Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Can I be the Next Food blog Star???



Well, good morning.  


I am Dave, a retired (young at 53) empty nester.  Happily married (yesterday was my anniversary) and living the good life in the suburbs of Kansas City.


Today, I am going to divert my normal recipe and rambling style and leave out the recipe.  This post will be all about me, my cooking and blogging philosophy and why I think I qualify to be the Next Food Blog Star.


The Next Food Blog Star (for the rest of the post, let's abbreviate that to NFBS) is a contest arranged by the good folks at Foodbuzz.  While I do intend to blog my best during the contest, I already like to think I qualify as a blog star.  So, I am most excited to accept this first challenge.  A chance to define myself as a blogger, and share with the world why I have what it takes to win.  


With apologies to Socrates... 


The unexamined blog is not worth reading.  So, let's examine who I am and what I do and why.


Among food bloggers, I am sure a few of you caught the literary homage in my photo.  This NFBS challenge is my opportunity to define myself as much more than my blog title implies.  I do grill often.  But I also bake almost all my own bread, as well as make all my own stocks and broths.  I am comfortable making vegetarian dishes and entire vegetarian meals.  My sweets are works of art and I just recently discovered that the secret is not in the sauces, but in the paste that allows you to control the intensity of the sauce.


The name, "My Year on the Grill" was selected as a goal.  Spend a year cooking as much on the grill as possible, share what I did and move on to a new hobby.  In the process, I discovered that I love all things cooking.  I actually enjoy chopping and dicing.  Making items from scratch gives me a sense of pride, but also defines my results.  No boxes, mixes or processed foods for me.  Largely from the things I gleaned from reading other bloggers posts, I became a "buy local, buy fresh" guy.  I am no longer just a griller, I am now a cook.


And in the process, I changed my life.


Before blogging, I was a mess.  Morbidly obese (what a shock when I peaked at my doctor's chart and read that).  I was taking over $250 a month worth of medicine each month... High blood pressure, bad cholesterol and asthma limited my activities and my quality of life.


I tried several well known systems.  All worked short term, all were long term disappointments.  Then, I started cooking "real" foods.  Nothing drastic, just a few vegetables.  I learned the health benefits of grilled items and my blog was born.  One step.


While learning how to blog, I discovered other bloggers.  I was inspired to try new recipes, but more, I was inspired to examine what a healthy meal could be.  The meals that I like to serve are not just bland tasteless diet food.  But they are filled with spices and herbs, filled with flavors and different tastes.  My meals are made with fresh foods (you know, the food on the outside aisles of the grocery store).  The next step.


Through blogging, I was inspired to cook more fun interesting foods.  That often made an extra trip to the store for an ingredient a necessity.  I decided to change my life in another way.  I now walk to the store almost every day.  Depending on my route, 6 to 7 miles.  Before blogging, before eating right, I was winded walking up the stairs from my basement to my kitchen (where I always kept a bag of Doritos in stock).  Take a close look at the photo.  Can you see the fresh vegetables and fruit, the whole milk I carry home?  There's not a Dorito in sight.  Because I blog, because I challenge myself to cook new foods, with beautiful presentations, I am more conscious and more inspired to be physically healthy.  Another step.


In no way do I pretend to be a diet specialty blog.  I cook with real ingredients.  Whole cream, real sugar and lots and lots of butter are common ingredients.  I cook with fresh vegetables whenever possible.  The pink and blue packets are not sugar and skim milk is not half and half.  I avoid boxes, mixes and processed foods and use real food.  Processed foods contain too much salt and worst of all is their shocking use of high fructose corn syrup and other additives.  Healthy eating is not using artificial and low calorie alternatives to real food. Healthy eating is real food, real ingredients eaten in moderation with a healthy "move it to lose it" plan, a step I learned during my time blogging.


So, since starting to blog, my health issues are gone.  I have gone from a 44 inch waist to a 38 inch waist with a lifestyle change that has nothing to do with dieting.  I am taking zero medication.  A vitamin and a fish oil capsule are the only drugs I take now.  I walk where I want, but more importantly, I have the energy to be a real partner to my wife, instead of a burden.  I am a better friend and neighbor.  All the steps made me a better blogger and a better ...me.


And that is also what makes me qualified to be the Next Food Blog Star.






I post every day, nearly 400 days in a row and counting.  Of course some posts barely qualify as space holders, but by posting everyday I get a chance to explore themes.  My current week is a perfect example.  Last weekend I hosted the farewell to summer neighborhood BBQ.  73 of our neighbors and friends gathered in my back yard for a meal of smoked pulled pork (Carolina style, with a finishing sauce of home made Raspberry Chipotle sauce that I am very proud to have made).  I smoked plenty of pork, didn't want anyone to go home hungry.  So I have a gallon size bag of pulled pork leftovers.  I could easily just freeze some and have sandwiches with the rest.  Instead, I am exploring the concept of leftovers as an ingredient.  

So far, I made cupcakes with a base of pulled pork, a topping of beer bread and icing made from melted provolone cheese.  A GREAT taste, a great lunch for my wife to take to work and a delightful presentation.


Sure, they are leftovers, but using the pulled pork as an ingredient made for a better meal than just heating up a sandwich in a microwave.


But, if you read the post, I offer up ideas that I hope my readers put in the back of their heads.  How about spaghetti and meatball cupcakes with an Italian bread topping and Parmesan, or mac and cheese cupcakes with with a French bread topping and cheddar.


