Special Announcement: Caitie's Capers Cookbook Challenge!

Hello lovely readers!

After a tumultuous couple of months, I am finally getting back into the swing of things here on the blog. I admit, I had been neglecting my poor little blog for far too long as things elsewhere in my life were a little hectic. However, I'm back now with two announcements! 

Celebratory flowers and the Prosecco cork from my viva reception

First announcement: I passed my PhD viva! Although I have some corrections to make to the thesis before I submit the final copy to the registrar, I am very relieved to be on the road to completion. The viva is the last real hurdle candidates face and as a result, is a very daunting event that looms over you the whole time you're researching and writing. Afterwards, I couldn't quite believe that I had successfully defended my work and completed this terrifying step! Although the first emotion that rushed over me was relief at not having to ever go through that again, the second was complete and utter gratitude to everyone who had helped me along the way (family, friends, colleagues). I have to admit, I was quite emotional after I got home and had some time to process day! Completing this milestone now brings me to my second announcement... 

My little cooking section of the living room 

                                

  The Caitie's Capers Cookbook Challenge! 

I had been contemplating trying to take on some sort of challenge here on the blog for absolutely ages. Ever since my lovely friend Mica introduced the Ameri-cakes & Pies project on her blog, I have been inspired to try and find something similar to do here on Caitie's Capers. My first instinct was to try and follow her lead by making the most popular dish from every American state. However, while attempting to research what these dishes would be, I discovered that many of the online lists are based on fairground foods or other similarly unhealthy dishes. Although county fair funnel cake most certainly has a very treasured place in my memories, I didn't think several posts detailing the slight variations found in the different state versions would be in keeping with the spirit of this blog. So, it was back to the drawing board. 

Cookbooks waiting to be explored!                        

While sitting in my living room absentmindedly googling different state dishes, I realized I had a wealth of resources right under my nose! I have been slowly collecting cookbooks over the years and yet, I find myself rarely turning to them as it's easier to whip up old standby favorites when life is a bit hectic. However, now that the primary source of stress and anxiety (my thesis) has been tamed, I thought it was high time for a change. And so I present to you the challenge I have decided on: every week, I will make a new recipe from either one of my lovely cookbooks or magazines. Each post will include the publication details and any changes I've made to the recipe along the way.

I'm hoping that this challenge will be a great excuse to really investigate what these resources have to offer while also inspiring me to try new and different dishes. I've set the pace of this challenge as a post a week in order to not create a new source of stress and cause burnout but there may be times when I sneak in an extra post along the way. Here's hoping we find some tasty new favorites along the way!