Project Food Blog : Challenge # 1 (Ready, Set, Blog!)

When I first received an email from FoodBuzz that they are going to have a contest Project Food Blog for their Featured Publishers I signed up immediately without much hesitation even though I didn’t have the slightest clue of what we are supposed to do. But the idea of being featured on their site, one of the largest food lovers community ever plus the moolah would have made anyone sign up faster than they can say ‘Salmon Quiche!’. So when they finally posted the list of challenges that awaits us, I was feeling extremely worried and I was even thinking of not joining after all. But life’s short and I should try everything in life right, so for the past few weeks I have been thinking of what to write and as always with just two days left to the end of the first challenge of the  contest  I start to feel panicky because I still have no idea what to write urm blog about. Especially when it’s something simple like creating a blog post that defines me as a food blogger and makes it clear why I think I have what it takes to be the next food blog star. But I guess as always when in doubt just be myself and write whatever that comes through my mind. 

So here it goes when I quit my job as a recruitment consultant to be a full time stay at home mommy, it never crossed my mind that I’ll take up blogging but after Ashley turned 1 and well during the time I was doing some soul searching, to find the old Alesia and not just Alesia, the mommy ,I found again my long lost love; cooking while surfing the TV channels absentmindedly and came upon a cooking show.  I gingerly picked up the spatula and work my long forgotten magic touch with the wok, first it was just the dishes my mom would make and the ones I’m most comfortable cooking (Read:poison free, edible dishes) like these

(From the top : stir-fried French beans, Lotus Root and Peanut Soup, Chicken in Oyster Sauce)

ah yes, the days before I learned more about food photography or even the art of taking pictures and of course the days before the birth the almighty tool; a DSLR camera. Then the creative Aquarian in me starts to show herself by creating dishes such as these

(From the top : Cod Fish with Mushroom Cream Sauce, Fried Pasta Chow Mein Style and Chickpeas Salad)

Yea I know the cod fish looks preeeettty appetizing alright. Anyway then I was beginning to figure out the functions of a point n shoot camera and was again trying to be artistic and featured Ashley for the very first time.

Aww see how cute she was, and that reminds me how time flies! She has more hair now. :D I soon remember how therapeutic it is to prepare the ingredients, cooking the dishes and of course seeing how my loved ones enjoys the food I’ve made. Sometimes they even ate the ones that made me go ‘hmm I hope it taste ok’. So it was no surprise I started showcasing the food pictures on my Facebook profile, and when the hubs bought the SLR camera it just fueled my curiosity with food photography. No surprise the pictures turned out way nicer and I was hooked!

From not so appetizing pictures to drool-worthy pictures like these

(From the top :Nasi Briyani, Lamb Patty with Cheddar Mash and Honey Mustard Sauce, Rocket Salad, Pan Fried Fish Pasta with Sun dried Tomatoes and Coriander )

Of course it was nice to receive praises and compliments and gradually the praises turned into requests for recipes which was quite difficult for me because I’m a all-throw-inside-the-pot person and I sure don’t measure my ingredients but it’s a challenge which I won’t back away! After much persuasion, I decided to come up with a blog to share all my recipes in one place with my friends and family. It was one of many achievements to come later because for one I was a business student who knows nothing about CSS, HTML, Javascript and yet here I am creating a blog (okaaay, I used a template free design but hey at least I did some tinkering to the original CSS sheet) and two, I didn’t know I had it in me, blogging and certainly I didn’t expect to last this long.

And naturally, once I start to have the hang of all this, I even had this wildest dream that I’ll be like Bree Van de Kamp of Desperate Housewives owning my own catering business. Of course it was a struggle initially because I don’t see myself as a good writer, or a food critic, or even a good food stylist. I find it extremely hard to even write a proper blog post. How am I supposed to put what I’ve cooked into words that people would understand or even make it sounds interesting and able to reach out to others. But I guess I must be doing something right after all, with 60 posts later, 752 fans and counting! a spot at the well known food porn sites (opps!) (foodgawker and Tastespotting) here I am drafting my first ever challenge in the world of culinary.

As I looked back the past year, I would never thought I can come this far as a food blogger, heck even as a blogger itself seeing that it was never my choice of life’s career :D. So do I think I have what it takes to be the next food blog star, yes reasons being I am willing to learn, I can take whatever challenges life throws at me (remember when I took part  in a beauty pagent like contest for mommies a couple months back?It was hmm challenging indeed to strut on the runaway and get everyone to vote for me), I’ve done so much in the span of one year for someone who had no clue whatsoever about blogging, but the most important reason it’s that I would go all out especially when it comes to cooking for my loved ones even though it means having to stay up more than 2 nights just so I can give the best birthday party a toddler could ever asked for. Come on, the first thing people look for when they attend a party isn’t the decorations or if there’s a clown it’s always the FOOD!

So to each and everyone who has been encouraging me to keep on doing what I love most, remember to vote for me yea! I so want to win the prize money so that I can start my own catering service :)

Love,