I am exited to announce that I will be participating in the Project Food Blog competition on Foodbuzz. This post is designed specifically in response to the first challenge where the goal is to describe "what defines you as a food blogger and makes it clear why you think you have what it takes to be the next food blog star". The voting will be open on Monday, September 20th!
Food is my art medium, and I love to express myself through creating artistic presentations and new and unique recipes. I love to combining simple ingredients in a complex way to make something new and exciting.
A perfect example of self-expression that defines me as a blogger is Persephone's Tears. It is a fun, unique, creative, and mysterious dish inspired by my love of history, culture, and literature. It is simple, consisting of only two ingredients, yet the resulting creation is complex, due to utilizing a modern technique based on molecular gastronomy.
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My blog, 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures, is quite eclectic. I started my website originally as a place to keep track of my mission to eat at all of the restaurants in United States rated 5 Stars by Forbes Travel Guide (formerly Mobil Travel Guide). This is a long-term mission, and I now have eaten at twelve out of current twenty-one restaurants. I report detailed reviews with accompanying pictures of my dining experiences in the 5 star restaurants as well as other culinary destinations, including Michelin-rated restaurants in Europe.
At Le Cinq.
My fine dining adventures always inspire me to create new gourmet recipes at home. Sharing my 5 star-style recipes has become the primary focus of my blog, showing to my readers that fancy food can be deconstructed to make simply at home. Easy and quick yet elegant dishes with simple ingredients in unique combinations of resulting complex textures and flavors are some of the most popular posts on my blog.
I lead the popular 5 Star Makeover event where I invite my fellow bloggers to re-create classics with a unique twist. These successful events included makeovers of mac & cheese, pasta, smoothies, and a special Summer'10 makeover event that just concluded last week.
Morel Fettuccine with Spinach Ribbons and Crispy Shallots
I enjoy exploring recipes from cuisines all over the world. Having just spent a long summer vacation in Europe, I am now making recipes from the countries I visited, starting with Greece. Some recipes are my versions of classics such as Cretan Dakos.
Others are based on my unique dining experiences, such as Caramel flavored Cold Chocolate.
I also enjoy putting my own twists on the classics, such as Greek Pound Cake with Metaxa or infuse the classic flavors into a different dish, such as Savory Scones with Feta, Kalamata Olives, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
I love to seek out and experiment with new unique ingredients. Horned Melon Yogurt Mousse, Whipped Goat Cheese Boniatos, Coconut Crusted Monkfish with Ghost Chile Cream Sauce, and Fennel Pollen Pot de Creme are just a few of the fun creations that I've made this year.
Local and seasonal ingredients are also important in my cooking. In August, I visited a new local Farmers' Market in our area that supports local small farms and sustainable agriculture and educating the local families about real food. I captured our Farmers' Market tour and lunch in a video. I really enjoyed putting together my first culinary video and am looking forward to doing more videos showcasing my step-by-step recipes.
Since starting my blog, I have been making many different desserts including all kinds of baked goodies. I am now very comfortable with baking and have created many of my own unique recipes. For example, our family's favorite new dessert is the fabulous Apple Fennel Pollen Cake that I created this spring.
What makes me the next food blog star? With my 5 Star restaurant reviews, unique perspective on easy gourmet meals, recipes inspired by many cultures of the world, focus on discovering new ingredients, and my new found passion for creating delicious desserts and making videos, I am definitely ready to meet and excel in all the challenges of the blogging world and the Project Food Blog competition.
