I love food bloggers but I could NEVER be one

Food bloggers. Ever think you wanted to be one of those?

It seems easy at first.

Make a food thing. Take photos of the food thing. Post it on your blog. (Money and shiny appliances follow!) 

I eat things each day. You probably eat things each day too. We are already doing all the work!

Look at this:

I am halfway there already!

Except…

This would be a huge problem for me.

I can never remember to photograph edible things because they are just too edible.

However, even when I do remember to take a photo this happens:

Food photography is a serious art. I can easily photograph raw fruits and vegetables and sometimes cookies but everything else looks like barf.

Also, I am extremely lacking in whimsical plates and colorful napkins and rustic wooden tables and fresh flower centerpieces.

I do not want to style my food. I just want to eat it.

I am also pretty terrible at making notes and I would never be able to actually develop a real recipe. Mine would say something like, “You put a little cinnamon and a little bit of ginger and a few pinches of salt and I think I put a 1/4 cup cocoa powder but maybe it was 1/2 cup, I don’t remember”. 

But these reasons are not why I couldn’t become a food blogger. (Though clearly, I couldn’t.) I couldn’t handle being a food blogger because of the comments.

The comments!!!

This is what I have noticed…

So many allergies, so little time for the blogger to test out the recipe 50 different ways for you. For free.

I especially love it when it is a recipe for something like, “Coconut Cake” and someone comments that they “have a coconut allergy” and what should they do?

Um, how about use another recipe?

Next, I am not sure I could handle this:

Because in both scenarios, it is obviously the blogger’s fault.

Next up, everyone knows that their way of eating is the best way.

The “one-upping” on health food blogs is especially fun to read. I, for one, only use organic baby alpaca oil.

There are also so many questions. Food bloggers are usually really polite and attentive and answer all the questions. Even the stupid ones.

Some people should not be operating ovens.

Last, but not least, I have drawn for you an ACTUAL comment that I saw yesterday when I was looking at pie recipes for Thanksgiving:

What is the creator of the recipe supposed to do with this? Apologize?

“Sorry you didn’t like it. Maybe it’s because it is made of pumpkin.”

Wait, as a bonus, I thought of one last reason why being a food blogger isn’t as easy as just eating stuff.

Imagine that food blogger #1 works for weeks perfecting a very unique recipe. Testing it. Tweaking ingredient amounts. Eating it over and over! Finally, they announce a “Beet Blueberry Vanilla Layered Thing”! It has never been done! It’s new and amazing and everyone loves it!

Two days later…

Five other blogs come out with their Layered Things. They shift around the titles “Blueberry Vanilla Layer with Beets” and “Layered Vanilla Beet Blueberry Surprise” but everyone knows it is the same damn thing, despite the 1/4 teaspoon difference here and there and that added cherry on top.

I mean, if even I notice this as a casual observer, how does everyone not stab each other with forks? (I know, I know, not everyone does this and the good food blogs will cite their inspiration sources which is totally different and awesome and everyone is inspired by everyone and nothing is really new anyway and blah blah blah, nobody cares.)     

So.

So let’s give some love to the food blogs we follow and love.

Helps if you add if the blog focuses on desserts/healthy/vegan/gluten free/Soylent Green/paleo/Thai/insects/meat lover’s, etc so people scanning comments can seek out words that apply to them if it is not obvious from the blog name.

 


Wait, I DID write a recipe on here once. I guess I am a food blogger. See Buttcakes

Baby alpacas are not harmed in the making of baby alpaca oil because it is not a thing. I just wanted to talk about alpacas.  

Sorry, I can not link to my own favorite food blogs because then they will have to get defensive and publicly state, “No, I do not feel that way about my lovely commenters.” 

Opinions expressed in this post are my own, not the opinions of actual food bloggers who love you and love your comments always. Except the stupid ones. Always. 

Yes, this entire post was made as a way to ask for your food blog recommendations. I’m in a food slump. One can only eat so much pumpkin and kale and white bean soup that looks like barf. Please help.   

Oh, and I have this spam blocker thing so if you include a bunch of links and get the “your post will be approved after moderation” or whatever it says don’t fret. I will approve it after making sure it isn’t a list of links for viagra. Those recipes are usually terrible. 

 

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234 Responses to I love food bloggers but I could NEVER be one

  1. wrensmum says:

    LOL @ soylent green.

  2. Carrie says:

    I don’t follow food blogs accept Pioneer Woman because I’ve followed her forever.

  3. Havi says:

    My two go tos are vegan lately even though I’m not vegan – https://www.theroastedroot.com/ http://ohsheglows.com/

  4. exfoodblogger says:

    Oh my GAWD, Amber, I have given up on my food blog and this is so spot on. All the way from the food looking like throw up to the idiot comments. LMFAO

  5. Karen says:

    I’m looking forward to more blogs to check out because I’m in a good slump too.

  6. Laura Kepler says:

    http://www.butterandbrioche.com

    Decadent desserts! Not that I ever make any of it but it is so beautiful just to look at and read.

  7. Pat says:

    https://kalynskitchen.com is so good for easy and quick recipes for real families who don’t have time to make gourmet stuff. We use a lot of her recipes. She has a mix of low carb and paleo and standard diet recipes and I mainly like the simple ness of them.

  8. Helen says:

    Damn Delicious and Budget Bytes are winners!

    • Pam says:

      I second Damn Delicious – lots of crock pot/one pot meals. Some of the recipes are even easily modified for picky eaters such as my two kiddos (like the salmon with mango salsa – they got salmon and a side of plain mango because clearly you are trying to hide poison and kill them if you mix stuff together).

    • Laura says:

      These are my favorites too!

  9. Rachel says:

    I like Shutterbean. She posts mostly healthy foods and a lot of what she makes is kid-approved. Plus she’s into plants and art and handwriting so I dig all her stuff, even when she’s not posting recipes.

