No, silly, I’m not preggers again, but I did give “birth” recently, and I’m very excited to tell you all about my new bouncing, burping bundle of joy. He/She/It is so adorable, so talented and so very inspirational, you won’t believe your eyeballs. Any clues yet? Well, keep reading.

See, I’m always looking for fresh ways to be as creative as I can be. Got a lot of my creativity ya-ya’s out this past summer and fall, what with re-doing our daughter’s bedroom and bath, and then moving onto the much larger project that was our kitchen. But those projects are done. Finis. Checked off of my to-do-list. And anyone who knows me at all knows that my mind is always, always whirling away, and that I absolutely cannot sit still, for even one-second. So what was a creative girl with too much time on her hands (and winter on its way) to do? I was stumped ... until I opened my eyes and got on the computer and realized that almost every single one of my girlfriends, nationwide, has started their own blogs. AHA. That’s what I’d do—I’d start my very own blog. Or as Big Daddy spells it, my very own “Blawg.”

What exactly is a blog, you ask? Well blogs aren’t just another way for the narcissistic to “show off” or convince themselves that they are more fascinating than anybody else (like on that little known site, Facebook). No, blogs aren’t about that at all. They are sort of like an on-line journal, and a way to use photography and graphics to inspire readers. Just as there are 10 gazillion different personality types out there, there are at least that many different kinds of blogs; blogs about art, blogs about music, exercising, gardening, cooking, shopping, fishing, careers, hobbies, you name it. If you’re interested in anything at all, there’s a whole bunch of blogs out there in the “blogisphere,” just for you. Just let Dr. Google know what you want to see, and the good ol’ doc will take care of you, promptly.

So about MY blog. You can get there by typing in: SugarandSpiceAdk.blogspot.com. Then add it to your favorites so you won’t have to type that annoyingly long address ever again. What is my blog about? Well, primarily cooking; I hope to have nice fat color photos of the recipe preparations I do for you in this column. Hopefully, the blog and column will really work together as one. I also love decorating, gardening, crafting and touring the shops and homes of the area, and hope to bring those to you, as well. I promise to update my blog at least two to three times per week, so stop by often. And leave comments, please. That’s the only way we bloggers can know if anyone is out there, reading our work.

If you check out my new blog today, you can watch me prepare, step-by-step, local shop owner Reggie Chambers’ amazing recipe for her Chicken Jalapeno Appetizer. Reggie owns the Adirondack Reader bookstore up in Inlet, and held an open house recently with other establishments The Wine Shop, The Boat House and French ADK Sports. She served this appetizer to rave reviews, and I believe it was my old friend Paula Stanton who recommended that Reggie forward her recipe to me. I am so glad she did.

One more thing: Ever since I cut off my longish reddish hair last year and went a little blonder, I have been mistaken for Reggie countless times. Seriously—at least once a week someone will say to me, “Hey, Reggie, read any good books, lately?” Just so you know, we ARE two separate women, even though you may never, ever see us together. It’s all done with mirrors, my dear ...

Enjoy.

MY TWIN REGGIE’S CHICKEN-JALAPENO APPETIZER

1 chicken breast, cooked in olive oil and shredded

8 oz. cream cheese

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped

2 tblsp. minced jalapeno pepper

1 tblsp. lemon juice

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. hot sauce, or add to taste

Cook chicken until no pink remains. Shred. In a bowl, combine all remaining ingredients.

Add shredded chicken, and bake in an oven proof dish for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve with crackers or sliced baguette.

Please send all recipes or comments to. P.O. Box 111, Old Forge, NY 13420, or e-mail them to lnwillard@hotmail.com. You can also visit me at: www.SugarandSpiceAdk.blogspot.com.