If you are a regular visitor to this blog, you might have noticed some of the few changes around here. There are not big changes like when I moved to the current theme, but they are worth mentioning.

First there are a couple of new badges on the sidebar. I became a foodbuzz featured publisher, which is very exciting, and I have my friend Jerry to thank for that. So make sure to vote for me, if you like my recipes. I am not really sure what that voting is for, but this is a democrazy and even though we don’t always know how it works we still have to vote, RIGHT?

There is also a new badge for the Great Cooks Community, a brand new food community created by my good friend Jill from SimpleDailyRecipes.com. She is one of the most industrious people I’ve met online. This is an amazing project and I am very happy for her. Here is what she says about the community:

GCC is a social network created solely for food bloggers and food lovers from all walks of life. It’s an open membership designed to develop relationships among food writers, food photographers, chefs, cooks, moms, dads, ANYONE who wants to talk about the world of food.
It’s like a Facebook for Foodies ONLY.

You might’ve also noticed the video section on the home page. I will post food related videos there and the first one is a great video I found while browsing youtube. That video made me cry because it made me homesick. I really miss the markets in Mexico and all the food, smells and colors that fill them. I hope you enjoy the video and learn a little bit more about that amazing cuisine.

Another update. If you’ve seen the footer of this blog you have also noticed that there are two new awards given to this blog by two very special people on the blog-o-sphere. And now it’s the time to thank them and pass them on to other bloggers who deserve them. I hate this part because I can only pick 5 nominees for each one. Please don’t hate me if I don’t pick you. You know that you are always in my thoughts and your recipes, words, photos and everything that makes your blog great are always appreciated. Yes I am talking to YOU. HA!

My always-a-pleasure-to-read, intelligent and sweet friend Kelly gave me the first award. Flower Smeller is an award that began at Go! Smell the flowers and is awarded to, according to the author, those who “have recovered from an illness, written a book, made waves in the blogosphere, won the lottery, made a major shift in their life, won promotion, quit the rat race, [are] raising a family, discovering their greatness…”

And the award goes to:

Jen the Left-Over Queen. She is smart, industrious and her projects The foodie blogroll and The Left-Over Queen forum have made waves in the blog-o-sphere. Just take a look at this month’s Royal Foodie Joust and all the amazing entries people have submitted to see how big of an impact her work has made in this virtual world.

Jerry from Cooking by the Seat of my Pants. Jerry has also made big waves with his blog. His new design is what inspired me to change mine and his blogging is always entertaining and informative (check the section Your Morning Cuppa for daily news from the world of food) Great author, great recipes, great blog.

Jill from Simple Daily Recipes. Another industrious blogger who has made big waves out there. I already talked about her Great Cooks Blogroll and her brand new project Great Cooks Community. She has also been an inspiration for my blogging.

Lisa from La Mia Cucina. She is the co-founder of the Daring Bakers group (do I need to say more) and a great baker, cook and friend. Lis you really rock!

Miguel from Alias Cane. Miguel has been another source of inspiration to me. I give this award to him because he has written a book (actually, he has published two of them) and has made a major shift in his life. He recently moved from Mexico City to Guijón, Spain and is living a dream in that beautiful part of the world. My dear, you are a great writer and a great person. I hope your books are soon translated into English so more people can read your amazing interviews and stories.

The second award came from my friend Vindee at Passionate About Baking another great person and blogger that I always enjoy reading even though sometimes I get lost in her posts (my own fault for reading food blogs so early in the morning) This award, Nice Matters, is given to great and nice bloggers, because being nice matters. Now, this is going to be a hard one, but here we go.

Emiline from Sugar Plum. She says that she is 22 with a little bit of an old soul. I’d say that she has a very nice soul.

Jen of A2eatwrite. I have been reading Jen’s blog for just a couple of weeks, but you don’t need to know somebody for a long time to realize they are nice. And she is so very nice

Val from More than Burnt Toast. What can I say about Val that I haven’t said before? You are such a nice person that I feel warm when I read your posts and e-mails. Canada rules! Hehe.

Tempered Woman from Tempered Woman. I know she wants to appear as a badass and, in her own words:

But it turns out there is someone else out there who hasn’t realized yet that they don’t want to be associated with me. Not if they know what’s good for them and hope for any modicum of blogging respect in the future.

But I know you are not all that. You are a very nice person and that is why I am giving you this award even if you don’t want it

Madeleine from Madeleine Cocina. This is the other food blog in Spanish that I read. I found her blog not long ago on the DB’s blogroll and I knew instantly she was a great cook and a very nice person. Felicidades y gracias por el gran trabajo que haces con tu blog.

I have a meme to answer, but this post is already too long so I will have to do it some other time (what I am really saying is that people don’t need to know more about me) But I promised I will answer it and I will. Just not today.