There’s a lot of talk lately by food celebs and parents about tezching kids the fine art of cooking.  I couldn’t agree with this more and while I can only take a small amount of credit for my oldest daughters interest in the culnary arts, I recently had a conversation with her about whether or not a pomegranate juice reduction would or would not be bitter when completed.  Things like this make a parent’s heart swell, especially when he’s a foodie.

If you’ve thought of getting your kids involved in your familys meal planning, I applaud you.  I also want you to take a moment to visit spatulatta.com, where kids teach kids to cook through video recipes.  Think of it as the Internet answer to the Food network for kids.   The site is completely geared for children, which may help to foster an interest of food and cooking in your young ones.

These are sills they will need later in life, especially if you dread the thought of your kids living on microwaved ramen, take-out pizza and the odd McSchmedley’s meal in college.  If a young person knows how to cook, they’re going to do so.  it eases stress and allows for a bit of control over their diet.  I don’t think Pappa Murphey’s can claim that. (Though I don’t mind a good pizza every now and again and to be honest, I don’t always feel like making my own.)

This one gets accolades from mywife, who introduced me to the site, from myself, who urges you to visit. It also gets the full thumbs up from my alter ego the Food Snob, who thinks all kids should know how to cook; if for no other reason than to save themselves from the mass produced, fat inducing swill that American fast food wants them to eat.

Go take a look at Spatulatta.  You’ll be glad you did.

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New food blogs come along all the time.  Most of these won’t stand the test of time.  There simply isn’t any passion in them.  A food blog without a real passion for food (and a blogger who cares nothing for rejection) simply won’t last.  Then there are those that shine, and The Adventures of Kitchen Girl is one of those.

Jo, the writer of Kitchen Girl most definitely has the passion that a food blogger needs to keep the posts and new ideas coming.  Her blog is loaded with simple, soul satisfying recipes that won’t break the bank or cause palpitations while reading the recipe.  No 34 step ultra-complicated  or overworked meals here.  You’re just going to get good solid recipes that you and your family and friends will love.

I really could go on.  Jo herself is a very sweet person whom I have the privilege of calling one of my friends and her writing will make you feel like you are sitting in the room with one of your friends as well.  I’d wager that if you drop by and leave a few comments, you might just make a new friend yourself.

If you haven’t already, add The Adventures of kitchen Girl to your favorite reader and prepare to be pleasantly surprised.  This is most definitely a blog to watch.

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If you’ve walked by a magazine rack lately you’ve probably noticed that the number of food magazines available out there is increasing exponentially.  There are magazines for vegetarian cooking, gluten free cooking, home cooking and full-blown gourmet food jobs.  Add to that the list of magazines sporting the name of some food celebrity or another and you might just walk away shaking your head in confusion.

How do you know if you’ll like what these magazines have to offer?  Will your family enjoy the recipes inside?  Are they past your culinary skills or below? Are they even practical? (And to me, anything that includes truffles is most-definitely-not practical for most home cooks.  Even Morells are pushing it in my location!)

If you’ve ever asked any of these questions, you’re not alone.  Dan Joseph asked the same questions.  He also wanted to help you find the answers before you decide to buy or subscribe to any of the food magazines available out there.  That’s why he started CookingZines.com, to provide overviews and reviews of these magazines by himself as well from his growing community of readers who can submit their own reviews through the website. He also has a blog in the works where guest foodies and food bloggers will share their own reviews, cooking creations, and the like.

Dan also sends out a newsletter with recipe ideas and tips.  He also scours the ‘Net for discounts and special offers he thinks will prove useful, so be sure to sign up so that you don’t miss out.  What’s that include?  I’m not sure.  I just signed up for it, but I’m waiting to see.  Who can’t use a new idea or two.  Even those of us who have embraced the Zen of winging it have to get our inspirations from somewhere, don’t we?  He’s also encouraging subscribers to submit their own recipes and information for inclusion, so you might just find its a way to get your own ideas in front of a whole new audience.

The short of it:  Check out CookingZines.com.  It may be new, but it’s a great concept.  One that I think is going to go somewhere, and I have a feeling that I want to go along for the ride.

Stay tuned for more great blogs and food related sites.  I’ve got a list!

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I love, love, LOVE Greek food.  I was introduced to Greek cuisine in Chicago, Illinois and I haven’t gone back since.  Aside from the eggplant, there’s nothing I don’t like about Greek cooking. Move along a few years and I have now had the experience of meeting many Greek people and people of Grecian descent. I can say honestly that of all that I have met, there has only been one I did not like, and that had nothing to do with his heratige, it had to do with his attitude, but as usual, I digress…

This is about Peter Minakis and his insane Greek Cooking blog Kalofagas. In Kalofagas you get the best of everything that Greece has to offer.  Wonderful food, an incredible host and a sense, if just for a moment, that warm breezes are blowing over sandy beaches and that all you have to worry about is whether or not to have the lamb or the spanikopita.

