How our recipes get from brain to blog!

I am always getting emails or questions from people asking me how on earth I can come up with new recipes all of the time to put on the blog – so I thought I’d give you guys a little look at how our recipes get from brain to blog. It involves a whole lot of notebooks and pen scribbling and random bits of paper tucked in here there and everywhere – but here it is!

(And those are Kmart Notebooks, I know, they're awesome)

This is generally where most recipes are born. One of my notebooks! I am kinda sorta a notebook hoarder and may or may not have 8 notebooks currently “on the go” as well as hundreds stored away both new and filled. 

Recipe ideas pop into my head randomly at any time of the day – they’re scribbled on napkins and business cards and tucked safely away in my purse, madly typed out whilst walking around the park of a morning, scribbled on a piece of paper next to our bed in the middle of the night – or listed in a notebook during a brainstorming session in my big red chair.

Recipe ideas come from random suggestions from Jesse, random cravings and simply just random ideas that pop into my head (like “I like coffee…. I like cheesecake… I like chocolate…. I like cookies…. What about a coffee cheesecake with a chocolatecookie crust? –scribbles down idea-“ – that idea actually came to me on the escalator going up to Woolworths a week before my birthday when I told Mum I couldn’t think of what birthday cake I wanted this year).

Sometimes I'll give Jesse a list (as I did last week whilst he was off from work) to brainstorm some ideas as there are lots of food he's had that I've never tried or he'll come up with a DIY/Craft project we can work on to share with you all.

The big red chair is my favourite place to brain storm… or well, do anything. It’s where I start my mornings (after making our breakfast and lunch for Jesse) and it’s where I usually sit and relax after dinner of an evening.

I have a little “chair tidy” on the armrest of the chair which Dad bought and it is anything but tidy. It’s currently filled with 5 notebooks, a shopping list pad, random pieces of paper with scribbled ideas and lots and lots of pens (because I’m always losing pens as everyone else in the house knows where I keep them) – and of course my iPad too. 

The notebooks are where the recipes are scribbled and the iPad is often used to google “210C to F” / “How many grams of insert random ingredient in a cup?” “Alternate names for insert random ingredient Jesse just mentioned and I’ve never heard of before” “What is a insert obscure Southern dish Jesse wants me to make” etc etc etc – and to be completely honest… it’s used for a lot of online shopping too because I’ll be writing out a recipe and think “But I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed a bundt tin/mini marshmallow fluff unicorn howzamawatchit cutter/doohickey to make this recipe” and then eBay or some online kitchen store has it for $1 and I buy fifteen and wonder why my credit card probably hates me.

Most recent random purchase? A bunch of Christmas cookie cutters, piping bag tips and mini tart shells for one random Christmas recipe I thought up… thanks eBay for ensuring there really isn’t any more room in any of my baking cupboards. 

But where do the ideas go from there? Once they’re scribbled down in a notebook and I’ve come up with a guide for a recipe, I’ll get to work in the kitchen!

Usually I test each recipe for the blog 2-3 times and send it to some bakerella friends to try out as well to ensure it’s perfect. Often times I’ll photograph the first batch I make, however, that sometimes backfires when a recipe looks amazing and tastes really blah – so I have hundreds of recipe shots in folders that I’ll never use ;P 

Today's recipe testing!

But where do the ideas go from there? Once they’re scribbled down in a notebook and I’ve come up with a guide for a recipe, I’ll get to work in the kitchen!

Usually I test each recipe for the blog 2-3 times and send it to some bakerella friends to try out as well to ensure it’s perfect. Often times I’ll photograph the first batch I make, however, that sometimes backfires when a recipe looks amazing and tastes really blah – so I have hundreds of recipe shots in folders that I’ll never use ;P 

You'll be seeing these babies on the blog in time for Christmas!

I also test recipes out in different sized pans/at different temperatures/with different chill times/with different milks etc to ensure they’ll work for everyone. So often times, yes, our kitchen is quite the sight ;P

Decorated, shot and ready to blog!

Once I’ve perfect the recipe and photographed it, I upload the photos onto my computer in folders. Then comes the dreaded task of choosing the images I’m going to use in the post – usually I’ll scribble down the images I like in one of these notebooks and then check each one off once I’ve edited them/cropped them/labeled them etc.

Then they’re ready to blog! Unlike some super savvy organised bloggers; I write each post just before I post it. This is because it’d probably be really boring if I wrote them all in one go as they’d be veeeeery similar – and because I’d rather “chat” to you guys and keep content up to date with what’s going on in our lives!

I’ll write a post, add a pin it button, share it on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Foodgawker and then it’s ready for you guys to make yourself! 

So our life is very much Shoot. Eat. Blog. (just like my favourite plate!). I try every recipe (unless it's something I can't eat, then I watch Jesse like a hawk and ask a million questions) and then the rest of the SIL family try it as well as any friends or other family members who happen to be around. 

Each recipe is also tested by some of my fabulous foodie friends around the world to ensure they'll work with different ingredients/altitudes etc - that's why sometimes you'll see a recipe on our Instagram page but not see it on the blog for a couple of weeks!

It's quite the process, but it's so worth it because it means we have plenty of delicious recipes to share with you that are tried and tested!

But tell me, are you someone who likes to stick to a tried and tested recipe - or are you like me and create your own instead?

Also, if there's a recipe you'd like me to develop (perhaps your childhood favourite food made healthier), let me know! I always love a challenge!