snickerdoodle blondies – blog blast from the past

Since we’re celebrating Blondie Week here on made by mike, I thought I would reintroduce you all to the most wonderful blondie ever baked.  If you haven’t made these yet, you must! To follow is my original very brief post about this incredibly delicious blondie.

I’m going to keep this very short.

Stop whatever you are doing. Seriously, stop. Click this link to get the Snickerdoodle Blondie recipe from Beantown Baker. Make them, eat them (or rather devour them), then come back here and let’s discuss in the comments section what we have all just experienced. You probably already have the ingredients, and it all comes together very quickly. So go!  Do it!  Now!

made by mike’s one year blogiversary

I’ve been blogging for a good many years. About a year ago, I changed the direction of my blog to focus on food and photography. I re-branded my blog’s identity to made by mike. What you might not know, is how I settled on made by mike. It all goes back to a batch of granola I made in January of 2010.

If you’ve every received treats from me, you know that they don’t typically come on a paper plate or wrapped in a napkin. All of my years of Martha-devotion have taught me that presentation is always key in any gift. So usually there’s a clear plastic bag or crisp white box with an orange ribbon attached.

When I made my first batch of granola to give to friends I designed some inserts to go into the jar caps. I included the name of the granola then added a line, “made by mike.” That’s when it hit me that that should be my blog’s focus and title. It’s too bad that some putz had purchased madebymike.com, and just sits on it and doesn’t use it for anything. But alas, I own madebymikeblog.com….a small victory, I guess.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this first year of made by mike and are looking forward to the next as much as I am. In honor of my granola inspiration, I’ll be presenting three recipes in the next three days. That’s a preview of the trio below. On top there’s the Coffee, Hazelnut and Banana Granola. The bottom row from left to right has Cherry Almond Vegan Granola (I made this for a local vegan bake sale to benefit Japan relief.) and finally, Pistachio-Apricot Granola.

As a special gift to one of my blog readers, if you’ll take but a moment to comment below on your favorite post from this past year, I’ll pick a random comment and send to you a jar of your choice of made by mike granola. I’ll pick one winner after 5 pm on Friday, April 1, 2011.

Enjoying my blog? I hope that you’ll consider becoming a fan on facebook or that you’ll follow me on twitter.

beef bourguignon : blog blast from the past

A look back at one of the greatest dishes that I’ve made this year. Everyday Food’s classic Beef Bourguignon. Click here to go back in time to read about this amazing recipe.

mexican hot chocolate cookies – blog blast from the past

Looking for a sweet cookie with just a hint of spice? Well then this is definitely your cookie. I originally posted this Everyday Food Magazine recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies back in March before my Everyday Food Challenge was born. Click here for the original post, grab the recipe and get baking.

feta salsa – blog blast from the past

So yeah, I was going to take a little break from blogging this week. Then it occurred to me that many of you have only been visiting the blog for a few months. So for the next couple of days I’ll be presenting some of my most favorite recipes from blog’s past. I’ll kick this series off with my favorite choice for an appetizer, Smitten Kitchen’s Feta Salsa. Click here for the original post, then find some time to make this delicious treat this weekend. I think it would be the perfect thing to serve to class up an afternoon on the couch watching some football.