Another standout food blog that deserves it's own post - Nordljus. The photography blows away just about every other foodporn blog out there. I'll even give a warning to those of you who might be reading this in a cubicle somewhere and have several hours to go before you're allowed to go to lunch - don't look, it'll be pure torture. It's after 11:00 pm, and I'm very tempted to stay up very late making these cinnamons buns.

I should note that I found this and the blog in my last post on Becks & Posh's Homesick! (Brit-based Food Blogs) sidebar list.

I'm compiling a larger list of food blogs to add to my list, but it might be a few days before I get around to it, so I'll just throw one out here that I found particularly good.

Fire and Knives is a standout among food blogs, it's good looking and the writing is damn close to brilliant. "There's a lot of pretension around food - a lot of nonsense written. Sometimes what we read doesn't seem to have any relevance to our own experience. At the most fundamental level, food should be about the taste but, for those of us who enjoy cooking, there's another level too. The spirit and alchemy of the kitchen - the Fire and Knives."

The "relevance to our own experience" is probably why I like this one. I can say I love my Buffalo china coffee mug, stolen from a Steak 'n Shake (as well as the full set of "Abilene" style dishes stolen by a previous roomate from a Bennigans), and that I hate frozen peas, but I don't think I can talk about either as eloquently.

"Let me be honest here and admit that I abhor the frozen pea. Pitifully jejune in its unformed state, the frozen pea is a membranous sac containing pea-flavoured juice and perhaps ambition. I've never eaten unborn gazelle poached in its mother's milk so frozen peas are the one remaining food that leave me authentically queasy."

I should note that The Buffalo China Company is not defunct as he says, but has just been bought and sold a few times, the trademark and logo are still being used by Oneida. You can still buy Buffalo China mugs that are sturdy enough to use as a weapon and then have another cup of coffee. Williams-Sonoma even has them but if you have a restaurant supply store nearby you might be able to find them for cheaper.

Another online food event has launched - The 2005 Independent Food Festival & Awards over at tasteeverything.org. Awards like the best "Food Worth the Risk Of Injury" and the "Most Sublime Use of a Potato". Some amazing foods are given awards by a jury of top food bloggers, however the Midwest is woefully un-represented.

Taste Everything is also offering food blog and food photo hosting services.

Gaper's Block reports that the Chicago loop is getting an all-cereal bar & cafe named Cereality. From the press release: "The Cereality Cereal Bar & Cafe at 100 South Wacker will be a 1300-square- foot home away from home for cereal and cereal-inspired snacks. Free Wi-Fi access, pajama-top wearing "Cereologists(TM)" comfortable non-traditional seating and other unique aspects of the Cereality experience will be part of this location." Sounds fun but is eating cereal really an "experience"?

Most Chicagoans have also heard that Harry Caray's restaurant is serving the Bartman baseball in a spaghetti sauce, but this week is also the 7th Annual Worldwide Toast to Harry Caray, Thursday, February 24th at 7:00pm your time.

Le Francais gets four stars from Phil Vettel Chef Liccioni's back, and Le Francais is better than ever. "There was a time when this temple of modern French cuisine in northwest suburban Wheeling was considered the finest restaurant in the country."

In other Chicagoland food news, Eatchicago was finally convinced to try Lincolnwood Produce, our favorite independent market on Lincoln & Touhy.

Here's a couple of shots of some recent meals.

First the pretty one. A big slab of cheap salmon lasts me awhile, and I like making un-authentic sushi with it. It's pan browned, then I put some rice on top of it and roll it in wakame ("A most popular, deeply nourishing sea vegetable, hand harvest from the pristine environmentally protected shores of Ise (eesay), Japan, washed and naturally sun dried. Becomes a happy bright green by simply soaking it."). Dip it in some soy and wasabi.

Next the, um, less pretty one. It was darn tasty though. I don't really have a name for this but you might call it a low-carb lasagna. Although I really don't follow carb numbers so it might be called something like "Squash Pie".

Bake a seeded and halved spaghetti squash, lightly coated with olive oil and some italian-type spices for about 30-40 minutes at 350F. Take it out when slightly browning. It should be tender enough to remove the strands of squash flesh with a fork. Brown slices of an eggplant. Brown some ground beef, pork, sausage or just some mushrooms, tomatoes and onions. Layer all that stuff in a pan with alternate layers of ricotta and as many other cheeses as you like. I used some parmesan and something else I've forgotten. Bake for another 45 minutes in a 350F oven.