  10. Rachel says:

    I think that you have celiac, right? My favorite gluten free blogs are https://elanaspantry.com and https://glutenfreeonashoestring.com and https://againstallgrain.com.

  11. Jen says:

    Oh my. I love food blogs. So many good ones!
    Against All Grain for Paleo
    Averie Cooks for great take-out copycats and sweet stuff
    Brown Eyed Baker for sweets mostly, but also good dinners
    Iowa Girl Eats also Paleo and YUM
    Pinch of Yum for everything delicious
    Sally’s Baking Addiction because COOKIES
    The Novice Chef has cute twins like I have cute twins and also yummy food.

    I mean, this just scratches the surface of my food blog love. But these are the favs.

  12. Claire Bedford says:

    My favourite recipe website is http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com
    I could live off the recipes there, sometimes I do!

  13. Abby says:

    Mel’s Kitchen Cafe – just really good food, no trendy diet stuff

    • HeyBeckyJ says:

      Yes – Mel’s Kitchen Cafe is great family food. Nothing too fancy. Good ideas that aren’t toooo different, so there’s still a chance I can get my kids to try it.

    • Jen says:

      Yes ?
      I have never had a fail from any of Mel’s recipes!!

  14. Meredith Sommers says:

    I’m still completely in love with The Smitten Kitchen. Deb Perelman has the answer to almost every good question I ask.

    • Sarah says:

      Second Smitten Kitchen

    • sally says:

      Yes, more love for smittenkitchen. Everything I’ve made from her website and cookbook have been tasty as as anything can be. Love it. (the only time I’ve successfully made pie crust was from her cookbook recipe)
      I also like cookieandkate for vegetarian recipes.

      • redhairing says:

        I also appreciate that Smitten Kitchen has separate comment tabs for people who have actually cooked the recipe, questions, and then all the comments.

    • Erin T says:

      Yes to Smitten Kitchen! Hands down my favorite.

    • Sara says:

      Yes, love Smitten Kitchen. She has a recipe for Strata that I take to *every* brunch I’ve ever been invited to or hosted. I always get asked for the recipe…and strangely, seem to attend quite a few brunches every year.

  15. Kristen Jarvis says:

    I adore Sortedfood on YouTube they are funny and their food is always delicious.

  16. Carrie says:

    I’m SO happy you are blogging again…I feel like you are the only blogger I have ever LOL’d reading. You get me 🙂
    smittenkitchen is a fave of mine. Everything I’ve made off of there has actually turned out. But, I just have stopped making anything because my kids never eat it and I end up having to eat “experiments” for 5 days to get rid of it.

  17. Millie says:

    Cheeky Kitchen for a little bit of everything; she’s mostly paleo but she does all sorts of other stuff too. She’s also a photographer so she includes tips on how she made her food look so pretty.

  18. Sarah says:

    I like Nom Nom Paleo, Stupid Easy Paleo, and Mel Joulwan for grain free, dairy free options, but can’t stop reading Smitten Kitchen! Deb is funny, has adorable littles “helping” and I’ve never tried one of her recipes that wasn’t fantastic.

  19. Kate says:

    “I’m allergic to all foods, what do you suggest as a substitute.” 🙂 LOL

  20. Kayote says:

    http://www.eatingfromthegroundup.com/

    She’s a slice-of-life (where said slices are almost always about eating) blogger and cookbook author.

    She is the author of two of my favorite cookbooks: Homemade Kitchen and Homemade Pantry. I read her blog because I enjoy it and cook from her books because they are fabulous. I assume the recipes on her blog are also fabulous, but I prefer to cook from a book with an index.

  21. Tara says:

    Smitten Kitchen, Pinch of Yum, 100 Days of Real Food, and Dinner a Love Story are my faves!

    • Jason says:

      Thanks for the love, Tara (100 Days of Real Food is my wife’s blog). And Amber, this post is spot on from start to finish. Thanks for the laughs!

  22. Beth says:

    Thank you for returning!
    My #1 foolproof food blog is http://www.simplyrecipes.com
    I like that there’s not a lot of fake chit chat and that there are pictures of the process, not just the final result.

    • Lisanna says:

      Yes yes. Especially all the recipes by Elise, who started the blog. I’m sure the others are good but I’m biased… I’ve made so many of her recipes over the years I feel like they are always perfect! And I love that her bread recipes don’t use oil. Because, you know, it will kill you. 😉 And butter is delicious.

    • Elise says:

      Thank you Beth!

  23. Amanda says:

    Have you seen the comments where they ask for the nutrition information?!? I LOL every time. “Sorry I don’t know how many calories per serving are in this dessert I invented, but it has a LOT of butter in it, so….”

  24. Jessica says:

    omg i’m dying! so funny! one of my fave food blogs is thisweekfordinner.com.

  25. Santana says:

    I’m always a fan of Minimist Baker- she’s awesome sauce.

  26. Katie says:

    ??? I love you!!!! Why do some of the “commenters” even bother to type those ridiculous comments??!! If you don’t like something move on people!!!

  27. Stephanie says:

    One more type of comment: “I loved this recipe! I just changed the chocolate chips to white chocolate, and used mashed sweet potato in place of pumpkin, added some allspice and extra cinnamon, and used half the alpaca oil. They turned out perfect!” … ok, so you didn’t actually like the recipe? Lol

    • Melissa says:

      YESSSS. This totally bugs me. Especially if I’m scanning the comments to find out how people liked the ACTUAL recipe.

    • Bonus asshole points if they add, “I wrote it all up on my own blog if anyone’s interested. Here’s a link if you want to check it out!”

      So you altered everything about the recipe AND you’re trying to poach readers? I’ll tell you where you can stick that alpaca oil…

    • amber says:

      YES! You are so right.

    • Regan says:

      YES!! This is my biggest pet peeve ever on food sites. Allrecipes.com has a ton of these, too.

      So, you didn’t make this recipe at all, then?

