SISTER SHEILAA’S AT it again, giving us good advice under her beautiful umbrella of stars. According to her, the challenge for Aries this month is to find the middle road through all the ups and downs. Seems to me, that’s a quest for a lifetime, not a month, but with some good counsel, I think I’m on my way. The Buddhists (and friends) have this one covered…

When you need a hit of wisdom and perhaps some advice, why not look to a philosophy that’s been working for people around the world for, oh, more than 2000 years? Whatever your faith, there’s comfort to be found within the Buddhist doctrine of the Middle Way. In a nutshell, the teaching is this: avoid believing in extremes. You won’t find the truth in them. But there are writers who say it, and apply it, much better than I can. A few gems:

1. Tara Brach’s Radical Acceptance encourages looking at tough times with acceptance, detachment, and compassion. Brach is a psychologist and a meditation teacher, and brings both of these to bear in this gentle, practical, approachable book.

2. Jack Kornfield’s The Wise Heart explores Buddhism and psychology, and their relationship, arguing persuasively that support for the wisdom of Buddhist teachings can be found in current scientific research. Kornfeld provides many anecdotes from his years as a Buddhist monk and as a meditation teacher, which make the book as thought provoking as it is useful.

3. Anything by Pema Chodron, an American-born Tibetan Buddhist nun. Anything. When Things Fall Apart is a classic for hard times.

4. I’ve written before, and recently, about my love for Brené Brown, a professor of social work from Houston who has been known to describe herself as a “researcher/storyteller”. Though she’s no Buddhist, she is a big fan of the teachings, and refers to them frequently in her totally brilliant, must-read, anti-perfectionist manifesto, The Gifts of Imperfection. Read it yourself, and then see if you don’t want to give it to every single sister-friend you have.

Be sure to check out your May horoscope from Sheilaa. And in the meantime, tell us: Where do you turn when you need help navigating the slings and arrows, the ups and downs? How do you find the middle of your own road?

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SOMETIMES WHEN I’M HOMEBOUND with cabin fever, I find my friends in unlikely places…or at least I find their words and their wisdom, even if they can’t actually sit down for a cuppa. Now that I’m buried under nearly two feet of snow, I have to find places to go for my does of sisterhood when, truthfully, I really can’t go anywhere. My rural existence would be a whole lot lonelier without the internet.

We all know the time suck that is Facebook. More hours than I care to own up to have been lost in the maze of connections available there. Did you know you can use it to keep track of what’s happening here on the Sister Project there? Get to it!

I was on Facebook long before I joined Twitter, but Twitter is where I’ve found more new friends. Take amazing writer Susan Orlean, for example. Without corresponding with Susan (in 140 characters or less, natch) I would never have found my group of fellow chicken-raisers. Yep. There’s an online kink for everyone, even small-scale chicken farmers, and this group gives me more resources and info that I knew I wanted.

Farming isn’t the only interest I can indulge online. Sister Marion’s written before about SheWrites, an incredible community of women writers. I love digging through the posts there, finding new bylines to read, and people facing the same terror of the blank page.

The blank page confronts artists, too, and since I started my foray into mixed media, I’ve gotten hooked on art house, an online community where artists share their work and participate in group projects. If you need a little inspirational shove–it’s the perfect place.

When I need a break from all that art-making and storytelling, I need a snack. That’s where Food 52 comes in. Started by famed foodies Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, it’s a great place to find fellow foodies, and contribute your recipes to their weekly contests (winners will be in the Food52 cookbook!).  This week, the finalists for the recipe contest are even sisters! Check it out.

Usually, especially on a snow day, my internet sojourn is interrupted, countless times, by my sweet, attention-grabbing offspring. If they commandeer the computer, our first stop is usually Poisson Rouge, my absolute favorite play site for little kids. The design’s beautiful, and I love their sweet multimedia games. And when I start to go nuts from having my body and my mind overtaken by my sweethearts, I know I can find solace at Babble, my favorite online parenting site. It’s got just the right mix of sound advice, irreverence, and a dash of stupid celebrity gossip to ease my weary mom brain. It takes a village, right? It’s just that some days, my village is virtual.

How about you? Do you have digital destinations you want to share with the sisters? Let us know!

