Kitchen Operas’ First Birthday!

It’s the one year Blog-i-versary for my blog!  And as such, I wanted to share with you a list of my favourite things, made possible by blogging!

1) Kitchen inspiration – this one’s pretty self explanatory.  Because I am going to be posting delicious recipes, I get to research, invent, cook, and eat delicious meals.  Before I started Kitchen Operas I was in a rut of Thai Red Curry Quinoa and stir-frys for dinner.  All of this variety and experimenting is way more fun.  This year I’ve been doing crazy things like throwing peaches and figs on French Toast just for fun!

2) Foodie friends from far & near – I love all of my friendships that I’ve made through being a food blogger.  The camaraderie of sharing delicious meals and helpful kitchen tips just makes me excited to see what everyone’s up to in their kitchens, and what you all think of what I’m up to.  I especially get a kick out of watching the seasons change across the food blogs and seeing the opposite seasonal foods come into play in the Southern Hemisphere with my Aussie friends!

3) Cookbooks – ok, I’ve always collected cookbooks, but now I have a really good excuse: “it’s for the blog!”  Thanks for helping me add to my collection!

4) Food photography – even though the boyfriend and my guests may not enjoy it, I am getting such joy out of photographing what goes into and comes out of the kitchen.  Double joy for an extra artsy outlet!

5) Comments! – your comments make me soooo happy.  I get email notifications whenever they are posted, and I can’t wait to see what tweaks you’ve made to the recipes and to have a little chat.  Comments make me do my happy dance!

6) Healthy eating – through cooking more, I’m eating more whole foods, less processed foods (almost none at this point), and way more fruits and veggies (spiralizer, anyone?)

7) Warm drinks – I find it vital to have a lovely cuppa something when reading other food blogs… In terms of tea, David’s Tea’s Creme Brulee Green Rooibos or Jessie’s Tea keep me great company.  I’ve also branched out into almond milk chai lattes and peppermint hot chocolates (with almond milk & raw cacao, yum).  ‘Tis the season!

8] New cravings – somehow there’s a viral-craving-thing that comes from reading food blogs.  I read a post here, a post there, a tweet a week later and all of a sudden I’m craving Honey Spiced Eggplant, Pumpkin Flatbread with Caramelised Onions, Spanikopita Scones, Bean Sprout Kimchi, Tortilla Soup, and Macarons.  Somehow these cravings then manage to escape into my kitchen and onto the blog, where I get to infect you with them.  Mwahaha, it’s all a part of my evil plan to get you all eating healthy and delicious meals!

Thank you all for a wonderful year — and here’s to the second year of Kitchen Operas!  I hope you enjoy it even half as much as I do!

If you’re interested, you can check out my very first post (about sourdough).  Yup, still obsessed with bread.