Getting To Know Me

March 21, 2012
I got asked by one of my favorite bloggers Stephie at Eat Your Heart Out to take part in this getting to know you game. Since I am still new to this whole blogging thing, I thought why not!
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!
Here we go…
12 Things You Didn’t Know (And Maybe Don’t Want To Know) About Me
1.      Totally afraid of the dentist. I had a lot of cavities as a kid. I then went from braces to retainers. I still cry before every visit.
2.      I hate brussell sprouts. I do not understand the latest resurgence of this mini cabbage food trend. Yuck!
3.      It takes me a long time to finish a book. I read before I go to bed and only make it through maybe a chapter before I start to snooze.
4.      I wish I had at least two more pugs. If only my husband wasn’t allergic, one is bad enough.
5.      I am a huge science nerd. I have a degree in Environmental Health. I love biology but strongly dislike chemistry and physics.
6.      I have an unhealthy addiction to reality TV.
7.      I love black and white movies. My favorites are It’s A Wonderful Life, Philadelphia Story, Harvey, and Top Hat.
8.      I have never broken a bone (knock on wood).
9.      I have a bucket list that I wrote in my junior high diary, which goes as follows:
-Learn how to play the drums.
-Go to Italy.
-Get a pug named Weezer.
10.  I was in a sorority in college. Yes, I am a closeted “Woo Girl.”
11.  Thank God my husband is an English teacher and is kind enough to edit all my ramblings because I really suck at grammar.
12.  I have never been happier doing what I am doing right now! I love where I am in my life.
 
Here are the answers to my questions from Stephie at Eat Your Heart Out.
  • If you could live anywhere in the world for one year, where would it be?
  • I love living in Chicago, but given the chance to leave it all…well not all of it, I guess my pug Weezer and my husband Mike would have to come along too, right? I would love to go toItaly. I could see myself walking with Weezer and Mike along the cobbled stone streets. I would love to learn the language. And the food!!!! Oh my God! A small table outside, a bottle of good Italian red wine, and a crusty loaf of fresh bread with some olive oil-That is my heaven!
  • What is your favorite recipe that you have blogged (and why)?
  • My favorite recipe on the blog is not the most glamorous. It is My Grandfater’s Cabbage Rolls. It is a smelly hearty dish that is near and dear to my heart because it is a dish my dziadzia (pronounced Jah-Jah, means grandfather in Polish) made all the time. His cooking wasn’t anything fancy, it was just good and made you feel at home. My dziadzia passed away almost four years and it still is tough to deal with on occasion. Through making his food and sharing some of his stories, I feel his presence once again.
  • You can choose one book or movie to live in…which one is it?
  • Mine is a book first and then a movie second, Harry Potter. Come on, every kid dreams about a magical world. I might be more of a big kid than you all realize!
  • What is your go-to entertaining meal?
  •  I love cheese platters and antipasto platters. You just go to a store, buy some fancy cheeses, olives, deli meats, bread, and lay it out nicely on a platter-Voila! Ten minutes later you are ready for guests.
  • Are there any blogs that inspired you to start yours? What was it about them that got you interested?
  • I really haven’t been blogging for very long, so I am still learning how all this goes and who’s who in the blogging world. But the blog that I first stumbled upon that really caught my eye and made me laugh out loud was How Sweet It Is. Jessica’s voice was very relatable and warm. After having a few rough months at a job I didn’t like, finding her blog and then the whole food blogging community on Foodbuzz, was like a jolt of happy lightening. I am also currently in love with Joy the Baker. I feel like if you can make somebody laugh out loud, have tears in their eyes, and make you feel like you are their best friend all while writing about baked goods, you are a genius in my book! Plus, I actually think we could be friends in real life.
  • True confession time: Are you a shower singer?
  • Heck yeah! I have a horrible voice but on occasion I will bust out a Whitney, Mariah, or Gaga jam in the shower.
  • What is the worst kitchen disaster you have ever had?
  • Baking literally causes me panic attacks. I just don’t have a keen knack for baking. Any recipe with yeast usually ends up disastrous for me. Maybe I live in an alternate climate pocket where it is impossible for dough to rise…Yeah, let’s say that’s the reason. Other than that, I have set my oven on fire, I have smoked out my house, I have under-fried chicken with oil that was too hot, sliced through a finger, and grated off the occasional knuckle or nail. No biggie!
  • Scary movies: can you handle them?
  • Nope. Still having nightmares from the first Paranormal Activity.
  • Where do you draw inspiration for your recipes?
  • Seriously everywhere. I make things I have always wanted to try and been too scared, like a four-layer birthday cake. I make old family recipes that I know like the back of my hand. I try to make new takes on standard recipes. I try to balance healthy with the totally not healthy. I have a recipe notebook in my purse that I am constantly scribbling in.
  • What is the best gift you have ever received and why?
  • When I was a little big-headed child of six, I was shopping with my grandma and mom. My grandma said I could pick any doll or stuffed animal as a present. There were dolls and teddy bears up and down the aisle. I, to this day do not know why I chose this…creature. I smiled and picked up this stuffed anteater. I named him Arty and have had him with me through every overnight camp adventure to every night away at college.
  • What are your true feelings regarding snow?
  • I like it to a point. After Christmas and New Years, I feel there is no need for sow anymore.
  • What is your favorite childhood memory and why?
  • I am very lucky to have a lot of favorite childhood memories. All of them are with my brothers. I consider them two of my best friends, biggest fans, and also most annoying critics. But, one of my favorite things we used to do was put on lip-synching concerts in the back yard and kitchen to Beach Boys and Beatles songs. We would play air guitar, pretend the lawn chairs were surfboards, and put on little shows for our parents. It is a small silly memory, but an image that truly encapsulates my childhood.
12 Questions for my Fellow Food Bloggers
  1. What is your least favorite food?
  2. You are dying tomorrow. What is the last meal you would eat?
  3. If you could be any person besides yourself, living or dead, who would it be and why?
  4. If you were a competitive eater, what would you eat?
  5. Give a shout out to your favorite blog of the moment.
  6. Would you rather eat Italian food for the rest of your life or Mexican food?
  7. If you were a Food Network star, who would you be and why?
  8. What is the spiciest food you have ever eaten?
  9. Are you more of a Beatles or Rolling Stones fan?
  10. What is your favorite TV show?
  11. Why do you blog?
  12. Who in your life is your biggest cooking influence?
Kelly @ Eat Yourself Skinny
Julie @ Table For Two
Karla @ Foodologie
Yuri @ Chef Pandita
Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli
Lynn@ Order In The Kitchen
I hope you all have learned way too much information about how weird I really am. While you are cruising the net today, check out the lovely blogs mentioned in my post.
See you guys tomorrow with a return to the cooking!
  • Kyle (the girl)
    May 24, 2012 at 9:43 am

