Tag Archives: food blog

Annual Review

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IMG_0727Hey readers, it’s been a year since I started writing forknifespoon, and I’m curious if anyone is not seeing something they want to see posted, seeing too much of something else, or has any other (constructive) thoughts or opinions to share in order to make my blog better for you. (Other than that you want me to come make food for you in your home, Tom.) Feel free to post comments! If you’re 92.5% happy with the kinds of recipes I’ve been sharing, then let’s just say we’re all good, huh?

BTW, did anybody miss me??? I’ve had a doozy of a month, starting with an ambulance ride to ER when I woke up with back pain so bad I couldn’t move. And that’s not just a figure of speech! I really couldn’t move. I’ve been gradually healing from the disk and nerve issue that is the problem, but I had weeks where I couldn’t stand long enough to cook, or sit long enough to blog. Thus the lack of fresh posts!

And as a result of all the medical junk and crazy prescription pill popping I’ve been doing, my husband and I decided to try the Whole30 cleanse for the next 30 days. I’ll be sharing the recipes I’ve tried—and liked—and our experience as we trudge through the land of lean meats and varieties of veggies. If you’re not familiar with Whole30, it’s a plan to purge your system of all the sugars and processed foods we consume, and see if what we are ingesting might be causing internal inflammation and a host of other medical issues. So bear with me while I take a food foray into some new territory!

Here’s a funny story related to the previously mentioned ER trip, regarding the kind young men who rescued me from my home when I was in agony. Once I was finally mobile again, I called our local fire station to find out when the two guys who had helped me worked. I wanted to bring them some fresh chocolate chip cookies as a thank you. I was just going to drop the cookies with a card and run, but when I got to the station, the receptionist insisted I give the treats to them personally.

I met Jared and Matt (my new BFF’s) in the fire station hall, and sort of stammered my appreciation, and I realized as I was blubbering away that they had zero recognition of me. And why should they? I was standing upright, with hair and make-up done—not curled up in fetal position, crying from pain in my pee-soaked, ratty flannel PJ’s.

So I elaborated on what had happened, including “you had to come get me out of my bed” (a weird thing to say to two handsome young hunks…) until I finally saw the lights go on in their heads. “OH!!! Yes, I remember you. You look SO DIFFERENT!!!” one of them blurted.

Well, I certainly hope so, Jared, I certainly hope so.

Confessions of a Food Blogger

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Chester IMG_0993Question: Enjoy your blog posts! But tell me, what do you REALLY eat?

Answer: Thanks, Chester (pictured here sending in a question…)! I get that question a lot. All my posts are things I’ve made and eaten—on weeknights as well as weekends—and lived to blog about them. But not everything I make is blog-worthy. Gentle readers, rest assured, we do not sit around sipping rose-infused mineral water and nibbling on pâté made from baby rabbit livers. Well, once in a while we do, but most of the time we eat just like you. We have scrambled eggs for dinner. We scrounge for leftovers in the back of the refrigerator, hoping to score something that isn’t growing mold. I just found a sweet potato in my pantry that’s sprouted so many roots it looks like Ursala from The Little Mermaid. And there’s a mystery smell in the frig right now, and I canNOT identify the culprit! Ugh.

Don’t get me wrong. I love food! I love coming up with new ideas for dinner or dessert, or reviving old favorites to freshen them up. And we do eat well most of the time. But sometimes I’m just too tired after work to make a meal, and enthusiastically welcome take-out. (How one can possibly tire of mousing and clicking all day? It’s not like I work in a coal mine…sheesh.) Once my neighbor Diane popped over around dinner time, apologizing for interrupting what she thought would be haute cuisine prep. She didn’t walk in on lemon frittata in the making, or anything even remotely “foodie” in nature. Time to show the flip side of the coin.

Sadly, there was no dinner preparation going on for Diane to interrupt. I was sitting in front of the TV watching Modern Family re-runs, while I snarfed down a couple pieces of pizza leftover from Papa Murphy’s 10 Dollar Tuesdays. (The Hawaiian, with added green peppers, in case you’re wondering.) At least I’d heated up my ‘za and wasn’t downing it cold, like some half-starved college student. But there was not a fork, knife, or spoon in sight. I’m not sure I even had a Brawny paper towel handy for a napkin. And I was drinking my Diet Coke straight from the can, ’cause I was too lazy to bother getting up to grab a glass and fill it with ice. Classy, huh?

So yes, food bloggers eat like real people. Yes, I eat pizza someone else has made. Leftover. Does that make anyone feel better? The glimpse of reality sure made Diane laugh. And I think she felt just a ping of relief, too.

DISCLAIMER: No animals were harmed in the writing of this blog.

Welcome to Fork, Knife, Spoon!

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This is for all my friends who’ve repeatedly said “why don’t you do a food blog?” Well, here it is, my first posting. (Marylee, you deserve the prize for being the most persistent.) My goal is to get at least 12 followers, just like Jesus. Or maybe I should go for a baker’s dozen? So help me out, friends! Follow a gal!

People often describe me as being like Martha Stewart, but that’s hardly fair. After all, I’ve never done prison time. Seriously, Martha’s my idol, and I’m no where close to possessing her domestic creativity. I love to try her recipes, as well as recipes from a variety of other magazines and websites, and then tweak ingredients and process to suit my family’s taste. So that’s what you’ll see on the pages of this blog – not typically my own creations, but my tests and trials of what the REAL food geniuses are doing. Working in a comm and marketing department, I know to give credit where credit is due, so all originators of recipes will be acknowledged!

Another passion of mine is glamming up a table for an event, whether it’s a small table for a family birthday party, or a dozen large tables for a ladies Christmas tea at church. You’ll see pics of table settings and centerpieces, invites and banners. Frugal is often my focus, so budget-minded folks will appreciate the posts. (Hey, I was Pinterest-y long before there was Pinterest. Just ask my mother, who patiently put up with my childhood collections of cans, bottles, other scraps, in case I could “do something with them.” Right, Mom?)

Anywho…welcome to my blog, and thanks for following so far!

Cheryl