We have been painting all week, and we’re nearly ready to move back into our little house on the water! After many, many, many delays, the contractors have left us, and it only took 5 8 11 13 16 18 months!* Beloved and I have had big fun living in NYC, but tiny apartment living is a real challenge, and I’m looking forward to getting back to my (comparatively) big, beautiful kitchen. I can’t wait to cook real meals again!
*I initially drafted the idea for this post in July 2017, about the time our contractor said we’d be going home. He was off by more than a year. It’s a good thing Beloved and I have a sense of humor!

There have been many things about Manhattan living we’ve loved; the shorter commute, the culture, the instant access to everything at any hour. We even loved our hilarious, dark, 305-square-foot 1 bedroom apartment with the doll house-sized kitchen. Somehow, we made it all work, and we had a lot of fun doing it.

One of the keys to surviving the last year and a half has been the glorious blog GimmeSomeOven, written by Ali. She shares deceptively simple, quick recipes that have proven to be exceptionally delicious. Since first using her recipe for perfectly baked chicken breasts (honestly, you must try it), we have made it nearly every Sunday night, and I eat the leftover breasts with a lot of different sauces and sides throughout the week.

So since Ali’s recipes were such a comfort while we were away, I thought I’d go hunting for other food blogs to help me limber up my cooking muscles which have all but atrophied by now.

I’m going to start with the blog that’s the most fun, Bon Appetempt. Written by Amelia, a very funny mother of two small boys, who chooses somewhat aspirational recipes from cook books and makes them hilariously her own. (Chocolate (Strep) Cake with Raspberry Buttercream is a prime example.)

When we’re home, we use our grill year round, and it’s one of the things we’ve missed the most. The Girls at the Grill is exactly what it sounds like (except that there’s only one girl). North Carolina native Elizabeth Karmel, a.k.a. Grill Girl, “is a nationally-respected authority on grilling, barbecue and Southern food,” and her barbecue sauces and rubs are positively legendary.

Not Without Salt is a wonderfully-written blog by former Spago pastry chef Ashley, who has a talent not just for baking, but also for sharing the joy she takes in making food.

Smitten Kitchen is the blog brainchild of Deb Perelman, who describes her beautiful food as “fearless cooking from a tiny kitchen in New York City,” and let me tell you, attempting anything more complicated than avocado toast in a NYC kitchen takes real courage. She is my hero.

Chocolate and Zucchini is the blog by Clotilde, who bills herself as “the Parisian friend we all wish we had.” I do wish that! How did she know?

Girl Carnivore is a food blog that focuses on healthier grilled meat and fish recipes, but more importantly, their slogan is “because boys aren’t the only ones who like to play with their meat.” I can’t possibly resist an attitude like that!

An Italian in My Kitchen is the blog from which I think I will learn the most, written by Rosemary Molloy who quit her job as a bond trader in Toronto and moved to Rome. Once there, she fell in love with the fresh ingredients and simple methods that form true authentic Italian cooking. I have bookmarked so many of her recipes, I’m starting to feel like her stalker.

And finally, I’m looking forward to exploring Nosh, Slate Magazine’s pop-up blog about snacks. They swear it won’t ruin your dinner…

I’d love it if you would share in the comments your favorite blogs and/or recipes. I’ll add them to my list of cooking adventures!