Blog Event: Let's Celebrate Gourmet!

If you haven't heard the sad news yet, Gourmet magazine has been shut down by its parent company due to these difficult economic times. Since you can read plenty about it on countless blogs and news sites, I won't rehash the details. It's too sad.

So, in the interest of staying positive, I'm hosting a blogging event. To celebrate the nation's oldest food magazine (published since 1940!), let's cook, photograph and post about our favorite recipe from Gourmet's pages. If you tend to clear out most of your back issues, just go to gourmet.com where you'll find recipes categorized by decades (the website is a wonderful place to explore the magzine's history, which is really American food history!), themes and holidays; or just search for anything you want.

Maybe you remember a perfect cake you made years ago, or a simple chicken dish you threw together last week. Whatever it is, find it and write about it. And if you want to pick a new favorite, that's great too. I'm betting it's going to be tough to choose just one incredible Gourmet recipe.

To participate in this event, here's what to do:

1) Cook a favorite recipe from Gourmet magazine and publish a blog post* about it anytime from now till October 16. Include a link to THIS POST in your blog post so readers will be able to find out more!

*No blog? I still want you to participate! Just email me your story/recipe or photo, and I will post it here on aminglingoftastes.com. Include first name and where you're from. Don't be shy!

2) Email a link to your post, the name of your blog and, if you want, an image of the dish in jpeg form to aminglingoftastes AT gmail DOT com by October 16. No late entries please!

3) Publicize this event! Tell your followers on Twitter, tip off your facebook friends and mention it on your blog. Let's get as many recipes and stories gathered together as we can!

4) Check back here around October 19-20 for a round-up of all the posts.

Easy, right! I know I'm not giving you much time, but I think it's important to get some positive energy going. The more I think about life without Gourmet, the more bummed out I feel. Since yesterday, I've read some great tributes and opinions about this sad situation, and I want to include some links here:

Goodbye Gourmet, I'll Miss You, by Steph of Wasabimon.

Goodbye, Gourmet, by Kelly of Nommynom.

RIP Gourmet by Paige of Hey, Little Sister.

Say Goodbye to Gourmet by Jeff of Wine Curmudgeon.

What Ruth Reichl is doing next by Kim Severson of the New York Times' Diner's Journal blog.

Gourmet Was For the Young and Scrappy, Too by Alex Van Buren of Salon.

Late Stage Empire: How Condé Nast could’ve saved Gourmet magazine, and why it chose not to by Paul Smalera on True/Slant.

How Condé Nast Is Like General Motors by Jack Shafer on Slate.

My own take on the news here at Magazine Know-It-All.

The news story as reported by the New York Times.

And finally, a new Twitter feed has sprung up called Save Gourmet.

Now talk to me! Are you as shocked and saddened as I am? Are you going to participate in this blog event (please say yes!). Do you know exactly what you'll cook, or is it going to be a hard decision? Sound off in the comments!