Why I Cook
Orlando, FL
This food blogger has been sharing her dishes online for more than a decade. Equipped with the knowledge from her previous career as a software engineer, an acute sense of taste (she’s a confirmed supertaster!) and her mighty DSLR camera, she’s grown her website, thelittlekitchen.net, into a craveworthy collection of nearly 400 recipes.
A lot of readers can relate to having a little kitchen. How do you organize your space?
Store stuff that you don’t use every day in different places in your house. I have a tub in a closet that has all of my serving ware for parties and things that I don’t use often. I really try to use the space efficiently. Something doesn’t take up space on my counter unless I use it every day.
What ingredients do you always have on hand?
Garlic is my No. 1. I have a memory of my mom that’s seared in my brain of her smashing garlic with the side of her knife, then peeling and cutting it. I can’t even buy a garlic press because I have to do it all by hand. Garlic is good with everything, and it’s the cheapest thing on my grocery list.
What’s your favorite recipe you’ve created?
My favorite recipe is my Ham Fried Rice. Because I love greasy fried rice—takeout fried rice, for example—i wanted to make something indulgent that tasted just like it. I figured it out—it’s butter. So, before I add in the egg and green onions, I stir in 2 tablespoons of butter.
I know that’s probably not authentic at all, but it’s so good.
What advice do you have for an aspiring food blogger?
My advice is to just start it. People always have an idea, then they sit on it. So just start it. You’re going to learn as you go, and that’s OK. My only regret is not starting my blog when I first wanted to, which was about six or seven months before I actually did.
Tell us the “why” of why you cook.
Someone once told me her kids always hated her cooking, then she made one of my recipes, and her kids loved it. And she was like, “You made me the hero!” So, I like sharing food with people and sharing recipes but also helping people learn how to cook. It’s so exhilarating, and it’s so fun.