There are two kinds of blog awards: One is given by a directory site, to get people to visit the site and to link to it. (They award their prizes largely based on “votes”, so whoever gets their readers to visit their page the most wins the award.) The other kind of award is given by bloggers to each other. It’s a way to say hello to other bloggers, and to get to know them better. It also introduces you to blogs you mights not have found on your own. It functions like a chain letter; each “nominee” (there are no winners) nominates several others.
I’ve recently been nominated for a Super Sweet Blogging Award. Not wanting to be a party-pooper, I’ll play along.
Here are the rules of the award:
1. Thank the super sweet blogger who nominated you.
Thanks, Patti. Patti’s blog is One Road at a Time. She was kind enough to feature my post on my favorite Turkish dish, Ali Nazik, on her blog.
2. Nominate a baker’s dozen of other bloggers. (I’ll save this for the end.)
3. Answer 5 super sweet questions. (see below)
4. Add the super sweet blogging award image to your blog post.
5. Notify your nominees on their blogs.
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Here are the questions:
1. Cookies or cake?
Cookies.
2. Chocolate or vanilla?
Is this a serious question? How am I supposed to dip a chunk of vanilla into my peanut butter? The answer is chocolate.
3. What’s your favorite sweet treat?
Cookies. Three of them. One chocolate chip, one oatmeal raisin and one peanut butter. And a cup of a good, strong Assam tea with milk. Here in Turkey my favorite cookies are, oddly enough, not the fresh kuru pasta in the pastry shops, but the Eti Cay Keyfi (“tea enjoyment”) chocolate chips that come in rolls and sell for 75 kurus (about 50 cents). These taste most like American chocolate chip cookies.
I’m also fond of the fresh helva I get at the weekly market here. It can substitute for cookies when none are available.
Helva
In a pinch, if I have no cookies or helva, I can make un helvasi (flour helva). This is a Turkish dessert with the smooth, dense consistency of helva, but made with flour instead of sesame seeds. It’s made with flour,sugar and butter (so basically it’s a cookie) cooked slowly while stirring constantly. It tastes like raw cookie dough!
4. When do you crave sweet things the most?
When there are none in my apartment, of course. Also, whenever I’m drinking tea. Since I’m living in Turkey, that translates to “all the time”.
5. If you had a sweet nickname, what would it be?
Cookie Monster. My brother already calls me this, not only because I love cookies, but because I’ve been known to stuff them in my face leaving a trail of crumbs, just like the original Cookie Monster.
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And now for my baker’s dozen nominees:
Thanks for playing! I’ll try to have a more informative post next week.
Hi Ellen ~
I loved your answer about vanilla and peanut butter, so funny!
Well, we have to try to have fun with these awards, right?
Aww, thanks so much for the shout-out, Ellen! I usually end up forgetting to post something for these awards because I’m completely scatterbrained, but it means so much to me that you thought of me! I would so love to visit Turkey one of these days. It looks like such a gorgeous country with so much more to offer than many westerners realize!
My pleasure, Katie. I love your blog, and I’m glad you see the silly award for the complement it’s intended to be. And yes, Turkey is beautiful. I’ve only seen a small part and am hoping to do more traveling soon.
Thank you so much Ellen for having my blog in your nominees list! Very kind of you! And love your sweet answers! Helva is definitely a great substitute for anything sweet, the best part of it is you can find it any time anywhere! As for kuru pasta in Turkey, I agree. The ones sold at pastry shops are like full of margarine (not butter at all)!
Oh, that explains it! I wouldn’t think a bakery would cook with margarine, but I guess butter is expensive here. But your firinda helva is my new sweet addition!
Ellen, I’ve know you since junior high (when we still called it junior high…) and I had no idea you were such a cookie lover. All that and still a petite size 2 (okay maybe size 4…)
I have never been a 2 or a 4. I think I have one concert gown in a 4, but generally my smallest size is a 6, and I fluctuate between that and a 10. But thank you.