I won! I won!

Last week I received one of those chain emails that you are supposed to pass along to a certain number of people and your wish will come true. Typically I delete them, but this one had a picture of Mother Theresa and Pope John Paul II with a really nice prayer so I was pulled in. Come on, it was JP2!

My wish for financial reward is due to be granted at any minute.

This morning my horoscope gave me five stars. FIVE! Out of five.

Then this afternoon I found out I had won a blogger sponsored contest. The whimsical Purest Green at Scotland for the Senses has awarded me a copy of the cookbook, A Cook’s Tour of Scotland.

How cool is that! My mojo is back.

Winning the giveaway is exciting not only because I won something, but more so because I know very little about the foods of Scotland. And what do we do when there is something we know little about? Exactly. We google.

Now there are a few Scottish basics that I’m familiar with, like Shepherd’s Pie, Shortbread, Haggis and Cock-a-Leekie Soup. But look at the names of some other staples I found:

Arbroath Toasties
Atholl Brose
For Far Bridies
Bannocks
Parton Bree
Rumbledethumps
Roastit Bubbly-Jock
Toad in the Hole
Tweed Kettle

I don’t know what any of these things are, but aren’t they fun to say? Something I did notice. It appears that several of the Scottish recipes include liquor of some sort. I saw a lot of whiskey and Drambuie as ingredients. Maybe everyone got tipsy on the food and then came up with the amusing names.

With my Italian heritage, I’m seeing a thrilling new fusion forefront for the cuisine scene. Maybe Pyzahn Pie. Toad in the Pancetta. Amaretto Toasties.

At the very least, there will be a lot of “blethering”. And future posts. Stay tuned.


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