Manu’s Menu

Authentic Italian Home Cooking & More

  • Home
  • About
    • About me
    • About this site
    • About my photography
    • Privacy and Disclosure Policy
  • Recipes
    • Visual Archive
    • Regional Italian Recipes
  • Books
    • The Cool Side of Summer
    • Manu’s Christmas Menus
    • MsM’s Mobile App
  • Work With Me
    • Affiliate Sign-Up
    • Featured On
  • Out & About
    • Africa
      • South Africa 2019
    • Americas
      • Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize
      • CHILE AND ARGENTINA 2018
    • Asia
      • India
      • Japan 2015
      • Japan 2017
      • Japan 2018
      • Singapore
    • Europe
      • Slovenia and Croatia 2019
      • Italy 2019
    • Oceania
      • French Polynesia (Tahiti) 2017
      • French Polynesia (Tahiti)
      • New Caledonia
      • New Zealand
      • South Island – New Zealand Guide
  • Blogging Tips
    • Blogging Platform
    • Web Hosting
    • Technology Tips
    • Food Photography
    • Increasing Traffic to your Blog
    • Links
      • MsM in Your Kitchen
      • Events
        • 150 years of the Unification of Italy
        • Olio, Erbe e Fantasia – LILT
  • Tips
    • Techniques
      • Pasta and Gnocchi
      • Pizza and Other Doughs
      • Sauces and Other Basics
      • Decorations
    • Cake and Cookie decoration
      • Cake & Marshmallow Pops
        • Flowery Cake Pops
        • Hello Kitty Cake Pops
        • Dorothy the Dinosaur Cake Pops
        • Christmas Tree Cake Pops
        • Sea Marshmallow Pops
      • Fondant Cakes
        • Moo Cake
        • South Pole Cake
        • Lola Cake
        • Hello Kitty Yogurt Cake
        • Dorothy the Dinosaur Cake
        • The Little Mermaid Yogurt Cake
        • The Little Mermaid Fondant Cake
        • Sweet Sushi Mini Fondant Cakes
        • Peppa Pig Cake
        • Tinkerbell Cake
        • Miffy Cake
        • Olaf Yogurt Cake
        • Frozen Cake
      • Sugar Cookies
        • Heart Sugar Cookies
        • Dorothy the Dinosaur Sugar Cookies
        • Christmas Tree Ornament Sugar Cookies
      • Eggless Sugar Cookies
        • Chinese New Year Cookies
        • St. Patrick’s Day Cookies
      • Shortbread Cookies
        • Shortbread and Chocolate Hearts
        • Baby Shower Shortbread Cookies
        • Flounder Shortbread Cookie Pops
      • Easy Chocolate Cookies
    • Conversion Tables
    • Gift Ideas
      • Christmas 2010
      • Christmas 2011
      • Christmas 2012
      • Christmas 2013
      • Christmas 2014
      • Christmas 2015
    • Ingredients
    • Where I Shop for Italian Food in Sydney
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Recipes / Birthday / 4 Year Blogiversary!

4 Year Blogiversary!

January 16, 2015 By Manu 8 Comments

c98

Today Manu’s Menu turns 4!  I barely can believe it’s already been 4 years since I started blogging.  At times it feels like yesterday, but when I look at my first posts, I do notice that I have come a long way.  I have learnt a lot of “technical stuff” and I have definitely improved my photography skills (though I know there’s still room for improvement!).  Looking back, I can easily say that this was yet another great year for Manu’s Menu!

Among the many accomplishments, I have learnt how to use a Macro lens to take better close up pictures.  I finally got a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens and I LOVE it. It lets me take very detailed pictures of food that looks better up close, like the jam coming out from these Ravioli Dolci di Carnevale.

RAVIOLI DOLCI DI CARNEVALE (click on the picture for the recipe):

2 Ravioli dolci di Carnevale 8 (1 of 1)

I still use my Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM a lot too though, as not all pictures can be taken with a Macro lens – a full cake, for instance, would not fit in the frame. 😉

If you are curious to see my photography improvements for yourselves, just check out my Foodgawker, Tastespotting and Tasteologie galleries. Also, my biggest photography accomplishement of 2014 was the fact that the picture of my Alpine Sliders were featured on Food Porn Daily!

