I'LL be Hornswoggled (or you were)... I DON'T SUCK AT GRILLING...Stuffed Peppers wrapped in sausage wrapped by bacon

OK, to really appreciate this post, you MUST first read my post from Thursday,I Suck at Grilling - Stuffed Sausage Wrapped Peppers. You can reach that post by clicking HERE. You may even feel my pain if you remember yesterday's post...After finding out how much I suck as a Grill Chef, I have lost the will to cook. Which you can reach by clicking HERE. Really, read those before continuing.

I can wait...

Still waiting...

Come on, click the links, the story will be better if you remember the set up...

Still waiting...

All right, I assume everyone has read the terror of disintegrating sausage and flat peppers with stuffing ruining my grill.

OK, from the beginning, I knew I was going to revisit this recipe.
For several reasons,

1. I KNEW I didn't really suck at the grill
2. I knew I could do better
3. My loving wife went to our local underpriced grocery store and found some sausage on sale for just 89 cents for a hunk... She bought 20 hunks. I either had to get this down right or piss that money good bye (and long time readers know how cheap I am). I have a glorious freezer filled with her cost cutting efforts, and my cooking efforts beeded to honor her efforts,
   

So, I considered what I did, what went wrong, and also checked over the comments from Thursday, where there were several great suggestions...

So here's what happened yesterday...

As always, I assembled my ingredients in advance. Notice that instead of just the three ingredients I used on Thursday (Peppers, Cream Cheese and sausage), I added some goat cheese, some Swiss cheese, some bacon and my home made Chinese 5-Spice Rub I made up earlier in the month. I also did away with the bigger Poblano and Anaheim peppers, and instead went with spicier but much smaller Jalapeno Peppers and some very mild long narrow sweet peppers.As I described in Thursday's blog (See you really should have reviewed those earlier blog posts, of course I am going to continue referencing it), I cut the top off the peppers, deseeded them and cut the white meat out of the peppers (that's the REAL spicy stuff).
Now I started to improve the crappy stuff I did Thursday. I added a rub. The rub will not only flavor the meat, but help to add a bark that will hold everything together better.

I LOVE this home made Chinese Five Spice rub that I got from Steven Raichlen's Book, HOW TO GRILL. It has a great flavor, and smells amazing. So I did a bunch (most of all the hot jalapeno peppers which I would be eating), and one of the sweet peppers. The 5 spice rub has become a new passion of mine. It really is amazing, and making your own is something I was very proud of. The spice adds a great unusual flavor...

I also did most of the sweet peppers with some of my stock coffee rub with chipotle accent. Here's a side tip, I had a cheese shaker from a pizza parlor. It is a great thing to help sprinkle the rub with.And then I wrapped in bacon...So I had cheese, wrapped in peppers, wrapped in sausage, wrapped in bacon. If this worked, and these catch on, it would become legendary in cardiac care centers around the world. Notice those handy dandy cooking bands that are reusable, will hold everything together, are dishwasher safe and are color coded if you do a lot of mixing...

Which i forgot to mention, I stuffed some with just goat cheese, some with cream cheese mixed with the Swiss cheese. Good thing the bands were color coded so I knew what I was doing...

Things were coming together...
Looking good...

They hit the grill... Indirect heat, side burners only, chamber heats to about 275 degrees
Left em on for an hour, turned em (even though it is indirect heat, in a grill, you will still get them more done on the bottom than on the top...

Left them in the grill for another half hour...
Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I had a couple peppers left over without enough sausage thawed, so I just stuffed em and wrapped em in bacon...still GREAT eating...
And look at what I ended up with...
Cooked throughout, held together nicely, was easy to cut without the peppers collapsing and the cheese oozing out.

Just a tiny amount crusty on the outside, but that added a little texture. These were exactly what I had in mind!

Success!

I don't suck on the grill!!!!

