Friday Foodie – Blogger Donna of Cookistry

When it comes to food writing, Donna of Currie is prolific! She is a cookbook author and food writer for Serious Eats, Whisk Magazine, and the Left Hand Valley Courier, and food blogger at her own spot, Cookistry. I definitely would want to be in Donna's kitchen if she does read Part 2!

Let’s meet Donna!

[1] Have you always been a foodie, or is that something you grew into?

Pretty much always. I was the weird kid that liked liver and onions, Brussels sprouts, and mushrooms. I can remember standing on a kitchen chair, stirring a pot on the stove to help mom cook. She'd always ask me to taste things in progress and she'd ask if it needed anything. I learned how to cook by taste and how things looked before I ever followed a recipe.

[2] How and why did you begin your blog?

I'd been working as a freelance writer for quite some time, and decided that it would be fun to write about food rather than all the technical/editorial stuff I was doing. I started the blog so I'd have an example of my food writing to show to potential clients.

For a long time, I thought of my self as a writer who happened to have a food blog, but eventually, I embraced the idea that the food blog had a life of its own.

[3] What’s your favorite thing to make/cook?

I love making bread. There's something magical about the transformation of flour and water and yeast to a bouncy, stretchy dough that rises all on its own. And the smell of baking bread is intoxicating.

[4] What is your favorite thing to eat?

That's tough – I like so many things, from iceberg lettuce wedge salads to ice cream, and everything in between. And from painstakingly hand made to … Cheetos. If I had to choose right now, a bowl of home made tomato soup would be just about perfect.

[5] What is your comfort food?

Meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

[6] Describe your perfect food day?

Spending all day in the kitchen making things like ravioli or tamales so I can freeze them for later. I make a huge mess, so the perfect ending would be having someone else come in and clean up after me.

[7] What are three other blogs that inspire you?

37 Cooks is a fun group blog. I'm one of the 37 so maybe this shouldn't count as one of the three, but I'm constantly inspired by what the others do.

Magda's Cauldron is really interesting because it's not US-based. The blogger is Polish, but she lives in Ireland. You won't see the same sorts of recipes that tend to pop up all the time on US blogs.

The Kitchen Witch isn't 100% a food blog, but she does post recipes. Her crazy tales about her family crack me up.

Miss in the Kitchen is another favorite, mostly because I want to eat whatever it is that she's cooking.

[8] Do you have advice for bloggers just starting out?

Be yourself. Be honest. Be original. And maybe most important, be patient. Don't worry about who is reading your blog or how to get more traffic until you've figured out who you are as a blogger.

Join blogging groups (there are a lot of them on Facebook) and get advice from other bloggers. Learn about copyrights and how to share properly.

Thanks Donna!

Keep up with Donna’s tasty tidbits on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest and of course by visiting Cookistry.

How about you? What would you like to ask Donna?

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