The Doubly Delicious Two Year Celebration Of Weekend Herb Blogging Starts Today!

The two year anniversary of Weekend Herb Blogging is rapidly approaching! The food blogging event that started as a joke, has now lasted for two years, and is still going strong. Last year we had lots of fun celebrating the one year anniversary, and this year's celebration is going to be doubly delicious!

Last year as part of the festivities we asked people to vote for their favorite herb. This year since things are happening in two's, we'll be asking you to vote for your favorite herb and your favorite vegetable. When the anniversary week starts on October 8, there will be two different ways you can tell us what your favorites have been this year. (More details about events for that week below.) But let's get this party started, shall we! Between now and October 7 we're having a contest to get you thinking about vegetables and herbs. Leave a comment on this post with your predictions for the favorite herb and favorite vegetable winners this year, and when the celebration ends on Monday, October 15, one lucky cook will win two wonderful cookbooks, one focused on vegetables and one focused on herbs. Click the "continue reading" link to see how to enter, and to get more details about the official WHB celebration events.

Here's the fine print about all the WHB anniversary activities:

Predict the Favorites Contest, September 24 - October 7

To enter for a chance to win Vegetables Every Day and Herbs and Spices, the Cooks Reference, leave a comment on this post saying: I think the favorite herb of this year will be ______ and I think the favorite vegetable of this year will be _______. If you're not a blogger with a link, be sure to sign with your name and location so we can identify you. In case of a tie, there will be a drawing to determine the winner. To see if you'll be getting some new cookbooks, follow the voting the week of October 8 - 15, and then check back on Monday, October 15, to see if you're the winner. (Thanks to PatL and Nicole who introduced me to these two books, which are both favorites of mine. If by chance the winner has one of these, they can choose another book.)

(Edit, October 15: There were 13 people who correctly guessed that tomatoes and basil would be the favorite vegetable and favorite herb. I put the names in a hat and the cookbook winner was Dhana from Fresh Kitchen!)

Vote For Your Favorite Vegetable and Favorite Herb of 2007
From Monday, October 8 until Sunday October 14

Starting Monday morning, October 8, participate in the official WHB Vote For Your Favorites poll. We'll be asking you to vote for your favorite vegetable and your favorite herb of 2007, just to keep it interesting for people who already declared their favorites last year. Voting for the favorites is a fun way for regular readers to participate (people who, *gasp* don't have a blog!) But bloggers can also vote, even if you're also submitting an entry, because remember, everything is happening in twos! You may even vote for different herbs and vegetables than you use in your recipe if you'd like. (Edited on 10-7: Rand has created some polls for the voting, so you will only have to leave a comment if you choose an unusual favorite that isn't on the poll.)

Enter a Great Recipe Featuring Vegetables and Herbs
From Monday October 8 until Sunday October 14

For the anniversary edition of WHB, we're asking participants to send a recipe featuring at least one vegetable and one herb, then include some information about at least one of the ingredients you've chosen. Recipes with more than one vegetable and more than one herb are also great. Extra servings to anyone who finds a really unusual combination or unusual herbs or vegetables to write about. (Your recipe does not have to have the same herb and vegetable you vote for as your favorite. What we're looking for here are really great recipes that combine vegetables with herbs!) Bloggers can copy the post header or icon in this announcement if you'd like. (As always, thanks to my talented brother Rand for creating the banner and icons!) Send your entries to kalynskitchen (at) comcast (dot) net by 3:00 on Sunday, October 14, Utah time. Please include a link to Kalyn's Kitchen with the words Weekend Herb Blogging Two Year Anniversary somewhere in the post. The recap will become a fabulous collection of unique vegetable recipes, and I'll do my best to get it posted by Monday, October 15.

Thanks for the Incredible Support!
Before I head off to start reading recipe books to look for interesting recipes with vegetables and herbs, I need to take just a second to say how gratifying it has been that people have enjoyed Weekend Herb Blogging so much! I never imagined it would start something like this when I decided to post a photo of my bucket of basil. I've said it before, and I'm sure I will say it many more times, but it's truly the quality of the entries each week that makes this event so wonderful. It's been a fantastic two years learning more about herbs, plants, veggies, and flowers with other great cooks from all over the world. Thanks to everyone who has participated.