• 1,159,784 absolutely unique visitors
• 2,444,329 pageviews

We’ve been averaging about 70,000+ readers and 110,000+ pageviews each month. In July and August 2010, our readership jumped significantly, with 150,000+ unique visitors each month.

My top three posts of all time?

• Cheese Pinwheel Rolls, with 203,704 pageviews (yep, those are the same rolls in my last post!)
• Roasted Garlic, Three Ways, with 106,449 pageviews
• The Angry Chef’s Lemon Pepper Chicken, with 59,576 pageviews

To date, this post has (holy mackeral!):

• 140,000 views on StumbleUpon
• 418 shares on Facebook
• 39 Tweets

Have a nibble for yourself here.

Saveur’s editors say:

“Moist, garlicky, and easy, this Five-Spice Chicken is perfect for a weeknight meal and also great for leftovers the next day; the Hungry Mouse gives you step-by-step instructions to make it.”

Thanks, guys! This is definitely one of my favorite ways to make chicken. Get the recipe here.

They also included it in their e-mail newsletter today.

They say:

“Chefs, meet your new favorite bread
The Hungry Mouse blogger, Jessie, shares an artful recipe for fougasse – not to be mistaken with foie gras or Fugazi, the late 80’s American punk band. It’s “a traditional Provençal bread that’s studded with olives and fresh herbs.” Healthier. No question.”

Get the full recipe here.

Saveur’s editors say:

“During hot summer days, this blackberry sorbet recipe from the Hungry Mouse is a wonderfully cooling use for fresh berries at their flavorful peak.”

Thanks, guys! (We couldn’t agree more! We practically eat our weight in sorbet at our house in the summer.)

Get the full recipe here.

From the article:

“11 top food writers share the recipes they’d serve at a fabulous brunch for their moms, from an elegant quiche to sticky lemon rolls.

Jessie Konopa, The Hungry Mouse
Need a little more visual aid than the usual recipe provides? Jessie Konopa of The Hungry Mouse knows how you feel. Her step-by-step photographs guide even the newest of cooks and bakers through a plethora of scrumptious recipes.

“This is the perfect thing to make for Mom. It’s easy, delicious and fairly light. Plus, it looks really pretty on the plate with the basil leaves showing through the prosciutto. I’d serve it with a big green salad and a bottle of Prosecco.”

—Jessie Konopa, The Hungry Mouse”

Get the full recipe here.

]]> http://www.cakehousecreative.com/2010/05/07/ivillage-mothers-day-feature/feed/ 0 http://www.cakehousecreative.com/2010/04/16/common-sense-tips-for-blog-giveaways/ http://www.cakehousecreative.com/2010/04/16/common-sense-tips-for-blog-giveaways/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:49:35 +0000 Jessie http://www.cakehousecreative.com/?p=273 I work for Hill Holliday during the day. They recently asked me to write about my experiences with The Hungry Mouse for the agency blog. I was more than happy to.

Here’s an excerpt from my most recent article, Common Sense Tips for Blog Giveaways. You can read the full article here.

“As a blogger, I’d give my readers the world if I could. Really, I would.

That said, I’ll settle for fat, shiny prizes as often as I can.  This was No. 8 on my list of 10 Things I’ve Learned about Blogging, and it couldn’t be truer.

In addition to my job as a senior copywriter here at Hill, I also run The Hungry Mouse, a food blog dedicated to step-by-step recipes. I’ve run a handful of giveaways on my site over the last two years. As you can imagine, the better the prize, the more attention my post usually gets.

Companies are usually very willing to donate prizes to blogger giveaways. (And why wouldn’t they be? It’s free advertising.) Readers love giveaways because they have a chance to win something. Bloggers benefit from buzz and a bump in traffic.

Everybody wins.

For example, last December, I did a holiday giveaway blitz with one big-ticket item a week, all donated by the manufacturers. Week One was an espresso machine. Week Two was a food processor. Week Three was the holy grail of blenders, the Vita-Mix.

All told, I wound up with more than 700 entries. People spread the word online, and I saw a huge spike in traffic as a result.” (Keep reading…)

I was invited one of three food bloggers invited by Kraft to compete in the month-long competition. The challenge was to develop a family menu (appetizer, entree, and dessert) incorporating Breakstone’s sour cream.

Readers could vote once a day on a microsite developed by Kraft. I promoted the contest heavily on my Facebook fan page and Twitter. My menu won, with more than 23,000 votes.

See the winning recipes and read more about it here.

In the article, writer Stephanie Im says:

“When I first discovered this recipe for Homemade Irish Cream from The Hungry Mouse, I knew I had struck Leprechaun’s gold. It was easy (with 8 ingredients, almost all of which I already had in my kitchen), it was straightforward (step 1: blend, step 2: imbibe), and it was flexible (Extra-boozy? Just a hint of boozy? Your choice!).”

Get the full recipe here.

They say:

“Learn from the experts: These people blog professionally, so they know what they are talking about…

‘Be genuine. Your readers will know when you’re not. The Internet has a pretty good built-in BS detector. The other day, Adii, co-founder of WooThemes, tweeted, “You can’t buy loyalty and awesomeness.” He’s dead on with that.

Have a point of view. It doesn’t necessarily have to be unique, but you should be able to get behind it 110%. Stay focused.

Your blog is about you. But it’s also about your readers. If your audience is interested in what you’re saying, your blog will naturally evolve into one big two-way conversation.’

—Excerpted from 10 Things I’ve Learned About Blogging, by Jessica Konopa”