From Scratch

You could spend days, even weeks, exploring recipes on line. I know I’ve killed a lot of time that way. Websites I return to again and again include:

allrecipes.com- It’s in the Links and I’ve used this site since it was several separate ones, ie: cookierecipe.com, cakerecipe.com. Features go beyond the usual recipe box; there’s a clipboard of recently viewed items, recipe bookmarks and shopping lists. You can also have recipe box categories, scale recipes up or down and convert to metric. I like the Community page, where I can see the most recent reviews and ratings. It’s an eclectic list, exposing me to more recipes than I’d see just by surfing categories. Downside: many reviewers seem hell-bent on making as  many changes as possible, leading to sometimes-ludicrous reviews along the lines of, “I only used half the ingredients and I substituted the others and doubled the spices and I coooked it differently. We didn’t like it. Awful recipe!”

Two recipes from the site I make often are Mrs. Sigg’s Snickerdoodles and To Die For Blueberry Muffins.

epicurious.com - also in the Links. This is the home of Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines and offers editorial content as well as recipes. Reviewers rate recipes on a scale of 1-4 forks, and they’re generally a tougher audience than the allrecipes crowd. The search engine is very good and you can opt for RSS feeds. Downside: Pop-ups, which my blocker takes care of.

A favorite of mine from this site: Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas and Mint. 89% would make it again.