Sunday Self Secrets Week Five 'My Twenty Second Birthday'

Once again, this weeks Sunday Self Secrets is late due to the fact on Sunday I was celebrating my twenty second birthday at my best friends house. She'd organized me the most wonderful birthday but to be honest I wouldn't expect anything less from her since she is the most wonderful best friend. Not only did we go out for lunch to Damon's but she threw me an Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party in the evening with some of the most important people to me attending. Because of this I'm going to dedicate this Sunday Self Secrets to my amazing party as it is something I'd love to have a memory of for those dull and lonely days.

I opened all my presents first thing in the morning helped by my best friends two beautiful daughters. I received a lot mor than I have over the past few birthdays, some of the high lights were champagne flavoured bubble bath, a new charm for my bracelet, a leather purse, paperchase photo frame and two beautiful bits of Disney Couture Jewellery the watch necklace from the boy & the key bracelet from my best friend, these are actually my two favourite bits from the collection!

In the afternoon we went out for lunch, Damon's offers a free meal for the birthday girl and since it was mothers day my best friend and her mother who also came received free cocktails. I also had a blue lagoon cocktail to celebrate in style. The meal was delicious, I had a combo of bbq chicken breast with scampi, chips and salad. There was also this delicious rice that I could of ate a whole bowl of on it's own! I also received a free cake with a sparkler in it and everyone on my table only sang happy birthday to me. I was sort of glad of this with working in F&Bs I find the big birthday song incredibly humiliating but the small table only one at Damon's was lovely and intimate. I would recommend it to anyone! As I have mentioned before the food was excellent too, I sort of wish I had the ribs though as they looked amazing! And for what you get to eat, it's excellent value for money.

After the meal, the boy took me to Sainsburys to get some snacks and little did I know my best friend was creating me my own Wonderland! Even though we arrived back before it was finished, I was completely taken by surprised especially by the fact the boy was in on it! He has never been able to keep anything a secret ever and I was bowled over that the two most important people had been conspiring behind my back! It was an amazing surprise though. Here are some of the highlights of Amy's Wonderland...

L-R Cheshire Cat Balloons, Delicious Spread with Bread & Butterflies and Cupcakes, Cards!
Paper Lanterns, Alice Cake with 22 Sparkler Candles, Directions in Wonderland, Cards & a Shroom!

There was also chess pieces, lots more cards, teapots with candles in, a big banner, flamingos & so much more! I feel so lucky to have such an amazing best friend who knows me so well! The wine flowed generously and I got stupidly drunk but it was my birthday! Not only was the boy and my best friend there but my friends from University and two of my other friends came over. We all drank copious amounts well into the night! It was the most excellent birthday I've ever had. I know she'll be reading this since she has an excellent journal over at Film Bluff but I am so incredibly lucky to have her as a best friend. I hope she knows that!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend! x

Film Review #5 'Alice in Wonderland'

"From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure "Alice in Wonderland," a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. Johnny Depp stars as the Mad Hatter and Mia Wasikowska as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen's reign of terror. The all-star cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and Crispin Glover; Linda Woolverton wrote the screenplay. Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll's beloved "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865) and "Through the Looking-Glass" (1871) with stunning, avant-garde visuals and the most charismatic characters in literary history, "Alice in Wonderland" comes to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ on March 5, 2010." - plot taken from movieweb

As promised by the boy, three months back when we were waiting for Avatar to begin and we very first saw the trailer for this, last night we returned to the new IMAX cinema to watch Alice in Wonderland. This was sort of a birthday treat for me but I'm sure had it not come out in March I'd of still tried to persuade the boy to pay the extra to see it at the IMAX, it wouldn't of been very hard since he is an avid cinema goer and movie lover (he studied TV & Movie Practice at University) plus who can really pass up a Disney & Tim Burton collaboration in 3D? For me, personally this is one of the most anticipated movies of the year, I have been excitedly waiting for this since reading about it early last year and I was not disappointed in anyway. I loved ever second of it, maybe it's because I'm completely biased to Alice in Wonderland? Probably not since I was a little anxious that Tim Burton was directing it, I love his old stuff dearly but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake is a thing of nightmares (much like Johnny Depps plastic-y look at Willie Wonka).

