2008 Had Better Kick 2007's Heiney!

Hello out there! I do not cook anything exciting, new or interesting any more. What is a food blogger to do? She could stop blogging, which she's pretty much accomplished. But she hates not blogging. She misses her lil blog. She could force herself to start cookin' new and exciting recipes! But she is all about comfort right now.. it's fakking cold outside. Oh!! I know!!! She can snag a minute or two and read a few of her favorite blogs and STEAL THEIR IDEAS!! WOO HOOOO!!!!! And what's even better? These ideas aren't really food related! I hope I don't get kicked outta the food blogger's club! But I figure, it's my kitchen - at least that's what the title of this lil blog implies, yes? So if it's my kitchen and I wanna make myself comfy at the kitchen table with some books, magazines, writing paper and pens, then I should be able to do that once in a while, yes? :D So we are starting off with not so much an idea stolen, but with a meme that my lovely friend posted on her blog last summer and DIDN'T tag me with. The nerve! A chance to talk about myself and she didn't pass the opportunity along? Hrmph. I hope you find this entertaining (below).. I enjoyed filling it out, as it IS all about me. :) And speaking of me.. If I haven't come off as completely self centered yet, why not kick off the new year by pounding that concept into your gorgeous and sexy lil heads a lil further by telling ya'll about this fantastic opportunity that has arisen! Someone out there actually likes my writing enough to ask me to contribute to their website! AND PAY ME! Hello? Somebody pinch me! So let me ask your opinions.. if some fantastical website wrote to you and asked you to pretty much do what you already love to do for free.. and then actually pay you, what would you do? After saying yes, of course.. Would you put off your first assignment for a few days.. then start writing it one afternoon.. then get sidetracked and not even think about it again until you get a letter from your new bosses asking if you'll be submitting your article at said time and that said time was like 6 hours earlier? No? That's just something I'd do? Mmm hmmm... Talk about wanting to crawl under the nearest slab of concrete. Gah. THANKFULLY, my new bosses did not fire me, but accepted my article which was just 8 hours late! Not only that.. but they LIKED it. Even though it was LONGER than Gone With The Fakkin' Wind. And not only that? But they deposited my paycheck in my Paypal account THE! VERY! NEXT! DAY! SHUT UP! The website? It's called Foodieview - maybe ya'll have heard of it? It's a great source for finding recipes and even restaurants in your area. And they've got a Foodieview blog that is now hosting a newsletter called The Recipe Roundup. The newsletter features your favorite bloggers writing about subjects they love and including recipes that really mean something to them. I'm one of those bloggers! Woot! And so is Andrea, who is a fellow Daring Baker and all around fantabulous writer. =) The Recipe Roundup is still a baby, so there will be many more awesome bloggers contributing in the future. Check it out here and then go back and visit every Monday, which is when a new Recipe Roundup is posted. AND In an upcoming post, I will be reviewing a very important baking "tool", if you will. I'm not going to say what it is right now, but it's something we all use and most likely take for granted. A very nice man from public relations company has asked me to use this product and then, if I'd like, to blog about what I thought. Well, I like. So look for that in the next week or so, because I'm going to be asking ya'll a question about this product. Having absolutely no background in public relations or advertising, I feel completely comfortable enough to pass this info along in hopes that maybe your opinions will help him and his company. =) And now.. FINALLY.. that meme I mentioned about 38 paragraphs earlier! INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so: (Okay so this meme was originally done back in the summer, so the original 5 have certainly moved on by now.. and since I’m stealing this meme, I might as well change the rules to suit my fancy, right? Oh and if you are on the first list of 5 you have to do the meme too. Heeee! Or not.. whichever you prefer. I’m so easy.) 1. Technicolor Kitchen - Patricia 2. Taste and Tell - Deborah 3. The Pie Lady - Brittany 4. Feeding My Enthusiasms - Elle 5. Culinary Concoctions by My Gracie. Next, select five people to tag: 1. Sara – i like to eat 2. Marie – A Year at Oak Cottage 3. Lindsay - Country Girl, City Living 4. Laurie - Quirky Cupcake 5. Kelly – Sass and Veracity What were you doing 10 years ago? I was on my 2nd year at my present place of employment and things were not good. Lots of in-house fighting, lots of back stabbing.. it was horrible. My father had just started becoming ill, so I was helping my mom take care of him as well (I lived with the ‘rents back then!) What were you doing 1 year ago? hehee not much. Working, blogging, baking, cooking, planting, marketing, working, playing, cuddling with my kids Nigel & Chloe, working, cooking, baking, creating friendships that I never thought I’d be lucky enough to have. Five snacks you enjoy: 1. Jif peanut butter on a spoon. 2. Red or black seedless grapes wrapped in prosciutto de parma. 3. Benne wafers!! 4. Popcorn – sometimes buttery, sometimes kettle corny and sometimes peanut buttery. 5. Dark chocolate Five songs that you know all the lyrics to: 1. Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (complete with headbanging) 2. Tesla – Gettin' Better (and every other song they’ve EVER SANG) 3. AC/DC – Highway to Hell (and every other song they’ve EVER SANG) 4. Detroit Rock City – Kiss 5. Sister Christian – Night Ranger Five things you would do if you were a millionaire: 1. Make sure my mom, my sister, W’s mom, W's brothers and all of my friends never having to worry about money again. 2. Hire Oprah’s chefs and trainers. 3. Open my own Italian restaurant 4. Move to Italy 5. Travel Five bad habits: 1. Smoking! 2. Eating before I go to bed. 3. Swearing like a marine. 4. Letting my desk pile up with pish. 5. Biting my nails. Five things you like doing: 1. Taking care of my family. 2. Cooking and baking 3. Writing and making myself look like an ass. 4. Watching movies and reading 5. Marketing and/or 1 tank trips Five things you would never wear again: 1. Headbands.. circa 1989 and Jon Bon Jovi 2. Torn jeans. 3. Spandex shorts underneath the torn jeans.. ugh. 4. High top tennis shoes 5. Overalls Five favorite toys: 1. My PC 2. My brand spankin’ new cast iron dutch oven!! 3. My camera – sometimes. 4. Our outdoor grill.. all metallic and shiny.. 5. Nigel & Chloe – ‘kay they aren’t toys but I play with them ALL THE TIME. :D

Tartelette's Traveling Eggs Meme!