I'M BACK, BABY

Of course, my wife was worried, since her meal on Thursday sucked so bad (except for the heart shaped pancakes (don't you wish you really had clicked that link back at the top of this post now, just to see heart shaped pancakes)). So she made up some amazing macaroni and cheese, just in case.
It was really good (Yes, I agreed to let her use my kitchen, but only if she put everything back where it belongs).
Made a nice presentation
Of course, I worked extra hard, so I got more!

So, what did I learn...

1. If at first you don't succeed, think about what you need to do to make it right
2. Don't be afraid to admit your failures, one of my commenters recommended the bacon, and I really do believe that made a big difference.
3. Bigger is not always better (sorry Buffalo Dick). The smaller peppers worked much better
4. When I do a post like yesterdays...After finding out how much I suck as a Grill Chef, I have lost the will to cook. Which you can reach by clicking HERE. Which I could have called "3 simple tips to make a better burger", I should make it clearer when I am doing a tongue in cheek funny post. But if you have to explain the funny, is it really funny???
5. Good ideas sometimes take work.

OK, all worked well, and I love cooking on the grill! Sunday night is going to be another big grilling session, more lamb chops, grilled portabello mushrooms, grilled eggplant and a new dessert, chipotle cremes brulees on the grill!

Wish me luck, and thanks for sticking with me through the rough times.


;)

Praise and Thanks to - MANGOS CHILI AND Z and OPINIONS & RECTUMS, WE ALL GOT ONE!

In my ongoing love affair with food blogs and bloggers, I want to salute my newest FOLLOWER (in this case, FOLLOWERS, 2 people joined me yesterday). Followers are that group of little pictures near the top of the middle column. They commit to hearing about my ramblings, and I commit to trying to be interesting for them. Having followers, and knowing that they look in on me occasionally makes me a better blogger. When I write, I try to be conversational. So it helps me to converse with people I know better. Today, MANGOS CHILI AND Z joined. Click HERE to go to her blog.
Mangos is owned and written by Lee Ann. She lives in Colorado with (near as I can tell) her husband, at least one cat and two dogs. She proudly announces that she is not a trained chef, but experience in the kitchen counts in my book. An avid cookbook reader, bird watcher and wine fan. She shops as much as she can at Whole Foods and believes in the quality of ingredients theory of shopping.

I love the look of her site. Bright colors and pleasing layout. That header alone makes you know she is a bright cheery person! I found her when she gave a fun recipe for homemade Lemoncello. Click HERE for that fun link. You will get a great look at her cat through the homemade hooch, and the presentation to her guests... She serves it in mason jars. Moonshine yuppie drinks, what's not to love! Peaches were in season, and she really excelled in using those local ingredients. A Peach ice cream recipe is followed by a terrific looking peach salsa (she likes clever names, will let you find her joke... it's worth the look).

She also has a page of restaurant reviews that she admits to being a work in progress. Including local Denver joints, but also has a recommendation for a place in New Orleans I may just have to check out (did I tell you I am going on a vacation in just 3 weeks to the Big Easy!). "1. Galatoires New Orleans. One of the best times I’ve ever had in a restaurant. Fabulous food, atmosphere that’s filled with hospitality, history and New Orleans flavor. I love Galatoires. Why does it matter? This was our first culinary experience in New Orleans." sounds like some place I may need to check out.

She writes in a clever conversational manor. Talks about her friends, pets and husband with little tidbits of her life shining through. I really like that in a blogger, and I will be looking forward to knowing her better, and sharing a viral mason jar from her some day on the future.

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Also joining up is a new best friend, BUFFALO DICK (by his own admission), owner, writer of OPINIONS AND RECTUMS WE ALL GOT ONE! You can reach his blog by clicking HERE. He is an experienced blogger, been sharing his opinions since 2006 and has over 8,500 profile views. He is fifty something (like me), a BBQ cooker (like me), gambler (Only lists gambler, but he sounds like a poker player to me (like me)), Lists the Man Who Would Be King as one of his favorite movies (Like Me, I didn't list it, but it is one of mine none the less), Listens to Jimmy Buffet (like me), reads Lord of the Rings (like Me)... What could I not love about this guy???

