Truthiness, Paula Deen, Food Blogs

Ok, I admit it. After revisiting it, my chicken salad sucked. I didn't follow the recipe as I should've. So...lesson learned. If following a recipe, follow it the first time to the letter to taste the dish as the creator intended. At that point, feel free to play with ingredients to change it up.

I actually got this last bit of advice from the irresistable queen of Southern Hospitality, Paula Deen. I just finished her biography called " It Ain't All About the Cookin, Y'All.'". Two things struck me about this book:

1) It was most assuredly written by her. I'm sure she had help, but the voice is clearly Paula's. Southern twang and sayings intact, thank you very much.

2) She is brutally honest. It had to have been painful for her to include every humiliating moment on her climb to the top. But she did.

That woman had quite the ride. Love her or hate her, no one can deny she hasn't earned every bit of success she enjoys. By the way, I love her....unequivocally.

I finally took the time today to surf food blogs. Oh my word.....it was like Christmas. I've truly been missing out. My instant fave is Matt Bites. Other new loves include Amateur Gourmet, Foodbuzz and Mark Bittman's New York Times site. The one thing that is totally intimidating to me is that all of these sites are from true expert foodies.

I am not swayed, though. That's the point....I may be confounded, but I will learn to be a better cook and I will continue to write about life as I see it....in food.