HAR! Eggs.. that travel! These eggs are special.. and crocheted. Yes, you heard me correctly!! I am the proud recipient of Helene's Traveling Eggs! You can read about them here, but I shall attempt to explain the situation quickly here.. Helene saw these cute lil eggs on Hannah's Bittersweet blog and knew she had to have them - course when they finally arrived and after she and her hubby had marveled over the extreme cuteness of them, they both wondered what the hell to do with them. Sure she could set them on a counter somewhere, but would that really do them justice? I mean c'mon.. look how cute!! And so in a flash of brilliance, she decided that it'd be fun to package these lil babies up and start a traveling meme. I am the lucky gal who got them first and I shall be sending them along to some unsuspecting, yet gorgeous! blogging friend. The only rules of the meme are to sign the carton with your name and blog name (I added a short message because, hello? I couldn't keep anything short and sweet to save my freakin' life.), enjoy them for a few days and then pass them along - but always keep the secret of who you passed them along to. After you've done that, blog about it with a photo (or two) of the eggs with something that represents you or your blog.. I chose Nigel. :D That photo of him on my desktop was actually taken by Helene when she was here and it's one of my most favorite photos of him.. could he be any cuter? I think not! So be checking your mailboxes.. you might just be the next lucky recipient of a 1/2 dozen adorable traveling eggs! :D

Garden Update, 7 Things and Imma Schmooze!

