"bloggers" news and stories

Over the last week or so, we got some fantastic holiday dinner ideas from a lot of our food blogging friends. First, we were inspired by turkey and stuffing recipes, and then were moved on to some delicious side dishes. No big feast would be complete without dinner rolls or some kind of bread, and so we got some wonderful ideas for breads to serve, too. As we come down to the wire for Thanksgiving, we're finishing up our little series with a look at some outstanding desserts.

• The gold standard of Thanksgiving desserts is the pumpkin pie. There are several recipes to choose from for this category, including the Accidental Hedonist's fresh pumpkin pie, a back-of-the-can pumpkin pie, or a do-it yourself pie that sill uses canned pumpkin.
• Sweet potato pie is also a favorite, and the pie at Simply Recipes has a pecan topping which will add a nicely contrastive crunch.
• You can't go wrong with apple pie, and our detailed homemade apple pie recipe shows you what every step should look like.
• The Homesick Texan shares a pecan pie recipe from her grandmother - and grandmothers almost always make the best pies.
• Elizabeth Ryan's cranberry pie (pictured) at Kitchen Chick will add a huge boost of color to your meal.
• If pies aren't your favorite, you could always opt for Alpineberry's Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake with Ginger-Pecan Crust.
• One Whole Clove gets some chocolate into her pumpkin dessert with a Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze and Pumpkin-Chocolate Truffle Center.
• And to really impress guests, bring out Pumpkin Seed Brittle and Burnt Sugar Ice Cream from Tartelette.

In our quest for a great set of Thanksgiving recipes, we've already seen the recipes from a lot of our favorite bloggers. First, we tackled the turkey and stuffing and then we moved on to the side dishes. Today, we're looking at some great ideas for breads to serve along with the meal. Carbs may be filling, but you need something to soak up all that extra gravy, right?

• First, we have some Pumpkin Thyme Dinner Rolls from Wednesday Chef, which have a lot of flavor and a lovely color from the pumpkin.
• Nothing goes better with gravy than real Southern Biscuits from Andrea's Kitchen with White Lily flour. If you can't find white Lily, try this recipe instead, as it uses all purpose.
• This is a great time to try your hand at the ever-popular no-knead bread (recipe in the comments)
• Cornbread is a classic Thanksgiving option with a great texture. Many prefer skillet cornbread, as Meathenge does, but sweet cornbread, is a popular option, too.
• Culinary in the Desert's Roasted Garlic and Fresh Rosemary Cloverleaf Rolls (pictured) are delicious even without a feast to accompany them.
• Popovers, like Orangette's, are light, quick-cooking and very impressive when served. They're good for sopping up gravy and juices, but are also fantastic with jam in the morning.
• Parker House Rolls are the gold standard of dinner rolls and will be a favorite with everyone at the table. Take the advice from Humble Pie and keep some butter on hand when serving.
• If you prefer to have a whole grain bread for dinner, try a loaf of Maple Whole-wheat Bread, which Seriously Good said had a "nutty sweetness" and certainly looks seriously good.

Food bloggers take particular pleasure in sharing their favorite foods, recipes and food news with other bloggers online, but like most people, we still find that human interaction is nice on occasion. It was exactly this thought that spawned Blogging by Mail in the first place, a "real" (i.e. non-digital) event to let bloggers from around the world connect. The round from earlier this summer is closed, as is the last edition of Canadian Blogging by Post, which is a similar event that is limited to Canadian bloggers only. In fact, take a look at then roundup of entries from CBBP to see what you may have missed out on.

Inspired? If you're a food blogger interested in signing up for the newest edition of Blogging by Mail, which is open to bloggers from all over the world, head over to Dispensing Happiness and sign up soon. The deadline for this edition is this Thursday, November 18th and the theme is holiday foods.

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Snack had a great piece on what she will not write about, along with a "will not write" list from other food writers. At the top of her list of no-gos were "hatchet jobs," where a negative article/review is written just to write something negative or tear someone down. The other writers all agreed that they didn't want to do those types of pieces either. Anthony Bourdain said that the overly "happy" pieces weren't for him and neither are restaurant reviews. Peter Elliot won't write any idea that he didn't come up with himself, and Michael Ruhlman strongly prefers to, as well.

This topic poses an interesting question for food bloggers, though. Even though not all (not by a longshot!) food bloggers are professional writers or journalists, there are still things that each will and won't write about. So tell us, because we care about the rest of the writers and not just the pros, what won't you write about on your food blog? Do you do recipes, but not restaurant reviews? Photos, but not recipes? Do you write for your audience, or just for yourself?

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Chubby Hubby snapped this shot of a Full English breakfast while out to brunch with his wife, reviewing a restaurant. A Full English breakfast, also called a fry-up, is oily, fatty, filling and basically the perfect way to get breakfast started if you are one of the following: English, don't worry about cholesterol, or - according to a number of very insistent people - are trying to recover from a hang-over. The components of the meal will vary slightly from place to place, but they generally include almost all of the following: bacon, fried eggs, baked beans, sausages, tomatoes (fried), mushrooms (also fried), toast , juice and tea or coffee. Personally, I feel full just looking at this picture for too long, but if you're ever had a good fry up, or been at the table when one is served, you probably already know that the smell is good enough to overcome feelings of fullness. You might want to try whipping one up at home on a weekend morning, though you also might want to consider going for a little jog around the block before you do.

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