Sunday, October 31, 2010

Lovin' the Foodie Community

In the past 10 months of blogging I have had the opportunity to "meet" some amazing people.

I got an email recently from someone who was inspired by my blog to start her own (holy crap that's awesome!) and it got me thinking.

It is no secret that food brings people together- whether it's for the holidays, a celebration or simply having friends over for dinner- people love food. And there's a reason why everyone finds themselves standing around in the kitchen: it's the heart of the home.

The food blog community is like a huge virtual kitchen that allows people to come together over fabulous dishes and delectable desserts, discuss kitchen fails and revel in culinary success, share stories and offer support during difficult times. It is one of the most amazing things I've ever been a part of. I consider myself lucky to be a part of the foodie community where inspiration is just a click away and a passion for food can be shared among friends.

Just as friends in the 'real world' like play games, virtual friends do too. This past week I was "tagged" by two of my foodie friends in a large game of Foodie Tag, leaving me with 16 questions to answer about myself...having just gotten back from traveling for work though and lots more to do around the house, I'm going to cheat a little and combine lists, picking out my faves.

Some of these questions are from Jason at Ancient Fire Wine.. Jason and his wife have their own brand of wine that seem to be winning contests all over New England and I'm hoping one day I'll be lucky enough to receive a bottle in the mail -fingers crossed.

The other questions come from Lindsey at Gingerbread Bagels...talk about delicious sweets. She gives me a run for my money :)

1. Desert Island dish. What dish will you take to survive?
Peanut butter and banana sandwiches- so simple, kinda healthy? and delicious.

2. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I studied abroad in England during college.. of all the places I've traveled I could live in London forever.

3. Who is the best person to have in the kitchen with you and why?
Mountain Man is a wonder in the kitchen. I love watching him a work- he's very passionate about cooking and a we make a good team :)

4. What's the best thing about having a food blog?
I think my intro summed it up.. the people, the support, the inspiration, and getting to be creative.

5. What is your biggest food blog challenge and how are you working to overcome it?
Photography is something I'm having to learn as I go.. I've got the books and a new camera so now its just adventures and lots of trial and error!

6. What food blogger would you like to meet? And why?
Joy the Baker hands down...she inspired me to start my own blog and she never ceases to amaze me with all her delicious food and witty sense of humor!

7. What item do you consider a must have in the kitchen?
My kitchen aid mixer is my right hand man in the kitchen.. without it I would be lost and my forearms would be really sore.


8. Have you ever traveled long distance just to go eat?
We've been known to drive at least an hour or so for good food.. when it's good its good!

To keep the tag going I'm sending along a few questions to some of my faves- there are so many that have already been tagged and I so many I want to tag!

Tag your it!

Marisa at Cook's Book
Jessie at The Messie Kitchen
Evan at The Wannabe Chef
Victoria at Mission: Food
Sarah at Baking Serendipity
Sara at CaffeIna

Questions:
1. What made you start your blog?
2. What is your dream job and does it involve food?
3. When did you first start cooking/baking and what made you start?
4. What is the best thing you have ever eaten?
5. If you could only keep one in your life and completely remove the other: cheese or chocolate?
6. How many hours do you spend each day looking at food?
7. One dessert you can't live without?
8. What food blogger would you like to meet? (Let's keep this one going, why not! ha)

I also want to let everyone know about Nancy's new recipe round up at Spicie Foodie : Your Best Recipes. Nancy is going to be hosting a monthly recipe roundup of your favorites and it's super easy to join! So be on the lookout for one of these lovely badges and join the fun next month!


And I also wanted to say thanks to Gina over at What's for Dinner Across State Lines for giving me this award..it means so much to me to get recognition like this especially from someone whose own sweets are always delicious looking!

She also left me a list of questions to answer, so I included a couple in the list above because I need to get back to making this house look like a home, but I wanted to make sure I thanked Gina because she is an amazing blogger.


Phew! That was a long and wordy post, but I had to make sure I got to everything I had been missing while I was traveling last week. I promise I'll have some good looking treats for you this week!

Happy Baking!!