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BS' in the Kitchen is written by brother and sister team Bob and Carlene Deutscher so we had both of them fill in our Featured Member Questionnaire this week! We kick if off with Bob...
Bob
Name: Bob Deutscher
Blog name and URL: BS' in the Kitchen
Where were you born? Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Where are you living now? Saskatoon
Why did you start your blog?
Along with being big fans of websites like Foodgawker and Tastespotting (and the many blogs featured), Carlene had also been sharing cupcake pictures on Facebook and getting lots of Likes and comments. Already being interested in the world of food blogging, and seeing all the attention these food photos were getting, got us both thinking having our own food blog might be fun! I don't recall a lot of discussion happening before actually starting the blog, but one day while I should have been studying for my final exams, I made a "Slow-Fried Egg Sandwich" and decided it was time to register a blog. Initially I had made a tumblr page and posted it there, but after texting back and forth we decided we would be better off on wordpress. After registering our first wordpress blog and posting that fateful first recipe, our journey into food blogging began! Later that day, Carlene shared the recipe for some cupcakes she had posted on Facebook and the rest is history!
How did you decide on your blog name?
I don't recall thinking of any names other than BS' in the Kitchen. I'm pretty sure the idea came pretty quickly, because let's be honest, it worked pretty perfectly with our cooking style and the fact that we are brother and sister!
What do you blog about?
Our main focus is on recipes, with the occasional review!
What post are you most proud of and why?
Come on now! That's like picking your favourite child! I'm not particularly proud of one specific post, although I think my Churro story was pretty terrifying and hilarious! The posts that I'm most proud, are actually a series of posts. Last year, we participated in the 100 year celebration of Julia Child (JC100) and were presented with the task of cooking a new Julia Child recipe over a 15 week period. We decided we would try to cook every recipe given to us during the celebration (some weeks had more than one!). There were a few late nights cooking things like Charlotte Chantilly, but we finished the 15 weeks and didn't miss a single one of the eighteen recipes! It was a great accomplishment.
I also have to say, I'm pretty proud of celebrating National Grilled Cheese Month with a new grilled cheese recipe every day for an entire month! It was A LOT of cheese, but totally worth every calorie! In fact, I actually lost weight after that month...not sure how that happened, must be my 25 year old male metabolism!
Which post do you wish received more love and why?
The most recent post I published that deserves a little more love, is for Pesto! For that blog post, I shot a recipe video as well. It was all very spur of the moment, but I made the recipe/shot the video, made the music (yes that's me getting all James Brown on that song), and edited everything in the same day. I think it turned out great, and it definitely needs a little more love!
Which post’s success surprised you and why?
Definitely this Sirloin Tip Roast post. There wasn't much traffic on it initially, but then pinterest came along, and one day it got a ton of traffic, and continues to be one of the most popular posts on the blog!
What is one (non-kitchen) gadget you can’t live without?
Definitely my laptop. I do all of my work on it! Whether it be making music, editing photos/videos, doing graphic design, or publishing a blog post, I don't know how I would survive without it! Next up would be my iPhone mainly because I love taking photos with it and sharing them on instagram!
What is one kitchen gadget you can’t live without?
I don't really have much for gadgets in the kitchen, but my French Press is a major necessity! I love my coffee.
Favourite food, care to share a recipe?
I LOVE sandwiches! Obviously...I dedicated a whole month to them! Just refer to National Grilled Cheese Month on the blog.
What else should we know about you that may or not be in your “About Me” page?
This makes me realize I need to update the "About Me" section! One thing that isn't in there, is how starting BS' in the Kitchen allowed me to become self-employed! It gave me a start in photography, which led me into videography, both of which played a huge role in starting my own business - Bob Deutscher Media.
What makes your blog unique?
The fact that we are a brother and sister blogging duo! Being a male food blogger amongst the sea of women food bloggers, definitely helps make it a little more unique too!
