Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Do You Get Inspired?

In my perigrinations through all the other food blogs (well, not all), I often come across recipes, or even just mere mentions, of dishes I really want to try myself. Especially if there's an irresistible photo accompanying the description.
I've only ended up trying one or two dishes, in truth, although I get seriously inspired (and may still end up going back and doing it).
One of my tried and true re-creations is ChrisB's cottage pie, from Ms. Cellania. I think Chris would faint if she saw what actual ingredients I use, but it's still a fairly faithful version — and it's easy and yummy.
But even though I've vowed to make other bloggers' recipes, I fall short. Oh, wait. I did make Ilva's blood-orange jellies in the shape of hearts. Yeah. So there might have even been some other replications I'm just not remembering now. OK, remembering another one now! Sourdough Monkey Wrangler's rice torte, which I bastardized into my own version, and which spawned a slew of other versions, including one by the originator.
I know it happens out there in the blogosphere's kitchens.
The other day I noticed that Glenna at A Fridge Full of Food had whipped up a version of Krispy Kreme Doughnut Bread Pudding, inspired by her friend Sher's attempt, at What Did You Eat? There was photographic evidence that this recipe re-creation actually happened.
Eek! That is not something I'll try. But you might.
All the time, when reading comments on food blogs, I see people saying, "Great! I am going to try this!"
So here's my question: Do you try out the foods you read about on other peoples' blogs?

33 comments:

Jamie said...

Yep - generally when I say I'm going to, I do. Sometimes not right away, but eventually. I can often be found searching blog archives for recipes that I *know* I saw somewhere, once upon a time... :-)

Ilva said...

Sometimes yes sometimes no, mostly they inspire me to make a dish and that's why I read food blogs. I+m always slightly surprised when I hear that someone actually followed one of my recipes.

Anonymous said...

Only once in a while (Sam's truffles, Clotilde's yogurt cake). It's the same with food mags. Mainly I read them for inspiration, and I rely on my cookbooks for recipes when I want to make something that I have never made before.

Anita (Married... with dinner) said...

All the time! I am forever printing out recipes from blogs and sticking them in my "to be tried" file. I make one about twice a month. The last one was Sarah's spaghetti with meyer lemon zest: http://avenuefood.com/2007/02/07/spaghetti-with-meyer-lemon-zest-and-crunchy-sea-salt.aspx

s'kat said...

I constantly come across recipes I want to try, but the sheer volume is prohibitive. Perhaps if I could ever figure out how to properly use de.li.cious, it wouldn't be a problem!

ChrisB said...

CC imagine my surprise and delight to get a mention in this post, particularly as I am not a food blogger. You can't imagine how elated I feel. I do take a copies of recipes I know I will try and save others to del.icio.us.

I have some left over beef and I was thinking about making rissoles or should I be making a cottage pie!!

circumspice said...

All the time. Pretty much the only reason I have a del.icio.us account is so that I can save recipes on food blogs for future consumption. I'm not a big recipe folower for the most part, so I generally just look at the pretty pictures, skim over the ingredients and wing it from there, but I'm always looking to blogs for dinner (and breakfast, and lunch, and dessert) inspiration.

El said...

Rarely. It's mental eating I usually do on my food blog rounds.

I will say on occasion that a recipe will stick in my brain and later I feel a compunction to go back to it. I'm sometimes disappointed. Mostly, I am looking for different ways of mixing things up.

Now if we could find a way for these fabulous eyecandy recipes to appear tout suite in our very kitchens...mmmm...

Abby said...

I hail from the land of Krispy Kreme. I believe that bread pudding was made on Top Chef a few seasons ago. (I'm too lazy to search for it now!) And recipe snatching is one of the main reasons I read food blogs. It's so fun to try something to see if it turns out the same way!

Sam said...

Absolutely I do - that's the whole point no? To be inspired by other blogs.

Although I get very scared if someone else used one of my recipes in case I fluffed it up in the telling.

I hated cottage and shepherds pie as a kid, but on Monday night I made a Shepherd's pie with my leftover lamb roast. it wasn't the slightest authentic - I didn't mince the lamb because I don't like that texture, so I just cut it onto chunks instead and pan fried with leeks before topping with creamy mashed potato and a little gruyere.