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BRRR. BLECCH. IT’S FEBRUARY. In college, this meant something called “Feb Club,” an organized party every single night of the year’s bleakest, longest-feeling month. In real life, this means a search for escape–virtual, if not real. For me, escape from the winter blues comes through cooking and reading. Thanks to the net, I’ve found an incredible web of foodie blogging sisters (and brothers) whose recipes and reminiscences spirit me away to places much brighter and warmer. Are you in need of inspiration and escape, too? To come away with me, check out these bloggers, whose words and pictures are an escape as good as any exotic vacation, and a lot easier to come by.

1. Todd and Diane, the White on Rice Couple

I fell in love with Todd and Diane during our Summer Fest cross-blog extravaganza last year, and the romance isn’t over. With beautiful photography and accessible, adventurous recipes, they offer food for every sense. Be sure to check out their recipe for Sriracha hot sauce. One of their most popular posts ever, this recipe is guaranteed to warm things up in your kitchen.

2. Meedo and Zainab of Arabic Bites

These two Saudi sisters share their favorite recipes from their own family, and beyond. In scrupulous detail, they offer their takes on everything from stuffed grape leaves to hummus and fatoush, but I am dying to try the pistachio rice pudding and the zucchini pancakes.

3. Monica of A Life of Spice

Monica Bhide is an accomplished author and cook, and her blog is perfect for those want more of the delectable Indian cuisine she shared in her latest book, Modern Spice.  A recent recipe I’m dying to try is shrimp and coriander soup–this time of year, I crave all soup, but especially clear broth full of flavor, which this promises to be. (Scroll down in the post to find the recipe.)

4. Cristina Potter of Mexico Cooks!

Cristina was born in the U.S. but has spent nearly 30 years living in Mexico, and her blog is as much an exhaustive travel guide as it is a repository of super-authentic, well-explained recipes. For a good introduction to all that’s on offer here, check out her recent post recapping her best of 2009. I can’t wait to make her capirotada, a bread pudding unique to the Lenten season in Mexico. (Scroll down in the post for the recipe.)

5. Mark of Sticky Rice

I don’t know much about Mark, an Australian living, eating and writing in Hanoi, but what I do know is that this blog is like an instant ticket to Southeast Asia. Mark covers the world of  Vietnamese food from humble street vendors to fancy hotel restaurants, and does so with enthusiasm, humor and scrupulous attention to detail about ingredients, flavors and surroundings. Be sure to check out his “Sweeeeet!” category for a mouth-watering look at Vietnamese desserts.

6. Fuchsia Dunlop

Fuchsia (oh, how I love that name) Dunlop is not a food blogger, but an author and scholar of Chinese cooking. Her blog is a collection of musings on the state of cuisine in China (a recent post was on the Chinese government’s attempts to standardize recipes for Mao’s favorite dishes). The site falls into the “virtual voyage” category I so love this time of year. Her recipes for her Chinese-influenced take on Christmas fare (e.g., Chinese mince pie dumplings) are not to be missed.

7. Robyn and David of EatingAsia

Kuala Lumpur-based Robyn Eckhardt and David Hagerman have one of the most beautifully photographed blogs I’ve ever seen, but EatingAsia has way more than a pretty face. Robyn and David travel throughout Asia, digging into local cuisine everywhere they go. They offer a sumptuous slice of life most of us aren’t likely to experience. One recipe I am longing for is their Devil curry–a spicy-sour concoction that seems ideal for February.

8. Fran of BetumiBlog

Fran Osseo-Asare’s “labor of love” blog, which features recipes from and information about cuisines throughout sub-Saharan Africa, might be my favorite food-blog discovery ever. Fran’s approach is affectionate and scholarly, and her recipes are both exotic and appealing. She’s got step-by-step instruction for a range of savory and sweet dishes, but these togbei from Ghana (the name means, get ready, “goats’ balls”) keep calling my name…

9. Pati of Pati’s Mexican Table

What’s in the water in Washington, DC? I lived there many  years ago, and though there was awesome Vietnamese food, I never found much other ethnic cuisine that lived up to its potential. The food climate must have changed, because like Monica Bhide (see Number 3 above) Pati Jinich lives and cooks in the capitol. Her blog is exuberant, and her recipes shine. As an ex-Californian who now lives in something of a Mexican-food wasteland, I rely upon books and blogs to inspire me, and Pati’s is sure-fire. I’m dying to try her pollo pibil.

