Site Scoop: Toy Kitchen Chef

You know what's frustrating? Gazing at photographs of mouthwatering meals in the pages of magazines and blogs, losing yourself in the fantasy of cooking that rack of lamb or beef bourguignon in your very own kitchen as the whole room fills with enticing aromas, only to shift your eyes to the actual recipe and discover that it  contains several expensive, hard-to-find ingredients and requires many hours of complicated preparation. We college students, with our limited budgets, busy schedules and miniscule kitchens may often be excluded from the world of decadent, saffron-threaded, fleur de sel-sprinkled fare, but that doesn't mean our homemade creations have to be any less delicious than their fancier counterparts. Enter Toy Kitchen Chef, a fellow Penn Appétit blogger's adorably designed, easy-to-follow site that's chock full of simple recipes and helpful photographs. The blog's writing style is friendly and straightforward, and while the ingredients lists and recipes are refreshingly short and uncomplicated, the end products are interesting, impressive, and (most importantly) tasty! Many of the recipes happen to be vegetarian or vegan, but even serious carnivores will get excited about the hearty-looking vegetable stew or healthy homemade French fries. Check it out!