About Me

I've had this blog for over 4 years (!) and just got around to writing an About Me page. Why now? I'm not sure. Probably because I recently took a pretty sweet ass photo of myself that I thought would be fun to post here.
The mirror makes me look left handed, but in fact I am a righty

But I would like to share more about me in this small little corner of the internet I occupy, especially for the handful of people who read this blog that aren't my friends. The only problem is, an about me page is a lot like a cover letter-- overall, it's awkward trying to sell yourself. Luckily for me I'm not really selling anything in particular. This is just my online life journal to keep track of all the recipes I tackle in the kitchen, the cakes I decorate for friends and family, random trips I might take in my regular life, restaurant write-ups that I feel are blog-worthy, and all the crazy crafting projects I undertake.

To learn more about exactly why I decided to start a food blog, my first real post describes it best. I was at a very different point in my life at that time (in the Bay Area, finishing up my PhD, 1 year away from turning 30) and there was just a lot of uncertainty surrounding me.  But food, well, cooking always kept me sane. And this blog became my cathartic release from life. Over time, the role this blog plays in my life has grown, and I now use it mostly as an impetus to push myself toward improvement: in photography, storytelling, and recipe experimenting.    

Now that you know my back story, how about some random fun facts about yours truly??

NAME: Jacqueline (aka: Jacks, Yak, Jacquelino, JQ, Jackass)

HEIGHT: 5'6''

PETS: Frankie (a calico cat). I was temporarily poster parenting 2 cats and ended up getting attached to one that I decided to keep. She's crazy needy for my attention at all times, which has its downsides due to her excessive clingy-ness. But its what also makes her sweet and cuddly.

Weirdo likes to play with water, and drink straight from the faucet

SIBLINGS: One brother that's 6 1/2 years younger than me, even though I still look younger than him! But the large age difference means I'm half only child/ half older sister in personality. I also have over 20 first cousins + their kids + my second and third cousins. So while my immediate family is relatively small, my extended family is awesomely large.

FAVORITE GROUPS OR SINGER: Tori Amos, Tool/A Perfect Circle/ Puscifer (same lead singer, totally different sounds), Florence and the Machine, Civil Wars (new addition to the list!).

DREAM CAR: Some type of Honda sports activity vehicle. I'm practical like that. (OK, an Infinity is probably my real dream car. But I'm probably too cheap to ever spend that much on a vehicle.)

PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: My PhD. It sucked away 5 years of my life, but in the end I'm happy I stuck through it. What did I study you ask??? In layman's terms, I studied how cells stick together (aka: cellular and molecular biology). In science-y terms, the title of my thesis says it best-- "Dissection of α-E-catenin organization and function in cells: manipulation of cellular pools of α-E-catenin reveals non-canonical roles in regulating actin and membrane dynamics." Basically my 20s died in a laboratory studying a single protein. But I did take some pretty pictures!


FAVORITE COLOR: Can't chose just one. Love yellows, teal, green, oranges-- basically I love punches of color in all aspects of my life.

PET PEEVES: Airlines that can't properly load their passengers from last row to front row. People who don't follow public transportation etiquette. In general, inefficient and time-wasting processes bother me. Oh, and self-deprecating bloggers. Yes, I make some self-deprecating jokes once in a while because I do think its funny to poke fun at yourself. And while I respect those that are humble and down-to-earth in their lives, confidence in your clearly proven abilities to be a successful blogger is essential. While I realize I'm not the best blogger out there (I constantly see room in my writing and photography for much improvement), I'm happy with how far along I've come and quite proud of my little blog.

FAVORITE FOOD: Dolma- Assyrian style. After that Thai food is some of my favorite.

PERSONAL STYLE: It's all over the place. If I could live in a house that was half rustic cottage (aka Anthropologie) and half clean modernity (aka Z Gallerie) I'd be in heaven. I'm also in love with classic dresses-- very 50's/60's vintage style. Oh, and funky or large statement pieces. It's like wearable art that makes you happy all day long!


FAVORITE DRINK: Wintertime it's whiskey. Summertime it's tequila or Hendricks gin. Moscow mules are quickly moving up on the list, and this cucumber cocktail rocks my world too. Love fancy cocktails that aren't too sweet but use über unique liquors.

CURRENT JOB: Medical writer by day, food blogger/chef/crafter/girlfriend/awesome person by night.

NINE WORDS TO DESCRIBE MYSELF: Compassionate, anal organized, goofy, logical, hairy (what, I'm Assyrian, what do you expect?!?), confident, creative, intelligent, down-to-earth.

FAVORITE SEASON: Spring. Love when it finally starts to warm up and life begins to spring up all around you! (No pun intended.)


And since this is a food blog........

KITCHEN EQUIPMENT I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: My Kitchen Aid mixer, Le Cruset pot (get it at an outlet store for major savings!), All Clad saucier pan, my million cookbooks of which I don't use enough but love to look at (America's Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated are my #1 go-to for many recipes and techniques), silicone spatulas, Magic Line cake pans, pizza stone, ice cream maker, a great whisk, and stainless-steel measuring spoons/cups. Obviously I have much, much more crap in my kitchen that I love and use all the time. But these are some key pieces I use over and over and over again.

MY PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR: I shoot with a Canon T1i and typically my 50 mm lens or 100 mm IS macro lens, both of which work great in low light. I also recently purchased an 18 - 200 mm zoom lens, which is a perfect all-in-one lens for traveling. The book Plate to Pixel has wonderful tips for food photography, but I rarely have the time patience (or the natural lighting) to implement her great ideas. I probably should- since it'll help make my pictures as great as they can be. In the meantime, Lightroom helps me improve the quality of my photos so they're at least somewhat nice to look at.

Hope you enjoyed this little get-to-know-me session. I always connect better with a blog when I feel like I get a sense of the true person behind the camera, so perhaps this will help all you out there in the internet world feel a bit more at home here. And please feel free to leave comments if you have any questions!

xoxo,
Jacqueline

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