Well, I’m packed and ready to go, and in just about an hour, hubby and I will be on our way to our long-awaited vacation in foodie paradise (also known as San Francisco and the California wine country).  As such, I might be on a bit of a very brief hiatus – my focus this trip is going to be on relaxing, taking tons of pictures, and experiencing a part of California I have not yet seen.  I am bringing my laptop and I may try to blog a bit while I’m away, but if it doesn’t work out, rest assured that I’ll be back soon with plenty of material… including profiling my favorite foodie destinations and experiences!  Stay tuned!

The lovely and talented proprietress of City Girl Lifestyle has bestowed upon me my very first blog award – the MeMe Blog Award!  City Girl and I go way back – back to law school, in fact, and I am blessed to have her and her husband as friends.  Her blog is absolutely inspiring – a mix of beauty tips, fantastic recipes, ruminations on urban living and so much more – and I’m honored that she thought of me.  Thanks, City Girl!

The rules of the MeMe Blog Award are twofold: first, I have to write seven things about myself, and second, I have to pass the award on to seven blogs.  So, first, seven things about me, and I’ll try not to make them food-related, since my tastes in food are probably already abundantly clear on this blog…

1) I used to be a piano teacher.
2) My favorite class in law school was labor law, but “Law and Literature” was a close second.
3) I participated in a foreign exchange program in Germany when I was 16.
4) I saw a page of Jane Eyre written in Charlotte Bronte’s own hand at the British Library and almost fainted.
5) I adore the Harry Potter books, and I have tickets to see the sixth movie on opening night.
6) To relax, I like to play Bach and Chopin on the piano.
7) My favorite movie is “Bringing Up Baby.”

And now, seven inspiring food blogs that I love to read, written by seven gifted foodies:

1) Good Things Catered
2) Joelen’s Culinary Adventures
3) Proceed With Caution
4) Tide and Thyme
5) Annie’s Eats
6) Brown Eyed Baker
7) This Little Piggy Went To Market – although the lovely B is on hiatus right now, her blog is still up with all of her yummy recipes, and this is my way of telling B that I love her!

These ladies all post yummy recipes, and they all inspire me, so passing on this award is my way of telling them that I’m reading their blogs and I think they are all wonderful!

No recipe today, just the warmest wishes for a safe and happy Fourth of July!  I’m home for the long weekend seeing family and doing the whole  cookout-and-fireworks thing.  Back in the kitchen in a couple of days!  In the meantime, I hope that all of my friends have a fantastic holiday.  Happy Birthday, America!

I’ve been resisting this for years.  Literally.  Years.  (About two years, to be exact.  But that’s still years – plural.)  As my friends joined the blogosphere one by one, I’ve stayed out of it, pleading that I am too busy, have enough hobbies, etc.  Very twentieth century of me.  But the truth is, I’ve been afraid to jump into the deep end of the pool.  What if no one reads this blog?  Or what if people read it and hate it? 

I’m kind of a risk-averse person. 

But I’m here now, because although I might be risk-averse, I love to share.  Specifically, I love to share food and, by extension, recipes.  I like to cook and bake, and then feed people, and then if my friends and family like the food I am forcing on them, I entertain them by reciting the recipe and explaining how easy it is until they stop speaking to me.  (I jest.)  Maybe a blog would be a better outlet for this tendency I have.  So that’s what I plan to do here.  I’ll cook and bake, and I’ll ply you with photos, and I’ll share recipes from those I’ve eaten since childhood in my grandmother’s kitchen to those I was inspired to try for the first time today.

So, why the name “Covered In Flour” for my blog?  Well, you should see my kitchen when I’m baking.  Forget my kitchen — you should see me!  I’ve got a large collection of aprons, because I need them… but they don’t seem to stop me from getting flour on my forehead.  I don’t know how it happens.  It just does.  It doesn’t seem to affect the finished product, and my husband apparently thinks it’s charming.  So I’ve embraced my tendency to be exuberant in the kitchen.  It’s so much more fun that way.

I hope you read, I hope you come back, and I hope you enjoy.