@JoelECarlson: Hello everyone, and welcome to this weeks Food-Friday Twitterview with my guest @LaureJKul.
Laurie: Hi Joel! Thanks for having me.
Q – #1 So @LaurieJKul, start us off telling us where you grew up, where you went to school and your 1st adult job.
Laurie: I grew up in a small town in western NoDak called Regent. Population 300. It’s about eight hours west of here.
I went to NDSU, majored in early childhood education. I taught pre-school for 11 years, now I stay home with my kids.
Q – #2 Why did you have kids in pre-school for 11 years? LOL! j/k Where did you teach,and when did you decide to start blogging?
Laurie: I started with pre-schoolers in Fargo, then my husband and I moved out here in ’99. I taught in Woodbury ’til 2006.
I threw around the idea of a food blog for a year or so, now that I have time to cook (kids are 2 and 4).
Q – #3 So what’s your blog called? (Share a link?) What style of cooking or focus is your blog going to have?
Laurie: I began reading several food blogs– it was a new world. I like photography, so I decided to give it a shot.
It’s Relish It, and can be found at www.relishit.wordpress.com (yes I know that the HTML appears to be a swear word. :)
As for focus, it’s quite varied. The recipes are a mix of my own, cookbooks, and magazines.
Q – #4 Are you more of a baker, main dish, side-dish or a variety or things?
Laurie: The food is a mix of baking, traditional and contemporary dishes (i.e. soups, savory dishes, locally sourced)
I enjoy all of it. I didn’t want to focus on one particular style, and I make what interests me at the time.
Q – #5 How long does a typical food-shoot for you take, and how many photos will you use in a typical blog post?
Laurie: The making of the dish can be quite lengthy. I recently made fresh pasta along with a slowly-simmered bolognese.
The trick then is to get the timing right– finish the dish and get set up for the photos, along with natural light.
Throw in making that same meal for my family at the same time, and the timing gets quite complicated.
Overall, I can take between 30-50 photos for one shoot. Lighting is difficult in my kitchen. I use 3-4 for a post.
Q – #6 Is it safe to say then that the long/gray winter made photo shooting more difficult? re: natural light
Laurie: Ha! You anticipated my last response. Yes, the lighting can be quite challenging. Especially in my kitchen.
Q – #7 Lets learn more about YOU! Favorite(s): restaurant, store, comfort food, favorite vegetable, spice and National chef.
Laurie: Restaurant=Heartland. Love what L. Russo does with locally-sourced ingredients. Also love Punch Pizza– soo good.
Love Cooks of Crocus Hill, also Mississippi Market is my happy place. As for comfort food, pasta and paprikash…
…which is a German stew. Veggie=asparagus, red peppers, green beans. Really into ramps right now.
Favorite spice– I’ll choose and herb. I like them better. I love rosemary and sage. National chef=Alice Waters…
…though I love Lidia B., Melissa Clark, and Dorie Greenspan. All are fantastic and inspirational.
Forgot to mention Mark Bittman– good for most anything I need to find.
Q – #8 Since you’re still relatively new to MN, what are some things that you’ve enjoyed doing in MN and areas you’ve explored?
Laurie: We’ve mostly stayed in the Cities, though we love the N. Shore. Growing up in a rural area, I didn’t have access to…
…great restaurants. We’ve spent A LOT of time trying out all of the places to eat over the last 12 years. Also…
…with babies it was difficult to get out and explore much. Now that they’re growing, we’re looking forward to a…
…great summer of exploration. Going to try camping, take in a few ballgames, a few concerts,and fight the humidity.
Q – #9 Cooking/hosting question – If you could have any 1 person (dead/alive) over for a meal, who would you ask and why?
Laurie: For the company, it would be my Grandmother Jesch who died in 1994. For cooking AND company, Melissa Clark @goodappetite …
…because she seems fun and down to earth. Talking food would be fun. Bittman would be second. @bittman
Q – #10 To end, for people exploring the idea of blogging or even food blogging, what advice would you give someone?
Laurie: First, spend a fair amount of time exploring blogs in your area of interest for ideas. Next, take the leap…
…or you’ll never do it. Once I started, I realized it wasn’t difficult– technically, with photos, or writing.
@JoelECarlson: Good points! Thank you very much for your time and comments today. Have a great weekend and keep cooking!
Laurie: Thanks so much Joel, and everyone else. Have a great weekend. The blog is http://www.relishit.wordpress.com. Stop by.