About
Some people show their love with words or gifts or gestures.
For us? We use food.
We’re two sisters sharing fresh and creative recipes for every cook.
We feel very strongly that you don’t need to have a culinary background or training to be a great cook. In fact, some of our favorite foods have been made by home cooks, like our friends and family!
All you need to become a good cook are a few tips, some confidence, and a great recipe. We’re hoping to help you out on that front by providing you with some fun and tasty meal ideas that will hopefully make you love to cook!
Meet Rachel & Emily
Sisters + Recipe creators + home cooks
Hi! We’re Rachel & Emily Conklin, two sisters from Southern California who love to eat, cook, and create new recipes together!
You know that scene in Ratatouille where Remy is eating strawberries and cheese and sees bright colors and hears a symphony? THAT right there, that speaks to us. Cartoon pizza, the food fight scene in Hook, Ed’s sauce from Good Burger, we have always been drawn to food. (And what’s up with animated food always looking so good?)
We grew up surrounded by delicious home cooked food, from our mom’s chicken divan (the best on the planet), to our dad’s homemade sticky rice eaten with pickled mustard greens and Northern Thai sausage.
Now that we’re adults, things look a little different, but we’re still sharing meals with family and friends. Some of our favorite moments are when we’re hanging out in the kitchen as we prepare what will inevitably be way too much food for everyone.
Some people show their love with words or gifts or gestures. We use food. Everything you find on this website is a recipe that we love, and we’re hoping you will love what we’ve shared here too.
Take a look around and explore our recipes, but first, check out the rest of this page for some fun trivia about each of us!
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!
Our Top Cooking Tips
Read the Recipe First
Before you start cooking, make sure to read through the whole recipe first. If you want to hit that “Jump to Recipe” button and start with the recipe card, that’s fine, but the rest of the recipe post contains helpful information too.
Mise en Place
Literally meaning “everything in its place,” this refers to making sure everything is prepared before you start cooking. Chop those veggies, make that dressing, and measure everything out. This is another reason why it’s best to read the recipe first.
Taste Your Food!
We’ve heard that some people don’t like to cook because their food never tastes as good as a restaurant’s. That often has to do with a lack of seasoning, so make sure to taste your food during cooking (don’t taste raw meat, though) and after.