We are actually staying in Bavaria this weekend, and I am so excited about having a chill weekend at home. We haven’t done that in a while. We’re planning on taking a nice long walk through the Englisher Garten, catching a play, and hopefully, heading to the Alps for a quick visit.
Perfection.
You know what else hasn’t happened in a while? Food News. My links bookmark folder is getting unruly because I’ve amassed a ridiculous number of articles that I’m just dying to share and discuss.
So, I’m sharing.
Let’s discuss.
{read}
An explanation as to why flavor is as much mental as it is physiological. {scientific american}
A look at why companies think GMO labeling would raise food prices. Hint, it’s not the labels. {grist}
A really interesting article about the evolution of boxed cake mix. {bon appétit}
Could the chemicals in processed foods be the contributing factor for obesity? {pro publica}
An interview with Marion Nestle: school “cafeterias [are the] key battlegrounds in the fight against obesity and poor nutrition.” {civil eats}
{make}
Can you believe they use lye when making pretzels?! I’ll stick with the baking soda when we give this a try this weekend. {the kitchn}
Sign me up for this butternut squash mac and cheese. Get in my belly! {marshalls abroad}
We made it to Friday my friends and my heart is full. We have a full house and bellies full of good food and Oktoberfest beer. This weekend some work friends of the Kiwi are coming to town so here’s to more good conversations, breaking bread, and more trips to the Wies’n.
All is well.
{photo by the Kiwi}
Along with the new design and the new approach to blogging, our ‘Friday Links’ series is going to be changing a bit as well. It’s going to be a bit less random and more focused on food, the food movement and our kitchens. That’s the reason we’re here right?
There are a lot of great conversations being held about food right now, helpful tips being shared, great recipes I want to try and products I am drooling over. Smart, creative, funny people are talking about food, and I love having a platform to share their stuff with y’all. Hopefully the articles will spark discussion, the tips can be life-savers, the recipes will be inspiring, and products to die for. I certainly think they are.
{read}
Modern Farmer talks global agriculture with Bill Clinton. {modern farmer}
I am so intrigued by this free online class from Harvard about science and cooking. {edX}
Need a guide for organizing the chaos that is happening in your kitchen? {the kitchn}
Great article about stocking a whole foods pantry. {naturally ella}
An initiative to cut down on food waste and turn it into an inexpensive alternative to fast food. {the salt}
{make}
Can’t wait to try my hand at these cookies. Almond Joys are my favorite candy bar ever. {in the little red house}
Getting on the lentil train with this perfect fall stew, minus the carrots obviously. {in the little red house}
I’m making sauerkraut this weekend. Has anyone else had a whack at it? {the kitchn}
{love}
This apron is just precious and so functional. I love that loop! {schoolhouse electric}
Emily’s printables this month are the cutest yet. I use them all the time for meal planning, blog scheduling, and grocery lists. {jones design company}
Happy monday my dears! How was your weekend? The Kiwi is finally on the mend it seems and not a moment too soon. Oktoberfest kicked off this weekend and, while neither of us were up to a Maß, we certainly were up for a wander around the Wies’n and some Hax’n-semmeln—{pork} knuckle sandwiches complete with cracklin’. Yum!
Clearly things are looking a little different around here. Obvs I want to share all the brand spankin’ new features with y’all, but I also want to talk a bit about blogging with intention.
This design is so much closer to my original vision for the blog and, in general much more reflective of my style. Aesthetics aside, it should be much more efficient and resources should now be much easier to find. Looking for some inspiration for dinner tonight? Our recipe tab has you covered. You can now search but meal or course, by ingredient, or search specifically for vegetarian dishes and dairy free treats. {If you’re looking for a specific recipe the search bar on the sidebar is still probably your best bet.}
If you’re looking for one of our DIY tutorials check out The How-To Series button on the side bar and all of our food guides can now be found in the {wander} page. You should also probably check out our new about page.
