All in Good Food

Well here it is. I have finally stepped out of my comfort zone and am posting one of my bentos. I have made many bentos before but I never took any pictures of them till now. This bento is very simple. The larger compartment is filled with rice mixed with a little soy sauce and sautéed broccoli. The smaller part is filled with parmesan encrusted tilapia and tamagoyaki like rolled egg with dill and cheddar cheese.

With my very first posted bento I also want to give a thank you to the sites and their authors who helped me start my journey and have inspired me in my journey into bento making and Japanese cooking.

Just Bento and Just Hungry by Makiko Itoh
About.com Japanese Food by Setsuko Yoshizuka

Another source I have to credit is a book I found in the library Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat by Naomi Moriyama and William Doyle. I found it interesting and very helpful during my beginnings into Japanese cooking.

I want to give a big thank you to Claudia of What’s Cookin’ Italian Style Cuisine for letting me know about another Food Photography Showcase Site I hadn’t heard of. This site like the others is set up for food blogger to showcase their food creations and check out other bloggers. It is also for everyone to get inspired by what they see. The site is called Photograzing and if you have never been there stop by and explore for yourself. Photograzing is part of the Serious Eats community which appears to be another site dedicated to the exploration and sharing of everything food related. You can not only find recipes but see reviews of restaurants, join in on chats with other food enthusiasts and find out the latest food and entertainment news. So stop by both sites and expand your world of food.

As I wrote in yesterdays post today I will be having a Special Edition Give `Em Props post. It will be featuring our favorite food photography sites and some food blogger portals. I know as a new food blogger I am not familiar with a lot of sites that give me the opportunity to enhance my blog awareness and showcase recipes that I have done. So in an effort of helping myself as well as other blogger old and new I am presenting a few sites where you can go to post your food photography and a few food blog portals where you can join communities.

Food Photography Showcase Sites are basically there for foodies to show off their cooking and or photography skills. Bloggers have the opportunity to submit photos of dishes or foods they have created for other bloggers to see. This idea is very good because it promotes an exchange between bloggers all over the world. We as human beings are visual people in general. We usually look at the pictures in a recipe book before we even read the recipe. If the picture is appealing then we are more likely to try the recipe. Well that is what these sites provide, a visual reference for recipes we may have or may never have attempted before. The photo lineup is ever changing so you will be exposed to many different recipes on a regular basis. Not only that but you will be exposed to bloggers you may or may not be familiar with. In a way they are helping to open up the food blogger community for all of us. Below are a few of these sites. So go visit and see how you like it.

Taste Stopping

Refrigerator Soup

Food Gawker

Taste Potting

Another type of site that is there to help the food blogger is portal sites. These sites are designed to create a community of food blogger not unlike that of Facebook or MySpace. You are able to exchange recipes, befriend other bloggers, post your own blog entries and showcase your own recipes. The purpose of these community sites is to help food bloggers connect with other food bloggers they otherwise may never come across. So if you are not familiar with these sites check them out. If you are not yet signed up on one of these sites maybe consider it. The exposure you will gain to other bloggers could prove invaluable. So here are a few sites to consider.

Food Buzz

Food Blogs

The Foodie Blog Roll

As a food blogger I am always looking for sites that will enhance my food and cooking experience and here is one site to be considered.

Here is The Daring Kitchen were cooks can go to challenge themselves and their abilities. The Daring Kitchen is set up with cooking and baking challenges featured each month. According to the site information it was designed to help everyday cooks and bakers improve their skills. You will have to register on the site and follow the rules set forth by the administrators, but in essence the site is designed to help hone and discipline you with in your cooking. Once you’re registered each month you will be presented with a cooking and or baking challenge depending on which group you are registered under. So if you are ready to challenge yourself and your cooking try The Daring Kitchen.

I know that I have only grazed the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the food blogging community so if there are any sites like the ones mentioned above that you believe need to be mentioned post it in a comment or send me an email and let me know who they are. I am always up to exploring new sites and reporting about them.

Thank you so much for coming to this Give `Em Props Special Edition.

So see you next Friday with a regularly scheduled post. Until then Itadaki masu.

Well it is 2010. Today is a new day in a new month in a new year in a new decade. I believe this is the beginning of something wonderful. With everyone so busy with the holidays, cooking and/or traveling I didn’t see too much going on in the food blogging world as far as recognitions, blog changes and/or new blogs. However things did seem to pick up a bit after Christmas. You know the end of the year usually brings changes, wrap ups and awards or recognitions. This year is no different. So without further ado here is a recap for the past two weeks.

If you are looking to find out more about foodies you know or maybe you don’t know go over to Travel Eat Love blog. Meghan’s new series Friday Foodie Feature is really informative. This series allows bloggers to get to know each other in a way that is not always possible. So if you are interested in getting to know many new bloggers check it out every Friday and you can meet a new blogger. Below is the list to date of the bloggers that have been featured.

12/18/2009 Mardi of Eat Live Travel Write
12/25/2009 Julie of Savvy Eats
01/01/2010 Marisa of All in Good Food

As I said earlier there are often bloggers who decide that they want to go into the new year with a redesigned or new blog well here are two such bloggers.

First off is Melody formally of Bouchon For Two. She has changed her blog URL and twitter user name and you can now find her at Gourmet Fury (blog) and she is now @GourmetFury on twitter. If you loved and followed Melody before get over to her new blog you won’t be disappointed.

Another blogger who is putting her blog through a redesign is Jen of My Kitchen Addiction. The new set up is designed to make it easier for visitors to navigate through to find what they want. The redesign so far is really nice and very user friendly. If you are a regular follower I believe you will like the changes. If you have never been to her blog before take a trip over there and check it out.

Let’s give a big congratulation to Bee of Rasa Malaysia who has announced that she finally has a book deal. Personally I have followed her blog long before I became a food blogger myself and I absolutely love it. She brought together recipes from many different Asian cultures into one location. If you have not been to her blog I suggest you take a trip over there. Much success on your book Bee you really deserve this.

This week I will be having a special edition Give `Em Props post on Saturday featuring our favorite food photography sites. I know as a new food blogger I am not familiar with a lot of sites that give me the opportunity to enhance my blog awareness and showcase recipes that I have done. So in an effort of helping other blogger old and new I am presenting a few sites where you can go to post your food photography. So see you on Saturday for the Give `Em Props Special Edition.

Well that is it for today. If I have missed any recognition, blog changes or new food blogs this week I do apologize as I can only go by what I pick up from the bloggers I follow. If you would like to have any recognitions, blog changes or new food blogs posted up just let me know either by direct message on twitter @allingoodfood42 or by email at allingoodfood@gmail.com

So until next Friday Itadaki masu.