We had a frozen pizza for dinner tonight. Shane only had 10 minutes to spare between work and an errand in the Detroit ‘burbs, so a pizza was all that we could manage. Since that doesn’t exactly make for interesting blog fodder, I thought I would instead share with you some of my favorite food blogs and other go-to sites for food inspiration.

My process for planning meals and/or figuring out what to eat often goes something like this:

1. Stare at the fridge (or the list on the fridge) and imagine what I can make with what’s already in there.
2. Ask Shane what he feels like eating.
3. Check my voluminous bookmarks to see if anything jumps out that might use what’s already in the fridge.
4. Refer to a few favorite cookbooks or check back through this blog for notes on what we’ve made in the past.
5. Come up with an idea – say, pork chops – based on what sounds appetizing and/or is available, then consult a bunch of different sites to see what they recommend, and ultimately just make something up.
6. Repeat as necessary.  Or order a pizza.

I find that while I regularly read a number of food blogs – both individual and aggregates like The Kitchn – I don’t actually cook from them that often.  In a sense, these blogs serve the same purpose as 97% of the reading I did in school – they provide an introduction to the language and techniques, ingredients and flavor profiles, shortcuts and shopping.  In looking at my list, I’m realizing that I have more than I really can tackle in one post, so stay tuned for more recommendations.  For now, though, you can start with:

Smitten Kitchen
If you read one food blog, this is probably it. A few of my favorite new recipes for this year came from SK, including Thanksgiving’s sweet potatoes with pecans and goat cheese and the pasta with fava beans, tomatoes and sausages that we couldn’t get enough of this summer.  Beautiful food photography, writing that balances instruction with anecdote, an adorable baby, and almost never fail recipes – all emanating out of a tiny Manhattan kitchen.  She also writes a baby food blog and a has a cookbook in the works.

Dinner: A Love Story
The focus of DALS is just getting dinner on the table – specifically dinner for your family when you’re juggling a job, a commute, and a whole lot of picky eaters. The author is realistic about the difficulties of “having it all” while also putting nutritious meals on the table and maybe getting your kids to eat something other than buttered noodles. Her recipes are fast, easy, and appealing, and often include suggestions about what can be added or removed depending on your family’s particular tastes. So many blogs glorify the eating experience and the superiority of ingredients without acknowledging that many nights it’s difficult to even get to the table – which may be why I find DALS so refreshing.

Waffleizer
I’m very sad that this project has ended: one blogger’s attempt to answer the question “Does it waffle?”. Answer: frequently, yes.

Tigress in a Pickle – also in a Jam
The titular Tigress takes on all things, well, pickled and jammed. I participated in her can jam earlier in the year – each month features a different ingredient, with Tigress posting a mouth-watering round up of all the participating bloggers and their recipes. Basically if you want to get ideas about canning anything, this is the place to start.

From the Kitchen of Olivia
My friend Olivia makes beautiful things in her beautiful new kitchen – and occasionally lets us come over and make a mess of it with donuts.  Don’t click through to her site if you’re hungry or have a sweet tooth, as I can guarantee your mouth will be watering in moments.