If I can't beat 'em, I might as well join 'em.......

or something like that.

In my maniacal quest to outdo myself in the entertaining department this past holiday season, I spent a lot of time thinking about and reading about and experimenting with recipes.
Boy oh boy.....not only did it keep me occupied and busy then but now I'm left with a whole new cache of addictions.
Thankfully, they aren't food addictions.
They are Food Blogger addictions.
All of a sudden.....my list of must-reads has quadrupled.
Not a good way to start out a new year that already has a must-do list as long and as twisting and turning as the Monongahela River.
Last year I needed 48 hours in each day just to do it all.
This year, I need 48 hours just to read food blogs.
Perhaps I'm just upping my calorie free way to consume wonderful food.
Seriously, some of these blogs feed my soul in the same ways that food did it for me when I was eating lots of it.
These blogs are that good.
Every morsel of them are delish.
Really. Really. There are a ton of amazing food bloggers out there.
It's extremely humbling.
And, they don't only have good recipes--they are joy to read.
Not only are they good cooks and have great recipes to share.
They are good writers.
Be still my heart.

All of a sudden.....I care about these bloggers.
I never meant to get so involved with them but here I am....I care.
My heart goes pitter-patter and my toes curl up just a wee bit when I see them on my computer screen!
They have infiltrated my world so much so that I think about them during my off-reading hours and I tell other people about them.
Yes, sometimes I even fantasize about them.
And, they don't even know it since I have no time to comment as I bounce around to get my fix....
I gotta slow down and let them know what they have meant to me.
But, there's just so many.....what's a girl to do when she's trying to devour them all....?

When I serve their recipes--I introduce them with fanfare--telling those seated at my table a little about the person who gave me the recipe.....

She has the most adorable puppy.....

Yes, he was tauted by the London Times.....
Oh, you should see her kitchen....
He got this recipe while visiting friends in Bali...

As if they really are in-person friends who I lunch with regularly....

Eileen over at Anger Management did a piece about the interesting connections in the world of blogger friendships and how they affect our daily lives.
It's the world of social media.
Funny...isn't it?
I mean, just the other day, I had a little lighthearted wrangling with my sister on Facebook.
For all of our FB friends to witness....and jump in if they wanted.
Interestingly--our FB sparring was about food.
Well, more precisely about the food I feed my father.
Thankfully, I didn't have to banter with her in person--I would have lost.
My command of the English language is so much better in the written word than in the face of my sister's wrath.
Perhaps all of these food bloggers are the same way....not as tantalizing in person as they are on my computer screen.
But not to me.
No. No. No.
As far as I am concerned, they are just as delightful and interesting and wonderful in person as they are in their blogs.
That's why I listen to them and hold on to their every recipe and ingredient and cooking tip.
That's why I willingly go with them when they tell me to smash the fennel.
They have transformed me in many ways.
Case in point....
As much as I am 100% against New Year's resolutions, it appears that my Food Blogger besties are making them.
They are making FOOD RESOLUTIONS.
No, they aren't vowing to cut out fats or lose weight or stop their cookie habits.
See, I told you....I like these people.
They are making food-related resolutions.
For instance, they are saying things like:
-throw away spices past their expiration date
-make one crock pot meal a week
-learn how to use each part of the chicken
-debone a whole chicken at least once
-buy one really good multi purpose knife

This speaks to me.
Honestly, all of them seem like good ideas. Doable things even I can do.
Things I would like to do.
Resolutions I can live with.
I mean....I really should clear out my spices. That doesn't seem too hard, right?
As for the crock pot thing--I gotta cook anyway. And, my crockpot should be used more often.
So, yeah I'm really liking the once-a-week crock pot thing.
Remember this blogger? She became a real mega star using her blog and her crock pot!
Viva la crockpot!
As for the chicken things--they seem like a good idea but I'll have to think about it a little more.
Especially the deboning thing. After all, there are boneless chicken breasts.....
As for the knife thing--I have always thought I should buy a good one......I especially think this as I carve the Thanksgiving turkey or the Easter ham each year.
Maybe if I had a really good knife I would want to debone something....who knows?

Like one blogger said.....

Resolutions don't always have to be geared toward chiseling your body into a perfect state or changing some major part of your life.
Sometimes a better strategy is to take on a few smaller resolutions that might give you a different outlook on life or just teach you a few new skills.

Doesn't that sound dreamy?