My love/hate relationship with food blogs

I am a food blog addict. (Also a style blog addict, but that's another post.) I probably read about 20 food blogs a day, which I think is a lot for someone who isn't a food blogger herself (I do not have the camera skills nor the recipe inventing skills (yet) for that endeavor).

But I really have a love/hate relationship with these food blogs. What I love about them is easy:

• They inspire me to try new foods, new food combinations, and new cooking techniques
• They remind me to feed my family good foods
• They make me feel better about my skills when they write about how a recipe went wrong or took so many tries before it was good
• They constantly remind me that cooking is NOT hard (it's not!!!) - it just takes a small measure of patience, willingness to try and sometimes fail, and dedication to the fact (fact!) that it's better to cook and eat at home than eat or order out.

Here's what gets on my nerves about food blogs, though: the way they all seem to be seasonly in sync. I understand that cooking seasonly is important and I understand that each food blogger wants to give his or her take on a seasonal item or ingredient.

But like right now? If I see another pumpkin recipe, I'm going to retch. And it seems to always happen that just when I think, "Well, phew, that phase is over," another phase starts and I'm left going, "Oh god, everyone's doing that now?"

If you're a standard food blogger, here's pretty much how your year goes:

January: healthy meals (New Year's resolution time!), soup

February: cutesy Valentine's Day treats

March: St. Patrick's Day recipes (beer, soda bread, cabbage, etc)

April: Spring and Easter recipes (ham, spring side dishes)

May: Memorial Day barbecue recipes

June: more barbecue recipes

July: 4th of July red, white, and blue desserts, summer cocktails, MORE barbecue

August: more summer cocktails (it's getting super hot, after all) and, hey, look at that - more barbecue. Also, summer salads and other foods that don't require turning your stove on (did we all mention that it's hot outside?), anything with ice cream - or making ice cream itself (seriously, did we mention it's summer and it's hot outside?)

September: back to school snacks, lunchbox ideas, sandwiches, apple recipes

October: more apple recipes (we're still apple-picking!), soup, Halloween treats and everything possible with pumpkin

November: Thanksgiving (turkey, ham, potatoes, green bean dishes, rolls, pies), stews, Thanksgiving leftover meals

December: so... many... cookies... plus holiday dinners and cocktails (for New Years)

All year round: cookies (seriously, why are people so cookie obsessed?), chili

All of the sweet treat recipes and other little things like that are great when an occasion pops up that I need something like that, but that's really not often these days. What helps me best right now is normal dinner ideas - and, more specifically, dinners that can be eaten by a toddler with only burgeoning spoon and fork skills.

So all those soups I'm seeing every single day this month? Not so useful unless I want my dining room floor bathed in it. I do make hearty soups, stews, or chili for us sometimes, but I strain Nate's so he only gets the bigger bites. All that pureed soup? I'm pretty sure he'd think we all reverted to baby food and he'd probably be a bit peeved.

All that said, this is all a bit tongue-in-cheek, of course. I love food blogs and am mostly amused by the fact that on any given day I can open my Google Reader and find a dozen "new" recipes all within a certain seasonal theme. Food is a universal connector between human beings and so there's something to be said for the fact that we're all interested in cool dishes in the summer when it's hot out. There is a communal sense to all of those common-topic posts, for sure.

But really, I'm done with pumpkin right now. I have enough pumpkin-related recipes to last me until next October, when I'm sure I'll be greeted with a whole slew of new ones.

Here are a few of the food blogs I adore and read every day, even when they're posting the twenty-third soup recipe I've seen in three days:

Mel's Kitchen Cafe

How Sweet It Is

Smitten Kitchen

Joy the Baker

Shutterbean

The Pioneer Woman Cooks (of course!)

Like I said, I read many others but these are the ones I get the most excited about seeing a new post from - some because I love their recipes, some because I love their writing or stories, and some because I love their photography (and some for all of the above).

So, tell me, what food blogs do you absolutely adore and/or have had great success with trying recipes from?

P.S. As I was writing this post, I got a recipe email entitled, "Fill up with pumpkin!" All right, already, fine. I will go buy some canned pumpkin on the way home. Sheesh.

Grits for Labor Day

Hey, y'all, remember when I set out to make all the recipes in The Pioneer Woman's cookbook? Yeah, I know, that was a while ago. Still working on it, though! And now that she's working on a second cookbook, I better start hauling hiney on this project in case I plan to try the same thing with her next book!

So I used my sister's day-before-Labor-Day barbecue as an excuse to make PW's Cheese Grits. (Hence my use of "y'all" and "hiney" in the first paragraph. We're getting southern today.)

I LOVE grits - but being a Yankee, I never get to have them. Sure, I could make them at home, but I generally do not have the luxury of ordering them for brunch when we go out because they simply aren't offered around here. Seriously! I know, it's unthinkable. I remember the first time I went to an IHOP in Maryland and looked at what I figured was an identical menu to the IHOPs around me in NJ, but then realized they had grits on their menu. We don't! Unfair! (Not that I ever eat at IHOP anymore - this was years ago - but still.)

