"FoodBloggers" news and stories

Tomato and Olympus camera. Photo: Emily Farris.

These days, food porn seems almost to be giving the old-fashioned kind a run for its money. Everyone with a digital camera and an appetite fancies him or herself an amateur food pornographer, which is to say there's a lot of bad food photography out there alongside the good stuff.

Camera companies are catching on to the trend and trying to make a buck, with digital point and shoot models that are manufactured with food photography settings, like this Olympus which has a "cuisine" option, and this Sony, with its "gourmet food" mode. Chances are good that if you purchased a camera recently, it has some kind of food photography option and you don't even know it. If your food photographs are less than porntastic (like the tomato shot here), it might be worth your while to consult your camera's manual or look online to find out.

If you don't have a food setting, don't rush right out to buy a new camera that does.

One pro shutterbug's opinion, after the jump.

• The entire staff of the Philadelphia Inquirer food section has gone through the stacks of cookbooks they received this year and have featured their absolute favorites. Makes me want to head to the bookstore immediately.
• For the bakers on your list, check out these latest cookbooks.
• In addition to training your brain, your Nintendo DS can now teach you how to make dinner.
• This week's Market Basket has got Baked Ricotta di Bufala from Claudio's, head chef tools for kids and Khaya Cookies from South Africa.
• Rick Nichols attends the local food blogger potluck and offers his take on the experience (my online cooking show and the salad I brought get a mention).
• This week, the Rush Hour Gourmet is serving up Pepper Steak.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Philly-area food blogger potluck. I love these gatherings, because it is an opportunity to taste a huge variety of foods, all prepared by people who more than usually interested in such things. At the last potluck, someone had brought a tray of what looked like plain tea sandwiches. Triangles of white bread, crusts removes, and a thin layer of orange-y cheese in the middle.

I steered clear of this particular tray for sometime, a little appalled that someone would have brought something so seemingly basic. Then, as I was talking to a friend, she said, "Have you tried the pimento cheese sandwiches? They are amazing!"

Upon her urging, I walked over to the food table and picked up a triangle and bit in. I discovered that what I had taken for soul-less white bread was actually a bit chewy and sour, with a fresh, newly baked aroma. And the cheese that was holding the slices together? Pimento cheese that was pungent, sharp, tangy and wonderful. These were not my Aunt Doris's tea sandwiches.

Earlier this week, Cookthink ran a post about the many ways that it's possible to reinvent pimento cheese, which made me start thinking of those potluck sandwiches. I think that there is pimento cheese in my very near future.

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Across Europe bloggers are planning a little foodie exchange. It's such a fun thing to do (and I know there have been Canadian versions) where five or six little food related items are carefully selected and packaged for shipping out to a fellow food blogger.

The anticipation of receiving a parcel in returnis hard to explain - but as you don't know from who yours will be from just adds to the fun and excitment. There are the nerves that yours wont arrive in time or in one piece (such are the vagaries of the postal services) but invariably they do and then the anticipation over what you will be getting in return. Sometimes it is a blogger you read, other times it is someone new. It certainly broadens the on-line community spirit. In the past I have received fresh lemons from a bloggers garden, a delicious cheesecake (tricky sending fresh stuff in the post though), jams, spiced bread and more. Others have sent magazines, ingredients and recipes, homemade jams, speciality chocolates - all sorts in fact.

This is the fifth time a UK blogger has hosted such an exchange. This round sees Cooksister organising the list. She has selected a Summer theme for the goodies. What joys await!

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I think everyone is still recovering from the truly scrumptious food that Johanna (Passionate Cook) and Jeanne (Cooksister) 'threw together' for a little bloggersmeet up yesterday. I say still recovering as only one has managed to blog about it yet - except OwlFish (who is middle of back row in turquoise top - I think).

We convened in Johanna's London pad, drank copious amounts of pink Cava (well I did) and ate until the sun went down. All that Cava makes Andrew a thicko as I can't actually remember who is who in the photo. Jeanne is far left next to the delicious Pille, who stopped off on route to Greece, then Johanna. In front of Johanna, looking demur is Xochitl of Xochitl Cooks. The Chap behind is her husband whose name I forget. We have Christina in front of OwlFish (again a name is needed Andrew!). Standing next to her in the black top is Anna of (one of my favourite blogs) Annes Food. Peeking over her shoulder is Amy - who gave us a load of gossip from the San Fran blog scene - and in the red is June of Bread, Water, Salt, Oil . That is me in the white shirt and sun-glasses before the chocolate fountain decided to drip all over my  pristine attire!

I am sure all these bloggers have their own take on events to blog about - as soon as everything has been fully digested! I have loads of photos to sort out of one of the best UK blog-meets that we have had.