So here we are coming up o
n the end of the first year of WikiJanCooks and I stand at the decision I have pushed off for a year. Do we -keep on, do we step back and adjust or do we say its been real…and go on with life.
When the 5 of us (Myself, Julie L., Kathryn D., Beth B. and The Hungry Neophyte) started out here almost a year ago I was not completely convinced this would be something I would see myself doing for more than a year but due to the nature of this form of communication I felt that if I stepped off into this world of cooking blogs that I could not make my normal snap decision on if this little corner of the web would be an asset or just white noise. Like all relationships it would need time to grow and develop, time to find its…personality, I guess you could say. So I have gone back and looked at the questions I originally posed when WikiJanCooks was born to see if my answers have changed, stayed the same or are no longer relevant now.
Let’s take a look…
“I kept asking myself does the world need yet another cooking blog? “
I would say maybe/maybe not…not real helpful huh? I guess I have grown to look at this question in the light of…its normally good to have a variety of voices lending themselves to other’s learning. We all learn in a variety of ways and if I can illuminate things a bit more for someone then we are on the right track.
“Do I have enough to say to fill a blog on a consistent basis? “
Those of you know know me in R.L. know I am 99.99999% of the time not at a loss for words and can always find something to say. Granted the last few months WikiJan has been a bit sparse due to R.L. things getting in the way I think this question can be answered in the affirmative.
Will spending time on a blog add to not only my life but to those who read my ramblings?
While I can only answer the first half of the question, it will take ya’ll on the other side of the screen to answer the second half. So has WikiJan added to my life? Most definitely! I have learned a ton over the last year from how to bring to life Brioche for Kentucky Fired Chick to constraining my bold in your face way of seasoning from The Hungry Neophyte to how to break down a recipe from Kathryn D. and providing Beth B. my Bacon mac and Cheese recipe.
I have learn
ed to be more aware of what I toss in the pot when I am trial running a recipe before it hits WikiJan…you know the little things like that piece of Roesmary tossed into a cream sauce or a 1/4 ts of nutmeg that gets forgotten in the bustle of putting together a crumble. I have found a “go to” taste tester who holds no punches and tells me not only when I have hit the mark spot on but more importantly when its all wrong…there is no hesitance in saying so.
So let me turn the tables on you my cooking acolytes what is it that you have learned from WikiJancooks? Was it a certain technique or recipe? Did you come back week after week looking for that BBQ sauce recipe that has not mater
ialized yet? (No H.N. just no.) Or the parading of my flops from time to time showing that everyone will have blunders.
In saying all the above we now have comes to the crossroads, do we merry band of cooking friends continue on or do we lay WikiJan to rest?
…oh and riddle me this why is that recipe for Italian Meatballs so popular? It is the number one viewed post on the site…EVERY week. Never did I think that simple recipe would be so popular. All of you who have used it you have The Hungry Neophyte to thank for it, had he not pushed for a good meatball recipe you would not know what you were missing.
Its now your turn to sound off and let me know do we continue? If you think continuing is a good thing what do you think would make this exchange more helpful?
Now go play with your food.
WikiJan
WikiJan Cooks 
May 16, 2012 at 8:04 pm
WikiJan,
I love your post!! Your writing style is interesting and humorus, not to mention your excellent cooking tips and recipes. Keep on ….keeping on!
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May 16, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Hi Ohio Mama how good to see you pop up again, thank you for your kind words they are greatly appreciated!
On a non WikiJan topic did you enjoy your trip? H.N. & KFC and I have not had a chance to get together and chat about it yet from what I understand they have a number of photos to show off.
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May 17, 2012 at 8:27 am
We had a FABULOUS trip! You’ll have to ask H.N. and K.F.C. about the interesting food. We came back with lots of clear noodles that I don’t know what to do with!
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May 17, 2012 at 7:07 pm
I am so glad you had a wonderful time! If the noodles are the ones I am thinking of I LOVE cooking with them. They take on the flavor of what you put them in and they have such a cool texture to boot, I like tossing them in with some sauteed spinach, carrots, some red pepper flakes and a bit of fish sauce. The very thin white rice flour noodles when you toss them in hot oil puff up about 10x’s their regular size and taste like popcorn if you toss a sprinkle of salt on them. They are good either hot or cold if you ask me!
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May 18, 2012 at 8:49 am
Fish sauce——ugh, but the rest I can do. M&K have them too. I do want to try cooking them-just don’t know exactly how. Popcorn? I love it! Any other suggestions?
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May 19, 2012 at 8:35 am
HA! I know what you mean about the fish sauce but I use so little of it that it just accents it. Let me pick up some glass noodles and I will put together some ideas for you. If you will email me a photo of your packages (or I can ask M to text me one if that is easier) I will see if I can get the same at Jungle Jim’s next weekend when I go pick up my car.
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May 16, 2012 at 8:05 pm
Why stop now that you have enough material for rerun?
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May 16, 2012 at 8:42 pm
Hi Hallie!
HAHA I have more ideas than I have time to post at this point. I could take a month off from the Big Green Machine and cook/photograph every day and still not put a dent in the idea pile…
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May 17, 2012 at 11:48 am
I wouldn’t have been able to make our new house favorite, the unabiscuit without you Jan!!! 🙂 Keep it up, I love it. Then, later, it will be easy to put together a cookbook and get famous 😉
J
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May 17, 2012 at 3:29 pm
Cook book huh… I don’t see that happening any time soon. I love that the fame of the Unibiscuit is spreading far and wide…or to Louisville.
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May 19, 2012 at 9:34 am
Love the blog. Great read.
I know it is time consuming.
But, if you stop now, where am I going to refer my foodie friends and neighbors? How will lives be enhanced? Who will save the universe?
Looking forward to the BBQ sauce and your “smoked meats” issue.
HN
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May 19, 2012 at 10:57 am
You and that BBQ sauce….how about we compromise and I give you an “almost” version of my sauce? One that is 99% of the real thing like those knock off Ray Ban sunglasses ):) I know I know it’s not the same…ok I’ll think about sharing. Maybe.
I actually thought of blogging the pulled pock being tested for the PETA BBQ this weekend but since I have changed the brine and glaze, it needs to have some “unsuspecting” volunteer to flesh out those two items. Just to make sure it is up to WikiJan standards for “public food”.
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April 18, 2018 at 2:35 pm
I’m impressed, I must say. Seldom do I encounter a blog that’s equally educative and
interesting, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head.
The issue is something which not enough folks are speaking intelligently about.
I am very happy that I found this during my search for something relating
to this.
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