Blogging Awards Saturday

I know that it is Saturday and I rarely write or post over the weekend, but I really needed to thank and mention several people for giving me a blogging award and for tagging me.  Now, the tagging thing…I’m not so sure about…(just kidding, Chef Dennis!).

So, on to the award and what it means.  I have received the One Lovely Blog Award from both Christiane at The Mom Chef and Brian from A Thought for Food.  “The “One Lovely Blog Award” is a great way to get the word out about your favorite blogs and it is a wonderful example of how supportive the food blogger community is.”  Of course, I am always honored when another blogger gives one of these awards to me because there are so many delightful blogs you can choose to read, so I am always honored when you choose to read mine.

The “rules” for winning this award say that I should pass this on to 15 other bloggers and then they should do the same, but Christiane and Brian also said that the recipients could make a few changes, if we wanted to, so of course, I will.  I would like to mention several bloggers who I have come to know on a more personal level over the internet or IRL (that’s in real life, for those who don’t know all this lingo).  I will do it at the end of the post.

Christiane (The Mom Chef) is a young, married mother living in North Carolina.  She is working her way through countless cooking magazines and writes to tell us all about those recipes, so we don’t waste our time and money preparing bother with them if the recipe is bad.  That works for me!  She has a great sense of humor, so if you need a good chuckle, please check out her blog.

Brian (A Thought for Food) lives in my favorite city, Boston, so I am insanely jealous!  He also gets frequent trips to the Cape, can eat Lobsta and Cannolis any time he wants to…okay, I know you got it…I am jealous!  He is one of my best Twitter pals and his blog is just as the name implies… thoughtful.  I love his writing and his approachable recipes that should inspire anyone to cook and bake.  (And by the way, I will keep saying really nice things if Brian sends me Cannolis! 😉

Finally (but certainly not least!), I have been tagged by Chef Dennis at More Than A Mount Full.  When I first saw Dennis’ blog almost a year ago, I told him “You go Chef!”  I thought it was awesome that he was bringing back essentially what us slightly older folks would remember as “Home EC” (or economics)…in order words…learning to cook!

So many people and their children rely on fast foods and convenience foods…I thought it was just terrific that this guy was teaching a bunch of high school girls to cook and to use beautiful, fresh ingredients.  So, here’s to you and I have enjoyed your friendship throughout nearly one year of blogging.  (Our blogiversary is at about the same time next month!)

This tagging stuff from the Chef requires I answer these questions, so I will.

1. If you could eat anything without any health repercussions or guilt, what would your meal be?
I guess I already eat things I shouldn’t, but I try to do it in small doses (sort of…).  It might have to be Filet Mignon with Béarnaise sauce from a great Chop or Steak House, a baked potato with butter, sour cream and chives, asparagus with Hollandaise and then I would crash and burn!  No room for dessert!

2. If you could meet anyone living or dead who would it be and why?
Oh…that’s a toughie.  There a a number of people I would like to meet that are no longer with us.  I would probably like to speak with my grandmother to ask her about how they managed and cooked with some of the limited supplies that they had.

3.  Why did you start blogging and what did you expect when you started?
I started blogging because I entered the Food and Wine Best Home Cook contest and noticed that everyone had a blog.  I loved cooking and entertaining and I thought, why not, I can do that!  Of course, I followed some of the older/original blogs and enjoyed reading them.  Until I started my own, I guess I had no idea what I was really getting into!

4.  What is the one book you could read over and over again.
Any sort of historical fiction (think Henry VIII)…I love the chivalry, romance and be-headings!  I would rather see Jonathan Rhys Myers as Henry VIII on The Tudors (Showtime), but I guess I am back to reading since that show is gone. 🙁

5.  If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
The South of France and Italy along the coast.  I still say that is one of the prettiest places on Earth and I would go back in a heartbeat!

6. If you could have a TV show on the Food Network what would it be?
Now if I told you that, I would give up my big secret! 😉

7.  What was the best meal you ever had?
The halibut at The Ocean Club in Paradise Island, Bahamas.  The Executive Chef was Jean-Georges Vongerichten.  The food was incredible and the views from the bar that hangs over the ocean were just breathtaking.  It was my honeymoon, too! 🙂

8.  Who had the greatest influence on your love for food and learning to cook?
I cooked and baked quite a bit with my Aunt Helen when I was a young girl.  She taught me how to make an Angel Food cake with a whole dozen of egg whites and I just could never get over that!

So, now, to pass this all forward…I am going to name some bloggers that I have met and communicated with personally (via email or phone).  I wanted to acknowledge you and let you know that I have enjoyed getting to know you a little better.  Several of you have been very helpful with blogging advice (thank you) and a few of you I worked with on Food Blog Forum in Atlanta. Even though I have not met a few of you in person, I certainly feel as though I have.

There are so many other wonderful blogs and bloggers and this list could be incredibly long (especially with Twitter friends!).  I was very fortunate to meet many bloggers in person at Food Blog Forum in Atlanta. I look forward to getting to know some of you better. I thank each and every one of you who stops by Bunkycooks for coming to my blog and leaving comments and for your friendship.

Alisa, Bella Cucina
Alison, Ingredients, Inc.
Barb, Vino Luci Style
Cristina, From BA to Paris
Cristina, Teenie Cakes
Debra, Smith Bites
Denise, Newf in My Soup
Denise, Quickies on the Dinner Table
Devaki, Weave a Thousand Flavors
Diane, White on Rice Couple
Greg, Sippity Sup
Jaden, Steamy Kitchen
Kim, Rustic Garden Bistro
Marla, Family Fresh Cooking
Rachael, La Fuji Mama
Virginia, Virginia Willis – Culinary Productions

I am not asking anyone to pass this on or do anything with the award.  I just wanted to mention you in this post and say thank you.

Happy Halloween!