It's Featured Friday again and this week, we're shining our spotlight on a blogger you may not be familiar with...yet! This week's blog, Doodles & Co, is written by Chelsie Holste from Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Nearly every day she writes about her kitchen adventures, complete with mouthwatering photos & recipes, and also the adventures of her little family...husband Adam and Doodles, their sweet kitty.
Find out a little more about Chelsie below...including links to her favorite recipes and books!
Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
Well, I just married the love of my life, Adam, on 6.12.09, so we are a bit of a "new" family, as well as a young one. Adam is 24, and I'm 23. We met through some friends at Kansas State University where we both went to college (Go Cats!!), but we have since moved to Colorado Springs for Adam's job in the Athletic Department of the Air Force Academy. We absolutely love it here and consider it a real blessing to be surrounded by such beauty every day.
The other member of our family, our cat Doodles, came into our world kind of unexpectedly this summer when she rode home to my in-laws' farm from a wheat field. She had been on the underside of the truck the whole way there. Needless to say, she has been with us ever since, and she truly makes every day interesting and entertaining! We often talk about how boring our life would be without her. :o)
As for me, I taught 4th grade right out of college, and then made the giant leap from elementary kiddos to toddlers when we moved to the Springs. This summer, I will be going back to school to pursue my dream of following in my mother's footsteps and becoming a nurse. I am absolutely ecstatic about this new career path, and I can't wait to make a difference in so many people's lives!
How do you find time to write, share recipes & take photos?
In the beginning, it was a real struggle for me to find the right balance when it came to blogging. I didn't post consistently, and I often dreaded it because it took so much time away from my evening. Then something just struck me one day after New Year's, and I have been blogging happily and consistently ever since! I knew that people back home really relied on our updates to stay in touch with us, and I didn't want to let them down.
Now, I am in a nice routine, so it's much easier, and I actually look forward to blogging at the end of the day; it's a release for me. After the new year, I also decided to start chronicling my cooking and baking adventures, and I think this is what really jump-started my new enthusiasm! I found that I truly loved blogging about food, and it also gave me more material to work with, instead of just talking about Doodles. In the evenings when I'm cooking supper, I always make sure to have my camera handy so I can document the cooking process, as well as the end result. This allows me to kill two birds with one stone. Also, my camera is always in my purse with me so I can be sure to capture any blog-worthy moments throughout the day.
I guess my advice would be "Do what works for you." My blogging time is always right before bed so I can re-cap the day, as well as upload my dinner pictures and recipes. Having a set time really works for me, and it has just become a natural part of my day. Doing it at the end of the day also allows me to spend as much time with Adam as possible, which is a top priority. I think if you find something that you truly love to write about and share with others, you will find the time to get it done.
What originally inspired you to start blogging?
Well, several things served as my blogging inspiration. I have always had a real passion for writing, dating all the way back to my childhood days. Like I said earlier, writing and blogging is a release for me, just as cooking is. I love using my blog to make people laugh or to brighten their day, and it's a joy to share what's going on in our lives. Blogging can be a very intimate connection, or it can be purely entertaining; I like to provide both.
One of the biggest inspirations was our move; when we found out that we would be moving to Colorado, I knew that being away from family and friends would be the hardest part. Our families and friends are a huge part of our lives, and we still wanted to feel like we could stay in touch with them. Plus, I wanted to document our adventures as two newlyweds (and a cat) in a new state.
However, my latest inspiration has definitely come from cooking. I love sharing delicious, simple recipes with my readers. When I receive word that a reader has tried a recipe from my blog and loved it, it gives me so much satisfaction. I guess when I combine all of these factors, it creates one big blogging muse!
How did you get your start in the kitchen?My roots in the kitchen began with my mom and my grandmas. When I was little, my brother and I were spoiled with delicious home-cooked meals. Mom would fix these wonderful dinners, and Dad would always be up in the morning to fix us hot breakfast. I used to call my mom, "The Casserole Queen," and that she was. I actually grew up on Gooseberry Patch recipes, and I now carry on the tradition in my own home.
