Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Project Food Blog - Ready, Set, Blog!

I am meant to describe myself as a food blogger.

(Excuse me a minute while I hyperventilate and get writer's block.)

I've never been good at writing about myself. I find it awkward and out of my element, as if I'm setting up an online dating profile.

"My name is Christina and I like quiet walks on the beach..."

No really, I do.

I started this blog almost exactly two years ago. After researching my boyfriend Johnny's whey allergy online for hours, I eventually came across a few blogs.

I had kept a LiveJournal online for years, so the idea of a digital record of my life's occurances was not foreign to me. However, in my mind the term "blogger" seemed to be reserved for political ranters and contributing news correspondants. Up until this point, I had no idea regular, everyday people also kept blogs. I was hooked right away. I read a few blogs daily for a couple weeks until I got the guts to start my own.

The topic of my blog was an easy one because I love food. My love for food came from several relatives and the way in which I was brought up.

This is my dad, Michael. He worked for a butcher when he was younger and makes homemade sausage from their secret family recipe. He also cooked dinner several nights a week while I was growing up, so I never learned the kitchen was a gender-specific place. He was very good about letting my brother and me watch and help so we learned through doing. With almost everything my dad cooked, he'd make a little "taste tester" and let my brother and me try it first to see how it was coming along.

This is my mom, Debbie-Lyn. She packed my lunch for me every day of school. And I don't mean peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a bag of chips and a juice box. I mean sandwiches on potato bread or pitas with things my classmates had never heard of like alfalfa sprouts. There was also a variety of sides including fresh veggies and fruit, yogurt, and applesauce. A lot of nights she worked teaching piano right up until we ate dinner. I learned many meal planning routines and crockpot recipes from her. She never had the excuse that it was too late, or there wasn't enough time. Regardless, we had a home-cooked meal on the table.

This is my brother, also Michael. Oh, wait - wrong picture.

There we go, much better! I've written in length about him in a previous post. He was the pickiest eater growing up and I was so annoyed by it. But, he's since graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and gone on to earn his Wine Professional Certification. He has worked at some amazing restaurants, including Studio at Montage Resort and Spa, a Mobil 5 Star winner and Elizabeth's Cafe and Winery, which has waaaaay too many awards for me to list here and stay within the word restraint.

These are my Grandmas. Antoinette, my late paternal "Grammy" is on the left and Deborah, my maternal "Gramma" is on the right. Grammy had 6 children - 5 boys and 1 girl. Gramma had 5 children - 4 girls and 1 boy. As I cook for two I don't know how they did it, but they did. Grammy was 100% Italian and the majority of my sauce, lasagna, and parmigiana recipes are modeled after watching her. She also loved my blog from the beginning, always asking about it. Gramma sure can cook, but is really known for her baking. Every Christmas she would bake up literally thousands of everybody's favorite treats, each of us grandkids helping. For many years, she baked hundreds of breads and pies every week to sell at a local farm stand.

With a family like that, it's no wonder food has manifested in my life in some form, right?

I'm a firm believer that food is love. The recipes and meals I feature are made-from-scratch, at home, in my kitchen. These are meals like my grandparents fed to my parents and my parents fed to me. Tried and true, I never post anything unless I have made it first and can vouch for it.

The recipes might not always be the hippest, I might not take the best photographs, my stats might not be as high as more popular blogs, but this is me. Food is love and I love to share food with the world, just as my family shared food with me. This blog is my outlet and resource to do that, that's why I believe I should be the next food blog star.

You're a guest here for "Dinner at Christina's," so pull up a chair to my table and enjoy!

19 comments:

sophia said...

Hee. Totally agree, Christina. Food is love. I mean, that's why mothers looooooooove feeding her kids, though it can be annoying at times. haha. That is so sweet that your Grammy loved your blog! I can't believe your brother, a CIA grad, was a PICKY eater....but then, I was one too!

Loved this post, Christina!

A@ Please Don't Eat Me! said...

i love this post!!! im not a "popular" blogger either.. but i like it enough to keep it going.. lol
but this is a good post christina!!! nicely said!!

you know.. me and you were like twins seperated at birth when it came to home life.. or maybe our grandmothers are long lost cousins.. LOL they are too much alike!!!

joy said...

I love this post - it is so you! And popular or not your blog is one of my faves!

Biz said...

Great entry!! It is completely from your heart, which I absolutely love!

mommy said...

I am SO proud of you! Your post has put tears in my eyes and a song in my heart!

Simply Life said...

Oh I love seeing all the family photos - what a great post!

Sippity Sup said...

Just checkin' out the competition. You look strong! Good Luck.

PS Concerning the 8x10 glossy, do I leave my mailing address here or do you already have it?

Eileen said...

Cute entry! Best Wishes!

Jenn@slim-shoppin said...

Great entry Christina!!! I love it.

And I loved the pictures of your grandmas too!

I'll vote for you!

Jessie said...

I love your story, Christina! Your family has obviously had a huge impact on your life, and every member is wonderful (that pic of your brother is too funny!). Your mom sounds like a superwoman - it's easy to see where you got it from :)

The Diva on a Diet said...

I just loved reading your entry, learning about your food history and seeing pictures of your wonderful family. What a smashing way to begin the contest. Good luck!!

And thanks for the dinner invitation too! ;)

Nate @ House of Annie said...

Hi, came over from Burp and Slurp. You got my vote! Cheers and aloha.

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Great post!!

sweet swallows said...

Found your blog through the voting site, and love your post! Definitely like your style of writing. Best of luck in the competition!

Beverley Ann said...

Love it! So agree with you that food is love. All the best.

Joyti said...

Aww, this is such a sweet entry.

Rachael said...

Love the family involvement - I think that our loved ones shape our memories of food and food rituals so much!

@lickmyspoon said...

I love this post. It's amazing to see your family and hear about how they influenced you. You got my vote :)

Jen Cheung said...

hey ya! you have a lovely blog here. Stumble upon your blog through foodbuzz. :) I voted for your blog. hope that helps. feel free to drop by!!


have a lovely weekend
jen @ www.passion4food.ca