I really am cooking.. it's not all salads and chicken breasts, really. In fact, last night's dinner was SO GOOD, but that's coming in a later post (as well as what promises to be the most decadent cake I've ever had the displeasure of trying to make - look for the next installment of Kitchen Disasters soon as well! :D ). But this post is all about our lil garden that is bursting at the seams, a meme I was tagged for by The Cooking Ninja (Thanks!!) and holy hell.. I've been given an award - a Schmooze award! hahahhaaaaa! We'll start this off with a pictorial - My lovely and dear friend Sara who has been keeping us updated on her very organized and awesome garden, has asked us to show her our gardens and how they've progressed. At first I almost hesitated for a second because showing ya'll our garden would totally "out us". You see.. where we spend hours each week making our flower beds look totally smashing, our garden doesn't usually get as much care and well ohmygod you are going to see all of our weeds. *blush* I feel so dirty. But, having opened up to the blogging world just this week by presenting to you such a loverly and charming picture of moi, the dainty flower that I am, I figured ya'll would be able to handle the shock of seeing our dirty lil garden secret. DO NOT JUDGE US!! Shall we get started? :) Clicking on any of the photos will bring you to my Flickr account where you can see bigger versions if you so desire. These would be photos of the "East Wing" where our Zucchini and Cucumbers are threatening to take over the whole area, as well as our tomatoes vying for a shot to do the same.. and our poor bell peppers stuck in the middle with no way of escaping. On the left is my grape tomatoes. But I think I've been hornswoggled. Yes, hornswoggled. I've never seen grape tomatoes get so fakkin long and big - so I can't help but to wonder if some jackass wrongfully labeled them? Gah. They are tasty though! We've actually harvested FIVE of them. Woo. On the right is a lil beefsteak mater, I'd say in it's teenage years? We've got a while before those are ready. Our really rather huge yellow bell peppers - although they haven't turned yet. And from what I remember of our yellow bells last year, they were at least starting to turn by the time they got this huge - the fakking, hornswoggling bastard probably labeled these wrong too. Gah. And yeah.. I hate green bells. Go figger. On the left is just one of the ELEVENTY BILLION burpless cukes that are in that nest of leaves and vines. This one has another day or two before it should be picked. On the right are some cute zucchini flowers getting ready to open up. I couldn't get a shot of any zucchini on the plants because we picked the easily seen ones before I realized I should be taking pictures. Doh. Here is yesterday's harvest.. 2 big zukes and 3 rather oddly shaped cukes. Rather oddly? The middle of our garden was host to a HUGE patch of leaf lettuce. Unfortunately, the first harvest was chock full of lil squishy slugs. Needless to say, as I was washing it and discovering the lil fakkers I was completely squicked out. So squicked, in fact, that I couldn't fathom eating it.. so we dug it up and then planted seeds in a container hoping to avoid the nasties - so far so good! :D The "West Wing" holds 4 finally forming heads of cabbage. As you can see, it looks more like Swiss cheese. We're not sure if we're going to win the battle against whatever is eating it. *sigh* On the right is our Swiss Chard - avert your eyes to the pretty yellow and red lined leaves.. DO NOT make eye contact with the weeds!! Gah. And saving the best for last... Can you see it?? squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Just THE cutest baby Eggplant EVER!!! I am so excited about this as I've never grown my own eggplant and didn't know how the plant would fare.. this lil beauty is just one of FOUR. heeee!!!!!!! So there you have it.. our garden. Definitely the best harvest of 90% of everything we've planted this summer. Only 2 failures - the radishes weren't happy and all but one bush bean plant took - I was too embarrassed to get a shot of it with it's wrinkly lil beans hanging off it all pathetic like. We prolly should have pulled it to put it out of it's misery. Moving on to a meme that I was tagged for by the very talented cook, The Cooking Ninja! This one is titled "7 Random Things About Me" - well, that's kinda hard as I've already listed 100 random things about me.. But here goes: 1- Over the past few years, I've suddenly developed a terrifying fear of heights. Just the thought of being somewhere high up now makes my heart pound. Which blows me away as I've always been the first in line for the tallest roller coasters at Cedar Point and standing out on the deck over looking The Grand Canyon was never a problem. I think it might have something to do with a reoccuring nightmare I've been having.. which I'm not going to get into here - but it involves a cruise ship and Nigel. *shudder* 2- Bugs. Motherfakking nasty-ass bugs. I HATE them with a Burning! Searing! Passion! I refer to spiders as "Monsters" and even the tiniest one is always met with me yelling for Hubbs to KILL THE MONSTER. Ants? Terrified. The common housefly? Sends shivers down my spine. Butterflies? As long as they aren't near me, I can handle - but if the lil bastards start fluttering my way, I'll take cover. I won't even tell you what kind of reaction I have to bees, wasps and other stingy-bitey mofo's - you might think me weird. :P 3- I'm a habitual locker upper of doors. I can't sleep at night if I've forgotten to "make the rounds" and locking up the front and back doors. It's so bad, that when I come in from the back yard, I unconsciously lock the slider behind me.. which pisses Hubbs off to no end when he's a few steps behind and walks into it or wrenches his shoulder as he tries to pull it open. hee. 4- I firmly believe that my bitch-cat could possibly be my father. Or someone else we love that passed. Seriously. I'll try to keep this short (yeah right) - she showed up one day while I was still living with my mommie after my dad passed.. just outta the blue. She'd leave each night and show up again the next day. Then I started to feed her. Then my mom started to feed her. Then we started to let her in (my pooch Jiggles Lu had recently passed, so I think both of us were starving for 4 legged furry love) during the day. One day my mom decided to take a nap, so she gets in her bed, under the covers, when her feet touch something. She pulled off the sheets and comforter to find cat poo. UNDER THE BEDDING. Ohhh my lordie she was NOT a happy camper. She calls me at work (as if I could do anything being over an hour away) and screams at me that we're taking the F'n cat to the Humane Society the next day. I was against this.. she wasn't a kitten, so I didn't think she'd have a good chance of getting adopted and I did not want to put her to her death over mistaking my mom's bed for a litter box. hee. We went round and round about this for days until finally I told her I'd go with her so she'd shut the hell up. We put her in the cage we bought for her and got into my car. Car wouldn't start and I ended up flooding it. So we get out, cat included. Couple minutes later, I go back out to try it again and it starts right up. I go get my mom and the cat and when they get into the car, it doesn't stall out once I put it in gear - it just quits. And it won't start again. We looked at each other and she spoke first, "I'll pick up a litter box and food dishes after work today." I've had her ever since (about 7 years now). 5- I'm a movie freak fanatic. Each and every Tuesday when the new movies come out on DVD I am at the Blockbuster first thing. I never miss a Tuesday. I always rent all the new ones, regardless of how many came out that day and then I spend the rest of the week stressing myself out because I have to watch all of them. 6- I watch the Simple Life. (don't hate me) 7- I'm always cold. You'd think with my padding that I'd be nicely insulated, but that isn't the case. I do get hot in the summer and I'll kick on the central air, but just minutes later I'll be shivering and putting on a sweater. At work, my teeth actually chatter at times. I wear a sweater or jacket year round at my office. 'kay that hurt! Sorry if they were lame, but I kept checking the 100 list and finding that I'd already listed what I was going to include in this list! hahaha I guess I get to tag 7 more people.. and I think this lil meme has been out for a while, so if you've already been tagged, I apologize and if you haven't been tagged yet but hate memes, I apologize. :P 1- Gracie 2- Kelly - yes I know you've done the 8 Random thingies, but you haven't done any memes on Sass. And uhh.. I KNOW there are more than just 8 random thingies about you. :D 3- Morven 4- Sis 5- Cheryl 6- Marce 7- Sara And finally!! My dear, sweet friend, Kelly of Sass and Veracity AND Kellementology (a must read - is hilarious) has given me a Schmooze award. heeee! Apparently she thinks I've made a lil bleep on the surface of the blog reading world with my incessant chatter and fondness of leaving dorkie comments. HAR! No really, this award was created by Mike of Ordinary Folk and Danielle of Pink Reviews to "recognize people who have a positive influence on the blogging community by developing and nurturing relationships. You know — commenting on other’s blogs, joining in on and sustaining a “blogversation.”" I stole that quote from Kelly. shhh I thank you, my sweet girl, for thinking of me and awarding me this very cool award. I think I'm blushing. :D Better than receiving this award is actually getting to pass it on to some people who I feel are worthy of such a nice thing! There are SO MANY I wish I could give this too, but from taking a que from Kelly, it looks like I might only be able to give this to five people. =( Tanna of My Kitchen in Half Cups - Not only does this sweet lady make an effort to comment on all of her favorite blogs, but her comments are always so uplifting and supportive. Thank you, Tanna =) Patricia of Technicolor Kitchen - Patricia is another beautiful gal who you'll see commenting on many blogs with such sweet things to say. She always brings a smile to my face once I've read one of her comments. Thank you, Patricia =) Helene of Tartelette - Not only does Helene make a conscious effort to support all of her favorite blogger friends, but she also goes that extra step in trying to help anyone who has a baking question. Her advice is always spot on and I, for one, am quite grateful for all of her baking advice and tips. (Which I took advantage of, last night when I called her freaking out AGAIN. hee.) Thank you, Helene =) Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms - I've said this many times before - just thinking of Elle makes me smile. This gal can make you feel good about yourself on your worst days! I'm mighty grateful to have the pleasure of meeting her! Thank you, Elle =) And last but not least, Mary of The Sour Dough - I have a feeling that Mary might have been a cheerleader in her youth? You can guarantee that when Mary leaves you a comment (which she does often and everywhere) you'll feel as if you've just conquered your biggest fear and not just that fakkin' chocolate cake. Mary is a woman who, no matter how rough things might get, puts you and what you're going through in front of herself. She's definitely one of a kind. And Thank You, Mary =) Again, I wish this list could be longer because it'd include every gal up there who got tagged for the 7 Random Things meme as well as Ivonne, Brilynn, Jenny, Morv, Mary, Laura, Gilly, Meeta, Karen, Kelly-Jane, Gattina, Deborah, Kirsten and OHMYGOD So! Many! More!! This is a great community to be in - virtual or not, I count myself extremely lucky to be a part of it. Much love to you, everyone! :D OMG I'm so late for work.. heee! xoxo

