A year ago today, I posted my first post launching Sweetbites into the food blogging community.

I had no clue what in the world I was doing.

If I’m honest with each of you, I still think I have no clue what I’m doing.

Just like, I still can not believe that a whole year has passed by this fast.

Guess I been having fun?

I’ve come a long way since then. At the beginning the idea to create a food blog, was simply another outlet for me to put my recipes and experiences in the kitchen and share them with a couple of my close friends and family.

And along the way, it became more. I always had a passion for cooking for my family and friends, now that passion has expanded to include everyone out there that cares to come and spend a bit of time here on this tiny bit of space in the immeasurable internet. You guys are my inspiration to post better recipes, give better tips, and take pictures that make you run to your kitchen and pick up a saucepan.

If I choose to believe my monthly stat – what started with only a couple of people visiting has grown to a couple of thousand.

I still shake my head and wonder how in the hell has that happen?

I have written a total of 118 (119 with this one) post and received 876 comments this year and I have loved every single one of them.

The top two post that most seem to love?

The Ice Cream Cake (I secretly love that post too), and the Marie Helene’s Apple cake.

Lost of ice cream and apple lovers out there – who knew?

I have become friends with readers from all over the world. Had the opportunity of meeting pretty big people from the food industry, learned so much about food blogging, food photography, and have become more courageous in cooking and baking. Somewhere along the way I learn what it means to put your heart and soul into one thing and been rewarded tens of thousand times over.

Thank you seems so lame for the amount of support and encouragement that you all have given me throughout this journey.

I wish I could all give you something special, like a trip around the world or a car.

Unfortunately, I could not get Oprah to return my calls.

So how about something a bit more personal?

Have you seen the new Moleskine Passion book series? No? Well they have a Recipe Journal and it looks like this:

This fun and useful journal helps you capture every need to store your recipes: appetizers, first course, main dishes, side dishes, wine pairings, desserts and cocktails along with prep time ingredients and difficulty. It even includes a calendar for ingredients that are in season. And for the health conscious, it includes quick reference for calories, protein, fat, and carbs. They even have an online template in order to type it all up and then cut and paste on the book – brilliant don’t you think?

I got one of these about 6 months ago and love it. And if I know my readers would too.

So to celebrate this great year, I have an extra one to give-away.

And just because you know, I’m really in the celebration mood, how about I also throw in a $25 amazon.com gift card into the mix?

So you get the passion book and the $25 amazon.com gift card.

And to get it, all you have to do is comment here by answering the following question:

What has been the best gift you ever received for your birthday?

Winner will be announced on Monday, Nov 8^th by a random drawing – a bowl may be involved in that, and some video too!