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Happy Friday! It is just a week away from Christmas Eve, I have dinner plans with one of my oldest and best friends at 10 Center in Newburyport, a restaurant I love for its great beer, oysters, and multiple fireplaces, and I get to meet my brand new niece tomorrow, finally! Yesterday was full of aggravation, annoyance, and a little bit of sadness about a sick family member, so a fun weekend is just what is needed.

Today’s Friday Foodie Feature is Justin from Justin Can Cook. I first encountered Justin on Twitter last spring when he was planning a trip to Iceland, and met him in person on Gordon’s Vino Voyage shortly after that. Justin wasn’t a blogger when most of us in the Boston blogger community; he was a Citysearch dictator, foodie, and fun Twitter person to follow. I think I can speak for many people when I say that we were very excited when he decided to put all of his culinary knowledge and adventures into a blog of his own! He succeeds at many recipes and techniques I wouldn’t try, and I love reading his blog because he actually makes some pretty complicated things seem possible. I have had the pleasure to spend time with both Justin and his wife Leah at a few events, and they are really great people. I am happy to have met them and to bring you Justin as today’s Friday Foodie Feature. Have a fantastic weekend!

Justin Can Cook

How long have you been blogging?

Well, my first Justin Can Cook post is dated September 28, 2010, which means just under 3 months. But, I’ve been squeezing recipes, ideas, and general thoughts about what I was eating, into 140 character blurbs for about 2 and a half years.

What is your favorite thing about blogging?

Blogging inspires me to experiment with new and interesting recipes. Before the blogging, I  never shied away from preparing an elaborate meal or embarking on a 2 month infusion project, but the blog definitely adds to the enjoyment and the payoff. Instead of just eating your dinner, or drinking your bacon-vodka (yes, I made this many years ago), you have a story to go along with it. Whenever you want, you can go back to the story and relive the experience.

Also, I love getting feedback on my posts. I especially like when someone reads a post and is inspired to try the recipe, or has some ideas on how to make improvements or changes.

Least favorite?

How quickly you can realize that it’s been too long since your last post. It really pains me to think that someone might check my blog and nothing has changed since the last time they looked. When I started, I had high hopes of updating 2 or 3 times a week. I’ve had to scale that back to 1 or 2 times a week, at least for the near future..

What has been your most fun blog post to write?

I think my Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread post (http://www.justincancook.com/2010/11/peanut-butter-and-jelly-bread.html) was the most fun. As soon as I decided to make that bread I was having fun. It was fun to take pictures of the process, and fun to eat. I knew a lot of people were going to enjoy that post as I was writing. I wanted to publish it so quickly that I had to be disciplined to make sure I didn’t rush through the story.

Where do you see your blog this time next year?

I hope to still be posting about interesting recipes at a reasonable rate. There are a lot of improvements I’d like to make to the layout of the blog. Maybe I’ll have my own template by then, hopefully I’ll find some ways to make the blog show some more of my personality.

Is there anything else about your blogging experience you would like to share?

I know everyone says this, but it’s true: Boston has a great food blogger community. Great people, great events, great blogs.

 

Thanks for the great feature, Justin! And remember, if any of you want to be featured or to write a guest post, please send me an email to traveleatlove (at) gmail.com. In the New Year, one of my goals is to add perspectives from more food, wine, and travel bloggers AND readers, so please don’t hesitate to write something and send it over, preferably with a photo or two (or more!).

Tags: blogger, Boston, Food, food blogger, Friday Foodie Feature, recipes

Oh sweet Friday! I have been waiting for you since. . . last Friday. Another trying week but one with a little light at the end of the tunnel, the Newport Mansions Food and Wine Festival. I went to this fabulous Newport event last year, and of all of the wine and food events I have attended over the year, it is hands down my favorite. The food is great which isn’t always the case at wine events, the wines poured are diverse and wonderful, the tent is not that crowded, and it is at a beautiful Newport Mansion overlooking the ocean. And the crowd last year was polite and seemed to be experienced wine tasters who understood the whole personal space and stepping out of the way thing.  It can’t be beat.

I also plan on doing some major relaxing this weekend, might sneak in a trip to the new Bliss spa in Boston, will do some volunteer dog walking, and will hopefully end the weekend with the final Boston Wine Week event at Bin 26 Enoteca. Interested? You can sign up here: http://redwhitebostonbin26.eventbrite.com/

Today’s Friday Foodie Feature is Emily from A Cambridge Story. I love reading Emily’s blog, which I found when she commented on mine. I am glad she did because she has some great photos and food adventures. Since she lives in nearby Cambridge, we have a lot in common and both love to explore our area. Whether you live in the Boston area or not, her blog is a delightful read, and you will definitely enjoy it.

And if you are a blogger who hasn’t commented, I want to read your blog, so say hi! 🙂

A Cambridge Story

How long have you been blogging?
I started a blog last summer, but a year later, I changed the entire thing, adopting a new layout, a new URL and a new focus – FOOD. A Cambridge Story is relatively new, but I am hooked! The other bloggers that I interact with on a daily basis assure me that this is definitely the right blog for my personality, skills and interests. So far, I am having a great time doing it!

