Feelin' the Love

They say love makes the world go 'round. Well, we food bloggers are doing our part to keep the world spinning. Today I'm accepting some tags and awards from lovely bloggers and passing them on to more lovely bloggers.

Wendy of A Wee Bit of Cooking (an old blogger friend) and Sarah of Homemade (a new blogger friend) have tagged me for the 6 Word Memoir Meme. Like the title implies, you sum up your life in 6 words, then tag 6 more bloggers to do the same. Here's mine:

Thirteen years.
Seven homes.
One husband.

Here are 6 more people I'd like to hear from:

1. Ivy of Kopiaste
2. The Zen Chef of Chefs Gone Wild
3. Emily of Superspark
   
4. Linda of Make Life Sweeter
   
5. Peter of Kalofagas
6. Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

One of dearest food bloggers I know, Deeba of Passionate About Baking, has flattered me with a nomination for a Blog of Distinction. Here's how it works: You nominate 5 blogs that make you laugh, cry, think, or sigh. Thank you, Deeba, for making me laugh with your cartoons, think with your quotes, and sigh with your creations that are always baked with love. You brighten my day.

1. Marie of Proud Italian Cook makes me sigh. When I read her posts about her family and see her recipes for Italian dishes like her amazing sausage bread, I am instantly transported back home to Rhode Island. Thanks, Marie, for making 3,000 miles not seem so far.
   
2. Anne-Marie of Ambrosia and Nectar has a knack for teaching, not preaching about cuisine. I also admire the way she takes a humble ingredient like a prune and transforms it into something extraordinary.
   
3. Emiline of Sugarplum makes me laugh. I like the way she embraces life in all its quirky wonderfulness and that she doesn't take herself too seriously. Plus, have you seen this girl's brownies? Dang.
   
4. Susan of Farmgirl Fare takes photos of her farm animals that make me go "Aaawwww." (And I'm not even an animal lover. ) Look at this photo, then tell me you didn't do the same thing. Susan, thanks for making me sigh and laugh.
5. I "met" Dhanggit of Dhanggit's Kitchen when she submitted her festive Tropical Santa Cookies to my Eat Christmas Cookies event last December, and we've been regular visitors ever since. Dhanggit's innovative recipes and lovely photographs are a pleasure to see. So I was truly saddened to learn in this post that her beloved father recently passed away. My heart is with Dhanggit and her family. That's why her blog made me cry.
   

Amy from FamiliaBencomo has nominated me for the Arte y Pico Award. Here's how it works: You select 5 blogs that you feel excel in creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language. Thank you, Amy, for your generosity; I am humbled that you consider me your "culinary muse."

Here are my 5 nominations:

1. Suganya of Tasty Palettes inspires me with her exceptional recipes and artfully composed photographs. What's even more impressive is that Suganya recently celebrated her blog's first anniversary, so it can only get better and better.
2. Helen of Tartlette. Extraordinary desserts. Extraordinary photography. Extraordinary blog. Thank you, Helen, for your endless creativity and flair.
3. Jess's blog, Cakespy, has a touch of whimsy that I find enchanting. From her fantastic artwork to her humorous posts, Jess just seems like she's always having a good time. How could you not like that?
   
4. Anh of Food Lover's Journey inspires me with her elegant culinary creations and evocative photography. I admire Anh: In addition to blogging, she has just completed the first round of her PhD program! Not too shabby.
   
5. T.W.'s passions for food history and baking come together in his spectacular historical cakes. T.W. bakes cakes from vintage cookbooks and children's books then writes engagingly about their origins. I'm thinking maybe he should change his blog's name from "Culinary Types" to "Let Them Eat Cake." Hey, it's historical.

A while back I nominated Deeba of Passionate About Baking for an Excellence Award, and she simultaneously nominated me for a Nice Matters Award. Pretty cool, huh? I am especially touched since Deeba is one of the sweetest bloggers I know. Here are more 5 more exceptionally nice bloggers:

1. Shn of Mishmash!
2. Anali of Anali's First Amendment
   
3. Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms
   
4. Bal of KaRaFaKiDeN TaTLaR and Be Foodie! (her English language blog)
   
5. OK, this one is actually for you, dear readers. Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and for leaving thoughtful comments. You're the reason I love blogging.

Tomorrow is the first day of my Beautiful Bones event. Hope to see you there!