The First Interview That Didn't Make My Palms Sweat

While reading one of my favorite blogs, Lucullian Delights, I came upon a post by the gorgeous Ilva that was an interview of sorts. She had been reading another a blog where the author had answered some questions from an interview and in return asked her readers if they'd like to be interviewed. Obviously, Ilva asked to be interviewed and she answered some really good questions pertaining to herself, not just some generic questions that have floated through the internets like those adorable (blechhhh) quizzes about yourself that all of your friends need to read to "get to know you". Ugh. At the end of her interview she asked if we'd like to be interviewed and I didn't take more than 1/2 second to comment, "YES PLEASE!" A week or so ago, I received my interview questions from Ilva and have taken the time to think about the answers. This was fun and different, I enjoyed your questions, Ilva. =) 1. I asked Marce this but I just have to ask you too, what do you prefer, baking or cooking? This one didn't require thinking, I answered it immediately - COOKING. God. I love being a part of the Daring Bakers - and I am learning so many new things each month (this month kicked ass, kids!) but I don't have the patience. As some of you know, a couple of my challenge posts might give off the impression that I get a lil "stressed" while baking. Baking is precise. Cooking is not.. if I screw something up while cooking, 9 out of 10 times I can fix it.. if I screw something up in baking - I throw it out and try again. Gah. But don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it.. but ask me to make you a crepe cake or spaghetti and you'll be getting spaghetti for dessert. :P 2. Likes and dislikes about blogging please? The number one thing I like LOVE about blogging is the people I've met. Granted, most of these people I'll never meet in person, and I'm okay with that because we all have to be realistic at least once in our lives, eh? As long as we can chat through e-mail, comments or on the phone, I can live without physically being there, as much as I'd like to be. The thing I dislike is, cyber hugs are really nice.. but I do wish I could give each and every one of you a real hug. =) Secondly I like LOVE the recipes and the creativeness of my fellow foodie bloggers. You people BLOW ME AWAY! You inspire me to experiment more in my kitchen, you give me more confidence in my kitchen and you make me want to be a better cook. As for my favorite non-foodie bloggers.. you just bring me joy, laughter, tears and you make me think about things I wouldn't normally think about. What I dislike about this is, well nothing really - other than my growing list of recipes I "MUST MAKE" - Dear Sweet Jebus, there is no fakkin way I'll get through that list in my lifetime. And finally (although I could go on forever I'm sure) what I like LOVE about blogging is expressing myself and having an outlet that allows me to write (I do it badly but I love to write). Journal keeping is nice and I've done it all my life - but it's not as much fun making myself laugh as it is making you laugh. Which is what I hope I'm doing.. at least once in a while. ;) On the flip side, I don't like so much that I can't be completely open. I try to keep my family, friends and work out of my blog as much as possible. Which actually, is probably a good thing after all - or this blog would turn into the biggest ranting and raving blog you've ever read (don't EVEN get me started about work) and not so much about food anymore. hehee 3. Who would be your ideal dinner guest? And your dream guest? I guess my ideal dinner guest would be someone who really appreciated what I cooked for them. Not just a "that was great" and a burp at the end of it all, but someone who really let me know they appreciated the time and effort I put into it. Oh yeah and of course, they'd jump right up after praising me and wash my dishes. haha! No, not really.. ? My dream guest.. hmm.. this one is a toughie. I first thought about saying one of the many chefs or foodie bloggers that have inspired and taught me the most.. you know, so I can show them what they've done for me by making them a fabulous meal and a perfectly decorated and delicious cake (this is a dream guest, remember!). But, and don't look now but she got all mooshey on us - my dream guest would be my dad. I never got to cook for him. Sure I made his dinners when he was sick, but he wouldn't eat much more than a plate of garlic & oil spaghetti (up until the day he died, kids! How's that for a dedicated Dago? Garlic to the end!), salads & a sandwich now and again. I never got to make him my lasagna, my version of his linguine & clam sauce, hell any of my versions of his recipes. The sauce! Holy shit, I know he'd pinch himself if he knew I made the sauce now. Yeah.. my dad would definitely be my dream guest - I'd make him a little of everything and I'd tell him how much I love him and I'd thank him for teaching me so much. 4. When you were a little girl, what did you dream of? hahaha! I didn't dream of cooking, that's for sure!! I wanted nothing to do with cooking when I was younger (pre-teen). Do you know what I thought about? Sharks. Yep.. sharks, rays and skates. I was totally fascinated by them and I read anything and everything I could get my hands on regarding them. I wanted to be an Ichthyologist when I grew up! It was cool, when I was in the 4th grade my teacher noticed what I was reading and she brought me in lots of books on the subject. Eugenie Clark was my idol. I especially loved her books describing what it was like to fall in love with a shark she'd seen at an aquarium and growing up to become an Ichthyologist. But alas, there aren't too many oceans in Ohio.. and then the thought of squeezing my thighs into a wet suit wasn't as appealing anymore.. so yeah, I kinda grew out of fantasizing about swimming with sharks. Boys also had a good deal in helping with that. Bad boys! Bad! :P 5. And I have asked this before to other interviewees but I just love to hear how people met their partners so where and how did you meet your husband? Well this one isn't much of a story really. We work together. So I met him at my place of employment almost 11 years ago. He was married at the time. And for the first couple years we were the "Hi. Bye. How was your weekend?" kind of friends. I'd say it was my 2nd year there when we found out he and his wife were divorcing. Maybe 8 months or so after that, one of the guys asked me if I'd like to join all of them in taking him out to cheer him up. I agreed, and that night he and I ended up sitting at a table together just BS'ing and we realized we had lots in common - which is kinda weird as he's quite a bit older than I am. So after that night, we started to become better friends.. he'd take me fishing on the occasional weekend. Nothing too shocking, just hanging out once in a while. But as the months passed, we spent more and more time together and I'd say about a year later we decided to take it to another level and here we are today. We've been together now for 7 years. =) So that's it! My interview is over and I had fun! Thanks Ilva! Now comes the part where I tell you how you can carry on this interview thing, if you'd like. DIRECTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW MEME 1. Leave a comment saying, "Interview me." 2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. Beware, I'm not shy of asking personal questions! Please make sure I have your email address. 3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions. 4. You will include this explanation and offer to interview someone else in the same post. 5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. That's pretty much how Ilva wrote the instructions and I liked the part about not being shy of asking personal questions so I kept it. :D 'kay kids.. let me know that you want to be interviewed and I promise to get your questions to you as soon as I can! =) xoxo

