Grateful in Blogland
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It was the summer of 2006 and some of my girlfriends and I were sitting around chatting when the topic of blogging came up. Among the six of us, not a single one of us had ever blogged. We just did not understand the point of blogging, and who has time for silly stuff like that anyway? Fast forward to November 26th, 2006... the day that I wrote my very first blog entry here at Dine and Dish. I wrote in a post a few days ago about why I initially started the blog. Since that day, my reasons for continuing to blog have stayed the same... to stay connected, to have an outlet to express myself, and for the pure enjoyment of it.
I have been amazed over the past year the number of connections I have made through my blog. Some of these connections have lead to non food related paid writing and photography gigs. Some of these connections are long lost family friends who somehow stumbled upon the blog and put two and two together and discovered who I was. Some of these connections have come in the form of new friendships... both online and local.
One example of the greatness of food bloggers comes in the form of "recipe rescue". At one point in time I was looking for a really great pizza crust recipe. Several of you responded with a plethora of tried and true recipes to choose from. Claire was the first to respond, so I gave her recipe a try and have not deviated since (well...until this past weekend when I tried a new recipe simply so I could have something new to post about!)
Our annual Christmas party is coming up and I had a crab cake recipe from last months issue of O Magazine all set to make. Thankfully, I did a trial run this past Saturday and discovered that this recipe just didn't work for what I was going for. Blogging friends to the rescue. I sent a 9-1-1 SOS e-mail out to Kate and Kirsten, and received replies from both. My friend Kate is having surgery this week (thinking of you Kate!) so she was not able to help out, but Kirsten responded by sending me exactly the kind of recipe I was looking for.
For those of you who have been hesitant to start a blog, don't be. "Blogland" is a wonderful place full of support, tips/ideas, and great opportunities. I have enjoyed reading back over my Family Blog and reminiscing about the past year... things I probably would not remember had I not captured them in my blog. I go on a ride through past recipes and food related experiences every time I read past posts on the food section of my blog. Each recipe posted brings back memories of the meal surrounding it.
I am grateful for the opportunity to share part of my life with you all.
Kristen
Boboli Pizza Crust Clone (from Recipezaar)
| 1 | cup water |
| 3 | cups all-purpose flour |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 1 | tablespoon sugar |
| 2 | teaspoons active dry yeast |
| 1 | teaspoon minced garlic |
| 2 | teaspoons parmesan cheese |
| 1/2 | teaspoon italian seasoning |
|
|
parmesan cheese, to sprinkle |
- Add all ingredients (except) second parmesan cheese to breadmaker in order listed by your manufacturer.
- (put the garlic down inside the flour so it does not slow the yeast) Set breadmaker on dough setting.
- When cycle is done, form two crusts on pizza pans, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, cover and let rise again.
- Bake 5-10 minutes at 450 F until light brown.
- Add toppings (I used cooked chicken with Nando's lemon pepper grinder, peppers, mushrooms and onions plus mozzarella cheese) and place back into oven for approximately 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Kristen
23 Comments
Reader Comments (23)
Blogging is not at all easy as some might think,not to mention the time we spend on commenting on other blogs EVERYDAY!! Phew!!:D
I have posted a Crab cake at FH,(recipe Index, non-veg section or http://foodieshope.blogspot.com/2007/01/winter-munchies.html) with spicy Remoulade sauce.LOve Crab cakes if it doesn't smell fishy!:)
Thanks and good luck cooking crab cakes!
I am very glad you started blogging and also that we made the connection. It's been fun to watch your family grow.
Thanks for the kind thoughts about the surgery, Kristen! I really appreciate them.
This crust looks delish!
LOVE that pizza shot! Not only is the pic pretty cool looking, but it's also making me drool.... :)
Hope your friend Kate has a speedy recovery, btw!
Blogging is indeed fun and now addictive! It gives a opportunity to know more about different kinds of people and if the wavelengths match.. Wolla! U have a friend..:) It was great reading ur post and to know that it had been fun blogoride! Hope u have the same joy of blogging in future too.
Cheers,
Siri
About the blogging THING, in my particular case, it changed my life a lot!!! For the good/food!!! ;-)
I've started my blog (in portuguese) not long ago and it has been a fantastic experience - it became so addictive, I even started an english version. But yes, blogging can be great. Now I wonder why it took so much to do it!