His site is visually the opposite of Mangos Chili and Z's. Instead of bright and cheery, his site is black and foreboding. But his writing style makes you feel welcome. Very conversational. He asks his readers questions, and gets dozens of comments to each posting. You can tell that people like him. Currently, he has Root Canal teeth issues, so his food posts will be running through straws for a bit, but he even makes that story fun to read (with just a bit of cringe thrown in).

His photos are fun, but make you wonder how tall he is, as almost everything is shot from straight above angle. he specializes in Man Food. Nothing fancy, but lots from the grill and smoker, so you know he is a talented cook! This has become one of my favorite blogs, and I look forward to each posting.

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I have said it before, and I will say it again... I LOVE Blogging and Bloggers. Having followers is a great way to let me know that you are out there. My blog improves with each new follower. I feel a connection, as well as an obligation to be witty, entertaining, informative, accurate and consistent. Knowing that I am being looked at makes me a better blogger and I hope you will be patient as I continue to improve. Looking at all these terrific sites shows me how far I have to come, but gives me great ideas from everyone!

Take a look at these guys. If you like what they have to say, come back for more. Drop em a note (comment) of encouragement. Newer bloggers need to know someone is out there, and older bloggers need fresh blood to feed on, let em know you were directed to their site from me and you may make a new cyber friend too.

After finding out how much I suck as a Grill Chef, I have lost the will to cook

After my fiasco trying to sausage wrap stuffed peppers (Click HERE to see yesterday's post about my hideous failure), I have simply lost my will to grill fancy foods. Look at what I was reduced to cooking last night... Hamburgers. How mundane, how simple, how average. I set myself up as this grilling specialists with something to share to the food community, and the best I can come up with on a perfect night for grilling is.. Burgers.

Sad...

OK, if you look close, you can see that I used a Cajun rub (one of the rubs I made earlier in the week, you can read about that success by clicking HERE). Sure the Cajun rub was full of fresh spices that I hunted down, but since I planned ahead, made it ahead of time, had it sitting around the kitchen in a dry place, with no light getting to the rub so that it would last about 6 months, since I went to all that effort earlier, it was a simple matter of putting this rub on before I started cooking. Took 10 seconds.

10 seconds effort from a grill master... HA

And sure, those grill marks are among the prettiest I have ever seen on any piece of meat. But those are so easy to obtain... First, start with a VERY hot grill before putting the meat on. Then, just as you set the meat on the grill, turn the heat to medium. The grill will char where it touches the meat, but the meat will only cook between the grill. During the charring process, the sugars in the rub will caramelize and make the meat pull away from the grill (on a microscopic level). That's why you need to let the grill do what it does before you try to flip the meat. Ever try to lift a burger from a grill and have it stick. You didn't let the meat char, and you probably didn't start with a HOT grill. If you get the grill HOT (just let the coals cook or leave the gas lit on a gas grill for about 10 minutes before putting food on) If you just wait, the natural grilling process will allow you to lift the burger intact, leave those beautiful grill marks, and the charring process actually alters the spices in the rub, making an additional layer of flavor to the taste.

But that's just common knowledge, certainly nothing that shows how to be a backyard king... HA

And toasting the buns... Come on, is that supposed to be something special? Just a little bit of melted butter or olive oil brushed on and letting the buns gently toast for only 4-5 minutes prior to taking everything off the grill. So easy, anyone can do it. All it does is add a new taste to the layers (the butter or oil), and a new texture to the taste (the toast). Is that supposed to separate my burgers from any Kingsford jockey on the block that cooks out once a year?

Burgers...Give me a break, is that the best i can do?

Home made Cajun spiced rub,

perfect grill marks

and toasted buns.

