The Weekend Gourmet Celebrates Three Years!!!!

It's hard to believe...sometimes I still pinch myself...but The Weekend Gourmet is celebrating its third anniversary this month! As I've done the previous two years, I have a full month of special posts and giveaways in store to celebrate this milestone. First off, I want to thank my readers...I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for every one of you coming to check out my latest culinary adventures. To say that this little website has exceeded my wildest dreams would be an understatement! I originally started The Weekend Gourmet as a way to save recipes to share with my family and friends...along the way, it's evolved and changed to include regional restaurant spotlights and food-centered travelogues. I have a blast creating recipes and hitting the road to enjoy amazing food and wine...and then coming back and sharing it all with you! I also involved my sweet husband Michael, who is quite an excellent photographer. He's my Dining Out and Travel Photographer, and he'll be officially added to my next batch of business cards. His photographs are amazing, and I am fortunate that he enjoys eating good food with me. So...what do I have planned this month to celebrate? Lots.

First off, I am very honored and excited to be taking part in the 4th Annual H-E-B/ConAgra Meal Maker Challenge. For the next five Sundays, ten Texas food bloggers -- including me (!!!!) -- are going to be sharing a family-friendly recipe that's centered on a specific theme ingredient. All recipes contain no more than seven ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes or less. This is a great opportunity to add a lot of great recipes to your quick-cook collection, but it's also a contest. At the end of the contest next month, the two bloggers with the most votes are going to win some fabulous prizes. To vote for me by repining my weekly recipes via Pinterest, you need to sign up. I promise it only takes a sec. Anyone in the U.S. can vote via Pinterest, but my Texas readers will receive an added bonus: weekly discount coupons for that week's featured product. That's just the start of the fun around here in August! I also have some very special spotlight features planned, including:

• Our experience taking part in a cooking class Celebrating Julia Child at Sur La Table. We'll learn how to make four of her signature dishes, including Coq au Vin and Mousse au Chocolat.
• Our day trip to San Antonio's SeaWorld/Aquatica, including our amazing experience having lunch with Shamu.
• An overnight epicurean staycation at the Eilan Hotel Resort and Spa San Antonio. Our visit includes a Market Dinner and brunch at Chef Stephen Pyles' Sustenio restaurant, and a visit to the site's new Ripe Farmers Market.

I'm not the only one who's going to have fun this month, though! I've got some really fabulous giveaways planned to thank you for following me every step of the way over the past three years. Here's a sneak peek at the goodies I'll be sharing with you over the next few weeks. I've got a little something for everybody, starting on Monday with some tasty baked goods!!!

I am constantly humbled and surprised by the opportunities that The Weekend Gourmet has brought my way since August 2010. I've met some amazing people, eaten lots of delicious food, and figured out how to combine my love of travel with my love of amazing food and wine. Heck...I've even cooked on live television! I have no idea what other opportunities might lie on the horizon. I just plan to keep doing what I love -- cook, eat, travel and write -- and take things as them come. I want to thank each of you from the bottom of my big Texas heart for reading and sharing your thoughts with me over the past three years. I work a busy day job as a Government Markets Analyst and proposal writer...then I come home and morph into The Weekend Gourmet evenings and weekends. My life is crazy-busy, but I love every minute of it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!