Well The NEW foodie blogroll and NEW widget are continuing to be a huge success. All I can say, is the more the merrier! We are still working out the tweaks and I am sure we will take another week or two to have everything up and running with all the loose ends tied up! Thank you everyone for all your words of support and encouragement and we are so happy that everyone is liking the new look and feel!

Don’t forget, if you have not gone to the new foodieblogroll.com to pick up the new widget (even if it looks like the new widget magically appeared on your site, you still need to go and pick up the new one), you are not eligible for all the prizes, giveaways and contests.

This is a crazy day! We are on our way to Orlando in a few hours. Tomorrow is the Foodbuzz hosted Florida Foodies Gathering at Todd English’s Blue Zoo Restaurant! This dinner is part of the Dine on Us program that Foodbuzz started a few months ago as a way for local foodies to get together with each other! Please check out the Foodbuzz website for more info on that!

Anyway, it is bound to be a great time! I am looking forward to seeing all you Florida Foodies at The Blue Zoo tomorrow night!!! Look for reviews about the gathering popping up all over the blogosphere next week!

But until then, I give you this weeks, Finest Foodies Friday picks!

As always here is what the FFF is all about. Finest Foodies Friday! FFF is a weekly Friday post featuring favorites from The Foodie Blogroll! We do this so we can share in the rich diversity of what The Foodie Blogroll has to offer by featuring some of our favorites yours! What is the Foodie Blogroll? It is the first and fastest growing free membership blogroll for food bloggers and has become a wonderful community (just under 2000 strong) to share ideas about all things food related.

The only requirement to be featured here on FFF is to be a member of The Foodie Blogroll and be displaying The Foodie Blogroll widget on your blog. If you are not yet a member, but you have a food blog and would like to join us, please click here!

If you have a favorite foodblog on The Foodie Blogroll, that you would like to be featured here on FFF, please join us over on The Leftover Queen/Foodie Blogroll Forum, and post your favorite Foodie Blogroll foodblogs here.

Today’s picks are some of my favorites of the new sign ups we have had to The Foodie Blogroll and some that I just love!

Lemon Tart‘s blog Tarts and Calories
Her blog heading starts off with this quote from James Beard: “A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch”. So that gives you just a taste of Lemon Tart’s outlook on food. She has always loved reading, writing and anything involving food from cooking to eating and watching Food Network marathons – her blog is her way of deliciously combining all three passions!

Next is Natasha of Healthy and Gourmet
I must admit I have a natural love for these kinds of blogs because my food outlook is healthy and gourmet, so I usually find a lot of great ideas on blogs that have a similar outlook. Especially when those blogs do as great of a job as Natasha’s by showing how healthy does not mean tasteless! Here’s a quote: “Food should make us happy and healthy, energized and euphoric. Not guilty, tired or self-loathing”. You said it!

Esi‘s blog, Dishing up Delights
is a delightful read! She is very much a proponent of eating locally, shopping at the farmer’s markets and trying to live a greener lifestyle and every one of her posts reflects that shift in some way. These kinds of blogs are an inspiration to me too, since I am trying to become greener and greener. But the thing that makes Esi’s blog so great is all the creative and delicious foods she makes – lost of comfort food with a healthy and surprise twist!

Okay, if you have had enough of the health food, then come over and join me at Small Small Baker
This blog is full of delicious treats for the sweeter side of life, muffins, cupcakes, ice cream, puddings and pastries! You might have known her before as “the lousy baker” but I guess with all these delightful treats, she had to change the blog’s name! What amazes me is how light and fluffy everything looks. So please go and check it out to get some great ideas for satisfying that sweet tooth!

I have never felt like going to Cincinnati until I started browsing Julie‘s blog Wine me, Dine me (in Cincinnati)
She decided to write a blog about her and her boyfriend’s eating adventures in Cincinnati, because there wasn’t really anyone else filling that need. Come to find out, there are a lot of really good eats in Cincinnati So if you find yourself going there, or just want to read about some delicious food, go check it out!!!

Remember, if you would like to see a blog featured here, who is part of the FBR please visit the forum and nominate them. I NEED NOMINATIONS!!!!!!

Also we all love to know how people came to find our blogs, so please visit all of our featured bloggers today and don’t forget to tell them that you found them via Finest Foodies Friday!

Have a great weekend everyone!