So when my sister asked what I wanted to bring to the BBQ and I said, "Um, do you think anyone would eat cheese grits?" you can imagine my surprise when 1 - she said she loved them (I had no idea) and 2 - the restaurant she waitresses at on Sundays serves them. What? There are cheese grits being served in my town and I didn't know? For someone who is employed to teach research skills (among other things) to college students, clearly my research here failed, big time. (Shhh.)

The thing about cheese grits is that, while they are incredibly delicious, they're not pretty. It would take photography far more skilled than mine to make them look good. And while I love photography, I don't really have the time to advance my skills at it right now since I spend most of my spare time chasing this monkey off the newest piece of furniture he learned to climb.

 

Half a minute later, he was standing on the BACK of that chair.

So, instead, I present to you... Cheese Grits: the ingredients.

grits, obviously (duh)

lots of cheese (again, duh)

And then Paula Deen visited... I mean, here's some butter.

I brought the grits to my sister's house and was told by several folks who tried them that they were good. I was able to sneak in a few spoonfuls in-between chasing Nate around and I have to say I was a little disappointed in the texture. They were cold by the time I had some, so maybe that affected it a little (I usually only eat hot/warm grits). But I prefer my grits with some texture and these were a bit too smooth for me. I haven't yet looked up how to remedy that since I don't know when I'll make them again, but when I do, I'm going to aim to get more of the texture of the grits into the dish.

I don't have PW's cookbook with me right now to see how many recipes I have left to go, but I do know it's still pretty substantial. And I don't really have a plan for the recipes I have no interest in - like the linguine with clam sauce (I can't eat clams) or burgundy mushrooms (I seriously hate mushrooms). Anyone need a delivery of linguine with clam sauce with a side of burgundy mushrooms?

This post is another in a series where I attempt to make every recipe in The Pioneer Woman's cookbook.  You can click on "Pioneer Woman" in my tags to read the other attempts (and probably some other random times I've mentioned PW).

The best fun mixed with the hardest moments

Days 24 and 25 of my 30 days of fun project included some of the best fun yet, but also what were probably the saddest moments.

Day 24

Thankfully, it was a great day at work. I was feeling better, got a lot done, had a lot of great interactions with coworkers and students - everything that makes for a good day at work. This was a relief because I was still somewhat reeling from the awful Tuesday.

What was most fun about that day, though, was that it was Nate's 15 month pediatrician appointment. Do those of you with kids look forward to your child's well-visits? I get SO excited about them because I just can't wait to see how much he's grown and how he's doing with all of his milestones.

From his one year appointment, Nate gained two pounds and grew one and a half inches. He continues to be in the 75th percentile for height and his weight is still in the 95th percentile, so that's something for us to continue to keep an eye on. Also, I asked about his legs because he seems more bowlegged than other kids his age. The doctor agreed that he is and said that if at his 18 month appointment (3 months from now) he's still overly bowlegged, she'll refer us to an orthopedist.

Those were the only concerns, though. She was amazed that he has all his teeth except his two year molars, and was very happy with all the things he can do, including his vocabulary. He also had to get two shots, but was such a little champ with them, as always. He didn't even cry after the first one and then only cried for half a minute after the second one. He's just SO good. Having a great well-visit is always so much fun and makes my day great.

Day 25

Day 25 was Nate's last day at daycare, so I had a difficult time concentrating on anything all day. I held it together okay when I dropped him off in the morning until one of his teachers told me she was going to miss him and hoped he'd be back soon. I couldn't even choke out a goodbye after that. 

So, needless to say, I spent a lot of the day thinking about how hard it was going to be to pick him up later. I knew I had to do something fun to make myself feel better.

One thing I knew I wanted to do was make a peanut butter pie. This lovely blogger, Jennie, recently lost her dear husband, Mikey, to a sudden heart attack. In a stunningly beautiful and strong post, she asked people to make a peanut butter pie on Friday, the day of Mikey's memorial service, and share it with someone they love.

I didn't follow Jennie's recipe, though, because I had some other things I wanted to do so I made a shorter, but still yummy, version. The recipe makes two, so I kept one for us and gave the other to my sister.

My husband isn't a big sweets eater, though, and the spirit here is to make something someone loves and share it with them. So, regardless of the fact that it's summer, I made beef stew (following PW's recipe, but without the beer).

And, because I also wanted to make something new that was slightly challenging but a possible favorite (to get my mind on something other than daycare), I made Shutterbean's homemade soft pretzels.

mmmm cheese pretzels!

yummy salt pretzels (my fave!)

I thought I'd be standing around, crying over the pretzel dough, but I wasn't. For some reason, cooking and baking always makes me feel better - the methodical measuring, mixing, chopping, dicing - it just feels good.

It was hard to pick up Nate at the end of the day, and most difficult of all to watch him excitedly get his lunch bag out of the cabinet (one of his favorite things to do) for the last time for the foreseeable future. But my sister came over with her kids to pick up her pie after we got home and it was great fun watching them all play together. At that point, I knew the hardest parts were over and actually felt relief. I made it through what I knew would be an unreasonably difficult day.

