Sunday, December 6, 2009

An Award, Gulp.


I originally started my blog to support my Interactive Dinner Party business. Basically I appear at the hostess's house with recipe booklets for each guest, food and assorted kitchen flotsam. I divide all the guests into teams and each prepares a different course. While they drink wine and cook I watch over everyone like a mother hen. I demo knife skills, roll out pastry, or just tell stories about cooking adventures. At the end we all sit down, eat, drink more wine and talk until the wee hours. 

Inevitably someone would decide to recreate a dish from the menu, having misplaced the recipe they would ask me for a copy. After e-mailing countless  recipes a friend suggested I put them all on a website. What started out as Pamela Dockery Food ended up as The Gypsy Chef and I am happier than I've ever been sharing cooking ideas, disasters, and adventures. 

Blogging has introduced me to many new skills. Writing, photography and cooking are all now interactive activities in my life. I drive my kids and friends crazy snapping pics of them eating, talking and cooking. I record our lives so that we are able to revisit events. My daughter's A 17 Layer Cake Fit for a Princess  is still my favorite blog. And the pic of her behind the cake can still make me tear up.


I have others I haven't even published yet, as I am sure you do also. But rest assured they will appear all in good time. 

I have favorite blogs I follow, looking though a window into the author's lives. I have visited some of the most beautiful places, eaten the most delicious food and met so many interesting people and all on your blogs. My life has been enriched by my experiences of the past year and a half.
That said, one of my favorite blogs nominated me for the Honest Scrap Award. Thank you Kate at Serendipity!

 There are rules to receiving this award;
  1. Post the award on your blog. Present this award to seven others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.
  2. Tell those seven people they’ve been awarded HONEST SCRAP, inform them of these guidelines, and ask that they link back to you.
  3. Share “Ten Honest Things” about yourself.
First of all I will award this Honest Scrap Badge to these fabulous blogs:

Estelle in New York City

The Healthy Plate

Once in a Blue Moon
La Table de Nana


Now for 10 things about myself;
1. I am always busy. I take on more than I can possibly do, then I scurry around until I complete it.
2. I love being a flight attendant, because I enjoy being on the go and have unabated wander lust. So no matter how bad the job becomes, I will continue to fly. Period the end.

3. I adore a french pedicure, but am too lazy to do it myself. So I indulge at the nail salon    every chance I get.
4. I study French rabidly than I get side tracked and have to begin again. This is a repeated behavior for me.
5. I have a MacBook, It's one of the best investments I ever made. 
6. I am back in school finishing my BA.
7. I attended the Culinary Institute of America when there were only 4-6 women in every class of 60 men.

8. Every Christmas I make a gingerbread house with my kids. We've made castles, thatched roof cottages, half timbered houses and a haunted house. 
9. I'm an avid knitter.


10. Last but not least, I have about over 200 cookbooks. I guess you could say I've never met a cookbook I didn't need!
I am the luckiest woman in the world.

So tag, your it!


All text and pictures are sole property of The Gypsy Chef


8 comments:

  1. What an incredible honor to be included on your list. It keeps me working harder to know that someone out there enjoys my baking and photos. What's more impressive though is the way in which you bring people together around food while helping them improve their skills. And then of course there's your chocolate making...too tempting for words!

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  2. oh how fun to catch up with again, its like you have been in a black out and then there was light! blogger is aware of the problem, i hope they get you updating again soon...

    loved reading your 10 tidbits too~

    congrats on your award thank you so much for sharing too, how sweet!

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  3. Thanks a lot Pam, I am truly honored :-)
    I love your food, your pics, your writing, your stories and your style....
    Waiting to get together, cook, chat, share....soon hopefully :-)
    Love to you et grosses bises

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  4. Congratulations! You deserve it. I love your blog. Your food of course always looks amazing, but mostly I love reading little snippets of your very interesting life! how do you do it all? I'm so glad you decided to document your cooking and life here, it's very fun to read about.

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  5. What you say about the generosity of spirit in the blog community is so true. I am new to this but I already feel the encouragement and support of wonderful souls like you.... it's great to find kindred spirits and to learn so much! I love clicking on other's favorite blogs and finding new sites!
    We should have blog get togethers in NYC!

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  6. Pam, your blog isn't updating for me. I've missed several posts while I thought you were away on holiday or something... poop. I'll be checking back the old fashioned way!

    Mais, je ne savais pas que tu parles francais! Moi aussi!

    I love your cooking evenings. What fun! What a great idea.

    I'm with you on travel. I just have itchy feet! But right now my suitcase is tired, so we're home for a while.

    I love your list. I'd love to see all your cookbooks!

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  7. Congratulations on your award and I loved reading more about your life. You certainly have led/are leading a busy, fascinating life!

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  8. Hungry Dog, Thanks, it's been so fun writing about cooking but I've especially enjoyed reading everyone's posts. It's a nice way to make friends! I'm not sure how I do what I do....I could probably do it all better if I did less!

    Longpastremembered, yes we should get together! Who else lives in New York?
    Kate,
    Je ne parle pas le français. J'ai juste le temps aussi! I am starting Rosetta Stone. I think I need a month in France to really get with it!
    I will work on the feeder to see why it's not updating. It's so frustrating!
    I will see you in Jan. Waiting for my schedule to finalize my plans. Pam

    Barbara, Thanks. You seem to have a pretty busy life also. Your blog is beautiful!

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