Thanks for the recipe, and many many more happy returns to your lovely blog! :)
Posted by: Shammi | May 22, 2006 at 03:58 PM
Happy, Happy Birthday Lindy, I can't believe you've been around for a year! I really can't tell you how much I enjoy your beautiful and delicious posts, but I can tell you that I hope I'll be able to enjoy them for a long time to come.
Posted by: Melissa | May 22, 2006 at 07:08 PM
Congrats, Lindy. I really like the 12 posts for each month of blogging. Like other people said, I'm very, very impressed and a little envious of your frequent, excellent updates.
Posted by: yulinka | May 22, 2006 at 08:34 PM
Happy anniversary to a wonderful blog! Everything looks delicious as usual, especially that lemon tea cake which will get bookmarked :-)
Posted by: Tanvi | May 22, 2006 at 08:59 PM
Huge congratulations Lindy, and an expecial thank you from me, because without you I would never have made the leap. You have been a constant encouragement to me, it is always a pleasure to read your thoughtful and intelligents posts, and I know that you are a source of great succour to many others too. Many happy returns.
Posted by: June | May 23, 2006 at 02:54 AM