Tagged for the Liebster Award by Yumology!

So something random happened the other day - I got tagged for the Liebster Award. What even is that? The lovely Megan over at Yumology seemed to think it befitting to round me up with a few other people whom she felt should get the nomination. I was humbled to see my name tagged along with some other great ones and to even think that she thought of me! Thanks Megan - hugs and cookies your way for sure.

Anyhow, there are rules to play by for the Liebster Award, and it is almost like a chain letter that gets passed from blog to blog. Who knows how spread out the network has become over the years?! The neat thing about this "award" is that it gives both the tagger and the tagged blog's audience a bit of insight into the tagged person no matter how droll that may be (hint hint, possibly me). So yeah, here we go:


The Rules

• Thank the blogger who presented you with the Liebster Award and provide a link back to his or her blog.
• Answer the questions from the nominator.
• List 11 random facts about yourself.
• Present the Liebster Award to several other bloggers who have blogs whom you feel deserve to be noticed.
• Leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been nominated or email them.
• Create 11 questions for your nominees (3-5).
• Upload the Liebster Award image to your blog.

Megan's Questions to Me

1. What was the last thing you ate?
Oh, it was something I'd love to have again and again. I had a stir-fry of sorts made up of tofu, sweet chili peppers, cashews, oyster mushrooms, garlic, radish, and an impromptu but oh-so-delicious sauce (honey, olive oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and garlic chili sauce) which was wrapped in beautiful, fresh Bibb lettuce from the farmers' market. 

2. If you could describe your blog in one word what word would it be?
Curiosity

3. If you could have dinner with one person, just you and that person, who would it be?
To be honest, and not to be mushy gushy, I would just like to have a nice dinner with Duc without any distractions or any talk about work/the blog/etc. It needs to be an unplugged dinner that we can enjoy without any worries so we can talk about ourselves instead of the world.

4. What's your favorite meal of the day?
Just based on how my typical day goes, I'll have to choose dinner. It has less to do with the usually-savory flavors of dinner and more to do with the experience. I like to cook to de-stress and take my mind off of the day's work. It also acts as a mode of instant gratification because I work on something that immediately can be consumed and enjoyed. It also gives me a chance to be creative or even just relax alone or with people I love.

5. Why do you blog?
It truly started out as just a way for me to keep recipes and remember them. I mean, I still use it as an archive of past things I've cooked but the blog has definitely grown from there. I think I blog now because I'm just very curious about food and the stories behind it. Why did someone choose to cook this that way or how did they fall into doing what they're doing? I love seeing the passion behind the projects and the food; meeting chefs or farmers or small businesses owners has been inspiring and refreshing. I blog to share their stories and to let others know what is going on around them. I blog about my recipes because I just have a bunch of ideas fluttering around inside my head that I need to let out. I blog about restaurants and what they're doing because that might just be the first encounter people can have access to with something important that is happening in the food world! We have so many plans for 2014 on what direction to take the blog, and I think my regular readers are really starting to see that shift. Hopefully we're making a smooth transition ;)

6. Here's a million dollars. How will you spend it?
I grew up being very aware of where every penny being spent was going, and I'm not one who indulges in things that I don't think are necessities. If you were to shoot over a million dollars to me, I can easily see most of it being squirreled away into various investments to keep that money growing over the years...but only after I indulge and finally get that house I've been wanting (though of course, in California, the million won't go far in real estate). The things I could do with a brand new kitchen...

7. Here's ten dollars. How will you spend it?
Toss it into my savings account!

8. Who would you call if you were in jail?
Are we assuming that my closest friends aren't also in jail with me? I'd either call my friend Gina because she's a very level-headed and rational person or my friend Kevin because he's a lawyer, hah.

9. What song best represents your life soundtrack?
This was the hardest question to answer, and I have to say that I'm going to be lame and not really answer it. I know we're surrounded by music all the time but I haven't really listened to music in a while. The songs that catch my attention are the soulful, nearly pained ones with great lyrics...and usually, those are, as aforementioned, pained and therefore not at all like my life's soundtrack.