I Made Him Think? Huh.

I've been given an award. How the hell do you like that? And it's one of the nicest awards to be given.. I'm quite flattered and more than a lil shocked! heee! This award.. it's a "thinking" award.. It means someone has been readin' this lil blog o'mine and it's made him think! Well terrific! I think that's great! Not that he needs to think about my blog filler so much, as he has no problems coming up with his own fabulous food creations just fine on his own! But Thank! You! Jerry! for such a nice surprise =)) Okay well, a small task comes with receiving this award and that is, I need to list five other bloggers who make me think! Well the only thing I think about that is, it SUCKS! Just five?? Holy cow, that hurts my brain. After much debate and over a week of going through my VERY LONG list, I have decided on 5 other bloggers to give this award to. And by decide, I mean I made a list on notebook paper, taped it to a wall and flung little glue tabs at it. Whatever blog they landed on is the lucky recipient of this very sweet award AND now has the job of trying to figure out five of their favorite bloggers to pass it on to next. MUAHAHA! Okay here is my list, in the order upon which my lil glue flingy was flung: Ilva of Lucullian Delights - When I first started reading her blog well over a year ago, the food she wrote about was foreign to me. This is not how most people I know eat. But the more I read, the more I realized.. why the hell aren't we eating this kind of food?? It looks delicious, it sounds delicious and it's healthy food! It's not drowning in marinara sauce! There are not 3 inches of cheese on top! Just healthy grains, vegetables and fruits! I aspire to cook like Ilva one day, it's hard to break my butter / mayo / sour cream addictions but by learning more and more how she cooks, makes it all that much easier for me to start incorporating her ways into my own cooking. Ohh... and, by chance, have you noticed her photography?? *swoon* Callipygia of FOODchair - If you've read her blog, then you can skip this explanation of why she makes me think. You already know. Callipygia's writing sucks you in and won't let you go even after you've read the last word. Her descriptions are so vivid that if you were to close your eyes, you'd clearly see what she's talking about. She has a great sense of humor as well and I am always guaranteed a chuckle at some point through her post. She'll write about a particular food that I either am not familiar with or would normally turn my nose up at. But after she's told me about her experience with it, not only do I want to try it - but I want to try it RIGHT NOW. Take, for instance, yummy cheese balls... and I do mean yummy... Kirsten of Kirsten's Home Cooking Adventures - Now this gal just makes me think about how I can incorporate her mouthwatering foods into my repertoire! I love the way she cooks and have asked her REPEATEDLY if she'd just ADOPT me (I might have even asked her to marry me).. but I've seen no papers come across my desk yet. *sigh* So what's so great about her blog? It's the simple fact that she somehow knows exactly what I've been craving and then goes and makes it - to taunt me with! I don't think I've come across one entry of her's that did not make me say to myself, "I am SO going to make that!" Laura Rebecca of Laura Rebecca's Kitchen - Laura's is one of the first blogs I had ever read and she's one of the first friends I'd ever "met". Her blog is about real food being eaten by a real family with all their different likes and dislikes. About how a very busy mom, wife and teacher still has time to cook fabulous dinners and treats for her family. But, aside from how she makes me drool and uhh, react when I read her posts or try her recipes, I know I can count on her to let me know when something important is happening in the food world. Her accounts about organic farming, the e coli outbreak, mad cow disease, how the big wig bastards are trying to f*ck with our chocolate, net neutrality and this atrocity get me thinking about things that I normally like to pretend just aren't there. I'm grateful that she's not afraid to let her readers know her opinions and how she provides even more information to whichever it is she's writing about. And last but certainly not least - Sara of i like to cook - Sara likes to try new things. She doesn't seem to be scared of what the outcome could possibly be, she's more into it to see if she can discover something new. I've never gotten the impression that Sara's recipes come from a list of tried and true's, yanno? I know some are, but mostly she's willing to go beyond what might be normal fare (rice burgers! Yum!) for herself and her husband. Therefore, when she tries something new, regardless if I'm brave and try it myself or not, she makes me think outside my normal comfort zone. Most recently, the subject of tofu came up. Seriously kids, there is just no way, up until the point of reading her posts, that I would even entertain the thought of eating tofu. I'm sorry it just squicks me out. But she taught me to think differently about the stuff - to use it in recipes where you really don't know it's there, that it's so much better for your body than the stuff I've been shoveling in. I want to get healthy and she's given me one option. Okay gals.. here's what you are suppose to do: If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think, Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme, Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote. So there you have it kids.. five of the many blogs that make me think on a daily basis. Thank you again, Jerry! xoxo

What are my goals - in meme form!

