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Brown Eyed Baker: Interview with Michelle Norris
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Michelle Norris, author of the widely popular blog, Brown Eyed Baker, has been making her readers drool for years. Michelle not only writes Brown Eyed Baker, she's also the Pittsburgh Food Examiner for Examiner.com. I met Michelle in cyberspace last year at Tuesdays With Dorie - a huge online baking club that follows dessert guru Dorie Greenspan. Michelle is an awesome food stylist and photographer, and she loves to bake, hence the name, Brown Eyed Baker!
Michelle claims, "Since I have already declared myself a baker by way of my blog name, it is a safe assumption that most of what you will find on my blog focuses on baking and the resulting sweets. You will find a smaller selection of meals scattered throughout the chocolate, cakes, and cookies. What you will find in the way of “meal-type-food” is a selection of more classic and comfort foods such as pastas, soups, stews, appetizers/dips, and an all-time favorite, roasted potatoes. "
Michelle's tag line is 'Sweet, Savory, Sinful". Does that tell you anything? So, do yourself a favor and check out Brown Eyed Baker for the best in fine pastries, awesome desserts and a generous helping of Food Porn!
Michelle Norris of Brown Eyed Baker
Food Blog Examiner: Are you the Brown Eyed Baker?
Brown Eyed Baker: I am, indeed, the Brown Eyed Baker. I have brown eyes and I love to bake! I also love pretty much anything food-related.
Food Blog Examiner: How did you get into blogging, and what was your motivation for starting Brown Eyed Baker?
I started blogging back in February 2007. I had seen exactly one food blog and I loved the idea. I have always loved to write so the “blogging” part came sort of naturally, but I was just beginning to try more “advanced” things in the kitchen. I thought that if I had a blog to chronicle my kitchen journey it would push me to try new things and improve my skills.
Food Blog Examiner: In addition to your blog, you're also an Examiner? What a coincidence, so am I! Tell us how that's going? Where are you, and what do you write about?
I just started writing for Examiner.com this month and so far it’s been great. There are a lot of resources for the writers, which is fabulous. I am based in Pittsburgh, PA and am the Pittsburgh Food Examiner. I have been sharing some recipes, and updates on Giant Eagle’s new foodperks! program.
Food Blog Examiner: Do you blog full time, and if not, what is your real day job?
I don’t blog full time. My real day job is a marketing analyst, which isn’t nearly as much fun as playing with flour and sugar. But, I do get to work from home, so that in and of itself is a huge perk.
Food Blog Examiner: Where did you get your culinary training from?
I’m self-taught. I’ve never taken a cooking class in my life, although there are some I am dying to take! I just learn through cookbooks, TV, other bloggers, trial and error, etc.
Food Blog Examiner: Does cooking and baking run in the family?
Absolutely. My family is Italian and my grandma is a fabulous cook. Homemade pasta, pizzelles, and biscotti were weekly staples at her house. My mom jokes that the kitchen skills must have skipped a generation though, because although she likes to cook she doesn’t crave being in the kitchen the way my grandma and I do.
Food Blog Examiner: I know you love Italian cuisine, and your Lasagne Verdi al Forno is making me hungry! Tell us what other foods you enjoy?
I’m a closet burger fanatic. Give me a juicy bacon cheeseburger and I’m in heaven! I also love pizza. If anyone says “pizza” I find it hard to ignore the craving that ensues. Other than those, I was recently cleared of a lot of food allergies, which included seafood. I have been trying sushi for the first time (although I’ve only eaten it raw once), and am really enjoying it. I am looking forward to exploring a lot of other flavors.
Food Blog Examiner: You're so well connected in the food blogging world. What's your secret to blogging fame?
::blush:: I certainly don’t feel famous, so thank you! I’m honestly not sure that there is a secret – I try to post things that my readers will like and feel compelled to make on their own, and I reach out to other bloggers when I have a question, or something they have posted resonates with me. Really, it’s just all about good communication! Joining some blogging groups doesn’t hurt either – it’s a great way to connect with others who have the same interests.
Food Blog Examiner: Your photos are always so gorgeous! What camera are you using, and if you had unlimited funds, what camera would you buy?
Why thank you! My pictures through the Super Bowl Sugar Cookies (2/5/09) were all taken with a Canon PowerShot SD400. Starting with my next post (For the Love of Peanut Butter and Cinnamon – 2/16/09), I began using a Panasonic Lumix TZ5.
The thought of unlimited funds is a nice one – can I get a Viking stove along with a new camera? If money were no object I would splurge on a Canon EOS 50D. Then I’d pimp it out with a 50mm f1.4 lens, a 50mm f2.8 macro lens, and a nice external flash.
Food Blog Examiner: Tell us more about your baking gig with Tuesdays With Dorie.
