2024 Year in Review (Spoiler: It’s been an INCREDIBLE year!)
2024 was the first full year of Moon + Magnolia’s blog and YouTube channel. And it has been AMAZING!
To celebrate, I’m sharing your favorite posts and videos, fun facts, and behind-the-scenes highlights from the year.
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Table of Contents
What a year 2024 has been! In just over two weeks, it will officially be the first full year of Moon + Magnolia’s blog and YouTube channel.
This year has been packed with all the things I love: heirloom skills, scratch cooking, sourdough, and YOU!
When I decided to move full steam ahead with my blog and YouTube channel, I wasn’t sure if anyone would read or watch. But you did! Unbelievably, hundreds of thousands of you did!
Together, we’ve grown this community, embraced modern heirloom skills, and reclaimed simplicity. What a year it’s been! Let’s look back on the best moments—and get ready for 2025!
I’ve included a quick, fun fact or behind-the-scenes blurb for each post and video. So be sure to check them out!
Top 5 Blog Posts in 2024
How Long Can Sourdough Dough Stay in the Fridge?
Behind the Scenes: What’s funny is that I was unhappy with these pictures. I was sick when I took them, so I just did the best I could. Had I known it would be my number one blog post of the year, I definitely would have retaken them.
About the Post: Many sourdough bakers ask, “How long can sourdough dough stay in the fridge?” The good news is that it can chill (literally) for a few days. I’m sharing everything you need to know about keeping your sourdough dough in the fridge.
Easy 3-Ingredient Creamed Spinach (10-Minute Recipe)
Fun Fact: This recipe took only one test to get right. I mean, how can a bunch of cream cheese and parmesan go wrong?
About the Recipe: This 3-ingredient creamed spinach recipe isn’t just easy–it’s DELICIOUS, too. It’s perfect as a dip with crackers or crusty sourdough. Or you can serve it as a decadent side dish. Made with basic ingredients, this is an easy recipe to customize or adapt for any palate or meal.
Simple Freezer-Friendly Sourdough Pizza Dough Recipe
Fun Fact: My freezer-friendly pizza dough post was my top-performing post on Pinterest this year!
About the Recipe: This freezer-friendly sourdough pizza dough makes pizza night cheap, easy, and nutritious. You can freeze up to a year’s worth, so you don’t have to worry about making dough every time you crave pizza.
How to Make Perfect Sourdough Toast (No Toaster!)
Fun Fact: Photography is new to me, and I’m still learning. But this was one of the first posts where I loved the photos I took.
About the Post: Ditch the toaster and learn how to make THE BEST sourdough toast. Made in a skillet or the oven, sourdough toast is golden and cripsy on the outside and warm and chewy on the inside. You’ll never go back to plain old toasted white bread after this!
Easy Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe
Fun Fact: This is one of my husband’s all-time favorite Moon + Magnolia blog recipes.
About the Recipe: Hands down, this is the best homemade sloppy joes recipe–and the easiest. The ingredients are pared down, so you can use pantry staples and have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.
Top 5 YouTube Videos in 2024
Fun Fact: This video was a total sleeper. I posted it in April with modest success. And in November, it took off out of the blue. It’s now my number-one video on YouTube.
About the Video: I’m sharing how to feed sourdough starter once a week without extra fuss. Along the way, I’ll share my best practices and tips for maintaining a healthy starter—the easy way.
Behind the Scenes: I’ve had a lot of comments about this photo. And though, yes, it does have a Winged Victory vibe, it’s just a screen grab of me grabbing onions from the fridge. And my dress is from Sam’s Club, haha!
About the Video: I’m sharing simple recipes and cooking tips for various weekday schedules and scenarios. With these recipes, tips, and tricks, you can enjoy homemade family meals on weeknights.
Fun Fact: This is one of my favorite videos of the year. I love creating these comforting vibes in my home and sharing them with you.
About the Video: Some of the sweetest fall memories are made at home. I’m sharing a few simple ways and recipes for creating coziness in your home.
Behind the Scenes: The most disgruntled comments I’ve ever received online were from this video. I was completely unaware that there is a very loyal community of Ninja Creami users. And they were extremely unhappy with this review and comparison. Some of the comments were so bad I had to delete them!
About the Video: This is better than the Ninja Creami, and I’m excited to share it with you! You can make better ice cream (and faster) with the Kumio ice cream maker. In this video, I’ll share what I don’t like about the Creami and what I love about the Kumio.
