Notes of a Budding Epicurean

Here's a neat treat for food lovers and/or kitchen mavens with a conscience.

The Barilla Celebrity Pasta Lovers’ Cookbook is celebrating its 130th birthday with a bang that you don't often see or hear about in the world of corporate anniversary celebrations. By this I mean that the Italian brand is donating $1 to the Children's Food Education Foundation, an organization which aims to help children make healthy food choices, for every unique download of the 37-page cookbook. You can help contribute a little goodness by clicking here.



So I did my share and I'm sure someday the uber-tasty recipes that are found in the cookbook will personally be put to good use. I may not know how to cook anything more complex than scrambled eggs to save my life, but I sure as hell can ogle these babies to death--or at least until I collapse from dehydration caused by extensive salivating.

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Another fabulous food blog find, in the tradition of The Chubby Hubby, Desserts Come First, and The Scent of Green Bananas. This latest addition to the blogroll is one that's bound to be a favorite of mine, and hopefully some of those who stumble upon this post who likewise share an appreciation for great food.

Aapplemint is not your ordinary food blog. By this I mean the author, Kate Kajal, is not your run-of-the-mill food blogger. Not only does she whip up these divine concoctions for all the blogging world to enjoy (sadly only visually, of course), but she does so without having had any formal training in baking or cooking. Kind of makes me hopeful that someday I might actually accidentally exorcise my inner Nigella, or at least channel the home soul vibe of Ina Garten, the Martha Stewart of East Hampton who cooks in the show Barefoot Contessa. Of course, I'll never know until I try, right? Hmmm, now there's a thought... Wow, I just got myself excited. Possibilities, possibilities. Don't you just love the word? But I digress.

Before my ADHD reclaims me and diverts me from the current train of thought, let me add that apart from the knockout recipes that you can find in Aapplemint, Ms. Kajal's pictures simply rawk. You gotta love the panache and effort she puts into the styling of her, uhm, outputs. (Sorry for the lack of a better-sounding term--can't think of anything more aptly enticing at the top of my head right now.) If there's anything that I love more than photos of food that's yumminess exemplified, it's photos of food that's yumminess exemplified that were taken with photographic flair and perspective. You'll understand when you check her out yourself.







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I gotta say, looking at the photos from the blogs above adds to the sense of epiphany that's slowly been gaining form at the periphery of my subconscious since the time I discovered that I, well, really love food. Was that too many words? Sorry I couldn't be more laconic with that one. What I'm trying to say is, I think that maybe food styling is the one arm-chair passion that I can actually try and maybe go crazy with enough to jump into headlong and full-time. I know, I know. Totally out of whack. I dunno. It's just a thought, like you never know. Then again it might just be the tummy voicing out its revolt against my personal mandate to self-regulate late-night snacking.

Whatev. All I know is that food styling has the elements of some of the things that I'm truly passionate about: food and photography. Now if I can only get around to getting my hands "dirty" and actually doing these things, instead of just getting into the spirit of it all, then maybe I can say that I'm finally getting somewhere in my life. But that's stuff for a totally different post.