Virtual Kitchens

Looking to spice up your weekly menu? Need culinary inspiration? Collegian Photo Editor, junior Chuck Grimmett has it covered, in his Top 5 Food Blog Roundup. 

1. The Kitchn

The Kitchn (no e) is one of my favorites. Clean, simple design, with tons of new content daily. If you are gluten-free and looking for great recipe ideas, check this blog out. (It is also great for meat lovers and meat abstainers alike.) More than just recipes from around the world, this site is chock-full of tips for both the serious eater and the culinary dabbler. Recent tips include: keeping your kitchen clean, simplifying your pantry, what to eat to help fight depression, and the best herbs to grow indoors. Also, what can I say? I am a sucker for good photos and this blog does not disappoint.

2. Serious Eats

"Missionaries of the Delicious"

Serious Eats is by far my favorite blog. The site has great new content daily, from quirky recipes and restaurant reviews to drink and food pairing tips. The articles contain an interesting mix of culinary and scientific info, not to mention great photography. Serious Eats also keeps me updated on culinary news. Interesting daily and weekly columns include Gluten-Free Tuesday, Slice (pizza reviews), A Hamburger Today, A Sandwich A Day, Serious Grape, Edible DIY and Serious Eats New York. This blog has something for everyone. I am inspired to cook time and time again when I read Serious Eats. 

3. Simply Recipes

This is the blog I go to when I am looking for something out of the ordinary or a different twist on a traditional meal. (This might not be true for everyone, but this site tends to post things I am not used to eating.) What I like best about this blog is its searchability. Have leeks in the fridge you need to use? Just search for "leeks" and you will see a list of recipes you can use them in. (Oh, the photos are pretty good on this site, too. See a trend?) 

4. Chow 

Chow is where I go when I am looking for something deliciously healthy to cook. The "Healthy Cooking" section is wonderful for anyone looking to go on a diet without sacrificing taste. It also has pretty good links to news in the culinary world. Chow is also a great resource for vegetarians and vegans, as it has the highest percentage of vegetarian/vegan recipes of all the food blogs I read. Once again, great photos. 

5. Pioneer Woman

The food from this blog reminds me of the great tasting stuff my mom and grandmothers make: simple yet sophisticated comfort food with a twist. The big strength of this blog is the step-by-step photos with every post. (The photos are well done!) If you are learning how to cook, being able to see what the recipes look like every step of the way is very helpful. The recipes they have featured are easily searchable so you don't have to go through pages and pages of archives to find something specific. When visiting this blog, make sure you go to the cooking section, lest you have to dig through posts about the Pioneer Woman's family and ranch to get to the tasty food. (One plus is that she hosts occasional photo contests and posts the best entries.)

(all photos screenshots)

What about you? What food blogs do you read for inspiration?

Still to come...

Check back for photo editor Chuck Grimmett's top food blog recommendations and Opinions Editor Betsy Woodruff on "Why I became a food blogger." 

Got recipes, blog round-ups or reviews to contribute? E-mail mvandervaart@hillsdale.edu. 

Sartorialist behind the scenes

Junior Abba Kidenda's wardrobe is full of color. 

Her necklaces are made of colored paper, beads, nuts and seed pods. 

Her style icon? Her mother.  "I'm blessed to have a stylish mother," she said, laughing. 

New Year, New Layers

With the advent of the terrible winter months in Hillsdale, the Collegian Arts and Style team has been scouring fashion blogs for ideas to spruce up winter closets without sacrificing style. Favorite finds include street style blogs from around the world, especially from places like Denmark and Sweden, where old man winter is no stranger.

Key take aways? Oversized doesn't have to be ugly, and accents like a colorful scarf or bow tie can dress up any outfit.

Images from Copenhagen Street Style

Sartorialist Behind the Scenes

Sartorialist in Stocks Mill

Senior and former Collegian photo editor William Clayton shot last issue's Sartorialist pictures at the Stocks Mill downtown in about an hour. Freshman Aaron Schepps was his model.


Clayton took this shot in an abandoned warehouse portion of the mill, he said, where a huge stack of crates provided a backdrop to Schepps. The room was dark enough to fade away from the subject he said.


For lighting in the shoot, Clayton used devices like a "beauty dish" and "shoot-through-umbrella."

Clayton said he wanted the backgrounds to make Schepps stand out, instead of distracting from him.

"I was looking for a little bit more contrasting shots," he said, "like more focused on the subject than the background. A background always being darker than the subject in the foreground just to make him pop."


Although this is a close-up, Clayton was standing about 30 feet away from Schepps for this shot, he said. He used a 70-200 mm lens.

Clayton used a Nikon D300 camera to take these pictures.

all pictures william clayton/collegian

Paint Your Own Pottery

This week in Vibe, Pam Symes reviewed a new Hillsdale city paint-your-own pottery place called Toasted Mud.


Toasted Mud owner Jonna Macy, has lived in Hillsdale for 11 years with her husband, two children and two dogs. After teaching art at Will Carleton Acadamy for seven years, Macy and her husband decided to open up a store in downtown Hillsdale.

photographs by sally nelson/collegian

Hours:

Sunday	12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday-Wednesday	10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday-Friday	10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday	10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information check out Toasted Mud's facebook page:
www.facebook.com/pages/Hillsdale-MI/ToastedMud/107710869282978

More Pictures from Megan Moss!

Sophomore Megan Moss plays with bandmates sophomore Sam Johnson and junior Drew French.
pictures by shannon odell/collegian