I'm smitten

Hello fellow blog snoopers. IF you’re reading this, you must still be snooping my blog! Thanks! :)


My blogging has been on hiatus for absolutely no good reason. When I started blogging, it was mostly because I LOVED reading everyone else’s blog so much. Never in a million years did I realize how much work actually went into each post…SHEESH. So to all you bloggers out there who blog regularly…KUDOS to you.

If you took a look at my blog roll, about 75% of my subscriptions are to food blogs. I usually browse through my subscriptions before I get out of bed each morning. On my way to work*, I re-read any posts that perk my interest and tag them if I plan to make the recipe sometime in the near future. Then by the time I get to work and before my computer is even powered up my stomach is roaring like THUNDER. I immediately eat anything I can find to make the noises stop...thus my expanding waistline!

Anywho, last week a post from Smitten Kitchen caught my eye. It was for vanilla pudding. I’m not really a fan of pudding and usually don’t like things that are too vanilla flavored…but for some reason I wanted to give it a try and I’m sure glad I did. It was DELICIOUS! :) Smitten Kitchen is a bonafide home cook and blogging superstar. She’s ambitious with the recipes she’ll try and after reading a few of her posts you’ll be pretty smitten with her…trust me!

Check out a picture of Smitten Kitchen’s (SK) vanilla pudding...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smitten/5332873457/in/photostream/

 and here’s my version. Fancy huh?!

A few tips if you’re going to try this recipe:

- SK suggests you put the vanilla bean in the simmering milk if you want a more intense vanilla flavor. I say…make it a requirement. The extra vanilla kick isn’t overwhelming but its definitely life changing! AND vanilla bean is freaking expensive ($6 for 1 stick at Whole Foods) so get your money’s worth and don’t waste ANY of it!

- Don’t take your eyes off the simmering milk. I turned my back for one millisecond and before I knew it my precious (and expensive) vanilla milk was bubbling over! It was a serious tragedy but I only lost about ¼ of cup of milk so not all was lost.

- Eat it that same day. With each day that passed, it was less delicious than the day before (sad face).

Blog snooper signing out. I promise to be back soon!

*I’m a responsible blog snooper…I only read posts while I’m waiting at a red light…I promise

not a lame GIVEAWAY

Hi folks...

Blogsnooper here checking in to start her very first not-lame GIVEAWAY!
As I mentioned earlier, I’m giving away 2 terrariums!

Aren’t they so cute?! The one on the left is named Min (b/c its sort of prickly looking and Min sort of has a prickly personality) and the one on the right is named Janice (b/c its beautiful and perfect and Janice is sort of beautiful and perfect)! :) hehe…j/k.

I named them Min and Janice because Easter Ahn Lee names her Jewelry after people she likes..so I copied her and named one Min (my favorite person) and since Min and I come in a pair…I named the other one Janice!!!

Now onto the important details: To enter, answer the following question correctly in the comments section of this blog: What is the name of the blog I read that inspired me to make a terrarium in the first place?

Make sure to indicate which terrarium you would prefer: Min or Janice. If both winners choose the same terrarium…I will give the winners the one I feel like giving them regardless of their preference. hmmm…maybe I’m the one with the prickly personality! Oh well.

Of the respondents that answer correctly, I will draw your names out of a hat! Please read rules and disclaimers below!

Blogsnooper rules and disclaimers:
1. I will not ship these terrariums, so either I need to be able to get to you or you need to figure out a way to get to me.
2. If they die, sorry.
3. If they live, please tell me how you kept them alive…b/c mine always seem to die.
4. Enjoy them…or else! OR else, I will ban you from reading my blog.

FREE! FREE! FREE!

Did that catch your attention? :) Blogs often host contests and giveaways as a way to attract scavenger blog readers…like me! I’m such a sucker for contests and giveaways on blogs. If you’ve ever heard of thepioneerwoman, she’s gives away some serious loot (Kitchenaid Mixers, LeCreuset Pots and Digital SLR's). I enter every time and am honestly disappointed when I don’t win…even though there are usually over 20,000 readers that enter.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are blogs that have contests and giveaways that are seriously lame! I was a recent recipient of a really really really lame prize. The OC Weekly has a restaurant blog called ‘stick a fork in it’ and about once a week they have contest called ‘guess where I ate'. The blogger takes a picture of his meal and the first person to guess where he’s eating wins a prize. I was THRILLED when I found out that I had won last week contest! He was eating a Papa’s portabella mushroom burger at the Veggie Grill. I eat there all the time...mostly because I secretly wish I could be a vegetarian. Unfortunately, I love meat and don’t feel bad eating animals…but let’s save that for another blog post.

