If you know me at all, you know I always have magazines around. Food magazines specifically. It could be that  I'm examining the current issue of one I'm going through to decide what to make next, making sure I have the instructions down so I don't surprise myself later on or checking for any discrepancies between the ingredients in the list and those I have in my cupboards. Or, I could be looking through a potential magazine for review over the upcoming month. I read them from cover to cover, see if there are any interesting special feature, and make sure that the dishes have at least some interest to our family. 

That's what I do. I go through food magazines and make a good many of the recipes they post, usually between 20-25. Then I write about them. I write from them vantage point of a wife and mother. I don't have a sous chef. I don't have a test kitchen with an endless number of pots and pans, sky's the limit budget, or a pantry that has ingredients I can't pronounce. I do have a husband, daughter and several pets. The phone rings, people knock on the door, and life intrudes. This is real cooking.

Take, for instance, the Cardamom Vanilla Pound Cake that's found in the March 2009 issue of Gourmet Magazine. They don't print this magazine anymore, but if you have a copy of it, I know you understand its value and are holding on to it, as I am to mine.  I made this recipe yesterday for my family. I'd love you to read about the experience and about how the cake tastes. If you like cardamom, you already know. It's a winner. You can read my full review on my blog. I do hope you'll visit.

http://www.takingonmagazines.com