Cooke's Frontier Year In Review

My first New Year as a blogger! That's kind of exciting. While my blog isn't yet a year old, I have been seeing these "year in review" posts popping up all over the blog-o-sphere. Because I am not one to miss a chance to jump on the bandwagon, here is mine.

I hope you enjoy looking at all the posts from this year. If you are a newer reader it might be a chance to read some of the posts that you have yet to enjoy.

I started this blog with a post about Two kids, a milkshake and a morning. We briefly discussed my affinity for lying to people who knock upon my door. I found a great sale and bought so much fabric that I still have a trash bag floating around my house full of it. We talked about the DISGUSTING phenomenon that happens here every spring. I told the story of my butt getting glued to a toilet seat, followed closely by my children's sometime VERY foul mouths. I was pooped on by a bird while we were driving around one day, we got some baby chicks, we took an unfortunate road trip and I posted my first not-from-a-cellphone post.

We planted a garden, (it later died), posted my first recipe and showed you some disturbing images of my children eating. I tried to divorce the weather. I bought a new camera, but couldn't get it out of the post office, I made you look at pictures of my flowers while I learned how to use it. I had one of THOSE days. I taught you how to make my most favorite coconut cream pie, took some pictures of the girls, introduced you to my husbands' mistress and made my first top 10 list!

We built a deck, had a happy father's day, made a grasshopper pie, showed you how to use up leftovers in an amazing, easy sandwich, put some new trees in our yard and took the kids to wildlife safari (for the first of many times this year). I tried out a new recipe for an oatmeal pie, we celebrated the 4th of July and I made some killer coleslaw.

My twins had their 2nd birthday. I shared how to make some of my all time favorite foods: beef and black bean tacos, mexican rice, apple burritos, my favorite pizza crust and my famous zucchini cake. We took a trip to the ER. My oldest turned 6! I made cornbread and turned the leftovers into croutons. We undertook a major bathroom remodel (it still isn't done)!

I made pie, peach crisp and cheese bread. I did a 6 days of pumpkin recipes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. I smooshed two recipes together to get one new, hybrid one. I tried to get people to choose between blondies and brownies. I got to do a guest post for taste of home magazine about their cooking school. There were a plethora of recipes oatmeal apple muffins, double chocolate chip cookies, old fashioned caramel corn, caramel apples and oatmeal scotchies. We got ready for Halloween with homemade Halloween oreos, pumpkin cupcakes so easy the kids could make them, creepy bread sticks, ghost shaped homemade pop tarts, and spiderweb brownies.

We started getting ready for the holidays. I shared some great recipes for easy breakfasts for Thanksgiving like stuffed french toast, hash brown casserole and angel biscuits. We tried our hand at making a macadamia nut pie with coconut and it turned out so, so good. Then the Thanksgiving recipes started to roll in. Things like hot artichoke dip, golden dinner rolls  and who could forget the mile high peanut butter pie? Oh, I still have dreams about that one, I'm going to have to make it soon.

The lull between Thanksgiving and Christmas brought us recipes like sour cream apple pie, quick coffee cake, hokey pokies and delicious easy cheese danish. I tried to inspire you with  7 days worth of Christmas cookies 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. I shared my most favorite cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing. We had a cookie exchange! Someone ate the popcorn off the tree and we made some cute glittered ornaments. I wished you a very Merry Christmas. I took a blogging vacation over Christmas and decided that I am happy just how it is. I needed to make breakfast in a hurry and came up with these quick biscuit honey buns. And, finally, we got SNOW!!!

I have so much enjoyed blogging and sharing our little corner of the world with you all this year. I wish you all health, happiness and every joy in the coming new year. Enjoy some good food, drink a little drink and be safe! Much love to you all.

Charley