I began blogging nearly a year ago, mainly because I was tired of mumbling in a vacuum and too lazy to write recipes by hand. I never imagined that blogging would spawn an entire food career, and it's been one of the most rewarding things I've done outside of snagging a pair of Dolce & Gabbana pumps at 87 percent off. Just thinking of how many people will make this no-brainer Dark Chocolate & Toffee Macadamia Bark gets me all dewy. They like me, they really like me!
The question that I'm e-mailed most by readers is, "How can I get started?" A food blog is a fantastic and addictive way to document, share and find recipes online. However, if you tend to have an overly obsessive personality like me, food blogging is not recommended unless you have tons of free time or a husband who plays online poker until 3 a.m. anyway. In a marriage, you're each entitled to one guilt-free obsession before nagging kicks in.
I'm not saying that blogging is difficult — quite the contrary. It's so much fun to explore recipes from all over the world — way cheaper than buying an armful of cookbooks — that you tend to lose track of time. Plus, you get to increase your social circle 100-fold, which is way cool if you don't have any friends.
If you'd like to start, I'm here to give you a few tips to steer you in the right direction. First off, sign up for a free blog home — my personal favorite hosts are Wordpress and Blogger. It's easy and takes about as much time as you'll spend waiting for the graham crackers to bake in this recipe. You don't even have to use your real name, a good idea if you're going to rag on your neighbors, co-workers or boss.
Begin by posting some of your favorite recipes, snap a picture of the dish (this toffee's a good srart) and write a little blurb about the recipe — maybe a bit on why you enjoyed it, what the dish goes well with or who you stole it from. If you don't get any visitors, it's because of one simple thing: Stop being so damn selfish. Go out and participate. Visit other blogs and comment so they know who you are.
While you're waiting for your toffee bark to cool, check out local magazine and newspaper food blogs (like CL food critic Brian Ries' EatMyFlorida.com), or the blogs of local foodies, like EatingTampa.blogspot.com, StickyGooeyCreamyChewy.blogspot.com, SkipLombardi.org/blog and mine at SteamyKitchen.com. When visiting others' blogs, they'll most likely click your link to see who you are. Yearning to rub bits and bytes with big- and small-time food celebs? Comment on their blogs. I guarantee they'll read it.
And when people comment or link to you, it's nice to acknowledge back. I mean, how long will you knock on someone's door with no answer? If you're shy, e-mail me with your URL — I'll help you get started and introduce you to the blogdome. I'm easily bribed by chocolate.
The biggest secret of being an Internet food star? Post insanely irresistible, incredibly simple recipes like this Dark Chocolate & Toffee Macadamia Bark.
Get started, future bloggers.
Dark Chocolate & Toffee Macadamia Bark
Yields 1 lb
1/2 box of graham crackers
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks)
3 cups dark chocolate chips (or your favorite
chocolate bars, broken up in small pieces)
1 cup roughly chopped macadamia nuts
(or other nut if you prefer)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a lipped baking sheet with a layer of tin foil. Arrange a single layer of graham crackers in the pan without overlapping. In a small saucepan, melt butter and add the sugars. Whisk to dissolve. Let boil and simmer for five minutes on low. Very carefully pour mixture onto the graham crackers, working quickly with a spatula to even out the layer. Bake 10 minutes. Remove, evenly spread the chocolate chips over the top and leave it to melt for five minutes. Using a spatula, spread the melted chocolate evenly. Top with chopped nuts. Let cool. Refrigerate for two hours. Break into pieces.
Share with the world.
Jaden Hair blogs (obviously) at steamykitchen.com.
