Housekeeping

Come Join The Fun on Instagram

Hello there, you’re probably wondering where I’ve been these first few months of 2018, and the answer is: INSTAGRAM.

If you’re not following me there, download the app and look me up: @amateurgourmet.

It’s just a much easier way for me to share my cooking adventures, and also much more exciting, especially with the stories feature where I shoot videos as I go. For example, last night I turned the spring risotto you see above (which I’d documented in Stories on Sunday) into risotto cakes by shaping them into patties and frying them in oil. The whole thing is captured in real time:

And the results were pretty stupendous.

So if you miss hearing my voice and seeing my pictures (and my mistakes), now you know where to find me. To reiterate: @amateurgourmet on Instagram. See you there!

A Bold New Vision For My Cookbook Collection

Since you last knew me, I’ve developed a few food-related obsessions. The first one is plates. I collect vintage plates now on Ebay and Etsy and I have quite a collection (OK, here’s a peek on Instagram). I’m also obsessed with old cookbooks, usually ones that have historic value (The Lutece Cookbook, for example) but sometimes I purchase cookbooks that are pretty campy and semi-historic (The Uta Hagen Cookbook, The Liberace Cookbook, The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Cookbook). Those collectible cookbooks held the highest position on my old cookbook shelf, a shelf that was beginning to look like a real mess. Here’s what I’m talking about…

Let’s Try That Again

If you had trouble loading up the blog this week, that’s because, in my naiveté, I thought I could just tear everything down without any consequences. Turns out: I screwed something up with the server and the blog stopped loading for most people. BUT! Now we’re on a new server and things should be working great. So get ready for that soup that I promised.

Oh Hi There

Funny story.

Recently, I revived (and redesigned) my Hey, Adam Roberts blog, the blog I created when, two years ago, I got my first job as a TV writer and decided to throw in the towel as a food blogger. I wrote a post called “Blogging in 2017,” linked to it on Facebook, and suddenly got this huge gush of support from readers who’d been crouching in the dark, waiting for just such a dispatch. Turns out, people missed my blogging voice. That was very nice to hear. I resolved to keep blogging on Hey, Adam Roberts.

The next post I was going to write was, in fact, a recipe for Pappa al Pomodoro soup. I was all set to type it up and everything and then I remembered something: I have a food blog. A blog that I created (back in 2004!) to share just such recipes and cooking experiences and all other things related to food. Why would I put a recipe for Pappa al Pomodoro soup on a not-food blog? That wouldn’t make any sense!

My New Career: T.V. Writer

Ok, it’s time to spill the beans: starting next month, I’m going to be a staff writer on the new ABC Dan Savage-inspired sitcom “The Real O’Neals,” starring Martha Plimpton! To say that I’m excited would be a profound understatement. The show, based loosely on Dan Savage’s life, is one of only three new comedies that ABC is debuting this year and based on what I know so far, it’s going to be a great one. I hope you’ll all watch.

Of course, this probably leaves you wondering: “What’s going to happen to the blog?” The answer is: “I’m not sure, yet!” In the meantime, the best way to connect with me is via Instagram (@amateurgourmet): I update that more than anything else (though there’s also Twitter and Facebook). Thanks for being so patient during this crazy career shift and I promise, no matter what, I’ll continue entertaining you—either here on your computer or over there on your T.V. screen. Here goes nothing!

Let’s Facebook

Hey, in case you’re missing my more frequent updates, I have an idea for you: follow me on my Facebook Fan Page. I recently linked it to my Instagram, so you can see (for example) the risotto cakes I made for last night’s dinner and the breakfast I had this morning of sourdough bread with cashew butter and honey (how California of me). I’ve also been linking to the articles and recipes that grab my attention online each day, so, really, what do you have to lose? Nothing I say. Get to it.

Vitamix Winner

Congrats to Eloise whose simple, straightforward recipe for cauliflower celeriac soup with Dijon thyme croutons won her a brand new Vitamix blender. Thanks to everyone who entered; you made me hungry for soup!

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