Discovering The Steaming Pot proved to be especially timely for me, as I’d just decided to start making my own yogurt, the topic of the blog’s latest post.

My husband and I are not vegetarians, but we try to go meatless as much as possible, and we make sure to have a vegetable dish included in every meal- another reason we love this blog, with its well-written recipes for dishes such as Moong and Onion Raita and Mushroom Kasoori Methi.

The recipes are mostly Indian, which means “hello, tastebuds!”, and we’re particularly fond of the Ultimate Chapati Cheat Sheet and a how-to on making French Fries without frying.

Design-wise, the blog is neither generic nor over-designed, with the content as the star of the show- as it should be. I also appreciate how the recipes are sorted not simply by category but by ingredient.

We highly recommend checking out The Steaming Pot, and look forward to seeing more from this blog in the future.

What did the grape do when it got stepped on?
It let out a little wine!

As an adult, though, I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I know next to nothing about wine. I hardly drink it, but when I do, I wonder why I don’t drink it more often. Which is why I’m grateful for blogs like Dr Vino’s Wine Blog:

As it turns out, I’m pretty late to the party. Dr Vino has been featured on several major publications, including The New York Times, Food & Wine, and the Wall Street Journal. He’s also been nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award and won two American Wine Blog Awards.

And no wonder, really- when I first discovered this blog, I spent hours reading through its archives, clicking on links… then poured myself a glass of Pinot Noir, and continued reading. Tyler Colman, aka Dr Vino, writes in a straightforward yet very interesting manner, and obviously knows his stuff. I love his reviews & recommendations- his post on Red wines that chill in particular, because I’m the type of girl who likes chilled reds.

The blog sports a simple look, with a cork background (of course!) and quite a bit of sidebar activity, although the ads are not too distracting. Definitely one to bookmark- and follow on Twitter as well. Check out Dr Vino »

“… extreme makeovers of actual fast food items purchased at popular fast food restaurants. No additional ingredients have been added except for an occasional simple garnish.”

And when they say “fancy”, they mean it. In the screenshot below, for example, they’ve created Chicken Cordon Deux, a fancified KFC Double Down that includes slicing and stacking the breaded chicken patties and filling it with the accompanying cheese and bacon, resulting in a cordon bleu of sorts (hence the name).

The blog is powered by Tumblr (using a custom theme), and features- besides the gorgeous photos- well-written posts that showcase the absolute genius of each recipe.

I wanted to list my favorite here, but there are so many- the Beef Wellington from In-and-Out Burgers? The Seared Pollock Cake with Southwest Ramalan Sauce from McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish?

Visit FancyFastFood »

i am baker

With the tagline “confections, creations, and lots and lots of calories”- well, how could I not love this blog?

The truth is, I discovered i am baker because of her wonderful Heart Cake (includes a tutorial!) – but once I checked out the rest of the blog, I was hooked. The food photos are gorgeous and bright, and her collection of recipes- while small- are well-written and include tips for success, which is always something I look for when reading baker’s blogs.

Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to subscribe to her feed. Google Reader produces a “This page may be unavailable or have other restrictions that prevent Google from getting updates.” error. Hope they fix this soon.

All in all, an undoubtedly beautiful baking blog, and one I highly recommend. Visit i am baker »