I Link It Like That
You may or may not have noticed that I finally got around to adding a blogroll to my list of favorite links.
When I first discovered blogs, I was rather disdainful of people with ridiculously long blogrolls. What I wondered was, one, does that person read all those blogs? And, two, what visitor is going to plow through that skyscraper in search of new and interesting sites?
Well, now here I am, presenting you with my own little tower of names, and I'll admit that, one, I do read every blog on the roll, but only a handful would consider me a regular. There are just too many good ones out there. And, two, as a visitor of other blogs, I have perused some seemingly endless blogrolls, so perhaps others do as well.
Rather than just tossing my blogroll at your head however, I feel obliged to offer a little guidance, a little...summarization of the sites listed, at least of the ones I know enough about (if a blog is not described below, this only means it's fairly new to me, and although I enjoy what I've seen so far, I've yet to form a solid conclusion) (I thought about being nice and actually including the hyperlink in each title, but...I just...ugh...lazy. The links are in fact very close by, in the sidebar, to your right. A little lower down. See them? Great.):
1. 101 Cookbooks - does she really have 101? I don't know, but her photos are extremely lovely, and she very nicely asks permission of author and publisher before posting a recipe from her vast culinary library. Some nice stories and--yay--a description of what to expect at the end of a recipe. I hate it when all you get is a recipe. What will the dish look like? Taste like? I think sites like epicurious could learn a thing or two from food blogs like this one.
2. Amateur Gourmet - he actually makes little docu-dramas (sometimes of the musical variety) of his cooking/baking. I just like his total enthusiasm for food.
3. Spoonful of Sugar - EVERYTHING she makes and shows a picture of, I instantly want to bake too... except I'm usually stumped by her tendency to list ingredients by weight. Still, I go often, just to gawk and be inspired.
4. Feeding Dexygus Seconds - a pastry chef in the making. And sometimes recipes from Saveur, the magazine which lured me from Iowa to New York, and with which I have the ultimate love/hate relationship.
5. Il Forno - I know, impossible to tell, but this guy *seems* so nice and gentle as he tells us all about his native Italian cuisine, or just food in general.
6. In My Kitchen - I consider Deb the mommy (and daddy) of food bloggers, partly because she was the very first food blog I stumbled upon while searching for information on sourdough starters, and in my opinion is still the best food blog out there that I'm aware of; and also because her writing voice comes across to me as sort of mothery (not "motherly," which is more old-ladyish, somehow)--in a kooky, fun-loving way.
7. Dan and Hsin's World - one thing missing from my blog is that fresh awe of a newcomer to Japan. Hsin-Li is bravely raising her new baby in a new country, and she's blogging about it!
8. Homeless in Nashville - I approached this one rather cautiously at first, but if this were a hoax, I just can't figure out the point or the fun. I don't read this guy's blog as a novelty, but more as a way to--I don't know--offer encouragement to someone who seems quite alone and yet retains hope. The Internet is proof of how we need connections, and how little real connection there is in the real world. This man is no different in that basic need. One admission: whenever I leave a comment, I leave it "anonymously," with my name, but no link. It isn't cause I'm suspicious of him but because I honestly couldn't bear for him to read my frivolous blog and see the kinds of things I whine about, like being cold.
9. To Short Term Memories - Lynn's a wonderful baker, a mad traveler, and a chronic class taker. She's fluent in Japanese and so has the insider's edge into the mysterious world of the Japanese corporation. She is also permanently enrolled in one class or another--curious about how to wear a kimono, for example?
10. What, You Too? - I absolutely love Jessica's writing: funny, endearingly honest, more eloquently expressed than 90% of the blogs I come across, and she uses big words that have me clicking on my Merriam-Webster toolbar frequently. The more I read, the more certain I am that this blog's title is perfect.
When I first discovered blogs, I was rather disdainful of people with ridiculously long blogrolls. What I wondered was, one, does that person read all those blogs? And, two, what visitor is going to plow through that skyscraper in search of new and interesting sites?
Well, now here I am, presenting you with my own little tower of names, and I'll admit that, one, I do read every blog on the roll, but only a handful would consider me a regular. There are just too many good ones out there. And, two, as a visitor of other blogs, I have perused some seemingly endless blogrolls, so perhaps others do as well.
Rather than just tossing my blogroll at your head however, I feel obliged to offer a little guidance, a little...summarization of the sites listed, at least of the ones I know enough about (if a blog is not described below, this only means it's fairly new to me, and although I enjoy what I've seen so far, I've yet to form a solid conclusion) (I thought about being nice and actually including the hyperlink in each title, but...I just...ugh...lazy. The links are in fact very close by, in the sidebar, to your right. A little lower down. See them? Great.):
1. 101 Cookbooks - does she really have 101? I don't know, but her photos are extremely lovely, and she very nicely asks permission of author and publisher before posting a recipe from her vast culinary library. Some nice stories and--yay--a description of what to expect at the end of a recipe. I hate it when all you get is a recipe. What will the dish look like? Taste like? I think sites like epicurious could learn a thing or two from food blogs like this one.
