Tag.... you're it! Twice!

Kooky Girl from Always Tri-ing My Best  and Elisabeth from food and thrift finds both tagged me in this fun "get to know more about me" game that is making the rounds on a lot of blogs. I figured you all might enjoy "learning" a bit more about me. Since I'm supposed to be tagging 8 bloggers as well, this is a great way to find out about some other great blogs you may have not been aware of!

First up Kooky Girl's question for me:

1) What do you most enjoy about blogging ?

The part I enjoy most is probably the whole process of cooking or baking something and see it take shape. The kitchen is almost like my sanctuary, the place I can go to when I need to clear my head by doing something that requires my whole attention. But a close second is certainly meeting so many incredibly nice people.

2) What is your personal achievement or moment that sticks in your mind and why ?

Without a doubt giving birth to my 3 children. They are, and always will be, my greatest personal achievement!

3) What is your favorite party drink ?

Margarita's baby, but a nice Cosmo will work as well!

4) If you could go on holiday tomorrow, where would you go ?

I'd like to say Germany, but since it is cold and rainy there according to my mom and sisters, I think I would probably pick Australia since it is spring there right now.

5) What is the most unusual ingredient in your store cupboard right now ?

Hmmm, not really that unusual but I do have a bottle of Prickly Pear Jam in there.

6) What do you do in your 'free' time ?

What free time? Seriously, three kids, two dogs, a blog, friends, etc. etc. and you get the picture, but if I do get a minute I like to go out for a nice dinner with my husband to re-connect.

7) What is the name of the last restaurant you went to ?

House of Tricks with our amazing friends Sharon and Steve! One of the best meals of all-time!

8) What is your favorite style of cooking to eat out (rather than cook yourself) ?

That's pretty easy to answer: Sushi!!! I love sushi and I don't think I would ever try making my own in a million years. 

 And here are Elisabeth's questions for me:

1) What is your all time favorite comfort food?

That's tough since I like so many different things that are comforting, but if I had to chose one single thing, it would be my mom's creamed potatoes with boiled beef and her homemade dill pickles. I've never attempted to cook it myself and always request it when I visit Germany. No one can make it the way she does!


2) What kind of foods did you take to school, for lunch? (any grade)

We didn't usually have lunch at school in Germany, it was eaten at home. We did have a couple of breaks in the morning, but they were only about 15 minutes long. My standard lunch was a broetchen (like a Kaiser roll) or a sandwich (made with a sturdy rye bread) with butter and some kind of a lunch meat. That and an apple was usually my mid-morning snack!


3) What is your favorite all time cooking show on T.V... past or present...and why?

Again a tough one! I love Tyler Florence, so probably "Tyler's Ultimate". I love watching him take an ordinary dish and transforming it into something extraordinary!

4) Which  celebrity, famous person, or famous chef,  would yo invite to your next holiday party in  your home, and why?

I would love to have dinner with Tyler Florence. He seems like a real down to earth guy that would enjoy a nice homemade meal.

5) Which  holiday you love the most?

Christmas without a doubt! I love shopping for my family and enjoy the whole season that comes along with it, from the baking and cooking, to the decorating. To me there is nothing better than enjoying the season with my loved ones. The kids look forward to certain cookies and dishes all year and I try to make it extra special by incorporating my German customs. It makes the kids feel special and I hope all of this creates the best of memories for them!


6) If you won an all expense paid trip for ten days to the choice of the official Top 3 wine regions  which of the 3 would you pick?  1.) Bordeaux, France, 2.) Tuscany Italy, or Napa Valley, California  (these are in their actual order on the top 10 favorites)

If I could chose right now it would probably be Tuscany, but only if I could take my husband.


7) What kind of food you absolutely hated, growing up, as a young child, or teenager.

Funny question, but I absolutely hated raw tomatoes! I think I was a young adult before I started eating them.


8) What was the most dreaded dish that you prepared and said you would never prepare it again?

Very early on in our marriage I made some deviled crab dish from a recipe on the back of imitation crab meat package and it was probably the most disgusting thing ever. I ended up tossing it. 

I'm tagging the following bloggers which may or may not have been tagged yet, but are worth checking out either way:


Modern Wench
Betty Crapper
Sage Trifle
scrambled hen fruit
Sugar High
Foodiddy
My Kitchen in the Rockies
Stirring the Pot


And here are my 8 questions I'm tagging you all with:


1) What is your favorite kitchen tool to use?
2) What is your all-time favorite dessert?
3) What cooking show would you love to be part of?
4) If you could travel to any country just for the food, which one would it be?
5) Is there a food you can't stomach, no matter how often you've tried it?
6) What is your most treasured recipe?
7) What is your best kitchen tip?
8) With the holiday's approaching, tell us about a food you must have on either your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table!