Starting with the plot line without giving anything away, I was so happy to hear this was not a live action remake of the 1951 Disney film, or any previous Wonderland films for that matter and I was even happier to hear that it wasn't going to be a straight make of the book instead it would be a whole new plot line set thirteen years after Alice's visit to Wonderland. Basically again, without giving anything away too much, Alice finds her way back to Wonderland to find it a mess, the Red Queen has taken the crown and is reigning with an iron fist and taking Alice's friends as slaves. As you may of guessed, Alice is here to stop all that. I felt that the story ran smoothly and I didn't feel bored or that it dragged at any point. Burton's spin on Wonderland was surprisingly not too weird, instead it was rather beautiful in an abstract way. His take on the characters was excellent and I really loved how many of the old favourite lines from Lewis Carrolls novels turned up such as the Jabberwoky poem, curiouser and curiouser and the quote about thinking up six impossible things before breakfast, it really tied the original stories and this new one together. There was also some touching moments and of course some dark humour that can only be expected in a Burton movie, the kind of humour that goes right of children's heads.

The characters themselves were excellently casted and I was very proud to recognise the faces and voices of quite a few British stars Matt Lucas as Tweedle Dum/Dee, Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit, Christopher Lee as the Jabberwocky, Alan Rickman as the Catapillar and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat who was by far one of my favourite characters. Johnny Depp was quite an excellent but still sort of creepy Mad Hatter, very clever and Helena Bonham Carter was made for the role of the Queen of Hearts, opposite the quite funny Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. For me, Mia Wasikowska made the film, she was quite an excellent Alice, one of the best I've ever seen and I've watched a lot of Wonderland movies. She was perfect in looks, attitudes and the way she spoke. I don't there could of been a better Alice.

It was the little things that made it for me, it was quite obvious that Burton had paid a lot of attention to the small details of Wonderland and then turned it on its head which would of been possible since the Red Queen had destroyed the place. As I've mentioned before the lines that are used, singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat at the Tea Party, that even though the Red Queens cards looked like soilders so when they're knocked down they fold like a pack of cards, the battle field being a chess board. All these little things are what made the movie for me as they were all the things that were worrying me.

I could infact write so much more but I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone else planning on going to see it as it really is that good. I recommend it to anyone, because it's surprisingly mainstream for Tim Burton. In a way I do feel that is sad, Tim Burton was always a visionary director who liked to do things a bit different pushing the bounderies of fantasy and this is very normal. However if you don't think of it as a down turn for Burton, it is a wonderful fantasy film.

Best Moment: When Alice is tumbling down the rabbit hole, amazing in 3D.
Best Line: "I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are." - Alice
Would Recommend For: Anyone who loves Burton's fantasy worlds, Wonderland fans, Fantasy fans, children of 3 + (I didn't think there was anything particularly scary)
Rating: 9/10

"I like my money right where I can see it, hanging in my closet." - Carrie Bradshaw

I'm pretty sure it must be most girls dreams to find out she has an excuse to buy something new for an expensive dinner, usually it is my dream but not three days before said expensive dinner. Saturday night, I will be spending my evening in the company of the boys family having an expensive meal to celebrate his grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. I did have my outfit all picked out, a nice new long top over my black leggings with a long cardigan and some small heals, comfy but sophisticated however last night the boy receives a message from his father to in the words of Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, "suit up". Which of course meant my modest outfit was going to be too casual for the occasion. Panic ensues. I have to admit I am fortunate enough to be in possession of £50 worth of arcadia gift cards from my birthday that I was trying to save for the sales but with saving for our holiday it's left me tight for money especially for new clothes. Not only was lack of funds a problem but the fact I have a small window of two hours tomorrow evening before we watch Alice in Wonderland at the IMAX to find something and with my shop choice limited to three this is indeed a challenge that has me in a flap. I always feel its important that while visiting the boys family I make a huge effort, his elder brothers wife is naturally beautiful so I often feel that I must be such a let down! I'm sure it's not true but a girl can't help worrying!

