blogger

Welcome Megan from the blog Stetted.com! I love Megan’s blog with its adventurous recipes and her commitment to using CSA and local ingredients. I think her goal of doubling blog readership in 2010 is amazing and one I would love to reach myself! And I love the photo she submitted for the Friday Foodie Feature!

How long have you been blogging? 
Let’s see … if we want to get specific I started a LiveJournal waaaay back in March 2001. I cringe to think of the contents of that.
I’ve been at stetted.com since August 2006, but for a long time it was just a catch-all sort of blog. Right at the start of 2009 it got more food focused and I’m pleased with the direction I’m heading. It might have taken a while to get here, but it was good to figure out what I wanted to do, especially after having a baby.

What is your favorite thing about blogging? Least favorite?
It has been really great connecting with like-minded people, especially in a fast-food-crazed country. I also love the times I’m able to share a story with my recipes. I feel I’m really letting people see a part of me and not just the food I’m making, and when someone lets me know they like a post it feels great.
My least favorite thing about blogging is the pressure. Once you really get into blogging there is a quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet) pressure that builds to get you to create more posts and better posts. I feel like there are a lot of bloggers out there trying to be the next Julie Powell or Pioneer Woman and fall to the pressure of being important, instead of just being themselves. I think it helps me that many of my posts don’t get comments because I know exactly why I’m doing this: because I love food and writing.

What has been your most fun blog post to write?
I really enjoyed this post  about the Daring Bakers’ macaron challenge. It reminded me of the wonderful time I had in Paris with my husband before our baby was born, and I was super excited to reveal to the world the Bacon and Cheddar Macaron. I’m not sure I could re-create that macaron, but it sure was fun!

Where do you see your blog this time next year?
One of my goals for 2010 was to double my readership. Eek! I’m hoping that over the course of the year I’ll continue to develop and put out some really great posts. Hopefully I’ll get over one of the things I’m terrible at: networking. I miss out on a lot of opportunities to introduce myself and my blog because I’m incredibly shy and nervous about first impressions!
I have lots of things on my radar that I want to have my blog involved in, so I hope those plans come to fruition and I can share them with everyone.

Is there anything else about your blogging experience you would like to share? 
Going to the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival was amazing. I’m a fairly shy person and generally am pretty terrible at small talk, but it was easier there. There were still plenty of people I never got the gumption to go say hello to, but the fact that I even went to San Francisco by myself and didn’t hide in the hotel room was pretty huge. I also ate so many wonderful things I wouldn’t have thought of trying, like brussels sprouts, oxtail, and mushrooms. OK, mushrooms aren’t weird or anything, but I grew up with those little gray pieces in cream of mushroom soup equalling mushroom and parents who claimed mushrooms only taste like what they are cooked with. (Not true, they taste like mushrooms!) I’m already looking forward to this year’s festival.
I think anyone who is serious about blogging should attend some form of blogging conference. There are a ton out there, and even if you can’t get to an official conference there are always other local bloggers lurking around the corner. Try out a few online communities as well, until you find your niche. In the meantime you can make some great contacts and friends!