I also made a shepherd's pie with similar suggestions for using your leftovers to create something new.


Later today, I am making meatloaf replacing sausage with pulled pork (but that's a post for another day).  Or how about a three cheese Mac and Cheese from scratch, topped with caramelized pulled pork?  Or a pulled pork enchilada meal, or...  Well, you get the idea.  A gallon of the same ingredient, no two meals the same, but also ideas for readers to think beyond the microwave when dealing with their own gallon of a leftover ingredient.


The best blogs are not just filled with recipes and spectacular presentations.  I can get those from magazines and books.  The best blogs inspire a thought process.  If I can make this sauce, I can use that to flavor this dish.  And if I can make that dish, I can create a menu around that item.  And if I can create a menu, I can feed my family interesting foods, control the additives in their food, provide healthy alternatives and make your kitchen the most exciting room in the house.


Recently I made a savory bread pudding, using kalamata olive bread (yes, freshly made in my kitchen).  I was trying to envision a French onion soup as a bread pudding.  I used an herb mix of my own making.  It was a classic recipe made my own with the thought process of; if I can make my own herb mix, and if I can bake my own bread, and if I can envision a classic and think beyond the original; I can be a cook.


And that's what the Next Food Blog Star should be.


The NFBS should not be a professional, but a home cook.  Someone just trying to put a healthy attractive meal on the table for their family and friends.  But, they also should inspire creativity.  Not just to have their recipes repeated, but have their thought processes, their applications become something different and personalized to the readers' family tastes.


I am going to close with a comment one of my readers left me after reading my French Onion Bread Pudding post... 


The best reason why I am qualified to be the Next Food Blog Star...


Tv Food and Drink said...




Most excellent post. You don't just convey what food to use, but why and how it works together, which is really important to fully understand and really widen your appreciation of cooking, something I have been working on for a year now. Great work!!



22 comments:

  1. As I read all of these entries, I realize what an almost impossible job those judges have. There are so many qualified bloggers ~ you included. Best of luck.

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  2. Great post, and all true. I started following you almost from the start and I am very impressed with the progress you have made, I have learned many things from your blog. I am not a foodie, but I love to cook. I have learned to cook out of necessity; (5 kids). I have been making my own meals (not out of a box) for many moons now and enjoy watching people enjoy what I create. You have my vote!

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  3. Great post. I started to enter this, signed up as a matter of fact, but I'm afraid I just don't have time to do it justice. School (and my students) are just kicking my butt this year. Good luck!

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  4. This is such a good post. I do think that making everything yourself and being a home cook is key. Non bloggers or foodies that tend to reach for the box or the can think that it is harder to do (or more time consuming)from scratch which is not always the case. I am like you and enjoy chopping and process of making the meal. I do enjoy your posts because not only are they informative, but entertaining as well!

    Good luck...you got my vote!

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  5. First, I love that top chef photo of you Dave! Second, congrats on turning your health around!! It's encouraging to hear about people like yourself who made easy changes (walking a bit more, eating "real" food, etc) that made such a drastic impact. Lastly, I'd think you've had such a great progression on your blog!! Good luck on this contest!!

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  6. Great post! Love your chef's pic! Well, you already know that I am one of your biggest fans, cher! You are the best! Where and when do we vote?

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  7. You get MY vote Dave... You really have come a long way in a short time... I love that photo of you with the bread... clever...

    Rainey

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  8. You rock! Good luck Mr. Grill my ass off (See? That is a catchy name too)

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  9. Oh Dave I love this post! It is such a great crash course in who you are and how you got here. I love that you've healthified your life while still eating REAL food, that's the only way to do it! Your posts and comments never fail to make me smile. you're truly a food blog star in my book.

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  10. Dave, it's fabulous to know more about you and your cooking goals. I'm all for real food too. I'm wishing you good luck, or bonne chance, as the French say.

    Love your chef photo too.
    Sam

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  11. Great blogpost! It's incredible the way that you seem to have changed your life through and during the process of blogging. Good luck in the competition!

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  12. Wow! 400 posts straight?! That is impressive. And nice work on the weight loss! Truly inspiring. Oh and happy anniversary!

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  13. You've got my vote Dave. I have followed you for so long that I feel like I know you and would spot you from across the room at a foodie convention. You truly have come a long way in both the "from scratch" food that you cook to the great photos and intelligent and funny posts that you churn out daily. Your enthusiasm for life and blogging is apparent. You are an inspiration to all of us! Love your baking photo!

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  14. You are a STAR! I haven't looked at all of the other bloggers, but I know you have got to be on top! 400 posts in a row deserves an award on it's own! Best of luck! You deserve it.

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  15. Good luck Dave. I think it is going to be an interesting challenge. I look forward to seeing how you and a few other bloggers do, I'll be pulling for you.

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  16. I am going to love watching all my friends in this competition. Great post and good luck Dave. :-)

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  17. You already are a food blog star in many of our hearts. We're rooting for you in the contest.

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  18. WOW! What a story... I love it. You are the star! Lots of luck. And could you send me some of that leftover pork...

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  19. Great entry and good to know more about you. You have my vote. Good luck!

    Cheers
    Thas
    http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/1/view/667

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  20. Good luck Dave! you have my vote :)

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  21. You already had my vote, but what I really like about what you wrote was about inspiring others. This post http://www.3sidesofcrazy.com/2010/09/redneck-cupcake-warsbbq-chicken-chile.html was inspired by you! :) I just know you're going to win this contest.

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