Emily the Foodie: Defined

I often refer to my folks as "foodies"--they are the type of people who like cooking and going out to eat as a hobby. I love to cook and go out to eat as well, but I think of myself as a different sort of foodie.

Why? Because . . . I don't like "fusion" cuisine. I take advantage of opportunities to cut back on calories. I don't like to cook complex meals. I like eating at predictable restaurants. I don't like spending a fortune on meats (though I might find wiggle room in the budget for a new spice). Sometimes I don't measure things. I don't like baking, really--it's too exact. But what I especially love is finding recipes for things I think will be yummy and (somewhat) quick to make.

Hence my past obsession with the Madison County Library in Rexburg and checking out mounds of cookbooks. I felt like I was twelve years-old again, walking out of their with armfuls of books. Unfortunately, the obsession became an embarassment when I neglected to return a dozen of them for a couple weeks and wracked up a $20 fine. What can I say? I hadn't had a chance to make all of the meals I wanted to . . . :-) Since that time, I've been sticking to new cookbooks I received as Christmas gifts.

The one thing that hasn't changed has been how much I enjoy cooking from cooking blogs. I've become a dedicated follower of a few that I consider greats: Anissa's Kitchen and Food for the Hungry Soul. Case in point: tonight's dinner consisted of Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, courtesy of Anissa, and Refrigerator Rolls, courtesy of Katy. Here's all that's left of the meal:

One word: delicious. If you're drooling, never fear--the recipes are easy to find by using the search tool on the respective sites.

Today I expanded my horizons, following one blog to another blog to another. Boy, did I discover some amazing things! People put a lot of time into blogging (what a novel concept!). I felt like I was traveling all over the world--going from Mississippi to Sweden in just a matter of minutes. Some of the blogs didn't make the cut--too much baking, too weird, too unrealistic for the working wife. But here's some cool ones that are within the realm of possibility. Cooking, anyone?

Baking Bites
Bake or Break
Canelle Vanille (this one is quirky, but I like it--written by a ex-pat Basque)
Cookie Madness

There of scads of others, but I haven't gotten that far into the lists of blogs I've found so far. I'll post more as I find them. For now, I'm satisfied to do lots and lots of browsing. Gratefully, I have a willing taste-tester--my husband.