The Cooking Actress' 2nd Blogaversary!
Yayyy! Today's the day! I can hardly believe it's already been (and yet has only been) 2 years!
2 years ago I was bored, bummed, and just blossoming in the kitchen.
2 years ago I thought I'd be lucky if my family and friends read this blog (and let's be honest...very few of them do still).
2 years ago I was intimidated by a mere biscuit recipe.
2 years ago I hit publish on a silly, rant-y post about myself, then subsequently a delicious recipe with blurry, no-effort pictures.
We've come a long way.
My skills in the kitchen have improved immensely (I now try to make almost anything and everything from scratch), I've actually made this blog more of...well...a real blog, I've had the opportunity to work with some amazing companies, I won my first ever recipe contest, I've been featured on some of the bigger food photo sites, people are actually reading (I'm *gasp* even making a teensy bit of money?!), and I have made SO many amazing, wonderful friends.
And I owe every single last bit of it to you guys.
THANK YOU!
Thank you for making me look forward to turning on my computer. Thank you for making me feel proud of myself, and brightening my day. Thank you for making me laugh (because you do, often). Thank you for making me feel like I'm a part of some amazing, huge, food-loving family. I can't even begin to tell you all of the amazing ways this blog and I have grown in the last 2 years or how grateful I am.
And I hope we have lots more good stuff coming :).
(here's hoping blogs don't have "terrible two's" :P)
Also--a reminder! There's less than a week left for you to enter Baker Bettie's 2nd annual Cookie Wars! Kristina from Whipped, Laura from Ring Finger Tan Line, Charity of Sweets by Charity, and myself, are all helping Baker Bettie out with the first round of judging. The rules are that you need to create an original cookie recipe using 2 of the challenge ingredients (there are 25 possible challenge ingredients, that you'll find here) and then you need to submit the recipe with a photo of the finished cookie(s). You can learn more by visiting the FAQ's page and the Official Rules page. Click here to go to the Official Online Recipe Submission Form.
Recipes from the blog that I made this week
Recent links bookmarked (visit my Pinterest for more)
Big, Chewy, Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Cookies (Keep It Sweet Desserts)
Ahhhh Lauren you beautiful genius, you!
Baked Cinnamon Sugar Mini Donuts (Baker Bettie)
These little donuts look like bites of heaven!
Fudgy Gluten Free Chocolate Cake (Minimalist Baker)
I cannot believe this decadent, gooey, cake is healthy!
Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
Once Upon A Time-I do not care for "Lacey", I miss Belle. Also freaking out about everything with Regina and effing Tamara and Oliver (and had just been thinking "huh...what's going on with Hook these days?"...question answered).
Game of Thrones-I love Dany, she is FREAKING BADA**. Additionally, Michael is annoyed about Sansa's apparent impeding marriage to Loris, in the book it was a different brother (because Loris was a member of the King's guard)-she's supposed to want him but not be able to have him. I suppose we shall see how this goes (especially since he's gay?)
Supernatural-I am so in love with Felicia Day/Charlie and her and Dean's relationship. Some quotes:*whiney voice* "montaage", "...I don't want to miss the broment" "...deodorant? A little...pee....maybe?"
But then stuff got sad for poor Charlie. :( I love that she said she loved Dean and he Han Solo'd her. D'aw :)
Law & Order:SVU-A tearjerker. It dealt with the issue of rape on college campus' and the abhorrent way it is overlooked, or hidden, etc. I've been seeing a lot of info about it lately (esp. in my Cosmo magazines) and this episode just reminded me again of how incredibly angry and sad it makes me.
The Big Bang Theory-Correct Leonard. Buffy the Vampire is perfect for you and Penny (just as it's also perfect for Michael and I which is why we're watching it right now--I'm re-watching and he's watching for the 1st time). I'm glad Penny's insane not loving it led her to an epiphany-because really....there's no excuse.
The Office-Aw! That's right Pam and Jim, remember your love!
Glee-best part of this episode=Sue's rendition of Miss Hannigan's "Little Girls". I'm not even gonna get into how annoyed I was when Sam was so disrespectful of Ryder's molestation (or how annoying it is that Glee decided to make a storyline about it). I got kinda excited during the whole ballet thing since I actually met Sarah Jessica Parker at the NY Ballet (I was babysitting a little girl who was dancing-I was her "backstage guardian", and SJP was so nice! She was like Carrie from SITC, but in real life :P).
