About

Welcome to Brown Eyed Baker!

I’m Michelle, the Brown Eyed Baker, and I’m a passionate foodie, baker, writer, and eater. My hope for your visit here is to be enticed by delectable recipes, inspired by delicious photography, and armed with increased food knowledge. I want you to leave with the insatiable urge to run into your kitchen and whip up whatever you have seen here, and the confidence to know that you can do it. Growing up Italian, the kitchen was always the hub of activity – it’s where everyone gathered to talk, eat, and share life while great food was being created. I am so happy to have you here in my virtual kitchen and hope you’ll be back again and again. Thank you for visiting!

About Me

I was born and bred in Pittsburgh, PA, home of the famed Primanti Bros. sandwich. Some of my favorite things include:

♥ Hockey. Specifically the Pittsburgh Penguins.
♥ Football. Specifically the Pittsburgh Steelers. And fantasy football. I played for the first time last season and got a wee bit addicted.
♥ Eating pizza. Especially while watching hockey and football games.
♥ Crossword puzzles.
♥ Watching a movie and eating popcorn at home. Especially under a big, warm, cozy blanket.
♥ Playing video games. I’m partial to old-school Nintendo games on my DS, like Super Mario Brothers and Pac-Man, and sports games, like NHL10 on PS3 and Tiger Woods Golf on Wii.
♥ Thunderstorms.
♥ Snow. Blizzards are even better!
♥ Christmas.
♥ Board games.
♥ Live music.

About the Food

I have no formal culinary training and have never taken a cooking or baking class in my life; everything I’ve learned has been through trial and error, reading and research (and the occasional YouTube video). All of the recipes you find here typically come from one of my cookbooks, food magazines, other food blogs, family recipes, or a combination of any of the above. As the name implies, the vast majority of recipes here on Brown Eyed Baker are of the sweet variety. In addition to all of the desserts and sweet snacks, you will also find a nice selection of appetizers as well as some traditional comfort foods (think macaroni & cheese, roasted potatoes, and beef stew), ethnic specialties (like Sweet & Sour Chicken, Pasta Fagioli, and Enchiladas anyone?), and meals I’ve made that were just too good not to share (like a Roasted Shrimp and Orzo Salad).

Archives: You can find all the recipes that have been posted on Brown Eyed Baker in the Recipe Archives.

Tutorials: I regularly feature posts that illustrate how to master a certain technique, like decorating cookies with royal icing and how to make pastry cream. Check out the Tutorials section to view all of these.

Decorated Cakes & Cookies: To browse through the decorated cakes and cookies that I’ve made, visit the Cake Gallery and the Cookie Gallery.

About the Photography

Much like cooking and baking, I have no formal training in photography. If you view my photos from when I began this blog, you will see that I have made great strides! All of it has been through reading as much as I can about photography and food styling, and becoming intimately familiar with the different settings on my camera. From the beginning of the blog through February 2009, I was shooting with a Canon PowerShot point and shoot. Starting on February 16, 2009, I began using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K, which is what I am presently shooting with.

For tips on food photography, check out Food Photography 101: The Basics.

Subscribe to Brown Eyed Baker

Please stay in touch with what I’m baking up here through one of the subscription methods. There are two main ways that you can keep up to date with the latest posts and recipes at Brown Eyed Baker – feel free to choose either or both, whatever suits you!

RSS Feed – You can follow Brown Eyed Baker via the RSS Feed and get updates delivered to your news aggregator (Google Reader, Bloglines, etc.) of choice.

Email Subscription – If you don’t currently use an RSS service, you can subscribe through email and receive a daily email when a new post has been published.

Connect with Me

If you have a specific question about a recipe that I have posted, please leave a comment on that post. If you have a question there’s a good chance that at least one other person has the same question. By posting your question in the comments section (and having my reply posted there), it will benefit others who are planning to make the same recipe.

For any other questions, comments, feedback, or inquiries, please free to connect with me through any of the following mediums:

Email: michelle (at) browneyedbaker (dot) com

Twitter: @browneyedbaker

Facebook: Become a Fan (“Like”)

Flickr: View or subscribe to my photo stream

If you belong to any of the food communities below, feel free to check out my profile and send me a friend request!

Foodbuzz: My Foodbuzz Profile

BakeSpace: My BakeSpace Profile

TastyKitchen: My TastyKitchen Profile