It was actually not bad - but not the slightest traditional.

off the top of my head i have made no knead bread (my sister's post pushed me over the edge), an orange bundt on my husband cooks, Cream Puffs in Venice's amaretti, Alice Q's brownies, somebody else's marinated feta (haalo's maybe), so many I have lost count.

I want to make your pickles.

Beccy said...

I'm making more recipes from blogs that my cookbooks, in a way the recipes seem more real if they come from a blog.

Dagny said...

Sometimes I'm inspired to buy a particular ingredient. (Still need to get those artichokes.)

cookiecrumb said...

Jamie: My memory isn't that good. I should print them out immediately.

Ilva: I'm with you on the inspiration. But you do know that I actually followed one of yours? It was perfect. OK, I changed it a bit. That's inspiration.

Catherine: So, not often, but you take away ideas. I'm using cookbook recipes as formulas less and less, but I do get inspiration from them, too.

Anita: I should be so organized. (Thanks for the tip on the spaghetti!)

S'Kat: Now you're talking. I'm realizing, reading these comments, that I'm missing out on a useful tool. I'll look into it.

ChrisB: Oh, you silly girl. I loved your idea, and I recall vividly how well you illustrated it (suggesting a glass of wine; perfect). You and I may be close in age, but Sam has probably told you I've "borrowed" you as a surrogate mom.

Circumspice: All right. Del.icio.us account comin' up. Thanks.

El: Ah! A different response. I might be closer to you in that regard, but I have made at least a few recipes from blogs. However, I may still be the only one who hasn't tried no-knead bread!

Abby: In the olden days of the Internets, the group recipe sites seemed so-o-o unreliable (eveybody was copying from each other, probably with typos, etc.). Now, I feel such trust reading food blogs.

Sam: I'm totally with you on the fear of writing it down wrong. Which is probably why my recipes are usually "Cookiecrumb-style" (i.e., useless to the average bear). But yeah. We read the blogs to get inspired. And as I said to Abby above, more and more I trust the bloggers.

Beccy: Yeah. That's kinda what I'm feeling.

Dagny: I know what you mean. You inspired me to get artichokes. :D

Stacie said...

I do! But they usually only provide a starting point. Regional availability is an issue at my house, as you know! I really like the purdy pictures!

Anna Haight said...

I'm probably get more inspired than carry-through. I haven't made much of anything lately, that's why my blog has been heavy on the restaurant reviews as of late...

Passionate Eater said...

I am really bad at it, but I do keep a lengthy collection of bookmarks to go back and try the ones that catch my fancy. I just wanted to say that YOU always inspire me with your wit and your photography. So the answer to your question is, "Yes, yes, I do Cookie Crumb, by you!"

Glenna said...

Great post! I'm like eveyrone else, I sometimes do and sometimes don't too. The bread pudding (Sher found it in Food & Wine, no less) was something that was so unique and so perfect as a treat for my husband that it made me overcome the "I'm gonna do it someday"s. You know what I mean? I always have the best of intentions.

Thanks for mentioning my attempt. And it was darn good! Gene thought it was one of the coolest things I've ever made specifically for him. It was like saying "I love you" with a dessert. :-)

Liz said...

The only blog recipe I can recall trying was Jamie's fruitcakes.

I mostly like to look at the pretty pictures. ;)

Willa said...

I love the pictures, and I am fascinated by what other people eat. I really like the stories around the recipes. I have tried some recipes, but since it is hard for me to actually follow directions, everything I make is usually "Willa Style". And because of our work schedules, real cooking only takes place on the weekends around here, in quantities large enough to have leftovers all week. SO I do a lot of mental bookmarking, and later seraching to try and find that yummy thing I saw somewhere.

Guy said...

I do. Only the vegetarian ones though.

Biggles

Katie said...

You know what they say about the road to hell....
I have tried some and bookmarked quite a few more but mostly it's inspiration.
I did make some wonderful oven-roasted tomatoes from (I think) Christine Cooks last fall and some Morrocan Carrots a few weeks ago...actually, I apparently do better than I thought...Now I'm on the road to hell with a bad memory....

cookiecrumb said...

