Thank you for all your questions via email, comments, and social media! Connecting with readers is one of my favorite things about blogging. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions that I get about Pinch of Yum.

WHERE DO YOU GET THE INSPIRATION FOR YOUR RECIPES?

• friends and family
• restaurants
• magazines
• seasonal produce
• other blogs
• my constant food cravings

My typical process for recipes is often something like this:

1. See an idea that gets me excited – cookbook, friend’s lunch, or something on the menu at a restaurant.
2. Look at the ingredient list or research the techniques if necessary, like googling “best cut of meat for carnitas”.
3. Make the dish on my own, not following any particular recipe, writing down my own notes as I go to make my own recipe.

CAN YOU USE OTHER PEOPLES’ RECIPES ON YOUR BLOG?

There are so many great recipes out there so it would be ridiculous if I was only making my own stuff all the time. That’s what cooking is all about – sharing good food! So yes, I will occasionally use others’ recipes on my blog, whether that means a recipe from my mom’s friend or a favorite cookbook or a blog that I really like. If I do make a recipe that comes from someone else, I will credit them in the author section of the recipe. This happens more often when I’m baking, because that’s the way baking is, ya know? But when I’m cooking, I do almost all of it “on my own.” I love cooking with the freedom that comes from not following a recipe or a specific set of rules.

CAN I USE YOUR PHOTO OR RECIPE ON MY WEBSITE OR BLOG?

Thanks for asking!

1. Recipes – no. At this time, I do not allow republication of my post or recipe text without prior consent. If people copy and paste my recipes and republish them onto their websites, it will negatively affect how Pinch of Yum gets displayed in search results, which isn’t cool. Plus, there are some copyright issues there. If you have a specific inquiry about a recipe, please feel free to email me.
   
2. Photos without recipes – sure! Thanks for sharing. Credit the photos with two links, one back to the recipe post and one back to pinchofyum.com.

WHAT’S YOUR BACKGROUND IN FOOD?

I have no formal culinary training and no special expertise. I’m just a regular, hungry, self-taught Minnesota girl who likes to cook, eat, and share feel-good food.

DO YOU HAVE ANY RECIPES FOR _________?

If I do, they are already on the blog! There’s a search bar on the right hand sidebar that makes it easy for you to search for a specific recipe or recipe type. There are also categories for special diets like gluten free and vegan within the Healthy tab on the Recipes drop down menu.

DO YOU FOLLOW A PARTICULAR DIET?

I eat almost anything, and Bjork WILL eat anything, so no, we don’t follow a certain diet. But outside of Friday night pizza or an occasional midnight snack of chocolate cake, my favorite foods to cook are typically plant-based dishes with lots of flavor. Also, NOODLES.

For several years I regularly tracked what I ate, and during that time I would loosely aim for 1,800 calories per day. I found this to be a really powerful and straightforward way to maintain a healthy weight, which is why you’ll see the nutrition labels on most of my recipes.