This week has been one full of surprises. Not only was my recipe for Hazelnut Oreo Ice Cream featured on BlogHer.com, but also I have had some amazing feedback from many people, including Jessica, who is a customer service rep for Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP. She gave me a great idea for a future recipe, when she suggested that her mother uses BOOMCHICKAPOP Lightly Sweet Kettle Corn to make popcorn bread. Let’s just hope that the next recipe goes a whole lot smoother than the Boom Chicka Popcorn Brownies that I made last week. I’ve also been keeping pretty busy this week looking into avenues to promote and grow Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck. It’s not that I don’t enjoy each and every one of you, however, in the future I am looking forward to reaching more people with my recipes, sarcastic thoughts, and overall crazy and sometimes completely abnormal view of the world. Not to mention that I think the universe could really benefit from hearing some of my crazy psycho Brenna stories. I’ll be telling you more about my endeavor towards the growth of my blog in the future, because quite frankly I suck at this whole computer thing, and it takes me a heck of a lot longer than the average bear to wrap things up in a neat little package.
For today, I thought it would be nice to promote someone else, and to perhaps help them to grow their blog. This is a surprise folks; she has no idea I’m doing this. For over a year now I have developed a wonderful online friendship with Debbie of The Mountain Kitchen. I have never told her this, but even B.O.B. Bob knows her name by heart, from hearing me talk about her posts, and reading the comments that she places on both my blog and Facebook page. Her maiden name just so happens to be the same as B.O.B. Bob’s, so that may help him remember her even more, but seriously I feel like I talk to him about her recipes and mountain fairly often, considering I’ve never met the lady, her husband, or her sweet little kitty His Royal Highness in person. Anyone who writes a blog realizes real fast how hard it is to get followers. It’s easy for your friends to read a post every once and awhile when they are bored, or perhaps when one of your posts catches their fancy, but for the most part you can write what you think is the most amazing post ever and it will be almost completely ignored. We can’t all be the Martha Stewart, Pioneer Woman, or Barefoot Contessa’s of the world, but it would be nice to even come a little bit close. So Debbie, today’s Thursday Thirteen is all about you, and the blog posts that have captured my attention and inspired me to get into the kitchen.
1
First of all, I think Debbie and her husband David are the kind of people anyone could sit down and have a drink with, whether it be a beer, wine, or a kick-ass cocktail. We’ll make it happen one day, that’s a promise.
2
This is what real food bloggers do. They eat popcorn for dinner sometimes, because no matter what you believe, they are not Giada De Laurentiis. There are days when cooking is the last thing on this God forsaken Earth that they want to contemplate doing. Sorry to ruin your inaccurate vision of us, but that’s how it is folks.
3
Hello. Holidays need to be celebrated, and guess what? They are even better when celebrated with food. Brunch is love folks.
4
Unfortunately there are some things Debbie and I have in common. We both have “issues” with yeast when baking. One day we will make yeast bow before us, but who knows when that day will be.
5
David’s Man Crate Grilling Essentials
I love, love, love how Debbie’s husband David gets into the cooking with her. What man doesn’t love to “man” the grill? By the way, the fact that one of his grilling essentials is beer makes me love, love, love him even more.
6
All this coming from two people who hate sweet peas…Chicken with Chorizo and Rice
It’s easy to bond over the loathing of a mutually hated vegetable. I am just about over my hate of peas…but I don’t think I can come close to saying the same thing for lima beans.
7
Food Fact Friday – Beets: Nature’s Viagra?!?!
You never know what Food Fact Friday is going to bring. This weekly feature never fails to enlighten the reader about a food product, its history, its many uses, and of course several random miscellaneous facts that will come in handy one day as small talk at a boring party or gathering.
8
I just can’t get enough of Ashes, AKA Atchee, AKA His Royal Highness. He’s just such a handsome devil, and as an added bonus he knows how to use a crock-pot without burning the house down.
9
Adult Mac and Cheese with Bacon
There is nothing that brings two people together more than the bond they share over bacon. Seriously. Bacon could solve so many of the world’s problems.
10
Sun Dried Tomato Crusted Chicken with Sunny Butter Sauce
Instagram can be so cruel sometimes, making you drool with hunger at someone else’s pictures of food porn. Debbie’s Instagram account never fails to live up to expectations. Every once and awhile, if you are lucky, you’ll even get to view a sweet picture of His Royal Highness.
11
STRAW-BERRY (pause) SIR-PRIZEEEEE!
Although Debbie is not a huge baker, she somehow makes me crave whatever she is baking when she finally gets around to doing it.
12
Debbie features Kitchen Tip Tuesday every week, and it is always nice to see what the next feature will be. This post led me to comment to her that her and I would make the most excellent travel companions. We’d be searching out every gourmet food store or restaurant within a block of our location, and most likely B.O.B Bob and David would be right behind us in our search.
13
He Calls Me The “Blonde Italian”
Thank you Debbie for making me feel like I am not alone in this whole blogging thing. Perhaps we have formed a connection because of our country roots, pet preference, or most likely our love for everything food. Brenna, B.O.B. Bob, and I wish The Mountain Kitchen a future filled with Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck.