You know, when I started thinking about getting into this blog game I tons of ideas about how I wanted to blog. The two best pieces of advice I read were to stop waiting for everything to be perfect and just take the plunge, but also to continuously examine your goals.
Following the first piece of advice, back in May I took the plunge and launched. Talk about a learning curve. I’ve learned about my strengths and weaknesses. I’ve learned what stuff I love to write about and what makes me feel proud and like I’ve accomplished something. As I continue to learn, I’m examining my goals for this space and as always trying to be transparent and authentic. In that vein, I wanted to share a few things I’ve learned so far about myself and what I want for the blog.
I can learn new skills and develop new passions {and the blog will evolve with my passions.}
Photography has always been the Kiwi’s thing. When I started thinking about the blog he gave me a quick run down of the camera and set me loose. I expected to be overwhelmed. {I was.} I expected to ask him 100 million questions every day. {I did.} I expected to get frustrated and end up officially dubbing him the Kiwi+Peach photographer. {But I didn’t.} I actually found that I love the photography part almost as much as the cooking part. I love the creativity, I love the aesthetics, and I love seeing improvement. {I mean, it really couldn’t have gotten much worse.} Am I great? No, but I’m improving every time, practicing, understanding and capturing light in better ways, and being more creative with the props and staging. Will future posts have more photos? Probably.
I should write what I love at a quality I am proud of even if that means not posting every day.
One thing I know is that that I want this to be a marathon, not a sprint. I set out with the mind set that come hell or high water I. will. post. every. single. day. damnit.
Kudos to those of y’all who do it, but it’s not for me. The posts I feel the proudest of are recipes that I’ve made over and over again and that I know are going to work for you 100% of the time. I simply can’t crank one of those out every day, but more than that, I don’t think I should. In the future I think its safe to say that y’all can look for one or two new, quality recipes a week {with lots more photos!}
What else have I learned I love posting about? I love sharing my favorite bands with y’all. This is the stuff that’s playing pretty much non-stop in our house. This is the stuff that inspires us and I hope it just might inspire you too. {If you love folksy music with great lyrics too, we’d love to hear some of your favorite bands!}
I also really love sharing articles about food, food science, and the food movement in friday links. I read a lot of articles. I mean lots. and I want to encourage discussion. If you have an opinion about an article I post, let’s chat!
Which brings me to the next lesson I’ve learned {and one of my biggest weaknesses}…
Connecting with others and forming genuine relationships is the reason I blog.
This might be obvious to most folks {why would you put this stuff out there if you didn’t want to connect} but it’s actually the hardest lesson I’ve learned so far. I’m not an out going person. I’m friendly, I’m kind, but in social situations, I don’t tend to seek out strangers to initiate a connection. {Does that make me a wallflower?}
Blogging a strange thing. Here we are, pouring time and energy into our little creative corner, sharing our lives, our passions, our knowledge and hoping that people {strangers} identify with you and your voice. But it also does a wonderful thing–it connects us with people we feel are kindred spirits. People on a similar journey. People with shared passions. People we admire. People we feel like we can learn from. People we want to be BFFs with.
Here’s the thing though, I’m crap at the actual connection part. I’m terrified to send that message or tweet that would allow a real relationship.
I’ve followed the same few blogs for years and I can count on one hand the number I’ve ever commented on. It’s not because I don’t connect with what they’re saying–the exact opposite actually, and I’m scared of that a comment from a complete stranger saying “Yes, yes, yes to everything you just said.” comes across as a bit strange.
This blog world is a strange one though, and having experienced the other side of things, I would venture to say that most bloggers really want genuine relationships with their readers, awkward as the beginnings may be. I know I do. I want to know you. I want to know what makes you tick. I want that connection. I’ve learned that comments can make your day. I think it’s high time I start commenting, messaging, tweeting, messenger pigeoning these ladies and let them know that they inspire me, that I, too, think their child/home/dog is just the cutest thing, that their recipe was a hit with the Kiwi, or maybe just say hi. Who knows where this openness, kindness, and honesty will take us?
