I don’t normally talk sports on this blog, but it will be WICKED AWESOME if the Patriots win tomorrow…first team ever to go 19-0!?!?!?! You betcha!

To all of you tri-state area readers who think that I’m a traitor for becoming a New England sports fan…I have 2 reasons why my New England loyalties are well-founded.

Reason #1: I didn’t care about sports AT ALL when I lived in New Jersey. You can’t be a traitor if you were never loyal in the first place.

Reason #2: My in-laws. They are New Englanders to the CORE. If I didn’t support their teams, holidays would be very uncomfortable. Actually, they may not have let me marry Nate in the first place. 🙂 Okay, so that’s an exaggeration, but I do have evidence of their unwavering loyalty.

Exhibit A: They purchase giant cookies on game day to support the team. Oh, and football tablecloths too. (Photo courtesy of Aunt Linda)

Exhibit B: They actually get onto the Boston Globe website because they are such hard core fans. Yes, the woman pictured here is family. Izzie wore this to the game at Foxboro 2 weeks ago and caught the reporter’s eye. That’s serious devotion if you actually stand out at a home game. (Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe, via Aunt Kim)

I’m already nervous for tomorrow. I mean, I KNOW they’re gonna win, but nervous just the same. 🙂 GO PATS! GO PATS! GO PATS!

Unbelievable. This Week for Dinner is officially 1! Happy Birthday TWFD!! Now, blow out your candle and get your hands covered in cake!

Before I start reminiscing, BIG THANKS to Nate, my wicked cool husband. My iMac (which you will learn more about in a moment) has been very unhappy lately. No iTunes (hence the disappearance of the Song of the Week). No Internet. No Recipes. It’s been very sad. Nate has literally spent HOURS over the last few days trying to figure out what was wrong, and he did! MAC IS BACK! I can’t tell you how excited I am to have my kitchen computer back. It rules. If you can get one, do! Thank you, Nate, for the great TWFD birthday present.  (And, if you’re wondering, my computer wallpaper is THIS picture. My favorite. Oh, and yes, a hot pad makes an awesome mouse pad. It works much better than the countertop. Weird, yes, but super cute!)

If you’re relatively new to TWFD, you may not know the history. You may not care, either, but too bad. About a year ago Nate came home toting an old iMac. They were cleaning out the computer room at work and were going to throw this puppy away, so Nate snatched it. It wasn’t a happy iMac. It made angry faces and threatened to crash on a regular basis. With a little not-too-expensive TLC, Nate brought it back to life and TWFD was born! What is the connection? Well, said iMac became my kitchen computer. Indulgent, yes (I already had two, count ’em, two computers). Awesome, yes yes. I put all my recipes into FilePro and bookmarked all my favorite food websites. But where does the blog come in, you may be wondering. I know you’re all DYING to know…

The blog was born because Blogger was free. It’s that simple. I just needed a place to put a list of the things I cook, my repertoire, so to speak. I was too lazy to go find the install CDs for Microsoft Word, so I just made myself a blog. That’s it. Just for Jane. Then I remembered that my brother had requested I email him my weekly menus. Since I never actually planned my weekly menus, I thought posting one for him each week would help me get organized. Then I decided that the rest of the world would love knowing what I was eating, too…NO! Actually, I just wanted my friends to tell what THEY were eating so I wouldn’t have to come up with ideas myself. I emailed a few friends in addition to my bro…1 year and thousands of readers later, here we are!

All I can say is that it truly amazes me how this blog has grown, and keeps growing. I’m so grateful for all the blog love I receive. Whenever I get a thank you email or kind comment on the blog, it makes me, and my heart, smile. The feeling of “community” on TWFD astounds me and it’s all thanks to you. Bottom line – you guys rock! Happy Birthday!