Friday Foodie – Bree of Bree Hester
Without giving too much away about how Bree of Baked Bree (love that name!) got started, I wished I had written down the recipes for all the Portuguese dishes my grandmother and grandfather would make. They were dishes made in-home only and if you could find a Portuguese restaurant (they are so rare!) the dishes wouldn't be on the menu and I miss them.
What I love most about Bree is she is real. She tried the perfect Mom route and nearly lost it all. She had an epiphany like I had many years ago and decided she must change her life. To be happy for others you have to be happy with yourself. You have to be taken care so that you can face the world and take care of others. Bree feels the same and I love that!
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Let’s meet Bree!
[1] Have you always been a foodie, or is that something you grew into?
Always. My mom is an amazing cook and owned a catering business for many years. It runs in my family too. My sister is a chef, and my grandmother is a wonderful cook and baker.
[2] How and why did you begin your blog?
I started my blog on a whim about 5 years ago. I wanted a place to keep track of my family recipes. My mom isn't so good at writing recipes down, and I wanted my children to have a place where all of the things that they loved to eat could be found years from now. I think that food and recipes are deeply rooted in family traditions and I wanted to keep them alive for generations to come.
[3] What’s your favorite thing to make/cook?
I really like to make slow cooked meals. Ragus, stews, and soups. I love the chopping, stirring, and the way my house smells while its cooking. I like that it is hands-off for a few hours and you are rewarded with a hearty and delicious meal when dinnertime rolls around.
[4] What is your favorite thing to eat?
I love a good salad. It's weird, but I love when someone else makes me a salad. I love the colors, how crispy it is, and how different they can be. I also really enjoy a good Snickerdoodle.
[5] What is your comfort food?
Pasta with butter and Parmesan. With lots of pepper. My mom would make this for us when we didn't feel good. I still crave it when I am under the weather.
[6] Describe your perfect food day?
We would wake up and go to our favorite bakery in town for a coffee and croissant. They are homemade and incredible. Then I would stop at the store on the way home and see what looks good. I'd buy what I need and go home and make a big family meal. I'd invite some friends over and it would be a feast. My favorite food days are when I have a lot of people to feed. I love entertaining and having a lot of people around the table.
[7] What are three other blogs that inspire you?
Dine and Dish – Kristen is an inspiration for a lot of reasons. She is such a kind person, a talented photographer, great mom, and so supportive of the blogging community. I also love her book recommendations.
FoodieCrush – Heidi's photography is stunning and her Friday Favorites are the best way to start the weekend if you ask me. She is also a huge supporter of the blogging community, creative, and so fun.
I am Baker – Amanda is hilarious, real, and I want to lick my screen every time I go to her blog. I love that she is true to who she is and all aspects of her life – her family and faith. She shares herself with an open heart.
[8] Do you have advice for bloggers just starting out?
Yes! I have two pieces of advice. 1. Blog for yourself. Write and create content that YOU want to read. You will find your audience and they will identify with you. People don't visit blogs just for recipes – they want to know the stories behind the recipes. Tell them. And 2. Photography is important. People eat with their eyes first. Take the time to get clear, in focus, well-exposed shots. It will take time, but it makes all the difference in the world.
Thanks Bree!
How about you? What would you like to ask Bree?
OMG Yum these photos looks delicious 😀 I will definitely be checking out Baked Bree! 😀
very great post love the foods
That big chocolate cake is killing here. Looks so yummy!
I love taco salad .I could eat it everyday. Thanks for sharing.
omnomnom!! delicious stuff:)
I enjoy all Portuguese food, Here in Whaling City New Bedford, MA their are a few good Portuguese restaurant . Cafe Portugal, End Zone , Fathoms Bar & Grille , Braza Rotisserie these are just a few of my favorite but here is the addy if you are ever in MA , we are only an hour away by bus or drive 🙂 http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Portuguese+Restaurants&find_loc=New+Bedford%2C+MA#start=0&l=p:MA:New_Bedford::
Baked Bree is a great name for a blog!
Any kind of nuts is my comfort food (can I call that comfort food?). I also love fruits and veggies. Those foods looks delicious by the way and I love the reading the interview!
I find it interesting that you love to cook but prefer that others make the salads! I live alone and don’t cook much but in my head are a couple of family recipes which I do make on occasion.
Everything she makes looks so good, even things that I wouldn’t actually eat! I’m a picky eater, lol. I admire such talent, I’ve never been much of a cook. Love the name of her blog!
We have a lot of the same tastes. I can’t go wrong with a slow cooked meal for dinner.
I love this post and the food photos all look amazing! I need to checkout this blog, although the last thing I need is more delish recipes…LOL!
What a great piece on the insight to food blogger Bree. Being a food myself myself its so fun to connect with others!
All of her food looks amazing!!! I love finding out more about other food bloggers!
Thanks for sharing that. Looks really good. Now my sweet tooth is going after that chocolate cake. That looked really yummy.
I agree with her that you should write for yourself then the followers would follow. It’s also easier to develop content that is familiar to you and close to your heart.
I blog about foods and recipes too but Bree is somewhat at the higher level than me! Love her foods and love her recipes too! 🙂
her food looks AMAZING! Gosh I wish I could cook like that! Thanks for sharing!
Great interview indeed. It made me hungry for nachos for sure. lol I do believe cooking and baking is in the blood. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recipes of my grandmother on my moms side that I have taught my kids for tradition.
I completely agree. So important to do things for yourself, it’s a hard lesson to learn, but an important one!
I’m the cooker in the family. I guess because I learned from my gramma who came from Palermo, Sicily. She didn’t believe in mops or store bought bread. So the kids always come home for mama’s cooking & my youngest daughter is the baker. Oh how she loves it & my youngest son well he loves to cook like his mama & he’s good. My comfort food is sort of a julienne salad. Love it. I just don’t pull all the stuff that goes in there. Just some like I put in pieces of lunch meat cut up and a slice of cheese and sprinkle Parmesan sometimes. 🙂 Love Raspberry dressing. 🙂
This post is making me so hungry. That cake looks so delicious ♥
I should not be reading this at night before bed! These photos are so drool worthy.
All this talk of food is making me hungry!
I am so hungry right now. That cake with sprinkles will give me craving nightmares now! It was too good! Those nachos, though – they were my favourite.
This is so cool! I love meeting other bloggers and think your question choices are interesting- the “perfect food day” is great.
I agree with her tips and wish that I had the photography down pat. I am not a food blogger, although I’m a very good cook and learned from my father, who’s a classically trained chef. I named my blog so that I could make the switch whenever I wanted to, as that’s what I’ll ultimately do with more time. I think I’ll start with a once weekly recipe or something…. I will definitely take her sage advice! 🙂
So nice to meet Bree and learn about her likes in cooking, I am like her love a plate of hot buttered peppered spaghetti with fresh cheese on it when I need an extra pat on the back or arm around my shoulder
@Dorothy, it is simple yet so delicious!