Happy Blogiversary - Celebrate with Dark Chocolate Covered Cheesecake with Pretzel Crust

Guys, it was October 28, 2012 that I took a very deep breath and decided to embrace the power of starting something! It was exactly one year ago today that anniemade began.

What a whirlwind year it's been! Here's just a few of the things that I've done, learned, loved, and tried because of starting anniemade...

• I can commit to something and grow it
• I learned how to create and run a Wordpress site
• I finally got on Instagram
• We hosted our first Thanksgiving and devised some delicious Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing Muffins
• I/we became somewhat Pinterest famous: Our Wedding Save the Dates have now been pinned over 1,000+ times and the Engagement Kit I did for Ruffled has been pinned (apparently) over 25K+ times!
• I became a professional photographer and DIY project designer for Ruffled Wedding Blog, creating 7 projects to date (with more to come!)
• I got and took a game-changing opportunity to attend the Making Things Happen workshop in March
• I designed some amazing Wedding Ceremony Programs, Business Branding, and even built an entire website for some of the most awesome people ever! (all to be shared in the future, stay tuned!)
• I became good friends with Adobe Illustrator and made thoughtful gifts for friends and loved ones
• I did some powerful thinking and reflecting on my Mom and what it means to celebrate people we've lost
• I wrote and published 98 Blog Posts (today is 99!)
• I figured out how to get creative about my life, not just my work
• I sought out and read some life-changing books, learned to be so good they can't ignore you, and became an active seeker of a meaningful life that fires me up
• I reconnected with friends and made new ones
• I decided to focus on what matters most and have faith that anniemade would and will lead me to an intentional and meaningful career that has an impact on people
• I came home with a new heart, fired up to make some great new things happen!
• And so, so much more.

And that's just ONE year. I can't say enough about the power of just starting things and doing as Austin Kleon says - don't wait until you know who you are to get started. It's really true.. if you've got something you keep kicking around- just start... the scariest thing you can do is not try. I learned a lot from mistakes I made and there are lots of changes to come based on those lessons, but it's all been amazing because it's been something new and something that's challenged me to my core.

So today is a pretty great one so I wanted to share the sweetness of one year with you with this recipe: DARK CHOCOLATE COVERED CHEESECAKE WITH PRETZEL CRUST!

This recipe is my way of saying above all - thank YOU so much for reading and for your encouragement along the way. I read every comment here and on Facebook and am always moved by who I share all of anniemade with. I feel so connected to all of you and am so grateful for the journey we've been on together. Here's to a lot more ahead... including an announcement soon that I hope will totally knock your socks off!

So, here we go. Happy Blogiversary to us!

Dark Chocolate Covered Cheesecake with (Gluten-Free) Pretzel Crust

Ingredients (for 9" springform cheesecake pan) - Adapted from this recipe at AllRecipes:

• 1 and 1/2 cup gluten-free (or regular if you're making non-gluten-free version) pretzels, crushed
• 6 tbsp melted butter
• 4 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1 and 1/2 cups of white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup (8 oz) of sour cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup gluten-free flour mix (or regular flour, your preference)

For Dark Chocolate Topping:

• 12 oz Dark Chocolate Morsels
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 1/3 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease your 9" springform cheesecake pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine crushed pretzels and 6 tbsp melted butter. Press into pan. Crust will be loose but should bake up fine.
3. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, then add the eggs- one at a time - mixing until just incorporated. Lastly, add the flour, vanilla, and sour cream.
4. Pour the mixture into your cheesecake pan and set in the oven for one hour. Then turn the oven off and allow cheesecake to cool inside for 5-6 hours. Remove and refrigerate.
5. A few hours before serving (or just before, your preference) prepare your melting dark chocolate. Whisk together your dark chocolate chips, the 4 tbsp of butter, and 1/3 cup of milk over a double boiler. As pictured, pour topping over cheesecake. You can use the whisk to push the chocolate around in beautifully and ensure it drips down the sides.

Nom with a capital N!