FBC Featured Member: Dish ‘n’ The Kitchen

Name: Bernice Hill

Blog name: Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen

Where were you born? I was born in Prince Albert and grew up on a mixed Saskatchewan farm.

Where are you living now? Currently I live in Calgary, Alberta.

Why did you start your blog?

I wanted a creative outlet to share my cooking experiences. I didn’t really know what I was doing back then, but I loved writing about food. It’s interesting to look back at those early posts and see how much I have learned in 3 years. I could go back and update those older posts but I would rather leave them there as a reminder of where I was when the blog began.

How did you decide on your blog name?

Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen can be taken three ways 1)There is literally a dish in the kitchen 2)There’s a hottie in the kitchen 3) Chatting in the kitchen

What do you blog about?

My blog began as a way to keep track of the recipes I made for my family, then morphed to include product reviews and events in and around Calgary. Our vacations are always food based so the blog has the odd travel post as well.

What post on your blog most encapsulates you?

The posts that I am most proud of are the ones that I put a lot of myself into. I love to create food and share a story around it. For my recent 3 year blogiversary I took some time to think about how far the blog has come and about all the delicious food I’ve created, eaten, and shared with my readers. This blog has taken me to places that I never, ever thought I’d visited both figuratively and literally. Plus, I get to make cake.

Which post do you wish received more love and why?

My post on Blueberry Balsamic Beef Ribs. The dish turned out to be really tasty and I had a fun time shooting the photos for the post. It was an especially creative day for me, when everything magically fell into place. As an added bonus, I featured a couple of other FBC bloggers and their wonderful blueberry recipes.

Which post’s success surprised you and why?

My 2013 post on the newly opened Ayden Kitchen and Bar in Saskatoon was really quite popular. I suspect it was the timing of the post because many people were curious about Dale Mackay’s new restaurant. It was the first time I realized that timing could make a huge difference in the popularity of a post.

What’s your biggest challenge as a blogger?

Connecting with other bloggers. Blogging can be very solitary and it’s easy to hide away and focus only on what you are doing. Getting out and socializing (in person or through social media) helps me be more productive and keeps me inspired.

Share a couple of your favourite food blogs to read. Why do you like them?

The Spicy Eggplant – Ginni Kelley began cooking while working as a lawyer. It didn’t take her long to learn how to create perfect dishes with her talent for blending spices. I love that she’s so creative and a bit on the spicy side. She gave me the final push I needed to start a blog of my own.

Fig Jam and Lime Cordial – Just one of the many Australian blogs I follow on a regular basis. Celia is an excellent bread baker and chocolate making enthusiast. I especially love to read her blog in the winter because I can see all the wonderful things she grows in her yard. Celia also hosts ‘In My Kitchen’, a monthly peek into her kitchen and link up for many bloggers worldwide.

David Lebovitz – Do I really need to explain why I love David’s blog so much?! I’ve made quite a few recipes from it over the years and the result is always something quite delicious! I had the opportunity to meet David in San Francisco last year and it was so difficult not to ‘foodie fangirl’ all over the place!

Favourite food - care to share a recipe or a restaurant destination?

This question is very difficult for me. I can’t really name a favourite food off the top of my head, though when I look through my blog, I seem to have a large amount of lemon based recipes; both savoury and sweet. In addition to the Lemon Meringue Cake post, there are posts on Mini Lemon Cheesecakes, Lemon and Cranberry Scones, Lemon and Ginger Marmalade, Meyer Lemon and Spinach Gemelli, and Lemon and Paprika Chicken Legs. That’s a lot of lemon! If I had to pick a restaurant, I would pick our experience at Bar Tartine because it was outstanding in every way.

What are you working on next for your blog?

This is a big one. I’ve been thinking about a blog re-design for a while now and I am just about to begin! It’s pretty exciting and scary at the same time.

What else should we know about you that may or not be in your “About Me” page?

I really like to experiment…not just with flavours, but with new techniques and ingredients. Some favourite past kitchen experiments include lacto-fermentated pickles, cheese making, making my own sauerkraut, foraging mushrooms and herbs, and more recently a very active rye sourdough starter named Pierre.

Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen has given me the freedom to explore techniques that I have avoided in the past, due to flat out fear. Pressure cooking and deep frying were two very real kitchen fears that I have been able to overcome. I recently bought an electric pressure cooker and am loving the freedom it gives me to make cheap, healthy, quick meals for my family.

What makes your blog unique?

Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen is unique because it contains everything that I want to explore in the food world; recipes, relationships, food memories, techniques, ingredients, products, and events.

What part of the FBC site do you find most useful?

The FBC site contains a wealth of knowledge and I think Canadian bloggers are so lucky to have it. It’s extremely useful as a reference for everything, from how to make a meal in 20 minutes to how to monetize your blog and what to do when you need to get your blogging groove back. Most invaluable of all, the FBC site connects Canadian bloggers from coast to coast (and beyond!).

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