Where do you source new recipes from when you get bored of your regular mid-week recipe repertoire?
Although I have quite a few recipe books I often refer back to, I have recently found myself scouring the web for interesting food websites and blogs. There is a plethora of helpful and unhelpful information out there, so when I find a website with consistently useful information, I stick with it. The Sassy Cook is my latest favourite recipe website – here’s why I love it:
- It’s easy to navigate – you can search recipes by meal or ingredient
- It’s real – The Sassy Cook founder, Dianne’s food manta is “how to be fast and fabulous in the kitchen”. She’s a busy mum to two young children and gets the need for speed when preparing meals for the family. However, speedy meals don’t mean compromising on quality ingredients that nourish our bodies.
- Delicious recipes – I’m tempted by every single recipe on here. Best Ever Brownies, Salted Caramel and Banana Cookies, Lamb and Veggie Sausage Rolls, Sticky Spicy Drumsticks are just a few of The Sassy Cook’s tempting recipes.
- Simple recipes – Recipes are simple to follow and contain common ingredients found in most household pantries/fridges.
- It’s inspiring – don’t look at this website when you’re hungry! The stunning photographs of food featured on here are ‘food porn’ at its best!
Founder of The Sassy Cook, Dianne Brinsmead-Ward kindly shares more about The Sassy Cook, her background, and life philosophy in our below interview…
1. Tell us a bit about your job and how you got to where you are now?
My blog, The Sassy Cook is all about being fast and fabulous in the kitchen. I have a background in food and my blog allows me to draw my experience together into a wonderful hub of recipes that help busy people have fun in the kitchen.
I got to where I am now through a lifetime of studying food, spending time with chefs, cooking on cooking shows, researching food and lots of recipe book reading. I have thousands of recipe books and read them like novels. I am also a freelance journalist.
About a year ago I woke up one morning and decided it was time to combine my passion of writing and cooking into one blogging juggernaut – The Sassy Cook was born. I didn’t fuss over the name – it took me all of 10 mins to come up with the name, as that’s what the blog is all about – being fast, sassy and fabulous. Food is such an integral part of our lives and I wanted to provide a way to make cooking quick, functional and enjoyable.
Since starting my blog, my food tips and home organisation skills have been featured on many news and lifestyle TV shows, blogs and magazines.
2. What do you love most about your job?
Cooking and food is a way of life for me. It provides me a creative outlet and a way to reach out to people. I can lose myself for hours creating recipes and writing up posts. In essence, I love being a source of assistance to my readers, making one of the major components of their life – eating! – fun and stress free.
Food testing and road-testing new kitchen gadgets is also very cool!
3. What’s your life mantra?
Work hard, play hard, eat well and love your family and yourself like no other.
4. What else would you be doing if you didn’t do what you do?
I would be a chef.
5.What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
My Renault Clio from my husband this week.
6. What’s the best gift you’ve ever bought someone?