  28. Carol says:

    I LOVE Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.com) – a wide variety of recipes, and she tests everything first, only posting stuff that’s worthy to be posted 😉 And she’s relatable and funny, and doesn’t use 573 photos in every post (good grief, some of you food bloggers!). And sometimes she talks about other stuff, like her battle with skin cancer, or her family’s current favorite things.

  29. Melissa says:

    Oooh! Our best bites, and Mels kitchen cafe

  30. Judy says:

    Nom Nom Paleo for Paleo/Whole30
    Leah’s Plate for generally healthy meals

  31. Seconding Smitten Kitchen and Damn Delicious, and Skinnytaste is fantastic as well.

    Damn Delicious (which is very accurately named) is my current favorite because her recipes are easy peasy and my husband and I are lazy lazy.

    Also I want to make like 95% of the desserts on Chocolate Covered Katie’s blog but I don’t have a food processor and a lot of her recipes require/highly suggest using one so for now I’ll just have to drool over the bulk of them from a distance. She’s great for suggesting gluten-free/sugar-free/whatever-you-can’t-eat-free alternatives on her recipes, and good god does it all look delectable.

    • Rivky says:

      Love chocolate covered Katie as well!!

      • Dana says:

        I was waiting for a chocolate covered Katie plug! Get a food processor from a buy Nothing group, it is worth it! She has a bunch of yummy recipes just for one person which is nice but then I just end up 7x the ingredients which is annoying but oh, so worth it!

        Six sisters stuff is good too. They are feeding kids on a budget and any of their recipes reflect that and are really easy to follow.

  32. Megan says:

    Iowa Girl Eats because she’s local to me and always posting about stuff around me: https://iowagirleats.com/. Also great gluten-free recipes, if you need it
    Two Peas and Their Pod: https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/
    Skinnytaste for lighter recipes: http://www.skinnytaste.com/
    Cookies & Cups for amazing desserts: https://cookiesandcups.com/

  33. Tammy Bunko says:

    Very funny and true. Glad to see you doing post agian. A food blog I have come to use quite often is http://www.natashaskitchen.com
    I’ve found her recipes tasty and easy to follow.

  34. Julieta says:

    So funny and spot on! Lol – the baby alpaca disclaimer… ?

    I sometimes feel similarly when trying to plan family holiday meals. So many opinions, so many options, so so so crazy.

    I sure enjoy seeing YOU post again though. ?

  35. Carole says:

    I follow only one, Macheesmo, because Nick is fun and his recepies taught me how to cook yummy food that I like to eat! He makes just about everything, easy, hard, healthy, indulgent, I-Dont-Have-Time-or-Energy-to-Cook foods. He’s awesome!

  36. Krista says:

    Smitten Kitchen and Pioneer Woman are my favorites for yummy, delicious food with all the gluten, dairy, fat, and meat you could want. I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed by either. And they’re funny and charming! I imagine that we’d be BFFs in real life, which is totally normal, right??

    Ps: I’m glad you came back to blogging. I imagine that we are friends, too!

  37. Mathi says:

    I used to follow food blogs pretty hard, but over time it seems I don’t read blogs as much. This was my favorite back when it was a little personal blog. It is still good for getting me over that ‘what do I want to make tonight’ hump. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/

  38. Tina Vesić says:

    This genuinely made me laugh 😀
    I really love lavenderandlovage.com for all sorts of really delicious every day foods and recipes 🙂

  39. Tina Buxbaum says:

    I love this one – https://cookieandkate.com/

  40. Cristin says:

    I feel the same way! All my thoughts about food blogging, and eating…and food slumps, in one post.
    nourished kitchen
    wellness mama
    nom nom paleo (cause instant pot yo)
    are what I am using now…or throwing what ever is left in the fridge into a pot or on pasta and calling it a thing ; )

  41. I don’t do any food blogs – they all make me feel terribly inadequate. Also, my kids like the heated up frozen IKEA meatballs better than homemade ones, so who am I to argue?

    • amber says:

      You can’t beat IKEA meatballs with the lingonberry sauce. I’ve tried knockoff versions and nope.

      • sally says:

        yes, ikea meatballs ! My son like the veggie ones (even though I think they taste like a ball of pea mush)

  42. Jessica says:

    My favorite food blog comments are when the commenter tells you all the substitutions and changes they made and then says they didn’t like it. Um, you changed the recipe, you can’t comment on THIS recipe if it’s not what you actually cooked.

    My favorite food blog: http://www.forloveofthetable.com

  43. Amyjoquilts says:

    Amber, if you find a Solent Green blog… Don’t try any of the foods! I’m SG intolerant. You will be too.

  44. Mary says:

    I tried it very briefly and discovered I disliked it for the same reason I dislike cooking for large groups. #1 picky eaters…I honestly don’t give a shit if you only eat 5 items, but don’t ask me to alter recipes to suit your “needs”. I honestly don’t care if you eat at all. #2 So.many.allergies. I’m allergic to dairy so I get it. But I also get what I can substitute as needed. Educate yourself on your allergy.

  45. British American says:

    Too funny about the comments. I usually read them because sometimes they will have good tips and questions, but they are pretty much filled exactly as you said.

  46. Rose ASL says:

    ROFL!

    I don’t bother with food blogs, I have a kitchen too small for anything but making sandwiches and boiling water, and recipes don’t make me laugh which is the thing I most need. So I’m glad you aren’t starting a food blog. 🙂

  47. Liz says:

    https://shannonskitchen.com

    She’s an Australian nurse doing a masters degree in nutrition.
    Her food is healthy and interesting.
    She swears more than I do. A LOT more.

    “All content is punctuated with fruity language and inappropriate analogies” – what’s not to love?

  48. DeAnn says:

    http://benandbirdy.blogspot.com

    It is vegetarian or not and kid-friendly and eclectic. Check it out!

