I thought I'd start this "feature" (that word sounds a little too official for me, hence the quotation marks) off by sharing with you the food blogs I read. Let's jump in!
Food Junta is a group blog, co-founded by a high school friend of mine. I get the sense that the contributors are mostly in their mid-twenties, and they tend to focus on really do-able recipes. Interesting do-able recipes! They're not about to tell you how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but they do manage not to be intimidating. The recipes range from quick but filling breakfasts and easy weeknight meals to dishes that are a little fancier, and could make an appearance in your next dinner party. I have, on several occasions, made this baked macaroni and cheese dish (but dumbed down a little - I don't think I've ever used the leeks, mustard, or hot pepper sauce. Ok; dumbed down a lot...), and I recently discovered this lemon risotto. Now, risotto is something I always assumed was really difficult to make. Why? Probably because it's available in a box at the grocery store. (Not exactly sound reasoning; after all, one can buy instant oatmeal in a box, and porridge is not difficult to make.) Anyway, I learned that it's not hard at all, and is so much better when made from scratch!
Luisa, author of The Wednesday Chef, is such a charming writer. I've gotten a lot of good recipes from her, too. Most recently, this one for endives wrapped in ham and then baked in a béchamel sauce. She also writes a blog about restaurants (and food shops) in Berlin, Berlin on a Platter, which you should check out if you live in Berlin, are planning to visit Berlin, or just like reading about mouthwatering food in faraway cities. (No, Berlin isn't so far away from me, but I've never been, so it feels far.)
I have no idea why it took me so long to start reading David Lebovitz's blog (or why, until just now, I thought his name was spelled Polish-style, with a 'w'), but the important thing is that, a few months ago, I finally did. The first time I looked at the blog, the most recent post began with, "People think it’s odd that there’s a craving amongst a certain crowd (namely transplanted Californians…but with a growing number of curious locals) in Paris seeking Mexican food." As you can imagine (if you know me, or at least know that I'm a transplanted Californian craving Mexican food), he had me at 'hello.' I haven't yet tried any of his recipes, but I've been keeping a mental list of the places in Paris he's recommended that have especially piqued my interest - the place with the best kouign amman, the Mexican restaurant on the Canal Saint Martin, the candy shop that sounded like it was right out of Willy Wonka...
Heidi Swanson wrote the most beautiful cookbook I own. (I don't actually own all that many cookbooks, but I imange I could buy a bunch more without making that statement false.) She also writes the blog 101 Cookbooks. She is vegetarian, and healthy. But she comes up with delicious recipes! I promise! I do sometimes find the unfamiliar ingredients intimidating, but when I've gotten over that (or chosen recipes without an intimidating ingredient list), I've been rewarded. Most recently, this baked farro risotto (except that I used arborio rice) was lovely. Oh! and I've also made this lasagne tart a couple of times. (Well, sort of. I used the idea - which really appealed to me, because although lasagne always sounds wonderful, I end up not enjoying it so much because I don't really like the noodles, and the ricotta often seems grainy - but since I used to (!) not like courgettes, I used sausage instead. And goat cheese in place of the ricotta.) Heidi also has a new cookbook out, which the authors of all the other food blogs I read have been raving about, so I'm looking forward to taking a look at it.
The first food blog I read was Chocolate & Zucchini. My mum started reading it the last time I was living in France, so she introduced me to it. I don't think I really looked at it that year, but when I got back to California and was missing Paris, I checked it out. I haven't made anything from the blog recently, but I like her cookbook so much that, regretting my decision to not attempt to stuff it into my overflowing suitcase on that last, stressful night before I returned to Paris, I bought another copy of it. (But not the exact same one. There are three versions: US, UK, and French, and I think each one has a slightly different recipe list. The one I have with me now is the UK version.) She organises it into three parts: simple, everyday meals, dinner party meals (every course is covered!), and sweet things. I love the cumin gougères, the lamb tagine and the blueberry almond tart (which I make with raspberries).
Smitten Kitchen is a lovely blog, and I've gone through phases of starring every other recipe in my Google Reader, but I haven't actually tried very many of them. I think, perhaps, there are more recipes that are somewhat snack-like, or else meals that are less easy to have as left overs throughout the week. (As long as I can make something I don't get tired of too quickly, I like to try to make a dinner on Sunday that will last me through most of the week, so I don't have to worry about cooking when I get home in the evening.) However, glancing through SK just now, I have to say that this looks delicious, and also would help me break out a little bit from my carb-heavy tendencies. (I admit it: I'm afraid to cook meat. Stews are almost the only setting in which I do. Otherwise, I'm terrified of undercooking it, so often end up overcooking. That, my friends, is not a good thing. Of course, things like meatballs or sausages are not quite as challenging as, you know, big pieces of meat. Like a magret de canard (duck breast). Mmmmmmm. That, I should really learn how to cook.)
If you're already a food blog reader, I probably haven't given you many new suggestions here, beyond Food Junta. In fact, perhaps you can give me some suggestions? I like to have a lot of places to search for recipes, to better avoid the horrid feeling of having absolutely no idea what to cook or where to look for inspiration.
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