5 Food Blogs I’m Following Now

Ho! Ho! Ho! Take a lookie at what Santa’s got in his bag for all of you good little boys and girls in the kitchen. It’s the final look for 2014 at 5 Food Blogs I’m Following Now.

Because I’m often asked about new food blogs I’ve discovered, who I’m reading now, and where to find inspiration for great recipes and beautiful food photography, I’m always excited to share a few food bloggers that are favorites in my blog reader. BTW, I use Feedly and Bloglovin’ and highly recommend them both for keeping up with your favorite bloggers latest inspiration.

Following is a short list of just some of the food blogs I’m following now. Some might be more well known, some could be flying under the radar. Either way, they’re spots on the web totally worthy of your looks and lurking. So let’s get busy.

If you missed them, check out past month’s lists of Food Blogs I’m Following now.

Get September 2014’s list here.

Get May 2014′s list here.

Get April 2014′s list here.

Get March 2014′s list here.

Get February 2014′s list here.

Thank you all for visiting FoodieCrush and for hopping over to visit these other hard working content creators. I think they’re awesome and I bet you will too.

The Clever Carrot

“I create simple healthy comfort food without the guilt. My style is fresh and seasonal with a focus on whole food ingredients.”

If there’s one spot on the www that I’ve found myself visiting over and over again these past few months, it’s to check in on Emilie and her blog The Clever Carrot.

As will often be the case, Emilie’s images are what initially drew me in. But once I read her words then studied her recipes, I quickly realized I have a new blog crush. And I’ve fallen hard.

This food evangelist is well versed in every aspect of preparing and enjoying the practices she preaches thanks to a background as a food stylist, private chef and honing her culinary school chops in a myriad of foodie ways.

Emilie takes care to prepare family friendly comfort food that isn’t dumbed down or too simple. Her recipes feature fresh ingredients and preparations (no bleached flour here!) and is obviously favored by her husband and two young boys. She’s speaking from experience here folks, and you will too once you take a visit of her blog.

DON’T MISS: Emilie gets personal in her Chronicles section, sharing triumphs and doubts and everything in between. And, be sure to check out her Tips and Tricks section for cooking school basics you won’t want to miss.

Greek Chicken with Lemon and Oregano

For those weeknights when a roasted chicken is what’s being craved, using a cut up bird makes for a more manageable, yet just as delicious, family comfort food meal. Recipe here. 

Maple Candied Bacon

Emilie assures us the hardest part of this recipe is pulling it out of the package. I’d say the hardest part would be not eating it all in one sitting. Recipe here. 

Blueberry Apple Cupcakes

Emilie’s grandmother’s secret (cornstarch!) is what makes these mini cakes unbelievably light and moist. Grandma always knows best. Recipe here. 

See more of Emilie and The Clever Carrot here.

Hint of Vanilla

“I try to use seasonal and local ingredients, cage-free organic eggs, and the best quality chocolate I can afford. You can’t build a sturdy home if your materials are bad, after all.”

As a pastry school grad (at the top of her class, kudos!) Megan has taken what was once a hobby and turned it into a full-fledged fetish. Lucky for us, we’re all the beneficiary of her baking addiction.

There are plenty of baking blogs out on the www, and I’m a fan of oh so many of them. But what sets Hint of Vanilla apart from the rest is Megan’s sensibility and her creative baking ways.

Sure she has a few basic baking recipes on her blog but her real flair shows when she integrates interesting flavor profiles into baked favorites. Why make a coconut cream pie when you can make a Coconut and Kaffir Lime Custard Pie? Instead of homemade bread let’s amp up the flavors with a Sage and Walnut Bread.

It’s all fair game in her book and that makes us all winners.

DON’T MISS: Megan is a master of the Macaron with flavors like Honey Lavendar Macaron, Cookies and Cream Macaron, French Toast Macaron and oh so many more. See them here.

Gingerbread Cream Puffs with White Chocolate Chantilly

The classic flavors of gingerbread get a tug and a pull and a total refresh in these cream puffs filled with a gingerbread mousse that totally tastes like a straight up gingerbread cookie. Recipe here. 

Raspberry Swirl Brioche

Raspberry Powder is what makes this sweet brioche extra special. And extra gorgeous, wouldn’t you agree? What? There is such a thing? Yes! Get it here.
Recipe here.

The Absolute Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie

Everyone has their favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie and who isn’t to say that there’s room in the cookie jar to try just one more variation that could become your most favoritest EVER! Recipe here.

See more of Megan and Hint of Vanilla here. 

Dessert for Two

“My name is Christina and I’m here to help you gain 10 pounds.”

It may be the holidays, it may be my crush on anyone who can wield a rolling pin like a master warrior. I’m jealous of bakers and that is the truth. And that’s one reason why I have such a crush on Christina of Dessert for Two.

Mainly a baking blog, but with a few savory eats thrown in for good measure, Dessert for Two features recipes that are created for just two people in mind, smaller batch recipes so nothing goes to waste. At our house, that’s just the right number of sweets for a family of three.