  49. Sarah says:

    Really into Joyous Health. Just plain healthy food and Canadian, because they’re nice, eh!

    joyoushealth.com

  50. Jen says:

    This isn’t a food blog, necessarily – it’s a meal planning service. Which I thought was TOTALLY stupid when I encountered it the first time. And the second time. And probably the third or fourth time too – I don’t remember.

    But after spending stupid amounts of time figuring out what the week’s meal plan would be and ending up with all sorts of one off ingredients cluttering up the pantry and going bad in my fridge, I decided to give it a shot.

    And I really like it! They tell you what you’re cooking that week (which saves me SO MUCH TIME!) It’s different every week, so my husband doesn’t tell me that he LOVES meatloaf – but maybe not every. single. week. It’s got a section on what to prep on Sunday night so the rest of the week is fast. It groups the recipes so that if you use miso for one meal, you’re going to use it a different way for another meal that week – and you don’t worry about buying it one time and having no idea what to use it with again before it molds.

    The comments are usually pretty upbeat and helpful.

    They’ve got veg, paleo, gluten-free, and standard options and adjust your recipe for 2, 4, 6, or 8 people automatically.

    They build your grocery list for you!

    The directions are easy enough that even my husband (whose previous meal standards were chili over rice or ramen noodle guy) cooks dinner some nights and his meals have come out well enough that he kind of brags about what a great cook he is.

    So it’s not quite the same as a *food blog* – but it saves me time and money and stress, so it’s become our thing this year.

    https://www.cooksmarts.com/

    (No special link or anything – I’m not getting a referral code or credit, I just really like them!)

  51. Amanda Walden says:

    SO funny! Glad you’re back! For laughs, I love https://www.thugkitchen.com/ and their recipes are good too. I love AllRecipes.com and their magazine for new recipe ideas.

  52. Vanessa says:

    I’m not loyal to any good blogs ??‍♀️ I just look up recipes and then bookmark the ones I like. Maybe the only recipes I repeat are Martha stewart’s ?

    I just wanted to mention, not sure if you forgot about the usual comment that goes: “This is a great recipe but I substituted the carrots for chocolate, and the almond meal for regular flour and added a cup of regular sugar and chocolate chips…” and basically the commenter has changed the whole damn “paleo carrot cake” recipe to a regular chocolate chocolate chip cake. It’s like ??‍♀️??‍♀️??‍♀️

  53. Genius Post.
    Genius.
    That is all.

  54. Merredith says:

    I also love http://www.skinnytaste.com I’ve never made one of hers I don’t like. I also like damn delicious and a pinch of yum.

    • Shannon says:

      I agree about Skinnytaste! A couple things have been a touch bland for me so I added some seasoning but mostly her stufd is delish! Even my kids eat it!

  55. Denise says:

    For the best easy recipes that anyone can make (fool proof, ha), http://www.DomesticSuperhero.com

  56. Melissa says:

    Must share my hilarious friend and food blogger – the FoodHussy.

    http://www.thefoodhussy.com/

  57. Amanda says:

    Smitten Kitchen
    Not Quite Nigella
    Both have amazing recipes

  58. Sonia S says:

    Mind Over Batter
    Sally’s Baking Addiction
    Brown eyed Baker

  59. we food bloggers love you right back! thefoodhussy.com

  60. and I’ll share another – i love me some plainchicken.com!

  61. Emily says:

    Cannot say enough about Mid Century Menu. midcenturymenu.com

  62. Cassandra says:

    I love this post! I frequently look at recipe comments and they are SO annoying. As someone who is addicted to online reviews, my pet peeve is, “This looks amazing!” posted over and over by people who have NOT made the recipe. I don’t care if it SOUNDS amazing; I want to know if it TASTES amazing! Some of my favorite food blogs are My Heart Beets (paleo, Indian), Nom Nom Paleo (paleo, Asian), PaleOMG, Against All Grain (paleo), and Stupid Easy Paleo. Mark’s Daily Apple isn’t strictly a food blog, but he does have a lot of SUPER yummy recipes – my family loves his meatball recipes and his beef and broccoli recipe.

    • amber says:

      Yes! 50 comments of “I can’t wait to make this!” Nobody does.

    • Rachel says:

      I get the feeling you may be Paleo.
      Try
      The Merrymaker Sisters
      The orange cake is awesome and the salted caramel slice is the best recipe in the universe (and I’ve actually made it, so many times)

  63. Teresa says:

    Love many of the blogs mentioned above. I also really like https://ourbestbites.com/ Family friendly. Sometimes fancy and impressive. Sometimes simple and impressive. Yummy, either way.

  64. You nailed it! As always. This is EXACTLY what it is like.

  65. Renee says:

    I really liked https://iowagirleats.com for a while. Then she went gluten free and I think it went downhill. Some good stuff in the archives.

  66. Rachel says:

    Iambaker
    She’s funny as hell and the zucchini chocolate biscuits (cookies) are amazing.

    And The Merrymaker Sisters
    (Paleo and interesting and easy.)

    Shannons Kitchen
    She had a mad potty mouth and her food is delicious and I love her.

  67. Lisa says:

    So hilarious!!!

    Keto Low Carb https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com

  68. Jeanette says:

    I haven’t updated my food blog in ages, because I have a 2 year old boy and because all the other reasons you posted above. But it used to have the #1 Thai swimming rama recipe on Google for a while. Feel free to peruse!
    http://offthecuffcooking.blogspot.com

  69. Gretchen says:

    More votes for Damn Delicious (really great easy recipes) and The Novice Chef!

  70. Kylie Archer says:

    My best ever comment: how can I make this pavlova without sugar?

    Um yes…so that would be scrambled eggs…

  71. Jessie says:

    Our best bites! So so great!

  72. Shannon says:

    Yes!! This post is everything I love/hate about food blog comments!!

    My 2 go to’s, like I cook something from them at least a few times a week, are Skinnytaste and Our Best Bites. I have done a few Damn Delicious as well, but I seriously use the other 2 every single week. Both are very approachable, easy to navigate, funny, and more-or-less healthy. They also have a variety of foods and cooking methods (crockpot, oven, instapot).

