The Firsts: A Look Back, A Why, and A Thank You

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

The First Year

One year ago today, I stared at an unfamiliar web page, on an unfamiliar account, and asked my sister if my choice for the URL was alright, if it was good enough to head-line a tab on Mozilla Firefox. My heart drummed, my pinky finger twitched, and I was absolutely certain I was going to be the first person in the history of the universe to have a panic attack over choosing a font type.

One year ago today, I hit the enter key and created an account different from ones I was already logged into. The new account wasn't for the whereabouts of my social life. Nor was it for filtered photographs of my heartbreakingly adorable dog. The account was made to shelter recipes near-and-dear to my heart.

One year ago today, I created this blog.

Sea-Salt Brown Butter Rice Krispies

Rosemary and pink flowers in an empty vanilla extract bottle. 

Clover Honey Graham Crackers

Thank You's

Thank you for following my ramblings about room temperature butter and brown sugar.

Three hundred and sixty days later.

Seventeen blog posts.

This makes eighteen.
Thank you to those who've bookmarked it.

Thank you to those who've shared it to friends and family.

Thank you for the kind words.

Thank you for reading.

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

The First Reason

For years I found solace in the blogs of other bakers. Their posts, recipes, and pictures were secret homes to me. As far as I knew, it could have been hailing and thunder-storming outside my bedroom window, but if I was reading up on how long to bake rosemary palmiers, the sun may as well have been shining and the sky may as well have been crying diamonds and rose petals.

JoyTheBaker's warm honey-pink blog sparked in me an inspiration to stir together ingredients I never would have dreamed up.

SmittenKitchen's rustic authentic feel makes one believe that her photographs are not actually of braided blueberry bread or chocolate swirl rolls, but of goodness, integrity, and honesty.

So, for the longest time, I wanted to be that to someone. I wanted to bake and write and share and let it out in the universe, or in this case, the inter web to see what someone thought.

I wrote at peace, letting the love that curled around my kitchen, patter through a keyboard and weave Times-New-Roman lines.

Orange-Chocolate-Chip-Pound-Cake

Apple-Cinnamon Bundt Cake

I am immensely proud of Good Night Nutmeg and of the creativity it has fostered.

Good Night Nutmeg is about pantry staples that create magic when folded together.

It's about gourmet additions that embellish simple treats.

It's about patting yourself on the back, even if the apple pie turned out too watery or the oatmeal raisin crisps crackled an inedible black.

Shirini Kishmeshi 

But mostly, it's about the recipes and the life in the recipes.

Recipes are beautiful things.

One year ago today, I wrote my first blog post. It was about characterized recipe cards, Hello Kitty band-aids, and lemon pull apart bread.

If you feel like taking a look at the beginning:

http://goodnightnutmeg.blogspot.com/2013/01/recipe-ramblings.html

Here's to another year!

Good Night, Nutmeg.

With Love,

Susan