Meet our Recipe Testers!

My husband, two kids, and two spoiled rescue dogs are my world. Wine, food, and entertaining are some of my favorite things to do. Pretty much in that order.

We owned a small business for more than 15 years, which we recently sold to allow me to focus full-time on my passion: food and building community.

Each day, I try to get myself dressed and to work like a proper business person. Most often, I’ll be curled up on the couch with my laptop and Say Yes to the Dress playing on my TV, and a cup of coffee (one of many!) sitting on the coffee table. In fact, it’s the same coffee table I warn my family not to use because it’s on the beautiful white rug. What a hypocrite!

My role as the oldest of ten children makes me a very bossy individual. The thing is, I am generally right (I know when to pick a fight and that is the key to seeming super smart). I have a rule at home where the oldest member of the family never gives up his or her seat. In other words, I’m always able to sit at family gatherings comfortably while my younger siblings (my oldest is older than my youngest.) often occupy the floor.

Expertise:
Starting things. Getting “pretty good” at things and then moving on. Cleaning (no, that might not be true). Talking. Being kind. Sharing. Dressing up. Decorating. Painting (gross! but I’m good at it.). Gardening. Cakes. Soups. Cocktails. Breads. Salads. Coffee. Basically, all food… I’m super good at it. Being creative. Planning parties. Speaking. Making people feel comfy. Hosting parties. Yoga. Spending hours floating in the lake. Painting nails! 💅🏼 Playing bass guitar (nope, not anymore…that was ages ago).

I’ve finished my Professional Cooking Fundamentals coursework in Sur La Table Culinary Institute. I’ve been featured on many websites, magazines, and brands throughout the last 12 years. Some included Better Homes and Gardens, Woman’s Day, Cottages and Bungalows, Country Living, Reader’s Digest, and many more. I was also a Stillwater Gazette Columnist for 1.5 years, have spoken at multiple conferences, hosted local events, taught classes for Pinners Conference, and much much more…

I don’t think you need you don’t have to be a great cook or know how to read a recipe. Grab a frozen pizza and bottle of wine and share it with a friend. Learn how to bake a cake with your kids while laughing at how poorly it turns out. Or, master a recipe here on NellieBellie and feel like a SuperHero (heck, I’ll send you a sticker!). Just find a way to walk into your kitchen and feel joy.