    Also, Our Best Bites has an online shop where they sell flavored oils and vinegars that are AMAZING! The Bacon Olive Oil is a must have in my house!!

  73. Rhonda says:

    I love that it’s not just my pictures that look like barf! I once made this most beautiful cheeseburger pie that I was going to post on a recipe site. It was so gorgeous, I didn’t even want to eat it. I took a picture, loaded it onto my pc, and to my horror.. it looked like absolute barf!!

  74. Raia says:

    Haha! Yep, that’s pretty much exactly what it’s like. Though sometimes, even though we try and be polite, we really want to be strangling people. Like you said, some people should really not be allowed to operate ovens…

  75. Nicole says:

    My favourite food blog is Hel’s Kitchen, written by my friend Helen!!!!

    https://www.facebook.com/helencooking/

    Lots of lovely, down-to-earth and tasty recipes that she has tested on her family 🙂 She normally posts whilst I’m wracking my brains trying to decide what to cook for my lot so it’s great to get some inspiration.

  76. Virginia says:

    I love Creative Culinary. I’ve made a lot of her recipes and we’ve loved them all but I would be a liar if I didn’t say that it’s Friday I love the most. Because every Friday there’s a new cocktail.

    Trust me by Friday I’m ready for a drink!

    https://creative-culinary.com

  77. Suelle says:

    As a food blogger, I can readily identify with all your reasons for not doing it, but the most amusing comments usually appear on commercial recipe sites (eg BBC Good Food) ‘I didn’t like your pork and mushroom recipe, I’d only give it 1 out out of 5. I used chicken instead of pork and can’t eat mushrooms, so used sliced carrots instead!’

  78. Kathleen says:

    My favourite food blogger is EyeCandyPopper. Great recipes, vegan focus but lots of non-vegan recipes too. And as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, you know it will be healthy as well as delicious. And she has mad food photo skills!

    EyeCandyPopper.ca

  79. You are my favorite person in internet land today!
    ~Food Blogger
    https://www.southernplate.com

  80. Lori says:

    I stumbled on this recently. Everything (that I have tried) is delicious!
    https://cafedelites.com

  81. Donna Currie says:

    Actually, we do stab each other with forks. Just kidding. Maybe not.

  82. Lyn says:

    Oh lord lol. First I gotta say, I think you’d be a wonderful food blogger. I’d read that shit.
    Second, don’t fret about those who can’t eat anything asking for substitutes, 99% of the allergy world realizes that they’re responsible for doing that on their own. (Then they can make their own blog of their allergen substitute recipes!)
    Third, after reading this I realized that I don’t actually follow any good bloggers… I mean, there’s the pioneer woman but she’s so popular now that it’s hardly hipster to follow her ?
    Anyway, keep eating that delicious food.

  83. Dan-o says:

    Lol, too real.

    My favourite, and it’s so underrated, is Killing Thyme (killingthyme.net). It has pescatarian and vegetarian recipes, and her tone isn’t overbearing at all but the more you read the more you get to know her quippy personality. And her photos/recipes are dope.

  84. I write a sometimes food blog and you are 100% correct on every single part! And don’t forget the VIDEOS! Film 25 minutes of footage, edit for 10 hours, for a 1 minute video that maybe 5 people will watch. And then they’ll ask the exact question that was addressed IN THE VIDEO that took 10 hours to make! {rams head against wall}

    Anyways, I’m loving it I swear 😉 And if you want to follow, I’m http://www.mirandaincharlotte.com and do mostly desserts since I used to own a bakery!

  85. This IS so perfect! Thank you for the copycat part as I just found a recipe that BIG blogger copied from me and I’m just disgusted. The reason I know is that I added a step that I’ve never seen before and she has it too. Only thing is, she’s changed my recipe enough (to try to hide that she copied it) but enough that all the reviews are bad (it’s not turning out)! Just wish I could confront her to say “THIS IS STEALING. PERIOD!” 🙁 I just pray that karma does her thing.

    Thanks for the funny post, will share for sure!

    Oh, and if you’re looking for honest, solid recipes that are easy, international, and most of all, tasty, you might want to check out http://www.christinascucina.com (my mother was born in Italy and I’m from Scotland) lots to choose from 🙂

  86. Karin says:

    Thank you for being you. So glad your back!

  87. This. Is. Hilarious. Thank you for reminding me not to take the comments personally! My favorite one from this week: “Those cookies look amazing!!” I had posted about Wild Blackberry Muffins with a Lemon Glaze.

    My recipes are homemade from scratch using seasonal ingredients. Come check it out and please leave a ridiculous comment too!

  88. Miranda says:

    When it seems easy, that’s because they do it so well. Just like you make parenting-blogging look so easy 🙂

    I’m so glad you’re back! I am literally laughing out loud and I needed that today!

    I love Chocolate Covered Katie: her blog is vegan and I’m not, but she focuses on making desserts that aren’t too sweet, and they’re often whole-grain as well, which works well for me because I grind my own wheat 🙂

    But for dinners i usually use a book called “Saving Dinner” by LeeAnne Ely (I’m sure I misspelled her name…). It’s a book full of weekly menus, organized by season so it can feature seasonal produce. She emphasizes low-fat but I can usually manage to make it fattier 😉 she also emphasizes lots of veggies, and has us eating fish once a week. With her book I never have to decide what to cook, just follow the weekly menu!

  89. I love so many! (And I’ve decided to go down this road myself with a dessert blog… maybe send help? Haha!) Some of my favorites are Cloudy Kitchen, My Name is Yeh, The Boy Who Bakes, Broma Bakery, and anything by Stella Parkes on Serious Eats. Great photos and recipes on all.

