10 Food Blogs Everyone Should Read (and Three are Local!)

I read blogs. A lot of blogs, mostly about food, gardening, books and home-y subjects. Blogs are such a personal medium, I find myself describing my favorite blogs like I would describe an ideal friend - funny, real, colorful, proofreads their
work, takes decent photographs. (I never said I didn't have my own quirks.)

With these criteria in mind, I thought I'd share some of my favorite blogs and
bloggers. These ladies and gents don't all get the big numbers and book
contracts, but they should, and maybe someday they will. They consistently
produce quality stories, each flavored with their own personalities and
backgrounds. Please check them out - it won't cost you a cent. And if you're a
stumbler and a sharer on Facebook and Twitter, give them a little link and comment love.

I'll start with some friends from Open Salon now posting on their own blogs.
Open Salon is a gathering spot for hobby and professional writers.

1.      Linda Shiue of SpiceboxTravels is a San
Francisco physician by day and food writer in her spare time. I’m not sure when
she sleeps.  Her stories are for armchair travelers and foodies alike. I have
many favorites from Linda’s stories, and a good place to start is her post on
the curry
tattoo of Trinidad. Her recipes are spot-on – the pineapple shortbread
recipe is now on my annual must-bake list. Twitter @spiceboxtravels


2.      Like Linda, Felicia Lee of Burnt Out Baker lives an interesting life. Raised in California and now living in Gainesville, Florida, she’s an academic, trained pastry chef, and birder. She has a sly sense of humor and a lively writing style. For a sample post, I’m rather fond of Felicia's pig’s ear creations , one of her delightful fish-out-of-water posts now that she's living in the Deep South. Twitter @burntoutbaker


3.      Also from California, Grace Hwang Lynch writes compellingly about issues of cultural and racial identity at Hapa Mama (she's also the Race and Ethnicity
editor for BlogHer), and  she lets a few delightful food posts slip in. I knew I
liked Grace when she wrote about her love of hot dog kimbap.
She recently completed a challenge blog – a year without shopping. Twitter @hapamamagrace


4.      Bellwether Vance, the pen name of a good ol’ girl from the Gulf Coast of Florida, is one of the funniest writers I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. She has a knack for reaching beyond the punch line, though, and kicking you in your gut, or giving you a few words to chew on throughout the day. Bell (as her fans call her) promises to have an independent blog debuting soon, but for now, her stories are on Open Salon. She sings country songs to her dogs, and they sing along, too. She’s also written the definitive piece on pimento cheese. After you talk about wearing a bridesmaid’s dress with a “butt-bow the size of a prized carp” there’s really not much else that needs to be said. I will confess to borrowing
a few of Bell’s recipes and they are keepers – her blackberry doobie, minner
cheese and kumquat pie are regulars in my kitchen.


Here are three favorite bloggers that I discovered close to home:


5.     Lynn Coulter is a dear friend and
accomplished author, with three books to her credit – one on gardening, and two
memoirs of her Christian journey. She sometimes writes about food, but her
passion is for gardening. Other topics include living in the South, reading
books, and being raised by a dog, Miss Paws. I’m a wannabe gardener, and I’m
looking forward to her new series on favorite seed catalogs. Her words are a
respite from the real world, as comforting as a cup of chamomile tea. Twitter @lynn_coulter


6.      The Teacher Cooks is a blog by my friend
Wanda Lupo, a high school home economics teacher concerned about teaching young
people how to make good food choices and learn self-sufficiency in the kitchen.
Her classroom posts are fascinating – with the students’ work and comments
posted alongside the recipes – they’re learning to blog as they’re learning to
cook. Check out this post on making mayonnaise
rolls. Twitter @theateachercooks

7.    Thoughtful Consumption by Susan
Loper is a tremendous resource for anyone with a CSA subscription or a nearby
farmer’s market. During the season, she posts weekly updates about the produce
in her box and offers tips on cleaning and storing the vegetables. Susan has a
whimsical sense of humor as seen in her whimsical “fun with
Squash and Pumpkin” posts.

And a few more from various places.


8.      Christina of Dessert for Two is a half-pint baking
goddess. Really. She’s actually a very sweet girl from Texas who currently makes
her home in California. She may not be tall in stature, but she’s got a
personality as big as her home state. Her gimmick is a good one – scaled-down
dessert recipes – for example, a cut-out cookie recipe that makes a dozen
cookies; biscuits for just two; white mocha cupcakes. And you really have to
love a blogger who introduces herself “Hi, I’m Christina and I’m here to help
you gain 10 pounds.” Twitter @dessertfortwo


9.  The Peche. Chris and Karen of The Peche moved from New York to the Peach
State in 2011, and their stories of late will break your heart. Homesickness,
aging parent issues, bad Christmas tree karma. Chris is the writer and Karen is
the photographer, and they keep it real. They are baby wranglers, with three
kids under the age of four. For every story that makes you cry, there’s another
that makes you laugh. The recipes are sophisticated fare – a recent piece on
pecorino and pear ravioli had me at least thinking about pulling out the pasta
machine. Twitter @thepeche


10. Bunkycooks. First of all, writer/photographer/chief cook and bottle washer Gwen is one of the nicest and
most generous bloggers I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet. Gwen writes fun
and detailed travel pieces, always with an eye to what the cook can bring home
and create in his or her own kitchen. I’ve had my eye on this Clementine
and spiced rum bundt cake for quite awhile and I think it’s time to bake it
this weekend. Twitter @bunkycooks

These are just a few of my favorite food blogs. I could easily add another dozen. What food blogs do you regularly read?

For more recipes and stories, check out A Cook and Her Books. Follow me on Twitter @acookandherbook and on Facebook A Cook and Her Books