Christina is a professionally trained chef so knows a few tricks of the trade and isn’t shy about sharing those jewels of wisdom like how to make Puff Pastry in just 15 minutes and her secrets for the best homemade caramels.

But don’t think her blog is only about sweets. Christina is a Texas belle who shares classic comfort food and cocktails, too. Whiskey is her drink of choice and she finds a way to put it in more than just a tumbler, but those are just the starters to whet your appetite for the main feature of every meal: Dessert!

DON’T MISS: Christina has a smile that’s begging to be on film, and her how-to videos show off her personality in the best way possible.

Quick Cinnamon Rolls for Two

I don’t know if I can ever do a round up that doesn’t include cinnamon rolls. And now that I have a recipe that makes them in small batch numbers, I’m doomed. Recipe here.

Chocolate Eclairs

Christina assures us that eclairs are one of the easiest recipes to scale up or down, so if you’re looking for a recipe that feeds more than two, this one can easily expand to feed more. Recipe here.

Sweet Tea Oven Fried Chicken

A two day brine in a combination of sweet tea and buttermilk is the secret to Christina’s remake of a favorite chicken recipe she experienced in her Southern travels. It’s good ya’ll. Recipe here.

 

Creme de la Crumb

“My approach: Simple—I try to make food look as good as it tastes in real life…A picture is worth a thousand words but I try to make mine say just one: YUM!”

I knew about Tiffany’s blog Creme de la Crumb well before I met her at a local lunch, and while I’d been an admirer from afar, I had no idea that she was a Utahn too. It seems like a lot of bloggers come from the Beehive state, there must be something in the water to breed so many of us.

Creme de la Crumb features easy recipes that are approachable for every level of cook and showcases family favorite recipes that are photographed in such a way that every one of her recipes induces Pavlov dog-esque drooling reactions upon eyeing each and every one.

Creme de la Crumb is only in it’s second year, but you’d never think this blog experienced a rookie season and Tiffany’s affection for food shows in each and every post. Be sure to check out her plethora of slow cooker recipes  for breakfast to dinner to dessert, and perfectly positioned for eating your way through the winter season.

DON’T MISS: Tiffany created an eCookbook featuring 30 recipes using her one dough makes all, Miracle Dough, the base for sweets, breakfasts and other delectable treats.

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

A secret ingredient makes this classic—and one of my favorite—soups creamy and rich, and easy to make thanks to the slow cooker doing all of the work.
Recipe here.

Peaches ‘n Cream Caramel Pecan Milkshakes

Sweetened peaches and caramel get a toasty bite from the pecans that will surely get stuck slurped through a straw so save yourself the trouble and go straight for a spoon! Recipe here.

Turkey Enchiladas

Got 30 minutes and scads of leftover turkey? Then you have Turkey Enchiladas. Recipe here.

See more of Tiffany and Creme de la Crumb here.

Cooking for Keeps

I wholeheartedly believe you can eat all things in moderation, so I do! I try not to diet, but instead indulge when I feel like it, and eat healthy the other 75% of the time.

Cooking with flavor and a twist on favorites is what Cooking for Keeps is all about. Helmed by Nicole, a Kansas City newlywed and self described budding foodie, Cooking for Keeps sports recipes that start with the basics and are boosted to bodaciousness.

Freshness and flavor are the core of Nicole’s recipe development and *mostly* healthy eating is at the centerpiece of each recipe that hits the Cooking for Keeps dinner table, served up to friends and family and her husband and puppers named Ravioli. Now that’s a true foodie.

But it’s not only her recipes that keep me coming back for more. Nicole’s easy story telling and relatable tales about food and her relationship with it make her blog an easy spot to wander through the words as well as the pretty pictures.

Reading Nicole’s About Me page is like reading from my own. Her guilty pleasure is Kraft mac n cheese. Same here! She loves gold. Me too! She’d take savory over sweet any day. Hey wait, that’s me! Who is this girl and how were we separated at birth? It’s no wonder I like her so much. The girl has taste that I can relate to whole heartedly.

DON’T MISS: Nicole follows her mantra of all things in moderation, and shows that good things can indeed be tasty in her collection of lightened up recipes.

Spicy Thai Style Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Ramen

Ready for slurping in just 30 minutes, this ramen soup is hearty enough to stick to your ribs and warms and charms from the inside out.
Recipe here. 

Crispy Baked Potato Chips with Garlic, Thyme and Parmesan

These unassuming chips come packed with a flavorful punch, making them perfectly at home with a beer or fancied up champagne.
Recipe here.

Quinoa Pad Thai

Swapping out carb loaded noodles with carb light quinoa is a grand solution to get your Thai fix. Recipe here.

See more of Nicole and Cooking for Keeps here. 

Next week I’ll be back with my regular Friday Faves link loves. Until then, make it a great weekend friends, and cook something good.

As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.  

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