Mad About Mixing Bowl

Have you stumbled across MixingBowl.com yet? Did you know they also have a magazine?

I found the web site a few weeks back, but I didn't find a copy of the magazine until last weekend.

photo from my phone - apologies for the quality

Mixing Bowl is made by the same publishing group as Better Homes and Gardens. As a subscriber to many food magazines - Food Network Magazine, Cooking Light to name a few - I tend to gather lots of ideas... and then do nothing with them. You with me on that? But hey, I've got a lot of great ideas!

But MixingBowl.com is more than just a food web site. It's an entire community! And these people are amazing. Not only do they share recipes with each other (and with you), but they have forums and discussions and are so eager to help. I've asked a few questions, and within a few minutes, I've got tons of great help.

This great community spills over to the magazine, Mixing Bowl. So much of the material is member driven. For example, questions and answers from the Knowledge Bowl at MixingBowl.com end up in the magazine. Many of the features are inspired by groups on MixingBowl.com, and it looks like all the recipes come from members. Plus, they give great sidebar information. For example, with the chili feature, they give you a run-down of beans, what they're called, how to prepare them, what they're best with, etc. They do taste tests and let you know their favorite products -- in this magazine above, best salsas.

And none of it is intimidating to me -- unlike some others. I think I can genuinely cook everything in here, even things I've been scared to try like breads. Maybe that's because I know it's just people at home, making recipes, trying new things, and sharing their experiences -- just like me.