Saturday, November 22, 2008

Clarifying the Pam thing, and passing out some awards

Some of you were frightened and confused by this image in my last post:



And I can't say I blame you. But before you go setting up internet controls to block my blog so that your children don't accidentally stumble upon it, let me assure you that I don't actually have a Pam fetish. Here is the deal. Back when there was only one kind of Pam, I never had this problem. My current Pam issues stem from (1) too many varieties of Pam on the market, all of which seem indispensable to a sucker like me; (2) scatterbrained shopping habits; and (3) scatterbrained home organization habits. I've got three places in my house where Pam might live -- the pantry, the cabinet next to my oven, and in a storage room off the garage. I am just not together enough to check all of these places to evaluate my Pam situation before I head to the grocery store. So when I get to the store, I know that I probably have Pam, but which Pam? I might know that we're out of "Grilling Pam," but I won't be sure what our inventory of "Baking Pam" is, so I'll go ahead and get two Grilling and two Baking, just to be safe (Pam is like Noah's Ark to me -- they come in twos). Then I'll get home and realize that I had a Grilling Pam in the basement after all, and I even had a Baking Pam in the cabinet, but the nozzle on the Baking Pam was blocked up by the flour. But I'll probably get distracted by something or someone before I get a chance to throw out the clogged Baking Pam, and voila! -- now I have three Baking Pams in my cabinet. And with all of these specialty Pams on the market, I fell into a bad spot for a while there of having every kind of Pam but Original Pam, which annoyed the hell out of me. One night after needing Original Pam but only having five Butter Pams, four Grilling Pams and six Baking Pams, I vowed never to be without the classic Original Pam again, and stocked up big time next time I was at the store. And that, my friends, is how you grow your Pam collection. In all seriousness, now that I've actually taken the time to round up all of my Pam from all corners of my house to photograph them, I know that I have PLENTY OF ALL KINDS OF PAM, and will be on a Pam-buying hiatus until at least 2009.

Now that we have that cleared up, I was so tickled to learn that the uber-talented Blonde Duck passed this cool award on to my blog:



If you haven't been over to Duckie's blog yet, you really need to check it out pronto! Duckie writes fun, whimsical, downright magical fiction. Her characters are quirky and full of personality. And she even throws out some great recipes every now and then, even though she doesn't have to -- I'd visit just for the stories! You will, too. Thanks, Duckie!

The rules of this award are:
1. Pick ten people to pass this onto if you choose (please note the emphasis here on the "if you choose" part. I am trying to honor your blog, not give you more work! If you don't want to pass it on, great! If you just want to pass it on to one or two other blogs, terrific! I won't tell the Butterfly Award police, I promise.)
2. Contact them and let them know you have chosen them for this award.
3. Also, link back to the person who gave you the award.

And the Butterfly Award Goes To (in no particular order):

In the "I Love Your Blog So Much, I Had To Award You Twice" category,

Marie of Proud Italian Cook: If Marie posted 10 times a day, I'd wish that she posted 11. I eat up her posts like candy -- I just can't get enough of them.
Laura of she's cooking now: John Taylor was both of our favorite Duran Duran guy, and we both feed our kids frozen dinosaur nuggets every now and then. I feel a serious kinship. Oh, and her blog is really fun, too!
Nancy of The Dogs Eat the Crumbs: I can't even begin to list all that I've learned about cooking from reading Nancy's blog. Thanks to Nancy, I knew what Benton's bacon was and didn't embarrass myself when it was all over the menu at Blackberry Farm. Plus, we share an alma mater!
Maria and Josh of Two Peas and Their Pod: This is how my morning goes on the days I work. I get to the office. Log onto the computer. Go to the breakroom, get hot water for my oatmeal, and read Dear Abby. Go back to my office, toss the papers that are on my chair onto my desk, stir my oatmeal, and read Two Peas and Their Pod. Then, and only then, can I get to work.
Mary Ann of Meet Me In The Kitchen: Mary Ann is a prolific blogger, turning out mouthwatering menus and professional-caliber photographs day in and day out. I don't know how she does it, because I have kids about the same ages as Mare's, and I can barely manage to get some plain chicken and Steamfresh broccoli on the table without injuring myself. So Mary Ann's blog inspires me to do better!

In the "I've Awarded You In My Head Numerous Times, So I Am Thrilled That I Finally Have Some Hardware To Pass On To You" category:

Matt of Matt's Kitchen: Great writing, great ideas, thoughtful posts. A "don't miss" blog.
Lisa of Magic Sprinkles: I knew that I was going to like Lisa when she called me on the fact that I use a carpenter's level when I cook.
Audrey of Food From Books: Entertains me several times a week with her New England wit and her great recipes. I'm going to suffer serious withdrawal when your posts slow down over the next few months, Audrey!
Shari of Whisk: A Food Blog: Shari's blog chronicles her culinary adventures as she works through the Le Cordon Bleu At Home curriculum. Shari is plainly a phenomenal and accomplished cook, and yet her kids complain about her food sometimes, too! It gives mere mortals like me a tiny bit of hope!
Clara of I Heart Food For Thought: So many great recipes, and Clara is just so clearly a fun person. I get a lift whenever I read her blog.
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook: I love reading Di's blog because I know that I'll always be getting real, honest, down to earth posts. And great food, too!

