I appreciate all questions and comments that come my way through social media and the blog! Connecting with you, sharing tips & tricks and learning from each other is something I love about being a food blogger. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions that I've answered for you!
Where do you get inspiration?
I get inspiration from all over! Whether I have leftover ingredients at home from a meal prep client (since I'm also a personal chef) and whip something up for dinner that magically turns into something I'm dying to share, or I come across a blogger friend who shares a similar recipe that I am wowed by, there's a million and one ways to find inspiration.
I feel inspired by social media (especially Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok), magazines, cookbooks, seasonal ingredients I find, and new cooking techniques I learn.
My recipe development process is something like this: I decide on a recipe that excites me that I either am used to making on-a-whim or something that seems a bit more challenging. If the recipe concept is more new to me, I'll research the broad recipe a ton and see how I can improve on what already exists to make it to my liking while also simplifying any steps that I can. I'll draft up a written recipe on a google doc (of course add any inspiration links to share on my recipe page once posted) and start testing. Sometimes a recipe will only need 1 test and other times it can need 3-5 tests. It is always different. Once the recipe is being tested, I'll make slight changes throughout and write super detailed notes. Once I reach my desired recipe result, I'll write up the final recipe and publish it or deliver it to one of my clients.
To clarify, I do recipe development for my personal blog here but I also have other blogger clients whom I create recipes for.
Can I use your photo or recipe?
You can ALWAYS use a photo of mine as long as you share a link back to my site that is a "do-follow" link.
If you're interested in sharing a written recipe, please reach out to me and I'm happy to discuss! Feel free to email me at [email protected] and we can chat.
What is your background in food?
I am a trained chef from the Institute of Culinary Education, having taken their Health Supportive Culinary Arts Program and am completing an externship at Thyme and Tonic. I have been developing recipes for years prior to my school education, but attending culinary school has definitely broadened my knowledge of different cuisines and cooking techniques.
Do you have a recipe for __________?
My goal is share as many recipes possible that you can find helpful and hold near and dear in your kitchen. Use the search bar at the top of the blog to search if a recipe exists. If I have that recipe, it will pop up 🙂
Do you follow a particular diet?
Yes!! All the recipes on my blog are gluten free, and generally dairy free too! I personally adopted a gluten free and dairy free lifestyle when I was struggling with severe stomach issues 8 years ago and doctors couldn't figure out the root cause. I was recommended by a holistic doctor to remove dairy and gluten free my diet, and voila I felt all better after many years of pain.
Jump to 4 years into being gluten free, my stomach issues came back a bit and I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. My doctor recommended I continue on this gluten free and dairy free lifestyle because it can only help reduce the inflammation in my body and benefit me. So, I've stuck with it ever since, trying to keep most of my meals healthful (since of course not all gluten free food is "healthy") and I've been 99% better ever since (of course medical treatment for the Colitis was still necessary).
I wouldn't personally recommend someone adopt a gluten free diet for the fad of it, because it is a long haul choice. If you choose to eat gluten free for no reason, you can accidentally make yourself intolerant down the road.
My goal is to inspire those who have a gluten intolerance or celiac disease to make incredible gluten free recipes every time, so no foods are "meh". They should always be fantastic!
Why didn't your recipe work for me?
This is a question many bloggers get and it's totally valid! The answer is very simple, I'm not sure why the recipe didn't work for you because there are probably a million ways a recipe can "go wrong" based on ingredient measurements, oven temperature, overall kitchen temperature, ingredient brands, etc.
I always want to do my best to provide you with as many tips and tricks and possible to give you success in the kitchen. Please read through the entire blog post before making the recipe to catch any tips on troubleshooting the recipe.
If you have read through the entire post and are still not feeling confident about how your recipe turned out, please reach out to me and let me know. I would love to review the issue you're having and see if I have any advice or if the recipe needs a retest to make sure I wrote it out clearly for the reader.
Do you work with brands on sponsored campaigns?
Yes! I absolutely love developing recipes for brands I love!
I have worked with brands such as Wilton, Bob's Red Mill and others on sponsored recipe campaigns. It find it incredibly exciting that we can work together to share products I use everyday.
If you're a brand, feel free to review my Work With Me page and see how we can work together. Of course, I only work with brands that align with my lifestyle (I personally wouldn't work with a protein powder brand at this point in my life since I never had a use for it).