I've discovered another fantastic blog to which I am addicted to. Kellementology is written by Kellypea who has a terrific sense of humor and a great way of writing that pretty much leaves me wanting more after reading her posts. Thank God she left a nice comment on this lil blog a couple weeks ago, or I probably would never have discovered her. Thanks, Kelly! Well one day I got an e-mail from her, she was letting me know that she had tagged me for a meme. I IMMEDIATELY got soooooooo excited, as I love those meme things with a burning passion! They are usually in list form, and being the Queen of Dorkdom, I am all about the list. So I opened up my browser, clicked on my favorites and took a look at her blog. The post was titled Setting Goals: Tag, You're It. The title alone should have been my first clue that this wasn't your everyday meme and soon after sinking into her post, I realized that this meme was not going to be easy to write about. This meme is asking you what your top goals are to achieve your wildest dreams.. ohh lordie.. some of my wildest dreams really can't be shared on a foodie blog - even the ones that include Gordon and Tyler! Hell, especially the ones including Gordon and Tyler. *dreamy sigh* Is it getting warm in here? Moving along! After removing my mind from that luscious, luscious gutter, I realized those weren't the wildest dreams Kelly was referring to. No, what she was asking me was to share with you those goals that I want to achieve to really maximize the enjoyment and fulfillment of my life. As flattered as I was that she picked me to tag, I was also more than a bit squeamish to actually follow through with this post. You see, this meme forces you to take a look at your life - where you are at now, where you've been and where you want to go. I am not a big goal setter.. quite possibly because I've never really learned how to set a goal - a realistic one anyway. I'm more of the mind-set that you just have to deal with what life throws at you moreso than the mind-set of life needs to deal with what you throw at it. Yanno? I'm also a creature of habit.. and although I can't speak for anyone else, I know that in my case a creature of habit doesn't set goals because that would mean leaving your comfort zone behind - and often. Sure I enjoy a challenge - as long as that challenge stays within the perimeters of my comfort zone. Kinda pathetic, isn't it? Well after much thought, I decided to go ahead and try to write this post.. to try to venture out past my comfort zone of writing about the foods I make and the dork that I am. And the reason for that is, eventually this blog - if I intend to stay with this - is going to have to change.. I'm hoping for the better - we'll see. ;) What I came to realize is that many goals are definitely not for me. If I am to be true to myself AT LEAST ONCE in my life, there is really only one goal that needs to be set and met- and then after that, the biggest hurdle of my life, has been accomplished then any other goal would be a cake walk. I need to get healthy. It's that simple, yet so complicated. I need to lose a boatload of weight. I need to get my sugar under control. I need to quit smoking. I need to start taking care of myself in ways I've never bothered with in all of my close to 40 fakkin years. I need to retrain myself, I guess. Not an easy task. Especially for a creature of habit. So far, I've been more than lucky that my sugar hasn't caused many problems. But I know if I continue to half-ass it, one day I'm going to start having problems with my feet or my eyes or God forbid my kidneys. My father had diabetes and took 2 insulin shots a day for 10 years. He lost a boatload of weight and was taken off the insulin, as if he'd never had the disease. Unfortunately, who knew how long he had it before he was finally diagnosed (and that was a fluke!) because ultimately, it was complications of diabetes that started his kidneys to fail. He was on dialysis for the last 3 years of his life. I don't want to go through that. And so, I firmly believe in my heart of hearts, if I can get my weight and all around health under control, any other hurdle in my life will not be any where near as difficult or scary. I will gain self confidence and the true worth of accomplishing something difficult. So that's it - that's my goal to make my life worth living. Wish me luck. ;) You're not getting off that easily, kids.. I'm tagging: Morven Julie and Jerry xoxo Nahh.. there's no way I can be THAT serious on this lil blog o'mine! Kelly did another meme that looked fun to do, and although she didn't tag me for that one, I'm stealing it because I haven't seen this one yet. hee! Three Things Three things that scare me 1- Heights and falling from them. 2- Bugs!!! 3- Something bad happening to one of my fur babies Three people who make me laugh 1- Denis Leary 2- Lewis Black 3- Mike Rowe (and drool) Three things I love 1- My dogs 2- The wee hours of the morning before anyone else is awake 3- 80's rock Three things I hate 1- My dead-end, boring, life sucking job 2- Braggarts 3- Having to pee when there is no bathroom close by Three things I don’t understand 1- George Dubya 2- Why we are "helping" a country that hates us 3- What the fuck is up with America and the voting on AI this season?? Three things on my desk 1- Pictures of the dogs & assorted dorky friends 2- Shite loads of DVD movies 3- A coffee mug Three things I want to do before I die 1- Visit and/or move to Italy 2- Visit Ireland 3- Go on a no-limit shopping spree that someone else pays for Three things I can do 1- Take care of my family 2- Make my friends laugh 3- Bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan Three things I can’t do 1- Perform brain surgery 2- Flip crepes (Gah) 3- Shoot lightning bolts from my finger tips Three things I think you should listen to 1- Your heart 2- A hellacious thunder storm 3- The sounds of silence Three things you should never listen to 1- Sanjaya Malakar 2- Someone belittling you 3- Any unsolicited advice I might throw your way Three things I’d like to learn (but won’t) 1- Forensic science 2- How to do that Riverdance dancing.. what's it called? 3- Curling Three shows I watched as a kid 1- The Brady Bunch!! WOOO!! Go Brady's!! 2- Gilligan's Island 3- Looney Tunes (actually, I still watch all these shows) And YES I am going to tag a few more people... Laurie Gattina Helene xoxo

