It’s always great to receive an award, I feel like a movie star

I received it a few weeks ago from Steve at Oui, chef. Thanks Steve! It took me time to pass it on, but having people waiting isn’t what being a star is about?!

More seriously, it’s been a great honor to receive this award from a real Chef. If you don’t know his blog, I strongly recommend you check his awesome recipes (click here).

Getting back to the award, here are the rules:

A) List 10 honest things about yourself—and make them interesting, even if you have to dig deep!

B) Pass the award on to 7 bloggers who you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap and whose blogs you find brilliant in design or content.

Let’s do this! I’ll comply with the honesty rule, please be indulgent on the « make them interesting » part

1/ It totally sounds like a cliché but let me tell you I love frog legs and occasionally eat snails too!

2/ I love experimenting when it comes to cooking but… I’m not always the wisest when it comes to combining ingredients. I definitely went too far lately with an eggplant, caramelized onions and pear soup!!…

3/ My dream job would be foodie globe trotter for a TV show. Can you imagine getting paid to travel, eat and learn cooking techniques all around the world?!… These guys are my heroes!

4/ I recently quit my job to launch a business (nope, I’m not a foodie globe trotter yet )

5/ When I was 18, I spent a year in the USA being an au pair. As a result, I would learn a lot speaking English with the kids. Believe it or not, I spent the first 3 months (until someone nice corrected me…) saying « I’m going pottie » when going to the restroom!!!

6/ I can’t sing… I wish I could, but I can’t!

7/ I had my two seconds of fame a few years back saying « Car mechanics are not my thing » in a French car manufacturer TV ad… Two seconds of fame that led to two years hearing jokes about it!

8/ I’m an avid reader, always have been. I just finished Seeing by Jose Saramago, which I enjoyed reading a lot.

9/ I’m worst than a 5 years old kid when it comes to eating candies; I can’t explain why but I love them!

10/ I had to live in Amsterdam to meet the man of my life who is actually Spanish… Who said life isn’t full of surprises?!

It’s time to pass the award on to foodbloggers whose posts and recipes inspire me a lot… And the winners are…

Mardi from Eat, Live, Travel, Write

G. from Kiss My Spatula

Lindsey from Lost In Cheeseland

Jamie from Life is a feast

Chrystal & Amir  from The Duo Dishes

Michael from Herbivoracious

Gaelle from What are you feeding your kids these days

Please welcome Jill McKeever of SimpleDailyRecipes.com who kindly offered to guest a recipe (Thanks again Jill ):

Garlic soup may not sound like the choice soup to serve at a dinner party, yet you’ll be surprised by its mild, dare I say, sweet flavor.  If you love the taste of roasted garlic, you will love this soup.  It is extremely easy to prepare and only takes 15 minutes to bring together.

Because there’s so little that goes into this soup, it’s important to use the freshest and best ingredients you have available.  Don’t be afraid of the first ingredient, chicken fat.  It possesses great flavor that adds depth to this already delicate soup.  I recommend rendering chicken fat from poultry that has been pasture raised. If you dig making your own chicken stock, then you probably already have some on hand.

If you love to bake your own artisan breads, I suggest an Olive Oil baguette spiced with fresh ground pepper and garlic to be the toasted center of attention.  The smooth sweet garlic soup soaked into the peppery-garlic toast is a match made in heaven.

HERE’S ALL IT TAKES to serve 4 friends:

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

3 tablespoons chicken fat
1 head garlic, each clove peeled and sliced
8 slices baguette
4 cups fresh chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions

1/ Heat oven to 375º for toasting baguette slices.

2/ In a medium saucepan over low heat, sauté garlic in chicken fat until tender – about 7-10 minutes total. Transfer the garlic to a plate.

3/ Brush baguette slices on both sides with garlic seasoned oil and toast in oven until they are golden brown. Transfer 2 toasts into each soup bowl.

4/ Add the cooked garlic, chicken stock, and thyme back into the saucepan and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.

5/ Ladle the soup over the garlic toasts and serve immediately.

Recipe and photo by Jill McKeever of SimpleDailyRecipes.com. Check out her blog!

I’m guest posting on Eat, live, travel, write! Check it out to learn about my neighborhood’s market: Rue Dejean African market.

To read my guest post and see more pictures of the exotic fruits and vegetables you can find there, click here.