Thanksgiving Candles and a Couple of Memes

My friend Michelle from Scribbit explained that things can get pretty quiet during an Alaskan winter with "all that snow and darkness and hibernation." So she created the Winter Bazaar where people can submit ideas for crafts, games, decorations, etc. based on a monthly theme. For November, it's Thanksgiving or autumn.

I'm not an especially craftsy person, but I thought these jack-be-little pumpkins candles were just too cute and easy not to submit. I didn't even have to go to a craft store to make them, just the supermarket.

Here's how to do it:
1. Buy some jack-be-little pumpkins or other small, decorative gourds.
2. Place a votive candle on the top of the gourd and trace it.
3. Using a small pairing or carving knife, cut the top of the gourd and remove the seeds.
4. Place the votive candle snugly in the cut-out. (If you make the circle too big, then fill the inside with some aluminum foil to prop up the candle.) You could also make a larger cut-out and place fresh cranberries around the candle, but that's a bit too craftsy for me.

You Make Me Smile Award

I received an email from Chris of Melecotte saying that she named me as a blogger who makes her smile. As you can imagine, that made me smile, and so does Chris. We've been visiting each other's sites for months now, and I think our shared New England heritage has helped cement our friendship. Chris writes honest, funny posts, leaves sincere, thoughtful comments, and is an all-around sweet blogger.

Now for bloggers who make me smile:

Aria of Passionate Nonchalance. Maybe it's because we are both native Rhode Islanders living in Southern California--I don't know--but Aria's blog appealed to me immediately. I love the way she finds humor in the mundane and always seems to be having fun. Plus, she knows what I mean when I say I'm making "the gravy."

Gattina of Kitchen Unplugged makes me smile for many reasons, not the least of which is her endless creativity. Gattina's site is definitely "eye-candy;" but she's more than just a pretty blog. She's a talented cook who creates unique recipes and styles her food in ways that never fail to inspire me.

Kate of Kate in the Kitchen manages to see humor in everyday situations and writes about them in a way that makes you feel like she's talking just to you. With Kate, it's more than just the food; it's the experience that she relishes and shares. Plus, she carves her Halloween pumpkins with power tools--a drill Bit, to be precise. Look. Now, doesn't that just make you smile?

Sig of Live to Eat cracks me up. It's that simple. I love her candor, which I find both amusing and endearing. Sig just embraces life, which makes me smile.

Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy because she is remarkably observant, and her photos are at turns, amusing, poignant, and clever. Sarah's unique take on life always make me smile.

Shn of Mishmash because she writes lovingly of her family and her food. Shn's sweet nature comes across in her posts as well as her comments (which I always appreciate).

Frank Caliendo impersonating John Madden (pro football analyst and announcer). Check out this 3 minute You Tube video "Mad TV John Madden Popcorn Popper" if you want to chuckle. I like pro football, and I love John Madden. He says things so sincerely and unpretentiously that he's hysterical even when he doesn't intend to be. And Frank Caliendo is a dead-ringer for John. He doesn't just make me smile, he makes me laugh. Out loud.

Gattina of Kitchen Unplugged has tagged me for The "Four" Meme:

Four places I have lived:
Providence, RI
Chapel Hill, NC
Los Angeles, CA
San Diego, CA

Four jobs I have had:
sandwich maker-I think I can still smell pickles on my hands, and it's been 20 years.
actor-Modesty prevents me from stating the number of Oscars and Emmy's I have received.
teacher-5 years and my hair turned permanently grey. Thank goodness for Clairol.
library assistant-My boss was like Mr. Bookman from that Seinfeld episode. The job lasted one semester.

Four favorite places I had holidays:
London, England
Seattle, WA
San Fransisco, CA
Miami, FL

Four favorite foods:
pizza-any pizza
my mom's gingerbread-absolutely the very best
gnocchi-homemade and heavy
my dad's pizzelle-they're so good, he actually Fed-exes them to me

Four places I'd rather be:
setting up my Dad's Christmas village with him (while a football game plays in the background)
making Christmas cookies with my mom (my favorite Christmas pastime)
working out with my husband (I have to burn off those cookies and pizza)
in a fabulous salon getting the perfect haircut and make-up (let me know if this place exists)

If you'd like to do this meme, then consider yourself tagged!