Foodbloggers Welcome Dinner Meme

*UPDATED BELOW* My apologies to my lovely Ellie for taking so long to write up this delightful meme created by the equally lovely Angelika of The Flying Apple. This is such a charming idea to bring food bloggers together for a virtual celebration. The premise of this meme is to describe how you would entertain your food blogging friends if they could join you in your home for a lovely evening of good food, drinks, conversation and laughter. And to me, there is no specific occasion that wouldn't be a smashing success if these four requirements are met. I don't throw formal parties. When you visit our home you are a "guest" for the first 10 minutes and then after that you are part of the family. Did you need an extra spoon or fork? They are located in the drawer next to the sink, help yourself! Prefer a different type of glass for your drink? Absolutely! You can find them in the cupboard above the utensil drawer! Need something from the fridge? Be my guest - feel free to rummage through it until you've found what you like, I don't mind at all - you're family! My house is your house, please relax and enjoy yourself. =) Now that we have that established and you are feeling as comfortable as being in your own home, walk out to the back yard with me. Lighted lanters will shine the way, both hanging and placed randomly throughout the yard. Two large white tents will be set up in case the weather decides to change. You'll find my large rectangular table adorned with place settings - most likely my favorite dishes, bowls and glassware. None will match exactly as I love mixing patterns with similar earth toned colors. On each setting you'll find a little something made especially for you to take home. Be it a homemade candle, a small bag of fruits and nuts or the latest chocolate or candy I have fallen in love with. Candles will be twinkling and greens will swirl between the centerpieces. If there's one thing you'll learn about me upon entering my house, is my love of plants and all that is fresh and green. Depending on my mood for the evening you'll hear soft classical or jazz or even some rockin' 80's music wafting through the open windows of my house. On our deck will be two long tables where the appetizers, and later, desserts will be laid buffet style. On the first will be platters of nibblers such as my cheesy sausage snackers, slices of garden fresh cucumber with a dollop of my favorite crab salad on top, different dips with accompanying crackers, toasts and veggies, my favorite cracked crystal bowl filled to the top with my tapenade, a large bowl of fresh seasonal fruit marinating in a citrus/honey sauce, prosciutto wrapped melon and figs stuffed with creamy mascarpone and finally, a platter of antipasti laden with hams, salami, cheeses, olives and grapes. Dig in!! Feel free to walk around and mingle! We've always got the bocci area in the back of the yard, and there are ALWAYS tables set up in the "gaming tent" with decks of cards, dice and other games. This is where you will find me once all of my guests have arrived. There is nothing I enjoy more than the laughter and giggles heard around our game tables. Once I've seen that everyone has picked on the appetizers and has had a few drinks of their choice (you'll also always find a stocked bar and buckets full of ice cold beer, sodas and water) I'll sneak off, most likely snagging a couple of you with me, to my kitchen to make last minutes touches to our dinner. Soon there will be heaping platters and bowls placed down the middle of the dining table. And ohhh the food that will appear! From my years of entertaining in combination with my years working in our family's restuarant, you will wonder what army will joining us. Along with a glazed ham, standing rib roast crusted in garlic and herbs, and either deep fried or roasted chicken you'll find a large salad simply dressed in olive oil and balsamic, bowls of both yukon and sweet smashed potatoes, there will be corn on the cob, steamed cauliflower perfumed with garlic and thyme. A large plate of home made cheese ravioli swimming in our marinara, carmelized brussel sprouts and candied carrot coins. Another platter will be filled with creamy mushroom and zucchini risotto. And don't be surprised if you find yet another heaping bowl filled with macaroni and cheese - made with a combination of creamy fontina, gruyere and parmigiano. Placed in wicker baskets the length of the table will be fresh warm Italian bread and rolls with small bowls of my favorite Amish made butter. Platters and bowls will be passed and plates will be filled. Conversation will lighten as tummies and tastebuds are being satisfied. Welcome to my "country-fied" Italian table. =) When everyone has been sated, Hubbs will refresh your drink and we can either sit or move back to the gaming tent to enjoy each other's company. I'll set the desserts I've prepared on the second table on the deck - if you've got the room, you'll find a carmelized brown sugar cheesecake, my favorite apple crisp, fresh berry and custard parfaits, warm and gooey outrageous triple chocolate chip cookies and a platter of cheeses and fresh fruit. Dive in at your own risk. ;) Just can't pass another morsel through your lips tonight? That's fine, I'll have set plastic containers and tops at the end of the table - take your dessert to go and enjoy it once your tummy has settled (you know, in the middle of the night when you wake up and are dying for a big glass of milk and something sweet?). Throughout the rest of the evening, the drinks will flow and the music might get a little louder.. we'll dance and laugh and feel happy to be with each other. And hopefully if I've done everything right, when you have decided it's time to go home you'll leave with the desire to come back as soon and as often as possible - as that's the way I'd prefer it. Come visit me often, please, there is nothing I would like better. =) I forgot to tag a few of my favorite people! So if you'd like to participate, I'd love to tag: Callipygia of FOODChair Laura Rebecca of Laura Rebecca's Kitchen and Meeta of What's for Lunch Honey?

I've been tagged for a Meme!