  90. Katrina says:

    I have never followed one single food blogger. B O R I N G. But maybe that’s just because I hate to cook. I like to eat, but I’m lazy. If I can’t pull it off a shelf or yank it from the refridge, then I’m going hungry. Which was okay when I was just responsible for myself. But now that I have ten kids? Ugh. I HATE mealtimes. The worst things about having kids (in my opinion) is that you have to feed them a few times a day even if you don’t want to eat.

  91. Darcie says:

    Your post was spot on and hilarious- sharing!

    my blog is http://www.gourmetcreative.net. Unique recipes with international flair (I was an expat for many years). Some healthy, some not. Attainable by mortals.

    I also enjoy smitten kitchen, and http://www.twosleevers.com (lots of instant pot, Indian and keto- friendly recipes there)

  92. Suzy says:

    I love Skinnytaste. Great dishes and YUMMY!!

    http://www.skinnytaste.com/

  93. Mel says:

    Amber you’re great. I’ve missed reading your blog posts which never fail to crack me up! A few of my faves are the Pioneer woman, damn delicious, and Mel’s kitchen cafe. All use normal ingredients and things my family will actually eat, which is kind of the point of making meals. If it was up to me I’d be eating gourmet trendy vegetable stuffed meals, but I’ll save that for retirement.

  94. Lorena says:

    OMG! LOOOOOOOOOOL!!!! I am a food blogger and I enjoyed your post so so so much! Thank you for the belly laugh! Hilarious!

  95. Amanda says:

    Smitten kitchen and I have been going steady for many years. She doesn’t know.

    My other go to is seriouseats.com. Kenji is a food nerd and has a great variety of ethnic dishes too.

  96. Alison says:

    Catherine Newman
    Love her!

  97. You NAILED it!!! And you may just be my new blogging hero. 🙂
    Tracey {a Food Blogger!} @ The Kitchen is My Playground

  98. Damn Delicious is damn delicious. Check it out.

  99. Leah says:

    Thank you so much for blogging again. I laughed so hard out loud that I was crying while reading this post. I’m so glad you’re back.

  100. Laurie says:

    This is the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time. I answer these sort of questions every. single. day.

    Examples from tonight:

    On my hard lotion recipe (not even food, but still a recipe)

    “I think it would have been helpful to state the amount of each product used… Clarification would be helpful—at least to me…Looks like others didn’t have an issue”

    Others didn’t have an issue because they read the recipe, which states, ”Use 1 part each, by weight. For instance, 2 ounces of each ingredient.”

    On the pumpkin fruit leather recipe:

    “Considering this is made with milk I am having a hard time believing it would last months stored in a jar or even a fridge, without freezing.”

    My response: “Canned milk, which is shelf stable, not fresh milk. I do normally keep it in the fridge. It’s lasted about 6 weeks with no fur or other signs of spoilage before being eaten. The various spices have a preservative effect in addition to adding flavor.”

    It never ends. I love my readers, but sometimes the comments leave me shaking my head.

  101. Karla Gore says:

    Ha Ha! Spot ON!

    Thanks for making this food blogger laugh out loud. BTW, my favorite food blogs are: halfbakedharvest.com, joythebaker.com, and smittenkitchen.com

  102. Laura says:

    Smitten kitchen for sure!

    JoyFoodSunshine.com too!

  103. This is hilarious and SO accurate. Thanks for the laugh and being so observant! 🙂

  104. Renee says:

    I once saw a post for banana ice cream – 1 ingredient… bananas! Someone who was allergic to bananas asked if there was a sub option. Seriously? Just don’t make it…

  105. CAN’T STOP LAUGHING (and I’m a food blogger!) Seriously, I love this so much! Thank you for keepin’ it real 🙂

    One thing people ask me all the time- “so, do you actually eat the food?”
    Umm…YES!

    So many amazing food bloggers out there (big and SMALL) xo

  106. This gave me a real laugh because it is sooo spot on!! A comment that was made on my blog recently made you wonder if the person could burn water! It was for my balsamic thyme bacon recipe and was “This recipe is dangerous! I almost burned my kitchen down, no where in your instructions did it tell me I had to watch the bacon as it cooked.”

    Another favorite of mine was asked on my Facebook page, “how big of a cookie sheet did they need to roast a turkey?”

    Please don’t do that unless you want be homeless from oven burning your house down!

    As a food blogger you do wonder what happened to common sense? Is he on vacation? He seriously needs to come back from it!

    Thank you for a great post!!!

  107. Murphy R says:

    If you like Korean food and flavors, Jessica Tom’s recipes are SOOOO good. The link is to one of my favorite things in the world, Slow Cooker Miso Ginger Garlic Chicken.
    http://www.jessicatom.com/blog/2012/10/02/slow-cooker-miso-ginger-garlic-chicken

  108. Julia says:

    This isn’t a food blogger, but an awesome Sunday night dinner in winter. If you get winter. Sorry, from NZ! Especially when you get bored with cutting veggies. This is a meatless veggieless tea ☺ http://www.slowcookercentral.com/recipe/self-saucing-chocolate-pudding/

  109. Hayley says:

    Bahahaha! I laughed all the way though this. I read a LOT of food blogs. I basically rely on them for all my recipes because my kids are intolerant of basically all foods except some unusual ones… and fortunately there are a lot of food bloggers addressing those unusual foods. 😉 I have noticed all those things you mentioned and am constantly rolling my eyes at the comments! 😀
    Some of my favourite food blogs: http://theemancipatedepicure.weebly.com (Paleo, gluten free, sugar free, AIP recipes)
    http://www.easygfrecipes.com (Gluten free, paleo)
    https://thecuriouscoconut.com (Paleo, gluten free, some AIP recipes)

  110. Kristine says:

    This is perfect! M favorite blogs are SixSistersstuff.com and thefoodieandthefix.com. The latter I went to school with, she’s kinda amazing and it’s healthy!

  111. I love how this post actually made me laugh out loud. Like I didn’t just smirk silently and type LOL. I actually did LOL.