I used to help my mom in the kitchen as she would prepare various dishes, and that was really how I started off. Helping her here and there, and watching my grandmas cook when I went to visit. My dad's mom was the kind of cook that didn't need recipes; she could feed a crowd of 30 people with five-course meals made from scratch (and memory and instinct). That's a true cook in my eyes, and I only wish I had been old enough to gather all of her wisdom to tuck away for later dates. She is still a cooking muse of mine, even though she's no longer with us. She truly loved to feed people, and that's the way she nourished lives and warmed hearts.
Since meeting Adam, I have learned so much from his mom as well. She is an amazing cook (and also caterer), and she has passed along a great deal of knowledge (and recipes) to me. I certainly have big shoes to fill. So now as a new, young wife, I have set out on this cooking adventure somewhat blindly! I have learned by trial and error, and I have become more and more confident as time has passed. While I am certainly still a novice (and still have so much to learn), I have finally reached a point where I am comfortable with taking recipes and making them my own. Who knows, maybe someday I can follow in my grandma's footsteps and cook by memory and instinct.
Do you have a favorite Gooseberry Patch cookbook?
Wow...it's so tough to choose only one. I guess at this point in time, I would have to say my favorite is Slow-Cooker Recipes. When I'm planning my weekly menu, I always throw in a slow-cooker meal or two, especially towards the end of the week when I know I'll be running low on energy. It really is the best feeling to come home and walk in to the delicious aroma of a meal that is already cooked and waiting!
This book has such a great variety of foods, which makes it simple to just turn the pages and pick a recipe. We haven't gone wrong with any that we've tried! Our favorite has been the Homestyle Pork Chops on p. 28, served with homemade mashed potatoes and gravy. YUM!! It doesn't get much better than that. The time that this cookbook saves me is incredible, and I absolutely adore the tips on the bottom of each page! That has always been one of my favorite parts of Gooseberry Patch.
Is there a favorite recipe featured on your blog now?
My goodness...you guys are killing me here! It's so hard for me to pick just one recipe because it depends on what mood I'm in. Do I choose a baked good, or a home-cooked meal? Oh, the decisions! I guess since I already mentioned the Homestyle Pork Chops, I'd have to go with my newest discovery that I dubbed, "Chelsie's Tortellini Surprise!" We just devoured this last night, and it was so rich, creamy, and delicious. What's even better is that it's simple to make, and you can easily adjust it to your own tastes!
As far as baked goods, I have to resort to my stand-by chocolate chip cookie recipe that I found on allrecipes.com. They're called "Award-Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies," but I just call them "The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever." They have a surprise ingredient that makes all the difference in the world. Do yourself a favor, and make some today! The recipe yields a whopping 72 servings, so feel free to cut in half or share with your neighbors and loved ones! They'll be ever so glad you did.
Tell us something that no one would guess about you.
While this isn't something that no one would guess about me, it's certainly something that only a few people close to me would know. On the day I was born, I was given a stuffed animal...a pink and white dog that I later named Ruffy. Well, Ruffy was my confidant and best friend growing up, along with my brother, Derik, and his stuffed bear, Spooky. In our little imaginary world, Spooky and Ruffy were best friends as well. They were quite the duo!
I took Ruffy aboslutely everywhere I went, even to school until my parents made me stop in first or second grade. I still remember walking to school with my little backpack on, Ruffy inside, and the zipper open a tiny bit so she could "breathe." :o) I slept with Ruffy every night, making sure to hold on tightly to one of her floppy ears in case a robber ever tried to come and take her away. Ridiculous, I know...but at least I had imagination!
Anyway, growing up my mom always used to tease me by asking if I was even going to take Ruffy to college with me. I always used to say yes, no hesitation at all. And as a matter of fact, I did take Ruffy to college with me, and she did sleep on my bed every night. Where is she now that I'm married, you ask? She, along with her best friend Spooky, still sit on the bench under our window at the foot end of our bed. Some things never change.
Thanks SO much for being part of our Featured Friday, Chelsie...your recipes and enthusiasm brighten our day!
You'll definitely want to bookmark Doodles & Co and find out what Chelsie's cookin' up these days!
