Celebrating Allrecipes

I've been thinking lately about all the wonderful recipes I've gotten here at Allrecipes. Most of the foods I've cooked since joining in 2008 have come from this site.  Oh sure, I use the recipes passed down from my mother and grandmother, but I love the ones I've discovered here, too. I know they have been tried and tested by tons of other mothers and grandmothers.

I first discovered Allrecipes because I had bushels of apples a friend had given me. I wanted to make apple butter but didn't have a recipe. Somehow, I had heard of this site, so I started searching for a recipe and found All-Day Apple Butter. I followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out perfectly.  And I was hooked. I filled out my profile and that day began my "addiction." 

I regularly stalked other people's conversations, gleaning bits of wisdom, discovering the newest kitchen gadgets, and saving suggested recipes. I read the newly reviewed recipes each day and checked out the photos published. Soon my recipe box began to grow. I had a category for every possible food and even circumstance like "cooking with kids" and "cooking for two." I discovered new words like posole, mole, and carnitas. I learned about limoncello and marsala. I made my first homemade pizza crust and cinnamon rolls. Then at some point I got brave. I decided to ask a question on The Buzz (what was its name before?) and comment on others' questions. 

I made friends...with people I can't even put a face to. But when they express a sorrow, I am concerned for them. When they ask for prayer, I stop right then and pray for them. When they share a funny story, I laugh with them. But most of all, I marvel at how strong and brave and interesting these people are. I love their stories of where life has taken them and how many have made lemonade out of lemons. I love the fact that some of us are city bred through and through while others are country born and raised. Such different circumstances, yet one thing brings us together...our love for good food and preparing it. And everyone I've met is ready and willing to help the next person become a better cook.


I have 2694 recipes in my box, 409 reviews, 185 photos, and who knows how many friends. And, yes, I plan to keep on adding to those numbers.