Squeeee! I've been tagged for a Meme by the incredibly sweet Meeta!! Yes, this excites me.. I love these things, and I don't know why! Probably because they usually come in list form? I loves me my lists! :D Thank you for thinking of me, Meeta sweetie :D I am thinking about: How I should be making dinner but I can't because I'm so excited to be filling this out. teeee! I said: "Dude! You suck!" apparently quite often at work. I want to: Save enough money (or win the lottery, that would work as well) to visit Italy before I hit 45. (that only gives me 6 years people!!) I wish: That there would be no snow or ice this winter in Cleveland. I regret: Leaving the restaurant business. I hear: 80's rock playing on the radio - go hair bands! go! :P I am: A major dork. I dance: Only after I've drank 1/2 a bottle of whiskey. I sing: Loudly and completely out of tune! It makes Nigel nervous. I cry: When I'm extremely angry. I hate that I do that. I am not: Going to stay at this dead-end job forever. I am not! I am not! I am not! I am: Going to the IX Center in November to meet Paula Deen, ya'll! I'm going to bring a pound of butter and have her sign it. ;) I write: On my blog and in my journal. I confuse: Hubbs. Often. I need: To find a vacuum that will keep up with Chloe's shedding. Seriously. And don't believe that jerkwad, Dyson. His vacuum cost us more than 3 of my car payments and it gets clogged with hair alla time. And don't even get me started on how I've yet to see it do my laundry or paint my house, because believe you me.. for that kinda money I should have gotten something for the screwing I took. :P Did that come off as bitter? I tag: 'kay you are only suppose to tag 3 but I'm cheating with 4! - Ellie, peabody, Kevin (it'll give ya something to post while you are waiting on the spinach green light) and Morven. And anyone else who would like to participate!

The Foodblogger's Guide to the Globe

Melissa of The Traveler's Lunchbox has come up with a terrific idea of asking food bloggers from around the world what are the top five foods that you would recommend to anyone to try before you die. I love this idea and after seeing a few other blogs joining in I knew I had to participate as well. It's very interesting to see what everyone's top five list is.. some list items will excite you and make you drool in anticipation of trying the dish. Other list items will fascinate you and kind of gross you out at the same time, hehehee! Regardless of your reaction to someone's list of top five's.. the one thing you'll take away from Melissa's Global survey is a new appreciation for the foods that people eat and enjoy from all over the world! And without further ado.. my list of top five foods that I sincerely hope you try (if you haven't already) before you die! 1: Raw Oysters - Look beyond the slightly slimey appearance and texture. The taste of a fresh raw oyster is beyond mind blowing. There is nothing better than a fresh oyster with a dab of a spicey cocktail sauce and a saltine cracker. My absolute number one favorite food of all time. Not only because of the taste but it was the one food love that my father and I shared alone. 2: Funnnel Cake - They scream summer fun to me. I can not wait for the bevy of festivals that pop up in my local area during the summmer. The first kiosk we head to are where the Funnel Cakes are made. (It's also the last kiosk we hit - you just have to take one to go, yes?) When you receive a well made, not too doughy with the right crispiness and a thick layer of powdered sugar on top, all your worries and stress seem to drain. 3: Fried Zucchini - Fresh from the garden zucchini sliced thin and lightly coated with flour, salt & pepper then fried golden brown. Eaten the very instant they cool off enough to pop them in your mouth. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Yum! 4: Lobster tail from Silvestro's Depot Restaurant in Painesville, Ohio - Never in my life have I had a more tender, flavorful lobster tail. I'm not sure exactly where they get their tails from, but the preparation of them is always excellent. Now let's talk size, okay? You will never get a lobster tail that doesn't weight at least 1 full pound. At Least. And we're just talking the tail here, people! Holy crustaceans! 5: Chicken Dinner, Family Style, from the Bavarian Inn at Frankenmuth, Michigan - Come hungry, that's all I've got to say. Not only is their fried chicken excellent, but you are served a multi-course meal, family style. I'm talking different breads and rolls with just as many different jams, jellies and even an out of this world goose liver pate along with different salads and appetizers. Followed by the main course of freshly fried chicken, smashed potatoes, corn on the cob and all the rest of the fixin's. Room for dessert? Not usually, but that doesn't stop them from bringing several different delectables right to your table to pick at and wonder which fork/spoonful will, seriously, cause you to explode. It was hard picking just 5 and I've probably forgotten a few.. but dems the rules! ;) Check out everyone else's lists at The Traveler's Lunchbox and see what the world is recommending!

Confessions in Groups of 5

I'm so excited.. my very first meme! And not only tagged by the beautiful and talented Ilva of Lucullian Delights but also tagged by the equally beautiful and talented Ellie of Kitchen Wench! Awww, thanks for thinking of me gals! =) 5 items in the freezer Butter - I always have frozen butter on hand. MY GOD. Non-dairy creamer - If I were to wake up one day and not have cream for my coffee I'd probably hurl myself out a window. 'kay not really, but you see how important it is, yes? Ice cream - What self respecting icecreamaholic would not have AT LEAST 2 pints of Haagen Dazs' Mayan Chocolate in their freezer?? Herbs - A lot of times I will have an over abundance of herbs, instead of letting them go bad in my veggie bin of the fridge, I package them loosely in freezer bags or submerge them in water in my ice cube trays and freeze 'em. Meat - Oh you'll find beef, pork, poultry, fish, seafood.. yeah, it's a fully stocked frozen meats department conveniently located in my 3 (three!) freezers :D 5 items in my closet Clothes - What'd ya think I was gonna say, "Sausage"? Shoes - I'm slowly becoming a shoes hound. Bed linens - My linen closet is too full with bath & misc. stuff :P Dust Bunnies - One day I'll get around to cleaning those outta there.. or at least, naming them. Birthday presents - Shhhhhhh!! It's my secret hiding place! 5 items in my car CDs - Gotsta have me my music! Kleenex Umbrella - I insist on moving it from each old car to new car that I own, because you just never know when the day might come that I'll remember I have a flippin' umbrella and actually USE IT. Assorted ice scrapers - Let's not forget I come from the land of blizzards. Spare change - I've always got at least $5.00 in coins throughout my vehicle. 5 items in my purse Wallet Pens Nail polish Perfume Lighters - One day I had no flame to light my cig ITWILLNEVERHAPPENAGAIN Tag 5 people Ali of Something So Clever Laura Rebecca of Laura Rebecca's Kitchen Kevin of ACME Instant Food Ed of Is it EDible? and Emily of Biscuits and Blues