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WordPress Cooking Challenge and My Third Liebster Award!

A blogger friend of mine, Healthy in all Hues, recently started a brilliant challenge: to pick 5-7 recipes from various bloggers and make their dish! It’s a great way to showcase our fellow foodies and those who take the time to share their love from the kitchen. (And ensure I get to taste some of the great food I’ve been reading about!) I think it’s such a good idea that I may start making it a monthly feature on my blog! (At least one dish!)

The concept of this challenge is simple: Pick seven dishes (actually limiting it to seven was difficult); Notify them that you are making their dish and challenge them to participate; Share an original link back to their site; Then do a brief write up on their dish including taste, difficulty following instructions, and your experience at large. (Keeping in mind that this is a positive thing, encouraging and appreciating fellow bloggers!)

The dishes I am selecting are (in no particular order, because I am not that organized):

  1. Cottage Cheese Oatmeal Pancake from The Richmond Avenue
  2. Chicken Divan by Lynz Real Cooking
  3. Natascha’s Palace‘s Easy Honey Cake
  4. Quick and Easy Curry from What’s Bec Cooking
  5. Life Bellissima‘s Triple Chocolate Cookies
  6. Chocolate Mousse by Sweetima
  7. Simple Jammy Muffins from Paintbox Mum
  8. Quirky and Wonderful‘s Broccoli Potato Casserole

I had to pick eight because these are all things I’ve wanted to make lately. And I’ve already learned something about myself! (Besides I can’t follow instructions.) For as much as I want to challenge myself (and fully intend to), I gravitate toward meals and food that I think will be not overly difficult,  family friendly, and those which I will most likely have ingredients on hand. (Of course big time producers such as Food Network and Pioneer Woman have been capitalizing on this for a long time. It should come at no surprise that I fit the mold, but I still found it interesting- to myself.) I am giving myself 2 weeks to complete the challenge… I’m so excited to try your food!

wpid-liebsterblogaward

Secondly, I would like to thank Swatti of Light at the End of the Tunnel for my third Liebster nomination! I am so appreciative and grateful for your recognition. Your blog allows me to explore a different culture and customs with still a similar perspective, as a woman who appreciates my mother and my best friend (aka my husband). Thank you!

The “Swatiilicious Questionnaire:”

How reading can enhance?
Growing up I loved that reading could allow you to imagine the way a character or setting should look. I like the way stories allow you to transcend places and time. I have very little time for leisure reading now; most of my reading (aside from the Bible) is instructional… And I prefer pictures! For example, I want to know what my food is supposed to look like.

The importance of writing?
On a basic level I believe writing is important for educational purposes. At this point in my life I use writing as an personal outlet, self expression and all that jazz.

Love has varied definitions. Why?
Without trying to get too deep: I think love has as many meanings as there are people in the world. It is different things to different people based on their own experiences- and still universally relatable; such as a commitment to your spouse, caring for children, helping your neighbor, etc.

How do see yourself as a blogger?
I wish I was really creative and I saw myself more as an artist sharing my unique perspective… But in reality I just very literally share my day to day.

Any blogs you would like to recommend?
I find out about new blogs on a daily basis that I think the world should know about! I just heard about foodbabe.com, a blogger making a difference in the food industry that I think is amazing.

Beautiful Blogger Award

I am honored to be the recipient of another blogging award! The Beautiful Blogger Award highlights bloggers with beautiful creativity. Thank you stephysweetbakes of Louisiana, you have been very supportive of my blog and this is my third award nomination from you! You have an extensive recipe list, an endless amount of baking creativity, and a beautiful blog!

THE RULES:
Link the blogger who nominated you.
List seven random things about yourself.
Nominate seven creative, beautiful bloggers.
Notify the people that you nominate.

Thank you Stephy of stephysweetbakes for this nomination!

Ok, seven random things about me:

  1. In high school I thought I would have eight children. ?
  2. I like black vehicles. Whenever I am car shopping, no matter what the make or model, I always gravitate toward black paint.
  3. I give myself mental quizzes regularly, like naming capital cities for the states or the Greek alphabet or the periodic table…
  4. I had a “breathtaking” experience. We were driving north along Highway 1 in California (somewhere between Monterey and San Francisco); on my right were vast mountains, on my left was ocean as far as I could see. And it literally took my breath away, I gasped for air. And after I caught my breath I thought, “that’s why they have those sayings.”
  5. I plug my nose when I jump into water. It’s embarrassing.
  6. When I was a little girl I didn’t like strawberries. I remember thinking to myself (for whatever reason) “I want to be the kind of girl who eats strawberries.” I don’t know, maybe I thought it seemed healthy? Maybe it was the influence of the cartoon Strawberry Shortcake? The thought makes me laugh now. But I did, I made myself eat them.
  7. I’ve kissed the Blarney Stone. (But I already had the gift of gab)

Now for my nominees:

  1. My French Heaven, a girl can dream…
  2. Bright, Shiny Objects, I enjoy the way you write
  3. Serena Glow- Health, Vitality and Food, I appreciate your natural methods of beauty inside and out
  4. Rachel Schultz, what do I need to say
  5. What’s Bec Cooking, my kindred cook ?
  6. The Richmond Avenue, I’m a fan
  7. Once Upon A Chef, you make perfection seem attainable

Thanks again Stephy!