The Vampire Diaries-Does anybody else feel like when they initially introduced the idea of Klaus he was supposed to be Eastern European (like Katherine aka Katerina), but they changed their minds? Like, when he was in Alaric's body he had a thick Eastern European accent, but then for whatever reason they backpedaled and he actually has a slight British accent and they were originally vikings and his name is short for Niklaus? (Also what about the "original doppelganger" that he and Elijah were in love with? Will we ever hear that story? Probably not.) Sorry this has bothered me for awhile and the fact that this week's episode was a lead in to the spin off "The Originals", I thought now was the time to bring it up.
Also-I don't know that I really care enough about any of these characters to watch their spin off (although I am intrigue by Marcel and the little Klaus baby), but I don't want to miss anything if it ties in with TVD...so...I'm undecided.
Instagram Lately (a few highlights from this week on Instagram)
Big, Chewy, Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Cookies (Keep It Sweet Desserts)
Ahhhh Lauren you beautiful genius, you!
Baked Cinnamon Sugar Mini Donuts (Baker Bettie)
These little donuts look like bites of heaven!
Fudgy Gluten Free Chocolate Cake (Minimalist Baker)
I cannot believe this decadent, gooey, cake is healthy!
Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
Once Upon A Time-I do not care for "Lacey", I miss Belle. Also freaking out about everything with Regina and effing Tamara and Oliver (and had just been thinking "huh...what's going on with Hook these days?"...question answered).
Game of Thrones-I love Dany, she is FREAKING BADA**. Additionally, Michael is annoyed about Sansa's apparent impeding marriage to Loris, in the book it was a different brother (because Loris was a member of the King's guard)-she's supposed to want him but not be able to have him. I suppose we shall see how this goes (especially since he's gay?)
Supernatural-I am so in love with Felicia Day/Charlie and her and Dean's relationship. Some quotes:*whiney voice* "montaage", "...I don't want to miss the broment" "...deodorant? A little...pee....maybe?"
But then stuff got sad for poor Charlie. :( I love that she said she loved Dean and he Han Solo'd her. D'aw :)
Law & Order:SVU-A tearjerker. It dealt with the issue of rape on college campus' and the abhorrent way it is overlooked, or hidden, etc. I've been seeing a lot of info about it lately (esp. in my Cosmo magazines) and this episode just reminded me again of how incredibly angry and sad it makes me.
The Big Bang Theory-Correct Leonard. Buffy the Vampire is perfect for you and Penny (just as it's also perfect for Michael and I which is why we're watching it right now--I'm re-watching and he's watching for the 1st time). I'm glad Penny's insane not loving it led her to an epiphany-because really....there's no excuse.
The Office-Aw! That's right Pam and Jim, remember your love!
Glee-best part of this episode=Sue's rendition of Miss Hannigan's "Little Girls". I'm not even gonna get into how annoyed I was when Sam was so disrespectful of Ryder's molestation (or how annoying it is that Glee decided to make a storyline about it). I got kinda excited during the whole ballet thing since I actually met Sarah Jessica Parker at the NY Ballet (I was babysitting a little girl who was dancing-I was her "backstage guardian", and SJP was so nice! She was like Carrie from SITC, but in real life :P).
The Vampire Diaries-Does anybody else feel like when they initially introduced the idea of Klaus he was supposed to be Eastern European (like Katherine aka Katerina), but they changed their minds? Like, when he was in Alaric's body he had a thick Eastern European accent, but then for whatever reason they backpedaled and he actually has a slight British accent and they were originally vikings and his name is short for Niklaus? (Also what about the "original doppelganger" that he and Elijah were in love with? Will we ever hear that story? Probably not.) Sorry this has bothered me for awhile and the fact that this week's episode was a lead in to the spin off "The Originals", I thought now was the time to bring it up.
Also-I don't know that I really care enough about any of these characters to watch their spin off (although I am intrigue by Marcel and the little Klaus baby), but I don't want to miss anything if it ties in with TVD...so...I'm undecided.
Instagram Lately (a few highlights from this week on Instagram)