@JoelECarlson – Hello everyone, and welcome to the Food-Friday Twitterview of #MNFoodBlogger @amybpeterson. Lets cook up some Tweets!
Amy: Good morning
Q – #1 Lots of things to cover with you @amybpeterson. First, tell us where you grew up and how you got to become a blogger/photographer?
Amy: Grew up in Coon Rapids, graduated from Coon Rapids HS and went to college at Bradley University in Peoria, IL
Majored in Intl Studies & French, studied abroad in Uni of Hull, UK. After graduation, got a job in marketing consulting
Have always loved food, got into cooking after college. Since I love cooking and writing, decided to start a food blog
Didn’t have much photography experience prior to this, but I’m learning as I go
Q – #2 Good way to learn! Now you had some HUGE blogging news this week. Please share it and how you found out.
Amy: On I got an email from FoodRevolution.com saying I was chosen as Blog of the Month for their March newsletter
Wasn’t sure if that was a big deal or not, didn’t realize at first that it was @Jamie_Oliver #FoodRevolution.
Checked blog stats on Weds. & # of hits had skyrocketed. Clicked link & saw my photo on newsletter. Crazy exciting!
My blog’s pretty small, so I don’t know how #FoodRevolution folks found out about it. But I’m not complainin’. Surreal!
Q – #3 What an honor for you. Congrats! Regarding your blog, what kind of cooking is your focus? Easy? Complex?
Amy: GYP is about trying to cook & eat more local, seasonal whole foods from scratch. But I’m also a working mom…
..so the recipes have to be quick & fairly easy. Definitely less than 1 hr to prepare but ideally closer to 30 mins
I used to be a Bon Appetit style cook, now as parent w/ young kids I’m more of an Everyday Food / @Cooking_Light type
It’s important to me that our family eats fresh, healthy foods but foodie in me requires recipes to have full flavor
Q – #4 When they’re open, do you get a lot of foods from open-air markets? Are you a co-op or CSA member?
Amy: Member of @msmarketcoop thru my office, we joined when Selby store opened. Also a member of East Side Coop in NE Mpls
I shop the farmers markets during spring/summer/winter, there are two near my home I shop in the workweek …
Then on weekends, I like @MplsFarmMarket, @MCFarmersMkt, and market in NE Mpls. There’s really no excuse not to shop
Obviously I don’t go to all of these every week, but there are so many FM options if you live in Mpls or St. Paul
Q – #5 That’s great! Lets now get some of your FAVORITES: Restaurant, store, comfort food and least favorite ingredient.
Amy: Fave restaurants: Alma and Brasa – Alex Roberts rocks!, & I love shopping @CooksCrocusHill for kitchen equipment
My favorite comfort food is cold breakfast cereal, believe it or not. Always hit the cereal box after yoga class.
Least favorite ingredient? Bitter balls from @MplsFarmMarket, apologies to the growers but I can’t make myself eat them
Q – #6 Whaaaa? Is that a spice or vegetable or some kind? Please explain.
Amy: They are these tiny little eggplant type vegetables that are horribly bitter, I’m shuddering now http://bit.ly/efyo4w
I’ll have a go at eating many things at the FM, sometimes you have to try things more than once but not those again
Q – #7 Thanks for the explanation. Now if you could cook a meal for any 1 person dead/alive, who would it be and why?
Amy: I’d probably cook for my grandma Gladys who’s passed away. She was family member who cooked most in my life growing up
I didn’t really start cooking a lot until the last ten or fifteen years, she was in a nursing home by that time
I think she would be proud to see what I can cook and bake in the kitchen now
Q – #8 To close, please provide a link to your blog and let us know what are some upcoming posts that we can look forward to?
@JoelECarlson – That’s a touching story about your grandma. :)
Amy: Green Your Plate is at http://greenyourplate.blogspot.com
In the next week or so, I’ll be writing about #MNFoodBloggers & @ctkitchentable offerings, how local can you go…
…school lunches, and stupid pineapple tricks
@JoelECarlson – Pineapple tricks? Definitely a post to look out for! :) Thanks for your time and comments today. Have a great weekend!
Amy: Thanks so much for chatting with me, Joel! Enjoy the balmy MN weather