    We don’t call MY grandpa dziadzia (not really sure why it skipped a generation), but my dad called HIS that, and now my nephew calls my dad that 🙂 yayyy polaks!

  • Kristen Prusak
    March 27, 2012 at 4:35 am

    Just stumbled across your blog from a recipe on Pinterest and wanted to drop a quick line that I LOVE your blog! Once I saw you have a DziaDzia, I almost started crying because I do too! And like you, his cooking just makes my soul warm.

  • Chelsea
    March 23, 2012 at 12:22 pm

    Stefanie,

    I love it when I stumble upon a blog that makes me feel like I could be best friends with the writer in real life 🙂 Reading this post made me feel that way. We actually have a lot in common – most notably the two blogs that you love (HowSweetEats and JoytheBaker) are the ones that inspire me the most/I check every morning. I also have no knack for baking 😛 But I’m trying to change that because I want to be more well-rounded in the kitchen.

    I am so glad that you are blogging; the world needs more warm, friendly bloggers. 🙂

    Chelsea

    • Stefanie
      March 23, 2012 at 1:19 pm

      Chelsea thank you so much for such a sweet comment. PS I loved all your responses to the getting to know you questions.

  • Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out
    March 21, 2012 at 3:42 am

    I don’t understand the brussell sprout thing either! I keep thinking maybe I will find a way to eat them that makes them more than just mediocre to me…but then I find much other appetizing things to try that seem more worth the stomach space!

    So glad you participated! It was fun reading your answers! Hope I get to meet you at JTB’s signing on Saturday!