What is your favorite thing about blogging?
Preparing a meal (and eating it!) is immensely satisfying. Because my blog focuses greatly on food – in and around the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts – I not only get to enjoy trying new recipes (and reinventing old ones), but I also have the opportunity to tell a story through words and photos. There’s nothing better than a great meal followed by a blog post that successfully captures its essence and allows others to experience the same joy in the kitchen!

Least favorite?
It sounds silly, but blogging can be a lot of work! Bloggers never seem to tire, and it can feel tough to  “keep up.” I try to remind myself that it’s ok to be too busy – or lazy – to cook after work or photograph the scone you had one morning. Not every meal can be a masterpiece and you have to blog at a pace that works for you and your life!

What has been your most fun blog post to write?
It’s hard to choose just one but, if I *had* to decide, it would be Adventures in Pasta Making. One Sunday night, my husband and I dusted off the KitchenAid and accompanying pasta extension and made a great fettuccine and bolognese sauce. It was definitely a multi-hour project but eating an entirely home made pasta dish was soooo rewarding!

Where do you see your blog this time next year?
I hope to be writing just as frequently and discovering new culinary and photography skills. I also hope to become more comfortable with – and good at – baking. With cooking, I can add a little of this and a little of that, and it will still turn out just fine… but the precision to baking is something I strive to master. Maybe next year!

Is there anything else about your blogging experience you would like to share?
Blogging has been such a great creative outlet for me, and I can only hope that my recipes and stories have the ability to pass along the fun that I experience in the kitchen to other readers. I love to hear from other cooks and photographers. You make blogging feel REAL, and I hope to see some old and new “faces” at a A Cambridge Story soon! 

Thanks so much Emily! I hope to meet you soon, and I look forward to continuing to follow your blog.

If you are a blogger, what has been your favorite post to write? Feel free to share a link, and give us all some fun blog-reading to do this weekend!

Tags: blogger, Boston, Food, foodie, guest post

Long weekend! I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. I have a wedding on Saturday which should be a ton of fun, but Sunday. . . oh Sunday I am doing nothing. Beach, sun, sleep, wine, more beach, more wine, more sleep. And I have some new wine, since last night I did some wine tasting at The Urban Grape. Open only a couple of weeks, The Urban Grape is definitely my new go-to store for wine tastings, a high level of wine knowledge, and a completely friendly, educational, non-intimidating environment. You can see my full first review here. Last night was the first in-store tasting for The Urban Grape, and there was a great selection of wines. I was able to replace the Rosé that my cat broke 🙁 and also added a few new wines to our collection. The hubs also took advantage of their growing beer selection to add some beers to our fridge.

This weekend marks my husband’s last weekend of Master’s work, minus the thesis part. That means his last exam will be turned in on July 4. . . independence from weekly assignments! He has until August 28 to turn the thesis in, and while that will be difficult it will be much more on his own time than regular classes. He graduates on Thanksgiving day in Galway Ireland, and I couldn’t be prouder 🙂

The Urban Grape wine tasting

So that’s my weekend, what are you up to? Any fun parties, barbeques, or fireworks? Do tell!

Today’s Friday Foodie Feature is Jess from A Fete for Food, a fellow MA girl, fellow Boston marathoner, a fellow UMASS grad, and all around wonderful blogger. She is a registered dietician and certified personal trainer which gives her an incredible insight on food, fitness, and health, and to boot she is a great writer who clearly loves what she does.

jessica_maillet

How long have you been blogging? I’ve been blogging for about 18 months now.

What is your favorite thing about blogging? Least favorite? My blog, called “A Fete for Food” roughly translated from French/English, means “A party or celebration for food.” That’s what food blogging is all about, right? Thus, my favorite thing about blogging is sharing my voice and love for healthy habits and healthy eating with others. I like to share recipes (when they work) and the stories behind them. My least favorite aspect about blogging is feeling like I need to update constantly. This has been a more recent frustration, as “life” (new job, longer commute, more rigorous training schedule) has made it difficult to update on a regular basis.

What has been your most fun blog post to write? My most fun blog post to write was the Boston Marathon post. I was SO happy to finish and SO happy to share my experience with others. http://www.afeteforfood.com/2010/04/boston-marathon.html

Where do you see your blog this time next year? Next year, my blog will be turned into a book about what not to do. No, just kidding, but eventually I’d like to use my experiences that I’ve documented or will document on my blog to turn into a best-selling food memoir. Dream big, right?

Is there anything else about your blogging experience you would like to share?
Like most everything else, it’s about telling your story. I see so many bloggers getting caught up in the numbers games and popularity contests; if that’s why you blog, you’re missing the point. Enjoy it for what it is, and then live your life offline!

Remember, I need a couple of guest posters as well as a Friday Foodie Feature for next week while I am tasting wine in Sonoma and Napa :). If you are interested, leave a comment or email me at traveleatlove (@) gmail.com.

Tags: blogger, fitness, Food, health

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