I know it’s been a little quiet around here. I’ve been trying to decide what this blog is really for. After over five years of writing Food on the Brain, I’ve figured out that I’m not cut out to be a professional blogger. I went to a food blogger conference a few years ago where they convinced me I needed to own a privately hosted website and monetize it, but I’ve finally realized that – for me, at least – they were wrong. I don’t want to run flashy ads, or instruct people on how to make lasagna with careful step-by-step photographs and clever SEO that draws the whole lasagna-recipe-seeking internet to my door. I might write about a particularly delicious lasagna that we had for dinner, but that doesn’t mean that was the only way to make one. I don’t need to be the go-to site for lasagna. Or anything else.

I’m fascinated by the world of food, but I don’t consider myself to be an expert in anything. My original intent was to share great eating experiences, write down some of my more successful cooking projects so I’d remember what I’d done, and generally have a record of my life in food. Unfortunately I’ve allowed myself to be intimidated by the way other bloggers set themselves up as authorities and start informing people what condiments they need to use and the final word in chocolate chip cookie recipes. I personally don’t think that there’s any right answer to what any one person should like best. I just want to share the journey of discovery.

What I would like is to reclaim this space for myself. I’ve been using facebook for off-the-cuff updates instead of putting them here, which is ridiculous. If no-one comments, that’s fine – honestly, I’m used to it – but I don’t want that to stop me from writing what I want. I do write actual cooking articles and restaurant reviews and farmer profiles, and you can see all of my professional work through my other website http://www.jessamyntuttle.com, but that’s not what this site is for. Let’s see where it goes.