  112. Emma says:

    You made me laugh!
    One foodblog I like is:
    http://www.cooking-with-diana.blogspot.com

  113. Sarah says:

    Simplebites.net is great for family recipes

  114. Oh my days! This cracked me up! Have you hit the nail on the head or what 🙂 Thank you so much for this.

  115. This day, you have brought much joy and laughter to the lives of food bloggers everywhere. And here we thought nobody got it. ? Spot on with this, my friend! Keep the quick wit coming!

    Love,
    A Food Blogger ❤️

  116. Michelle Mossey says:

    Amber, this blog post cracks me up! All of your thoughts are spot on. This post brought me some well needed chuckles first thing in the morning.
    My favorite food blog is Halfbaked Harvest. (halfbakedharvest.com) Tegan has amazing recipes (I have tried several) and all of her photography is so beautiful!

  117. Thank you for making me smile, laugh and snarf! As a food blogger, I can say it is all so very true. I have encountered all of the above and even scoffed half my meal before I have realised, no photo!

  118. Rachael Rydbeck says:

    Your post a few weeks ago inspired me to kick the heels on my food blog again. My family relocated to Chile over the summer and I’m having fun sharing our favorite recipes.

    http://www.cookingwithrachael.com/blog/

  119. This is so true.. Hilarious! Thanks a lot for this post. And I am a food blogger! 🙂
    https://blendwithspices.com

  120. Robin Fordham says:

    David Lebovitz.com
    American living in Paris…
    He comes back to the states a lot, so writes about the differences in food cultures and also writes about wonderful east coast restaurants. Also, great cocktail recipes!! I love that in a food blog.

  121. Rachel says:

    I like smittenkitchen, and is 101cookbooks still around? used to like it a lot, but often need to slightly modify for the more picky among us.
    Also – you are so funny! we are so happy you are back!

  122. Tara says:

    This isn’t a food blog but, Reddit has an entire sub dedicated to recipes in GIF form. People are uploading new stuff everyday and it ranges from appetizers, meals, drinks, desserts – all of the things! Reddit has other cooking/food subs, but I enjoy browsing GIFRECIPES – I really like watching the meals come together and not just looking at perfectly put together pictures.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/GifRecipes/

  123. ML says:

    You always make me laugh out loud! Thank you. Food blogs you may like? https://smittenkitchen.com/, http://www.thekitchn.com/recipes

  124. Rebiccola says:

    Now I am going to have to try making Buttcakes for my daughter and husband. After years of pancake failures, I finally found a recipe that I can’t seem to mess up: Chocolate Covered Katie’s Oatmeal Pancakes. Her other recipes are great too. https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com

  125. Chrissy says:

    As a food blogger, this made me totally laugh, and all the things that you talked about initially (ie, taking the ugliest pictures ever and convincing people that ‘it really does taste great!’). If you’re looking for ways to mix things up, I’d love for you to check out my blog: http://thehungarybuddha.com. Cheers!

  126. Laura says:

    How Sweet Eats always looks amazing when I see her stuff on Instagram. I have made a few things and they are ALL amazing. Also, Show Me Some Oven. Love that you are making crappy pictures again! <3 Thank you!

  127. Hahahaha! Thank you for the chuckle! And yes, I sometimes forget I have to photograph what I’ve made–the struggle is real!

    Food bloggers I enjoy:
    http://SavorySimple.com
    http://NutmegNanny.com
    http://TasteLoveandNourish.com
    http://BakeaholicMama.com
    http://Healthy-Delicious.com
    http://NotJustBaked.com

  128. April says:

    After scrolling the other comments, it appears to me no one has recommended http://www.cookieandkate.com yet. It’s my favorite food blog. Every recipe I have tried from Kate’s site has turned out great.

  129. Allison Merrill says:

    I didn’t read all the comments, but I have to agree with the ourbestbites.com recommendations! They do some of everything and it’s all sooooooo good!

  130. Christina says:

    Tihihi
    But sooo true.

  131. Melle Pigut says:

    I’m a French food blogger and this seems to be true all over the world ! 😛
    I’m also à cookbook author and cooking instructor and… you’ll be happy to know that you get the same comments about recipe books AND face to face during courses. Hilarious !
    Thanks for this post 😉

  132. Oh my goodness, as a food blogger, I absolutely love this!!!! I laughed through the whole thing. Love it, love it.

    Feel free to stop by anytime – butteryum.org

  133. Joleen says:

    Hilarious post! I’m a blogger, but we write about d writhing in Austin, including food! It’s http://www.austinot.com. The one I read and follow the most is http://thefoodiemiles.com/, but it’s more food/travel stories with occasional recipes than merely recipes. Happy reading! Thanks for the laugh!

  134. Kinzie says:

    Hahaha viagra recipes. I’ve missed you.

  135. Brenda says:

    Smitten kitchen is awesome. And she’s fun to read. With 2 kids that are delicious. Lots of vegetarian but lots of meat too. And don’t skip the sweets. Swoon

  136. Mary Jones says:

    Love the soylent green! This whole post makes the long wait for you to come back totally worth it! Made me lol several times.

  137. Karen says:

    This is my life. My blog is at http://www.karenreallylikesfood.com/ if you would like some delicious and easy recipes.

  138. Wendy says:

    Funny read and too true. What does my head in is when you have to scroll for what seems like miles past dozens of photos that are pretty much all the same to eventually get to a recipe! Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the work that goes into the styling, but I don’t need to see the same dish from 20 different angles. I’m all about simple food, simple ingredients and simple recipes.
    I have a healthy living business, with recipes on the blog and I keep things very simple – a couple of quick snaps with my iPhone, that’s about it. This is me: http://wendyswaytohealth.com
    A favourite of mine that has easy to make delicious, healthy treats is http://wholefoodsimply.com

  139. Michelle w says:

    I don’t know what your flavor of food preferences are, but I really like herbivoracious.com. Btw, your friend’s book “Parents Need to Eat Too” or something like that has saved my daughter’s family’s life.

