Best of the Month March 2015

A recap of my most popular posts from March 2015.

I implemented many new changes in March.  They seem to be working too I have many more views than I had before.

Most importantly, I've started sharing my recipes/posts on Yummly.  I believe that Yummly is bringing the most viewers to my blog.  It quickly became my leading referral site.

Yummly quickly became my leading referral site [Tweet this]

I have also started adding pictures and links of similar recipes at the end of each post.  It's not making any huge difference but getting some of my older (maybe less known) posts seen again.

I've started adding click to tweet bars to each post too.  I don't see them tweeted all that much, but it's just another easy way for viewers to share my recipes.  Along the social sharing line, I also added a new floating social share bar.

 I've been making the most out of my link ups to link parties by tweeting them and this has seemed to bring me more twitter followers and a few more views.

I changed some og tags (open graph protocol) in my blog template HTML to make my site more facebook share friendly.  I really have no idea if that is making any difference in my views, but I feel good that it's done.

Lastly, I started adding a search description to each post.  On blogger, it's at the right under 'Post settings' in the post editor.  This is another thing I don't know if it's making a difference or not but I was surfing the web/blog info and saw that I should be doing it and I had not been.  Now I am.

Overall, I am always tweaking my blog and I believe this is something I will always do because the blog world is constantly changing.  Whether it increases my views or not I feel good about trying to make my blog better.

The blog world is constantly changing [Tweet this]

Now on to the best of the month:

Last years most viewed of March:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and chewy cookies studded with semisweet chocolate chips.  Now has 227 views and 33 +1s.  This had the most views that month at the time of posting however, it was quickly beat out.

#BestoftheMonth March 2015 #ChocolateChipCookies -last years best of March via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Egg and Cheese Crepes

Protein packed crepes filled with more protein of eggs and cheese.  Now has 1204 views and 18 +1s.  At the time, it only had 172 views but it blew up on Pinterest.  It's my most pinned recipe now.

#BestoftheMonth March 2015: last year's Egg&CheeseCrepes -most #pinned via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Now back to this year's best of the month:

Sauteed Kale

Warm kale sauteed until tender and flavored with onions, garlic, and balsamic vinegar.  793 views and 45 +1s.

#SauteedKale | #BestoftheMonth March 2015 via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots

Tender orange carrots cooked in a butter, brown sugar, and dill sauce.  A colorful and flavorful vegetable side dish.  401 views and 34 +1s.

Sweet #Dill Glazed #Carrots | #BestoftheMonth March 2015 via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Guinness Smoked Brisket

Slow smoked brisket seasoned with a dry rub and sprayed with Guinness.  384 views and 29 +1s.

#Guinness #SmokedBrisket | #BestoftheMonth March 2015 via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Lamb & Guinness Shepherds Pie

Minced lamb and vegetables cooked in a Guinness sauce and topped with mashed potatoes.  Perfect for a St. Patrick's Day dinner. 377 views and 85 +1s.

Lamb & #Guinness #ShepherdsPie | #BestoftheMonth March 2015 via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Lamb Salad

A green salad topped with leftover Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, olives, tomatoes, and feta.  353 views and 38 +1s.  Oops, I put this one on Best of the Month February 2015 by accident.  It was posted in March so this is where it should be.

#Lamb #Salad | #BestoftheMonth March 2015 via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Check out last year's Best of the Month March (2014)

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, 2 Cup, Treasure Box, Lou Lou girls, Tickle my Tastebuds

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Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots

Tender orange carrots cooked in a butter, brown sugar, and dill sauce.  A colorful and flavorful vegetable side dish.

I was looking for a new winter vegetable side dish when my husband remembered his mom making this when he was younger.  He didn't know the exact recipe so I looked it up online and made a few adjustments.  I first tried it at Christmas with our Swedish Meatballs and fell in love.  Then I had to make it again to go with other winter meals like Lamb & Guinness Shepherds Pie and Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish.  This is a wonderful warm vegetable side and I love the orange color.  It's like sunshine on a plate.

