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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Best of the Month February 2015

A recap of my most popular posts from February 2015.

This month (February) I added a most pinned widget to the header of my blog.  I must say, it's pretty cool.  Blogger doesn't have an already prepared widget so I had to look through Pinterest, find my most pinned pictures, then write the html for this widget.  I used many different websites to get instructions to put it together and whenever I had a question I just googled it.  I'm super excited about my results and it seems to be useful.  The goal is to keep visitors interested and on my site longer (once I get better with analytics I'll let you know if it's working).  Most importantly I love the way it looks and I'm proud I made it myself.

I'm still posting to link parties regularly and to google+, facebook, and twitter. I'm gaining followers on all platforms and my page views are increasing.  I'll never know everything about blogging, it changes so much, but I'm getting more familiar with many aspects.  Most importantly I'm still having fun.

Now on to the best of the month:

Last year's most viewed of February:

Baked Potato Salad

A potato salad side dish made with baked red potatoes, celery, and dill.  Now has 219 views and 44 +1s.

#Bestofthemonth February: Baked Potato Salad -Last years best of February via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Now this February's most viewed:

How to Make a Great Baked Potato

Baked potatoes are a simple and tasty side to any meal. They can even be a great meal all on there own. 356 views and 21 +1s.

How to Make a Great #BakedPotato | #Bestofthemonth February via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb

Delicious lamb leg roast seasoned with herbs and spices. Makes a great holiday, or romantic, dinner. 327 views and 37 +1s.

Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb | #bestofthemonth February via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Meatball Calzones

Hot gooey cheese and meatballs folded inside a soft and chewy pizza crust. 300 views and 70 +1s.

#Meatball #Calzones | #bestofthemonth February via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Lamb Salad

 

A green salad topped with leftover Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, olives, tomatoes, and feta. 290 views and 39 +1s.

#Lamb #Salad | #bestofthemonth February via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Rye Yeast Rolls

Soft and fluffy yeast rolls made with rye flour, onions, and caraway seeds. 289 views and 56 +1s.

#Rye #YeastRolls | #bestofthemonth February via @joybeewhatsfor [Tweet this]

Check out last year's best of February:

Linked to:  Show Off, Best of the Weekend, Pretty Pintastic, Treasure Box, 2 Cup, LouLou Girls, Teach Me, Tasty, Tickle my Tastebuds, Full Plate, Cook Craft Share, Freedom, FoodieFriends

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Lamb Salad

A green salad topped with leftover Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, olives, tomatoes, and feta.

With all of my leftover lamb from my Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, I got creative.  The Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb was delicious on its own, but I don't like always eating the same thing.  I couldn't let those leftovers go to waste so I made new meals from the lamb.  I already made Greek Nachos and had some leftover toppings from those too (well...I made sure to have leftover toppings) so I made this salad.  It's kind of a different take on Greek Salad.  I added some pistachios for crunch, dried cherries for chewy, tart, sweetness, and Honey Lemon Oregano Dressing to tie it all together.  What a great combination.  It was fresh, delicious, and filling.

Lamb Salad

Ingredients:

Lettuce
*Honey Lemon Oregano Dressing
Pistachios
Red onion, sliced
Olives, sliced
Tomatoes, diced
Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, chopped
Feta, crumbled

*First prepare the Honey Lemon Oregano Dressing:  add 1 tsp honey to about 2 Tbsp Lemon Oregano Dressing.

Toss enough lettuce for 2 salads with the dressing until coated.

Separate lettuce onto plates or bowls and top with the rest of the ingredients (use as much or as little of whatever you prefer).

Alternatively just toss everything together and separate into bowls but when you do it this way all the toppings tend to sink to the bottom and you don't end up with as pretty of a salad.  (I like to have just the right amount of everything and it to be picture worthy so I use the former method)

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Treasure Box, Lou Lou Girls, 2 cup, Teach me, Whimsy, #some2,  freedom, best of the weekend, foodie, Pretty Pintastic, See Ya in the Gumbo
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