My little blog has just turned one! (Well, to tell the truth it was at the beginning of the January, but let’s not worry about that).
From an idea that was originally borne out of me providing some of the girls at work with recipe ideas and restaurant suggestions, to the creation of the Chick’s Cookbook and finally culminating with secondhelping, my passion for food and all that comes with it has grown over even more over the last year. True to my tagline – I still want more!
I have cooked a lot
I have eaten a lot
I have met and seen a lot of amazing chefs
Andrew McConnell
Heston Blumenthal
Shane Osborn
Shannon Bennett
Alain Alders
Thomas Keller & Heston Blumenthal
Luisa Valazza
Frank Camorra
And tried to recreate some of their dishes
Frank's
Mine
I have read a lot of menus
I finally sorted out my food magazine collection – there were a lot (started in 1990)
My love affair with canapes continued to flourish
I made my own vol au vents!
Good grief – I even baked cakes.
I discovered and embraced Twitter (the Beloved still calls me his Twirlfriend)
And found many new foodie friends (you will find most of them on my blogroll)
I have continued to share the love and have gained much more enjoyment and fulfillment from it than I thought I could. This year I will continue on my journey and I will do so with relish. I have often said to people that I would love to make food my career, but I have come to realise that as it is already my life, I am well ahead.
To wrap things up, I’m a bit of a sucker for a good quote and thought I would share with you some (a lot!) of my favourite food quotes:
Food is our common ground, a universal experience – James Beard
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all - Harriet Van Horne
Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you want and let the food fight it out inside – Mark Twain
One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well. – Virginia Woolf
There is no sincerer love than the love of food - George Bernard Shaw
Never eat more than you can lift. -Miss Piggy
A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch.- James A. Beard
Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good. – Alice May Brock
One can say everything best over a meal. – George Eliot
Let the stoics say what they please, we do not eat for the good of living, but because the meat is savory and the appetite is keen. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Food is an important part of a balanced diet. – Fran Lebowitz
Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity. – Voltaire
Give me a fish, I eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I eat for a lifetime. – Robert Louis Stevenson
There are five elements: earth, air, fire, water and garlic. – Louis Diat
I am not a glutton – I am an explorer of food. – Erma Bombeck
The appetite grows with eating. – Francois Rabelais
When one has tasted watermelon he knows what the angels eat. – Mark Twain
Thank you for being part of secondhelping. Thank you to everyone who has sent an email or left a comment. Bloggers love comments – we really really do! So if you visit – leave a comment and let me know.
Most of all I hope that, like me, you still want more!
Jo
Happy Blog Birthday!!!
Canapes are so cute =)
Looking forward to another delicious year!
Iron Chef Shellie – Thank you!!
Happy Blog Bday Jo!
I’m also looking forward to another delicious year of dinner parties with the Twirlfriend and the Beloved!
Keep em recipes coming! If only I could make them as well as you do…
I’m looking forward to more dinner parties too – they are always great fun with you x
Congratulations SecondHelping, Appetite and most of all My beloved Jo. A tremendous achievement both on table and online. The future awaits you.
Love Adam xxx
Congrats on a very food filled year and here’s to many more! You have a lovely kitchen and you certainly do love to entertain with all those dishes you were preparing! You have summed up the year with great photos!
Thanks Rilsta for the very kind words. More of my Cookbook Challenge catchup will be posted soon