Fiesta Friday Challenge #1 Results

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blogging challenge, Fiesta Friday, Fiesta Friday Challenge, Fiesta Friday Challenge Results

44 entries, 41 participants, 23 days, 14 countries, and at long last, here we are finally! Winners of the Fiesta Friday Challenge #1 have been selected and Catherine and I are ready and pleased to make the announcement.

Big thanks to all who participated. You have made it fun and exciting for everyone involved with your unbridled enthusiasm and genuine willingness to challenge yourself. In the process, you have encouraged and inspired one another to embrace yeast into your cooking repertoire.

Selecting a handful of winners from such an impressive pool of entries was not an easy task. Catherine and I looked at every entry closely and considered the following criteria in determining the winners: creativity, originality, integrity of technique and soundness of recipe. We each came up with our selections independently and it became clear immediately that we were exactly on the same page.

Without further ado, the winners of Fiesta Friday Challenge #1 are:

First Place

Kulebyaka from Mila@milkandbun. This is one astoundingly beautiful creation. A unique Russian pie that is so elegant and sophisticated we can’t believe it hasn’t gone global in popularity. This is the first time I’ve heard of its existence, despite the fact that it’s been served in Russia since the 17th Century. Thank you, Mila, for bringing this to our attention, and for showing meticulous, detailed step-by-step illustrations on how to put this outstanding and out-of-this-world pie together.

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How to tell you’re not dead

Tags

Andre Agassi, blogging challenge, funny, humor, Pete Sampras, Raphael Nadal, Roger Federer, sports, tennis, Zero to Hero challenge, zerotohero

Zero to Hero just got very interesting. Yesterday’s assignment was to leave a few comments on blogs we haven’t commented on before, and to remember where we left the comments. Supposedly it would all make sense the next day when the new assignment is revealed.

And it just did. Today’s assignment (#12, by the way, if you’re keeping tabs) is to write a post elaborating on one of those comments. Well, color me lucky, ’cause I happened to leave this comment on this blog:

Life vs. death is only the most important subject in the world, yes? Unless, of course, you’re a sports fan. Then winning vs. losing is more important than life vs. death. That’s exactly why I never root for a team or an athlete, anymore.

Seems to me that every time I do that, I always end up in disappointment. No amount of praying or holding my pee pee can reverse any jinx. The team or athlete I hate always wins.

For instance, my favorite tennis player is Pete Sampras. The best there ever is. Plus I’m deeply connected with Pete. Hubby’s former colleague’s wife used to hit balls with Pete before he became a pro. I was devoted to him from the moment I found out about that. No amount of hair shaggy-ing by Andre Agassi could dissuade me. Turned out Andre was wearing a wig, by the way. But that’s another story best told by his fans. See how easily I get distracted?

As Pete’s fan, I was elated when he broke Roy Emerson’s record for the most Grand Slam wins with 14. Surely, he’d become a tennis God with that kind of record. No one was going to be able to touch that, I thought. Imagine my irritation when Roger Federer started inching closer. But the more hatred I felt for Federer, the more wins he collected. Until he finally topped Pete’s record with his 17. I just died.

I have developed a strategy to work around it somewhat. Here goes, try to follow. I’m no longer fixated on Federer. Instead, I concentrate my energy by championing Raphael Nadal. He has now collected 13 Grand Slam wins. 4 more and he’ll catch Ferderer, 5 more and he’ll erase Federer’s top spot. Doesn’t matter that Pete moves to third place. Federer won’t be on top.

Besides, have you ever watched Rafa play or just watched him, period, playing or not? Now, tell me that’s not a beautiful face! Incidentally, check him out and cheer him on at the Australian Open, currently taking place. I think I’m back to being alive now.

Oh yeah, that was what I wanted to talk about, being alive vs. dead. Specifically, I have a question to ask you. When a person dies, does he or she know that he or she is dead? Anybody been dead before? Otherwise, please refrain from answering the question. You simply have no credibility.

