1. Over the years, how have you and Baking Bites grown? When and how did you develop an interest towards quick and easy baking?

I started my blog in 2004 under a different name and changed the site to Baking Bites when I moved off Blogger and onto my own domain. My original intention was to record some of my favorite recipes and perhaps to get involved with some other people in the food blogging community. The site has grown to have an audience of amazing readers over the years and now I write to share my recipes, advice and my love of food and baking with them! I've always been interested in baking and want it to be accessible to everyone, largely because I grew up knowing so many people who saved baking for special occasions and holidays. Baking can and should be an everyday activity, and most of my recipes are easy to make and suited to bakers who want to do just that.

2. Where do you get the inspiration for all your great food recipes?

Everywhere! I get inspiration from grocery stores, food magazines, non-food magazines, photographs, restaurants, farmers' markets, friends recounting interesting dishes they had, and sometimes just out of my own head when I start to wonder what I haven't tried yet.

3. What do you look for when picking “Bites from other Blogs"? Do you try out the recipes before you feature them?

There is no shortage of great food blogs to read, so I collect bookmarks for my "Bites from other Blogs" feature throughout each week. I don't try the recipes before featuring them (if I did, there would be photos) because the purpose of the feature is to simply highlight some of the great work of other bloggers, turn readers onto new sites they might like and encourage them to try a recipe they might not have tried before. When I try another blogger's recipe, I tend to do a whole post on it if I blog about it.

4. In your opinion, what has led to the popularity and success of Baking Bites?

I think that everyone loves a homemade baked good and I think it's a little bit more fun to bake than it is to cook - after all, pulling a freshly baked batch of cookies out of the oven doesn't sound like a chore, but sometimes making dinner after a long day at work can. I make recipes that I like, but I try to explain them - and the science behind them - as clearly as possible so that just about anyone can reproduce the results in his or her own kitchen.

5. How do you manage to find the time to cook, bake, photograph, write, and taste-test?

I work at home so I can plan my time out as I need it. Some weeks, I'll bake almost every day. Other weeks, I might bake two dishes in one afternoon and take a couple of days off. I usually bake every day because I like to experiment with new recipes. The photography and taste testing just naturally follow when there are goodies around!

6. You have a successful cookbook to your name, The Baking Bites Cookbook. Tell us more about it and its success.

The Baking Bites Cookbook is a self-published cookbook that I put together in order to present my recipes to readers in a new format. As much as I love blogs, I really love taking a cookbook into the kitchen and spreading it open on the counter while I work, so I wanted to give that opportunity to my readers, as well. The book has done very well so far and has sold to people in over a dozen countries around the world!

7. Which of your recipes are the most popular ones among your followers? What are your personal favorites?

My most popular recipes are my versions of Homemade Girl Scout Cookies, particularly my Samoas recipes. My S'mores layer cake is also hugely popular in the summertime. As for me, I like them all.

http://bakingbites.com/2008/01/homemade-girl-scout-cookies-samoas/

http://bakingbites.com/2009/07/smores-cake/

8. What home baking tips and tricks do you have on offer for those who are just starting out in the kitchen?

My advice would be to just start cooking and baking. Don't be intimidated. Find some recipes that look good and make them as written to see how they turn out. The more you try, the better you'll get. And once you've got the hang of it, start experimenting with flavors and other ingredients. It makes food and cooking so much more enjoyable when you can have some fun with it.