by Mlissa | Dec 1, 2018 | In the kitchen with...
You may not want them and I totally get that.
Then again, maybe you’ll enjoy them again.
The truth is, I love food. I love being in the kitchen. I love to bake, to cook… Every so often I even like going grocery shopping.
One of the things I’ve always wanted to do is be a food blogger. I don’t take professional photos. I don’t use fancy ingredients. I don’t make foods that only one person in my house will eat. I make comfort food. I make relatively easy food. I use my phone to snap pictures. I don’t have backdrops or special plates/glasses. I don’t create recipes, but I do adapt some. I don’t follow food trends, just as I don’t follow romance writing trends. I just cook what sounds good to me at any given moment.
I just like food and it makes me happy and it’s been suggested more than once that I should share that with others. And being a food blogger of any sort seems like fun to me and so, this section of my blog is going to be used for such.
Not to mention, I use food in my romance books. My characters cook and/or bake. They like real food. They like delicious food. I’m a Southern girl who grew up cooking from the age of 8 or 9. I had chores and sometimes that included dinner. I’m a self-taught baker, too. My first attempts were a disaster, but I learned and learned quickly how to read ingredients, recipes, and measurements.
So, that’s all for now, but as it had been nearly 3 years since I’d added anything to this section of the blog, I thought the beginning of December would be a good time to start over.
~lissa
by Mlissa | Nov 3, 2015 | Inspiration, The Kitchen
I am not a patient person. Especially in the kitchen. Not when I’m hungry and want to eat Right. Now.
One thing this year that I’ve started making is my own syrups for coffee. Mainly for iced coffee in the summer, but with fall, my favorite drink is a Gingerbread latte. Starbucks doesn’t start selling it (usually) until Thanksgiving, but again, there’s that not patient thing I’ve got going on.
So, I opt for making my own. I’ve made Vanilla Bean syrup and Caramel Vanilla syrup as well as straight up caramel syrup. And after I got the gist of it, I was pretty good. Gingerbread on the other hand, is going to be a bit more tricky, I’m afraid. See, it’s thick. And I need it a little thinner. The recipe I tried works. The flavors are good. The blend of spices good. But it’s still a little thick. I’m going to have to play with it.
Y’all know how much I love to play in the kitchen. A lot. I mean. A. Really. Lot. I haven’t spent as much time doing so this year as I had wanted or planned, but I do hope to remedy that in the coming weeks and months. This time of year inspires me. I just have to find a way to remain motivated at other times of the year.
My pictures are never as pretty as real food blogger pictures. But I use a cell phone camera, they use cameras that are incredible and have settings I have no idea how to use. Then there’s the photo editing and software. No, I just use my cell phone. If you click the links to get the recipes for the syrups, by all means, look at their pictures and how awesome they are. Mine are well, just mine…
Now, let’s start playing!
Gingerbread Syrup
I’ll be trying different Gingerbread syrups over the next few weeks until I find the perfect one. For now, this is the one I’m using.
~lissa
by Mlissa | Mar 28, 2015 | Cover Reveal, In the kitchen with..., Inspiration, Pinterest
Lone Star Sweets has new covers created by TEZ Graphics. They’re beautiful. Bright. Light. And reflect the series.
I’ve flipped out the older covers and inserted all the new ones. I’ve uploaded all new information to Amazon, All Romance eBooks, and Barnes and Noble. Amazon seems to be taking the longest to get everything going in the right direction, but eventually, they’ll all be there and looking good. (more…)
by Mlissa | Jan 31, 2015 | Food, In the kitchen with..., Pinterest
Follow Lissa Matthews’s board Deliciousness – Savory on Pinterest.
Last week I did Smoothie Saturday. You’ll see that heading from time to time. But there will also be Savory Saturday and Sweets Saturday. All of these I’ll be posting about my food Pinterest boards and links to recipes I’ve tried or want to try.
(more…)
by Mlissa | Jan 16, 2015 | Baking, In the kitchen with..., The Kitchen
At least, I’m hoping they’ll become secret weapons in my kitchen.
Vanilla Bean Paste is something we all should have and I finally bought myself a small jar and love it. The smell alone is worth opening it up. I do love the flecks of vanilla beans when it’s mixed into frosting or cookies. (more…)
