Personal/Blog Related Facts
Is the blog your full time job?
Yes! I started sharing recipes for family and friends as a hobby. Never in a million years did I think I would become an entrepreneur and earn an income doing something I love! I left my corporate marketing job in the summer of 2014 to stay at home with my son. I also do freelance recipe development, recipe testing, food photography, and social media work. You can read all about me on my about page.
How many times a week do you publish new recipes on Katie’s Cucina?
I aim to publish 3-5 post a week. I typically schedule for Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Some week’s I do a great job at this and even have my post scheduled out a week in advanced. Other weeks I don’t just depending on what’s going on with my life.
How do you make money blogging?
Have you ever heard of the expression don’t put all your eggs in one basket? Well that expression definitely applies to blogging. You never know when one of your income outlets will stop producing money. I try to diversify like everyone should do in life. A majority of my income comes from working directly with brands. Followed by freelance projects like recipe development, food photography, and social media work. The last little bit comes from ad revenue.
Why do you display ads on your blog?
I would love to keep this blog ad free; however, by displaying ads I can earn extra income to help continue to allow the world to enjoy FREE recipes! I get paid per click and ad revenue is an easy and effortless way to earn extra cash while still being able to work on other projects.
Why do you do sponsored post?
I only do sponsored post with companies and brands that I love and use on a daily/weekly basis. This is another way I make money to help support my family.
Do you have another blog?
Yes, I co-author a lifestyle/DIY blog with my husband Jon. We started Sew Woodsy in 2010, a year after we bought a foreclosed home. I was tired of sharing photos via a photo share site with family and friends so I decided to start another blog documenting our journey of home ownership one tutorial at a time!
How do you manage two blogs?
I have no idea. I just do. I wish there was a magical answer. Katie’s Cucina started first and has always remained my number 1 priority. I strive to post at least 3 post a week on Katie’s Cucina. I use to strive to post the same amount of content on Sew Woodsy. I’ve let go of the fact that I’m not super women and do it all. I now post on Sew Woodsy whenever I have a free moment and I have something good to share.
I love your photography. Do you have any tutorials to help me improve my food photography?
Thanks! When I first started food blogging my food photos did not look pretty. Check out one of my first post, you’ll see for yourself. A few years back when I thought my food photography had improved I wrote a blog post on Food Photography. I still live by most of the tips. One of these days I’ll make a new updated post.
Food Related Facts
I once had a reader email me this question, so I felt it was appropriate to include it in my FAQS page. I simply have access to fresh herbs year round. I grow a wide variety of herbs on my back patio. You’ll always find parsley, basil, rosemary, and green onions.
Depending on the season it is depends if I have more herbs on hand like cilantro, thyme, dill and sage. Growing herbs is super simple and even if you don’t live in a warm climate area you can grow most on your window sill. But don’t be discouraged. You can still cook my recipes with dried herbs. In fact I’ve found a great substitute for fresh herbs. They are made by Litehouse and found in the refrigerated produce area at most Super Targets. If you can’t find those, feel free to use dried herbs.
-Green onions are super simple. Just cut off the root bottom (leave about 2-inches) and plant it in dirt. Easy as that!
-Want to grow fresh ginger? Cut off a small piece (2-inches?) and burry 6+ inches in a pot or in the ground. You’ll eventually see bamboo like shoots sprouting. The longer you let it grow (a few months) the longer it will grow. It’s ideal to plant this in a planter bed or a long pot.
After I harvest (or buy) my ginger I’ll peal it and then place it in a freezer safe bag. In the freezer it goes. Then when I need it for a recipe I simply grate it into my recipe. One piece will typically last me 6 months!
Yes, I’ve started providing this information on most recipes. I am not a certified dietician and use a computer program to calculate these facts. Sometimes, they vary depending on the program you use. Always double check what I provide using another system if interested in exact nutritional facts.
Oh man… we try a lot of new recipes; however, I’m normal like everyone else and have a handful of “go-to” recipes I rotate throughout the month. Lately, you can find me making my one pot lasagna, pot pie, Italian Sausage Bake, and crunchy-baked chicken strips at least once a month. I rotate out my slow cooker shredded chicken tacos, grilled chicken fajitas, Lemon Bruschetta Chicken Pasta, skillet salisbury steak, and picadillo as well as grilled chicken with veggies at least every two weeks.
Gill B
Turkey and Stuffing Soup
I haven’t made a successful soup using leftover turkey for years but wanted to give this try.
My family is not a fan of fresh celery but I used celery salt for both ingredients. I had a lot of leftover gravy too so that was included in the liquid amount and just added more flavoring.
I decided to bake the stuffing balls as we like a more crunchy texture so I only used 1 egg instead of the recommended 2. My 2 cups of stuffing once mixed with the other ingredients made 22 balls. I baked them at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Ten minutes before the soup was ready I added about 2 cups of rotini (that was all I had) and brought it back up to a boil then lowered the heat again a little.
I am very happy with the results and will certainly be keeping this recipe. It was so easy to adapt to our own personal likes and dislikes.
Thank you Katie for sharing your love of cooking and talents!
Katie
Gill, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and such a sweet message. I truly LOVE to cook and love sharing it with those who want to cook or even learn! I love how you modified the recipe to fit your needs!