use real butter

During this time of year, it is easy to get wrapped up in baking, gifts, shopping, travel, celebrations… Thank goodness for Pim. She is the fabulous host of Menu for Hope each year and reminds us all that there are people in need – in *real* need. This is the fifth year that Pim is running Menu for Hope and it is my second year participating in offering a prize.

So what is Menu for Hope? I think Pim says it best:
Each December, food bloggers from all over the world join the campaign by offering a delectable array of food-related prizes for the Menu for Hope raffle. Anyone – and that means you too – can buy raffle tickets to bid on these prizes. For every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket to bid on a prize of their choice. At the end of the two-week campaign, the raffle tickets are drawn and the results announced on Chez Pim.

**Jump for more butter**

I think NaBloWriMo is sucking the creative juices from my brain.

I usually plop down and crank out a post lickity split, but today… I’ve been writing and deleting and writing and deleting all afternoon. So I’m giving it one last go and that will be it.

During my recent funk I was having a heck of a time trying to muster up the excitement to cook or bake something and blog about it. You would think I could food blog in my sleep at this point. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, I just knew I felt dissatisfied. Once out of that downward spiral, I tried to figure out what the problem was.

I think it was the culmination of various physical ailments coupled with expenditure of all remaining energy on visitors and travel for an extended period of time. Basically, I was getting zero creative input. I wasn’t able to keep up with my favorite food blogs, read my cooking magazines, flip through cookbooks, brainstorm ideas. Oddly, Art Culinaire arrived right at the time things began to settle down for me. Like a spark, it reignited my inspiration.

**Jump for more butter**

This is all Manisha‘s fault ;)

aspens outside of marble, colorado
september 2008
nikon d200, 18mm, f/8, iso 100, 1/200 s