FAQ
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General
Why did you start a blog?
I love eating good food. I love cooking good food. I love sharing good food with others. I also love travel and photography. During the years prior to when I started my blog, I would make meals, share them with others and then frequently get asked to share the recipe. I started the blog as a way to easily share my favorite recipes with others. The blog also provides an opportunity for me to easily share my pictures from travel and life.
Did you go to culinary school?
No. Everything I know I learned from trial and error.
What is your favorite thing to make?
I have two favorite things: anything with strawberries and cakes. This cake is my favorite.
Do you ever work with brands or companies?
Yes, absolutely! I love partnering with companies to produce quality recipes and content. For more information about the ways in which we can work together, go here.
What is the best way to contact you?
Leave a comment or send me an email. I read all comments and will do my best to answer any question you have in a timely manner. I love receiving emails from readers!
Recipes
Where do you get inspiration for your recipes?
Family recipes, magazines, books, websites, restaurant menus, and more. But to be honest, most of my recipes come from browsing the farmers market or grocery store for seasonal produce and then flipping through the pages of The Flavor Bible to create recipes that combine the best flavors, textures and aromas. Seriously, if you don’t have that book, buy it now. It is the most used book in my kitchen library.
Can I use your recipes on my blog?
Yes, of course. I would love for you to try my recipes and share them with your readers. Please don’t just copy and paste my recipe. Be creative. If you must use my recipe exactly as written, please link to my blog for the recipe, versus republishing on your site.If you would like to use a photo, please ask permission, give credit and link back to my post for the full recipe. I love sharing content, but always ask that you give credit. Do not publish full recipes on Facebook or Pinterest.
Can I substitute this for that?
Generally no. Recipes call for certain ingredients because those ingredients work best. I always recommend following the recipe. In certain instances where I have tested a different ingredient or a substitution will work, I note it on the “notes” section of the recipe. When in doubt, ask Google.
Can I cut this recipe in half? Can I double it?
It depends. Some recipes can be easily halved or doubled but most cannot. For example, you can almost never double a slow cooker recipe and yield the same result, but can almost always double a recipe for sandwiches or salads. Please check the comments on a post for advice.
My dish didn’t turn out like yours. What went wrong?
I’m so sorry to hear that your recipe did not turn out how you expected. Unfortunately, it is difficult for me to tell you exactly what went wrong because a number of factors can cause a recipe to differ including the temperature of the ingredients, the temperature of your oven, measuring technique, altitude and human error. I only post recipes that are loved and tested. I always recommend trying again or send me a message and I will help troubleshoot.
Should this be refrigerated?
Please use common sense. I am not an expert on the optimal food storage technique. I try to leave notes in my recipe posts for how to store or refrigerate. Please check the comments on a post for advice. When in doubt, ask Google.
Can I freeze this?
Possibly. I don’t freeze every single one of my recipes but I try to leave notes in my recipe posts for when I do. Please check the comments on a post for advice. When in doubt, ask Google.
Can I make this recipe in advance of when I plan to serve it?
It depends. Almost all of my recipes will provides notes on when to serve and how long to store or refrigerate if you want to serve it at a later time.
I’m looking for a recipe for _____? Can you help me find one?
Please visit my recipe index for a list of all my recipes. Visit my Pinterest page for recipes from other bloggers that I love. Or even my Facebook page where I share new recipes from myself and other bloggers daily. If you are still looking for a certain recipe, please send me an email and I would be happy to find one that works.
Do you have nutritional information for your recipes?
As of June 2017, I am working to add nutritional information to new recipes. This information is calculated by using the free nutrition calculator available at https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp or the paid calculator available at Nutrifox. For each recipe, I select the brands of products I used and estimate to the best of my ability. These numbers are meant to be a guide, not a statement of fact. Many things can cause the dish I make at home to vary nutritionally from the version of the dish you create, including brands of ingredients, measuring styles and final serving size. Accuracy is limited by the information available on the SparkPeople database. I am not a registered dietician or nutritionist so I am providing the nutritional information as a guide only. I am not providing any kind of dietary advice.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I am not able to go back and add nutritional information to many of my older recipes. Instead, you can calculate the nutritional information yourself. There are many online tools to help you do this. I suggest using the recipe calculator link above, My Fitness Pal, Calorie Court or another free online service.
Travel
What places are on your travel bucket list?
Anywhere with good food, beautiful vistas, unique experiences and friendly people. I wish I could make a list, but with so much of the world to see, every place is on my list.
Where is your favorite place to travel?
Napa Valley, Phoenix/Scottsdale and 30A are three of my favorite places in the United States. (I have a hard time choosing one.)
Photography
What camera and lens do you use?
I currently use a Canon 6D with either a 50mm lens or a 100mm macro lens. Prior to January 2015 all photographs were taken using a Canon Rebel T4i. I also use my iPhone camera and GoPro camera for travel or lifestyle photos.
If the photography on this site original? Can I use it?
All photos posted on this site are mine unless otherwise specified. Please do not use my photos without permission.