10. Danielle of Habeas Brulée

It’s not that Danielle Sucher cooks any exotic cuisine in particular, but that everything she cooks has an imaginative and gutsy flair. I first found Habeas when a craving for Moroccan cuisine sent me off on a Google odyssey, and Danielle has a few Moroccan recipes to choose from. But she also has gorgeous salads, inspired sweets (try her Balsamic Fudge Drop cookies) and a deep catalog of recipes categorized as “Hot/Spicy,” just to warm things up.

11. Stephanie of Momofuku For 2

Stephanie Le loves David Chang’s New York City Momofuku restaurants so much, that when she received his cookbook for Christmas, she decided to cook her way through the entire book and blog the process. She’s the first to admit that this is no longer an original idea, but her site still feels fresh, and Chang’s inventive Asian cuisine is relentlessly appealing (as is Steph’s enthusiasm for her project). You need the book to cook along with Steph (she does not republish Chang’s recipes) but even without it, Momofuku For 2 will suck you in.

12. Martin of Khymos

Martin Lersch is a Norwegian scientist who’s passionate about food and cooking–specifically, molecular gastronomy. Martin offers a whole different kind of culinary adventure (check out his downloadable recipe book Texture–A Hydrocolloid Recipe Collection. Hydrocolloid? Oh, that’s “a substance that forms a gel in contact with water.” According to Martin.) While I am unlikely to ever cook any of the gels or foams in Martin’s cookbook, I love the adventure of reading his take on the science that (really, truly) always underlies good cooking. He’s funny and charming and unabashed in his food-geek pride. In all seriousness, don’t miss his monthly “They Go Really Well Together” (TGRWT) experiments in food pairings. Banana parsley marshmallows, anyone?

13. Indira of Mahanandi

I love Indian food. I mean, LOVE. Indira Singari’s recipes make it seem doable at home, but better, they make you feel like you’ve got her at your shoulder, coaching and coaxing you through the new or unfamiliar. In one of her most popular posts, a divine recipe for palak paneer, Indira explains in vivid detail how the woman who taught her to make this recipe explained that she needed to see it, in order to understand how to do it. Indira manages to make you see, and in the process, shares her encyclopedic knowledge of recipes (many from her own family) and ingredients. A passage to India if ever there was one.

If these suggestions leave you longing for more, read my original favorite food blogs post, or this follow-up offering more of my best food blog picks!

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image from the new thankyougourmet.com

YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW I FEEL about the end of Gourmet. But let me be clear: Unlike many mainstream media outlets that covered this story, I don’t blame food bloggers. I love food blogs, and what I glean from their shiny digital pages is totally different than what I sought in Gourmet‘s glossy ones. So with my favorite food mag now history, I find myself seeking comfort from fellow foodies and passionate cooks. If you, too, need some emotional sustenance during these dark days, be sure to check out these sites, which are full of the vibrant joy of cooking well for yourself and others.

Shauna of Gluten Free Girl

One of our early profiles, one of my favorite online foodies, Shauna is a bundle of love and joy and can make you feel instantly better, about everything, at the click of a key. Read this, and see if you don’t believe me.

Marilyn of Simmer Till Done

Marilyn was one of my first new digital sisters after the launch of TSP, and I treasure her writing, her recipes, her sense of humor, and our frizzy-haired kinship. She let me write for her once. She even wrote for us once. And she makes scones. I LOVE scones.

Julie of A Mingling of Tastes

Julie’s having a special celebration of Gourmet this week, a great addition to her regular line up of simple, accessible recipes like grilled pizza and shepherd’s pie. And she’s from my hometown, Chicago, which makes her extra special.

Aran of Cannelle et Vanille

Hands-down, one of the most gorgeous food blogs around. Seasonal, special and always inventive, Aran’s recipes are unique and beautiful. And she makes marzipan ice cream–what could be better?

Matt of MattBites

One of the SummerFest crew, Matt is funny as can be, loves cocktails as much as carnitas, and is a master when it comes to styling and photographing his culinary triumphs.

