My 5-Year Blogging Anniversary & A KitchenAid Stand Mixer Giveaway as a Thank You! (Winners Announced)
UPDATE: The winners of the KitchenAid mixers are:
#1,931 – Janelle Thiessen: “I love your chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting!”
#2,042 – Joanne Quinn: Her comment on following Brown Eyed Baker on Twitter was the winner. As for her favorite BEB recipe:
“Love all your recipes – they’re very dip/party-centric, and they’re the kind I use most when looking for new recipes on the web. My current favorite – and only cuz I just discovered it & can’t believe how easy & delicious it is – is the 3 ingredient Sausage dip. THANKS”
Congratulations Janelle and Joanne! You should have already received an email from me; make sure you reply with your color choice and mailing address so I can get your new KitchenAid mixer out to you!
Thanks everyone for entering and celebrating my five years of blogging with me!

Five years ago today, on February 11, 2007, I hit “publish” on my first blog post – Italian Wedding Soup. It looked like a lot of first blog posts look – a small, far-away picture, a sparse description, and a recipe for one of my all-time favorite “mom” recipes. I decided to start blogging to merge two of my passions – writing and baking. I saw a couple of food blogs pop up and thought that doing something similar would be a good way to keep my writing interest alive, as well as to chronicle my time in the kitchen, and to hopefully challenge myself to try some more advanced recipes.
Five years later, Brown Eyed Baker has turned into more than I could have ever imagined. And it would not be the site it is today without all of you. There aren’t enough words to describe how thankful I am for each and every one of you. For stopping by to check out the recipes, for commenting, for sharing your stories about what you’ve made, for your loyalty, for being the reason I keep making a mess of the kitchen more days than not, and, most of all, for allowing me to be a part of your lives. Part of your holidays, your get-togethers with friends, birthdays, showers, and celebrations.
For all you contribute to this site, each and every day, I wanted to say thank you. And I wanted to say thank you in a way that would pay forward kitchen love. What says “kitchen love” more than a shiny, new KitchenAid mixer??
I am giving away TWO KitchenAid Artisan stand mixers to two lucky readers. Check out the details below on how to enter to win, and note that I am leaving this giveaway open for a full week as a celebration of sorts, so as many of you as possible have the opportunity to enter.
Thank you again for being awesome readers, and for sharing your love of food with me. Here’s to a lot more fun in the kitchen together!

Giveaway Details
Two winners will each receive one (1) KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer, in the color of their choice.
How to Enter
To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post and answer the question:
“What’s your favorite Brown Eyed Baker recipe?”
You can receive up to FOUR additional entries to win by doing the following:
1. Subscribe to Brown Eyed Baker by either RSS or email. Come back and let me know you’ve subscribed in an additional comment.
2. Follow @browneyedbaker on Twitter. Come back and let me know you’ve followed in an additional comment.
3. Tweet the following about the giveaway: “RT @browneyedbaker Thanking you for 5 wonderful blogging years with a KitchenAid Stand Mixer Giveaway! http://wp.me/p1rsii-4bV”. Come back and let me know you’ve Tweeted in an additional comment.
4. Become a fan of Brown Eyed Baker on Facebook. Come back and let me know you became a fan in an additional comment.
Deadline: Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 11:59pm EST.
Winners: The winners will be chosen at random using Random.org and announced at the top of this post. If the winners do not respond within 24 hours, another winner will be selected.
Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by Brown Eyed Baker.
Good Luck and THANK YOU!!






