On this day in 2003 I gave up keeping track of things I made and liked in a little notebook and posted my first entry in this blog. No photo, and it was in the same format I had been using in my notebook – what I made, notes on the dishes, what wine we drank.

That format has evolved slightly, but the blog still serves its original purpose – a place for me to search easily for that great chicken recipe I made two years ago, or the modifications I’ve made to the granola we eat on a regular basis. I use it to search for people we’ve had for dinner, so I don’t serve them the same thing again and again. Larry uses it as proof against me when I’ve gone too long between making one of his favorite dishes. He also takes many of the photos on the blog, and has helped guide the development of Pork Cracklins. He’s also a great travel partner, and we get a ton of inspiration from our annual vacations.

So, eight years of pretty much doing the same thing, I’ve started to branch out slightly – I’ll do an occasional cookbook review or wine post. I’m doing my best to include recipes or links to recipes on other blogs. Eight years is ancient for a food blog, yet I feel like it’s just starting to develop a voice. Thanks for sharing my little experiment with me over the years, and I look forward to many more!