I used to be a good cook before I started blogging.
My cookbook collection is outfitted with three shades of Better Homes gingham and Seduced by Bacon. I’m of Italian heritage, and I married into a Midwestern farm family. My stockpile of recipes is hearty. Well-loved. Often made. Until I started blogging.
When I write, my time flies out the window.
Some of you think my mind goes with it, but that’s just the blood sugar plummeting. I’m hypoglycemic; it’s not pretty when I don’t eat.
A couple weeks ago, I realized I’d had hot dogs for lunch three days in a row. I don’t have anything against hot dogs. I like hot dogs. Eating hot dogs once in a while should be a requirement for all good Americans. Right up there with voting. By the way, have you registered yet?
I digress. Back to lunch. It’s time to get off the hamster wheel of writing all morning, stopping to lunch too late only to discover there’s nothing in the house to eat except hot dogs. On Facebook, I joked that grocery shopping had moved to the top of the to-do list. But I know my problem is bigger than that.
I like to write. I like to cook. I need to eat. I can pick two of the three.
Wait a second. I know a lot of women who blog about cooking. They write, cook, and eat. But how?
I asked some of them for help. What sweet salvation they delivered. During the next few weeks, my family will be cooking and eating seven eight of their best recipes. These recipes are easy to make with ingredients that are easy to find.
Explore their sites, preview the recipes, then come back to see the results of a good cooking revival at my house. This promises to be one delicious series!
Tex Mex Lasagna by Nancy at The Wife of a Dairyman
Southern Greens with a Kick by Justine at A Half-Baked Life
King’s Hawaiian Roll Ham Sandwiches by Leah at Beyer Beware
Spinach and Chick Peas by Simona at Fuel the Body Well
Cheeseburger Pie by Chef Nusy at And Cuisine For All
Mac and Cheese Bites by Dana at Mastering Mommy Brain
Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff by Tiffany at She Cooks!
Potato Gratin by Carrie from The Adventures of Dairy Carrie*
For the despondent, every day brings trouble;
for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 NLT
The Hot Dog Song by Mickey Mouse and the Clubhouse.
What’s your favorite toppings on a hot dog?
*This post was revised at 1 p.m., 10.8.12, to include the Potato Gratin. It has bacon in it. Need I say more?
All those recipes sound AWESOME!!! I’m a peanut butter girl…just spoon it out of the jar while I read all the great blogs and attempt to write with sticky hands!! ;) Cooking? Not my gift. I just get the meals out by the sweat of my brow!
I look forward to hearing about your experiences with all of these great recipes. That is a fun idea.
I look forward to making them. Right now the plan is to try at least one a week and video blog about it… The recipes will be a success; the vlogging is the wild card!
I have the opposite problem. I cook and bake all day and then when it comes time to blog I have no energy left :( Most of my blog posts are rushed at the end of the day. Not a good strategy.
I’ve tried that strategy, too, Emily. Do everything else then try to write. Until I read a book by Ariel Gore and re-prioritized. Gore writes, “No one ever does the last thing on their to-do list.”
So, I was recently introduced to an authentic Chicago dog. Before that point, I had been a chili, cheese, onions and yellow mustard kinda girl (i.e. eat it with a fork). But oh.my.stars. She informed me that the poppyseed bun, with the celery salt sprinkle, the mustard and all the fixin’s were the most amazing thing to satisfy a savory palette. She was right. It was like heaven in my mouth. I haven’t had one since, but now I’m craving it…..mmmmm….hot dogs….
P.S. thanks for the shout out! i hope my recipe stands well!
Thanks so much for participating, Tiffany. Can’t wait to make the stroganoff. My husband developed a taste for the Chicago dog when we lived in the city. He still tries to replicate it… Never boring around here!
I *love* this! It’s so true … there simply isn’t enough time to do everything! I cook a lot at night, too. And I make soup often in the wintertime. In fact, I probably eat soup about as often as you eat hot dogs. *grin*
Soup is good food, Justine :) Easy to make and eat for a week.
Thanks for joining in with your recipes. Southern greens will warm my heart, no doubt.