It’s not often that I’m at a loss for words.
But, I am often at a loss for dinner ideas.
I know. It’s crazy, right? But it’s true. Even the most seasoned cook/chef/preparer of meals needs to boost their creative juices every so often. When I just don’t know what to cook for dinner, I head on over to some of my most favourite bloggers.
If you’re like me and like to cook/bake, you will scour through magazines and read cookbooks like novels….not necessarily for recipes, but rather for inspiration. I like to look where I can find great pictures, some awesome tips – and a little backstory every so often is nice too!
Today’s post is all about my fellow female bloggers. Why female, you ask? Well, in my circle, most of the food blogs out there are run by women (even though stats say it’s almost equal). A special shout out to Ronnie from the Primal Gourmet who inspires me to eat better every single day (and has a pretty great You Tube channel too!).
Also, there are many lovely ladies out there who are amazing at their craft (and have incredible social media followings and/or other forms of “amazingness”), but this post is just about those who have blogs. I promise I will highlight some of my other favourite people who don’t have blogs but are incredible in their field in another post!!
So, let’s get to this amazing list. I’ve divided it up into sections so you can peruse the sections that intrigue you most. Maybe some will might inspire you too!
Here we go….
Culture:
Jenny Arena: My friend Jenny has a blog called Fables and Foccacia and whenever I need information of traditional Italian baking, I go to her blog. She and I baked Pesche (Italian peach cookies together and share a love of baking). On her blog you will also find the history behind many of your favourite Italian foods and traditions! Her Calabrian roots show through in her cooking but she also dabbles in other cuisines as well. She’s the loveliest gal and, if you are lucky enough to meet her in person, her infectious laugh will have you coming back for more…every single time!!
Irene Matys: Irene is a master when it comes to all things Cypriot! She and her family emigrated from Cyrus to Canada as refugees and she has always believed in giving back to the country that welcomed her with open arms (her dad opened the most epic pizza shop called Sissios and makes some of the finest sesame crusted pizzas out there!). Part of her efforts when it comes to supporting her community is her time at Plan B Organics where she volunteers and cooks for the farmers…and, I’ll tell you, they are some pretty lucky farmers to eat her yummy creations! She’s created quite the brand for herself and has spoken at events and has some pretty cool partnerships where she has been able to show off her amazing photography and food styling skills!! For more, visit her blog with some mouthwatering recipes at The Spicy Olive.
Aimee Burke: I met Aimee at The Taste Canada Awards in Toronto and immediately understood why people think she’s such a doll. She is the ultimate homesteader, canning and preserving everything that comes out of her Montreal home…including eggs from her chickens. Everyone who craves a more simple life should take a peek at her blog for some simple, nourishing and made-from-scratch goodies that you’ll all soon be adding to your dinner rotation. She even has two amazing books (her latest called Simple Bites Kitchen and her first called Brown Eggs and Jam Jars) where you can find most of her recipes! Want to make your own ketchup or try your hand at do-it-yourself sauerkraut? Head on over to Simple Bites!
Asha Shivakumar: Imagine living in San Francisco? Well, that’s where my lovely friend Asha lives and shares all of her knowledge of Indian cooking with her followers! She just wrote a book called Masala and Meatballs and it is full of incredible pictures and loads of information on some of your favouite Indian foods! If you love Indian, you need to follow Food Fashion Party
Mai Kakish :I met Mai the way I meet a lot of fellow food bloggers…over Instagram chats! I just love her big heart and her love all all things food…especially food that comes from her homeland…Palestine! I promise you, your mouth will be watering when you see the things she posts…recipes that I find totally intriguing because there aren’t that many people sharing recipes from Palestine that I know of. She lives in Chicago but just came back from Palestine and, man, was I in awe of all the places she took her followers. Amazing! For some intriguing recipes from Mai and her incredible birthplace, follow along at Almond And Fig
Jennifer Emilson: If you think about the most bubbly blogger, that is Jennifer in a nutshell! She has an incredible IG following and posts the most awesome food chock full of the most incredible flavours. The reason I’m putting her in the culture category is because her German heritage often shines through in much of her cooking. I’m still trying to find time to make her Sauerbraten…looks so good! Her blog was shortlisted for the Taste Canada Awards so it’s definitely worth a visit!! Check out The Lemon Apron
Healthy Living:
Fina Scroppo: True story….I once sat at a table at an Italian wedding with a group of older (between 70-90 year old) women talking about how the young generation just doesn’t cook anymore. This conversation led to another conversation about how these ladies don’t need cookbooks…except one of them said “but wait, I use The Healthy Italian…it’s fantastic!!”. Enter my friend Fina who authored this book about eating Italian the healthy way. Fina and I have done some magazine work together and she is a sweetheart! If you are curious about how you can turn your fav Italian dishes into heart healthy, stick-to-your-ribs family favorites, follow Fina at The Healthy Italian!
