Introduction to Claire's Austrian Kitchen: Schnitzel

This Post was written by Claire from Schnitzel

http://schnitzel.wordpress.com/

Where are you based? In live in Surrey.

How long have you been blogging for? I’ve been officially blogging since I was 15 on a weird American site called Teen Open Diary which may still be in existence! I started my food blog in August of this year and although I got off to a slow start I’m now becoming addicted to the foodie community! As if Facebook wasn’t enough! Now I seem to be spending most of my free time typing away!

Does your blog have a theme? My blog is centered around the simplicity and importance of sharing good food with friends and family around the table! I think it's important not to loose sight of food being for this purpose. Good food is not just a passing fashion for the wealthy and can be produced by anyone - not just celebrity chefs.

What are the best things about food blogging? The best thing about food blogging is the interaction and being able to write my stream of thoughts down knowing that there are hundreds of similar foodies out there that can relate. Once considered a place for geeks, nowadays the internet is a fantastic tool for communication for anybody and everybody which I think we are all appreciating more and more.

What are the worst things about food blogging? Hmmm. At the moment I really want a scanner to scan in some old photos of family (which were taken before the digital era!) So it’s quite frustrating that I can’t post any photos of my Grandmother in the kitchen! Cooking for family, friends and enjoying life is what my blog is all about!

Other than that, I do tend to beat myself up about not blogging more often. But sometimes all I want to do after work is have a hot bath, glass of red wine with a few cheeky chocolates!

What inspires you to write? I discovered the book Falling Cloudberries a few weeks ago. I love cookbooks which write not just fantastic recipes but come with history, family and photographs. Books like these remind me of the influence that my Grandmother has had on my cooking.

Also a chilly autumnal day inspires me to bake; but I don’t need that much encouragement to cook on any day really!

Where do you prefer to write? We had these discussions in my Creative Writing lectures. It’s strange how we all prefer to write at different times and places! I like to write in bed - on my day off when it’s all quiet and the sun is shining through my window!

What is your signiture dish? I adore making my own pasta. Kase Nudel is a dumpling dish from Southern Austria (where my mother originates) which consists of a compressed mixture of quark, chopped mint, chervil and potatoes. A dish which perhaps sounds suspiciously healthy but with a sprinkling of chopped chives and melted butter over the top - divine!

What about you might it surprise other bloggers to know? In June I was waiting in a long queue at the ticket office in Liverpool Street Station and a cute guy at the end of the queue caught my eye. I wouldn’t usually approach someone I thought was hot but I suddenly thought to myself why not! So when I got to the booth I scribbled my number down while paying for my underground ticket, made my way towards him, stuffed my number in his bag pocket and dashed away. He got in contact the next day and we found out that we had mutual friends in common! I love coincidences! I know that this is a bit unrelated to food and it’s a cliché, but sometimes I think it makes life more interesting if you push yourself beyond your limits!

Phew. Well be sure to check out my blog and let me know what you think! I'm looking forward to being part of this community!

PS: Has anyone else been invited to go on a new cookery programme commencing on Channel 5?

Claire

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