ALPINE SLIDERS (click on the picture for the recipe):

1 Alpine Sliders 7 (1 of 1)

These are my favourite pictures of the past year (click on the picture for the recipe):

FATTOUSH WITH SUMAC DRESSING

1 Fattoush 2 (1 of 1)

PANINO CON LA SALAMELLA

1 Panino con la Salamella 6 (1 of 1)

AAMRAKHAND

1 Aamrakhand 1 (1 of 1)

BIBIMBAP

1 Bibimbap 7 (1 of 1)

ROASTED BELL PEPPERS

1 Roasted Bell Peppers 5 (1 of 1)

MINESTRONE

3 Minestrone 1 (1 of 1)

CHAI CHEESECAKE WITH PUMPKIN BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

1 Chai Cheesecake with Pumpkin Caramel Sauce 10 (1 of 1)

COOKIES AND CREAM FUDGE

1 Cookies and Cream 10 (1 of 1)

CINNAMON APPLE CHIPS

3 Apple and Cinnamon Chips 8 (1 of 1)

SWEET DREAMS

1 Sweet Dream 1 (1 of 1)

I am very grateful for all the amazing people I have “met” during these years. I want you to know that even though I do not always reply to each single comment, I read them ALL and they mean a lot to me! Every comment is special… so keep them coming! I also know I have many “silent” readers and I am very grateful to you too… but don’t be shy, stop by to say “hello”, I’d love to know you! Thank you for all your love and support!

The summary of this 4th year of blogging would not be complete if I did not share some statistical data with you all:

Stats 2014

As you can see from the screenshot, since its creation, Manu’s Menu has been visited by more than 1,750,000 different people and it has a pageview count of about 5.5 million! I had never even dreamt that my blog would be read and followed by so many people!

I am also quite happy with the results in the Social Media area… Manu’s Menu has more than 6,800 followers on Facebook, about 2,100 on Twitter and over 2,000 on Pinterest.  I am in almost 7,900 circles in Google+. Even though there’s always room for improvement, these achievements go well beyond my expectations! THANK YOU!!

This past year, I have also had the honour of being featured in a variety of online publications and other wesbsites, among which the Examiner (which featured my Arancine with Spinach, Pappardelle with radicchio and speck and Orecchiette with sausage and fennel tops); the Daily Basics; the Huffington Post Canada (that featured my – Chicken Tikka Masala); Storypick (that featured my Shankarpali); Buzzfeed that featured a variety of my recipes, including many Sicilian treats; Merry Weddings (that featured my Aamrakhand); Brit.com (that featured my Salted Caramel Panna Cotta); The Loop (that featured my Creamy Nutella Liqueur and my White Chocolate Liqueur); Fox News Magazine (that featured my Gelo di Melone recipe); FoodNetwork UK that featured my Molten White Chocolate Pudding on their  Valentine’s Day edition and, last but not least, The Independent UK (that featured my Malloreddus alla Campidanese).

The accomplishment that I am the most proud though is having reached #12 food blog out of 1,047 Australian food blogs as per Noodlies’ latest list.  That’s huge for me!

In 2015, you will still see me making recipes from the Secret Recipe Club, the Daring Kitchen and the Sunday Supper Movement!  So stay tuned!

I also thought it would be nice to share Manu’s Menu 10 most visited posts of this 4th year… here they go in descending order! – Click on the picture for the recipe.

  1. HYDERABADI CHICKEN BIRYANI

1 Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani 3 (1 of 1)

  1. CABBAGE ROLLS

1 Cabbage Rolls 4 (1 of 1)

  1. LAMB KOFTA CURRY

1 Lamb Kofta Curry 3 (1 of 1)

  1. SHANKARPALI

1 Shankarpali 6 (1 of 1)

  1. HOME-MADE MASCARPONE

1 Mascarpone 4 (1 of 1)

  1. PEPPA PIG CAKE

1 Peppa Pig Cake 1 (1 of 1)

  1. SPINACH AND FETA GOZLEME

1 Spinach and Feta Gozleme 1 (1 of 1)

  1. CHICKEN STIR FRY WITH CASHEW NUTS

2 Chicken with Cashews 3 (1 of 1)

  1. HOME-MADE BAILEY’S IRISH CREAM

1 Home-made Baileys 5 (1 of 1) s

  1. HOME-MADE SICILIAN PORK SAUSAGE WITH FENNEL

1 Salsiccia 5 (1 of 1)

For the complete list of the recipes I have published, go to my Visual Archive.

