Hi there! My name’s Amanda, welcome to my little corner of the internet!
I’m a beer-slinging, sweet-baking, parenthetical phrase-using, born and raised Wisconsinite who moved to the South two years ago. Why? Because I followed a boy like an idiot. The boy’s gone, but I’m still here. Here, of course, being Greenville, South Carolina, a sprawling city nestled into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
This isn’t the first time I’ve lived away from home, though. Before relocating to the South, I spent four glorious years just north of Chicago getting my degree from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. There, I spent majority of my class time figuring out how to write about food (think you can’t make a weather feature about food? You can!).
My free time was spent baking goodies in an oven that even Barbie would find adorably petite or riding the El into the city to eat my way around. It was in Chicago that I tried sushi for the first time and enjoyed the best steak and frites I’ve ever had, to this day. I walked and I ate, going from bakery to café to restaurant. All the while taking notes and paying attention, finding sources for stories and cultivating a love like I’ve never known.
During breaks from school I’d return home – to the place of Friday night fish fries and my momma’s lasagna – to make food for and eat food with my family and friends.
It’s safe to say that I’ve been forever shaped by food. You don’t get a childhood nickname like “Garbage Disposal” without being at least a little affected by foodstuffs. My tastes have changed and expanded as my worldview has. But time and again, I’m brought back to my roots, to what I know and love and am comforted by. Being in the South is strengthening and changing my relationship with the food I grew up with, and the food I’m growing into.
You’ll find that here. Everything from classic Midwestern fare to my reinterpretation of classic Southern dishes. You’ll also find stories from my childhood, anecdotes from my time in Chicago, and real talk about what it’s like to be a new homeowner. Why dontcha sit and stay a spell?
Some Fast Facts:
Favorite Season: Fall. Though I miss the Midwestern winters more fiercely than I thought was possible (yes, some may call that crazy).
Usual Coffee Order: Americano, hot, but with ice on top (I’m so needy).
Astrological Sign: Aries
Favorite Chocolate: White. Anything. Special mention goes to SKOR bars.
Favorite Color: When it comes to clothes – black, white, or gray. Anything else, pink. All day.
Go-to Meal: Pasta. Usually made with anything and everything I can find in my cupboards.
Mild, Medium, or Hot? Mild. I am from the Midwest, afterall. Though I’m beginning to venture into medium territory, ever-so-slowly.
Irreplaceable Kitchen Gadget: KitchenAid Stand Mixer (in pink, obvi). I use mine on a weekly, if not daily, basis.
Best Time of Day: MORNING! Always and forever. There’s nothing like the possibilities in the start of a new day.
Smart Phone or Sticky Notes? Sticky notes all day! You can’t beat writing with paper and pen.
Cocktail of Choice: G&T on a regular dinner date, or house-made margaritas from the best Mexican restaurant ever – La Reata!
Preferred Social Media Platform: Instagram.
Kitchen Playlist Includes: Run River North, Michael Bublé, The Andrews Sisters, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Hozier, Jason Isbell, Dean Martin, Taylor Swift, and Hanson. Yes, Hanson. I unabashedly and unashamedly l-uh-huh-uv them!
I Collect: Vintage and gifted aprons. I just can’t get enough! And Golden Butterfly Pyrex and Fire King Peach Lustre Bakeware. Swoon.