Peter’s recipes are simply some of the best I have come upon, and recently I have come to call Peter a friend through other channels, he’s a great guy with a passion for food that is only parallelled by his passion for giving his frinds a good ribbing.  something which I admire greatly, since it’s a passion that I happen to share.

if you’ve never checked out Kalofagas, get on over there and see what the rest of us already knew.  That this is one of those places you just need to visit all the time.  Oh, and tell him I sent you.  Over and over and over again.  It’ll be good for a laugh.  At least for me.

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If you haven’t heard Sass & Veracity, Kelly Wright’s amazing Food Blog or her “personal site Kellementology, you’ve either been burid in the archives around here or perhaps you’ve been on a deserted island with no Internet connection.  Either way, it’s time you jumped over and checked both of these enlightening and rather witty blogs out for yourself.

Not only is Kelly one of the best writers in the food blogging arena, but she’s been a pretty dear friend for nearly the entire time that I’ve known her.  her food writing is always enough to make you smile, and the occasional rant over at kellementology can cause a case of gut-busting laughter paired with a sense of righteous indignation, a combination that’s hard to evoke, but kelly manages both well.

In short, if you’re looking for a great read, a good chuckle and food for thought as well as an incredible recipe, check out Kelly’s blogs.  You’ll be glad you did.

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I haven’t taken the time I should to point you at the other phenominal food blogs out there.  It’s not like I write in a vaccum, there are literally thousands of food blogs floating around, and for every one of them there is a fantasic foodie behind the scenes doing their very best to make all of us die in a puddle of our own drool.

One of the best out there right now just happens to belong to someone I happily call my friend. Simple Daily Recipes is run by the lovely Jill McKeever, with a good deal of behnd the scenes magic done by her husband Charles.  Not only are they wonderful people, but Jill’s a mean cook as well, with some really wonderful family friendly recipes to her credit.

This week Jill temts our palate’s with such wonderful treats as her Apple Pear and Cranberry Crisp, Fruit and Cramy Yogurt and for your halloween table she’s whipped up a delightfully named dish of Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Bat Wings. All to die-for, I assure you.

If you aren’t already a regular reader, take a moment to stop by Simple Daily Recipes. I guarantee you’ll be hooked as fast as I was, and hey, leave a comment, you’re sure to find she’s one of the nicest foodies you’ve ever met.

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OK, so not technically a blog review, but I found this site after randomly jumping around the web wasting time doing research, and I thought some of you guys might find it interesting The site is called i am blind. The premise is that it follows along with the story of the movie blindness, which came out on October 3rd, and everyone participating has to learn to work with the other site members in new and interesting ways.

Right now they are running a series of videos, forum posts and photos of the last things that the members would want to see if they were about to suddenly go blind.  I’ve got to say, some are uplifting and others are poignant, but all will make you think.  So go on, stop by iamblind.org, see what the hype is about and hey, you might even find out about the movie (scary) or decide you want to participate.  Either way it’s pretty interesting stuff.

I’ll leave you with a little taste of some of the things you’ll see, hear and read on the site:

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I haven’t been so excited about a piece of bloggosphere news in a while!  It is with great pleasure that I announce to all of my fine foodie friends that Tastespotting is back!

Looks like there are new owners and a new set of Terms and Conditions for use, but who really cares if it’s run by NotCot or not.. (sorry, rhyme not intended.) It has a new look, but my login works, so it would appear that all of the information is still there.  Gawds what a lovely thing!

It’s back!

If you don’t know tastespotting, Go SEE it!  It has to be the single most inspirational site for foodies out there.  If you were lamenting it’s demise, grab a pint with me!

I’m giddy and must look at recipes now….

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If you’ve ever wanted to take some time to learn more about wine but always thought it was something too complicated or boring for your sensibilities you might just want to pay attention. Gary Vaynerchuk is taking wine out of the world of haute cuisine and moving it into a venue that you might just understand.

How is that possible, you ask? Imagine a discussion on wine hosted John Madden. That is if the wine were the players and it was first down and 10. Gary gets that excited. For this man, it’s obvious that it’s all about the wine, but that he doesn’t feel that the quiet commentary of most somaliers is going to do it, an it shows. As the host of wine library, Gary’s sometimes outrageous antics had me chuckling while learning and I can’t think of a better combination of pastimes. His insight on wine is sharp, his language is down-to-earth and his attitude is in your face to the point of being a bit overwhelming at times, but in a likable manner. This is a guy I could have over for barbecue, I’d just let hime pick the wine

I grew up around wine and most of what I know I learned in the Sonoma Valley. for what I don’t know, I think I’ll ride along with Gary and see what he can teach me. Even if I learn less than I wanted to, it’ll be one helluva ride with a few good laughs on the way. If there’s a better recommendation for visiting a blog or podcast, I don’t know what it is.

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There are things out there that are just too cool for words. this is one of them, and it includes a great eggnog recipe to boot!

Have fun!

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