Catching Up to September

I took this picture at this year’s DUMBO Arts Festivalof Gabriel Barcia-Colombo’s  For Those Who Wait installation that pretty much captures my state of mind. Given that my monthly catching up posts typically run late, I probably should have picked a different name. I rarely catch-up, but with the clocks temporarily stopped, I’ll keep trying.Hispanic Heritage Month sometimes comes and goes without my being completely aware. Set between September 15 thu October 15, the dates are a confusing, albeit accurate, reflection of the see-saw multi-cultural life so many of us lead. Still, I was thrilled to be included in the iVillage round-up of their favorite latina food bloggers. Some of the blogs I’ve been following for awhile like Karina Tavares at Latinfoodie and the Muy Bueno Cookbook and some I’ve just discovered like Lesley Téllez at The M’ija Chronicles and Gabriela’s Kitchen but they are all worth following the year around so I’ll hope you’ll take a look at the complete list here.

Last month, I was also honored to be part of the panel hosted by Steven Shaw at the ICC for his current class. I’ve written a couple of times about how much I’d gotten from the program and it was great to compare notes with Lisa from This Little Piggy Went to the Farmer’s Market and Rebecca at Season With Reason. Catie Baumer Schwalb (who has one of those names you can’t help but write out) of the Pitchfork Diaries wrote a great round-up of the newest crop of bloggers we met that you can find here.

If you’re still reading and looking for even more links I couldn’t help but post this Guardian interview with Ferran Adriá about putting together simple family meals – if your family is the staff of the world’s most famous former restaurant – el bullí. In a similar vein, chef Alex Atala literally goes back to his roots to find inspiration in Brazil’s native ingredients. While chefs are finding inspiration in going back to basics, home cooks are constantly looking for tricks of the trade. Serious Eats posted answered no fewer than 164 food lab questions. I haven’t gotten throught them all yet but I’m sure I’ll be googling it constantly over the next few months. A little less comprehensive though no less essential, they also put Mexican Coke to the test.

Okay, so now that I’m caught up, click here to see those clocks go…