OK, maybe with just a tiny bit of effort, an average burger on the grill can be a little special. Why not put a little effort (10 seconds for the rub, let the grill do it's work and get great grill marks (and add a new layer of flavor), and toast the buns (no extra time, just a little effort). Maybe even just cooking simple burgers on a grill, I do have something to share.

And look what I had for lunch, leftover pork tenderloin sandwiches and grilled corn.

Simple is my word for today.

Praise and Thanks to - DEEP SOUTH DISH

In my ongoing love affair with food blogs and bloggers, I want to salute my newest FOLLOWER (that group of little pictures near the top of the middle column). Having followers, and knowing that they look in on me occasionally makes me a better blogger. When I write, I try to be conversational. So it helps me to converse with people I know better. Today, DEEP SOUTH DISH (or is it THE DEEP SOUTH DISH?)... One could be talking about southern food, and the other is talking about a southern HOT BABE... HMM, better dig deeper... Click HERE to go to her blog.
First thing you will see are some of the prettiest food photos on the web. Her side bars are filled with the incredible sights and colors from her efforts. You just know she has something to say. She professes to not be a chef, but "just a plain ole home cook".

Her site is very easy to follow, complete with her online cookbook section, right at the top (easy to follow and find what you need). Her latest post is a doozy, about a terrific sounding eggplant and seafood dressing casserole that looks amazing. But even better, she personalizes the dish with a wonderful story about her in-laws and the first time she had dinner at their home (while still dating, god help her). personally, I love blogs that get personal occasionally. And I especially love blogs with family tables. the world is tough, not always fair and guys are all jerks (just ask my ex-wife). But I do enjoy escaping to the world that can be created on a blog. Her stories of her Father-in-law and that first family dinner is great fun for me.

Her recipes are easy to follow, have great clear photos and are very much family meal friendly. Nothing terribly fancy, but certainly something that any Dad would be thrilled to come home to and any child would prefer she defrosted a pizza instead (but years from now will have those great fond memories of Mom in the kitchen).

Click on her site, and go down her side bars... If you can resist clicking on one of her dish photos, you should not be hunting around food blogs. These "simple" dishes are works of art. I will be checking back regularly, and you can do far worse than having her as a blog buddy. I know she has a lot to show me.

Of course, even after spending some time on her blog, I still can't tell if Deep Southern Dish is about her food, or the dish that cooks the food. She has a terrific sense of humor, and her blog has a gentle wit to it. I really like her writing style.

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I have said it before, and I will say it again... I LOVE Blogging and Bloggers. Having followers is a great way to let me know that you are out there. My blog improves with each new follower. I feel a connection, as well as an obligation to be witty, entertaining, informative, accurate and consistent. Knowing that I am being looked at makes me a better blogger and I hope you will be patient as I continue to improve. Looking at all these terrific sites shows me how far I have to come, but gives me great ideas from everyone!

I Suck at Grilling - Stuffed Sausage Wrapped Peppers

Take a look at this beautiful thing... Heart shaped pancakes (from the griddle, can't get the batter to stop falling through the grill grate), and smoked sausage wrapped around cream cheese stuffed peppers. But, these three pieces of sausage were the only good looking pieces of of 1 pound of sausage, two beautiful peppers and an entire package of cream cheese. I destroyed those beautiful ingredients.
Before you judge me, keep in mind that I can make a Raspberry Chipotle Marinated Spiral Stuffed Pork Loin with a Bacon Lattice with a provolone cheese accent!

I just can't make these...

Here's what happened...
Started simple enough, couple of peppers, stuffed with cream cheese, and a pound of sausage...
Wrapped the peppers in the sausage

I gently put em on the grill, indirect heat.

Started toasting up nicely...
Then the damage started... The sausage pulled away from the pepper and started to disintegrate. Lots of the stuff ended up in the bottom of the grill. Worse, the sausage pulled away from the opening of the pepper, and about half of the cream cheese fell out (and smoked the crap out of my grill).