Carlene
Name: Carlene Deutscher
Blog name and URL: BS' in the Kitchen
Where were you born? Saskatoon, SK
Where are you living now? I’m a lifelong Sasky gal – still living in Saskatoon
Why did you start your blog?
Kinda what Bob mentioned, but it mainly was rooted from Facebook and having to type out the recipes a bunch of times to send to people after we posted photos of our food. In a sense it just grew naturally and started from a conversation of “hey let’s start a blog together”.
How did you decide on your blog name?
I don’t think we ever even considered other names! It was a perfect fit right off the bat. Brother-Sister and “BS’ing” (I’ll let you urban dictionary BS if you don’t know what it means…). However we do tease my mom that I should have been named Sharlene then there would have been a third meaning behind the BS.
What do you blog about?
Food. Glorious. Glorious. Food. For the most part, Bob handles lots of the savory dishes while I like to give into my sweet tooth with a lot of baked goods.
What post are you most proud of and why?
Oh gosh. I have no idea. This is tough to say because each post means something a bit different to me. Sometimes it’s who I made the meal for or shared it with, sometimes it’s the photography and sometimes it’s the comments we receive. I’m going to have to say my vichyssoise soup post because I love how the photos turned out for this post and the soup was really easy to make, as well as delicious. This post also has a lot of pride and accomplishment connected to it – I still think it’s amazing that this little blog from small town Saskatchewan was asked by Julia Child’s publisher to help celebrate her 100th birthday. We were also one of the few bloggers who posted each recipe they shared with us. I think we would have done Julia proud.
Which post do you wish received more love and why?
ALL of my posts. Let’s face it…. We are still siblings and I’m slightly over competitive, so it’s always a mini challenge to see whose posts get more attention.
Which post’s success surprised you and why?
Probably our top blog post… my Dr. Pepper cupcakes. I did the photos in a rush, so I didn’t think they’d pick up in the social media world, but long behold they have over 200,000 views and numerous comments. I think this has to be credited to google and the fact that there aren’t than many DP cupcake recipes.
What is one (non-kitchen) gadget you can’t live without?
My camera. I run a photography business as well and my camera is my life. Photographs are the one true thing that can freeze a moment in time forever.
What is one kitchen gadget you can’t live without?
My KitchenAid mixer. I use it for everything. Seriously love my baby. It gets tucked into bed every night with a sweet little kiss.
Favourite food, care to share a recipe?
My s’more cookies. I make these ALL the time and I call them my ringer cookies. If I need to impress. These bad boys come out. However the photos in the post are HORRIBLE!!!!! They are from the beginning of the blog, taken with a point and shoot with very little photography or editing knowledge. But I can promise that these cookies will not disappoint.
Another food favorite is vanilla (first choice is vanilla bean than vanilla extract). I usually double or triple it in all my recipes.
What else should we know about you that may or not be in your “About Me” page?
Hmmm…. I likely have too many hobbies, but I love trying new things and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. But as for something not on the “About Me” page. I love the outdoors and I’m happy that since my life chapter of University has come to an end, I’ve been able to spend more time enjoying them. This year my dad and I fished in the Riverhurst Walleye Classic together and I loved every minute of it. My first fishing trip happened when I was 6 weeks (yes… weeks) old, so it’s nice to take fishing to a more competitive level. This spring I also bought a bow, so it’s been nice getting out this fall to do some deer hunting and to just soak in every moment of the fresh air and the sounds. Hopefully there will be some venison recipes in the near future!
What makes your blog unique?
I think that we’re one of the few blogging siblings out there. I think we have a really special and unique relationship. For being brother-sisters, we are really close and confide in each other for a lot of things, whether that’s a recipe, a technology question or some life guidance and support. I know Bob is definitely my best friend and I wouldn’t have it any other way. When push comes to shove, I know that he will always be there for me no matter what. I think the fact that we are as close as we are given the fact that we’re business partners (the blog and for wedding photography), speaks volumes that we can work in high stress situations and still get along. We are both blessed to have each other and the blog has presented another avenue for us to collaborate our creative minds.
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