ten years gone

Ten years gone, holdin’ on

Well, a little more than just holdin’ on.

Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa Pops 2011 (first recipe post!)

I couldn’t be more proud today, as it’s officially 10 years since I pressed “publish” on that very first blog post. I have to laugh a little that it was a popsicle, as I had no idea at the time that popsicles would become “my thing” (along with Muddy Buddies. And hamantaschen. And cookies.).

Crack Pie 2012

I had a vague notion of what my “empty nest” years would look like after Conor went off to college – which was still several years away when I discovered that I was pregnant with Noah. That notion quickly got shelved as I got busy with my surprise baby (and a daughter getting ready to graduate high school and head to college herself). I had an established landscape design business and decided that this little baby was enough change for now.

Milk Bar Birthday Cake 2013

But when Noah turned 2 – and I felt like I was finally coming up for air – I was ready for a change. Maybe not the “empty nest” changes that I had planned, but something new. And different.

Creme Brulee Popsicles 2014

My friend Nancy (of this cake and this brisket) had introduced me to my first blog (Smitten Kitchen, natch), and suggested I start one of my own. I honestly don’t know why I thought I should or could do this, but when I floated the idea to Mike – and told him that my other idea was opening up a store – he said I should DEFINITELY START A BLOG (that Mike; so practical).

Then as it was, then again it will be

Crumb Cake Hamantaschen 2015

So I started a blog. It was called “donuts, dresses and dirt”, with the three words loosely representing the topics I’d be writing about – food, shopping and gardening.

Coffee Malted Popsicles with Torched Brown Sugar Meringue 2016

And what started as a “something different” quickly became a passion. I wanted to succeed (the definition of which I didn’t even have a clue about), but unlike any other career I had embarked on , there didn’t seem to be a road map to that success. I was lucky to join a group of local women bloggers, which was a great personal and professional experience for me.

Surprise Cupcake Baskets 2017

And then I started following other blogs, and connecting with bloggers all over the world. I attended a few blogging conferences and eventually landed my first paying gig – creating food content for Babble (thank you forever, Andrea, for taking a chance on me!). I did that for several years, while adding other publications to my resume, and even getting some sponsored opportunities right here.

Fried Margarita Shots 2018

Along the way I tried to figure out social media, worked on improving my photography, and eventually changed the look and name of the blog.

Changes fill my time, baby, that’s alright with me

And I can honestly say that I take tremendous pride in this body of work that I’ve created. While I primarily define myself these days as a food blogger, I’ve used this platform to share a lot of other content as well:

Noah’s diagnosis of a rare form of epilepsy (start here)
Gardening
My divorce
Chelsea
Travel
Conor
Our move

Red, White and Blue S’mores 2019

Over the last few years things have shifted yet again. I’ve discovered a company whose products have completely changed our house and lives, and this has in turn become a business of its own that I am utterly passionate about. I have several clients who I still create food content for, and I’ve just started working with a high school friend to help share more about the amazing work his organization does (hope to share more about that later this year).

And though the course may change sometimes
Rivers always reach the sea

But 2 to 3 times a week – 10 years later – I still make sure that I make the time to create posts that I hope are fun, helpful, pretty to look at, and – in the case of my recipes – delicious. I have no idea what the next 10 years will bring, or if I’ll still be here in 2031. But I sure as hell was not going to quit before grabbing the opportunity to finally use my favorite Led Zeppelin song in a post title (I have my priorities, after all).

Salted Honey Ice Cream with Apples and Pie Crust Cookies 2020

I’ve been doing a 12-day giveaway on my Instagram stories in the days leading up to today, and if you head there later I’ve got an extra special giveaway to celebrate this milestone event. Because at the end of the day I wouldn’t be doing this at all if I didn’t have such loyal, wonderful, supportive readers. And I wanted to give something back in return.

Thank you. xo

About the author

Sheri Silver

Sheri Silver is a New York-based food photographer and recipe developer who has been cooking and baking for over 30 years. She works with brands, authors and restaurants to create recipes that are as beautiful as they are foolproof - and every recipe on this blog has been made, tweaked and eaten in her own kitchen.