At this point, it was so ugly I stopped taking pictures. I couldn't focus through the tears. But, as I tried to cut what was left of the finished product into slices, more and more of the cream cheese oozed out.
Til eventually, I ended up with flattened peppers and just a tiny amount of cream cheese in the middle. I salvaged three pieces that were barely nice enough to serve to my wife, but you should have seen the crap that i was left with for me to eat.

But the crap still tasted great, just looked awful.

Ah well, live and learn and do better next time... I am going to list this as a TIP in my label section, but my tip is to check out someone elses recipe and grilling method for these.

BTW, keep reading my blog, this is my third posting of the day, plenty more fun stuff to read, and see you all tomorrow for better news from my grill

A Plea for Help - New Orleans WILL Fuzz my Mind

Hide your daughters, guard your dogs and stock up on red wine... Mrs. MyYearOnTheGrill and I are off to the Big Easy! 5 fun filled days and 4 action packed nights in the real city that never sleep, New Orleans, LA. I have had a love affair with the city for many years. Pre-Katrina, this was the first place my wife and I had that dangerous 1st traveling vacation (learn a lot about someone when you travel (sometimes too much)). We have made semi-annual trips back to the city after Katrina, and we love it. The restaurants are back, the music never left and the place still is the best entertainment and FOODIE deal in the country.

BUT, all those action packed nights will mean I will be unable (on many levels unable) to update my blog. I like blogging every day (lately more than once a day), I like that every time visitors stop by there is likely to be something new. A week off is too much, anyone want to help?

Earlier this month, I was gone for a short trip and had two people guest blog for me... A DAILY FOODIE HAIKU volunteered to write an original poem to celebrate 9 happy years of marriage (my 11th wedding anniversary). Read that post by clicking HERE. Also, my good blogging buddy, Chris from NIBBLE ME THIS, came through with a guest blog. with a wonderful recipe for Artichoke My Chicken which you can also find by clicking HERE. Those guest blogs worked out GREAT. I got a break, my blog was updated and you all got to see something new (and I hear the Daily Foodie Haiku had it's highest hit count to date). I am very grateful to those two friends, and hope they enjoyed the experience also.

So now I am going to ask for 5 NEW guest bloggers. But let's make this a little more interactive...

For example, I have a couple of followers that I am pretty sure will be reading this (OK, I am going to send it to them, I am sure they will be reading this) who are either from New Orleans, recently visited New Orleans, or are strongly opinionated about New Orleans. How about one of those folks (or more) offering an unusual suggestion about an activity not to be missed that is not in the tourist books. Maybe an out of the mainstream place for lunch, or a walking tour led by a friend, or a specialty drink served in their favorite bar. Even something as simple as a book store you love (keep it close to the French Quarter, no car, but I could take a streetcar named Desire). How about dropping me a suggestion post. Do a post about your favorite place, Let me publish it and I promise to visit and do a follow up post.

Maybe I gave you some advice... I have a blogging buddy that is visiting New York in a few days for a girls week out. In a different life, I lived in NYC. I even was tour guide for groups. I still visit annually , and I love the city. I offered a few suggestions for restaurants, places to see and tours. If she does any of those, would she be willing to write a post, and review my suggestion. Anytime fellow bloggers can help fellow bloggers could be interesting and entertaining.

How about cooking one of my recipes. Just yesterday, RETORTE's author Wandering Coyote wrote a blog about cooking in a method she read about on my blog. Anyone tried or wants to try one of my recipes? Anyone want to adapt one of my recipes to make it their own? I would love to post that from a guest blogger. Who knows, if I was willing to suffer through phyllo dough (Recipe #12 - Desserts - Vermont Pecan Praline Cups with a Whiskey Sauce) because a blogger inspired me, maybe I inspired someone Else's efforts.