It's like sunshine on a plate [Tweet this]

Everyone knows carrots are good for eyes, but they are also delicious.  Carrots have a natural sweetness that can be enhanced with the addition of any type of sweetener and this recipe does just that. The carrots are tossed in butter, brown sugar, and dried dill then baked until tender.  The sugar brings out the sweetness, but it's not too sweet.  This is a great way to cook carrots that will brighten up any plate.  You can use sliced carrots or even baby carrots for a simple and quick vegetable side that tastes and looks great.

Everyone knows carrots are good for eyes but they are also delicious. [Tweet this]

Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:

1 pound carrots (either sliced or baby carrots)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
a few shakes of dried dill

Preheat oven to 350F

In a large bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and then mix in the brown sugar.

Toss the carrots (at room temperature--if they are cold just out of the fridge the melted butter will solidify again and be more difficult to coat the carrots) with the butter mixture until all the carrots are coated.

Sprinkle with some dill and toss more adding more dill as needed until all the carrots are coated with some dill.

Pour everything into a covered baking dish, cover, and bake at 350F for 30 minutes-1 hour until tender.  Sliced carrots take less time than baby carrots (it all depends on the size of the carrot).

Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy.

Other recipes mentioned in this post:

Swedish Meatballs       -----

Lamb & Guinness Shepherds Pie

Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish

For more carrot side dish recipes check out:

Moroccan Raw Carrot Salad

Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots

Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

Linked to:  2 cup, Best of Blogosphere, Treasure Box, Teach Me, LouLouGirls, Full Plate, Freedom,  Food Friends Fri Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, Show Off

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Lamb & Guinness Shepherd's Pie

Minced lamb and vegetables cooked in a Guinness sauce and topped with mashed potatoes.  Perfect for a St. Patrick's Day dinner.

This is yet another dish I made from leftover Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb.  That lamb roast served me very well.  You could easily substitute ground lamb in this recipe too.  I blitzed my leftover, roughly chopped, lamb in the food processor to give me minced lamb, added vegetables and Guinness for this incredibly flavorful and hardy meat pie.  It's not totally traditional shepherd's pie because I have it in a pie shell, but I had one in the freezer and didn't feel like dirtying a dish so I used it.  Traditional or not it was delicious.  I loved the crispy pie crust bottom with the creamy potato top.  And the filling.  Did I mention there's Guinness in it?  The stout gives it this a deep, rich, meatier flavor that is unparalleled.

Did I mention there's #Guinness in it? [Tweet this]

Lamb & Guinness Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
2 red potatoes, blanched and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 small carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup frozen peas
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup Guinness
2 cups minced lamb (I just minced leftover Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, but you could use cooked ground lamb as well)
Few dashed rosemary
5-6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Frozen pie crust (9 inch deep dish), optional
2-3 cups mashed potatoes

Preheat oven to 425F

In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onions, potatoes, celery, and carrots.  Season with salt and pepper then cook, until everything is softened.

Add the garlic and cook for just a few seconds until fragrant.

Add the frozen peas and allow to warm for about a minute.  Then add the flour.

Stir and mix well with the vegetables and melted butter making a roux.

Stir and cook until flour mixture starts to brown then add the Guinness, lamb, and rosemary.

Continue stirring until mixture comes to low boil, lower the heat and simmer until the Guinness has thickened (this isn't a very saucy mixture it's pretty thick but if you would like it thinner add more Guinness or water).

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.  Taste for seasoning and add whatever you think it needs.

Fill a pie crust (follow pie crust directions) or casserole dish with the meat mixture, top with mashed potatoes (that are seasoned to your preference) and bake.

Bake in a preheated oven at 425F for about 25 minutes or until potatoes start to brown.

Let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.  Serve with sides of your choice.  I served it with Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots and Sauteed Kale (I'll post these recipes soon). Oh, and don't forget a Guinness to wash it down.

Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, See Ya in the Gumbo, 2 Cup, Treasure Box, Lou Lou Girls, Teach Me, Tasty, Tickle My Tastebuds, Wonderful, Full Plate, Cook Craft Share, Freedom, Foodie Friends

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