So you want a grassroots cookbook that emerged from social media? Foodista: Best of Food Blogs Cookbook is for you. There was a contest for entries. Over 1500 recipes flooded the offices. Then members of Foodista voted for their favorites. Culling 1500 recipes down to 100 is no easy feat.
As to arrangement, recipes are categorized and organized in a typical manner: Cocktails and appetizers first, soup and salad, main dishes, side dishes, and finally desserts. The editor notes that most of the recipes did not undergo strenuous recipe testing as do traditional cookbooks. However, they standardized quantities, measurements, and ingredients while trying to let the blogger's voice spring forth from her recipe.
Each blogger provided photos accompanying their dish. The majority are above average and that makes for a pretty-pretty to behold as you flip through in search of the recipe that makes your mouth tingle in anticipation.While Geoduck ceviche tempts me to no end, my physical distance from the Pacific coast, and thus the geoduck, makes replicating this recipe impossible. Wonder if it works with crawdads (aka crayfish).
I played in creeks a great deal as a child and often encountered the crawdad. They don't have much meat though and I wonder what length of time it takes to capture a middling amount for crawdad ceviche? Must study the life-cycle of the crawdad and determine when to fish for them.
But see, isn't it awesome how browsing a cookbook can generate fanciful food ideas in ones head?
But, back to the recipes. Mummy juice cocktail with its ginger, orange rum, and triple sec combination sounds like a winner to me. Perfect for summer days, but with record-low temperatures this week--of 12 or so--I crave a hot toddy. Most of the recipes in this book are chi-chi. They're not necessarily comfort food-type dishes. Although the chicken and white bean chili falls into that category. And the salmon head soup is very different too. Interestingly, the geoduck ceviche and salmon head soup are contributions of Landon Cook whose blog Fat of the Land tickled me to my toes.
Actually, I have to say, that there's not one of these recipes that I would not want to make. Surely all these bloggers top me in the cooking department. I'm nowhere near as inventive in my cooking as I tend to stick to comfort food.
As for Foodista, I simply have no idea which recipe to try first. Another go-round through the book may help with that decision. This collection of recipes makes a great gift for someone, if you have a gift-giving occasion on the horizon and lack ideas.
Recent Comments