I really do spend the majority of my day researching/ drooling over food blogs… which I don’t mind whatsoever. I could think of many worse things such as stapling papers, shredding documents, and making coffee. Trust me, no one wants me to be making coffee- I mess up the most elementary cooking techniques yet I am able to pull off esoteric dishes at the drop of a hat. Weird. Anyway, after having spent the last year (before my internship even began, I spent an inordinate amount of time on food sites) I am now able to say I found a few that truly blow me away.
1) Smitten Kitchen- www.smittenkitchen.com- Ok so I came upon this site over 3 months ago, so my adoration for the site just began recently. I will say, however, I rarely see as many followers for one site as I do on S.K. Every recipe posted receives around 150-200 comments. That is utter insanity. Even if the recipe is something as mundane as “Brioche rolls” there are usually 180 comments. Why you may ask? The unbelievable step by step photo photography.

2) 101 Cookbooks- www.101cookbooks.com- I have loved this website for over a year now; this vegetarian recipe site is unreal- I wish some of the dishes for main courses would include poultry, fish, steak ANYTHING but clearly, unless she changes her opinions on animal cruelty and or her disposition against eating animals, I must choose recipes that consist mainly of beans, and lentils. I think her baked goods are the main draw to the website, but that’s just my opinion.

3) Serious Eats- www.seriouseats.com- Ok, so, if you’ve ever met me you know how much of a Serious Eater fan I am. I have been a daily reader of this food blog for way over 2 years now. It is nothing out of the ordinary, nor does it contain beautiful photographs or even recipes! Why you ask am I just a fan? I can’t really explain it. The site is primarily a compilation of food news, gossip, and clips from other bloggers/ food related websites. I think it’s the ability to get all of your foodie news on one site that makes me enjoy reading. I have asked them for internships/jobs/writing positions for 2 years now, unfortunately, they respond that Boston isn’t their headquarters and in order for me to sell my soul for free as their intern, I must find housing in NYC. No thanks.

4) Tastespotting- www.tastespotting.com- This site is very straight forward- they are an open forum based site that allows foodies, chefs, anyone who really likes to cook and photograph it to upload their gorgeous food pics onto their website. The site literally contains thousands upon thousands of images of amazing looking food. Ok so you may be asking what’s the point of this? It’s to “inspire” they claim. My interest in the websites a bit different, seeing as that I don’t cook good enough to even properly toast waffles let alone “re-create souffles” uploaded on their site. I love the feature of the site that allows you to click on the person’s personal blog after you view their photography. It opens your world in terms of up and coming food bloggers. I find new pages daily that I love.

5) Closet Cooking- http://closetcooking.blogspot.com- If you were to click on the profile photo of the blog’s owner you would be so surprised. I would assume he was a librarian, perhaps a mechanical engineer that never really saw broad daylight. When you see the skill this guy has in cooking and the ability to photograph it- you will be blown away, I am certain. His recipes are so expansive and delicious I have no doubt this blog will blow up very soon.






#7- Sixteen Candles- I guess the reason I picked this one over Breakfast Club and the other 80’s classics was because we can all relate to the plot; a teen, full of angst, upset that her family members forgot her “most crucial” birthday. Hey, I walked into my house after having turned 21 this weekend in hopes of seeing balloons, circus folk, and towers of presents. I was instead welcomed by deflating balloons from my brother’s graduation party last weekend. Oh well.
#6- Harry Potter- If you want to know whether or not I’m a Harry Fanatic, the answer is most definitely NO. While in London, over 10 years ago, I stumbled upon Harry Potter in the bookstore. I read the first one and was captivated by the entire plot, setting, and character developments. Once it hit the US however it became a fanatical obsession for most girls my age, hence why my interest slowly dissolved. The reason I’m including this in the list i because I want nothing more in life than to live in Hogwarts — really, I am willling to forgo the rest of my undergraduate education to reside in Hogwarts full-time. Something about the spookiness of the “hidden rooms”, the beautiful cafeteria, and the Quidditch games are all mesmorizing to me.
#5- Texas Chainsaw- Are there other more well known ‘classic horror movies’? Of course there are. Amd I will say I do like my fair share of the classics, i.e. Halloween, The Shining, so on and so forth. But, there’s something so dark and twisted about Texas Chainsaw. The setting is this rural Southern town full of people who partake in incest — they all cover for one other’s dark secrets, more specifically, the killer’s. I just think the whole idea of landing in a back wash town with no access to the outside world, oh and the fact that a man who enjoys sewing body parts of dead human’s to his face gives me chills every time.
#3- Grease- I remember countless nights when I was a child, unable to sleep, passing time watching Grease. I loved the dancing, the hot pants, and of COURSE JOHN TRAVOLTA. Sigh. The music from this movie hasn’t been surpassed by many other movies since, in my opinion.
#1- Dirty Dancing- I have way too much to say about this movie, so instead of listing off the reasons why I love it all I will tell you to do is this: IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT, GO RIGHT NOW TO BLOCKBUSTER. (Do people still go there?) Better yet, NETFLIX IT.








5) Finally, GREAT WHITES. I saw Jaws, of course, but prior to Jaws, I had a violent fear of Great Whites. Why you may ask? I sail, and when sailing in the dark many many things cross your mind. OH like, what would happen if a MASSIVE DEADLY GREAT WHITE, for example, DECIDED TO EAT YOUR ENTIRE DINGIE IN ONE GULP. I am still envisioning a white fin in the water every time I help my dad out on the boats.
For example, let’s look at some of the best of the best in regards to 90’s McDonald’s Toys. You gave me Beanie Babies AND Chicken Fingers? You were better than Santa Claus in my book. 








Johanna II – Gertsch