Liebster Award

Thank you very much Bec of What’s Bec Cooking for nominating me for the Liebster Award! Bec currently lives in Australia, the land down under. She has an amazing blog and can cook anything from homemade bread and chicken curry to boutique-worthy cupcakes and chocolate mousse.
The Liebster Award is an award of recognition and appreciation given to bloggers from bloggers. It’s passed to encourage connection and support within the blogging community and to aid in the discovery of new and upcoming bloggers. I am very appreciative!

Rules:
1 Thank the blogger who nominated you with a link back to his/her blog.
2 Answer the questions asked by the nominator.
3 Nominate 5 – 11 bloggers with fewer than 500 followers.
4 Answer the questions from the blogger who nominated you.
5 Create 11 questions for your nominees.

My questions from Bec are:
1 What’s been your proudest moment in life?
•Probably holding each of my babies after delivery. There is nothing like it; the moment you’ve been waiting for arrived, the pain behind, and baby in arms. My last baby weighed 12 lbs 2 oz!
2 What would be your dream job?
•This changes daily. Today I’d like to be a coffee roaster.
3 What’s your worst cooking disaster in the kitchen?
•Where do I start? Sometimes experimenting becomes a disaster. I can only remember one time when it was too bad to eat… but I can’t remember what it was!
4 What do you love about blogging?
•The illusion of having a professional career.
5 What do you dislike about blogging?
•Sometimes my real job (being mom) keeps me from being as creative as I’d like to be.
6 What could you not live without?
•A personal relationship with my savior.
7 If you were a superhero, what would be your super power? 🙂
•Without question, I would fly.
8 What’s your fondest childhood memory?
•I’ve had a great life and picturesque childhood full of perfect holidays, birthdays, and week days; I can’t pick one. Thank you mom and dad!
9 What’s your favourite food?
•Food.
10 What’s your favourite recipe?
•Sorry to say, it is at a chain restaurant; I love the Spicy Cashew Chicken at the Cheesecake Factory, every time.
11 Who’s your hero?
•Hmmm, let’s have some fun… I love Captain America’s sense of duty and commitment to his moral standards. But I recently saw Antman and he was surprisingly likable.

Thank you Bec! I love your blog and thank you for your support of mine.

My nominees are:
Old Orchard Chronicles, I love your transparency
Smiling Notes, thank you for your regular encouragement
Indfused, your creativity is inspiring
Old Country Girl, everything you make looks delicious
Low Carb Simple, I appreciate your niche

My questions for my nominees are:
Would you prefer a night at the opera or at a ball game?
Who is your biggest social media influence?
What would be your perfect evening?
What is your favorite season and why?
You just were awarded dinner for two at a 5 star restaurant, who do you bring?
Are you a big breakfast person?
Where was your last vacation?
If you could have any one talent what would it be?
What is your favorite holiday?
What is the best dessert you ever ate?
It’s your birthday and you can celebrate anywhere in the world, where are you going?

The Creative Blogger Award

I am so honored to be the recipient of two awards! I love the idea of bloggers supporting bloggers. As a busy mom my time to read is limited. When I do get the time, I am astounded at the amount of talent out there. These awards shed light on individuals I may have never found otherwise.

There are always going to be more talented people than me; people who captivate readers with a single sentence, and take on meaningful subjects I don’t want to touch. There are those whose photography blow my shots of dinner out of the water! I never am going to have the life of an adventurer sharing some trek in the Congo. I don’t want to be a 5 star chef, I just want to feed my family good food. I am content in life; I am raising four beautiful children; I am a dedicated wife; I am a follower of Christ. I’m not trying to be something I’m not, and sharing that with you has been unexpectedly fulfilling.

Thank you stephysweetbakes for appreciating what I do. Your creativity is astounding, I aspire to make my pies look like yours!

Rules of the Award

1.  Nominate 15-20 blogs and notify the nominees.
2.  Post the link of the blog that nominated you.
3.  Share five random facts about yourself.

My Five Random Facts:

1. I prefer my deodorant and baking powder aluminum free

2. I have no business having a hobby that requires knowledge of social media

3. I don’t have a natural love of fish or seafood, I coerce myself

4. I love thunderstorms

5. I loathe sharing french fries, I’d much rather buy you your own

My Nominees (in no particular order):

1. Emerging Adult Eats

2. Savory Stalks

3. Beauty & Living

4. The Travelling Pantry

5. Fueled By Vegetables

6. Farm Raised Cooking

7. Italian Home Kitchen Blog

8. What Mary Made Next

9. My Pinch of Yum

10. Food Fellowship & Wine

11. Take Two Tapas

12. Big Girls Small Kitchen

13. Bright, Shiny Objects