A friend of mine emailed me this morning to make sure I knew it was Blog Day. Apparently that means I’m supposed to recommend 5 different blogs to y’all. I briefly considered being a rebel, but then I thought that since I don’t have a “blogs I follow” widget, this would be a great way to send you in the direction of some fun material. So if you have a little extra time, feel free to grab a coffee, follow these links, and enjoy!

The Pioneer Woman: as I have said before and will say again, this is the Blog of Blogs in my book. I literally laugh out loud at her stories, love her recipes (seriously, I’ve made over 25 of them in the past year), and am inspired by her photography. My first steps in Photoshop were taken with the PW leading me by the hand. She posts every day, which I love, and talks about ranching, dishes, her kids, and her hilarious dog Charlie. If you aren’t familiar with this blog, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Kayotic Kitchen: this is a Dutch woman’s blog (written in English) with photography tutorials and recipes. She has the best food photography skills I have seen in the blogging world. Seriously, guys. I am aiming to make a couple of her recipes as soon as my husband returns from his travels–African stew, Chicken Stroganoff, Ghanian soup–amazing. Her step by steps are crystal clear. Her flavor combinations are new and exciting–she’s such a creative cook.

KarenPie: I found Karen’s blog through a cooking website we both belong to, Tasty Kitchen. I love her blog for one reason: she is hilarious. Reading through her archives, I just laugh and laugh. Out loud–the real kind. She talks about whatever is on her mind–most recently, buying back-to-school supplies for her kids, camping, and bread-making. She’s such a witty writer, and unfailingly honest. Oh, and Mom, you’ll like her, because once her cat decided to start peeing in the house, guess what? The cat became an outside cat.

Words on Wendhurst: my high school friend Jenny has a blog chronicling the remodeling of her house. Wow! The before and afters are fun to look at, and you will marvel at her dedication and skill as she restains furniture, makes her own lampshades, and refurbishes the deck. If you are into home remodeling and on a limited budget, this is perfect for you. Even if you’re not into home remodeling (like me), you will feel productive just looking at the pictures.

The Church Cook: Kay Heritage is a wife, mother and professional caterer who mostly blogs about food. She describes herself as “A professional caterer turned Church Cook finding a great joy feeding His sheep, literally;” she has incredible recipes, great photography, and a sweet spirit. I really like the Asian influence that so many of her recipes have, plus I really feel the love with the Presbyterian connection.

I’d also like to throw out a freebie since I already mentioned it earlier: Tasty Kitchen. This is a recipe-sharing website with a blog component that I joined. The Pioneer Woman started it. I’ve made tons of recipes and also discovered many other blogs through this site. If you sign up, you can share your own recipes (which other members can rate) and have your own ‘recipe box’ with recipes that catch your eye.

I hope to have successfully discharged my responsibilities as a blogger via this post. Are there any awesome blogs out there that you follow and that I need to know about? If so, please share in the comments section for my edification, entertainment, and general enjoyment–plus, I’d love to expand my internet horizons.