Thanks for reading!

18 comments:

Cristine said...

Great Pam collection! :) I often end up with multiple things because I don't check before I go; although it usually is 18 bags of craisins! :)

Congrats on your award!

natalia said...

Ciao ! I want some too !

Steph said...

I never even knew there were so many different varieties of pan!

Congrats on your reward!

Di said...

Thanks for the award, Cathy! I only have two cans of Pam (original and baking; I'm out of olive oil), but I have lots of other stuff stashed in my pantry. And yet, I needed oatmeal for something last night, and didn't have enough. *sigh*

Audrey said...

Thank you Cathy! I am so glad that I won't have to stop reading your blog even for a minute. You always, always make me laugh - and, um, feel better about what's in my pantry. So, I wasn't worried at all about the PAM thing...I'm right there with you, sister.

Proud Italian Cook said...

Good Morning Cathy, What a nice thing to wake up to! Your such a sweetie, thank you for your kind words, and this award! But the thing is, I feel exactly the same way about your blog. I always know that when I come here to visit, I'm going to have a great time. I'm sure all your girlfriends around you, feel exactly the same way! A big hug to you, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family!!
Marie

CB said...

Thanks for opening my eyes to the wide world of Pam. I never knew there were so many varieties ;). You're so sweet to give me an award. I heart bloggys! Thanks chicky!
/Clara

Nancy/n.o.e said...

I dunno, Cathy, you might be digging yourself in deeper here!

Thanks for the award! So many of the blogs you've honored are favorites of mine also. I'll be thinking of some other fun ones to pass this award to.

I haven't picked anyone twice for a bloggie (either) but I think it's safe to say I've got one I'm saving for you. I just need the time to write it up; so be expecting it later this week!

Nancy

Mary Ann said...

Cathy, Thanks so much for thinking of me and my blog. It really means so much to me that you come and check it out everyday. I feel like we are good friends! I love your explanation about your Pam collection. I totally understand- you have to have all the different kinds! I don't think you can ever have too much!

The Food Librarian said...

have to tell you I couldn't stop laughing at the first Pam posting photo. I thought it was display photo at first...and now I totally understand. Just don't inhale them! :)

Nancy/n.o.e said...

I'm back to say: come to my blog to claim a cute award (one that I think fits you!)
Nancy

Lady Baker said...

What can I say, you are a marketer's dream, Cath! (Is it that Original doesn't work as well, or you just THINK it won't work as well seeing a "Baking" version is available?)

I can't really throw any stones here, due to the fact that my 'Pam' is pasta, boullion broth cubes, and canned pumpkin.

And to extend it to a totally different arena--your Pam mentality is why I have no less than 4 different versions of the original Star Wars trilogy on VHS and DVD. Between the original VHS, bought separately, then the 'box set' VHS, then the "remastered DVD" with deleted scenes/enhanced scenes added---which I ended up hating, so waited for when Lucas agreed a few years later to release the 'original' cuts, remastered, on DVD. And then went to buy them--AGAIN.

Look at the bright side, thanks to you the company that makes Pam won't be needing any gov't bailouts!

Maria said...

Thanks for thinking of us!! You are great!! And I am glad you cleared up the Pam issues..ha!!

Laura said...

Thanks for the award, Cathy! I know how hard it is not to give the same people these awards over and over again because you just love their blogs so much (case in point - yours :-)

I haven't seen the Twilight movie - yet. Actually, I'm going with several other 30-something moms tonight. We're definitely getting in touch with our inner teenager and loading up on the eye candy.

The Blonde Duck said...

Thanks for the kind words. :) My firefox is acting up on my Mac at home so I had to wait until work to leave a comment on your blog. I didn't want you to feel unloved and unappreciated!

I stick to the orginal Pam simply because I'm too busy hoarding other things--syrups, butter (my husband told me I'd bought enough butter to clog up a construction worker's arteries) and every canned good imaginable....

Now that I've seen this, I'll probably hoard Pam too. :)

Anonymous said...

Cathy,

Thank you so much for the award! I'm flattered having an award from you. Your posts, like today's, are always so funny and well written. I always look forward to them.

Your Pam buying habits are like my pasta purchasing habits. I actually have several boxes of pasta in a linen closet of all places! And it's all because I'm at the grocery store without having taken the time to check at home. "Hmmm...do I have linguine in the cupboard or is it stored behind the bath towels? I better buy some anyway because I do not want to run out to the store once I get home..."

Pamela said...

Yeah, Cathy!! Congrats to you on another well deserved award! I LOVE your blog. And I am a tad envious of that Pam collection. :o)

Lisa magicsprinkles said...

Awwwwww. Thanks for the award - I really think it's even better coming from you! By the way, I am secretly coveting your Pam collection. Have you thought about charging admission? It might help pay for the next round (or the therapy). Thanks again and happy T-day!

 
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