FAQ

Let’s be friends! I’m open with friends.

WHAT/WHO ARE YOU INSPIRED BY?
I’m inspired by a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. I choose to be inspired by damn near everything. In my mind, every dinner, every casual hangout, every event will form a memory in the future, no matter how small it may seem in the present. Also, I’m very inspired by my family. We are Italian and Cuban and that’s some of the best food there is, IMHO.

WHAT IS YOUR CULINARY BACKGROUND?
I don’t have a professional culinary background, although if I had my way, culinary school would be in my budget, just for funsies, and I would spend my days learning more and more about cooking (and baking because I could use some help there).

Everything I know I’ve taught myself, but more often, I’ve learned from my family where making and enjoying a meal together is a top priority. I’m lucky to have been surrounded by really fantastic home cooks my entire life.

HOW DID YOU START BLOGGING?
Do you have a year to sit down and read my entire answer? ‘Cause it’s a long one. I’ll keep it simple(r) here to spare you the agony. I don’t remember how I started blogging. All I know is that we had AOL dial-up service and I was a 13 year old who was allowed to use the internet and had stuff to say. Throughout my years, I had a blog on Diaryland, LiveJournal, Blogger, and now, WordPress. All in all, I’ve been blogging, in one capacity or another, in different stages of maturity and awesomeness, for about 20 years now.

Oh God, I just aged myself.

This is bad.

And anyway, I also wrote a resource guide and “How to Become a (Food) Blogger” post. (COMING SOON)

WHY THE NATIONAL FOOD HOLIDAY CHALLENGE?
Because why not? I set out to complete this national food holiday project to challenge myself. I use the national food holidays as a guideline because I can (and have!) learned a lot from this project I’ve taken on. It’s mostly a matter of convenience to have something to follow that’ll make me cook things I never have before, and do so on a consistent basis. Following the food holiday “list” takes the guesswork out of what I’ll make next while at the same time forcing me to do something different than my norm. 

I’m going to be honest with you, though, while baking more has made me better at it, I know now more than ever before that I would always rather be cooking.

Also, I will never love chocolate, no matter how many food holiday recipes I make involving the stuff.

HOW DO YOU FOOD BLOG AND STAY SO SVELTE?
Okay, I admit it. This isn’t a real question I’ve received because no one has ever called me svelte. I have been asked how I don’t weigh 500 pounds given everything I make (because people assume I then eat it all). My answer is this: I don’t eat every morsel of food I cook, I love sharing my food, and I’ve recently taken up this thing called working out. I’m starting slow with one time a week for approximately 30 minutes (hey, it’s a start!). Also, sometimes the only way my children will calm down is by going on a stroller ride so we do that often.

HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU COOK EACH RECIPE?
Well, I’m lucky to have recipes that are tried and true, and that can be made the same every single time, or close to, so I don’t have to remake a lot. Before I embarked on the food holiday project, I didn’t have a lot of recipes on my blog, but I had been cooking for quite a long time which resulted in recipes that work.

With that being said, I have still remade a number of recipes that you can find on my blog. And I’ve had two flat out fails that I chose to publish anyway because I was far too frustrated and lazy to figure out where the dish went wrong. (I plan on remaking those and being like a comeback kid, by the way.)

Especially when it’s a stellar recipe, I remake it often and add it to my meal plan.

DO YOU HAVE A LOT OF LEFTOVERS?
Yes. So many leftovers. Please come by my house and take some.

SO YOU DO THIS “FOOD BLOG” THING FOR A LIVING?
As of October 2017, yes! I have freelance gigs where I write content (emails, social media posts, blogs) for clients, but the majority of my time is dedicated to my blog because that’s where I have the greatest earning potential.

In full disclosure, I make a fraction of what I made when I worked in an office, but we don’t live lavishly and so the income I do bring in is alright by us. Plus, then at least I’m here with the kids most often.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE FOODS?
I love to make pasta. I am on a gluten-free pasta kick lately. Chickpea, red lentil, and quinoa pastas have been my favorite. I don’t notice much of a difference in texture or flavor, especially since (pat myself on the back) my pasta sauces are robust in flavor.

I also love making and eating salads. You can switch it up so much! Here’s a favorite.

As for least favorite, I am very opposed to blue cheese, olives, raw fish (and most of the time, cooked fish), and super runny yolks.

WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT?
I get asked this a lot from fellow Tampa residents. I don’t have a favorite place to eat because Tampa’s restaurant scene is too great for words. I love going out to eat almost as much as I love staying in and eating dinner family-style with my people. If you are looking for a specific recommendation (based on location, cuisine, price point, etc), just let me know and I’ll do my best to help.

As for other parts of the country, any and everything in Seattle is amazing. Check out my Seattle trip recap post for recommendations. If you are traveling to Washington, DC, you’re really missing out if you don’t eat at Graffiato.

WHAT KIND OF CAMERA DO YOU USE?
I use a Sony a6000 mirrorless camera. I love it, but need to learn more about it. On Instagram, most photos are taken with my iPhone 7+. I edit my Sony cameras with the Photos app on my Mac and some Photoshop, and I edit my iPhone photos with Snapseed.

DO YOU ACCEPT PARTNERSHIPS AND ADVERTISING ON YOUR SITE?
I do. I have an advertising page you can check out. I would love to work with you and your brand if it aligns with my blog and what I believe in.

Oh, and contact me if you’d like a copy of my media kit. I gots one of those!

YOU’RE AWESOME. HOW DO I CONNECT WITH YOU ON SOCIAL?
Easy! Follow me at the links below. Let me know you did so.

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