Sara Serebro Verk : My friend Sara lives about 1 1/2 hours from me but, every once in a while we get together to share our food stories, swap business ideas and just chat like old friends do! I even spent the afternoon with Sara making bread in her kitchen! She works in the travel business but, in her free time, posts about things on toast, super salads and lots of other healthy dishes that will make you run to your local grocer and buy up all that produce to whip up an incredibly healthy meal for your family! Get more ideas at The Kitchen Sink Blog!
Aleyda Batarse: You know you have a pretty great following when you have a full time job, a young family AND an incredible Instagram account with over 100K loyal followers! How do I know that? I was talking to my son’s girlfriend about people to follow with healthy social media accounts and I opened Aleyda’s IG account to show her. She said, “Oh her, ya she’s awesome…I follow her already for inspiration when I’m away at school”. How awesome is that?? She has people trying her recipes all the time – which is a testament to how good they are! She is Gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free, so if you are interested in trying out some healthy and yummy stuff, check out her stuff at The Dish on Healthy
Sonia Wong: Is it just me or do any of you think we need a bit more laughter in our lives?? Well, y’all know how much I love humour (to the chagrin of my family), and if you follow Sonia, you’ll get that daily dose of laughter at least once a week. She’s one funny mama (and GORGEOUS too) living a grand ol’ life with her hubby and two of the cutest little girls around. One of her daughters suffers from some stomach issues so she has changed how they eat in her house. She’s a fantastic cook who knows exactly how to make healthy food taste over-the-top fantastic!! If you want to see her create her magic with dairy free, gluten free and plant forward food, peek here at Salt N Pepper Here
Dara and Erin: This dynamic duo are the ladies to follow if you have a young family, aren’t following any particular diets but just want to do right (in all the healthy ways) by your family! They are registered dietitians and home cooks feeding their hungry families. They make healthful eating easy by using simple ingredients and cooking techniques, and offer tips and tricks to maneuver the kitchen like a pro! If you want to be a better cook for your family but don’t want to count a single calorie or read a single nutrition label, follow these sweethearts at How To Eat
Food with a Side of Travel and Home Design:
Julie Miguel: I have known Julie for quite some time now and can honestly say she is one of the hardest working, tenacious people I know! She’s a go-getter and nothing in this food biz is gonna stop her!! Her food career began when she found herself as one of the last few people to be eliminated on the very first Master Chef Canada (not too many people can say that!!). She left her government job and has made a life in food, mama-hood and travel! She does tons of family friendly food recipes, but she has garnered much attention lately for her travel information (in Tulum Mexico and Protugal just to name a few) on how to travel with young kids, and staying in places off the beaten track and even hiring a travel photographer to take your pics while you’re away. For more info on any of the above, check out her blog The Daily Tiramisu
Debi Traub: Funny story…I messaged Debi about something and said “if you’re ever in Toronto, I’d love to have a coffee with you”. Turns out, she lives 15 minutes away from me! Aside from the fact that she takes great pictures and makes yummy food, her house style has caught the eye of many people out there including Home Sense and Houzz, where Debi’s house was featured. She’s another wonder woman who has a full time job AND manages to run her blog and social media (almost 200K)! If you want some decor inspiration as well as some pretty yummy food (and her hubby is really funny on her IG stories too!!), go on over to Simply Beautiful Eating (oh ya…and she is the first person I know who had had a puzzle (currently available at Target stores online) made from one of her awesome photos!!)
Kit Graham: Kit and I became friends in Torino!! We both traveled there with the ICCO where we ate and drank and saw everything there was to see in the area of Piedmont (nothing like boding over incredible Italian food and wine!!). Kit was an incredible help to me while we were there…she was so gracious and answered all of my blogging questions (she’s a pro who left her full time job to be a full time blogger!). She even gave me a private blogging lesson while we rode on the bus to one of our evetns…how awesome is that?!?! When I got home, I scoured her blog and read all of her travel advice…most of which I’ve pinned for my future travels!! The Kittchen is chock full of travel tips, photography, blog info as well as fast and easy food you can get to your table lickety split!! You’ll love her!