Since coming home from work I've browsed Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge and Topshop's website in search of something nice, smart that I can wear again by dressing down and making it as every day as possible since I don't go out enough to warrent having a huge selection of evening wear. I've found a few dresses and skirts I like, nothing that I would of gave a second look had I not needed something, but still, who can say no to new clothes?

So these are the bits I've come across. The first two dresses are from Miss Selfridge and are £35 each. I've found a new love for Miss Selfridge lately. I went off it a few months back as I thought it was getting very tacky and the sort of stuff I imagined fourteen years old to wear however the past few weeks I've been popping back in and I think a lot of their new season stuff is much nicer than Topshop. The first navy dress is my favourite and I'm hoping that is the one I'm able to get tomorrow. It's definitely something I'll wear again and I adore peter pan collars. I'd team it with a pair of skin coloured tights and my black squeek shoes from Topshop. The red dress, has padded shoulders which I'm not into, I'd have to check that the pads can be cut out but it's the back of the dress is gorgeous! This I'd wear with black out tights and again my squeek shoes. The third dress is from Dorothy Perkins and costs £30. I'm not so keen on the polka dots but I adore the shape. I have other dresses like that and it's really flattering on my figure. I do however thing it might not be smart enough. The next two are skirts from Topshop since I didn't see any dresses I like in Topshop, infact I'm struggling at all to find anything I like in Topshop at the moment. They're both £35, I do love them but then I'd just have to buy a top as well and that's more money than I really want to spend. The final dress isn't one I'm actually going to buy since I'd have to order it offline and I doubt it would be here for Saturday, plus it's £60. It is my dream dress that I lusted over last year on asos.com when it was in the sale for £30 but then it disappeared and I just found it again else where. I'll never own it because I know I'll hardly get to wear it but it doesn't stop me loving it!

Anyway, it's getting late and I have a busy three days ahead, I shall keep you all updated on which dress I treat myself to. Do any of you have dream items of clothes that you wish you could own but you know it would be pointless to?

Dish #2 Thai

Yesterday while I was in the kitchen doing some preparation, my boyfriend came home from work and asked me "what country are we visiting today?" that's when I realized he's really on board with this. It also made me laugh at how excited he seemed when I said Thailand. Thai food isn't something we eat an awful lot of because it's so exotic and usually contains fruit or worse coconut. Anyone who knows me personally, will know I have a horrible aversion to coconut that stems back to being seventeen when I stupidly drank Malibu and Jack Daniels together, I'm sure you can imagine what happened next! Since then I haven't been able to stand the smell or taste. When I decided to do Thai style chicken satay I knew this would be a challenge because all the recipes call for coconut milk. I could of done it without but where would the fun be in that!

Traditionally satay refers to a kebab with three pieces of marinated meat, satay itself means three pieces in some cultures. But of course the marinate is that infamous peanut flavoured sauce. Satay in Indonesia is a street food that is eaten with fingers as a snack rather than a main meal. Before looking into making my own satay I always thought it was a thick sauce like the kind I get from the Chinese take away, no coconut in sight! Different eastern cultures have their own recipes for satay nowaday and no one really knows where it originally came from but I've decided to do a Thai version, which of course does have the coconut milk in like with a lot of Thai dishes.

Here it is, dish number 2, Thai Chicken Satay with Basmati Rice.

Unlike yesterday where I came home from work and cooked there and then, this recipe is all about the preparation hours earlier which does take a bit of time, then when it's time to cook it takes no more than 20 minutes (and most of those minutes are waiting on the chicken in the oven!)

I decided not to follow one particular satay recipe but instead to combine my favourite elements from different thai ones i'd read but trying to keep the key elements. I replaced the dry peanuts with peanut butter because we already had it in the cupboard so the only two ingredients I did have to buy was the coconut and the lemon grass. I bought solid coconut milk that you make up with hot water as it was cheaper and it meant I didn't have to use it all at once. The spices I used were cayenne pepper, tumeric and ginger. To make it more like a marinate I used soy sauce, fish sauce and seseme oil along with some fresh lime and garlic. The meat I used was three small breasts of chicken chopped up into cubes and I served it over basmati rice. I'm currently addicted to microwave basmati by Veetee, currently Sainsburys are doing 3 packs for £3 and they serve two people at a time. They cook perfectly and are so light!

