Blogoversary 3 Years Old: Oh The Places You'll Go

On February 1st, 2008, without a clue where it would take me or even what the word "blogosphere" might mean, I launched Hopie's Kitchen. Basically the idea was to be able to find my recipes in one place and to vent my frustration about the metric system. So far, these have been minor effects compared to the joy of meeting other bloggers, sharing cooking experiences and seeing my recipes-to-try folder grow exponentially. Recently, I have been less present than in the beginning - as I have focused more on my career and (yay!) actually made friends in the city that was at the time new and scary - and I've left off posting in French for now (props to Rosa who still manages a bilingual blog!), but I still enjoy blogging just as much, if not more. These days, I care more about quality and less about quantity. I share the stories I want to share and don't worry about getting every recipe out there.

In my last post, I tried to come to terms with being surrounded by the gray Parisian winter. And I thought, in the spirit of chasing the winter blues, I'd honor my blogoversary with some pictures of the fun adventures we've had together (virtually, of course) and the things we've eaten on them, since Feb 2008.

One of the first places we went, and the place we've been the most often on this blog is Rockport, my family's vacation spot:


We've eaten lots of good food here, including Scallops with Roasted Peppers and Green Beans and this Green Gazpacho:


We went to visit friends in Greenwich (where it also appears to be quite gray, so Paris is in good company!):


And had Cottage Pie (or Hachi Parmentier, as the French would say):


We went to Lady Mendl's Tea Room in New York:


And had Marbury Rose tea in honor of my godfather:


We spent a week discovering Gaudi, and tapas, and markets and bakeries in Barcelona:


and ate all sorts of amazing food. Iberian ham was a highlight:


We followed my love of Proust to Illiers-Combray:


Which inspired us to make these caramel treats that were certainly not Proust's mothers (or aunt's) madeleines!


I worked with a theater troupe doing farce in St. Benoit du Sault:


And was extremely happy to come back to home-cooking, like this Garam Masala Salmon with Zucchini:


We went to Belize (I even took you all on my honeymoon - now that's blogging devotion ;-)):


And we made Garlic Shrimp with Marie Sharp's Hot Sauce:


And most recently, we went to Porto Portugal:


and tasted some pretty amazing port:


Here's to a 4th year, full of shared culinary adventures! It's been wonderful having you along for the ride!