Stacie: If you'd put up more recipes, I might try your stuff! I know you're a killer baker. Oh, wait. Cancel. I'm not a baker. :p

Anna: Well, inspiration is a lot of why we read the blogs, whether we carry through or not. I just seem to have a little gap between my inspiration and my carry-through.

PE: You just reminded me that I made your ma po tofu, and it was simply wonderful!

Glenna: Mostly I find myself just wanting to invite myself over to some blogger's house for dinner. "Please? Cook for me?"

Liz: Do you have any idea how many people tried baked oatmeal after reading about it on your blog? And I remember you were surprised. Some recipes just stand out.

Willa: "Willa style." Wink, wink.

Dr. Biggles: You liar. I'm bringing vegetables to your house, you vegan.

Katie: I got that bad memory thing too. You just reminded me that one of the first recipes I ever borrowed from a blog was for roasted tomato sauce. And I'm still using it.

Anonymous said...

I do/have. Or, like it has been said many times here, the recipes are a spark or a starting point. I started my blog to be more conscious of what I made. And, to eat healthier. Never an adventurous, the blogs/posts have prompted me to "get out there" more.

Elle said...

sometimes yes, sometimes no...lots of good intentions but not enough time.

Monkey Wrangler said...

Cookie, I get inspired by you. Don't you know? Like that salt thing? And if I remember clearly, it was you who left me one of my first comments that wasn't from my family and gave me a bit of hope that others might be willing to correspond and share. Thank you. I'll make more of your stuff after we beat Biggles with tubers in fishnets......and then I sit down to take recipe notes from you! Catch ya' at lunch!

Alice Q. Foodie said...

All the time - I've made several from Orangette, and I've been inspired to try simple dishes from lots of blogs, just by reading about what other people are making and eating. It's definitely improved the variety in our meals -though its not as if we needed an incentive to eat more!

tammy said...

I cook from blogs a lot. When I read something that tickles my fancy, I print it out right away and just leave it on my printer. Then, when I'm hungry, I grab the stack I've accumulated and head to the kitchen to see what I have. I have designs to make your lentil salad very soon.

Deborah said...

I am pretty new to the whole food blogging world, but I'm almost ready to swear it off already because now I have WAY too many recipes that I want to try. I have thousands of recipes printed off over the past few years that I have run across online, a ton of cookbooks, and now a ton of bookmarked recipes since discovering the food blogging world. How is a girl ever supposed to try all of these wonderful recipes???

Anonymous said...

Chris: This food blogging thing... It has certainly changed our lives.

Elle: Me too. Lots of other excuses too, but now I'm going to use del.icio.us so I'll at least know where to look.

Monkey Wrangler: I forgot to check today to see if you were wearing fishnet stockings. I, as you know, was in fuzzy pink socks. And, between you and me, the inspiration thing is mutual. I appreciate knowing you.

Alice Q: I was thinking the same thing, about not needing any reason to eat more. But I know I tend to cook the same old recipe-less meals at my house, over and over, and I think I ought to make a real effort to try out new dishes that turn me on in these here blogs. Thanks for the nudge.

Tammy: Very cool. If you make my lentil salad, I'll make your bread with half a pound of yeast! Maybe. :D

Deborah: Welcome to our little hell! Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Don't drop out of the blogosphere; it's fun in here.

tammy said...

Made your lentil salad today. It rocked. I love salads that are only 5% vegetable. So, it sounds like you have some bread-baking to do!

cookiecrumb said...

Tammy:
UH-OH.
Does it count if the bread I make is the famous no-knead in a Dutch oven, thereby killing two birds (sorry, birdies)? After all, yours is a no-knead, too.
Sigh. Yeah, OK. I'll do it.

Barbara said...

The event Hay Hay Donna Day was born out of Nic at Baking Sheet baking a Donna Hay cupcake recipe and other bloggers followed suit putting their own spin on it.

cookiecrumb said...

That's a great story Barbara. The Donna Hay event is so huge now, and to think it all spiraled out of one blog. Cool.