Fun Fact: I published this video in November 2023, but it is my fifth most-watched video of 2024.
About the Video: Here are the 3 Dutch ovens I use for cooking: Staub, Lodge, and Cuisinart. And the big question is: do you need to splurge on an expensive Dutch oven, like a Staub, for your kitchen?
2024 Moon + Magnolia Milestones
My first full year of blogging and YouTube has been a blur, but I set two clear goals and committed to them:
- Publish two blog posts a week
- Publish two YouTube videos a week
Here is where I ended up this year:
- 100 Blog Posts: This post marks 100 blog posts! With two weeks left in the year, the total will hit 104.
- 100 YouTube Videos: I started my YouTube channel in 2023 with one video a week and increased it to two videos weekly in February 2024. So far, I’ve published 97 videos; by year’s end, the total will be 102!
- 10.8 Million Words: According to Grammarly (my editing app), I’ve written 10,865,815 words across all platforms since March 2024. And I talk even more than I write—imagine the total word count there!
My 2024 Favorites
It’s hard to pinpoint my favorite parts of the year because it has been so full and exciting. But if I had to pick a few top favorites, it would be these:
My Favorite Blog Posts
Sourdough Donuts with Chocolate and Vanilla Glaze
Behind the Scenes: Of all the recipes I worked on this year, this one was the most complex and took me the longest to get right. But when I got it, I really got it. And I knew I created something incredibly delicious.
About the Recipe: Learn how to make fluffy homemade sourdough donuts. A simple roux added to the dough creates a soft and pillowy texture. Then, they are fried to golden brown perfection and dipped in vanilla or chocolate glaze.
Easy Homemade Herb Butter for Bread (5 Variations)
Behind the Scenes: I live for homemade herb butter. But beyond the recipe, these are my favorite photos of 2024. I harvested the herbs from our garden. And I just love the feeling these photos capture.
About the Recipe: Homemade herb butter (compound butter) is perfect for slathering on bread and preserving your homegrown herbs. In this post, I’m sharing my five favorite homemade herb butter recipes for bread and just about anything else. You’ll want to put this butter on everything!
My Favorite YouTube Videos
Behind the Scenes: This is my favorite YouTube video of the year. It was just as beautiful to make as it is to watch. All of the flowers came from my garden, and I love seeing the simple beauty of late summer at home.
About the Video: Though there are hints of fall, this is a bountiful time of year with endless wildness and beauty. So today, I’m sharing my favorite parts of the end of summer at home: garden harvests, easeful sourdough cobblers, cut flowers, and late summer tomatoes.
Behind the Scenes: This video is one of my favorites because it was my first time sharing my story. I felt nervous about sharing, but I received endless messages from women with similar stories thanking me for being so open. And it was a reminder that I am (and we all are) exactly where we need to be.
About the Video: After a few years of teaching college English, I began a natural journey into homemaking and motherhood. Join me as I spend a few days working around the house and tell my story of how I transitioned from teaching to homemaking and what I’ve learned along the way.
The Most Important Takeaway of the Year
This year, diving headfirst into my blog and YouTube channel has been a learning experience.
And though I could drone on about lots of techy things I’ve picked up along the way, the most important lesson I’ve learned is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and focus on the next right thing.
It’s not always clear where that path will take you. But if you keep moving forward, you’ll get somewhere.
Continuing the Journey
As we head into 2025, let’s commit to reclaiming simplicity in our lives. Get inspired with these posts:
THANK YOU!
My deepest gratitude goes to you. If you’ve read one blog or all of them or watched one video or all of them, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Thank you for being here and part of this community. I cannot wait to see what we grow together next year (I bet it will have something to do with wild yeast cultures, haha!).
Let’s Connect!
Tell me your favorite Moon + Magnolia moment this year! Was it a recipe, a video, or something else? Share in the comments!
Pin this post today to save all my 2024 favorites for later, and follow Moon + Magnolia on Pinterest.
Share your 2024 sourdough and recipe creations on Instagram and tag @moon_and_magnolia!
More Posts You’ll Love
- Practical Tips for Creating a Simple Life at Home
- 5 Practical Ways to Manage Your Energy as a Homemaker
- How To Make a Sourdough Starter – Beginner’s Guide
- Beginner’s No-Knead Sourdough Bread Recipe and Guide
- Same-Day Sourdough with Fresh-Milled Flour – 100% Whole Grain
- Complete Guide to Growing Garlic in a Backyard Garden