Celebrating Excellence

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I feel like celebrating! Last week, I received a very lovely surprise. My good friend, Cakelaw of Laws of the Kitchen has bestowed an Excellent Blog Award upon me. The Excellent Blog Award is given to one blogger by another who believes that his or her blog exemplifies the qualities that make up a great blog. I am truly honored to receive this award, as well as to be included in such an illustrious group of bloggers, like Cakelaw! She is a smart, talented, and a genuinely nice person. I always enjoy visiting her blog to see what delicious concoctions she has come up with. If I could, I'd give this award right back to her.

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When I first started blogging, I merely looked at it as a creative outlet for myself. I never expected it to become such an important part of my life. Nor did I ever expect to meet so many talented and interesting people from every corner of the world. I am constantly impressed and inspired by all of the wonderful culinary creations of my fellow food bloggers. I am also inspired by the true sense of caring and community among them. I really consider myself lucky to be a part of it.

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I've put a lot of thought into this. There are so many excellent blogs out there, each with their own charm and appeal. It was very hard to narrow it down to just five. But, I did what I had to do.

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So, grab a glass of champagne and get comfortable while I take this opportunity to spread a little of the food blog love around. It is a pleasure and a privilege for me to give an Excellent Blog Award to the five following food bloggers:

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To Helene of Tartelette, for her pure, unadulturated talent. She blows me away with her gorgeous cakes, tarts, pastries and all things dessert. I don't know where she gets the energy for all that baking! She is also one of the sweetest people I know, always willing to help others. She is my cheerleader!
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To Jen of Use Real Butter, for her feisty spirit, no bullshit attitude and grace under pressure. I laugh out loud everytime I read one of her highly entertaining posts. Jen's step by step recipe guides are indispensible to me. I actually print them out to keep in my files. Her photography is absolutely brilliant, whether of her food or her gorgeous surroundings. She is also one of the most supportive and encouraging bloggers I know. She has class. I want to be Jen when I grow up!

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To Melissa of The Traveler's Lunchbox, for her beautifully crafted posts, lovely photos and inspired recipes. Clicking on Melissa's site is like walking into a sweet dream. Her pictures remind me of Impressionist paintings. Her artful words draw you in and hold you there. Her blog reads like a good book you can't put down.

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To Jessie of Cakespy, for her clever, informative and articulate writing, and her wonderful, whimsical artwork. I love going on Jessie's Cakewalks and reading her terrific interviews in Batter Chatter. But most of all, I love her adorable little cupcakes! What a talent!

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To Michelle of Bleeding Espresso for....well....everything. I love her eclectic syle. I love her courage to leave everything safe and familiar and go off to start a new adventure halfway around the world. I love that she does so much to support other bloggers, with her 1st of the Month Features and her Guest Blogger program, just to name a few. And, I really love that she writes for writing's sake, not only about food, but about all things that are important to her.

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Congratulations to all of you Excellent Bloggers. You deserve it!