Blogging about Food and Loving it!

On Friday night (or was it Thursday?), I was taken aback for a moment when I spotted my little blog on the list of ‘Best Food Blog’ finalists for the MAD blog awards, alongside bloggers I read regularly and admire. I had to click on the link to check it was really leading to my blog and you know what? It was! Wow…

Over 8,000 blogs were nominated this year. 8,000! There is always a glimmer of hope your little blog will be listed up there with the ‘big fish’ and other bloggers you see as successful, but it seems unlikely… until it is there! Although I am not remotely competitive, I shall be revelling in these three minutes of recognition.

It feels like such a huge achievement to have a few people other than my mum (salut, Maman!) reading my ramblings. I am not after fame or success, but knowing other people have tried my recipes always gives me a boost, especially when they are recipes I specifically developed for my whole family, with my allergic little girl in mind.

Awards are not everything, far from that, but they give you a warm, fuzzy feeling of acceptance. Thanks to everyone who voted for me and enjoys my family recipes. Public vote will determine who the overall winner is. I would love it if you would consider voting for me today and helping my blog spread its wings even further, but I would also understand if you chose one of the other finalists, who are all fabulous cooks.

Emily is a top blogger whose food always looks stunning. Check those impossibly cute Easter egg chicks. Emily also hosts a popular link up, Recipe of the Week, and collaborates with less known bloggers (me included!) to bring the foodie community together.

My friend Sarah is one of the nicest people I have even met. She is funny, kind and this lady can bake! She broke the Internet with her scrumptious Creme Egg Cheesecake last year. It went viral and I would be surprised if you had not seen it!

I have been following Charlotte since she started her blog and I regularly try her recipes. Her blog has gone from strength to strength and has grown exponentially over the past couple of years. Charlotte takes photos any chef would be proud to have in their cookbooks. Did you know butterscotch sauce could look sexy?

Grace is the queen of cute lunch boxes and healthy food for little ones. My little monkeys would love it if I took the time to make them these incredibly cute cucumber and carrot coins. If you are looking to break the ‘cheese sandwiches with a biscuit and a piece of fruit’ habit when it comes to your children’s lunchboxes, have a look at Grace’s blog. You will be blown away!

Finally, Pip blogs from Devon about losing her baby weight. She adapts recipes to make them healthier. I discovered her blog through the list of finalists and I am looking forward to following her adventures! That is the beauty of these awards: you get to know blogs you had not come across before and I love a new read!

To celebrate the news of my being a finalist among those epic bloggers, I decided to go through my recent successes and popular recipes. Here are our absolute favourites:

I make this no-knead, no-faff bread at least once or twice a week. It is incredibly delicious, light and fluffy and only requires 3 ingredients and tap water! You will not want to go back to shop-bought bread after that!

The next three recipes are usually our mid-week dinners or made quickly for impromptu visits from friends as they take very little time to prep yet they are delicious and the whole family loves them:

Chorizo Pasta

Thai-Style Chicken

Carrot, Parsnip & Ginger Soup

A week rarely goes by without us having those moreish yet healthy (well, healthier than the ones you get in the shops) cereal bars. I dare you not to eat the whole batch in a day!

This easy peasy strawberry ice cream is yummy and it is my most popular recipe at the moment.

As for my little ones, their favourites at the moment are Petit Filous Ice Pops.

I have quite a few pancake recipes on the blog (addicted, moi?), but the children’s favourite treat by far on a Sunday morning is this free from recipe.

Remember, you can vote for your favourite finalists here. Merci beaucoup!