2. Amateur Gourmet - he actually makes little docu-dramas (sometimes of the musical variety) of his cooking/baking. I just like his total enthusiasm for food.
3. Spoonful of Sugar - EVERYTHING she makes and shows a picture of, I instantly want to bake too... except I'm usually stumped by her tendency to list ingredients by weight. Still, I go often, just to gawk and be inspired.
4. Feeding Dexygus Seconds - a pastry chef in the making. And sometimes recipes from Saveur, the magazine which lured me from Iowa to New York, and with which I have the ultimate love/hate relationship.
5. Il Forno - I know, impossible to tell, but this guy *seems* so nice and gentle as he tells us all about his native Italian cuisine, or just food in general.
6. In My Kitchen - I consider Deb the mommy (and daddy) of food bloggers, partly because she was the very first food blog I stumbled upon while searching for information on sourdough starters, and in my opinion is still the best food blog out there that I'm aware of; and also because her writing voice comes across to me as sort of mothery (not "motherly," which is more old-ladyish, somehow)--in a kooky, fun-loving way.
7. Dan and Hsin's World - one thing missing from my blog is that fresh awe of a newcomer to Japan. Hsin-Li is bravely raising her new baby in a new country, and she's blogging about it!
8. Homeless in Nashville - I approached this one rather cautiously at first, but if this were a hoax, I just can't figure out the point or the fun. I don't read this guy's blog as a novelty, but more as a way to--I don't know--offer encouragement to someone who seems quite alone and yet retains hope. The Internet is proof of how we need connections, and how little real connection there is in the real world. This man is no different in that basic need. One admission: whenever I leave a comment, I leave it "anonymously," with my name, but no link. It isn't cause I'm suspicious of him but because I honestly couldn't bear for him to read my frivolous blog and see the kinds of things I whine about, like being cold.
9. To Short Term Memories - Lynn's a wonderful baker, a mad traveler, and a chronic class taker. She's fluent in Japanese and so has the insider's edge into the mysterious world of the Japanese corporation. She is also permanently enrolled in one class or another--curious about how to wear a kimono, for example?
10. What, You Too? - I absolutely love Jessica's writing: funny, endearingly honest, more eloquently expressed than 90% of the blogs I come across, and she uses big words that have me clicking on my Merriam-Webster toolbar frequently. The more I read, the more certain I am that this blog's title is perfect.
7 Comments:
rachel, this is hsin's mum. i have to tell you that i enjoy your cooking links. browing through that dexygus one, i copied an excellent gingersnap recipe which i tried today and it's a total hit especially with ethan, our 3 1/2 grandson. totally enjoy your experiments.
- Anonymous
Hello! Hsin-Li has told me you visit my blog, and I'm so happy to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment any time.
Oooh, I KNOW the gingersnap recipe you're talking about. I'm constantly tempted by all the wonderful recipes out there, but I frankly don't have many people with whom to share my baking (Hsin-Li lives too far away, I'm afraid, or she would surely be fattened by all the cakes and cookies I'd foist upon her). This is one of the main reasons I love bread baking--it's more of a staple food that I can consume with a modicum of self control, rather than a treat (like a dessert) of which I'd be "forced" to devour dangerously vast quantities.
- Rachel
This gingersnap recipe is great! you freeze the dough in a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap. you slice as many as you need to bake. i only baked one tray of about 12 cookies. you can rewrap the frozen block of cookie dough in foil and it should keep for a few months. This way you can have fresh gingersnaps any time you want or if you have to make a food contribution at any time, it's really great.
- Anonymous
Aaahhh, don't tempt me! My freezer is the size of a shoebox, and it is already filled to capacity with my frozen breads! Heh.
But I absolutely adore ginger anything--the fragrance, that spicy goodness...oh. Help.
- Rachel
Wow, sounds great. Even I who don't really like gingerspice cookies am tempted to make this.
You can use my freezer any time you want, Rach. I'll even give you a key to my apartment, as long as you leave some of your baked goodies as an exchange ;o)
- Lynn
Hey, I second the use of Lynn's freezer! I have much better access to Lynn's freezer than yours! Erh, in exchange, you get Sara for a couple of hours??!? Heh.
- Hsin
Hsin-Li, your child is not a commodity to be bartered, and not for cookies! Listen to your own mother and try baking these! Would LOVE to taste the results.
Lynn, I swear I'd take you up on your offer, if only you didn't live so far away!
- Rachel