Happy One-Year Blogiversary to Me ...with some Humble Pie

On February 22, 2010, CookingCreation.com was born. My, how things have changed in a year! Starting this food blog has been such a positive experience in my life. All of my recipes are now organized in one place, I have learned and tried so many new recipes and techniques and I have made so many new foodie friends that are kind and supportive. Cooking Creation has grown from 0 to 62 followers in 365 days. I have become my local newspaper's weekly food blogger, become a Foodbuzz publisher, been featured in various foodie websites and hope to one day make a living cooking. I have learned a lot but there is much more to learn and I am nowhere near where I want to be. Five years ago, I was terrified to heat up a can of vegetables in the microwave and now I have a food blog. If I can learn to cook (and love it), anyone can!

Humble Pie

To celebrate, I baked a three-tier cake, one of the items on my to-cook list. I spent so much time on and put so much effort into this cake for my blogiversary and I had visions of grandeur. It was completely from scratch from the gum paste flowers (my first time ever) to the butter cream frosting to the vanilla cake to the strawberry filling. But alas, it turned out nowhere near where my mind's eye envisioned. I thought to myself, I knew I should have covered it in fondant! Why did I drizzle the strawberry sauce on the top?! There is no way I'm posting this cake on my blog. My husband and daughter walked in the kitchen and I threw my hands up in the air and said, "Don't even say a word! It's terrible! I killed it!" Then, my beautiful little daughter slowly walked up, looked at it and said in her sweet little voice, "Mama, I think it's beautiful. Besides, it doesn't matter what it looks like on the outside; it matters what it tastes like on the inside. And I bet it tastes delicious." My heart melted and I suddenly felt remorse... and very humbled. She was right. It did taste delicious even though the outside wasn't nearly what I was hoping for. Today, a 6-year-old daughter reminded her 29-year-old mother of a life lesson: It's the inside that really counts. So, instead of not posting my celebration cake on my blog, I am putting it out there for all to see. Yes, I can cook and yes, I can bake but I sure can make a mess of things sometimes, too! Without further ado, I present to you my very first three-tier cake... or as I now like to think of it, humble pie:

Looking Back

My first entry: "Hello! Wannabe foodie and photographer here! I love to cook and have had my fair share of good and bad experiences. Overall, I would rate myself as an intermediate-level cook. Although I am not entirely sure what direction this blog will go, my current goal is to post some successful recipes and share my cooking calamities. Thanks for stopping by!"

My first recipe: Chicken Tortilla Stew in a Crock Pot - February 22, 2010