How about Steven Raichlen fans (my cook through book project)? Anyone cook something I haven't gotten to yet? Want to write a review for me and let me publish? If you do, tell you what, after I get back, I will cook the same thing and compare and contrast two cooks doing the same thing.

Anyone got a recipe they think should be adapted to the grill. Tell you what, you write a blog about the recipe, cooked inside way, and if possible, I will try to duplicate it outdoors. Anyone want to challenge me?

I Praised and Thanked some of my favorite bloggers recently... Got anything to say back???

How about someone who doesn't even own a grill, but has access to a neighbors' grill, that recently won a copy of Steven Raichlen's HOW TO GRILL (yes, I am calling you out CRAZY ASIAN GAL). Step out of your comfort zone, let me email exchange and talk you through cooking as god intended. How would you like to brag to your brother that your new specialty is a home made 5 spice rub on a smoked tenderloin of pork?

Let's get interactive, have some fun...

Rules for guest blogging are fairly simple, I get to publish first, after I publish, I agree that all ownership and future publishing rights revert to the original author. I will continue to host and link the article, but will not republish. I reserve the right to write a heading and introduction, which will be forwarded to you prior to publishing. All articles are subject to editing if I deem necessary, but you have right to withdrawal if edited poorly or not to your liking. All proper credit as well as link exchanges will be included in my introduction.

That's it... Anyone want to help me have a relaxing vacation???

Praise and Thanks to - Gypsy Girl, Jumpin Jungle, Cooking Tip, Anncoo's Hobby, Cooking Stuff, MommytheCook

OK, Great news, My followers section is back from software update hell. And in the last two days while it was gone, 6 new people decided to follow my blog. All those little faces in the middle column says something. Not sure exactly what it says, but it does make me think about my blog more. I feel a sense of community, growing group of friends that want to enjoy my blog. I am thrilled and humbled by everyone that chooses to come back more than once, and I want to give a shout out to my new friends in the making...

First to join was GYPSY GIRL GOURMET (click on the colored words to get a link to her blog). Gypsy Girl lives in HAWAII!!! Just that makes me jealous. She also is fairly new to the blogging world. Only 24 posts, but each one is very informative. She does a terrific job with her presentation photos, and her recipes are terrific. I had a question about one of her current postings and she answered very fast. She is the kind of blogger I want as a friend. Like her boyfriend, vegetables have not always been my "go to" food. But her Green Beans with paprika and pine nuts sounds perfect. And wait til you see how she made her presentation for the beans. This is Church Basement Ladies quality (and if you have ever been judged by the Church Basement Ladies, you know that is high praise). I signed on to follow her, she is added to my blogroll, and I will look forward to her every post. Thanks for hunting me down, and I hope we can inspire each other.

Next up is JUMPIN IN THE JUNGLE, or JANE IN THE JUNGLE as she calls herself! Living in Southeast Tennessee Jane is a stay at home Mom, homeschooling 4 kids (when does she have time to blog?). She has found a very peaceful place in the world, with loving family, wonderful children and a faith in God that shines in her every posting. She is packing the youngens up for a trip to Pigeon Forge this coming week. I remember vacationing there with my parents when I was only 8 or 9 years old. Still remember feeding the bears McDonald's from a mostly closed window. Thanks for those memory flashbacks! She has an online business called JEWELSBYJANE, featuring some pretty crafty wreaths that will match any home decor. Take a look at her wreaths. Any stay-at-home-homeschooling-mother of 4 will appreciate any looks we may give her (and if you like em, any purchases will really be appreciated). Didn't see much foodie content, but if you are looking for some inspiration to add God themed joy to your day, her site is the blog to check out!

