I won! “I’d like to thank the academy..” But seriously. Last month I was nominated by one of my blogger inspirations, Food n Thought Peddler, as a recipient of the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. It’s such an honor because it’s not something you submit to be included in (yeah, did you know that? Most companies that submit to the “Top 100 Place to Work” or similar are recognized not because they really are so great, but because they took the time and money to submit for the award…moving on…) but it’s from fellow bloggers. And in all honesty, praise from my readers and fellow bloggers are what means the most, not some award from an associate that browsed your material once.

I’m so honored that Diana from Food n Thought Peddler nominated me! I think the original reason I started following her blog was because she has the cutest avatar ever. I mean how could that not make you want to browse one of her posts? Then you get hooked to her stories and recipes… Inspiring! But moving on…

So here’s how this things works:

THE RULES

1. Thank the person who nominate you. — I think we already covered that, but just in case. Thank you, THANK you, THANK YOU Diana!
2. List 7 things about yourself.
3. Nominate 15 bloggers and inform them.

Okay 7 things about me. I’m assuming these shouldn’t be obvious things that you can already figure out from my blog. Did you know I was a locavore?

1. I finished my Masters in Communication in May. While I bitched and moaned every step of the way about how much ready and homework I had to do, I surprisingly now really miss it all.
2. I don’t eat Indian food in the summer (too hot outside) and won’t eat Sushi in the winter (too cold!)
3. I am the most accident prone amateur chef ever! I’ve cut, grated, burned and poked myself more than I can count. I sliced my finger just getting my mandoline out of the box and just today I managed to burn my hand on the bottom of my dutch oven while putting a short rib in the pot!
4. I have a pet turtle. Yes, I know, that’s in my blog already, but what you didn’t know is how we interact. I don’t care how small people say a turtle’s brain is, Pokey IS smart! He knows when food is coming, he’ll eat out of my hand, he likes to be pet on the top of his head, and if you let him out of his tank, he’ll zoom around the floor like crazy!
5. No two dishes I cook will ever turn out exactly the same. I’m very lazy and measuring things is a huge hassle, so unless it’s something like “1 egg” I usually guesstimate the measurements (gotten pretty good at it). Plus there’s always a little extra spice here, a substitution there…
6. Sometimes I’ll spend an entire day cooking, canning and/or baking AMAZING foods, only to end up ordering takeout for dinner.
7. I thought I was going to travel the world, hop cities and move every few years then unfortunately (fortunately) I feel in love with Brooklyn and don’t think I’ll ever leave.

And now, I get the opportunity to nominate 15 of my most inspiring bloggers!

Recipes Happen

Bonnie over at Recipes Happen is truly a fearless chef! She tries food, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but what’s most incredible is she’s brave enough to SHARE her failed kitchen projects. She even has a whole page for Recipes that Didn’t Happen!

27 Cupcakes

Well of course I would nominate a cupcake blog! But really Chantel just started her blog a few months ago and I’m already in love. Her recipes, photos…just so yummy!

Playing with Flour

Pretty much every imaginable sinful dessert you can find, right here. And they look absolutely gorgeous! Plus she’s studying medicine and still has time to bake?! Wow.

From Bacon to Belly

This blog puts my amateur canning attempts to shame. My mouth waters as I read his recipes of pickling, curing and all sorts of preserving.

Local Kitchen

Just a few dozen miles north to Brooklyn and what a different world Westchester can be! I love reading Kaela’s recipes and the humor she infuses into everything, but oh do I envy her walk outside locavore life vs. my shop at the Greenmarket one.

Rachel’s Table

My fellow locavore! Just a few states away. I admire her journey of attempting to eat locally, seasonality, sustainably–just like me–and as time goes by (enter winter) we both realize what difficult paths we’ve chosen.

The Lean Green Bean

Lindsay is all about healthy living and sharing food. In fact, it’s because of her that I’ve become aware of so many other great food bloggers, thanks to her Foodie Penpal program!

The Breukelen Life

Another Brooklyn blogger with so many more fantastic recipes, food stories and more. Yes, I’m a softie for anything (or anyone) Brooklyn.

Putney Farm

Not only does Putney Farm have great recipes inspired by what they grown themselves, but they have a cocktail recipe of the week. Now that’s inspiring!

Romancing the Bees

Think your food is good? Think you’ve found the perfect recipe? Well Deb will make you a believer that every recipe is better with a little bit of honey.

Madame Croquette

You’ll love Angela’s recipes, her tips, her little rants and raves–but then you’ll see her blog cover and wonder “how the hell does she manage to cook in such a cute outfit without getting food all over herself?!” A mystery.

Becoming Brooklyn

Another lover of all things Brooklyn, though Caitlin is more into the getting out there than cooking in scene. Looking for the newest restaurant, coolest Brooklyn local find or best brunch cocktail? Caitlin’s already eaten there, bought it and sipped it.

Do it Yourself from Scratch

What I love most about Do it Yourself from Scratch is they actually try all the things I seem to only talk about (or do far too little) like brewing, foraging, infusing and making cheese.

Don’t Eat Dirt

Because as much as I claim to be healthy, I post recipes of cupcakes and rich indulgences (with a few healthy things in between). Don’t Eat Dirt is my conscious and motivation and there are healthy things out there that taste amazing!

Madelinenel

Madelinenel has some of the tastiest looking recipes I’ve ever seen. She blogs about gluten free and sugar free cooking. Now, personally, I’m neither but I’d gladly sample any of her recipes!