Spring Eating

I don’t know about you, but this warm Spring-ish weather has me thinking about food.   Like most people I look forward to each new season for lots of reasons, but this year the one thing that has me most excited is all the new ingredients that will be popping up soon in the grocery store and farmers’ markets.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the heavy soups, stews and casseroles we eat to keep us going through the tough Pittsburgh winters; but I for one am ready for the fresh vegetables and fruits that’ll be coming our way soon.

As a kid I spent a lot of time in my Grandma’s kitchen.  I watched her make the most memorable dishes of my life, and together we made many, many cookies.  But after I hit about 14 my idea of a fun time changed and I spent less time cooking and soon forgot most of the cooking skills I did have.  For years I didn’t cook more than a box of Macaroni and Cheese.  Now I regret all the time and practice I lost.

These days I’m trying to make up for lost time by cooking as much as I can.   Cook books are obviously a terrific resource… see some highlighted by Kim a few weeks ago here.

Plus a few of my favorites…

But I must say, my biggest cooking inspiration comes from the amazing community of food bloggers out there.   You can find exotic, ethnic dishes to experiment with or simple American classics.  The variety is almost endless, most food bloggers have no professional training, and many are teens!  Food blogs put great recipes and a really fun and rewarding hobby within everyone’s reach.

Check out a few of my favorite food blogs in no particular order…bonus points for post your favorite food blog in the comments!

17 and Baking

The Sophisticated Gormet

Matt Bites

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Smitten Kitchen

and…

Celiac Teen: Let go of the gluten

Happy eating!

~brooke

Teen review: Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell

My name is Jenna. I go to a high school where I’m part of the marching band and the cheerleading squad. I’m pretty busy, but I always find time to read. I’m also very creative and I like doing little crafts out of random things I find.

Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell

This book is amazing. Terrell takes the point of view of Ellie, whose real name is Ellspeth. For the first fifteen years of her life, she was just a normal girl who traveled a ton with her parents. She had a best friend named Ruth who she shared EVERYTHING with, and she never had a serious boyfriend.

But now, she’s sixteen years old, and her whole life is changing. She has dreams every night of her flying, but she never thought much of them. A new boy comes to town and he instantly takes interest in Ellie. His name is Michael. Ellie and Michael become really close and as they are becoming closer, they learn more about each other.

Michael made Ellie realize that the flying wasn’t just a dream, that she truly CAN fly, and so can he. He admitted to having powers just like her and told Ellie that they are different from everyone else.

He was right. The two teenagers uncover a story that they would have never imagined, and everything that they thought they knew about their life previously, is wrong.

This book also ties in with Bible stories and the novel is so good that it makes you almost believe that the story of Michael and Ellie is true. I was interested in this book from the very first page and it was really easy to understand. I definitely recommend this novel!