The Best Way for a Foodie to Relax—and Get Inspired

Remember how when you were a kid and it was all exciting to get mail? Like, you’d run up to your mom and ask excitedly, “Did I get anything?!” And when you did, man, those were awesome days—even if the piece of mail wasn’t all that spectacular. But as an adult, mail begins to lose its…well…allure. Bills tend to do that. But you know how you bring that excitement back? With cooking and food magazine subscriptions! Yes!
This year, when my friends and family were asking what they could get us, I dropped the idea of magazine subscriptions. Back in October I rattled off a few ideas and lo and behold, come January they started arriving. One week I got Eating Well. The next it was Cook’s Illustrated.

And then, because my BFF Tish and I always do a themed gift and this year it was magazines (surprise ones, too—just something we thought the other would enjoy), she got me Food & Wine magazine. Um, I’ve seriously been in foodie reading heaven.

And I’m obsessed. At least once a week (ideally once a day!), I settle in with my food mags and a yummy drink of some kind—coffee, tea, wine, gluten-free beer—and just enjoy. I love reading about nutrition, techniques, new trends, new chefs, editorials, wine reviews, recipes. Oh, there’s so much goodness there for the eyeballs. My whole new food-magazine reading ritual is just so zen. Besides giving me about a million new ideas of what to cook and try/cover for this site, it keeps me passionate, learning and super excited about all things food. I love it! I’m smitten with my mags!
What about you? Do you get any food magazines? Which are your faves? —Jenn