Liebster Award 2016

Hey everyone! Awesome news: I just got nominated for my first blogging award! You read correctly, a BLOGGING AWARD! I was nominated by Sarah of Pastries in Progress for the Liebster Award and this lady is awesome! If you are in need of some baking tips and amazingly delicious recipes, head on over to her blog at pastriesinprogress.com, also like her Instagram @pastriesinprogress; you can thank me later!

Now the thing about this award is that it’s awarded to newly set out bloggers who have been only doing this crazy adventure for less than 2 years and have less than 1,000 subscribers. Definitely a fantastic way to get out there and discover some hidden gems lurking on the internet; let’s face it… Blogging is WHOLE big world and each blogger really is only a small fish in a big pond. And it goes to show that there are people out there who aren’t afraid to network and befriend us who are just starting out and trying to get the hang of things while balancing everything else in our lives. It really is super competitive out in the blogging world but it’s nominations like this that give me hope that I can do this blogging adventure and reach people all over the country… and may I dare say, world *gasp!*

Let me give you a little dish behind Sarah and her blog; this girl grew up like everybody else with a mom and grandma who loved to bake! She’s taken her childhood memories and turned it into this lovely dessert blog! She and I might just have to team up some day since we all know my very limited ability to do desserts. May I suggest trying out her Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip recipe? So thank you Sarah for the nomination! Much love atcha (honestly, please go look at her blog!)

Rules of Engagement for the Liebster Awards 2016

1. Thank the blog that nominated you on a post in your blog.
2. Answer the questions asked by the blog that nominated you
3. Nominate 5-11 new bloggers
4. Create 11 new questions for the nominees to answer
5. Notify all nominees via social media

Here are the questions Sarah asked:

1. Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging as a way to try to supply income so I could stay at home with my little. With me being only 2 months into it, nothing has quite happened yet as far as monetization goes but I am still learning all the ropes and hope to see the fruits of my labors soon! Also, I love food and I love teaching people about cooking… So it’s the best of both worlds!

2. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

My favorite thing would have to be that my blog is anything I want it to be about; I can choose what topics I talk about (with the help of friends and family to see what home cooks want to learn). I love that I can talk about what I love to do (cooking) and that I can share what I know with those who don’t know what I do.

3. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?

I would totally fly! Which is so funny because I’m not a fan of heights but I guess with my ability to fly, I would somehow feel secure about not falling to my death because I would be awesome and can fly!

4. Who is your blogging idol?

My blogging idol would have to be Joanie Simon. She is a fellow blogger here in AZ and basically does what I want to do! She gets to have sneak peaks at restaurants new dishes and gets to go to awesome food festivals (I’ve never been because I’ve always had to work during those times), and she gets to talk to some awesome chefs here in Phoenix. I would love to meet up with her and pick her brain about how she does it!

5. Where is your dream vacation spot?

So in the past, I would have answered that Hawaii would be my dream vacation spot… However, my husband and I were so blessed to be able to go to Oahu last summer for a week and it was AHmazing! Cute tidbit about that trip: I was 7 weeks pregnant when we went so there were some people who happened to figure it out because of crazy pregnancy symptoms before we were going to tell our family. We had found out like 2 weeks before our trip that we were going to be having a baby!

6. If you could only eat one food for a year, what would it be and why?

I have to be careful about how I answer this one… I had to kinda do this for about a month once in college with oatmeal… It’s been 7 years and I still can’t eat oatmeal. But this is fantasy soooo… I would have to say peaches! Like super ripe and juicy beautiful peaches! Schnepf Farms out in Queen Creek grows ahhhhhhmazing peaches! I cooked a dinner there once and they let me pick peaches off of the trees while I was cooking. I was in heaven to say the least.

7. If someone had to read just one of your posts, which one would it be?

Oh this one is hard… It truly is a toss-up between Embrace New Ingredients and How To Change Your Cooking With the Seasons. Those two posts are pretty much the heart and soul of why I do what I do and why I love the culinary world so much! I can’t pick (please don’t make me do it!)

8. If you could have one uninterrupted day to yourself, how would you spend it?

This is a doozy too!!! (Good questions Sarah!) As a new mom of a 10 day old baby, it’s really tempting to say a day of sleep but really adrenaline is a marvelous thing. I also am tempted to say that I would love to spend all day with just him so we could get to know each other more and more. He’s such a precious little one and such an easy baby! I love him to pieces! However… this question did say by myself so I would love to start out my day with a delicious French toast breakfast with a fresh strawberry compote and fresh vanilla whip cream and orange juice on the side. Then I would make gnocchi once I got ready for the day. After that, I would walk a sandy beach and get some sun. Then take a nap, have a beautiful seafood dinner, take a luxurious bubble bath (with legit, long lasting bubbles), wrap up in a nice robe, do some reading and then go to sleep in a plush bed with the sound of crashing waves coming in through the window… That sounds nice.

9. How did you pick your blogs name?

For those of you who have read my About Me page, you already know the answer. For those of you who haven’t, here is the jist. I had started to really get into Instagram with my personal account and started to use the hashtag #ijustmakesandwiches with my work food posts just a funny way of saying that I make more than just sandwiches at work. I would say this phrase at work as a way to answer servers questions about the happenings within the kitchen meaning that I was only being paid to make sandwiches (the station I was working at the time) and not really to know the drama of management. I chose to name my blog this because I had noticed that by saying this I was down playing the knowledge I did have as far as food went and my talents and decided that this jest would be my way of helping home cooks feel like they could make more than just sandwiches, that with my help, they could make restaurant quality meals at home! And that’s how that came to be.

10. What is your guilty pleasure?

Hands down, Kraft Mac and Cheese… People look at me really weird and say “Marlee, you work in high end kitchens! What are you doing eating boxed mac and cheese?!” That’s just how I am… I love it and will eat it until the day I die!

11. What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement up until 10 days ago I would have said being picked to be on a competition team in culinary school to go to Austria! But now I would have to say it would be becoming a mom… my labor was long and hard and ended up with an emergency C-section but the whole 28-hour process was a true test of my mental and physical strength. I am amazed at what the human mind and body can do when they work together. Absolutely amazing.

Here are my nominees; drum roll please:

• Amy of Lola Chef
• Samantha of The Green and Clean Girl Blog
• Tiffany of A Wandering Vine
• Whitney of Love 2 Little Monkeys
• Vanessa of Like Mother Like Daughter

My 11 questions to pass on:

1. What brings you the greatest joy in life?
2. What is the most memorable meal you have ever had?
3. If you could live in any time period, when would that be and why?
4. How did you start blogging? What inspired you to start?
5. How did you come up with the name of your blog?
6. What is one valuable lesson you’ve learned in life that you wish to share with others?
7. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
8. What is your ideal lounge wear (PG ya’ll)?
9. Who is your lifetime hero and what would be one question you want to ask them?
10. How do you hope to inspire your readers through your blog?
11. If you could go anywhere in the world, what would be one place you would visit and why?

I am excited to learn more about all of you! Remember to tag me when you post (so I can read!) and nominate other fantastic bloggers who are just starting out! Congrats everyone!