Next COOKING TIP OF THE DAY Joined. My Lord, when i saw this site, I was really humbled that they thought I would possibly add to their world. This is one of the best foodie blogs I have ever seen. The photos are always clear and visually appealing. The recipes are clear and easy to duplicate (I only made one so far, a very easy dessert of Recipe: Mini Cheesecakes)! They came out great, and I thank her for that... BUT, if you only look at her nearly daily updated recipe posting, you are missing some of the best information on the web. Take a look at her sidebars. Some of her favorite recipes, as well as great tidbits of information. Ever wonder what food day celebrations are held this month (Did you know that Saturday is National Pancake Day?), you can find that information here. Great tidbits of information, measurement conversion charts, internal safe temperature charts, ideas for menus, and much more. She is a frequent poster, with 365 posts already this year, and easily topping 500 posts in her career. Linda is the owner of the site, but she lists a staff of 4 additional people (I suspect her family, but she does not make that clear). This is really a great looking site, and one that every blogger should take a look at. Once there, I would guess that, like me, you will be back often!


The next one was a shock to me... ANNCOO'S HOBBY, run by an Aquarius homemaker from SINGAPORE (is this an amazing world we live in or what?)! It is so exciting to see foods from around the world, and this site is among the best international site I have ever seen. On her site, I could not find a name, but I am going to assume it's a she and I am also going to assume, ANN. Ann has incredible photos, of mostly pastries. Her cupcakes are storefront quality and a joy to behold. Her ingredients are Asian, so many will be hard to find. She also lists her quantities in metric, which this stupid American needs to find a chart to convert, but the site sure is pretty. BUT WAIT, she provides a convenient conversion widget on her site, so there is one drawback to her site that she has addressed just for us fumble minded Americans! But there are many recipes that are "Western" Friendly. I know next time I make fish, I am going to have some of her Wasabi Mayonnaise handy. That sounds like something I will have on hand from now on. It's a change of pace, and because of the ingredient list, unlikely that I will be making many of her recipes, but it sure is interesting and pretty. An experienced blogger only a few posts away from 200. Worth a visit every few days.

A GUY...A MALE...Solidarity with my cooking brothern! And his followers section has a tag line from an obscure movie of the 30's... "One of us, One of us" Worthless brownie points to anyone that identifies the movie without google... But I digress...

COOKING STUFF, Bob, I have seen several places commenting on others sites. Always friendly, with a terrific sense of humour, and I am very happy to have him drop in. He is a cat lover, and features photos of his cats often... But he is also my kind of cook. Nothing oddly complicated (but nothing painfully simple either. Lots of meat dishes, and lots of comfort food (but with a great twist, like CASHEWS IN BANANA BREAD! come on, cashews in banana bread)! His photos are clear and plentiful (idiot proof easy to follow, like he made this site just for me), and his recipes are equally easy to follow. I am a big fan of this site, of course I am following him also, and he is on my blog list (as are all of these fine folks listed above). I am thrilled to be included as "One of Us, One of Us" when Bob is around. Great site!

~mommythecook~

Mommythecook recently joined me, and she needs some helpful encouragement. I followed her for a month or so, and recently she announced she had quit blogging. Near as I can tell, she deleted her archive, as I can't find it. BUT, the great news is that she has decided to return. Not much details on her first post after her return, but I certainly want her around. She was entertaining, and challenging. her recipes were family friendly and I looked forward to her posts. I am thrilled to have her back, and I hope she sticks around for a long time to come! Do me a favor, drop by her new site, drop her a comment, commit to seeing her next dozen posts and I think you will be happy. Be nice, reading between the lines, I think she had a few negative comments. Remember what your Mom taught you, say something nice or nothing at all.

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I have said it before, and I will say it again... I LOVE Blogging and Bloggers. Having followers is a great way to let me know that you are out there. My blog improves with each new follower. I feel a connection, as well as an obligation to be witty, entertaining, informative, accurate and consistent. Knowing that I am being looked at makes me a better blogger and I hope you will be patient as I continue to improve. Looking at all these terrific sites shows me how far I have to come, but great ideas from everyone!

Thank you all!