I got my first ever blog award on Saturday from Nancy at Spicie Foodie. I love her collection of beautiful photograph and fantastic looking recipes (In fact I tried her thai fish curry tonight for dinner and it was amazing).
Today is a year since I wrote my first blog posts here on CoffeeMuffins, and I am so proud of my baby. I feel that with this blog I have created something from nothing, in much the same way I did when I made my first loaf of bread or when I had my first dinner party.
With any sort of anniversary it gives you that nudge to take stock of where you stand and what you have accomplished. To see all the successes and the failures, and hopefully to allow you to learn from them.
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I am finally home, and after almost a week away there is only one thing I want. A home cooked meal, and maybe if you’ll give me a second option – some sleep!
Atlanta was wonderful and I met so many great people, including Nancy a fellow food blogger from The Dogs Eat the Crumbs. As some of you may know I am an almost anonymous blogger, so it was lovely to meet another food blogger – to be able to talk about what we do.
I think when you hit 100 posts, it’s time to really admit to yourself “You are a food blogger”. You don’t get to one hundred without truly enjoying the whole process of making, photographing and writing.
Back in March when I started this blog, I didn’t know very much, it’s been a steep but enjoyable learning curve. Back then I had never baked a loaf of bread, I didn’t know what to do with a Kohlrabi and I didn’t even now there was any difference between a macaroon and a macaron, let alone about feet!
This year I am hosting a New Years Eve dinner party, cooking for 11 people (at last count) and to be perfectly honest – I am terrified.
My main worry is making enough food, what if I underestimate and everyone is still hungry and there is nothing left? What if it burns? What if people won’t eat it?
I have chosen to host my first dinner party on the one night of the year that people want to be “perfect”. Arrgh.
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The 30th of November is St Andrew’s day, which is the National Day of Scotland. I had lots of grand plans of what I could post, different Scottish inspired cakes, main courses, at one point I was even planning a whole menu. Alas I ran out of time, so instead I have picked some of my favourite pictures of Scotland from the past year to show to you.
Earlier this year I went up on my first trip to the north of Scotland, where we spent 5 days in and around Banffshire. The weather was beautiful and some of the bluest skies I had ever seen.
Walking along the beach, taking photos of our footprints in the sand.
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I went to Lyme Park this weekend, which was the setting for the much loved BBC adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice”. It was a beautiful day in a wonderful setting and a dream come true for my sister and I.
I am a great lover of period dramas, say what you will about them, but they spawned an interest for me in classic literature that I had never had before. Austen is one of the few authors I turn to for a relaxing evening knowing that in her romantic world the ending is always happy. During the long periods of exams I had a university it was the classics I turned to to-get-a-way-from-it-all, “Pride and Prejudice” and “Jane Eyre” being my favourites at the time.
A good adaption can make a book come to life, and I will happily pay my TV license for the rest of my days on the back of this one and the quiet hope that in another couple of decades they can pull off just one more that catches my imagination in the way Pride and Prejudice did.
p.s. No I haven’t read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and I never will
p.p.s Yes I have seen the Keira Knightly version and no, it doesn’t compare.
You want to impress, right? You want the whole process to be stress-free and for you and your guests to enjoy themselves.
I have had a number of disasters with cooking for the in-laws and I thought it might be interesting to talk about what I have learnt, the basic steps to make things easier and less stressful for you, and tastier for everyone else. Here is my guide to cooking for a number of people…
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After making the thumbprint cookies a couple of weeks ago, I decided to look into butter substitutes. As I had been shocked at the butter-to-everything-else-ratio. A google search later, and I come up with my next attempt. Coconut Oil. Read More
Recently I have been doing a lot more cooking and baking, mainly as a creative outlet and because it relaxes me. I like to know what’s in my food and feel good when I have prepared something that is delicious and healthy.
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