Let’s Meet Dawn

Posted by Correen in Articles, Interviews | 2 comments

Happy Sunday Food Lovers! Today I’m excited to introduce you to Dawn in this exclusive First Look, Then Cook interview. She is sharing her family recipes along with tasty bites from our favorite foodie magazines and blogs. Dawn had me at hello when I happened upon her Roasted Domino Potatoes, that included the most gorgeous food photography…fess-up I licked was inches away from licking the screen. Here we go…and btw have a great rest of the day

Tell us a little bit about your site, First Look, Then Cook.

This started out as a way to document recipes, and make it easier to share them. I love to bake and share what I make with people, and then they would ask for the recipe. Also – both my grandmother’s have recipes that meant a lot to me growing up – I wanted a way to document them. I have also started to document my mother’s recipes – but she has thousands, so that will take a while…

What is one of your go-to kitchen gadgets? Why?

I love my giant spatula – I use it for everything – it is the best way to keep food in tact when moving it from one place to another. At first I really didn’t know what to do with it – then I used it for a cake…and saw the true power.

You participate in a few foodie networking sites, please talk to us about a few of your favorites.

I love Foodgawker and Tastespotting – when I started my blog, I had no idea these sites existed. When I started reading other food blogs, I noticed them, and decided that was the way to get your blog noticed by people. I remember the first time one of my photos appeared, I instantly got a ton of hits, it was the first time I felt like people were out there looking and reading. Now I have hundreds of followers, I still can’t believe it!

What’s the best thing a food blogger can give to their readers?

Good honest recipes – meaning, if it is hard to make – explain that! If it is easy – explain that as well. In addition, sharing a secret recipe is quite a gift – I never believed in keeping recipes secret because then people can’t experience what you do when you make it. There is nothing better than sharing something special with people so they can feel the same way. Sharing a recipe is almost as good as sharing the food once it is done

Share a dish or two you love serving to family and friends. Why?

There are so many dishes I love to make – but here are a few of my favorites:

1) Steamed Chinese Dumplings – everyone loves these, they are easy to eat, and really fun to make. Kids especially love these.
2) Banana Bread – my mother’s very special recipe, that makes the best banana bread ever. I always have a few loaves in the freezer because you never know when you will need one.
3) Cucumber Yum Yum Cocktail – I love making cocktails, almost as much as I love to bake. When people come over to our house for dinner, I like to have a special cocktail out for when they get there. This is one of my favorites.

When I am not baking, cooking, or uploading posts to First Look, Then Cook – I am with my two wonderful daughters (ages 6 and 9). Fortunately they love to be in the kitchen with me, and have amazing taste. In addition, I work full-time, and am always looking for quick and easy ways to make delicious meals and baked goods for my family and friends.

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