On August 20th 2008, DadCooksDinner started with my first post. This month, post 1000 went up. Holy cow - one thousand posts? Me? How did I get here?
Persistence. I stick to my posting schedule, no matter what, and get new posts up every week. Some are easy; the words pour out onto the page. Others are knife fights with my inner demons - “This is no good. completely unoriginal. Why do I bother?” How do I push past the negativity? I learned to write crappy first drafts and get the ideas out before my inner critic cuts them off.1 Then I have to change gears, unleash my inner critic, and turn my raw ideas into a coherent story.
And, no matter how I feel, I write every day. Not a lot - my rule is, I have to write for five minutes. Some days, that’s all I do - write for five minutes. Other days I look up, and five minutes became an hour of uninterrupted flow. 2
In the spirit of my favorite movie, here are some top five lists about DadCooksDinner 2014-2015.
Top Five Events
- I switched my blog back end from Blogger to WordPress. I longed for the extra customization that I can get with WordPress, but the transition was rough. I spent a lot of time in February cleaning up the mess from the migration. And, now that it’s all settled…I don’t like the blog theme. Sigh. I’m going to change the theme, but I’m waiting until next year - I don’t want to waste more time this year fiddling with the blog.
- I published my second cookbook - Rotisserie Chicken Grilling. If you enjoyed my first book but thought “It needs more chicken!”, this is the book for you.
- One of my dreams came true - my byline is on Weber.com. I was invited to write guest posts for the Weber blog. Check out How to Set Up Your Rotisserie, How to Truss and Spit Poultry for the Rotisserie, and How to Truss and Spit a Roast for the Rotisserie.
- I started my ongoing Cast Iron series. I’ve had a stormy relationship with cast iron, and wanted to figure out why so many people love it. Now I’m a black metal junkie. (Programming note: The cast iron series is on summer vacation. I strip cast iron with my oven’s cleaning cycle - not something I want to do in the heat of August.)
- Road trips! Last fall, I spent a weekend in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with Pam, Maggy and Sharon of ThreeManyCooks at the Big Harvest Potluck. I was surrounded by food bloggers - my people! In June I visited my friends at Certified Angus Beef, just down the road in Wooster, Ohio. I learned about butchering, meat science, and spent time with fellow grill bloggers. I can’t wait to see where this year takes me.
Top Five Pictures
1. Reverse Seared Rack of Lamb on the Grill
2. Rotisserie Chicken with Coriander and Pepper Dry Brine
3. Smoked Duck (on a Kettle Grill)
4. Pressure Cooker Irish Lamb Stew
Top Five Recipes
- BBQ Beef Short Ribs (on a Kettle Grill)
- Pressure Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Tacos
- Sous Vide Flat Iron Steak with Baby Kale Salad
- Pressure Cooker Red Beans and Rice
- Grilled Thick Cut New York Strip Steaks, Reverse Seared
Bonus tie for 5th: Pressure Cooker Kielbasa and Sauerkraut
Bonus: Top Video
I don’t know what I did right, but YouTube put my How to Rotisserie a Rib Roast video high in its search results. That video now gets more weekly views than all my other videos get in a month. I will do more videos, but they’re a lot more time consuming that a regular blog post, so they get pushed back while I finish my weekly writing. I need to change my priorites a bit…
Top Five non-recipe Posts
- Instant Pot Frequently Asked Questions
- Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs Showdown: 48 Hour vs 6 Hour
- Dirty Grill Shame
- The Best Grilled Steak: Reverse Sear or Sear and Move
- Things I Love: 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet
Thank you for reading, everyone!
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Favorite recipes from 2015? Leave them in the comments section below.
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Joachim Licameli says
Congratulations, Mike! Here's to persistence!8=;{)
Terry says
Congrats on seven informative years. Here's to seven more...
Greg says
So you do clean your cast iron with the oven's cleaning cycle. I read that somewhere as a way to remove the rust on old cast iron pans but have been a little leery of trying it. Guess I can give that a try...
Rita says
Mike, I "met" you a long time ago on TVWB and enjoyed your posts even then. Little did I know it would lead to this achievement. I echo Kevin's comments about simplicity and find your persistence, discipline, and attention to detail inspiring. Your subject matter covers a wide range of interests aimed toward the same goal...the adventure and love of cooking for our families. I'm so happy that you are getting the recognition that you deserve. Congratulations on your 7th anniversary!
Adam says
I found your blog sometime around a year ago when I bought a pressure cooker. And now I'm a regular visitor and make many of your recipes regularly - grill, slow cooker, pressure cooker, or cast iron! This Dad who strives to cook more for his family absolutely loves your blog. Thank you for what you do and please keep it up! (Now I just need to get the rotisserie attachment for my kettle and your books!)
Kevin der+Kinderen says
Congratulations and thank you! It has been fun and instructional reading your posts and I always enjoy the picture of the week. I haven't read back to the beginning but will as time permits. I've got your books and use them whenever I pull out the rotisserie.
Your current theme... I like it. It's simple and doesn't distract from the content. There are no flashing ads and no video or audio that automatically starts. As a person who is easily distracted and also has to pay by the Gigabyte for internet service I appreciate the format. Simple is respectful. Thank you for that.