Finding My Niche

So now that I have my recipe for a standard blog, I hope to explore what can take my blog a step further.  What makes a standard blog extraordinary, one that keeps people interested and coming back for seconds?  What will set my blog apart?  What will be my niche, or position in the blogging world?

1.   Various Cultural Influences
Being raised in Hawaii, I have always been surrounded by a variety of different cultural cuisines as well as dishes that are distinctive to Hawaii only.  Let’s face it, even though Hawaii is an American State, it’s relative isolation and 3000-mile distance from the Continental United States, makes it seem like another world.  Some of my dishes may be influenced by the unique ingredients or meals seen only in Hawaii.  I have also been influenced by living in New York and New Jersey, two cultural meccas that have inspired my palate for diverse dishes.  These localities have influenced many of my meal choices.

2.   Unique Point of View
I rarely come across blogs written by younger people, especially by individuals who recently started cooking.  I only started cooking 3 years ago.  Although, I may have less knowledge than my blogging peers, this unique perspective can be relatable to other young, novice home cooks, who may share similar experiences in the kitchen.  I hope to learn alongside other novice chefs who may still be navigating unfamiliar terrain.  In addition, my current living situation in a college dorm may impact some cooking decisions but I try to emulate a standard kitchen whenever possible.

3.   Cooking From Scratch
Resisting shortcuts will be a primary focal point of the blog as I hope to emphasize making meals from scratch as much as possible.  Meals cooked from scratch taste better and contain less chemicals than many processed foods (i.e. Cream of Mushroom Soup).  In addition, scratch-cooked meals are rewarding and give a home cook a feeling of accomplishment that cannot be beat by any refrigerated dough or freeze-dried package.
Now, that doesn’t mean everything will be made from scratch.  As much as I appreciate sustainability, I don’t exactly have a vegetable garden in my backyard (aside from my basil plant, ridin’ solo and thrivin’ since Summer ‘12, yeah baby!) and I’m not about to start any cheese cultures anytime soon.  I may occasionally use a canned or refrigerated product.  However, expect to see a majority of meals and baked goods to be made from scratch.

In addition, I have made some other goals that I hope will slowly come to fruition:

• I aspire to include original recipes in addition to rehashes of recipes from the giant collective available on the web and in cookbooks. 
• I hope to someday reach a point where I can post detailed photos of the whole process of dish preparation.  However, in considering the difficulty of multitasking, I assume this goal may be a work-in-progress.  This goal of in-depth recipe breakdown is greatly influenced by Pioneer Woman, an inspirational luminary of the blogging world, who has brilliantly captured this.  Every recipe she posts includes detailed instructions and photos of every step in a meal's preparation as well as an easily printable standard recipe at the end.
• In my exploration of different ethnic recipes, I hope to remain authentic and true to the culture as much as possible.  When I am unable to remain authentic due to a lack of ingredients or procedural complexity, I will make note of it so one can become aware.  If I vastly alter a traditional recipe, I will note the changes.