Food Blogs

They're my new addiction. I used to be very addicted to cookbooks. I would get a stack of them from the library and pour over them every evening for weeks, making lists of recipes to try. I would actually try one or two, but never enough to give a proper review. Now, I have discovered the endless world of food blogs. Wonderful, glorious blogs full of yummy recipes. My "Favorites" list is getting overwhelmed. So, here are the ones that currently have me all revved up:
- http://thepioneerwoman.com/
Ree Drummond is my new kitchen idol. She's witty, charming, and man oh man can she cook!

- http://carrotsncake.com/recipes
I haven't tried any recipes yet, but I sure plan to.

- http://www.lanascooking.com/
I discovered this one through someone else on Twitter. I am intrigued!

- http://thenoshery.com/category/my-kitchen/
I love the blog title, The Noshery. I am ready to nosh...oh yes indeed.

- http://www.thepastryaffair.com/
If the word pastry is in the title, I am so there.

- http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/
Food and photography...looks goooood.

Strawberry Cake

I absolutely adore Ree Drummond, also known as The Pioneer Woman. Her blog is wonderful, and I check it all of the time. In fact, I have written down every recipe I want to try. I made her green bean casserole for Christmas dinner last year, and it was amazing. This past weekend, I made her Strawberry Shortcake Cake (my result is pictured above) for my dad's birthday. Yum! He said that it was the best cake he had ever eaten. High praise indeed!

Cookbook Discovery (Looneyspoons)

I was perusing the cookbook section at the library the other day, and came across this wonderfully unique cookbook. There are some kookie recipe titles in there like, I Yam What I Yam and Loaf of My Life. The one I've tried so far is entitled, Thou Shell Eat Beans. It is a yummy combination of green bell peppers, onions, garlic, black beans, shell-shaped pasta (I used whole grain), and Monterey Jack cheese. There's a little bit more to it than that, of course. It was very easy to make, and my husband and I both enjoyed gobbling a good portion of it up. So head on out to your local library and check out this book. It's fun just looking through it, let alone trying out the recipes.

Book Description: Packed with more than 150 easy-to-prepare recipes for "food so good, you'd swear it was bad for you, " Looneyspoons takes the intimidation and confusion out of healthy eating by making it fun and downright easy. Recipes are accompanied by over 300 wacky cartoons and a lively, innovative page layout.

In Regards to Sundays

This is a wonderful excerpt from the book Simple Abundance: A Day Book of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach:

"This is what the Sabbath is for: reverence, rest, renewal, rejuvenation, reassuring rituals, recreation, rejoicing, revelation, remembering how much you have to be grateful for, and saying 'thank you!' You can do this in a church, mosque, temple, or synagogue, on a walk, while antiquing, sitting in bed propped up on pillows reading something wonderful with a breakfast tray, working the crossword puzzle before a roaring fire, attending a marvelous art exhibition or movie matinee, or listening to opera in the kitchen as you sip sherry and prepare a fabulous feast. What matters is that you do something special that speaks to your soul and that you revel in whatever you do. Your activities on the Sabbath should uplift you and provide enough inspiration to sustain you during the week to come."




I love it.

BBC Miniseries (Wives and Daughters)

I watched this over the course of two days, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I tend to love just about every BBC movie or miniseries relating to the Victorian Era. I think it is the clothing and scenery more than anything else that draws me in. The manner of speaking is quite enjoyable as well. In fact, I will very likely speak in a British accent for the remainder of the day.

Movie Description: Debuting November 28, 1999, over BBC1, the four-part British miniseries Wives and Daughters was the second of two TV adaptations of Elizabeth Gaskell's unfinished novel (the first aired in 1972). Set in the early 1800s, the story takes place in a small, gossip-driven English town. Upon the remarriage of her father, heroine Molly Gibson (Justine Waddell) isn't quite sure how to "take" to her modish stepmother, Hyacinth (Francesca Annis), and airheaded stepsister, Cynthia (Keeley Hawes). The fun really begins when both Molly and Cynthia fall in love with Roger Hamley (Anthony Howell), son of the village squire. Inasmuch as author Gaskell passed away before concocting a solution to this romantic triangle, it was up to screenwriter Andrew Davies to come up with a happy (or at least satisfying) denouement.