******UPDATE******* Check the comments for the winner/s
Well in honor of the new design, I would like to get some feedback/suggestions from my readers. This is how it will work - leave a comment on this post and tell me what you would like to see on this site( videos, contests,polls,etc). For the most original and unique idea I will reward one lucky reader with my homemade Ancho Bacon BBQ sauce. I don't normally do contests, I leave that up to BlakeMakes :)
The contest will close on Friday August 8th at 12pm CST.
I look forward to what you all think and submit.
Can't we just pretend I posted something witty and interesting. I really want to try that sauce.
(I'll even play the guilt card, and remind you that I am currently homeless. The house repair starts tomorrow though!)
Posted by: Becca | August 03, 2008 at 10:20 PM
I love the new look. It is still clean and uncluttered, and who can not love a banner that includes kids!? I keep meaning to establish a website instead of my blogger template, but I am a bit intimidated. Oh, and Ancho Bacon BBQ sauce- I am all about that!
Posted by: Deborah Dowd | August 04, 2008 at 05:44 AM
I love your blog for the interesting and less common ingredients and techniques you use. Videos would be fun if you're willing to show off techniques (like molecular stuff) that most of us don't do. I just got a grill a couple weeks ago, so I would have all sorts of things to cook if I get to try your sauce :)
Posted by: Erin | August 04, 2008 at 01:21 PM
I think your site looks great Michael! I especially love the pictures of you as a kid cooking! I think it would be a good idea to add recipes to your blog. I know for the most part you already give ingrediates and tell how you make different things, but to have an area where people can go and type in "chicken" or whatever and it pull up different recipes created by you????? Just a thought...may take a little more work and time.
Posted by: Joanna | August 04, 2008 at 04:31 PM
Hey Michael, a few ideas for your consideration ...
#1 a contest for you and your readers on best ideas / tricks to make molecular gastronomy accesible to the home chef; seems like there is big divide between reading about molecular gastronomy and doing it ... Martin at Khymos had one idea along this line, coming up with volumetric measurements for most people who just have teaspoons and tablespoons rather than 0.01g high resolution scales.
#2 a contest on things you can do with the often misunderstood pork belly
#3 a video of you dicing an onion and people critique your technique ... maybe a little cliched task, but it's pretty crazy how many different ways people (even professional chefs) do this; I'm always looking at ways to make this mundane task more efficient
Posted by: Steve | August 04, 2008 at 10:01 PM
As a follow-up to Steve #1, I'd love to see at tour of your home kitchen, your supplies, your equipment. Where you do your shopping, how you do what you do, etc. :)
Posted by: Josh Baugher | August 05, 2008 at 01:26 PM
The only suggestion i have for you is a Youtube "sister" account for the site. I subscribe to a few Youtube users who run similar sites and post videos for each recipe on their blog/site. I'm sure it would be a pain to record yourself every time you wanted to make a new post but I'm sure all of your readers would enjoy the videos. Also, having a Youtube account full of videos of your wonderful recipes would greatly increase traffic to Chickenfriedgourmet.
Posted by: Eric Wilson | August 08, 2008 at 04:58 PM
Thanks for all the responses.I will announce a winner this week.
Posted by: Chicken Fried Gourmet | August 17, 2008 at 10:10 AM
Okay I loved all the ideas and it has been hard to choose a winner ,so since there were a few who took time out of their day to think about ideas............everyone gets sauce :)
just send em an email with your address and I'll get it out in the next week or so, hopefully by labor day
Becca - granted
Deborah - intimidating, frustrating but well worth it :)
Erin - just document what you cook with the sauce
Joanna - why didn't you think of this when I worked for you? I could have used some CFG time at work ;)
Steve - 1. yes 2. yes 3. my wife is deathly allergic to onions so....
Josh - my kitchen is woefully under equipped and probably not what you think :) I do like the ideas of equipment though
Eric - videos are in the works just not how most people would expect....stay tuned
Posted by: Chicken Fried Gourmet | August 22, 2008 at 06:29 PM