When I first got into this whole business of writing about food, I never realized how diverse and wonderful the Arkansas food blogging scene actually was. For those of you who maybe only check out Eat Arkansas and the dining reviews in the Times and other print publications, I’d like to give you the opportunity to take a look at some of our different food blogs and promote some of the writers who have both inspired me and become my friends over the past few years. Some of these blogs probably need no introduction to many of you, but we haven’t done a post promoting our local bloggers in awhile and I felt like giving some shout-outs tonight.

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*Fancy Pants Foodie is a blog that started as tales and recipes about a student at Pulaski Tech’s culinary school and has developed into a blog that brings together people for charities such as Share Our Strength as well as chronicling owner Christie Ison’s updates on local food events, contests — and of course, pics of her hobnobbing with elite cooks. It’s a great resource for both recipes and information.

*Red Kitchen Recipes is home to some of the most creative recipes and best food photography in the state. You may have seen owner Thanh Rasico from her appearance on Today’s THV, and I’ve always admired her ability to take simple grocery store ingredients and turn them into some pretty amazing dishes from any number of culinary traditions.

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*The Mighty Rib is owned and operated by a newcomer to Arkansas, Kevin Shalin, who came to our fine state from Texas by way of Boston. I had a chance to talk with Kevin, his lovely wife Sara, and their two kids at HarvestFest last week, and his enthusiasm about Little Rock’s dining scene coupled with a well-traveled palate and quick wit make his blog a nice new addition to our food blogging landscape — and his extensive archives cover a wide variety of topics.

*Terri’s Table is an excellent source for recipes, cooking techniques, and good photography. Although I’ve only ever talked to owner Terri Powers on the various social media platforms, I feel like I’ve known her forever. Her recipes range from the fancy and difficult to the simple and sure, but they all look delicious and are explained quite well.

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*Deb Eats is one of our bloggers who focuses on restaurant reviews, and if you noticed that my recent review of Benton’s Baja Grill was labeled “By Request,” that’s because it was Deb who recommended the place to me and asked me to review it — and I’m extremely happy that she did. Her reviews span the entire state, so check her out before you travel to see if she’s got any recommendations before you go — I can personally vouch for her excellent taste.

*Proactive Bridesmaid is not purely a food blog, but since owner Stephanie Hamling thinks we only talk about her over here on Eat Arkansas in reference to tomatoes, I have to bring her up for another reason: she’s one of Little Rock’s most talented soap makers, and has just started Southern Girl Soapery. She also blogs about everything from eggs to, yes, tomatoes, so check her out for an all-around good resource on food and artisan soaps.

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There are, of course, plenty of other great food blogs out there; these are just some of my favorites. Please feel free to list and provide links to any that I missed down there in the comments. We’re crazy about food in the great state of Arkansas, and there are a lot of great people out there telling us all about it.