I'm a Winner!

But then, I already knew that. Why am I a winner? Well, to name just a few small blessings, because I am a much-loved child of God, miracle of miracles . . . I'm married to the best husband ever . . . I'm no longer enslaved to the horrible lie that is anorexia . . . am loved by -- and love in return -- my family and friends . . . I have the pleasure of working with some great teachers helping out wonderful kiddos . . . I live in a beautiful house, have more than enough to eat, and can read, write, work, and run.

I think you know, however, that those amazing privileges are not exactly what I was referring to with this post's title. So what I'm I a winner of, then? Not only am I the overall winner of the July 2009 Royal Foodie Joust, but I also won for the best photo! My dolce estivo Italian-themeed creation (otherwise described as ricotta cream parfait with balsamic strawberries) apparently looked as good as it tasted and won out against some stiff competition. I'm so honored! Of the other entries, I was particularly wowed by the strawberry oat basil smoothie, a strawberry basil sorbet served in a sweet rice ring, and the strawberry shrimp ceviche with popcorn (which won for the most unique interpretation). Check out the other tasties made with the required strawberries, basil, and whole grains here.

As the overall winner of the Joust, I have the happy task of picking the three required ingredients for the next round. I always knew that I wanted bananas to be one of my ingredients should I ever win, and that I'd like to see some Indian-inspired recipes. As a result, in addition to bananas, the ingredients for the August Joust are turmeric and honey. I hope folks will submit both sweet and savory dishes that I can add to my recipe collection.