Stop the presses!

Normally I collect at least a dozen new blogs before adding any to the list. But this one is just too important.

dunkindonutstalk All things Dunkin Donuts. I can't believe it's been around since January of 1999 and I've never seen it.

Now that things seem to be working again around here, I should post some more food blogs to add to the list.

Blog from our Kitchen

Cooking for Leslie "This blog is my attempt to document my foray into semi-serious cooking, which I dedicate (both my writing and my cooking) to my lovely wife Leslie (who is a spicy dish all on her own)"

Culinary Detective A food columnist and police detective probably knows the best places to eat. Los Angeles.

efoodie "the everyday gourmet"

Eli's Cheesecake Blog

A Finger in Every Pie

Fresh Approach Cooking by a chef instructor from L.A. There's a good, recent post on how to read a recipe

Case by Case Sam's Wine and Spirits Blog. Full of great wine knowledge like this post on what to drink with vegetables " Part of the problem is that certain vegetables contain chemicals or components that are hostile to most wines and spoil their taste. For example, artichokes contain a unique organic ester, cynarin, which stimulates the sweetness receptors in the taste buds. Cynarin makes everything, even water, taste sweeter for a short time."

Speaking of Wine Blogs, there's now a Wine Blog Watch to tell us when all of the new "Oenoblogs" are updating. Of course there's plenty of them with clever names like 750mL, this heaven gives me a migrane and Spitoon.

Anybody working behind the scenes in the web industry is familiar with the excellent O'Reilly series of programming and scripting cookbooks. I love the format since it's a great way to learn such things - by understanding how to put several ingredients together and think out how to combine several methods to create a successful finished product. By learning the methods and ingredients involved you can apply them to your own 'recipes'.

But I bet not many know that they've put together a group of actual food recipes too. Gastronomy for Geeks: The O'Reilly Community Cookbook. What kind of recipes do geeks make? Beer Milkshakes, Chicken with n Cloves of Garlic ("modified and scaled down version is also presented in a nerdier format"), PB and Chocolate Smacker "A Reese's inspired snackwich that I enjoy during those late night admin/coding jobs. Combined with a pot of coffee, you could code all night." (basically a peanut butter and chocolate frosting sandwich). Some of the contributors might want to just stick with coding but there's a few that sound good.

Testing. This thing has gone completly FUBAR.

Comments are broken for awhile.

My hoster did an upgrade, and I'm not sure how, but the old comment script got renistalled.

Here's yet more food blogs to add to the list. Sorry if I missed anybody who asked to be included. I'll find you eventually.

Anne's Food A Swedish girl, obsessed with food and cats (and makeup) shares her thoughts, however incoherent they may be, with the world in general.

AtarChef Blog "Kosher recipes"

Bake4me

Andrew and Karens' weblog Food authors Andrew and Karen Dornenburg eating blog.

Brown Bread and Ice Cream "Although the initial reaction to the idea of combining brown bread and ice cream may startle those who have never tried it, I love the pairing of things not immediately thought of as compatible. "

Cracked Cauldron Spillings "Wherein we follow our Intrepid Entrepreneurs as they stumble purposefully towards the goal of opening a bakery in OKC while working as Personal Chefs."

Confabulist

Cookbookking

Cucina Testa Rossa "Please join me on my culinary journey through France"

Daily Eats "It's a yummy journey through the love of food, life, culture, fun and friends. Daily Eats will wet your appetite and imagination."

Foodie "I realized that I was always asking questions like what was the name of the Cab we had last week? Do you remember when I made that lobster dish last month? What dish did we have at Lupa that we absolutely loved?" NYC

Gastronomie "Culinary adventures in San Francisco and beyond"

Hodge Podge Kitchen "A place for the few of us in our family to share pictures and stories about the food we eat and cook. Mostly based in the Bay Area."

Hungry Mouth

Munchin' in manila "great eats & treats in Asia's friendliest city"

My Little Kitchen

Queen of Tarts

Spicetart "learning to take pictures of food since 2004"

Sweet and Savory

Teatime

Tigers & Strawberries