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Monday, November 12, 2012

Kevin Lynch: “Closet Cooking” Blogger

It’s hard not to drool when you’re perusing recipe pins from Kevin Lynch. (I couldn’t help scrolling through his delicious boards without repinning!) In today’s pinterview, Kevin talks about his blog Closet Cooking, different ways to organize recipes, and his Pinterest plans for the holidays. Hope you’ll find something useful for your Thanksgiving dinner plans. Enjoy!

Hi Kevin! First, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a software engineer by day and a food blogger by night.  I am the the author of Closet Cooking, a food and recipe blog, where I share all of my favorite recipes that I make in my closet sized kitchen.

For most of my adult life I did not really cook and I was eating the same few, mostly frozen, meals week after week.  That all changed however when I went of my first real vacation to Japan where I fell in love with Japanese cuisine.  When I got back from the vacation I wanted to experience more Japanese cuisine but I quickly realized that it was going to be too expensive to eat out all the time so I decided that I would try cooking.  I searched the web for recipes and came across a few food blogs that had amazing, drool worthy photos of food and I realized that the authors of these food blogs were average everyday people and that it might be possible for me to do it as well.  As I started cooking I found that I really enjoyed it! I started taking photos of the meals that I made and after a while I decided to start logging them on a food blog of my own and Closet Cooking was born.  I quickly fell in love with food blogging and the whole thing spiraled from there!

How do you come up with your recipes? Do you organize your recipes on Pinterest in any specific way?

My recipe ideas come from a number of sources including from my own imagination, other food blogs that I follow, magazines, cookbooks, restaurant menus and social media sites like Pinterest. (I spend far to much time drooling over food on Pinterest.) When creating recipes, I like to start out by searching the web for similar recipes to see if there are any interesting ideas to incorporate in mine.  Sometimes you will find that one recipe out there that will have that one ingredient or a technique that you would never have though of using but when you see it you know that you have to go with it.

It can sometimes be a bit challenging organizing recipes as there are so many different ways of doing it!  I like to organize my recipes on Pinterest in several different ways including:

-By occasion such as Thanksgiving or Mothers Day and these boards can be used to quickly plan a menu for that special day.

-By season such as Fall Recipes where I include recipes with ingredients that are in season at that time.

-By food type such as Soups or Sandwiches

-By favorite ingredients such as Bacon or Avocados

What is your favorite pin or board that you’re particularly proud of?

I would have to say that my favorite board is my Sandwiches board.  Just by looking at it you can tell that I am a little sandwich obsessed and this board collects all of my favorite sandwiches.

As the holidays are nearing, do you have any new boards you plan to create?

With the holidays approaching I will be creating several new boards for each major holiday including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years and I will be breaking them down into boards for different categories such as Snack/Party Food, Appetizers, Holiday Cookies, Special Breakfasts/Brunches, Mains, Sides and Deserts. It is really nice to be able to quickly visually see all of the recipe ideas when you are planning for your holiday dinners and snacks!

Who are some of your favorite food bloggers on Pinterest?

Some of my favorite food bloggers on Pinterest include: RecipeGirl, skinnytaste, chef in training, Brown Eyed Baker, and How Sweet Eats.

Thanks for the pinterview, Kevin! To check out Kevin’s recipes, visit his blog Closet Cooking and his boards on Pinterest. Happy pinning!

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Monday, September 10, 2012

Catherine McCord: Founder of Weelicious

If you’re looking for easy recipes to accommodate a busy lifestyle, Catherine McCord can help you craft an impressive meal using just a few ingredients. She shares her ideas about incorporating food as a family activity and empowering kids to eat healthy without sacrificing taste.

Hi Catherine! First, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m the founder of Weelicious.com. A little over 5 years ago I started looking for homemade baby puree recipes to feed my 5 month old son. I scoured the internet and couldn’t find many resources that provided not only the recipe ideas, but also how to make them great eaters from day one. I had gone to culinary school and bought most of our food at our local farmers’ market, but feeding a new baby was totally foreign to me. I started making a variety of seasonal recipes and writing a different blog post every day. Weelicious started with a few friends and family following the site, but over time the recipes grew and changed with our family’s needs. Now it’s all about the idea of making one recipe that the entire family will love! Nothing makes me happier than our weekly family excursions to our farmers’ market, growing a variety of fruits and vegetables in our garden, and cooking as a family. Watching my kids eat just about anything makes me endlessly happy.

Your website, Weelicious, looks like an awesome resource for quick, easy, and healthy recipes. What’s next for Weelicious?

The Weelicious cookbook comes out on Sept 18, so I’m looking forward to its publication more than anything.

I’m getting ready to do cooking classes around the country, which is pretty darn cool for me. Hearing parents’ struggles, ideas, and thoughts about feeding their families is an empowering experience. I’m just finishing writing my second book as well, Weelicious Lunches. Three years ago I started taking pictures of the lunch I was sending with my son to school every day. Over 800 pictures and a lot of school lunches later, this feature has become one of the most popular things on our Facebook page. I’m totally obsessed with making lunch a fun yet nutritious meal for kids.

You have some pretty cool boards, ranging from salads to desserts. What are some of the most drool-worthy recipes that you found on Pinterest that you ended up making?

Don’t even get me started! If I had an extra few hours in my day I would use it to make endless amounts of recipes on Pinterest. If I had to name my three most recent favorites, they would be Cocoa Pork Tenderloin, Coffee Coffee Cake Muffins, and Lemon Garlic Brussels Sprouts.

We’re curious to know more about your love for treehouses. Is there an interesting story we should know about?

When I was a little girl, I spent a good deal of time sitting and climbing this incredible oak tree in our backyard. I always dreamed of building a house in it, which sadly never happened. My husband and I have been working on building a treehouse for our kids. Having all of the pictures in one place to look at fulfills some of my childhood hankering.

What some others ways you have used Pinterest? For example, have you met any other foodies and bloggers through shared interests?

Pinterest has turned me on to a plethora of different foodies and bloggers. But not only in the food world. I’m obsessed with products and style, so Pinterest allows me to be a voyeur in other magical worlds!

Thanks for the pinterview, Catherine! We wish you the best of luck on your book launch and look forward to more of your easy and healthy recipes. Happy pinning!

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