Three years ago today I started this blog. I’ve been a writer my entire life. In high school, my favorite teacher/mentor told me writing was my destiny and that I’d be wise to share words with the world. So I went to college to become a journalist, decided Lois Lane wasn’t what I was going for and went into nonprofit communications. Then I struck out on my own … as a writer. I write professionally, I write as a hobby. This year, my goal is to finish my book (a not-so-serious work of fiction). I am a word nerd.

I started this blog as a creative outlet to share something fun my boyfriend and I were doing — the (mis)adventures of two kitchen novices cooking along to the Top Chef shows. Three years later, that boyfriend is now my husband and we’ve become proficient enough at this kitchen thing that cooking along to Top Chef is no longer much of a challenge for us! But that’s not going to stop us from tracking down and conquering new food adventures. Thanks to everyone who gave us suggestions, we’ll be doing a few “Chopped” style throwdowns to see if we could ever hack it on that show, we’ll be sharing some kooky original recipes and we’ll continue to share our travels and food recommendations that inevitably accompany those travels. Plus other stuff as inspiration strikes along the way.

K and I Cooking a Meal Together in Our Kitchen. Courtesy of StarTribune.com

But in the meantime, to celebrate our three-year blog-a-versary, here’s a roundup of our most popular posts to date and some of our favorite highlights:

Fried brussels sprouts with grilled prosciutto :: Proving once and for all that salty pork and brussels sprouts are MFEO

Roast chicken with tarragon veloute and cauliflower puree :: A good simple roast chicken plus the phrase “nip slip”

Pork shoulder with cheddar grits and Corona lime sauce :: Crockable comfort food, skip the sauce

Tempura avocado tacos with spicy fish slaw :: An original recipe with a crispy, creamy twist on fish tacos

30 days of food inspiration – Shrimp Sloppy D’ohs :: OMG, Chef Rick Moonen reads our blog!

How to throw a party – MN Food Bloggers style :: This night was an insane combination of amazing food, moonshine and Brother Ali

Thanks to the readers and commenters and questioners and to those who continue to inspire us to create. And thanks to WordPress for catching 13,788 pieces of spam that I never had to wade through. Cheers to three more delicious years!