Oh I just adore Dorie Greenspan. She is a true home baker at heart, and her cookbooks emit that feeling to anyone who has ever leafed through them. The Tuesdays With Dorie groups bakes one recipe per week from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home to Yours” cookbook. Keeping up can sometimes be difficult, and I can be found guilty of slacking from time to time, but I always turn to that book when I’m looking for something new to bake.
Food Blog Examiner: You didn't stop there though. You're also involved with Daring Bakers and Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge. Who else are you cooking & baking with?
That’s about it right now, at least as far as formal groups are concerned. Sometimes I’ll see a one-off blogging event that I will take part in, but things can start to get overwhelming. I’m trying to balance my membership in groups with the ability to keep cooking and baking the things that interest me, so as to keep from seeing any of it as a “must do” or chore, because that’s when it starts to feel like a job and loses it’s appeal. I never want to lose my deep-seeded desire to be in the kitchen just because I want to be there.
Food Blog Examiner: What is the Top 100? Is it like a Bucket List of food?
That’s exactly what it is! For the longest time I kept trying to remember all of the things that I wanted to try in the kitchen. Then I finally made a list on my computer. I thought, why not share it? Others may have great recipes for some of the stuff I want to make, or they may be wanting to try some of the same things. It’s an evergreen list, and I keep adding to it all the time – you’ll see I’m now up over 101 with some other categories. It will naturally evolve as my time in the kitchen continues to evolve.
Food Blog Examiner: How many cookbooks do you own?.jpg)
Oh wow… let me go count… an even 30!
Food Blog Examiner: Favorite kitchen tools or appliance?
Gosh, I have so many. Certainly my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, Cuisinart food processor, and Le Crueset dutch oven are among my favorites. Aside from those… I have two sets of prep bowls that I love, two-sided magnetic measuring spoons from Crate & Barrel, and a ton of others I can’t think of right now ;-)
Food Blog Examiner: Do you taste-test everything you make?
Yes, yes, and yes!! This is actually a huge pet peeve of mine – I hate when I see others post a recipe and say they made it and sent it off with someone so didn’t taste it but it “looked good” or everyone said they enjoyed it. I taste every single thing that you find in my blog. I won’t promote it if I haven’t experienced it first hand, with the ability to describe to others how I experienced it and what I thought about it. On the same vein, I will not post something I didn’t love. So everything you see in my blog – I have made, I have tasted, and I have thoroughly enjoyed.
Food Blog Examiner: What has been your #1 favorite meal or most requested recipe?
From friends and family I think my most requested recipes are the Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Triple Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, and Dark Chocolate Scones. As far as MY favorite meal goes, I think the baked ziti that I created. I made it for Christmas Eve this year and even with all of the other traditional Italian Christmas Eve fare on the table, that baked ziti was demolished – everyone loved it, and I think I ate half the pan myself.
Food Blog Examiner: Any duds, something you threw away and don't want to talk about?
Oh gosh, many things! I’ve certainly had my fair share of failures in the kitchen. One that I recall vividly was the Potato Bread for a Daring Bakers challenge (I think it was November 2007?). I hadn’t done much in the way of yeast at that point, and it was just a disaster. The dough never got to the right consistency, and I chose to make rolls, and they seriously came out like hockey pucks. I almost broke a tooth. Into the garbage they went!
Food Blog Examiner: Dreams for the future? Where do you see Brown Eyed Baker going from here?
I would love to expand Brown Eyed Baker into a one-stop shop for anything food related. I’m working through some preliminary planning right now, so it might be awhile, but I think it has great potential.
Food Blog Examiner: Any cookbooks or TV spots in the works?
No TV spots, but I have a cookbook idea bouncing around in my head. Right now I’m working on solidifying the idea, and doing some research on the whole publishing process – agents, editors, etc. I’ll be sure to keep you posted!
Food Blog Examiner: What 5 food bloggers would you like me to interview next?
Food Blog Examiner: Last meal - What would it be?
Oh this is hard! If I’m being honest, either a slice cheesey, gooey pepperoni pizza or a bacon cheeseburger and fries. Or baked ziti with chunks of Italian sausage. Did I mention I’m awful at making decisions??
Michelle's Decorated Cakes
I was especially impressed with Michelle's Decorated Cakes. Her decorating skills are awesome, she has an eye for detail, and the cakes are to-die-for! Make sure to take some time and go through all the photos. You'll wish you lived near Brown Eyed Baker in Pittsburgh by the time you're done!
Try Brown Eyed Baker's Featured Recipes!
Do you have an awesome food blog with sinfully rich photos we can lick off the screen? If so, email me at cruisingkitty@hotmail.com for an exclusive interview and some great press!
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Photos and interview are copyrighted and used with written permission by Michelle Norris of Brown Eyed Baker.
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