I Got Tagged And Now I’m It!

First, thank you to Mark at Caveman Cooking for putting me in this little glitch of answering questions about myself.  Luckily they are things I’m not afraid to share about myself so I don’t have to share with you all my sordid and steamy past.  Actually, my life isn’t that exciting and I’ve never had a sordid and steamy past…but still.

And my apologies to Mark for making him wait so long.  I actually had most of this post typed and waiting since the early part of November.  Sorry, Mark!

The good thing is I get to pass this on and tag it to 8 other bloggers of my choice.  And I get to pick my own questions to have them answer.  Now that is the fun part of this.  So look below to see if you have been tagged!

1. Why did you start your blog?

I have always enjoyed to cook but I was finding myself getting into a rut with what I was making each night for dinner.   Mealtime was becoming a boring chore (hence the name of my blog) and I was finding I was either making the same thing over and over or making too many convenience foods and ordering in.  Not only does that get expensive, but it’s not really a good way to feed a family. 

I have visited many cooking blogs over the years searching for new recipes and enjoying watching what others were making in their kitchen’s.  I’m also addicted to buying cookbooks.  Since I hate following the rules I found myself always changing up a recipe or tweaking it to make it my own.  I figured blogging would be a good outlet to not only share some of my family’s favorite foods but also to hold me accountable to making something different and getting out of my food rut.  It worked and I enjoy my time in the kitchen even more.

2. Where, and how, did you celebrate your 21st birthday?

The details of this consist of a naked cop, a hotel, and one too many Tequila Sunrise’s.  Sounds exciting, right?  Get your mind out of the gutter, man.   This is not a sordid and steamy story.  (But wouldn’t it be fun and exciting if it was?) 

Two of my co-workers wanted to take me out for my 21st birthday.  Great, right?  We planned to head to the Sheraton in Mahwah, NJ because they had a really cool bar and dance spot at the time. 

As I was getting ready to meet them the doorbell rang and a cop showed up on my front porch asking for me.  I had no idea what I could have done but I was a little scared.  Keep in mind that this was around dinner time, I was getting ready to head into the shower and dressed in a t-shirt and my robe.  Oh, I was also home alone with my parents.  Turns out my co-workers thought it would be fun to send me a stripper to wish me happy birthday.  Long story short, my parents ran for the hills when they saw the guy and locked themselves in the bedroom down the hall.  I begged the man not to strip. If they did this while we were at the bar later on it would have been hysterical.  But at home in your own house, while it was still light outside with your parents hiding down the hall is not the perfect environment to get into such a thing.

Despite my begging for the guy not to strip he whipped out his stereo, put on some stripping music and began taking it all off.  I wanted to die right on the spot. Crawl into a hole and cover myself up! I was MORTIFIED!  A few minutes into his performance both of my co-workers showed up.  This made it slightly less embarrassing for me.  So I did what any self-respecting 21-year-old girl would do…I ripped off the belt to my robe and started dancing in the living room with this guy.  He actually turned out to be really funny and hung around for a bit after his performance was over and told us some pretty hysterical stories about some of the jobs he had been sent to and what some women expected.  Let’s just say it was enlightening.

We headed out later on that night and I celebrated my coming of age with one too many Tequila Sunrise’s.  I saw the sunrise the next morning over and over and over.  It wasn’t pretty.  But I definitely remember it all.

3. What brings you the most joy from life, other than your family and friends?

Other than family and friends?  Diving into a book.  I could live with a book in front of my face and have an addiction to having to look through the book selections of any store no matter where I go.  I love cleaning up the dinner dishes and then telling my husband I’m heading to Barnes and Noble, where I grab a coffee from the Cafe and sit and look through the newest books to decide what I want to start reading next.  It’s peaceful bliss!
4. What was the last sport you actually participated in?

Do tennis lessons count?  I took them in 9th grade and never played again after the lessons were over.
5. What, and where, was the best meal you’ve ever had?

That’s a hard question to answer since I have had so many. 

The first two that come to mind were both while on vacation.  One was the most fantastic Greek Salad I had ever eaten from Louis Pappa’s.  They were a greek restaurant in Tarpon Springs, FL.  The restaurant closed and turned into a chain restaurant.  But the salad, from what I understand, is still served the same way at the chain restaurants now.

The other one that comes to mind was while in Acapulco.  It was this fantastic guacamole and tuna dip.  Sounds weird, I know, but it was fantastic and I’ve never been able to duplicate it since there was more than just those two ingredients.

6. If you were given $1 million dollars that you had to give to someone else who would it be, and why?

If I knew of someone in desperate need of the money I would give it to them.  If not, I would give it to St. Jude’s Hospital.  I’ve always said if I ever hit it big I will give them a huge donation.

7. What is your favorite “deserted island” movie?

I’m an 80’s girl so I have to choose Blue Lagoon.  

8. Have you told someone what they mean to you today?

My daughter, just a few minutes ago while I was typing this.  She loves to come up to you out of the blue and just hug you and tell you how much she loves you.  I tell her how much I love her and then we go back and forth about who loves who more.

So now it’s my turn to put eight other bloggers of my choice on the spot.  What fun.  I get to choose my own eight questions for these fellow bloggers to answer so I’ll try to be creative. 

1. What was the first entry you posted on your blog?
2. What do you enjoy most about blogging?
3. What is the most important thing you have learned about having a blog?
4. What was the worst job you ever had?
5. Name the one food you hate and absolutely will not eat?
6. The one movie you could watch a million times without ever getting bored with it?
7. Name one of the most embarrassing things that has ever happened to you?
8. What is your biggest pet peeve?

Here are the eight lucky bloggers I get to make answer.  Can’t wait to see the answers.

Your job is now to make up 8 of your own questions, choose 8 blogs you enjoy and have them answer and do the same.  Have fun!

•  Kathy at Polwig
  I love the uniqueness of her recipes and diversity of her blog. I’m sure she will have some good answers!
• Colleen at Souffle Bombay
  I think we may be related and not know it. Plus, she makes me laugh.
• Louisa at livinglou She is a 17 year-old girl cooking and blogging about it. That is inspiration for a teen!

And 5 of just some of the blogs I have recently begun follwing and enjoying!

• Amy at The Scene From Me
   Kim at Quit Eating Out
• Shannon at Delectalicious
  Alison at Prairie Story
  Mija at A Southern Diva