Sunshine & Stars

Another two awards! What an honor!

I would like to thank super “balaboosta” Elaine @ Foodbod for nominating me for the Sunshine Blog Award. Her blog has certainly inspired me to be more creative with vegetarian dishes (confessions of an unapologetic meat eater). I love Elaine’s spanokopita wrapped in roasted aubergines and courgette slices.

The name of this award and its flower image take me back to those days of bell-bottoms, tie dyed T-shirts, love beads ☮, granny glasses and, of course, flowers in your hair. The meaning of the award, I read on another blog, isn’t far off the ethos of those days: “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”.

As an award winner, there are a few rules to follow:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award and write a post about it
2. Answer the questions (below)
3. Pass on the award – up to10 bloggers you like, link their blogs, and let them know you awarded them

I’d like to pass this award on to Judith @ The Cookbook of Unknown Ladies who has inspired me with her wonderful posts on culinary history from the 18th and 19th century, culled from material from “unknown ladies” in Westminster City Archives.

Questions & My Answers:
1. Where would you most like to travel to?
Various parts of Turkey – Istanbul for certain, Cappadocia and along the Anatolian Coast to name a few specific areas. There is a wealth of regional cuisines to explore throughout the entire country.
2. Do you have a sweet tooth?
I’m afraid so… I really can’t give up my addiction to chocolate.
3. What motivates you to keep blogging?
I love to write. I love to cook. I’m an inveterate researcher. But, those attributes alone don’t motivate me; they just make it possible. I’d say the real motivation is the positive interaction with other bloggers – an open exchange of ideas.
4. Who is your favorite comedian?
I’d have to say that it is British comedians in general, but more specifically groups/shows like Beyond the Fringe, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Blackadder. If we’re not talking professional comedians, then my husband who has a knack of making me laugh.
5. What is your favorite outdoor activity?
Gardening or simply walking in the countryside.
6. Who was your favorite teacher, and why?
I’ve had so many – most have been inspiring – but none a particular favorite. What keeps me going intellectually now is friends and colleagues who teach in universities.
7. Do you own any pets?
Not since moving to the U.K. Since we travelled a lot in the summer – working on archaeological projects – we thought it wouldn’t be fair on animals if we put them in kennels for long periods of time.
8. The most embarrassing moment of your life?
I must have blanked it from my memory!
9. Where are you from?
Born in Philadelphia, raised in Pennsylvania, but moved to Wisconsin and then across the Atlantic to Oxford before migrating further north to Yorkshire.
10. How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?
About as many pickled peppers as Peter Piper picked!

✰ ✰ ✰

A three star hurrah for Laura @ The Seasoned Traveler for nominating me for a three star blog of the year award. The Seasoned Traveler is a blogger after my own heart – well travelled, embracing new foods and experiences, and isn’t afraid to use (in her own words) “herbs, spices, and other natural ingredients from the world’s pantry”.

I would like to nominate Please Pass the Recipe, a cook and writer I admire. I know she already has a few stars, but she deserves all three of mine to add to her crown.

Rules:

1. Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2013’ Award
2. Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there are no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ the blog(s) with their award.
3. Let the blog(s) that you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the instructions with them – (please don’t alter the instructions or the badges!)
4. Come over and say hello to the originator of the ‘Blog of the Year 2013’ Award via this link – http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/blog-awards-2/blog-of-the-year-2013-award/
5. You can now also join the ‘Blog of the Year’ Award Facebook page – click the link here https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlogoftheYear/ and share your blog posts with an even wider audience.
   And as a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog … and start collecting stars…