Featured Food Blogger Friday: Two Peas and Their Pod

When Maria Lichty married her husband Josh, she had no idea she was getting a blog as part of the package. The couple shares a love of food and cooking and their blog, Two Peas and Their Pod is where they keep track of their kitchen adventures. Like so many food blogs, they began posting recipes to share them with their friends and family.

It has since become a cozy corner of the internet where those family members, friends and now, new friends from the blogosphere, can kick back and relax. You’re invited too, but make sure you come hungry. Maria and I chatted this week about all things food and all things blog.

MC: Why did you decide to start your food blog? How long have you been blogging?
ML:  was actually started by accident. Josh had a personal blog while we were dating, where he posted his outdoor adventures and poliitcal views. When we got married, we started posting pictures of meals we created together. Family and friends started asking for our recipes, so I thought I would just post them on the blog to make things easier. The recipe posts were popular and I soon started getting comments from strangers. I was thrilled and eventually transitioned the blog into a full time food blog two years ago.

MC: How would you describe your cooking style?
ML: I like to create fresh, simple, affordable meals that are delicious and nutritious. I have a degree in Health Promotion and love cooking healthy/vegetarian meals. We try to avoid processed/packaged goods and buy local produce/products when we can. We always save room for dessert at our house. My dad taught me how to bake at a young age and it is still one of my favorite hobbies. It is a great stress reliever for me and I love sharing my baked goods with others. If you follow our blog, you probably know I have a cookie obsession!

MC: What is your favorite cookbook? Why?
ML: I have several favorites, but let’s go with Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. This book is special to me for a few reasons. When my brother got married, my dad and I volunteered to cater his reception. We made Dorie’s The Most Extraordinary Lemon Cream Tart recipe for one of the desserts. We made hundreds of mini tarts. My dad fell in love with the lemon cream, along with the rest of the guests. My dad whipped up batch after batch of lemon cream. One time, I caught him licking the blender clean and snapped a picture. It was priceless. After the wedding, I sent a thank you email to Dorie for her fabulous recipe and sent the photo of my dad. Dorie loved it and wrote me back…my dad was not happy I shared the photo, but oh well:) A few weeks later, Dorie hosted a giveaway on her site to giveaway a few autographed copies of her book and I won! I was thrilled. So now, I own a signed copy of Baking From My Home to Yours and will treasure it always. Oh, and when we got married, my dad made hundreds of mini tarts for us too.

MC: What is the first meal you ever prepared?
ML: I started cooking at a young age, so I don’t remember what the first meal was, but I remember one of the first meals Josh and I prepared together. We made a black bean, avocado, and mango salad. It is easy and still one of our favorite salads.

MC: Where do you get the inspiration for the recipes you create?
ML: I dream and daydream about food, it is always on my mind. I keep a notebook with me at all times so I can jot down recipe ideas. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with a new cookie creation. Our kitchen is also our playground, anything goes. We have a great time trying new flavors, techniques, and flavors.

MC: What is one thing you still want to learn how to do in the kitchen?
ML: I love to bake, but I will be honest, yeast breads are not my strong point. Josh is the dough master. I actually call him “my dough boy.” I would love to improve my yeast bread baking skills. My father makes the most beautiful artisan loaves and hopefully someday I can compete. My dad also has the best cinnamon roll recipe in the world-I think I have come pretty close to mastering those though.

MC: What is one piece of advice that you would offer a brand new blogger?
ML: Enjoy the ride. When I started our food blog, I was clueless. I have learned a lot over the past two years. If you can, try to attend blogging conferences, workshops, and get involved in the food blogging community. Follow food bloggers on Twitter, comment on blog posts, and participate in online food blogging events (Food Blog Forum, Daring Bakers, etc.) Don’t be afraid to ask other bloggers questions-most are happy to help. Don’t feel overwhelmed-like everything in life, there is always more you can do and want to do, but just take one step at a time. Blog because you want to, not because you feel like you have to. Our blog brings me great joy-I love my readers and the entire food blogging community.

(Photo Credit: Heidi Larsen)