10. If you were a cocktail what would you be and why?
The first cocktail that came to my mind was a classic martini. I'm not someone who likes having or has a lot of frills around me. I chose the classic martini because I've always thought of vodka martinis as impostors of the original style, and I am definitely someone who tries not to put on a facade. I also like how dry gin can be which makes me think of my dry humor, and all in all, it's a good drink for (what I believe) to be classier, refined types with a good head on their shoulders. The glass a martini comes in has a wide mouth so you sip slowly at the cocktail to enjoy it instead of chugging to finish it ASAP, and I'd like to think I'm someone you'd want around for the long haul =] Oh and also, I've noticed that not everyone can get it right the first time.

11. How did you come up with your blog's title?
I have a Bachelor's in English mainly because I have always been someone who adored words, reading, and wordplay. Puns are my friend, and clever, quick wit will usually solidify a friendship with me. When it came time to create a name for the blog, I didn't need to go through many iterations. I focused on Shakespeare in college, and my favorite comedy was "Much Ado About Nothing." It had plenty of elements that spoke to me as a reader, writer, and overall person - sarcasm, biting insults that have no true malice behind them, beneficial trickery, and so forth. The title is so descriptive about how mountains can be made out of mole hills if you take everything so seriously all the time and/or are close-minded. I wanted my blog to open up the world of food (all aspects), create much ado about it, and still have the writing and personality be playful while addressing serious matters.

11 Random Facts About Me

1. I was originally supposed to be named Sophia because my mom's baby book noted its meaning was associated with wisdom (Greek). Then her friend had a daughter one week before I was born and chose the name Sophia. I then became Minerva which happens to be the Roman goddess of wisdom...and I'm glad for it!
2. It's difficult for Duc to get a clean and good picture of me because every time I know he has his camera pointed in my direction, I make a face (see example on the right).
3. I (obsessively) pull out all of the staples from paper I'm going to recycle, and I recycle every piece of paper. My coworkers have noticed...
4. I can't snap my fingers.
5. In kindergarten, I pushed a boy while playing kickball and he fell. The next day he came to school in a wheelchair, and I thought I was the one who put him there! He actually had broken his leg playing at home with his family but I didn't know that then and was mortified.
6. I use and like using the Oxford comma. #sorrynotsorry
7. I don't wear make-up nor do I even like the stuff but I almost always need to have earrings, a necklace, and a ring on that complement my outfit. I guess it's because I'm someone who notices those small details of color on someone so I try to make that effort on myself.
8. I've taught Rusty to lick people's faces if they say, "I love you."
9. I keep hand grips at my desk at work.
10. I constantly (and accidentally!) break things with my bare hands so I've resolved to letting Duc handle a lot of matters now. He calls me a brute. I apologize to the two can openers I've managed to destroy so far =[ I suppose Fact #9 is related to this one...
11. I can write mirrored text as in you need to use a mirror to read it. This is how I personalized the high school yearbook messages I left people.

My Nominees & Questions

I choose...

• Sandi of Fearless Dining
• Trevor of Sis Boom [blog!]
• Ai Pheng of The Trishaw
• Sophia of NY Foodgasm

Here are my questions:

1. What is your most prized spice/herb/seasoning in your kitchen right now and why?
2. Hashbrowns or home fries?
3. What makes you the happiest and the saddest when it comes to food?
4. What inspires you in life?
5. Why do you blog?
6. How did you name your blog?
7. Are you a beer, wine, spirits (neat), or cocktail person?
8. Do you have pets? I want to know about them!
9. What do you think is the most overrated ingredient right now?
10. How do you like your eggs?
11. I must know - what's your signature dance move?

Looking forward to seeing everyone's answers! Would love to see your posts when they go live =]