i do follow you on twitter
https://twitter.com/#!/jackalJarrod/status/169797121111900160
I have a mixer, so I don’t want to enter the giveaway (though who am I kidding – two would be awesome) but I wanted to say happy blogaversary!!!
My favorite recipe of yours is your peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!
Congratulations! You have a wonderful blog! Great giveaway. My Kitchen Aide is on its way out, would love a new one.
I love your snickerdoodle blondies, made them quite a few times:)
I follow you by e.mail:)
I liked you on Facebook:)
Homemade restaurant style salsa.
Fan on facebook!
Follow you on tweeter!
Mocha cupcakes favorite!
Subscribed by email!
Definitely your Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting. Just perfect!
I followed you on Twitter!
Pumpkin bread is my fave! I’m also an RSS fee subscriber
Pancake Cupcakes with Maple Bacon Buttercream
I subscribe to Brown Eyed Baker through email.
I follow Brown Eyed Baker on Twitter.
I am a fan of Brown Eyed Baker on FB.
I tweeted about this giveaway.
I have recently become enamored of baked goods with pumpkin… so it’s a close tie between your pumpkin scone and pumpkin cupcake recipes.
Thinking about this is making my sweet tooth hungry… as if it needs an excuse…
(Subscribed via email.)
Subscribed via email.
Following on twitter
Tweeted “RT @browneyedbaker Thanking you for 5 wonderful blogging years with a KitchenAid Stand Mixer Giveaway! http://wp.me/p1rsii-4bV”
Fan on Facebook.
I love your baked goods recipes, but the Restaurant Style Salsa is one of my faves!
I’m following you on twitter
The root beer float cake is my favorite!!! What a great idea!!
I tweeted about the giveaway
I am now subscribed via email! I can’t believe I wasn’t before now!
So far my favorite recipe is for the Chocolate Chunk Pecan Bars – to which I add a little toffee – But there are so many more I want to make!
And now I have followed you on twitter.
And I liked you on facebook.
And subscribed my email.
How can I pick one of your Italian recipes? They all remind me of my grandparent’s house, but your chocolate pistachio biscotti is a year round favorite!
I followed you on twitter!
The classic vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting!
I subscribed to your RSS feed!
I follow you on twitter
I tweeted about the contest
I love banana foster and the Bananas Foster Bread Pudding is wonderful.
I follow via Rss Reader feed.
Just subscribed via email!
Your macaroni & cheese casserole is a recipe. And I just posted it to Pinterest for everyone!
I follow via RSS Reader feed.
Just tweeted about the contest
Just subscribed via email!
Now following you on Twitter.
Liked you on Facebook.
I’ve been a fan on Facebook for a while now!
I love your No Bake Cookies!! They’re always a hit when I make them.
Selecting one recipe as my favorite is a tough job. Your “Parmesan chicken” has rocked my dinner table several times.Would like to mention the “Chocolate Rum Cheesecake” too. Wouldn’t be fair if i don’t.
Congratulations on your 5Years! Kudos!
I love the Three Cheese Beer Bread. I am anxious to make the Chocolate Babka though, along with many others!
Karen on February 15th, 2012 at 3:25 pm
Following you on Twitter
Definitely the tiramisu! I love me some tiramisu
I am subscribed to the emails
I follow you on twitter
I am a fan on fb
As much as I was ready to say that your chipped ham bbq was my favorite (I’m not from Pittsburgh, but my mom is from Beaver County, so we were raised to love all things Pittsburgh), I have to say that your guest post Biscoff Cookie recipe has to take the cake! Or the cookie. Anyway, I’m allergic to peanut oil and have never been able to eat no-bake things. I discovered Biscoff maybe 2 months ago and fell in love! The fact that it looks so much like peanut butter had me making fun sandwiches out of it and feeling rebellious in some strange way. Anyway, that’s way more than you asked for. Just thought I’d let you know how much I appreciate the recipe!
Also, I follow your blog through Google Reader!
Car bomb cupcakes!
I have subscribed to Brown Eyed Baker RSS, Google Homepage!
I just subscribed via email. Glad to find your website. I am new in baking. Wish that you’re near by
I’d have to say I have three favorites (so hard to choose and so many more to try!): sweet and sour chicken, new york crumb cake and pumpkin cheesecake. They are all huge hits in my home. Congrats on the 5 years! Your blog is awesome!
I liked you on facebook! (hope this is the same thing as being a fan:))
Also just subscribed to your email
Our favorite is thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies. My step daughter says they are the crack of chocolate chip cookies! We are addicted.
Subscribed via email. (still thick and chewy chocolate chip is the fav).
I just happened to search for no bake cookie recipes and found your blog and I HAVE TO SAY …. Irish Car Bomb cupcakes? Oh Yummmm!!! I can’t wait to try those!!!!!
I’m subscribed via Google Reader
following you on twitter (mom2boys77)
Tweeted about the Giveaway!
following you on Facebook…
btw – thank you for this giveaway AND the additional entries!
i’m a FB fan as well
Your Skillet Apple Crisp is my favorite! I cook more desserts than food and LOVE a good crisp/crumble.
Oh My Gosh! For sure the Monster Cookies! Awesome!
Keep the goodness coming!!
My favorite recipe is the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes — so delicious!
I subscribe via Google Reader
I follow you on Twitter
I tweeted about the giveaway
And I’m a FB fan!
My favorite recipe is the plain ol’ chocolate chip! Always use it whenever I make a batch of chocolate chip cookies!
I subscribe thru email !
My favorite is your recipe for red velvet cupcakes!
i became super popular with my friends after i made your pizza dip….so pizza dip wins!
i follow you via RSS feed
I subscribed with Google Reader.
you are liked on facebook too!!!
I followed you on twitter.
I tweeted on twitter.
There is NO way I could pick just ONE recipe, but ummm I think maybe your Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies are my favorite right now! I LOVE them! They make me happy
I am already a FB fan, but sadly I do not Tweet lol
I am now an email subscriber! Yaaay!
one recipe?! thats it? thats SO hard to choose but Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispies Treats wins hands down
I am signed up for BEB emails!
I liked BEB on facebook!
One of my favorite recipes was the red velvet cheesecake. I made it for a friend and it was a huge hit. I didn’t use quite enough red food coloring, but it still tasted great!
Thanks!
Absolutely the peanut butter chocolate chip bars!
And I follow you on twitter
Your no-bake cookies are my favorite! My mom wasn’t a baker and these were the only cookie she ever made. I searched and searched for a recipe that was like her’s and yours was PERFECT!!!
The buttermilk pancake recipe you have posted is my favorite! Sooooo yummy, especially when slathered with peanut butter!