Link to Love: MyPodCooks!

Okay so maybe this is a little self-promotion but my first cooking article was published for the new website mypodcooks.com. I will hopefully be a regular contributor writing articles and sharing new recipes. The best part for me is being part of a new site devoted to one of my favorite things!

Take a look at my first published recipe:
http://www.mypodcooks.com/quickandeasy/articles/pan-seared-scallops-with-bacon-and-spinach

This dish was AMAZING...so much so I made it twice in two weeks!

Check out the site and look for more articles from me in the future.

Link to Love: Cooking for Betty

A very good friend and fellow foodie started a cooking blog recently...she is a master baker, a great friend, and 100% the reason I was able to pull off my Top Home Chef win!
Check her out at:
http://cookingforbetty.blogspot.com/
And tell her The Cook Crook sent you!

Link to Love: CosmoCookie -Why Else Do I have a Cast iron Skillet but to make this??

Doing my nightly food blog perusal and came across this one for Jalepeno Beer Cornbread....enough said!


CosmoCookie ...making the Universe a little sweeter: Jalapeño Beer Cornbread: I have returned from Mexico! Some friends and I headed south of Tucson until we hit the Pacific to get SCUBA open water certified. It was...


Although, if you add bacon to that equation that may be my own personal heaven right there...just sayin'


Check Out CosmoCookie!

Link to Love: What the F@#k should I make for dinner?

My good friend Amy passed along a site to me today that made me angry. Not because it's horribly controversial or is extreme plagiarism or pontificates on the merit of beets (Have I ever mentioned my HATRED of beets? Seriously it's the ONLY food I don't eat!) but because it's brilliant and I am mad I didn't think of it first:


http://www.whatthefuckshouldimakefordinner.com

Yep, you read that right. AND he has a book that goes with it! My pal Ames knows me well and I laughed hysterically as I clicked through the site...hey food can be funny!

Link to Love: Better Recipes Mixing Bowl

The internet is a great source of recipes, yes, and there are a ton of sites out there...but I am really enjoying the newly updated Better Recipes mixing bowl which is hosting and encouraging an online food community. The groups are very diverse  as there seems to be one for everyone and their interests. I just signed up for the food bloggers group (surprise!) and the Girl Get-togethers group. I am still finding my way through the new site but it's been fun and I am looking forward to sharing more as I get inspired more from other cooks out there!

Links to Love: Get in the Kitchen!

One of the best thing about blogging is the opportunity to connect with people I would never talk to, know about or meet if I didn't have an online presence. I decided months ago to start using Twitter a lot more and link it to what I am trying to share here with this page. It has been a lot of fun following and being followed by foodies and recipe enthusiasts and I am continuously amazed at the number of great recipes, tips and food sites I get to know about simply by having the twitter account.

So, when I got a mention by @GetIntheKitchen who specifically commented on the importance of a site like mine that encourages you to cook, I of course checked out there website. What an awesome surprise that Get in the Kitchen was an irreverent, hysterical and yummy sounding collection of recipes and kitchen ideas! I can't wait to order the books and see what they have in store!

Link to Love: Freezer Cooking 101 Courtesy of Money Saving Mom

I am such a huge fan of cooking ahead of time to save time AND money. One of my favorite money saving blogs http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ has an entire section devoted to freezer cooking which I finally took the time to review. Her Freezer Cooking 101 is a step-by-step of how to plan, prep and prepare meals for the freezer.

I am so excited for my first freezer cooking day (which I hope to have this motnh) and of course to share the results with you!

Thanks again moneysavingmom.com!

Link to Love: Cooking for the Clueless

I think it's fair to say I have a Top Chef obsession. I have never missed an episode or as season. I even suffered through an entire season of Top Chef Just Desserts even though I am not a pastry cook by any means. And as anyone who follows this blog knows, I have a celebrity chef crush on one Fabio Viviani. So obviously I was super excited when I heard about Fridays with Fabio courtesy of cookingfortheclueless.com.

The website got my attention because of Fabio but then I took some time to look at the website and it has some neat ideas and some great tips for beginning cooks and this of us (like me) who are always constantly learning and looking for new tips and techniques. As with most things on the web, not sure why it took me so long to find it but now that I have it has been bookmarked accordingly....and of course you know what I will be watching on Fridays!

Link to Love: Scanwiches

If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen me mention a new favorite food loving site: Scanwiches!

I learned about this site from this article on TheTastingTable.com another site I enjoy.

The Scanwiches site not only makes me hungry, but has some great ideas for sandwiches. And, if you're feeling creative, submit your sandwich as part of his contest that runs until April 15th.

Enjoy...and happy lunching