Dreaming of Spring Challenge

This month I put up a challenge for the Michigan Lady Food Bloggers to tell us about their favorite spring ingredient. As some have said, this is torture because it is still early to actually get your hands on wonderful spring bounty in Michigan, we have a few more (okay several more) weeks to go before what Michigan offers to pop up from the frozen ground. I can't help it, I have been dreaming about fresh asparagus, morels, ramps, fiddle head ferns and so much more. I hope the following blog roll will get your excitement up about the foods available this spring.

• Maggie from Dog Hill Kitchen talked about her anticipation for all things spring including ramps


• I posted about my love of the Morel Mushroom over on my blog Fruitcake or Nuts.


• Mom from Mother's Kitchen brought the color with her beautiful Ribbon Jello. I have seen ribbon jello before but hers has to be the prettiest and great tips on how to pull it off.

February Challenge!

In the spirit of keeping our blogs active month after month, year after year, the February challenge was to post on the topic of indispensable kitchen tools. Six bloggers tell tales on well-loved and much-used gadgets ranging from small (garlic press) to large (gas oven) -- read on for the details!

• Feeling the spirit of Valentine's Day, Mom of Mother's Kitchen posted about her complicated relationships with many kitchen gadgets over the years. She sure gets around! (If you look closely in the comments, you'll spot an ode to a potato masher!)
• Jessica in Ann Arbor limited herself to two of her favorite things.
• Shayne in Novi tells us about two items she was sure to take along when she was living in Mexico, and a new one she brought back!
• Linda in Rochester limited herself to one low-tech tool.
• Anne in a northern Detroit suburb tells us about 3 categories of tools (including one that she takes along on vacation!).
• And I list three (or is it 4? not sure if I'm counting the ruler), which bring us back to the Kitchen Aid stand mixer which first appeared in Mom's blog.

That gives us a total of 20 indispensables - including two mentions each of garlic press, citrus/lemon reamer/juicer, and Kitchen Aid stand mixers. What are your most essential kitchen items? Leave a note in the comments. (And if I managed to overlook anybody, tell me and I'll add you to the round-up.)

What will March bring? (other than the inevitable thaw, lots of mud, more snow - and 31 days to cook, buy, eat, muse over, and blog about food!)

Posting something in January

It's really easy to start a food blog....and it's really hard to keep posting month after month, year after year.   My guess is that Kate at Four Obsessions probably has the oldest blog amongst the Michigan Lady Food Bloggers.   When I started my blog in January 2006 with a post about how I hate eating at McDonalds, it was Kate who I asked for advice, because I liked her blog.    Ed Vielmetti wrote about how hard it is to keep a blog going in AnnArbor.com, and how some bloggers just leave us hanging, mid thought.  One of the goals of the Michigan Lady Food Bloggers is to keep the blogging home fires burning.   I asked the group to try to make a post before the month was out, just to see what we'd come up with.....and here is what happened:

• Our Michigan friend expatriated to Japan, Joan at Popcorn Homestead,  wrote a post about kitchen gardening.  
• Sheila in Grandville posted a delicious recipe for a chicken caesar wrap.
• Wendy, who I think is also a Grand Rapider, Rapidite, Rapidian? has started another blog where she wrote about the merits of growing your own hops and also her 10 favorite root vegetable recipes...hutspot anyone?
• Anne from the northern suburbs of Detroit (I can't remember which one - sorry Anne!) blogs for the first time since giving birth, and she goes all out with braised short ribs.  Wow, gal!  I can remember that I didn't cook for months after I had my first baby.  My husband asked meekly "Are you ever going to cook dinner again?"
• Ann Arborite Tricia over at Jonski Blogski wrote about one of my favorite things, licorice.  Tricia is a long time blogger, too.  I can remember reading her blog since the early days.
• Another Tree Towner Vivienne blogged about her pickles and I am so glad she did!  I have seen her larder and it is beautiful.
• Up in Traverse City, Maggie offers us a healthy treat - flaxseed brownies
• Bee and Val offer up some oven roasted smashed baked potatoes, which would be great for a game day dinner.
• Margot is blogging less as she is trying to finish up her dissertation at U of M, but meanwhile writes a thesis about no knead bread.   Lots of great info here!

Great job, ladies!  Can't wait to see what more you can come eup with in 2011.  Keep on bloggin'.....