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It’s Friday, and you know what that means, Friday Foodie Feature time. As I mentioned yesterday, I am still pretty behind on blogging and just about everything else, so I was excited when Megan from the blog Cooking Whims agreed to be the Friday Foodie Feature. Megan started out as a baking blogger, and, as a result has some great baking posts, but I also really love her other recipes. Definitely check out the link to the Roasted Garlic Soup below. It looks divine!

Thanks, Megan, for being featured, and for the rest of you, remember I always welcome guest posts and participants for the Friday Feature. Just send me an email to let me know you are interested!

Have a great Friday morning. I’ll be back later with some more wine country fun!

Cooking Whims

How long have you been blogging?

I’ve kept an online journal ever since I was a teenager. But I became serious about food blogging after I started a baking club with my friends after we graduated from college about two years ago. As an excuse to hang out, two of my best friends would come over once a week and we would whip up something tasty. Then I thought, “Hey, why don’t I blog about these?” So I started “Baking Whims”. But once I moved out of my parents’ house, I discovered I had to cook for myself. But I didn’t want it to be a chore, I wanted it to be fun! So I got a ton of cookbooks out of the library, started following blogs, and decided to add onto my baking escapades–so expanded “Baking Whims” into “Cooking Whims”. And that happened about a year ago. :)

What is your favorite thing about blogging? Least favorite?

My favorite thing about blogging is being a part of the food blogging community. When I first moved to the Boston area, I was a bit lost. I moved away from all of my friends, so my baking club get-togethers stopped. I didn’t know how to meet people and felt isolated in my little apartment. But once I joined up with the Boston Food Bloggers, I discovered a whole new world of friendships and activities I never would have found out about if I wasn’t blogging!

My least favorite part about blogging? That’s hard to say because I love all things about blogging! If I had to pick something, though, I would say it’s the dim light in my apartment. I live in a basement with little natural light, so it’s really challenging to capture a well-lit picture of my food.

What has been your most fun blog post to write?

I think the blog post that was the most fun to write was my Roasted Garlic Soup recipe. I was meeting up with some Boston Food Bloggers for a soup swap back in January, and I wanted to try something I never tried before. I love taking on challenges like that and stepping out of my comfort zone because then I actually learn something about cooking. Before I made the garlic soup, I had never roasted garlic, or even bought more than two heads of garlic at once in the store. I bought six for this recipe! (and had some left over).
I love writing about my learning experiences, whether they are good or bad, and hoping others can learn from what I learned–and that they’ll go out and try these recipes on their own too! Cooking for me is fun because I’m always finding things I don’t know about. And the blogging is a great way to log what I have done :)

Where do you see your blog this time next year?

Hopefully next year I’ll actually buy a domain for my blog and give it a redesign!

Is there anything else about your blogging experience you would like to share?

I look forward to blogging about my cooking adventures every night, and I would have to say it’s become my favorite thing to do outside of work. It’s much more than just a hobby, it’s become a part of who I am, my identity. If people ask me what I do and what I like to do, I always mention my food blog and my love of food! :)

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Tags: blogger, Food, Friday Foodie Feature, Guest Blogger, guest post

Enough snow for ya? I think I have officially had enough. It’s not really the cold or snow that bother me, per se, it is the conditions of the sidewalks and the inability for Boston’s public transport to work, even in the best of weather. It makes running outside impossible and going out at night less than attractive. I am 100% ready for spring, so if the universe is listening, no more snow in Boston, please.

Since I have been baking more and more these days, I am excited to feature Jen from the blog Beantown Baker for today’s Friday Foodie Feature. I met Jen briefly at this summer’s Stop & Shop luncheon, and since I got to spend more time with her on the big King Arthur Flour blogger weekend, I thought the below photo was appropriate. Most recently, I saw Jen at the Guinness dinner at the Landsdowne Pub and realized that I hadn’t featured her yet. I don’t know how that happened! Her blog is full of beautiful photos and delicious dishes, but what I love most about it is, of course, her baking. She makes bakery-worthy treats that are beyond my wildest baking dreams. You may have already checked her blog out, but if you haven’t, make sure to visit Jen’s favorite post, mentioned below.

Happy Friday, everyone! And don’t forget, if you would like to be a Friday Foodie Feature, just send me an email!

How long have you been blogging?

I started Beantown Baker in August of 2007. In the beginning I didn’t blog regularly, and you couldn’t schedule posts on Blogger so my posting was sporadic at best. After three and a half years, I’ve gotten into a groove and post on a more regular basis.

What is your favorite thing about blogging? Least favorite?

Choosing one thing as a favorite about blogging is tough. Really tough. So I’m picking three favorite things. First of all, I’m very proud of the progress I’ve made not only in my cooking and baking skills but also my photography skills. If you look back at some of my old posts, I used a lot of shortcuts (including cake mix from a box!) that I would never use now. I’ve also tackled my fear of yeast because of my blog. Now I am proud to admit that yeast doesn’t scare me at all anymore. My photos have also improved. Not only in the food styling and composition but I’ve come to realize the importance of natural light on my photos. I’ve always said that my blog is for me and it’s been a great ride so far.

Another thing I love about blogging is hearing from my readers. When I started my blog, I didn’t expect to ever get comments or emails from readers. Every time I get one, I get very excited and try to write everyone back who writes to me. I love to hear what my readers enjoy or what they’d like to see more of.