Anywho, I get an email requesting my name/address and informing me that I can expect my prize in the mail. It arrives! I rip open the envelope, expecting a gift certificate to a restaurant..but which one!!! Honestly, I would have been thrilled with any sort of restaurant gift certificate…McDonald’s, In-n-out, chick-fil-a, Maggiano’s, Maestro’s! yumm!

Instead…lucky me wins 2 guest passes to the Orange County Museum. Wha?! This is a food blog, with a food contest and what do I win? Museum tickets! I have to admit, I was disappointed to the max.

I, on the other hand, will NOT disappoint my readers with a lame giveaway! :) So I’m giving away 2 succulent terrariums!!! It’s part of my terrarium makeover, so hold tight…contest will begin Wednesday morning. And if you're REALLY lucky... your terrarium will include 2 free guest passes to the OC Museum of Art!

Controversy

I’ve noticed that a quick way to rise up to blog stardom is to blog about something REALLY controversial!


Controversial posts spread like wildfire in the blogging community and can catapult you into the upper echelons of blog royalty!!

Case #1: Dooce.com

She started out just like you and me. Blogging about life, which in her case was about how severely she hated her job and people she worked with. Sounds pretty harmless, right? Well…turns out, her lack of filtering any sort of thought or opinion made her really interesting. Maybe a little too interesting, her blog started to spread amongst family, friends, strangers and unfortunately to co-workers.

As a result, she was fired from her job. Now, she’s a famous blogger and coined the word dooced.

She continues to be controversial which remains a large part of her appeal.

Case #2: I am Baker

Rainbow pancakes. Yup…you heard me right…this blogger became controversial over rainbow pancakes. I’ve linked her blog before (much of my cake making inspiration came from her), she’s talented and eventually would become really popular...I'm sure. However, she got a HUGE boost into stardom over these pancakes. Some praised her for her creativity while others accused her for poisoning her kids with artificial colors and flavors!

Point is…I plan on being controversial! Not sure exactly how…it’s just a matter of time.

Maybe I’ll post my family’s famous recipe for puppy stew. =)

But I may need a bigger pot for that!

One tiny little distraction…

Long long time ago, when I first started to blog =) … the web was my oyster. All I wanted to do was blog all day long and continue to be a serial blog snooper!

Then a tiny little distraction crept up on me and made blogging just an afterthought! Yikes!

Let me introduce to you my new niece Megan!

Because of her…my web browsing has been limited to googling the best diaper bags, strollers, crib sheets, pacifiers, and anything to do with babies! Luckily my sister has benefited because I bestow all of my newfound knowledge onto her. She LOVES when I give her baby advice, especially since I don’t have a baby!

I read Megan a few blog entries and she LOVED them! Then I told her that I haven’t been blogging much lately b/c of her and she wasn’t too happy!

So let the blogging frenzy continue! Onward Ho!

Small Stump + Studio Choo: Terrarium Take 2

Awhile ago, I made a succulent terrarium. The main reason I chose to build one is because they’re supposed to be pretty self sustaining, and they require minimal maintenance…if any! Considering that I have a pretty brown thumb, I thought this project would be perfect for me!!


Here’s a picture of what it looked like when I first built it. (Most of it is alive!)

And here’s picture of it now. (Most of it is dead)

Considering, I haven’t watered it in about 3 months…it’s not doing too bad!

I got my idea to build one after reading the Small Stump and Studio Choo blog. They’re a small flower shop owned by best friends in the San Francisco area.

The reason I love them so much is because they make flower arrangements that look like this…

And they have a dog that looks that that…

Now, you must know that I’m partial to anyone who owns a Chihuahua. Everyone knows that they are the most superior dog breed in all of existence!!! Also, don't you love how natural and crafty their arrangements look?

Sometime in the near future, I plan to give my terrarium some TLC and will post pictures later of its mini makeover and the grand reveal!

How about that?!

My eyes perked up this morning when I saw How About Orange's blog post...how about that?! Hmmm...I wonder how she came across that calliope cake? :)