About Me
Hi! Welcome to my little soapbox here at Sugar with Spice. I’m glad you found your way in to my collection of traditional recipes and hosting tips.
The kitchen was always my favorite room in the house. It’s always warm and it always smells delicious (especially during the holidays!) The hours spent creating with pots and pans melt away all the stress from the rest of life. And what better way to end a day of cooking than with a feast full of good food and even better company!
A Bit About Me
My love of food and feasts started with Brian Jacques’ Redwall Abbey series. I spent hours trying to figure out recipes for “hot root soup” and “apple honey oat cakes.” Of course, it began terribly…A few of my first attempts:
- Using markers dipped in water to make “whisky” for my parents.
- Tried mashing bananas with the plug instead of the beater.
- A “pot of broth” created with lukewarm water, a whole (unchopped) onion, two whole carrots and an unchopped stalk of celery. To this day, Dad still insists it was “delicious.”
Yeah. I promise, none of those recipes will be on this blog.
I grew up in South Texas where ingredients could be hard to find and hosting dinner parties just meant eating pizza with a fork. Thankfully my mom’s tips and my early inspiration from books and movies eventually turned me into an amateur cake decorator in high school. (My mom’s coworkers adored me.) And by college I was taking the reins of my own kitchen with everything from stuffed squash to peach pie.
I live in The Big Apple now where there are more 5-star restaurants and gourmet grocery shops than you can visit in a lifetime. Fancy ingredients are at my fingertips. Farmer’s markets are full of fresh food. And my own little kitchen is my haven.
Since I love sharing my kitchen-creations, I’d love to welcome you in with me! What is better than spending all day creating a dish and then watching people’s faces light up when they take the first bite? Nothing. That is the feeling that drives me. Create. Share. Enjoy. Come learn from my failures (plugs go in the wall) and don’t forget to share your successes with me!
My Secret Mission
Okay, all that sugary sweet stuff up there is true, don’t get me wrong.
But this site is called Sugar with Spice. So here’s the spice.
I started this blog partly because I got so sick of hearing “I can cook, I cook toast every morning” and reading posts like “How to trick your guests into thinking you’ve got your shit together” and “Adulting is so Hard.”
Ladies and gents, cut it out with the excuses! “Adulting” has been hard for centuries. (If you think about it our great great great grandparents were married and raising kids by 24. So we’ve got it easy.) Also, cooking toast is not a thing. Stop saying you can cook toast. Learn how to actually cook and give the toaster its own credit.
Frankly, being an adult really isn’t all that difficult. You just have to make it happen.
We spend so much time bemoaning our lives and focusing on our failures. And I get it. One failure has a far bigger impact on us than any number of successes. (Let’s be honest, sometimes the extent of our failure is so enormous, it’s actually too funny not to share.)
But it’s time to focus on what we can do.
Sugar with Spice
I really truly believe it isn’t that hard to create the life you want, be the person you dream of being, and pull yourself together. One baby step at a time.
Don’t get me wrong. Life can be tough. Really tough. Like smash a chair over your head get run over by a truck hard. But, we’re all here! And, I bet all of you are out there doing AMAZING things. Things you aren’t giving yourself credit for.
In fact, I bet most of you don’t give yourself enough credit in general. There’s a lot out there about how easy it is to fail at being an adult. This site isn’t about that.
This site is about building yourself up. It’s about growing into an adult. It’s about picking something you’ve always wanted to do, and doing it! (Like this Roast Rack of Lamb.) You’ve always wanted to make this.) It’s about proving you can. It’s about getting one step closer to your goal. With a little bit of tough love.
Why “trick” your friends into thinking you’ve got it together when you could…oh, I don’t know…actually get it together? And yes, you totally can eat healthy, take care of yourself, make time for friends, and cook yourself a restaurant-worthy meal every night.
I work a 9 to 5 job in television (which actually means 24/7). Spend about 90% of my paycheck on my cat’s vet bills. Struggle through chronic stomach pain. Have some sort of seriously-undiagnosed social anxiety. And, some weeks, it’s a stretch to afford groceries. If I can do it. So can you.
Introducing: Daisy Bucatnan
Since she will inevitably end up in some photos, I’d better make some introductions. (And I’ll probably mention her even if she’s not in the picture. She’s just so cute. Does Stockholm Syndrome from Your Cat count as a real disorder?)
Daisy is my sassy, opinionated, totally pampered and rather large kitty-companion. While she began life as a rescue kitten found in a box on the side of a highway, Miss Daisy prefers to focus on her Ancient Egyptian God-like ancestry rather than her humble beginnings. She’s pretty sure she’s just a fuzzy human and expects a seat at the dinner table, a spot on the couch to watch TV, and shares her two cents on ever conversation within earshot. I’m pretty sure she’s a part-Maine Coon cat with a big personality, but what do I know!
But unlike most cats, Daisy loves a good dinner party. Genuinely. She’ll join in the circle and wait for someone to give her a seat. Which might be why we get along so well. But don’t give her any icky human food. Her one review for my cooking: pure disgust and contempt. You thought my love was tough? She actually has claws. (If that’s your review too, you can leave now.)
So, Welcome to Sugar with Spice!
Together, Daisy and I run this blog. Well, I run it. She just gets to look cute in the pictures. Browse around for recipe ideas, hosting tips, and food and drink pairings to class up your table. And stop making excuses. You’ll get where you want to go, but only if you try!
Keep in touch and cook with me below! (Don’t forget to hit the “Cook with Me!” button to subscribe for new recipes, updates, and freebies sent straight to your email!)
Say Hi!
