The food blogging conundrum: Saving room for favorites

Writing a food-filled blog for the past year has turned out to be a pretty fun gig. Not only have I had a chance to sharpen my kitchen skills and experiment with recipes, but Jared and I have also enjoyed our share of yumminess from the ever-changing post subjects. I’ve tried things I never thought I’d try before (prepping that whole chicken for roasting just about did me in) and discovered new flavors that I love. Overall, it’s been nothing but fun, and I look forward to continuing my culinary antics as long as my little kitchen holds out on me.

There is one rather troublesome dilemma that I’ve found, though, when it comes to writing and photographing food on a regular basis. With so many cookbooks to explore and recipes to try (and the need to offer readers a glimpse of something new and exciting somewhat consistently), it’s tricky finding time to revisit dishes from the past. The truth is, when it comes to preparing food, it isn’t a parent-approved, you’re-all-my-darlings-and-I-love-you-all-the-same kind of situation. With recipes, there are, in fact, favorites.

So that in itself is the great food blogging conundrum: allowing oneself the time and effort to make those favorites, even if it means no new post or photos will result. Maybe it’s the fall feel in the air or the nearly finished bun in the oven that can take credit for my intensely nostalgic feelings as of late, but during the past few weeks, I’ve led myself down a long and winding road of cooking reverie, on which I’ve revisited lots of my all-time favorites (many of which I’ve included on the blog already) with no purpose other than to prepare, share and enjoy. Through this process, I’ve also rediscovered that sense of calm and happiness that inevitably accompanies those favorite, satisfying recipes. Actually, it’s probably a great way to reclaim the love of baking that inspired me to start blogging in the first place. It’s certainly fun to experiment and explore, but it’s important to remember where we came from.

In light of my walk down food memory lane, below is the recipe for the one and only cookie to win the title “Jared and Katrina’s Favorite.” I first wrote about it a year ago, but I’d say the three separate batches of this spice-filled treat that I’ve whipped up in the past two weeks alone are reason enough to let it shine again. In all the cookies in all the world, this is the one that makes our hearts and tummies sing from the mountaintops. New is great. But sometimes old is better.

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Ginger Spice Cookies

• ¾ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup molasses (plus a smidge extra so it overflows for a few seconds)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 heaping teaspoons ginger
• ½ heaping teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer, then add egg and molasses and mix together. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt in a separate bowl, then add slowly to butter/sugar mixture. Mix until just combined.

Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls, roll in sugar, and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet (about 1 ½ inches apart). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees, until firm on the outside but still soft on the inside (they actually should still look a little underdone when you take them out, which makes for that perfect crunch on the outside and soft chewiness on the inside).

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Does anyone else suffer from the food blogging conundrum? What is your absolute favorite recipe, the one that melts your heart as it melts on your tongue? Any loves that you’d long forgotten, only to rediscover recently and fall in love with all over again? Do tell!

XO,
Katrina