Since I’m hosting this challenge (posting through my reading blog), I thought I should also mention it on this site.

The Spice of Life Challenge is my attempt to bring my hobby of reading into line with this newer hobby (and necesssary way of life), that of cooking. It runs from July 1 until December 31, 2009.

I’ve joined the Challenge for a feast, meaning that I’m going to read 8 cookbooks, nonfiction books, memoirs, and fiction books relating to food. I’ll write my reviews on my reading blog, but I hope to write some posts here as well. I’ll also post my final list of links at the end of the challenge.

If you are intrigued, go check out the information page. You don’t need a reading blog or even a cooking blog to participate.

In other news, in the next three weeks, I’m going to play Blog Improvement Project BINGO on this site. This just means I’ll have a variety of posts instead of the normal fare. Since this blog is new, I’m still trying to find my feet and determine what direction I’d like to go. If you’re reading, let me know what you like to see here.

Before I was married, I had a three-ring binder with family recipes stuck in it. It was a mess.

Then my husband created an Access database of those recipes; I now have them on my computer in an easy to search, sort, and review format. I can also print them out. It is wonderful!

But most of the time I resort elsewhere to get recipes.

Image via CrunchBase

One site I like to visit Epicurious.com. They have classy recipes that have been tested and reviewed by, usually, dozens of eaters. Those fellow eaters have good insights into the recipes: making them tastier or easier.

One favorite place I visit is foodblogsearch.com. It searches hundreds of food blogs for your specific search terms. For example, last week, I wanted to make French Toast. I know I’ve made it before, but I like to refer to a recipe; as I’ve mentioned, I’ve learned from experience that my cooking can turn out quite poorly if I don’t check before I start cooking. Well, epicurious only had “fancy” french toast options, but I found a great recipe for very basic french toast at Pinch My Salt, thanks to the Food Blog Search. I’d highly recommend using Food Blog Search; I”m going to add it to the sidebar for our convenince.

Cover via Amazon

The other day I also found myself refering to a book. I don’t normally refer to cookbooks. I find the internet so much easier to find just what I’m looking for. However, I’ve started reading The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, and there are so many basic recipes in there: just what I’m looking for. I wanted to make a basic white sauce, and I found it.

I’m still pretty new to cooking, and I look forward to discovering many more sites and cookbooks that can help me in my journey!

Where do you get your recipes? Any favorite sites or books you can recommend?

My husband gave me two cooking books for Christmas.

The first book (and the one I’ll focus on for now) is The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. My husband and I have read the first 40 pages together. This beginning provides a great introduction to simple cooking and the local food movement. Much of the rest of the book is guidelines to some important cooking basics and recipes for simple dishes. For example, the first cooking basic she covers is “vinaigrette.” I really appreciate her suggestions for tweaking the basic vinaigrette, and I look forward to trying them out with my husband, as well as the other recipes.

I appreciate Alice Waters’ call to return to the basics when cooking: food should taste like itself. However, I’m not particularly convinced of the “eat local” movement, and I don’t see myself searching for a farmer’s market. I live in suburban Chicago, and right now it’s cold and snowy. Sorry, Alice Waters! I’m avoiding time on the roads these days, so I don’t anticipate searching for a “local” source for my produce.

I have discovered a grocery store that has better variety, cheaper prices, and better quality produce. I’ll stick with that for now. It’s my new favorite.

What about you? Do you “eat local” and why? Do you think farmer’s market food is superior to supermarket food?