Julie of Dinner with Julie

Julie, another thanks-to-TSP digital sister, describes her site as “a sort of reality cookbook” which it is, if your reality includes things like Pumpkin Stout Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting. (Thanks to Julie, that will soon be part of my reality, too.)

Dorie of In the Kitchen and On the Road with Dorie

Yes, Dorie Greenspan. Yes, she writes for that other food magazine, but we won’t hold that against her, since she’s a goddess of baking, and a wonderful storyteller.

Luisa of The Wednesday Chef

I’ve never met Luisa, never corresponded with her, make no claim to sisterhood at all–but hers was the first food blog I ever read, and I love her. Read her, and you will, too.

Elana of Elana’s Pantry

Another profilee, another home of gluten-free goodness, with a healthy dash of environmental consciousness thrown in for all our good measure. Don’t know about you, I can’t wait to drown some sorrow in these Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Heidi of 101 Cookbooks

Now that Gourmet’s Cookbook Club is kaput, I’ll be extra reliant on Heidi’s savvy book picks, not to mention her elegant vegetarian recipes. I’ve been dying to make this Roasted Corn Pudding in Acorn Squash.

Gwen of Pen and Fork

I found Chef Gwen thanks to Twitter, and love her accounts of her dining experiences (don’t miss her luscious photographs of the legendary roast chicken at San Francisco’s Zuni Café) and her simple, original recipes, often with a southwestern flavor.

and…Renee of thankyougourmet.com

Finally, a special shout-out to the lovely writer Renee Schettler, who was inspired to create a site where we can say “thank you” to Gourmet for all it’s given readers over the years. Renee was kind enough to include my remembrances of Gourmet, and I hope you’ll visit the site and add yours to the list. (The image above is from her beautifully designed thankyougourmet.com. Be sure to check it out.)

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REMEMBER MY SUMMER GOALS? Now that summer is more than one-third past (read that bit again, why don’t you, as you weep into your iced coffee) and I’m about to embark on our few short days of family vacation, I thought I should check in with, um, myself, and err, you all, and ‘fess up to what I’ve done, or not, on that list of mine.

My kids made me do it. Those ambitious little shorties forced me to come to terms with the things that seemed really important to do, see, or experience this summer. Progress is being made, but not all the news is good. Read on…

1. Tomatoes, basil, corn. Too early, too rainy, too cold. These will all have to wait until August, though I did break down and buy a supermarket tomato this week to eat with a salad nicoise I made…from ARUGULA I GREW MYSELF. (Hold your applause until the end, please.)

2. Sun on skin. See above. We had more rainfall in June than in any year since 1903. Even so, today the sun shone, and the Rock and the River and I went swimming in our own pond. My husband is convinced that amoebic dysentery is just around the corner for us all, but the sun on our backs in the cool water felt divine.

3. Fireflies. Going, going, gone, but it stays light so late here, that my kids are always asleep by the time the lightning bugs start to show themselves, anyway. Maybe next year. This year, they made do with sparklers on the 4th of July, which were as close to magic as either child has yet come in their short lives.

4. Bonfire. S’mores. See Number 1, above. Thunderstorms every night=zero campfires, though my kids did have s’mores, they tell me, at their first ever non-family, brother-sister sleepover this weekend. While they were having s’mores, I was having…my husband. Alone. For a whole 16 hours. We owe our friends, big time.

5. Beach, seaglass, crustaceans. We left for four days in Maine Monday. I’ll report back, but signs are promising.

6. A run in the rain. With all the rain we’ve been having, this one should have been a breeze. I’ve been lazy, running mostly on the weekends, not nearly enough during the week, and rain has been an excuse not to. Now that I’ve confessed my sins, I’ll try to do better.

7. Infinite Jest. OK, I’m only about 150 pages in, but progress is being made, people. Considering that I only made it to page 19 the first time I tried to read it (I know exactly where I stopped, because I found the dogeared page when I cracked the book this time). I think hope is in order, even if it’s too early for optimism.

