I love food blogs. I do, and there’s a spectacular reason why. Inspiration, my friends. It’s all about inspiration.
We’ve been insanely busy the last two weeks. In fact, other than a quick bowl of cereal in the morning, over the last two weeks, more meals have been eaten out than in. And when we were in, my brain was just so over having to think that meal time was seriously less-than-inspiring.
And now we have a few weeks to ourselves to relax and do whatever we feel like doing. It’s bliss. But getting back in the cooking saddle? It’s taking a little time, and that’s where I’m so thankful to the many food bloggers out there who have provided me with much inspiration over the last little while.
Take for example, my friend Joe at Culinary In The Country. His photos and recaps are always drool-worthy, and I’ve made many, many recipes that he’s recommended. But when he posted a recipe for Asian Meatballs with Carrot Rice, I knew I had found inspiration for dinner. I did not make that exact recipe, but the second I saw it I thought to myself that I had meatballs in the freezer, carrots and rice, and just for good measure, I added some chickpeas to the rice as well. Just like that, I didn’t have to think about dinner anymore. Thanks Joe!
Then there’s Erin over at $5 Dinners. If you haven’t been over there yet, you really should take some time to do so. She has coupon specials, menu planning ideas, and all kinds of recipes that are inexpensive to put together. A few weeks ago a recipe was posted for Gyros, and while I didn’t need a recipe for gyros, I was immediately in the mood and the whole family enjoyed a meal of Chicken Gyros and Potato Wedges that we hadn’t had in ages.
I’ve also been spending time over a the Noble Pig. I dare anyone to just scroll down her blog and not find themselves drooling. Those Big Pig Sandwiches? Those are a serious contender for a Father’s Day barbecue. The Vietnamese Style Beef she posted is also going on my menu. Maybe even for tonight’s dinner.
Then there are the days that I am feeling a bit more virtuous when it comes to my diet. Especially after this last week of Big Macs, Whoppers and Subway sandwiches. Those days, those moments, I often find myself browsing recipe after recipe over at Kalyn’s Kitchen. Kalyn’s recipes are always delicious, and if you’re following a low carb diet, they always fit the bill as well. Not that I follow a low carb diet at all, but I can pretend I’m eating healthier then.
A serious drool-worthy blog for me has always been Tigers & Strawberries. Not only does Barbara make delicious food, but I love her essays and commentaries. She is also incredibly inspiring to me as a food blogger. She’s taken more than one hiatus over the years, and yet she’s still going strong. It’s encouraging to me to see that I don’t HAVE to be writing about food every day of my life. It’s okay to take a break from time to time, or simplify from time to time. If you have a fancy for real Indian cooking, you definitely need to spend time at this blog.
And lastly, but certainly not least, I have to mention Andrea’s Recipes. Andrea is as passionate about gardening as I am, and it comes through in her blog posts. The recipes and dishes she turns out from their garden is awe-inspiring sometimes. Right now she’s got a photo up for an Asparagus and Chard gratin that is making my mouth water- and is also making me ever-so-hopeful that I will find chard and asparagus at the farmer’s market this weekend. My chard is only two inches tall, and my asparagus is two years from a harvest. Andrea also introduced me to Renee’s Garden Seeds this year, and I’m already impressed, as those seeds have emerged like gangbusters!
These are just a small sampling of some of the blogs I visit from time to time. My blog visiting time is always limited these days, it seems. But these are some of the first to generate a click from me. While these are just a small taste to whet your appetite, I have a whole list of fellow food bloggers over there in my sidebar. It’s been so long since I took some time to give a shout out to my colleagues, I need to make an effort to do it more often because there are so many wonderful food blogs out there. And maybe one of these days, I’ll share some not-food-blogs, because I visit some of them too.