FAQ

Do you eat all of the food you post?
I absolutely do. You will never find a recipe on this site that I have not only eaten, but have also thoroughly enjoyed. That last one is especially important to me, because I don’t want to merely pass on to you everything that has passed my lips – you get the stuff that I want to run out and make again and again!

Do you take all of your own pictures?
Yes, I take all of the photos on Brown Eyed Baker, and do so using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K point-and-shoot camera (thank you to my Chief Culinary Consultant for such a wonderful gift!). I typically shoot using a manual mode with white balance, ISO speed and exposure adjusted based on the current lighting. I take just about all of my “staged” pictures in my dining room next to two windows that allow for a good bit of natural light. If you are curious about food photography, check out the Food Photography 101 tutorial that I put together.

What type of X-Y-Z do you use?
I have received some questions about the different pieces of equipment I use to make the recipes you see on Brown Eyed Baker. For a comprehensive listing of all the equipment and tools that I use, plus all of the ones on my wish list, check out the Kitchen Equipment section of my Amazon store. It includes a run-down of almost every single thing that I use in the kitchen, from my mixer to measuring spoons.
You may also find my posts on Building a Baking Pantry to be helpful – I provide lists of suggested ingredients, as well as and equipment to stock your shelves with. It may provide some inspiration for those always daunting Christmas and birthday lists!

How many cookbooks do you own?
At current count, I own 40 cookbooks. To see a listing of the books that line my shelves, as well as those on my wish list, check out my the Cookbooks section of my Amazon store.

What are your most-requested recipes?
While I get a lot of requests for repeats of the things I make, these definitely are the favorites among my family and friends:

Dark Chocolate Chip Scones
Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Triple Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

What are your favorite foods?
This is such a hard question, because I love, love, love food! I love to eat and I love trying new things. If I have to narrow it down, these are a sampling of my favorites: bacon cheeseburger and French fries, pizza, fresh bread, cheese, Italian hoagies, peanut butter, movie theater popcorn, and fountain pop. (I will actually go through a drive thru just to get a fountain drink!)

Disclaimer: I’m from Pittsburgh so they’re hoagies, not subs and pop, not soda!

Have you thought about doing some healthier/low-fat/low-sugar versions of your recipes? Also, can you include the nutritional content of the recipes?
To be honest, I love sugar, butter, chocolate, and the resulting decadence that they create. To be sure, most of the recipes here aren’t what you would want to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. And if you’re looking for something not totally horrible, there are some recipes such as Applesauce Muffins and Hummus, that might appeal to you.

Along those lines, you won’t find calorie counts or fat content here either. I would pretty much need to be a food scientist to figure out the nutritional value of every recipe, plus I believe that when you do indeed treat yourself and indulge a bit, you should do so without stressing over each and every bite you put in your mouth.

How can you bake all of these things and stay skinny?
This is where my belief of “all things in moderation” comes into play. I try to eat well-rounded and healthy about 85% of the time (don’t ask where I came up with that number). As a result, I allow myself indulgences when the urge strikes and I don’t stress over it. I also don’t eat the entire volume of