WHY A FOOD BLOG?
Hey, I’m Sierra!
For the sake of total transparency, I hated being in the kitchen growing up. I dreaded it every time my mom asked me to help out with dinner and would always drag my feet. In retrospect, I think my dread was rooted in the fact that recipes never seemed to come out how I thought they would. I felt I didn’t have the skills necessary to do things quite right and nothing ever tasted as good as my mom’s version (I think we can all agree that nothing ever does – moms have a super power to always do it best). It turns out my fear of being in the kitchen was actually what was keeping me from becoming a better and more confident cook and baker. I was preventing myself from having endless learning experiences.
When I was a junior in college I watched a couple food documentaries that totally shifted the way I viewed my relationship with food. I found myself trying to eat out far less and minimize the dairy I consumed, forcing me to realize I needed to spend more time cooking for myself. I guess you could say my love for being in the kitchen started out of necessity but grew into something greater.
I started finding recipes on pinterest and making my own cookies, falafel, cupcakes, cauliflower crust pizza, you name it. And even though I used a whole head of garlic in the falafel instead of a clove (I was new to the kitchen and didn’t know the difference) I found I was becoming more and more comfortable in the kitchen. The fears of my childhood were slowly being eased and my confidence was starting to kick in.
Fast forward to today and my how things have changed! While I am back to eating dairy (even though my body doesn’t always love it) my love for the kitchen has not only stayed, but grown. Now, not only do I love being in the kitchen as a creative outlet, but also for its ability to bring people together over your efforts. Cookies and cakes are shared, bread is broken together, pizza slices are plucked from the box one-by-one, and potlucks are had with friends who have become family.
Baked goods are my first love, which is why you’ll be seeing many of them as posts. Cookies, cakes, and pies were always at family gatherings growing up. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized the importance of cooking meals at home. Not only is it a better alternative to eating out, but also sharing a meal with the ones I love has quickly become one of my favorite parts of the day. While the bulk of my recipes may be baked goods, you will also find savory dishes and meals sprinkled in as well. I’m a firm believer that life is all about balance.
My goal through this blog is to give you the skills you need to be more confident in the kitchen and provide you with recipes that can be shared to bring joy and relationship to others. Remember that every time you’re in the kitchen you have the opportunity to learn something new and that it’s okay to make mistakes.
So don an apron, preheat that oven, and go forth and bake!
FICKLE BEA? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
“Fickle” comes from a respectful ode to the sometimes frustrating nature of baking. Recipe testing can be tricky when you haven’t done enough research or are going in completely blind (if you’re like me and haven’t gone to culinary school). “Bea” by definition means “bringer of joy” which is exactly how I view baked goods. Who doesn’t love receiving a cookie or being handed a warm slice of bread? Put the two together and you have my view on baking: while it can be tricky and frustrating at times, the joy it brings to others makes all of the work more than worth it.