About
Some people show their love with words or gifts or gestures.
For us? We use food.
Our style of cooking is all about no-fuss recipes with bold flavors, fresh ingredients, and a sunny California twist. We love meals that are made to share with others or savor by yourself, and we always bring a little sister energy into the mix. To us, good food doesn’t have to be complicated. It just needs to be fun to make, satisfying to eat, and something you want to come back to again and again.
Meet Rachel & Emily
Sisters + Recipe creators + home cooks
We’re Rachel & Emily Conklin (“Conks” for short), sisters, lifelong foodies, and the voices behind Cooking with Conks. We grew up in Southern California, surrounded by bold flavors, big family meals, and the kind of kitchen chaos that turns into inside jokes (don’t ask about the time the Cheez-Its caught on fire…).
These days, we’re home cooks and recipe creators who love sharing creative, fresh, mostly-from-scratch recipes that make cooking feel fun instead of fussy. And if you’ve ever thought you need culinary training to be a great cook, trust us, you don’t. Some of the best food we’ve ever had has come from friends and family who just love to cook and enjoy really good food.
We believe anyone can learn to cook something great. All it takes is a little confidence, a few tips, and a recipe that makes you excited to try new flavor combinations. Think of that scene in Ratatouille when Remy eats the strawberry and cheese and suddenly there are fireworks. That’s the idea. And if you haven’t seen it, here’s the clip.
all about Emily
In her high school “foods” class, Emily learned to love making food, playing with different flavors, and cooking for others. Now, Emily is a wizard when it comes to coming up with innovative dishes. She can look inside any pantry, fridge, or freezer and create a cohesive and tasty meal. Emily is our primary photographer and videographer, and a co-recipe developer and flavor queen.
background & interests
Background in statistics, loves to paint and take pictures
Favorite pizza toppings
Can’t go wrong with extra cheese
indulgent coffee order
Iced Havana Cappuccino from Peet’s
favorite cuisine
Mexican
favorite binge watches
Supernatural, Psych, Friends
favorite treat or snack
Anything salty-sweet
least favorite foods
Horseradish, wasabi, green peas
Favorite Color
Yellow or pink
favorite cheese
Brie or parmesan
favorite season
Early spring (lots of flowers, mild temperatures)
couldn’t live without
Dogs, coffee, extra pillows
Favorite destination
Pacific Northwest
favorite weeknight meal
Mediterranean bowl with seasoned chickpeas, tahini sauce, hummus, labneh, and tomato cucumber salad.
bonus
As a kid, she played imaginary “kitchen,” making pretend food in the backyard (“salads” were dry plants and “soups” had mud in them, obviously).
all about Rachel
Rachel learned how to cook in college, but she didn’t really fall in love with cooking until after graduation. These days, Rachel’s favorite thing to make is sauce. She can whip up a salad dressing with a few ingredients, a delicious gravy, or the perfect sauce for a burger. Like Emily, Rachel is a co-recipe developer and co-writer, and she’s also our main social media manager.
background & interests
Background in public health, loves to draw with chalk pastels
Favorite pizza toppings
Pepperoni
indulgent coffee order
White chocolate mocha
favorite cuisine
Thai
Favorite binge watches
Great British Bake Off, Fringe, Psych
favorite treat or snack
Chips and salsa or anything cheesy
least favorite foods
Green peas, spinach (food intolerance)
Favorite Color
Green
favorite cheese
Manchego or goat
favorite season
California winter (think: rain)
couldn’t live without
Dogs, coffee, weighted blanket
Favorite destination
Pacific Northwest, Thailand
favorite weeknight meal
Big salad with Romaine or arugula, some sort of protein, avocados, veggies, and a homemade vinaigrette
bonus
Was once told her laugh is “unprofessional,” which only makes her laugh harder and louder now!
