Adoptive Mom.... of a New Blogger!

Wouldn't you think with 6 kids I would have had enough of being a mom? But when I saw that Kristen of Dine and Dish had a new crop of baby bloggers who wanted a blog mentor, I thought about when I started my blog and how people helped and encouraged me (Tanya Wenman Steel at Epi-Log, Anne of Cooking with Anne, Glenna of A Fridge Full of Food to name a few) and I thought this was a great idea. So I threw my name into the hat and I was paired with Tanya at Take the Cannoli, a great pairing since we have just the right number of commonalities and differences to make things interesting.

First of all Tanya is young, while I am, well...vintage. Tanya lives in a metropolis known for food (Chicago), while I live in an area where you really have to scramble (or cook your own) to find really great food (Newport News VA). I have six children and have been married for 34 years, while Tanya and her husband are relative newlyweds. Tanya is a real professional baker, while I am a rank amateur home cook. However, we both love food and blogging about our food and cooking experiences, Tanya loves vintage (she should love me since I am vintage '50s!) and I love antiques, Tanya likes to bake desserts and I like to eat them, so I think we have something to build on.

I have been monitoring Tanya's blog since we were paired and I see that she is making one of my recipes (actually my lone dessert) for Dew-licious Turnovers. I have already found several things from Tanya including a group who bakes cookies and sends them to the troops (already signed up) and a recipe for cupcakes with Mountain Dew (need to try it). Tanya has also, after losing her regular job as a baker (damn economy!) has started her own baking business, so if you are in the Chicago area, check her out at Sweet Baker Lady.

We will be keeping in touch and I will be keeping you all in the loop as well, so stop by Tanya's blog and welcome her to the blogosphere..... you bring the coffee, she'll have the baked goods!