Since this is the last edition of the Food Section for the semester, I thought I’d write an article that explains where many of our recipes come from. In addition to our wonderful section contributors, the editors of this esteemed (and popular) section spend many hours (maybe too many hours) perusing food blogs across the interwebs. This summer, when there are no Arguses (Argi?) in sight, take a look at some of these blogs. Even if they don’t inspire you to cook, bake, braise, or broil, the pictures alone are worth the time.
My Jello Americans
(www.myjelloamericans.blogspot.com)
I discovered this site while writing a probably-never-to-be-published article on Jello shots. This blog, which bills itself as “a more perfect union of gelatin and alcohol,” features recipes for everything Jello-related, from aperitifs to gummi bears, to origami (yes, it exists.) If you aren’t put off by some of the stranger ingredients (paramount crystals, anyone?), My Jello Americans is the perfect way to fill up a few summer hours with gelatin experimentation. Who knew you could make Oreo cookie Jello shots?
Smitten Kitchen
(www.smittenkitchen.com)
“Fearless cooking from a tiny kitchen in New York City.” This blog is one of my favorites. The pictures that accompany the recipes are beautiful and always make me want to cook every dish. The site’s creator, Deb Perelman will be releasing her first cookbook in October. The recipes on the site are grouped by season, or by whether the main ingredient is a vegetable or a fruit. One of my personal favorites is her recipe for warm butternut squash and chickpea salad (look for it in the Summer section.)
Dorm Room Dinner
(www.dormroomdinner.com)
Written by one of the Food Section’s very own, Will Levitt! We’ve featured several recipes from this blog throughout the year. If he can make delicious food in a Wesleyan kitchen, there’s hope for us all.
101 Cookbooks
(www.101cookbooks.com)
This website is an exhaustive index of (literally) hundreds of recipes. The step-by-step photos feature gorgeous lighting. In addition to the food, there’s also food-related news, interviews, book reviews, and event announcements. While some of the recipes on this site are pretty time-consuming, it’s a fun place to waste a few hours skimming through photos of delicious, delicious food.
This list is by no means extensive. The Internet is a magical place, and there are plenty of other blogs we could have written about—David Leibovitz has a great blog, Mark Bittman writes a relevant and engaging column for The New York Times, and eater.com posts articles, reviews, and events for food-lovers all over the country. And now with finals coming up, what better way to procrastinate?