As for me, I know for sure I’m not dead. I woke up this morning and looked sideways and I didn’t see Rafa. But I had paella (Rafa is from Spain, as is paella.) Recipe will follow one of these days.

Anyone out there has another foolproof way of telling they’re not dead?

About my “about” page

Tags

blogging challenge, DIY jewelry, jewelry-making, Zero to Hero challenge, zerotohero

Today’s assignment for the Zero to Hero Blogging Challenge is to write an about page for our blog, or if we have one already in place, to revisit or refresh it. To improve it, in other words. Okay, a somewhat boring assignment but I could go with it. I only said boring because I’m not really learning anything new. I know that an about page is important, and I have already written several versions of it, before sticking with the current one. But to new bloggers, this may be an exciting assignment.

Or maybe if they had put a twist in this task, and pair up bloggers so each can write the other’s about page, it’d be more interesting. You’ll write my about page, and I’ll write yours. Just a thought, y’know. But, whatever, this isn’t social hour, I guess. Although, I would have loved to be able to add to my about page what someone else thinks about my blog. Hey, sometimes other people can explain you better than yourself.

I suppose I can add photos or maybe more links, but for now I’m quite satisfied with my about page. There are aspects of my life that are left out, obviously. I wouldn’t subject my readers to details only interesting to myself. I’m not that narcissistic. Well, maybe a little. That’s why I’m posting these:

Yup, I made them. Jewelry-making is another hobby of mine. I make jewelry when I don’t have anything else to do, something that hasn’t occurred since I started blogging. Some of these I wear, but mostly I make jewelry to give to friends as presents. I don’t sell them, even though the thought crossed my mind. Each piece is unique and takes so much time to make that I have a hard time pricing them.

One of these days, maybe I’ll do a tutorial on how to make some of these jewelry, if people are interested. Then, the deception will be complete. I will then truly become a full-fledged fraud. A gardener that cooks and crafts, but doesn’t garden! Didn’t I tell you I should rename my blog “The Novice Gardener, Or Not”?

Well, folks, that’s all for now. Thank you for reading and following me on this blogging challenge. It’s still not too late to join. I highly recommend it. In the meantime, enjoy this song, from me to you. I thought it’s an appropriate one. I may stray from gardening at the moment, probably because it’s too cold to do any growing. But when it warms up, once again I’ll be a gardener. I’ll come back home. I think.

By the way, I was told that it’s okay to embed YouTube videos. Hopefully, nobody is going to shut me down.

This is for you!

Tags

blogging challenge, embed, music video, Zero to Hero challenge, zerotohero

Jennifer was saying that I sounded like I’ve fallen out of love with my blog. There’s some truth in that. There are times when I feel bored with my own blog and just can’t be bothered. That’s when I usually start thinking about changing themes, developing a new look, questioning my blog’s name, etc.

But I don’t think I’m beyond falling in love all over again with the blog, or more precisely, with blogging. Especially after receiving so many kind words of support and encouragement from my better-than-awesome-and-if-I-knew-what-that-word-is-I’d-use-it-instead-of-this-long-winded-one blogger friends. Thank you so much! The following is dedicated to you all. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Something pretty to listen to:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1719368/pink-nate-ruess-2014-grammy-performers.jhtml

The link will bring you to the mtv.com article that has an embedded music video of the song “Just Give Me A Reason,” which I feel is perfect to describe my feelings about my blog/blogging at the moment. I actually learned how to embed the music video on the post today, as part of the Zero to Hero Challenge, Day 6. It’s something entirely new to me and I think it’s so cool.

After reading around, however, I decided not to post the music video, since I was uncertain if it was legal or not. After what happened to me, with someone posting my photo & recipe without my consent, I certainly don’t want to infringe on other people’s copyright. Same thing with this hilarious movie clip I found on YouTube. It’s never failed to make me laugh. I wanted to share it with you, but don’t want to get in trouble by embedding on the post, so you’ll have to click on the hyperlink to view.

A few pretty things from my pinterest boards to look at:

Something funny to make you laugh:

Have a great day!

Love,
Angie