Firstly, I chopped one clove of garlic, one stem of lemon grass (remove the outer leaves and chop of each end, much like an onion) and cut one wedge of lime. Then I put them in a mixing bowl.

Into the bowl I added one small tea spoon of peanut buttter, two table spoons of soy sauce, one table spoon of fish sauce, one table spoon of seseme oil, 100mls of coconut milk, tumeric, ginger and salt. Using a hand blender I combined it all into it was lump free.

Add the chicken and stir until it is completely coated in marinate. Cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge for a few hours. I left mine for almost 3 hours and that seemed to work perfectly.

When it was time to make dinner, I removed the chicken from the fridge. The marinate had gone quite solid which worried me at first but it worked for the best. I skewered the chicken onto our kebab stick and put them in the over for 20 minutes occassionally removing them to turn them over so both sides brown.

While the chicken was in the oven, I made a quick dressing since the boy hates dry rice. I just combined soy sauce with ginger and garlic and the juice of half a lemon. It's one of my favourites if i'm making a quick chinese rice dish as it's so easy to make and I always have the ingredients for it! Finally, 2 minutes before the chicken is ready I microwave the rice, then it's ready to serve.

I have never made Thai food before and I was quite impressed with how it turned out. Very tasty and even though it was just rice and chicken it was very filling. However, if I was to make it again I'd have to pass on the coconut, the smell when it was cooking was the worst, it tasted fine on the chicken mixed with peanut and spice taste. It was also so much easier and quicker to make than I imagined it would be. I'm even looking forward to trying some more Thai dishes!

If you'd like to offer a country for me to create a recipe from or even a recipe you think I should try, please feel free on my project page for Around the World in 80 Dishes. Everything I plan on cooking has elements of authentic and traditional recipes with my own personal twist.

Dish #1 Italian/American

Last week I bought some meatballs reduced to 50p in Sainsburys and felt excited to use them for Around the World in 80 Dishes project however when I was doing research into the recipe I was disappointed to discover that this dish was in fact a combination of old Italian meatball recipe for polpette added to spaghetti to please the americans. It first came about during the 19th century when South Italian immigrants were making their way to the US. This is why this recipe in my project is given both the Italian and American heading.

Spaghetti and meatballs is such a simple recipe that I thought it would be an excellent way to ease into eating around the world. As I've mentioned above, I used pre-made meatballs but its simple to make your own. All you need is minced meat (I usually use lean beef, but it does work with lamb, pork or turkey), breadcrumbs, oil or eggs to bind, and herbs, spices and seasoning to flavour. Last night however I finished work at 11pm so had to make something quick before the boy went to bed (he claims he sleeps better on a full stomach but in my opinion he's just too lazy to cook for himself while I'm at work!)

So I present to you, dish number 1, Spaghetti & Meatballs, served with homemade garlic bread.

This is not a recipe that has to use exactly what I use, it's a preference recipe and you can add whatever you want if you think it'll enhance it for you.

Starting with ingredients. I used my store bought meatballs which were 50p in Sainsburys, since they were dated for that day I froze them and then defrosted them before use. I used linguine instead of spaghetti because that's what we had in the house. Basic chopped tomatoes, great for cooking dishes like this with because your adding all the flavour. Tomato puree to thickening up the sauce. One onion and a clove of garlic, I personally feel there is nothing like fresh garlic for adding flavour. Soy sauce, I've always put it in tomato pasta dishes, I feel it gives it a bit of a kick. Cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley. Instead of cherry tomatoes you can use peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn, whatever takes your fancy really. I just feel adding something else always gives the dish a bit more depth which is important for me since the boy takes a lot to fill up! Of course, herbs, spices and seasoning I haven't listed but will mention in the step by steps.


This isn't necessarily everyones step one, I just prefer my pasta to be very very soft so I always put it on first. The best way to cook anything of course is to follow the instructions on the back of the packet then add or subtract time depending on how you like it to be cooked. If you do like it soft like I do, I recommend a good 20 minutes of cooking and if you need to don't be afraid to add more water. Place into a pan with boiling water and add some salt. Leave on a medium heat to cook.

