Food blogs

This week I haven't been cooking, at all. We've had leftover roast and potatoes and then last night I was planning on making a roasted chicken and then use the leftover chicken to make enchiladas, but we had family visiting and met them at a restaurant. Actually, I was a little relieved to not be cooking.

Monday night I made an apple pie (that I had originally planned on making Saturday but ran out of time), and the pie spilled over in the oven (which I had planned for, but for some reason it ran off of my oven liner to the bottom of the oven. Then our house was filled with smoke. So we had all of the doors and windows open to air out the house (did I mention is was REALLY cold and our house got down to 57 degrees). After we got our house aired out and ate our pie, I decided I better clean the oven. I kept smelling something but just figured it was the baking soda and vinegar I cleaned the oven with. The next morning my man left early for work and when I got up I still smelled something. I took my biggest boy to school and came back home and had a horrible headache (I thought it was from not having my coffee soon enough after I woke up, so I had 3 cups!). Then I started to think it might smell like gas. So I went to pick up D from school and called a good friend and neighbor and asked if he could go by and check the house. Shortly after he called me back and said that it did smell like gas and I had left one of my burners on and it was leaking out gas. I felt like an idiot for not even thinking about that, but was thankful that he came to check. So we spent the next couple of hours bundled up so we could air the house out once again. Needless to say, I was glad to not have to cook last night.

Tonight we had leftovers from last night, but tomorrow I AM cooking. I think I'm going to make my roasted chicken and roasted sweet potatoes and maybe dinner rolls.

I was thinking about food blogs and how much they inspire my cooking and baking choices. I am thankful that I live in a time where we have all of this available to us. My mom and grandma had to be much more creative in their menus. Or at least I imagine they were (I haven't really asked them). It's nice to just go to the blogs I read most often and see what they've been cooking and find inspiration there.

Here are a few of my favorite food blogs:
Joy The Baker: you definitely have to check out these frozen cookie dough balls.

My friend Holly introduced me to Steamy Kitchen and her Perfect French Bread recipe. I bake this bread at least 3 times a month.

Of course I can always find something to make on The Pioneer Woman or her Tasty Kitchen site.

I told you about Heavenly Homemakers last week. I also like Money Saving Mom. She puts her weeks menu on her website.

So what are your favorite food blogs? Where do you find your cooking inspiration?

I'll be back later this week with some recipes and hopefully proof that I didn't burn my house down!