And I had a great dinner and dessert to eat with my family, and the big takeaway from yesterday was to cherish the ones you love, which I do. The rest can be irrelevant sometimes.

7 Quick Tuesday Takes - web food edition

I've made a bunch of stuff off of the intarwebs lately and loved them.  Here's a list!

1. The Pioneer Woman's White Chili. This is the first dinner in a long time where I didn't have any leftovers to throw out days later. My brother even ate some! (He never eats dinner with us.) Nate liked it, too.

2. How Sweet It Is' Buttermilk Soaked Parmesan Pork Chops. This recipe definitely kept the pork chops very moist, but the breading was soggy. I prefer a crispy pork chop coating, but this was delicious regardless.

3. How Sweet It Is' Baked Parmesan Spaghetti. I made this using ground turkey instead of beef and it was delicious. I served it up with some string beans and then Nate and I had a lovely dinner for two while the hubby was out with the guys.

4. Picky Palate's Brown Butter and Fleur de Sel Chocolate Chip Cookies. I made these for work for an event I was hosting at the tutoring center. Man, these were good. The browned butter really adds something special to these cookies.  Mmm hmm.  There were none left at the end of the day.

5. Picky Palate's Cheesy Pepperoni Quick Bread. The recipe intrigued me because it's an easy, quick bread. No kneading, no hard work - just yum. I used turkey pepperoni and it was a tasty swap. The bread was good with some marinara to dip it in.

6. Delightfully Sweet's German Pancakes. Of all the wonderfully delicious things my friend Danielle posts on her blog, this is probably the one recipe I have made the most. It's like having a crepe without the work. I always feel terrible whirring the blender at a relatively early hour on the weekend when my brother is probably sleeping, but I can't help myself. I love these with a little bit of butter and a smear (schmeer?) of a unique jam (my current favorite is this apricot peach jam I have, mmm).

7. Dinner with Julie's DIY Chinese Takeout and Broccoli Slaw. Who doesn't love Chinese fake-out?? This was so totally delicious and easy.

Cheesy Noodle Bake (aka Momburger Helper)

Last week, The Pioneer Woman posted a recipe for a Sour Cream Noodle Bake.

"Yum!" I thought... "Oh, except I hate sour cream. And I hate cottage cheese. But yum, egg noodles and meat in tomato sauce and cheese."

These, I've come to realize, are the burgeoning thoughts of a recipe about to be altered. So prepare yourself to witness some transformation.

I made that all dramatic sounding but, really, all I've done is swap similar items for the ones I don't like. Is that how all recipe altering goes? Am I, like, dozens and dozens of years late to this party?

Well, perhaps. But let's put on our party hats and get swapping.

Things PW used in her recipe that I do not like to eat:

sour cream
cottage cheese
canned tomato sauce (okay, I don't mind this, but the hubby's homemade marinara blows it away)

My substitutions:

sour cream --> Philly Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme
cottage cheese --> ricotta
canned tomato sauce --> IMs to the hubby requesting he make marinara

Here's the funny part: I also hate cream cheese. However, I don't mind it in moderation in cooking (and especially not in baking) and since these cooking creme products seem to be on the savory side, I figured it might work out really well.

And it did. The cream cheese added a really interesting tang to the finished product. Nate gobbled up his part and the hubby had seconds, so I'm calling this dish a success. (I just had some leftovers for lunch and it was just as delicious reheated in the microwave.) As we were eating it, we realized it reminded us of Hamburger Helper, hence the "Momburger Helper." Any time I can find a way to make something that replaces a packaged food, I'm very happy. And I think this was much tastier, as well. It also makes a decent sized portion, so if it's just two of you and a little one, you're not stuck eating it for the next eight days. You have enough for two nights of dinner and a lunch.

Cheesy Noodle Bake

1lb ground beef
14oz marinara sauce
salt
black pepper
8-10oz wide egg noodles
1/2 cup Philly Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme
1 1/4 cup ricotta
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Or, if you're me, don't do this until you're ready to layer the casserole and go, "Crap, I never turned on the oven.")

Make marinara sauce and let it simmer for a while so all the flavors meld. (One of these days I'll get around to writing out how we make sauce.) Alternately, you can go to your cabinet and take out a can of tomato sauce.

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add marinara/tomato sauce.  Add salt and black pepper to taste. I used about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper but I would have used more (and some Italian seasoning) if the marinara wasn't as well seasoned as it was. Stir, then let simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and return to cooking pot.

While the noodles are cooking, combine the cooking creme and the ricotta in a medium bowl. Stir well and add black pepper to taste (maybe less than 1/4 tsp this time). Pour the cheese mixture into the pot holding the cooked egg noodles and stir gently until completely combined. (PW added green onions here, but I didn't because I didn't have any and didn't feel like buying them.)

In a 2 quart baking dish (so, smaller than your traditional 3 qt. 9x13 dish), place half of the noodles on the bottom of the dish. Top with half of the meat mixture and then sprinkle on half of the grated cheddar. Repeat the process (noodles, meat, cheese). Bake for about 15 minutes - enough so everything is heated through and all the cheese is melted but the noodles aren't crispy.