There are thousands of cooking blogs -- each week, we bring you highlights from the best. This week, we've got dip on the brain.
Dip -- like spoon bread and jerky -- is one of those rare foods whose name derives from the act of eating it, not the dish itself. So we thought we'd take a dip into the blogosphere, a dunk that led us to Ezra Pound Cake, a two-year-old blog with a light-hearted attitude and penchant for Mad Men (and our favorite bit of Pete Campbell trivia: the "Chip and Dip").
"This site is dedicated to sharing recipes, celebrating my spectacular kitchen triumphs (and disasters) and promoting the fun to be had cooking at home," writes Rebecca Crump, the woman behind the madness. Crump is a writer-turned-baker, hence the "Ezra Pound Cake" witticism: "It combines Ezra Pound, the Modernist poet, and Pound Cake, a simple-but-delicious dessert containing an abundance of butter and sugar," she explains.
With an extensive recipe index full of assorted homey recipes, and a manageable blogroll (this one will keep you from rolling into food blog oblivion), resource-rich Ezra Pound Cake is also pumped with personality. Crump's posts are decidedly hilarious, even a tad raunchy at times. From her sassy tone to the funny videos sprinkled throughout her posts, this site's as fun as the notion of dip itself.
Crump's Nashville roots are evident in the many comfy recipes and wonderful Southern cookbooks from which she adapts them. Our inner snacker wants some Spicy Southwestern Popcorn, or better yet, Cheese-Grits Chiles Rellenos with Roasted Tomato Gravy. And yet, the very look of the collard-y New Year's Good Luck Dip sends vitamins coursin' through our veins. The photographs are extremely attractive and professional-looking (and oh, what pretty floral dishware!).
Best of all, Crump even developed full-fledged "MadMenus" for the premieres of the show's third season and fourth, for crying out loud. We can hardly wait for season five -- till then, we've got Ezra Pound Cake to keep us entertained.
4 Comments on Ezra Pound Cake:
What an inspiring story! Writer turned baker: I am so glad you did not die of constant criticism, Rachel! Great blog!
I came in to post my recipe for a collard green and pimenton dip I worked on tonight to make the deadline, only to see this......the recipe isn't exactly the same but now that really doesn't matter, does it?
This is from your friendly editors at Food52.
added about 1 year agoWhat a coincidence! Please feel free to submit the version you developed.
What a great find! Glad to know there's hope for conflicted writer/bakers.
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