Thinly chop the onion and add to a pan with the crushed garlic clove. Pour over some oil (or dry fry if you want to be healthy) and cook on a low heat until the onion starts to go soft. Every now and then stir to ensure that the onion and garlic don't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.

While the onion is cooking, pour the chopped tomatoes into a bowl and add one to two large spoons of soy sauce depending on how you want this to taste. I then added some cayenne pepper, paprika, Parmesan, black pepper, salt & some dried Italian herbs I had left from when I was at uni and living on frozen mince, ha. Give it a good mix together.

Add the meatballs to the pan with the onion and garlic and stir so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring until they're browning on all sides.

Add the tomato sauce and some tomato puree to thicken it then cover with a lid so the meatballs have time to cook thoroughly and the sauce will thicken more. Leave on a low heat so again nothing will stick to the bottom of the pan. This is so important if like me you're not using expensive non stick pans, ours just came from Ikea. They're working well so far but I'd rather not risk it.

Next quarter the cherry tomatoes and dice the parsley. Leave on the chopping board while the meatballs and pasta cook.
Now to make the garlic bread. I personally believe you can't have pasta without garlic bread, I mean how are you going to mop up all that lovely left over sauce!? Since I had a spare moment while everything cooks I made my own. You can use any bread really to do this but we had some left over French stick from lunch so I used that. I chopped it in half and put it on a baking tray. Thickly spread some butter, thickly as it's nice to have it melt right through the bread, especially something thick like French stick. Sprinkle over some garlic powder generously, after trying with paste and fresh I've found garlic powder works best for this. Then top with some dry herbs. Put it in the over for 5-10 minutes depending on how crispy you want it. I usually put it on a low heat so the butter melts slowly rather than burns.

Once the meatballs have cooked right through (you can check this by cutting into one to make sure it's brown in the middle), drain the pasta and stir into the tomato meatball mix. At this point I also added my cherry tomatoes so they keep their shape rather than turn soggy. Then of course serve with the garlic bread and topped with fresh parsley. Delicious and very filling, which is brilliant since I barely even spent £3 on it!


Tonight I'm cooking Thai Satay Chicken, it's already marinating in the fridge.

If you'd like to offer a country for me to create a recipe from or even a recipe you think I should try, please feel free on my project page for Around the World in 80 Dishes. Everything I plan on cooking has elements of authentic and traditional recipes with my own personal twist.

"All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

Photo Credit chilecowboy @ flickr

The boy and I have booked our holiday for 2010! After much discussion and finance planning we have decided to go to Orlando in Florida. We're booked to go on the 2nd November 2010 for 10 days, 9 nights flying direct from Gatwick, London. We're staying in a Best Western just off International Drive and we're seriously looking forward to Ponderosa all you can eat breakfasts for $3.99.

It'll be eight years since I last visited and to say I'm excited is an understatement.

And The Award Goes To... 'The Sunshine Award'

Thanks to Roxy Belle posting an award she'd received, I remembered I'd been given an award this week! I was meaning to write about it but since I've accumulated so much to write about over the past week I completely forgot.

The award was given to me by the lovely Samantha Jane and it's called the Sunshine Award.

RULES
-Put the award on your blog or in your post.
-Pass the award to 12 bloggers.
-Link the nominees within your post.
-Let the nominees know by commenting on their blog.
-Share the love and link to the person who gave it to you.

& the award goes to
1. Roxxybelle
2. A Daisy Chain Dream
3. The Madness of Mundanity
4. Cupcakes & Cherries
5. My Little Life
6. Bibliochic
7. And So Say I
8. Cupcake Couture
9. Book Odyssey
10. Obsessed Make Up Addict
11. Film Bluff
12. Much Love

Sunday Self Secrets Week Four 'The Family'

I don't have loads to write on this subject as it's a very very personal one, and I don't suppose my parents and younger sister would like our private lives posted on a public blog.