And the last thing I love most about blogging is meeting other bloggers. Boston has a great blogging community and it’s fun to meet other people who “get” this crazy little hobby of mine.

As far as my least favorite part of blogging, that has to be the mean-spirited people out there. Whether they’re leaving nasty comments or whatever the case is, they’re no fun. I know you’ll find them anywhere on the internet, but it’s not cool.

What has been your most fun blog post to write?

These are tough questions Meghan! For me, the writing isn’t the fun part, it’s the fun in the kitchen that I enjoy the most. My favorite post therefore is something that I love to make. You see, I have an unhealthy love of Oreos. I really try not to eat processed foods, but if there are Oreos nearby, I can’t control myself (so we never have them in the house). I had made a couple variations of a cookies and cream cupcake and finally developed my own version of an Oreo Cupcake (http://www.beantownbaker.com/2010/04/oreo-cupcakes-third-time-is-charm.html). It’s by far the favorite cupcake in our household and it’s one of very few desserts that I have made multiple times. I enjoyed baking these cupcakes and taking some photos during the process. If you like Oreos, I highly recommend trying this recipe out. You can thank me later ;)

Where do you see your blog this time next year?

This time a year ago, I hadn’t met any other bloggers and could not have guessed that I would call some other bloggers friends at this point in time. This time next year, I just hope that I’m still challenging myself in the kitchen, learning when I’m behind the camera, and having fun with my blog.

Is there anything else about your blogging experience you would like to share?

I feel very fortunate to have found a hobby that I’m truly passionate about. As I mentioned, I never imagined that I would have opportunities to try new things and meet new people just because I write a blog, but I’m so grateful that I have these opportunities.

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Tags: baking, blogger, Boston, Boston Food Bloggers, Friday Foodie Feature, Guest Blogger

Happy Friday! It is just a week away from Christmas Eve, I have dinner plans with one of my oldest and best friends at 10 Center in Newburyport, a restaurant I love for its great beer, oysters, and multiple fireplaces, and I get to meet my brand new niece tomorrow, finally! Yesterday was full of aggravation, annoyance, and a little bit of sadness about a sick family member, so a fun weekend is just what is needed.

Today’s Friday Foodie Feature is Justin from Justin Can Cook. I first encountered Justin on Twitter last spring when he was planning a trip to Iceland, and met him in person on Gordon’s Vino Voyage shortly after that. Justin wasn’t a blogger when most of us in the Boston blogger community; he was a Citysearch dictator, foodie, and fun Twitter person to follow. I think I can speak for many people when I say that we were very excited when he decided to put all of his culinary knowledge and adventures into a blog of his own! He succeeds at many recipes and techniques I wouldn’t try, and I love reading his blog because he actually makes some pretty complicated things seem possible. I have had the pleasure to spend time with both Justin and his wife Leah at a few events, and they are really great people. I am happy to have met them and to bring you Justin as today’s Friday Foodie Feature. Have a fantastic weekend!

Justin Can Cook

How long have you been blogging?

Well, my first Justin Can Cook post is dated September 28, 2010, which means just under 3 months. But, I’ve been squeezing recipes, ideas, and general thoughts about what I was eating, into 140 character blurbs for about 2 and a half years.

What is your favorite thing about blogging?

Blogging inspires me to experiment with new and interesting recipes. Before the blogging, I  never shied away from preparing an elaborate meal or embarking on a 2 month infusion project, but the blog definitely adds to the enjoyment and the payoff. Instead of just eating your dinner, or drinking your bacon-vodka (yes, I made this many years ago), you have a story to go along with it. Whenever you want, you can go back to the story and relive the experience.

Also, I love getting feedback on my posts. I especially like when someone reads a post and is inspired to try the recipe, or has some ideas on how to make improvements or changes.

Least favorite?

How quickly you can realize that it’s been too long since your last post. It really pains me to think that someone might check my blog and nothing has changed since the last time they looked. When I started, I had high hopes of updating 2 or 3 times a week. I’ve had to scale that back to 1 or 2 times a week, at least for the near future..

What has been your most fun blog post to write?

I think my Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread post (http://www.justincancook.com/2010/11/peanut-butter-and-jelly-bread.html) was the most fun. As soon as I decided to make that bread I was having fun. It was fun to take pictures of the process, and fun to eat. I knew a lot of people were going to enjoy that post as I was writing. I wanted to publish it so quickly that I had to be disciplined to make sure I didn’t rush through the story.

Where do you see your blog this time next year?

I hope to still be posting about interesting recipes at a reasonable rate. There are a lot of improvements I’d like to make to the layout of the blog. Maybe I’ll have my own template by then, hopefully I’ll find some ways to make the blog show some more of my personality.

Is there anything else about your blogging experience you would like to share?

I know everyone says this, but it’s true: Boston has a great food blogger community. Great people, great events, great blogs.

 

Thanks for the great feature, Justin! And remember, if any of you want to be featured or to write a guest post, please send me an email to traveleatlove (at) gmail.com. In the New Year, one of my goals is to add perspectives from more food, wine, and travel bloggers AND readers, so please don’t hesitate to write something and send it over, preferably with a photo or two (or more!).

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