8. A night away with my husband. See Number 4. We were in our own house, but we were alone, and it was free.

9. Stay tighter with my friends. I had a fun meet-up with a bunch of fellow writer/social media type girlfriends last week for brunch. I spent leisurely, lovely time with a couple of L.A. friends I hadn’t seen in a year or so, a high school friend with whom I reconnected at my recent reunion, and am about to see two more of those high school sister-friends in Maine this week. On the downside, I have phone calls and emails from treasured friends lingering unreturned. Two steps forward…

10. Having more fun? Definitely. While I can’t necessarily say I’ve succeeded at the “stress less” part, I’m definitely playing more. I related strongly to this blog post about the importance of play time from a wonderful writer and blogger, Jen Lee. See what you think.

How is your summer going? Is it living up to your expectations? Do you have secret goals you want to confess? C’mon, tell the sisters.

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ARE YOU A SUCCESSFUL list maker? I try to be, I do. I use different tools, on paper and on my computer, to try to keep track of the too-many-to-list obligations and opportunities in my life (not to mention the lives of my husband and kids.) But somehow, I’m not so good at organization, which means I’m not so good at actually accomplishing long-term goals. I can do the stuff that’s right in front of me, but looking beyond the disaster at the end of my nose is, um, a challenge. When it comes to flaws and failings, there’s nothing like a little exhibitionism to keep you honest, so for this summer, I decided to come out of the closet with the things I need and want to get done.

My kids’ insistence on setting goals for the summer (apparently, I’m raising them well, i.e., not too much like me, a notorious avoider of goals and goal-setting) got me thinking. What do I really want for the summer that lies ahead, the way-too-short two months of green and warmth and swimming and farm-fresh vegetables?

My 10 Summer Musts

1. Tomatoes, basil and corn. As much as possible, as soon as they arrive. (Given that it’s been Noah’s Ark-like weather for the last three weeks here, they may arrive exactly never, but hope springs eternal.) I’ll be visiting some of my favorite food bloggers for recipe ideas.

2. Sun on skin. Sunscreen, sure. But that feeling of your skin slowly heating up is one to treasure, especially when you live in a place where winter’s five months long.

3. Fireflies in a jar. My kids have to do this, at least once, if only so I can have the joy of seeing them replicate one of my favorite childhood activities.

4. Bonfire, with s’mores. We’re trying a new version: chocolate graham crackers, peanut butter, chocolate (duh) and homemade marshmallows. I promise a full report.

5. Beach. Seaglass. Hopefully a lobster roll or three. We’re heading to Maine in a couple of weeks to benefit from a sister-friend’s hospitality, so this one should be easy.

6. A run in the rain. Remember that 10-mile goal? I need to conquer my fear of slipping and sliding on the dirt roads that surround my home if I’m going to get there. Though the sun shone yesterday, more storms are coming, and I can’t let them derail my training schedule (because, believe it or not, I actually have one!)

7. Infinite Jest. One of my absolute favorite bloggers has challenged friends and readers to join her in a summer readathon of the late David Foster Wallace’s doorstop of postmodern fiction. I tried to read this when it was first published, and failed, but this time, I’m hoping to conquer it. I guess I better add it to my beach bag full o’ books.

8. A night away with my husband, and without my kids. We’ve only done this once, and it was almost three years ago. I think it’s time. Any suggestions on where we should go for a grown up sleepaway?

9. Get better about keeping in touch with friends both online and real. Does this mean you? Keep me honest.

10. More play, less stress, and a keen eye towards making the most of ever-shorter summer days. Maybe what I really need is this inspired non-planner from designer Keri Smith and Little Otsu.

What about you? What are your must-do summer activities? Who better to share them with than your sisters?

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I HAVE A LITTLE problem. I love cookbooks, and cooking magazines. The piles mount; something has to give, my husband says. Do I really need all this paper in order to cook? Well, no, I don’t, I guess, but cookbooks make me feel at home, bring me solace, and inspire me. Thankfully, the sisterhood and brotherhood of passionate cooks I’ve met the last three years in the food blogosphere provide a glimmer of light at the end of this paper tunnel. Meet my most recent culinary muses:

It all started for me with this 2006 Los Angeles Times article, and the then-anonymous blog The Wednesday Chef. One site led to another, and down the cooking blog rabbit hole I went. Here are some places you’ll find me in the comments:

Paige’s Favorite Foodie Blogs

1. The Wednesday Chef

Luisa started my food-blog love affair, and I cook her recipes constantly. Since I, too, have overflowing files of newspaper recipe clippings, I found her concept (cooking through those piles of clippings, and rating the results) totally brilliant, but her writing kept me coming back. She introduced me to the no-knead bread craze (back in the days when I was still eating wheat regularly–sigh) and I love her writing about Italy, ingredients, the recipes that work and the ones that don’t…everything about her voice and her cooking enthusiasms just charms me.