My family are three of the most important and valuable people in my life. We've had some hard times while I was growing up but I'm hoping finally we're all on the straight and narrow. I love them more than words can describe and I feel so lucky that I ended up with such wonderful parents. Some of my happiest memories contain these three people, including three trips to Walt Disney World in Florida which has had such a big impact on my life. For all their faults and for all their mistakes I honestly believe that these three are good people and I am genuinely blessed.

I am one of two girls and I'm the eldest by 2 years 4 months. My younger sister Erin (the brunette) was the pain in my life when I was growing up. We shared a room and we were completely different in every way so we struggled to find common ground. In her nineteen years she's had two near death experiences, one when she was very young and neither of us remember and one was in recent years that ended up with us both growing closer. We still argue but we enjoy time together and have a lot more in common these days. She's busy training to be a dental nurse and is finally happily in love. I'm both proud and happy for her.

My mother is a teacher in a pre school nursery, however nowadays they're not supposed to be called teachers or nurserys but that's fundimentally what she is. Before I was born she was a hairdresser but he went back and trained to be a teacher once my sister started school. She was always the mediator in our family fueds and never likes to take sides. Since my sister and I have grown up she now spends all her time looking after her gerbils, Daisy and Maisy. She enjoys gardening and watching all sports on tv. In two years she'll have been married to my dad for twenty five years, he's promised to take her to Wimbledon to watch the mens final on centre court. We're more like best friends now than mother and daughter and I miss seeing her every day. She is one of the funniest people I know and always comes out the worst things. She comes down during her school holidays and we spend a day shopping together, in Easter I've promised to go with her to see Nanny Mcphee and the Big Bang as the first one is her favourite film.

My dad is a long distance truck driver. He loves his job he has nowadays as he gets to deliver new cars and often gets to test drive them. Paddy is very envious of this. Because of his job we only saw him on weekends when we were growing up which was tough on all of us. He did it because it's the only job he's even knew and it was good money. So good nowadays that he gets excellent pay. My sister and I have very similar tempraments to my dad which caused us all to always bash heads. He's always very over protective and always worrying which used to annoy my sister and I. Of both my parents he spoilt us the most and still does. I look forward to him stopping in Newcastle so we can go out for dinner together and catch up. I sometimes think he has more time for me than he used to because he now had Paddy to talk to too! I love him more now than I ever have. He loves classic rock music and still goes to festivals.


On Saturday I took a train to my hometown and spent a night at my parents to celebrate my birthday early. On arriving they had a cake and my sister, her boyfriend and my parents sang happy birthday to me and then I opened my presents. I received everything I'd asked them for plus two charms for my bracelet. From my sister I got a bottle of pink sparkling rose. That evening we had a huge chinese and lots of wine, what a lovely grown up birthday.

"What is a friend? A single soul in two bodies." - Aristotle

I'm on a holiday hiatus this week!
I'm on a week off from work and I'm visiting friends and family. I'm enjoying good conversation, a lot of laughs and even more alcohol than I doubt my body would like. I spent a day with my two closest friends from university and now I'm with my best friend, then tomorrow I'm visiting my parents.

Remember, I'm still looking for country suggestions for my first blog project, Around the World in Eighty Dishes. So far I'll be visiting Thailand, Turkey, Iran, India, Lebanon, Japan, Italy, Mexico & Spain. More suggestions please!

After one more follower, I will be announcing my first ever give away, I'm dying to post it but I feel 25 followers should be celebrated in a good way!

Love to all x

Project #1 'Around the World in Eighty Dishes'

I'm leaving Sunday Self Secrets for tonight to instead introduce my first ever blog project! I've been thinking about this all week and I think tonight is time to put it to my public.

Exciting huh?

For the next year I'm going to be trying new dishes from all over the world and posting them here, along with the ingredients, the instructions on how to make them and some information about the dish. I love trying new dishes and since my boyfriend will eat pretty much anything I think this could be fun. Also finding new dishes from around the world on our modest budget is going to be a difficult challenge but I know it'll be enjoyable (and if gives me a great excuse to go to our local market!).

And here is where I need the help. I'd love for all my followers to give me suggestions for countries to cook dishes from! I'll do the research and find the dishes, all you have to do is suggest the country.

I'm really excited about this, so please send your suggestions my way.