So. Here’s the deal.

I started this blog well over a year ago (I totally missed my ‘blogaversary’ back in June or July.)   I started at the time when I had been gaining success in losing weight and was reading a ton of healthy living blogs.  I kept thinking “Hey.  I can do that.” and then finally my sister Jen gave me a push.

I still read most of those blogs today – and some of them are the more popular blogs that get mentioned in Marie Claire articles.  I will fully admit here that I was – and still am – fascinated by this phenomenon wherein you can – for all intents and purposes – blog for a living.   I don’t think I’ll get there ever but there are days where I think that would not be too shabby.

My current job has evolved into something that is very, very different from my old days of event planning where half my day was spent planning menus and thinking about table cloths.   I liked that part of my job a great deal and I miss it.

I participated in NaNoWriMo a few years back and realized I have a love for writing (well – I always knew it – but never thought about seriously doing it as a means to support myself).    I now have a 50,000 word mish mosh of a story collecting dust on my hard drive.

Here’s what I know about myself.

1) I like to cook.  I’m pretty darn good at it.

2) I like to write.  I’m pretty good at that too.

3) I like to take pictures.  I want to get better at it.

4) I get REALLY excited about food.  I was reading Food & Wine yesterday and I literally wanted to jump in and live in the pages.  I wanted to make every single thing I saw.

5) I don’t want to go to formal culinary school.  I want to learn some techniques but I have no desire to be yelled at by a French guy while making sauces for a week straight.

6) I think my day to day antics are mildly amusing and some of you seem to agree.

7) I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.  Foodbuzz is generous to give me pocket change in exchange for the ads on this blog.  Their Tastemaker program just provided me with the Oatmeal bread I made a cheese sandwich with for lunch.  I like that.  I like having a community of other foodies.

8) I like you guys.  Some of you know me in real life – others I just met here.  Some of you never comment – some of you do.  One of you is my boyfriend who likes to comment here, tell me he commented here, and then bug me when I don’t update.  But he has a much bigger kitchen than me and children I can engage into slave labor while cooking so I think it evens out in the end.

I do know, however, that me taking pictures of every bite I eat isn’t feasible – nor do I think it’s very interesting.  I need some sort of plan.  I was thinking of going to a model similar to my buddy Shan at Daily Pie where she has a theme post a day (and two days off a week).

I need two days off I think.  Sometimes I might not take it but it would be good to know I could skip a day here and there.

I’m feeling pressure (I’m looking at you Melissa) :) to keep up the pace and though I am willing to cut myself some major slack due to some traumatic events in my life recently I’m not as gung ho as I once was.  But I do enjoy blogging. A lot.  I miss it when I don’t post.  I want to be excited about it again and I want to post things that are more meaningful than me showing you a peanut butter sandwich every morning.

Soooooooooooooooooo.

I am thinking of something like the following – in no particular order.

1 day featuring a recipe – whether mine, my dad’s or my attempt from one of my many cookbooks

1 day a “what I ate” post with pictures

1 day about diet and or exercise

1 day a restaurant review or a look at any industry events I plan

1 day of me just babbling about wearing designer jeans in the 80s, Reality TV or something else inane.

I’d really love to know what you think.  What about this blog what do you like?  What do you wish I did more of?   I don’t ever expect to get rich here – I’m not going to open a store or appear on the Food Network any time soon but I’d like to use this place as a way to focus my culinary aspirations and give them some sort of purpose.  Whether that manifests itself in a new career, a little freelance writing or something all together different I do not know but this is what I’m aiming for.

Don’t be shy.  We’re all friends here.  I’ll even pick a comment at random and send you something chocolate.

Dave – you’re disqualified from that part of this post as you still have the truffles Mora and I made in Ziploc containers in your fridge.