Yesterday, Manu’s Menu turned 8! I can hardly believe how fast the time has flown. It’s been an incredible journey full of learning, growth and meeting wonderful people—mostly online. Looking back, this year has been another rewarding chapter for Manu’s Menu.
This year I began publishing video recipes. They take a lot of work but are very helpful for readers, guiding you step-by-step through each dish—exactly the kind of clear, practical guidance Manu’s Menu aims to provide.
My book, Homemade Pasta Made Simple, continues to do very well, which makes me so happy.
The book is a complete guide to making pasta you’ll enjoy any night of the week. It covers equipment and ingredients, essential techniques, foolproof dough recipes, shaping and stuffing tutorials, and more than 30 easy sauce recipes for mixing and matching. It’s designed to make pasta approachable and fun.
You can also try my Cicatelli all’Arrabbiata recipe for a taste of what’s in the book:
The book, published by Rockridge Press, is available in paperback and digital formats.
For food photography I’ve been using the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM macro lens. It’s excellent for detailed shots that bring dishes to life, such as these Low Fodmap Pork Wontons:
I also use a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM for wider scenes—cakes or larger skillets that a macro lens can’t capture.
If you’d like to compare older photos with recent ones, take a look at my Foodgawker gallery to see the progress in my photography.
Here are some of my favourite pictures from the past year (click the image for the recipe):
Instant Milk Peda
Orange, Blueberry, Passion Fruit Smoothie
Torrontes Ice Cream
I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has followed and supported the blog. I read every comment even if I can’t always reply—each one means a lot. To the many silent readers, thank you too—please say hello when you can, I’d love to hear from you. Thank you for your love and support over these eight years.
Here are some highlights and statistics from this year:
Since its creation, Manu’s Menu has been visited by almost 4.3 million unique people and has nearly 10.5 million pageviews. Reaching readers across the globe has been more than I ever imagined.
On social media, Manu’s Menu has more than 7,650 followers on Facebook, 2,600 on Twitter, almost 6,800 on Pinterest, and over 10,000 followers on Google+. I’m appreciative of every follower—these numbers exceed my expectations.
This year I’ve been featured in various online publications and continue collaborations with two online outlets: Parade and Great Italian Chefs. Manu’s Menu has also consistently ranked among the top Australian food blogs, which I’m very proud of. Remarkably, readers have visited the blog from every country in the world—an achievement that still amazes me.
Here are the 10 most visited posts from this eighth year, listed in descending order (click the image for the recipe):
1. STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
2. HOME-MADE CREMA DI LIMONCELLO
3. HONEY HARD CANDY
4. CHICKEN SPRING ROLLS
5. BAKED GOATS CHEESE ROLLS WITH HONEY AND THYME
6. HOME-MADE CONDENSED MILK
7. COCO LOCO
8. HOME-MADE SICILIAN PORK SAUSAGE WITH FENNEL
9. BOMBOLONI ALLA CREMA
10. GRAVITY DEFYING M&M’S KIT KAT CAKE
For the full list of recipes, visit the Visual Archive on the blog.
These are my personal favourite recipes from the year (click the image for the recipe):
Low Fodmap Mini Focaccia
Low Fodmap Tuna Fried Rice
Low Fodmap Salmon Cakes
Traditional Dulce de Leche
Malbec Ice Cream
Orange Polenta Cake
Schiacciata alla Fiorentina
Italian Almond Carrot Cake
This year social platforms changed how content reaches audiences—especially on Facebook. To foster community I created the Manu’s Menu Discussion Group where readers can talk about recipes and Italian cooking. I’ve also launched a YouTube channel featuring recipe videos.
If you use other platforms, you can find Manu’s Menu on Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram—join the conversation and stay connected.
One of my most popular recipes ever is this Most Pinned recipe:
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Which Manu’s Menu recipe was your favourite this year?
Thank you again for eight wonderful years of support—here’s to many more!
*In the spirit of full disclosure, this post contains some affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through them I may receive a commission. I only recommend products I use and trust.