Thanks so much for your sweet understanding yesterday. We seem to be on the mend, but we definitely needed a day of rest and recuperation. We’re still taking it easy though, so I’m settled in with my trusty blanket and a nice mug full of apple cider preparing for movie marathons and a little blog reading.
Having a similar kind of weekend? Here are some links from around the web to get you started.
Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. The leaves are changing. Mornings are crisp, begging you for a run. Afternoons are pleasant, perfect for nice long walks with my favorite Kiwi.
But most importantly, fall is the best because it means football is back!
Being from the south and an alum of a school where football is king, life has always been just a bit more exciting in the fall. Lots of travel to away games, lots of planning and cooking for tailgates, and lots and lots of friendly trash talk. {Unless of course you’re a Tennessee or Florida fan in which case, it’s not that friendly.}
Of course, this weekend is really a double whammy–Labor day weekend and the football kick off. So today I’ve rounded up some great recipes, crafty tailgate decor, and precious game day dresses {because in the South we dress up for football games} to get you in a celebrating mood.
It’s Friday friends, and it’s a red-letter day in the Kiwi and Peach household.
This one time, I moved to Germany and was so scared to get my hair cut that I just let it grow and grow and grow until I found myself waking up in the middle of the night tangled in my own hair. Seriously, I’d have dreams about people pulling my hair and would wake up to find that I was just stuck.
So I chopped all my hair off. In a burst of courage {assisted by some wine}, I made an appointment with a Kiwi who owns a salon here in Munich and he made the chop. 13 inches folks– I feel so free!
The Kiwi and I are headed to the Dachauer Volksfest. Knowing that it’s essential to train our bodies for the Maße of beer and straight animal fat we’re going to be consuming at Oktoberfest, we are getting an early start. Well that and the Kiwi is always looking for an opportunity to wear his lederhosen.
On a completely separate note…
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support in Small Cool Kitchens 2013. We made it to the top five! From here the judges will pick the winner, and, while I secretly think that one of the others should win hands down, I’m just tickled pink to have been featured and to have made it that far. {Read: I’m relieved it wasn’t a gigantic embarrassment and that no one seemed to think our kitchen had no business being on The Kitchn.} So thank you.
Two posts in one day? Sorry, I just couldn’t contain my excitement!
I’m beyond thrilled to announce that we have been selected as a finalist for The Kitchn’s Small Cool Kitchen of 2013.
I’m just going to let this sink in for a quick minute.
This is a huge deal for us. The Kitchn {an extension of Apartment Therapy} is one of the major food websites out there right now. It’s full of great recipes from some amazing food bloggers and provides lots of inspiration for designing beautiful kitchens. And I’m pretty stoked that we are on it!
Here comes the part where I ask you to go vote.
Now through August 6th, folks can vote of their favorite kitchen and the top 4 will go before the Judge Panel who determine the winner. So please, please, please head over to The Kitchn and favorite our kitchen! I will love you forever and ever. I will make you cookies. I will give you a tomato if ours ever actually come in. But really I will give you a gigantic hug and thank you profusely.
{Disclaimer: You do have to sign up for The Kitchn in order to vote, but I promise that they will not bombard your email with junk! Also, you should probably join The Kitchn anyway because it’s an incredible site.}
Hey there friends! What are you doing this weekend?
The Kiwi and I are off to meet my folks in the Black Forest. We’ll be exploring, hiking, and seeing some pretty spectacular sights. Oh, and did I mention we are staying in a freaking castle?!
If you’re in a reading mood this weekend, here are some fabulous links to keep ya busy. Have a great weekend!
Happy Friday friends. We made it! Isn’t the first week back after vacation always the hardest? I’m looking forward to a weekend spent with great friends, good food and preparing the apartment for some special guests.
{photo by the Kiwi}
Kiwi + Peach 