These instead are my personal favourite recipes of 2014 (click on the image for the recipe):

PEACH MELBA

1 Peach Melba 5 (1 of 1)

BOMBOLONI ALLA CREMA

1 Bomboloni alla Crema 1 (1 of 1)

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 Chocolate Chip Cookies 2 (1 of 1)

SALMON SLIDERS WITH AIOLI

Salmon Sliders with Aioli

MAFTOUL WITH CHICKEN

1 Chicken Maftoul 1 (1 of 1)

MAPLE AND SRIRACHA CHICKEN WINGS

1 Maple and Sriracha Chicken Wings 6 (1 of 1)

SALTED CARAMEL GELATO

1 Salted Caramel Gelato 1 (1 of 1)

MUSHROOM SOFFICINI

1 Mushroom Sofficini 8 (1 of 1)

GLACIER FUSION DAIQUIRI

3 Glacier Fusion Daiquiri 8 (1 of 1)

MOMOS IN GINGER BROTH

1 Momos in Ginger Broth 6 (1 of 1)

BROKEN GLASS CUPCAKES

3 Broken Glass Cupcakes 5 (1 of 1)

This has been quite an interesting year on Social Media.  Facebook has been making it harder and harder for pages to reach their audience.  Basically, the more you like/share/comment etc., the more likely you are to get my updates on your feed.  If you are using other social media platforms besides Facebook, remember you can follow MsM also on: Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram. Come join us!

So, which was your MsM’s favourite recipe this year?

Once more I want to thank all of you for your love and support during these last 4 years!!! Here is to many more!!!

 

*In the spirit of full disclosure, this post contains some affiliate links, which means that I may get a commission if you decide to purchase anything from Amazon.com. I only recommend products that I use and love myself, so I know you’ll be in good hands.

Share

Related Posts:

  • 10 Year Blogiversary
  • 9 Year Blogiversary
  • 8 Year Blogiversary
  • 7 Year Blogiversary
  • 6 Year Blogiversary

Filed Under: Birthday, Events, Misc, News, Special Occasions Tagged With: blogiversary, blogoversary

« Crema Catalana
Chicken Spring Rolls »

Comments

  1. Marian@Apricot Tart says

    January 16, 2015 at 8:46 am

    Congratulations, Manu, on your 4th blogiversary and your wonderful achievements in that time! Inspirational stuff! Xxx

    Reply
  2. SallyBR says

    January 16, 2015 at 8:59 am

    Manu, happy blog-anniversary! Four years, and so many great accomplishments, you do an amazing job with your site and all the praise is beyond well-deserved

    I don’t comment often, but I am always here when you publish a new post, and of course never miss one of your SRC entries… those are so much fun!

    I’ve been following you for several of these 4 years, so here’s to many many many more!

    Reply
  3. chocolatesuze says

    January 16, 2015 at 2:22 pm

    happy 4th blogiversary! here’s to many more delicious years to come!

    Reply
  4. Ilmondodici says

    January 16, 2015 at 2:32 pm

    Congrats Manu!!!
    Happy blog anniversary

    Reply
  5. Bea says

    January 17, 2015 at 9:32 pm

    Congrats on your 4 years! I had just shared your spring rolls that I am absolutely wild about on Facebook. You know I am you number one fan always!!

    Reply
  6. Frank @Memorie di Angelina says

    January 20, 2015 at 12:48 am

    Congrats! And many happy returns!

    Reply
  7. Mi Vida en un Dulce says

    January 21, 2015 at 8:57 am

    Congratulations Manu for this great achievement…4 years!!!

    Reply
  8. JC Marc says

    February 13, 2015 at 12:35 pm

    Congratulations and thank you for sharing your delicious creations. I enjoy all your postings and have shared your many dishes with family and friends. You have never disappointed. I look forward to sharing many more of your recipes. Salud!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Welcome to Manu’s Menu!