2. Gluten Free Girl

I don’t need to tell you about Shauna, do I? You’ve already read the profile of her over in the TSP Galleries; you’ve visited her glorious site; maybe you’ve even baked some cupcakes. Me, I’ve wracked my brain to figure out how I found Shauna, but no matter the path, I’m so glad I landed on her virtual doorstep. Even if you don’t avoid gluten (and I do) her recipes work and her joyful attitude is one I long to emulate.

3. Elana’s Pantry

Another gluten-free site (also dairy- and sugar-free) with delicious recipes and beautiful presentation. Oh, and a beautiful author, to boot. One look at Elana, and you think, “Damn! I want to eat that way, too!” Elana’s also a personal hero of mine because she convinces her kids to eat the healthful food she prepares. Try her recipes, and you’ll see why. One new dish I’m planning to try is her Roasted Chicken with Olives and Prunes.

4. 101 Cookbooks

Possibly the most gorgeous of my fave food blogs, this site by Heidi Swanson is also a destination for healthful recipes. I found the site searching for recipes using soba noodles, a favorite of my husband’s. I found this recipe, and never looked back. When I want a super-healthy, vegetable-intensive main dish, 101 Cookbooks is the first place I look.

5. Anapestic

See? I promised a brother in this group. I don’t know this writer’s real name, and sadly, he has not posted this year. I’m hoping he’ll come back, because I love his meandering way of writing, the way every recipe is a story and then some. I found him searching for information about legendary food writer Laurie Colwin and her take on the near-mythical Black Cake, and kept coming back for his wit, and his palate. Dig around, and you’re bound to find a delicious dish wrapped up in a delectable, hysterical anecdote.

6. The Town Tart

Here’s another blogger who leaves something to be desired when it comes to consistency-of-posting, but I love TTT’s sweetly snarky wit, succinct and honest cookbook reviews, and the fact that once upon a time, she used to live right here, in the exact remote part of the country where I live now, and she now lives in Venice Beach, where, once upon a time, I used to live. There’s some kind of poetry there, I have to believe. That, and the star of her kitchen is a bright red Aga, the stove of dreams. What’s not to love?

7. Bitten

The only corporate blog in this list, Mark Bittman’s Bitten is just lovely, and totally useful. I cook from it all the time, because it is exactly in tune with my cooking sensibilities: Use fresh and local whenever possible; be as healthy as  you can; experiment with flavor; err on the side of simplicity. I love Bittman’s columns for the New York Times, most of his cookbooks, and this eminently useful blog.

8. Gastrokid

My buddy Hugh Garvey is a real-deal foodie, an editor at Bon Appétit, a super hipster, and a proud papa of two cute kids. All of these characteristics inform this site, in which he and his writing partner, Matthew Yeomans, chronicle the culinary exploits of adventurous eaters with kids along for the ride. Gastrokid mercifully doesn’t fall into the icky “hide the vegetables in the brownies” trap, and thus offers recipes that adults and kids can try without cringing.

9. Simmer Till Done

This blog holds a special place in this list and in my affections, because it’s the first food blog I discovered because of The Sister Project. Marilyn came commenting, I clicked back over to her site, and fell in love. A professional baker, Marilyn’s also a fantastic writer, whose stories about food and cooking are deeply personal and instantly relatable. She’s got her own sister stories to tell, too, some of which will make you laugh; others will break your heart. But with so much comfort food on offer (check out the four sisters’ versions of noodle kugel) Marilyn can make you smile through the tears. She even draws beautifully. I think I want to be Marilyn when I grow up; I definitely want to bake like her.

Would you care to nominate someone special for number 10? Let me know!

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A FEW WEEKS BACK, I directed your attention to a new site I am loving, Seven Of. Well, those fantastic sister friends, Amy and Jane, loved us right back. They loved us so much, that they were inspired to make today’s list Seven Thoughts On Sisters, and we’re honored to have made the top of the list.

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