a few of my favourite things …

[NOTE: The images are some of my favourite recipes at the Stonesoup Virtual Cookery School – click on the image to find out more about that class]

As a minimalist, I’ve decided to keep my blog design as clean as possible which means no space for links to my favourite things. So today I wanted to share with you what I’m loving at the moment.

What about you?

I’d love to hear about your favourite things in the comments – always on the lookout for new treasures.

food blogs

orangette – My first ever food blog crush I am still completely smitten with Molly’s turn of phrase over 6 years later. I love her cooking style (mostly vegetarian and sweet things), I love the way she invites you into her life like her new best friend, I love her quirky descriptions on her flickr photos and I love her book – A Homemade Life – I just wish she would post more often.

101 cookbooks – A girl after my own heart, Heidi’s photographs are worth visiting alone but her recipes are also an inspiration – mostly based on natural, whole foods – it’s the type of thing I love to cook.

limes & lycopene – Good name for the food blog of a Sydney based nutritionist. Always full of interesting links and tid bits with the occasional fresh healthy recipe.

nourish me – Another blog I mostly go to to enjoy the photography. Lucy is based in Melbourne and I just love her eye – a real talent for finding beauty in the everyday.

photography / drawing blogs

what katie ate – my FAVOURITE food photographer at the moment. Just love her images.

kokblog – an illustrated cooking blog by the very talented NY based Johanna Kindvall who did the illustrations for the stonesoup logo and my cookery school. Love her own recipe diagrams.

the blue hour – A wonderful every day life photography blog of a guy named Brian who lives in London. Through his eyes even one of my least favourite cities in the world has an inner beauty.

still life with – If you have any interest at all in improving your food photography, I recommend spending some quality time with the archives of still life with. L also runs assignments that can be helpful in honing your skills.

lifestyle blogs

marks daily apple – Focusing on ‘primal’ living, this blog could easily slot into the food blog category as well.

zen habits – simple productivity – If you haven’t been persuaded by my previous ravings over Leo Babuta’s incredibly inspirational and useful blog, it’s time to check it out.

the art of non-conformity – unconventional strategies for life, work and travel. Chris has a personal goal to visit every country in the world before his 35th birthday which is reason enough to tune into his adventures. I loved his posts about his personal annual review and planning for the year ahead that he ran in December.

the blog of tim ferris – experiments in lifestyle design- If you haven’t heard of his books the 4-Hour Work Week and the 4-Hour Body, I highly recommend seeking out a copy of both.

resources for bloggers

A-List Blogging Bootcamps – Run by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits and Mary Jaksch, this is a paid membership site but well worth the (tiny) investment if you’re serious about running a successful blog.

Internet Marketing for Smart People – A free 20-part email series from the guys at Copy Blogger – worth checking out if you have or would like to have an online business.

cookbooks

Here are my current top 3 – it changes all the time.
For more of what I’ve been reading – check out my Now Reading page.

Tender Volume 1. A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater
I am well and truly hooked on Nigel Slater’s prose. The man can write. Love the whole package. Beautiful photography and type setting, interesting stories about vegetables and how to grow them and of course delicious sounding recipes that make you want to run out to the farmers market and get busy in the kitchen. Easily the best book I’ve read in years. Can’t wait to explore his back catalog.

The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers
Years ago, when I was living in California, I was lucky enough to dine at the Zuni Cafe. While it was a wonderful experience, I only now wish I’d read the book before I went. Never mind, I’ll just have to plot an excuse to travel to San Francisco so I can sample the Zuni’s world famous roast chicken with bread salad and their Zuni burger. In spite of only having very limited photographs, I love this book. It’s a wealth of both general cooking knowledge AND fresh, relatively simple recipes. Definitely worthy of adding to your collection.

The Moro Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clarke
I unfortunately missed out on eating at Moro in London when I was there over Christmas. So I’m still living through their cookbooks. Of the three, the Original is my most well loved. Have been working my way through their marinades and sauces as we’ve been a little BBQ obsessed over the Summer.

non-cook books

Again, just my top 3 here. More over at Now Reading.

The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwatrz
Recommended by Tim Ferriss in the 4 Hour Work Week, this book is an absolute inspiration! I wish I’d discovered it earlier but better late than never. Loved it so much that I’ve dedicated 2011 as the Year of Thinking BIG!

Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes.
A must read for anyone who has ever struggled with their weight. Debunking the theory that to lose weight we need to eat less energy than we use, this book explains the role of insulin in our bodies and how a low carb diet can promote weight loss. This is the second book that inspired me to run Reclaim Your Waistline at the Stonesoup Virtual Cookery School.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
Several people have recommended this book to me and I can see why. Even if you have only a casual interest in running its hard not to get drawn into Murakami’s world. Some wonderful insights on the life of a novelist as well.

iphone apps

Shake It Photo – My favourite photo ap (I have quite a few!). Take the shot and then processes it as a polaroid shot. Complete with polaroid sounds!

Note Master – a simple ap for sharing your notes as documents in google docs.

Evernote – for storing things from the web. I also use it to store photos of recipes I like in cookbooks or magazines. Has the ability to search for the text in images as normal text – so super useful.

SleepUp! – a recent find to combat the culture shock of trying to sleep in the city that never sleeps after living in the peaceful country. I’ve listened to it just before I go to sleep and have had the most amazing restful deep slumbers.

random things I love

audible.com – for audiobooks to listen to while I run. Has increased my reading exponentially.

twitter – so much fun and a brilliant way to find out what’s going on in the world and connect with interesting, possibly like-minded people. It can take a little while to get your head around it so check out mashables’ twitter guide.

fashion blogs

wearing it today – Fabulous blog from a London based stylist who chronicles what she is wearing every day.

maggie alderson style notes – I’ve been a massive fan of Maggie Alderson since I first read her column in the Sydney Morning Herald. Very excited that she’s moved the column onto her blog!