An Update On Me & Project Alchemy... :)

I've been away from here for over a month now, and though there is some guilt over my neglect of this thing, all things considered, I'm happy about the headway I've made in other places. Progress that I can ultimately relate and tie back to what I've been trying to achieve partially by way of this blog.

But since I have been away, let me catch you up on the development of things in other places. :)

I stopped posting here for a while
but
I didn't stop cooking. :)

Back in Fall of 2011, I had a few interesting clashes with some interesting characters I'd met on a certain food-related site that was a pretty big outlet for me where food was concerned. And I decided at the time that the outlet was not worth the agita I was getting from it, so I stepped away for a while. And I needed something to replace that repository for my energy, so I began spending even more time generating content for my G+ page.

Still making kimchi... ^^

And over the past few months, that has proven to be a really good use of my time. I get to share my love of cooking and eating good food in a format that sparks and encourages discussion and in which I can control the amount of trolling, negativity, and passive aggressiveness that often contaminate discussions in an open forum. I try to be reasonably open and open minded to other viewpoints, and I think I can fairly say that I give people more than ample time and opportunity to show that they're not coming from a malicious or toxic place, but I'll be damned if I tolerate shitheadedness just for the sake of being perceived as tolerant.

...and pancakes with homemade raspberry-lemon jam on top...

Then in the beginning of last November, I also decided that I wanted not only to earn a living with food again, but that I wanted to try to the best of my ability to provide some worthwhile community service in the process. And in that spirit, I started to outline the foundation for what I would eventually call Project Alchemy. And it might seem for those initially interested and supportive that that idea had been all but buried, but it wasn't. It's just that the more research and thought I put into the project, the more I realized that I would have to conceive of a different way to execute if it was to serve the purpose for others AND for ME that I originally planned.

And then later that same month, the Man and I found out that I am hosting an alien Robinson pod. Which also explains some of why it's been such a challenge for me to post unique content here - I've been flat out exhausted a lot of the time. Being preggo in your late 30s is definitely a different experience from being preggo in your late 20s. But we're about 20 weeks into it now, and I am finally starting to feel some relief from all those beginning of pregnancy discomforts. And if kicks are a sign of approval, so far, the Pod seems to like to eat sweet things and hot things. :P

We did also manage to get out of the house a few times...

And then after a year of occasionally debating if there's any real reason for us to get married on the books and finally deciding that it's more practical to give me and the Pod health insurance through the Man's work than outside of it, we got hitched earlier this month in a really sweet, fun, funny, and intimate little shotgun ceremony at the courthouse - just us and the Monsters. And that seemed to make the Monsters really happy, which in turn made us all the happier about it.

But all the while, I've been posting unique food related content, usually at least 3 times a day on both my G+ and facebook pages (albums here and here), sharing lots of recipes, information, and helpful hints along the way.

I also learned how (and how NOT) to make ebelskivers.

And that downtime has been good for me, because taking a break from trying so hard consciously to find a solution to my project dilemma has allowed my subconscious to find a solution. And if all goes as planned, my recently announced

G+ Cookalong

will become the better mousetrap version of Project Alchemy.

At this point, I can think of no better platform to reach as many people as possible, as conveniently as possible, and perhaps even as effectively as possible. This will give me a chance to share what I know about cooking the food I love with anyone with a sincere interest in learning and doing along with me, at their own pace.

And I think I found a better way to bring my perennial
big ideas to fruition. :P

And if I can reasonably cover my costs and efforts through donations and eventually cookbook sales, it will also be free for those who have more pressing needs for their cash at the moment.

And it's off to wash some dishes and come up with a good birthday dinner for the Man.

Thanks for reading. I've missed you! :)

shinae