The 50th Post!!!

It's finally here! The 50th post of the most underrated blog on the web: Food And Such Things. Who thinks it's underrated? I do, for one! Once you browse through some of the older posts, you'll be sure to agree with me. So lets get this party started!!!

Now that I got you here, I think we can get back down to earth. Sure, 50 blog posts isn't the biggest deal in the world. For people that post everyday, it's very small potatoes. For me, it's a pretty good accomplishment. I started this whole thing sort of as a hobby. My personal life was more or less in the crapper and I was really just looking for a distraction. I was already posting these long, drawn out food reviews on Facebook. I asked friends and family if doing a blog would be a good option, and everyone said "Yes". So, why am I making a big deal about this? Here's why...

Writing this blog really gave me something to look forward to. I'm always thinking "Maybe I should try and make this for the blog?" Or I will drive past a restaurant and think "I've never been there. Maybe I should do a review there?" These are now questions I ask myself all the time. And that's just fine.

The big accomplishment for me is the fact that I'm still doing this. To be honest, I thought for sure that after the third or fourth post I would leave this stuff alone and move on to something else. Instead, I kept wondering what else I could do on here. It was fascinating looking at the stats of my blog and seeing people around the world reading what I had to say. Every chance I had I was going on to the blogger dashboard to check how many hits I had gotten. I don't check as often as I used to, but I still grin a little when I see that the number has gone up.

One of the best surprises about doing this was that I've managed to find some foods that will forever be on my personal menu, like the homemade ricotta and spanglish muffins. After making those two items, I knew I could never buy them from the market again. They are just that damn good.

What I really want to do is just to take a quick look back at some hits and misses of my little corner of the web. YES, I'm doing one of those kind of posts. Don't like it? Well, what are you gonna do about it??? huh??? HUH??? Yeah, that's what I thought!!! Now get comfortable and enjoy this mutha fuckin' blog! DAMMIT!!!

This wasn't my first post, but it's one of my favorites. I had to talk about the humble meal of Grits. If that little fucker Alton Brown could dedicate a show to grits, I knew I had to do something on it.

That's such a bad picture, but I still like it!

As we jump forward, we are gonna see what would soon become my future mistress.

At this little place called Papa Hassan's Grill, I first discovered turkish coffee. I've been hooked ever since. It's got so much flavor and enough caffeine for 5 people, it really puts your average cup of coffee to shame.  I eventually did a post entirely on the coffee itself. 

As I look back at some of these, I also see a few where I really just half-assed it. This would have to be the shining example.

I did a post on doughnuts. Yeah......I......Uh.......Let's move on, shall we?!?!?!

When it comes to the food I've made for the blog, a good number of those dishes I had made before and felt pretty comfortable with. When I did venture out and try something new, it was a little exciting to possibly post a major fuck up. 

To keep from screwing the pooch too bad, I would look up at least a dozen different recipes before I would choose 1 recipe or form my own recipe based on all the different variations I would find. Nine times out of ten, I would get it right. I did screw up one attempt on a dish, but I haven't posted that yet. Don't worry, it's coming soon.

Out of all the posts that I've done, the one that has had the biggest impact is the homemade ricotta. I was never that big a fan of ricotta before. After I made it, I knew I was hooked. I make this stuff about every two weeks or so. So simple and so delicious!

And if you want to make good use of that ricotta, make some Gnudi.

There are other posts that have really stood out for me, but I'm happy with this little highlight reel.

Before I go, I want to say thank you to my second family, my wonderful work family. All the ladies and gents who have been kind enough to give me their honest opinions on the food I make as well as helping me with ideas for the blog. Not to mention that these folks have to put up with me on a daily basis! That alone should get them a hearty pat on the back. 

Of course, having the support of my family has always been a huge help. They always have my back and are willing to try anything I throw in front of them. Thank you guys so much for all the love.

Last, and certainly not least, thank YOU, the reader! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time out of your day to see what's going on in my world. Please feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think of the blog.

That's it for this very special episode of Food And Such Things. I hope all you enjoyed it and will check back often for updates. I'm not gonna stop doing this anytime soon. The day that this becomes a burden, I'm gonna post a long, curse-filled goodbye and call it a day. For now, I'm having too much fun.

I'm out!!!

J. Miller