The Cooking Actress' 5th Blogiversary!

Um...you guys. Today marks this blog's 5TH BIRTHDAY! Can you believe it?? I can't! SO MUCH has happened in these past 5 years and I've learned so incredibly much and met some of the most amazing people (and had some of the most amazing opportunities and experiences)! I cannot thank all of you enough for taking this journey with me--whether you're a brand new reader or one who has been with me from the beginning.

THANK YOU!

And, for such a momentous anniversary, I thought I'd share a list of 5's encompassing these past 5 years. Enjoy!

5 favorite entree recipes

1. Turkey Spinach Provolone Pastry
2. Just Chicken Pot Pie
3. Homemade Cheddar Pierogi {with Caramelized Onions}
4. French Dip Sandwiches
5. Garlic Parmesan Chicken Lasagna

5 favorite cookie recipes 

1. Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
3. Exceptional Chocolate Chip Cookies
4. Brown Butter Chocolate Stuffed Toffee Chip Cookies
5. THE Levain Chocolate Chip Cookie Copycat Recipe

5 favorite brownie recipes

1. The Baked Brownie
2. S'mores Brownies
3. Ultimate Fudge Brownies with Toasted Pecans
4. Super Chocolate Oreo Crunch Brownies
5. Ooey Gooey Heavenly Brownies

5 favorite cake recipes

1. Chocolate Decadence
2. Buckeye Cake
3. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
4. Melting Chocolate Cakes
5. Mini Raspberry Swirl Cheesecakes

5 favorite candies

1. Salted Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
2. {Easy} Salted Praline Pecan Clusters
3. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pecan Truffles
4. Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles
5. Dark Chocolate Truffles

5 favorite ice cream recipes

1. Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ice Cream
2. Peanut Butter Butterfinger Ice Cream {No Cook, Egg-free}
3. Strawberries & Cream Chocolate Chip Ice Cream {Easy, No Cook, Egg-free}
4. Coffee Chocolate Chip Ice Cream {No Cook, Egg-free}
5. No Churn, 2+ Ingredient Ice Cream

5 favorite pie/tart recipes

1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
2. Dark Chocolate Dreams Icebox Pie
3. Peanut Butter Cream Pie
4. Salted Caramel Pecan Pie
5. Fresh Strawberry Pie

5 favorite misc. dessert recipes

1. Cream Puffs (from scratch)
2. Cookie Dough S'mores-3 Ways
3. Caramel Corn
4. Deep Dish S'more
5. Chocolate Covered Potato Chips with Salted Caramel Drizzle

5 favorite breakfast recipes

1. Crisp and Fluffy Whole Wheat Waffles 
2. Puff Pastry Chocolate Croissants
3. Skillet Breakfast Potatoes
4. Pecan Sticky Buns
5. Over EASY Eggs

5 favorite appetizer recipes

1. Black Bean Pico de Gallo
2. Cheesy Chicken and Potato Chowder
3. Pan Fried Zucchini
4. Roasted Garlic Brown Butter Hummus
5. Lightened Up Spinach Artichoke Dip

5 favorite side dish/snack recipes

1. Crispy Baked Onion Rings
2. Baked Cheddar and Scallion Mashed Potatoes
3. Roasted Garlic Parmesan Tater Tots
4. Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt Bars {KIND Bars Copy Cat}
5. Homemade Cheddar Cheese Crackers (Cheez-Its)

5 favorite "original" recipes

1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Nutty Granola
2. Mom's Pot Roast
3. Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cups
4. Sicilian "Enchiladas"
5. Toasted Ricotta Gnocchi with Parmesan Truffle Cream Sauce

5 recipes I'm most proud of/best basics

1. Neapolitan Pizza Crust
2. Whole Wheat Puff Pastry
3. Homemade Flour Tortillas
4. Perfect All-Butter Pie Crust
5. Multi-Nut Butter

5 favorite bread recipes

1. Easy Whole Wheat Hoagie Rolls
2. Fluffy, Buttery, Rolls (Texas Roadhouse Copy Cat)
3. Cheddar Biscuits
4. Ciabatta Bread with Morel & Leek Jack Cheese
5. Extra Flaky Biscuits

5 favorite "life" posts

1. New York, New York...a look back
2. Wedding Prep, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Portraits, & Wedding Reception
3. Finally!
4. Honeymoon Recap {at Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun in Riviera Maya}
5. What I've Learned About Wedding Planning (So Far)

5 most popular posts

1. Momofuku's Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
2. The New York Times Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
3. Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole
4. Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
5. Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

5 biggest life changes

1. Started a food blog (duh).
2. Michael moved to NY for me.
3. Then him and I moved back to Ohio together.
4. Got married.
5. Became a wedding planner!

5 biggest lessons learned

1. Family often comes to mean a lot more as you get older.
2. It's ok to change dreams.
3. Once you have really good food...it's hard to settle for mediocre.
4. Don't put too much pressure on yourself...but also...put some pressure on yourself.
5. Things work out the way they're supposed to--it may not be according to plan, and it might not always be good, but things have a way of working out and sometimes you find yourself loving something you never would have dreamed of (this references both the blog, wedding planning, and Michael :P)

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THESE 5 YEARS AMAZING!