Getting to know you...

Those of you who, like me, spend an unhealthy amount of your free time reading various blogs (read: other bloggers) may have noticed a little “get to know you” game that has been buzzing around. Essentially, it is a fun way to get to know other food bloggers and for our readers to learn a little bit more about us! I was recently tagged in the game by Elana at The Inventive Vegetarian (thanks, Elana!) – so here is your chance to get to know a little more about me!

Here’s how it works:

1. Remember to post the rules!

2. Share 12 things about yourself your readers don’t already know.

3. Answer the questions presented by the person tagging you.

4. Ask 12 questions of your own, and tag others to play along (tag 12 if you can, but 6 is totally fine, too).

5. Be sure to comment on the blogs of those you’ve tagged to let them know they’re in!

So, here we go. Starting with: 12 things about me:

I am a book nerd. When other kids were reading picture books, I had my nose buried in Caddie Woodlawn. What a weirdo. The summer before high school I read East of Eden by John Steinbeck for the first time and it has been my favorite book ever since. I try to read it about once a year. What a weirdo.
My hair is naturally curly. I’m lucky that I can make it do pretty much whatever I want (be straight or curly), but as soon as it starts to rain – hello, curls!
Birds freak me out. Sure, they’re pretty from a distance, but in real life and up close? No, thank you. (I don’t like feeling like they are flapping around my head…it’s like they’re going to get stuck in my hair!)
When I was around 3 years old I had a horrifying encounter with a man dressed up like a giant piece of WonderBread in the grocery store. (He waved at me. I started screaming and fell out of the bottom of the cart.) I have been terrified of mascot-like things ever since.
When I clean (which is a rare occurance), I like to listen to Broadway soundtracks and sing along to all of the parts at the top of my lungs. My neighbors are probably glad I don’t clean much.
I do not like celery. I think it is a completely useless vegetable. Chances of you finding me using celery in a recipe are slim to none and slim left town.
I hate not having my toenails painted. Even in the winter, when you can’t even SEE my toes most of the time, I have to have them painted. I couldn’t really tell you why.
I love watching crime shows just before bed. Dexter, Law and Order SVU…they’re like lulabies to me. What a weirdo.
Really good butter pecan ice cream makes the world go round.
In college I double-majored in Spanish and International Studies. I pretty much spent my four years getting graded for talking and reading about other cultures. It’s no real wonder why my science friends (not so) secretly hated us liberal arts students.
I do not tan. I burn. Put me outside in the sun for any length of time without sunscreen (and sometimes even with sunscreen) and I turn into a lobster. And then come the freckles. So I’m a speckled lobster. Very rare breed, indeed.
I have a deep love for office supplies. New paperclips, pens, notebooks, cute binder clips…I LOVE them. Nerd alert!

12 questions from Elana:

What’s your favorite cooking/food memory? I have lots of memories helping my momma out in the kitchen growing up. Even when I was just a little nugget she would find some way for me to “help” and would teach me about what she was doing as she went along. I can’t count the number of hours I have spent at her side in the kitchen, learning and laughing.
If you had unlimited funds and all the time in the world, what would you do with it? Travel. All over the world, probably. I love learning about other places and cultures – I just eat that stuff up!
What’s the one song that when you hear it, you can’t help but sing along, no matter where you are or what you’re doing? “Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO. Try not to judge me too much.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received and from whom? My momma always told me that “Your best is all you can do.” Used to drive me nuts, but I really get it now. If you give your best, you know you’ve done everything you can and then it is out of your hands.
What’s your guilty pleasure? Trashy reality TV. Specifically, The Bachelor and anything related to it.
What’s your comfort food? My momma’s chicken pot pie. Seriously, I could eat that stuff every day.
What’s your signature dish? Why? Probably either paella or chicken salad. Both are things I routinely make without a recipe – you know, throw things in until it looks right – and for some reason, no one else in my family thinks they make either dish quite like I do.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? This is a tough one. I’ve eaten (and made) a lot of great meals, but I think perhaps the best was when I was studying in Europe – my friends and I took a weekend trip to Lisbon, Portugal, and had dinner at this little restaurant called Fado Maior. Not only was the meal incredible – amazing traditional Portuguese food – but the music! Oh the music made it that much better. Add to that some great dinner conversation? Best meal.
When you’re not cooking, what do you do in your free time? I spend a lot of time reading (as evidenced earlier in my book nerd confession). I also crochet (like a proper old lady) and truly enjoy just hanging out with my friends doing absolutely nothing of real consequence.
What made you start blogging? What keeps you going with it? I had been noodling over the idea of starting a food blog this past summer, and finally took the plunge when I realized that I was spending most of my time in the kitchen and sharing my creations on Facebook anyway. I keep going because I love it – I love cooking, I love sharing my recipes and my experiences with food, and it keeps me going when things get tough. (You can read more about why I blog here.)
Who, or what, inspires you? My grandmother has always inspired me. She has been through so much in her life, and yet continues to go through every day with a love of life that is simply contageous. She is smart, strong, independent, loving…all of the things that I hope to be!
What’s your favorite time of the year, and why? Right now is my favorite time of year! To be slightly more specific, my favorite day of the year is the first day that you can open the windows and smell spring. There is simply nothing like it!

12 questions from me (for my fellow bloggers):

If you could live anywhere in the world for one year, where would it be?
What is your favorite recipe that you have blogged (and why)?
You can choose one book or movie to live in…which one is it?
What is your go-to entertaining meal?
Are there any blogs that inspired you to start yours? What was it about them that got you interested?
True confession time: Are you a shower singer?
What is the worst kitchen disaster you have ever had?
Scary movies: can you handle them?
Where do you draw inspiration for your recipes?
What is the best gift you have ever received and why?
What are your true feelings regarding snow?
What is your favorite childhood memory and why?