  140. Mafaza says:

    I just couldn’t stop laughing.
    well wait, will that become a joke one day ???
    I am a food blogger
    Have a nice day.

  141. Nadia says:

    Funniest thing ever!! I am a good blog nut and I love to go for smaller blogs like http://cookienameddesire.com and http://megiswell.com and http://blahnikbaker.com and http://sugarhero.com I like to bake lol

  142. Sabrina Wilson says:

    The Kitchn: thekitchn.com
    Pioneer Woman: thepioneerwoman.com
    So…Let’s hang out: soletshangout.com
    America’s Test Kitchen: americastestkitchen.com

  143. Sarah Hardy says:

    As a food blogger, I thoroughly enjoyed your post! So accurate! Thank you for the laugh!

  144. Lois. O says:

    I can totally relate, I once had someone write me a long message about how my “nomenclature” of a ramen recipe I shared was alienating some West Africans because they call it something different… smh! But like you said, I LOVE all the comments… Always! (Grinning and Twitching). If you are looking for something different I run a food blog focused on African and Afro-Tropical recipes http://www.yummymedley.com
    I might send you on an adventure to African markets and Asian stores sometimes, but the flavors will rock your palette! No lie!

  145. Elizabeth says:

    Great post — laughed out loud! I LOVE Once Upon a Chef. Recipes are easy to follow, have easy-to-find ingredients and are delicious every time!

  146. Susan Minich says:

    Oh this is hilarious! I was dying! So true! Someone literally posted on my blog once, “interesting, but those combinations of ingredients don’t sound good to me”. Or “I like this the sound of this, but I don’t eat corn.” Just don’t comment people! LOL.

  147. Hahah, I so agree with all of these. One of the reasons I don’t post that much as a food blogger is because I forget to take the photos! It’s a problem with dinners, because they look AWFUL after they are cooled. Like, do you want this congealed cheese pizza? Um.. yeah. I think not.

    One of the sites I haven’t seen here that I go to almost all of the time is https://www.howsweeteats.com/. She is hilarious and her recipes are awesome!

  148. Oh, my word! This is our world. You made me LOL so hard. My favorite reader comment was on my recipe for BUTTERMILK Pie.

    “I really want to make this recipe but I don’t like buttermilk. What can I use instead?”

    If you remove the thing that makes it the thing, it’s no longer the thing.
    https://syrupandbiscuits.com

  149. Dori says:

    I usually just search Pinterest for recipes that use whatever ingredient I over-optimistically purchased at the grocery store and then look for something that only uses ingredients I have at home. However, blogs that I end up on frequently because of all this searching include Damn Delicious, Smitten Kitchen, Iowa Girl Eats, blog that infests your phone with pop-ups, blog with way too much narrative and sponsored pictures before you get to the actual recipe, etc.

  150. Love this post, so bang on the money! If you ever need some quick, budget friendly recipes do pop over to https://www.fabfood4all.co.uk ?

  151. Thank you for maintaining your sense of humor, we food bloggers need this.

    My blog is about all things vegan (and my recipes are also generally gluten-free), from mushrooms and fermentation to cooking with pressure cookers. http://www.theveggiequeen.com

  152. hwd says:

    Crepes of Wrath is really good!

  153. Kim F says:

    The Wooden Skillet is excellent.

  154. Linda says:

    Oh my gosh too funny and oh so true!!! On a website I follow (Allrecipes.com) people rate the recipe with 1-5 stars. The ones that crack me up are the ones who substitute every single ingredient and then give the recipe a low rating saying they didn’t like it! OMG people!!!

  155. Em says:

    I really like thewednesdaychef.com and orangette.net.

    Neither update regularly anymore, but their archives are great!

  156. This is really funny! I’ve added a few hats to my sparkle-haired head over these past few year: organic farmer, personal chef, dietetics student, food photographer… so naturally I would want to start my own blog. 😉 All my recipes are plant-based and include a number of things I’ve grown myself.
    http://www.aseatatmytable.com

  157. As an actual food blogger, I really appreciate this post. It’s hilarious because it’s all true! Especially the comments about “I didn’t like your recipe because I don’t like X” Some people really shouldn’t be using ovens. Or knives. You are more than welcome to browse my recipes at livelytable.com!

  158. Angie connolly says:

    I’m so glad to have your blog to read again! I would
    Love to donate a little green to you (I’m pretty broke but how does $20 sound?). Or I could save for a while and send u a Cool $100! Where would I send it? I’m sure u have a tiny P.O. box somewhere!!

  159. Donita says:

    This was a 5-snort worthy read. It was so spot on.

    Check out Vegan Richa. Lots of amazing recipes. Skews somewhat towards Indian flavors (though plenty of non-Indian too).

  160. Becky says:

    All cupcakes and things related. Added bonus, most of them are from cake mixes. You’re welcome.
    http://www.yourcupofcake.com/

  161. Nicole, RD says:

    Hilarious!!! Loved this 🙂

  162. Nancy says:

    This is the funniest and most accurate article on what food blogging is like. Thank you so much for giving me a much needed good laugh!

  163. funnyrecord says:

    creative post and it has an element of fun

  164. Gretchen says:

    Oh, man, I just found out you’re posting again! This is one of my favorite blogs!

    For recipes, I love The Redhead Baker. https://www.theredheadbaker.com

  165. Renana says:

    Hahahaha that was a great summary! This is my blog: http://Renanas.kitchen it’s all about easy recipes and mainly vegetarian!

  166. Nicole Hood says:

    This made my day! I’m a food blogger and I can so relate to those crazy comments and the copycat recipes. Thanks for a great article.

  167. Evie says:

    Hi there,

    I tried this blog post out in my kitchen but it came out too wet. I am also allergic to the colour purple and the word word “blog”. What would you recommend I used instead of this blog post?
    😉