It's the new business model and frankly it is better for us than the virus infected pop up infested targeted ad software that has been used, but it is a departure from the free internet and super annoying. What I hate is sites that make me register before I can even really see the real site, so no Zulily or Pinterest for me.
I've decided that pre-internet I had no problem with buying magazine subscriptions but I had to choose my selections based on budget and interest. Guess I'm going to have to do the same for sites I like.
I have a lot of blocking software and browsing the internet isn't so much as fun as it is safe. I do have sites that I support by "white listing" the ability to see ads on their site. I also have a number of sites I contribute to on a regular basis, it isn't small but for as much as I do go to Wikipedia they get a yearly gift from me.
For recipes my standard place to go is Cooks.com as previously mentioned. You may have to wade through a few similar recipes to get the one you like but that often gives me other ideas on how to use the ingredients as opposed to just following the recipe. I usually cook free style but sometimes (especially with baking) I need actual proportions and such.