Hi! I am Manu, the author of Manu's Menu. I was born and brought up in Italy and my blog can show you how to create authentic Italian food in your own home! Read More…

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

HOMEMADE PASTA MADE SIMPLE – THE BOOK. CLICK TO BUY IT FROM AMAZON NOW!

Homemade Pasta Made Simple

Archives

Categories

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Video Recipe: Orecchiette with Crudaiola Sauce

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqSyzFElbRY
foodgawker bowls-150x150
tastespotting150
Tasteologie badge
Pasta & Gnocchi

The Cool Side of Summer e-Book – Click to buy it now! On SALE for only $9.99!

The Cool Side of Summer e-Book

MsM’S EBOOK – CLICK TO BUY IT NOW!

MsM’S EBOOK – CLICK TO BUY IT NOW!
Genesis Theme Framework for WordPress
Community Table Contributor Badge
Sunday Supper Movement

manusmenu

Now on the blog - Low Fodmap Vanilla and Miso Cara Now on the blog - Low Fodmap Vanilla and Miso Caramel Cheesecake Slice.  Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #baking #lowfodmap #lowfodmapdiet #miso #cheesecake #cake #dessert #japan
Now on the blog - Low Fodmap Ragù Bianco. A tradi Now on the blog - Low Fodmap Ragù Bianco. A traditional pasta sauce from central Italy. Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #Italian #italy #italianfoodbloggers #italianfood #pasta #pastasauce #ragu
Now on the blog - Trieste, Italy Guide. A surprisi Now on the blog - Trieste, Italy Guide. A surprising city. Come check it out. Clickable link in my profile.

#manusmenu #manusmenucom #travel #travelblogger #italy #tourism #Europe #trieste #holidays #beautifuldestinations #history #food
Now on the blog - Sausage and Potato Sourdough Cre Now on the blog - Sausage and Potato Sourdough Crespelle. The best comfort food. Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #baking #sourdough #sourdoughstarter #crepes #crespelle #food #foodgram #italianfoodbloggers #italianfood
Now on the blog - WWI, Italy Guide. A guide about Now on the blog - WWI, Italy Guide. A guide about some of the most important landmarks of the Great War. Clickable link in my profile.

#manusmenu #manusmenucom #travel #travelblogger #italy #tourism #Europe #cividale #friuliveneziagiulia #beautifuldestinations #war #history
Now on the blog - Sourdough Crêpes. So good. Use Now on the blog - Sourdough Crêpes. So good. Use up some of your #sourdough discard to make these delicious sweet or savoury crêpes. Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #baking #sourdough #sourdoughstarter #crepes #crespelle #food
Now on the blog - Cividale del Friuli, Italy Guide Now on the blog - Cividale del Friuli, Italy Guide. Clickable link in my profile.

#manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #travel #travelblogger #italy #tourism #Europe #cividale #friuliveneziagiulia #beautifuldestinations #history #food #italianfood
Now on the blog - Hugo. A refreshing Italian cockt Now on the blog - Hugo. A refreshing Italian cocktail and an alternative to your everyday spritz. Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #Italian #hugo #spritz #prosecco #drinks #cocktails #elderflower
Now on the blog - Low Fodmap Pork Meatball Satay S Now on the blog - Low Fodmap Pork Meatball Satay Stir Fry. So good. Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #lowfodmap #lowfodmapdiet #satay #stirfry #pork #meatballs
Now on the blog - Quick Pickled Cucumbers. So crun Now on the blog - Quick Pickled Cucumbers. So crunchy and refreshing. Clickable recipe link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #picklingcucumbers #pickles #pickling #garden #cucumber #vegetarian #vegan #video
Now on the blog - Coffee Panna Cotta. Wobbly and d Now on the blog - Coffee Panna Cotta. Wobbly and delicious. Clickable link in my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #Italian #pudding #italy #italianfoodbloggers #italianfood #coffee #pannacotta
Now on the blog - Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls. Recipe Now on the blog - Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls. Recipe adapted from the wonderful @jennifer_rodda. The best way to use up some of your Sourdough discard. Clickable recipe link on my profile.

#recipes #manusmenu #manusmenucom #instafood #instayum #foodbloggers #foodstyling #baking #sourdough #sourdoughstarter #pastry #cinnamonrolls #teatime #breakfast
Follow on Instagram

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2011-2020 - Manu's Menu and Manuela Zangara. All rights reserved.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more