Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Very creative & interesting post. I sometimes use this same procedure with sun dried tomatoes. You can then puree the sun dried tomatoes and some mayonnaise along with a little of the liquid from the pot to make a quick salad dressing. chefjp

I definitely think food bloggers have attained a certain legitimacy in the past year. Whether that's a good or bad thing, only time will tell. I do appreciate the fact that the attention food bloggers are currently receiving will not only change the restaurant critic culture but also provide some relevant hard news reportage as food bloggers focus on the current rash of food safety issues that concern us all. chefjp

I like Idaho Potato doughnuts! chefjp

I roast fresh figs in balsamic vinegar until the balsamic gets syrupy and the figs are warm. Put this over peppery greens tossed with olive oil. Top with goat cheese and walnuts. Amazing salad.

more recipes

I do it with pears too...divine on its own, or spooned over vanilla ice-cream ;)

I love to make wine jelly with either cheap or leftover wine. Although my recipe calls for an entire bottle of wine, I have also used half a bottle mixed with fruit juice (preferably an unsweetened brand) successfully.

The resulting jelly is great on sandwiches, as a glaze for meats, or spread with cream cheese on Ritz crackers :-)

Dominic
the zen kitchen

I see it as the barriers to entry have changed or morphed. Instead of toiling in low-level editorial jobs or knowing someone who knew someone, these people instead used their own gumption to build readership and a voice, which was then noticed.

Arguing whether or not their respective voices deserve to be heard is a another discussion altogether, but one that could — and should IMO (with much more regularity) — be applied to "traditional" media voices as well.

I'm with you, Ed. As a professional writer (albeit, a technical writer and feature writer for technical professional mags), it's a joy to write about food, recipes, gardening, travel and whatever else I'd like in my true voice.

The reason I started blogging two years ago was to provide a Web space for family and friends to keep track of my adventures without clogging their email boxes with newsletters and huge photos. Since then, my efforts have expanded a bit, but the purpose primarily remains the same.

Which is not to say that I don't like visitors, because I do. It's great when people have things to say about the posts or good advice based on their experience. Plus, their visits give me the opportunity to play hostess, which is great fun. Unknown (and known) visitors also inspire me to improve my writing, cooking/baking, film making, etc.

As far as bloggers going professional goes, I'm very proud of bloggers like Heidi and Clotilde who have published lovely books, and who continue to do their magic on their blogs.

Regarding the Restaurant Girl discussion, it seems that everyone is capable of being a critic. When I want restaurant reviews, I go to online sites that have large communities of users rather than a single blogger (except in the case of your Robyn -- I've eaten with her and trust her judgment). If 8 or 9 unrelated people have positive things to say about a place, that speaks pretty loudly to me.

Getting off my soapbox.

Deb
Here and There
Altered Plates