First off, a big thank you to everyone for their tremendous support! The response for Take 5 With (#T5W for Twitter) has been phenomenal and I'm having troubles keeping up with e-mails and writing questions for the featured bloggers. We have a stellar line up from all over the world (including Australia and Britain!) and I'm really looking forward to how this series will progress.
Elle, like her blog name suggests, lives in New England with her husband, 4 kids and a zoo of pets. I found Elle's blog through Heather at Bodacious Girl (now he cooks, she cooks, we cook) and I was instantly captivated by her fun, easy-going writing style and her jovial personality on Twitter. Without further ado, I'm happy and honored to introduce our first #T5W food blogger...
1. So how do you manage a food blog with so many needy creatures running about the house?
- It's easier now that my youngest is
finally in school. I can actually form complete thoughts! I usually
take photos and write posts during the day while they're not home, but
when it's something for dinner I'm trying to photograph, it gets a
little tricky—especially now that it's dark so early. We have four
kids and four dogs running around—so it's a zoo!
2. What other city would you like to live in besides New England? I’m a Pats fan myself so I wouldn’t leave the city but if you had to…
- Yeah,
Pats! My husband and I have talked a lot about this. If we had to
move, our first choice would be North Conway, NH—in the White
Mountains. We've spent so much time there and we adore it. But for
city life? It would definitely be Boston, MA. We rarely stay in our
own city when we go out, and Boston is one of our favorite places to be.
3. How did you start food blogging?
- I was
inspired by one of my best friends, Nikki aka canarygirl.com. She'd
started hers before me, and I loved reading her posts and seeing her
photos. She was and still is extremely supportive. Also, my husband bought me a gorgeous new Nikon D40 at the time, and I had to figure out something to do with it besides chase the dogs and kids for photo-opps
4. What do you enjoy most about blogging?
- I love
trying new foods and brainstorming to come up with new recipes. It's
also fun to take photos of all of it, though as you all know, it can
extremely frustrating at the same time. It's an ongoing process and I
still have so much to learn. I've also met so many amazing people
because of my blog! The food blogging community is full of great
people, and they're all very supportive.
5. What do you enjoy least about blogging?
- Sometimes,
knowing that I have to get something completed for it, even though I'd
rather sit and be lazy. I can be lazy and procrastinate with the best
of them.
6. Besides your knife…what’s your favorite kitchen tool?
- That's a
tough one. My microplane zester changed my life and made it zestier!
My best kitchen secret weapon is a book. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a
Day. I can whip up gorgeously delicious bread in minutes. Fresh bread
makes everyone happy!
7. Favorite ingredient to work with? Least favorite?
- I love
working with garlic. It smells so good and I know it means good things
to come. Actually, I love the whole process of slicing and chopping
fresh ingredients.
Least favorite...raw meat (which we very rarely have now). It feels so cold and wet. Then I feel like I have to sterilize everything, hehe! Doesn't mean I don't still love the occasional cheeseburger!
8. Your drink of choice is…
- Freshly brewed iced tea with lemon and agave. I drink it all the time
9. A food or dish that describes you
- Oh
gosh...um...something sweet and spicy, I suppose. Because I'm very
sweet on the outside, but I have a real bite when you get past the
sweet exterior.
10. Favorite curse word? Don’t worry, the kids aren’t reading…(I think)
- It's a phrase I picked up from my friend, Claire. It goes so well, in so many places:
“For fuck's sake!”
One other--”Fuckers McCaw.” This came about a few years ago. My youngest couldn't say Squawkers McCaw without it sounding like Fuckers McCaw. And it stuck. Also? It's really fun to yell out!
11. Death row meal?
- Sushi!
12. Food that evokes the greatest childhood memory?
- My mom's chicken noodle soup, or her beef stew. Those take me right back to being a kid
13. Any food in particular you hate/won’t eat?
- Octopus and squid, and their yucky tentacles! Get them away from me!
14. One thing you’d ban from food blogs. Mine was flash photography…
- The
captcha codes when leaving a comment, even though I know why some
people use them. And auto-music! And the flashy, in your face,
cluttery ads. I don't mind a few ads—we all have to pay the bills--but
the ones with a dozen or so all stuck together. Especially the big
ones with the health issues like bad teeth or wrinkles. It takes away
from the food. Hmm, I guess that was more than one thing...
15. Any other hobbies besides food blogging?
- Reading. I also love sketching and painting with watercolors, but I haven't done it in so long. I'm terribly out of practice
16. Any big plans for Elle’s NE Kitchen in 2010?
- I
recently decided to cook my way through the book Vegan Yum Yum. Don't
worry, it's not one of those “I'll do it all in one year” things. One
recipe per week, and anyone that would like to join me and my minions...I mean... friends that are doing it with me is more then welcome
17. Favorite chef?
- Jacques
Pepin. I want him to be my neighbor so I can knock on his door every
day and say “What chef-type things can you teach me today, Jacques?” I
know he'd love it! Too stalker-ish? Nah...
18. And…just for the hell of it - Rachael Ray or Sandra Lee?
- Rachael Ray, of course! She uses real food, at least—and she has great ideas!
19. Go to meal for weeknights?
- Lately,
our favorite go to meal is a big salad. And I mean big. Greens and
spinach with whatever vegetables we feel like or have on hand. It's
easy, quick, and allows us to eat raw very easily, without a lot of
prep. Someday, I'll convince my kids that it's a good idea
20. Finally, anything you'd like to say to your readers?
- Thank you
so much for reading! And for coming back, even when I go a week or
more without a post. And for listening to me ramble, kind of like what
I'm doing right now...so I'll stop
A big thanks and web-hug to Elle for taking time out of her day to participate in T5W! As for the photos, the limes are an Elle's NE Kitchen trademark and yes folks - that's a Belichick hoodie that Elle's wearing!
6 comments:
Hey Sean! Thanks so much for asking me to be part of your #T5W series--it was a lot of fun!
a foodie scared of raw meat and squid/octopus??
Once again, I love this Take 5 thing.
And Joe: Hey, I'd like to say I'm a foodie, but I don't really like squid or octopus, either. I would eat them, but with a sour face.
Sophia, I don't like eggs, so I'm clearly the worst "foodie" of all :)
Loved this interview. What a fun series!
Elles is nuts and is paranoid
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