Elizabeth Minchilli: I started following Elizabeth on Instagram a few years back. I just loved her style and felt like, every time she walked down the streets of Rome, I was right beside her…like I had my own private tour guide! She has a book called Eating My Way Through Italy and she’s even created an app for travel…amazing! If you want tons of travel info as well as deeelish simple Italian recipes made in her own kitchen, follow Elizabeth on her adventures at Eating my Way Through Italy
Anni Chu: Annie and I share a common bond…we were both chosen by the Italian Chamber of Commerce to travel to Italy…but it was on two separate trips (which is probably good because, now that I know her, I’m sure we would have been up to no good if we were together;). Annie is crazy smart (she a lawyer…like, for real!!) and has incredible photography skills and even better (if that’s possible!) writing talent. Her blog posts are about food (and, yes you will find recipes there!), but I just love her travel posts. Her “30 Places to Travel Before You’re 30” was amazing…even though it’s too late for me (I can always pretend I’m 30, right Annie). This chickie is something special…check her out at Chu on This
My American (and 1 UK) Peeps:
Michelle Braxton: Living in Atlanta, my friend Michelle always makes me re-think dinner. When I come across her feed, her vibrant pics of vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian dishes are drool worthy. Often times, her southern roots show through (she will even admit that cheese grits, which were one of the first things her mom taught her how to make, are still a staple in her house). She’s also a runner, so she has a clear understanding of who the health conscious foodie is. Interested in learning more about Michelle? Check it out here at Supper with Michelle
Dale Gray: My Mississippi pal who originates from South Africa has one of the most vibrant blogs I know. She cooks fresh food, often times with a South African flair. If you watch her insta stories, you might be lucky enough to hear her speak…she’s a shy one but I think she has the most wonder accent around (you’re the cutest, Dale!). For more on this southern belle, visit The Daley Plate
Teri Turner: Yup…we share a very similar social media handle but the difference between Teri and I is that she is an “insta-celebrity”…honestly!! She hails from Chicago and absolutely everyone seems to know Teri! She’s mastered this whole “influencer game” by doing what she does best…connecting people through food! She loves cooking for her family and friends, and filling her life with food-related adventures, including cooking, writing, researching, photographing and talking about food. She describes herself as a Master Collaborator, Blogger, and Food Columnist. She has meet-ups where ever she goes (and often has hundreds of people come out), is known for her catch phrase “let’s go” and makes the best marinated onions (that are literally world renown!!)! If you want to learn more about Teri, then “let’s go” to No Crumbs Left
Emilie Raffa: Whenever I crave a slice of crunchy sourdough bread, I always think of Emilie’s blog The Clever Carrot. Why? Because she makes some of the most incredible bread I have ever seen! If you’d love an incredible book with step by step pictures and some of the best sour dough recipes I’ve seen, you need to pick up her book Artisan Sourdough (she also has another book called The Clever Cookbook which is lovely as well!). She graduated from the French Culinary Institute years ago and now lives on Long Island with her hubby and 2 boys. Her blog is chock full of amazing recipes that you can find more of at The Clever Carrot
Sandra Stone: Much Like Dale and Michelle, I met Sandra through the world of Instagram. Her blog focuses on budget friendly recipes that are easy to prepare. She is also an avid photographer, so if you have any questions about photography (and blogging), check out her “about me” page to have all of your questions answered. She is so good at responding (which is an art in and of itself!) and is just delightful! Head on over to Sandra’s Easy Cooking and you’ll fall in love with her too!!
Gaby Dalkin: Have you ever “virtually” met someone (so not in real life…just online) and just wanted to throw your arms around her and hug her?? Well that’s Gaby in a nutshell! I am obsessed with her blog and following her on instastories makes me want to get on a plane and fly to California to hang with her EVERY SINGLE DAY!! Seriously…the cutest!!! She lives the California Girl Life, which means, in her own words “it’s always sunny, green goddess salads for lunch are a great idea, slutty brownies for dinner are equally as acceptable and I’ll never say no to a burrito with extra guacamole – it’s all about balance!” See, don’t y’all just love her already??!! She just published a cookbook aptly named What Gaby’s Cooking which you will love almost as much as you’re gonna love her!! Click on the link here for What Gaby’s Cooking and see what all the fuss is about!
Tara Maini: Tara is my UK peep that was a Mississauga peep (that’s Toronto!) that was a Nairobi (Kenya) peep….pretty amazing life, right? I’ve known Tara for a while and even visited her in London last year! She has a great blog with lots of amazing food (many that have her own Indian flair infused into our regular North American dishes) but, to me she will always be known for her macarons and beautiful baked goods. Take a peek at Choperella and you’ll see why this young lady is headed for big success!!
I really wish I had more time to note more of my favs but that’s all I have room for today. Take a peek at my list of lovely ladies.
Who are some of your favourites???
