Who’s blogging: Alnissa Ruiz-Craig, I’m a married mother of two boys. I’m of Puerto Rican and African-American descent, so I grew up with a wonderful mix of cultures. I grew up in a house of extremely talented cooks, so I started out with a love of eating that eventually became a love of cooking. I decided to merge my love for photography and my love of cooking into my blog, Cooking with Besos.
Explain your blog name: Cooking with Besos or “Cooking with Kisses” (as besos is the Spanish word for kisses) is just a play on the phrase “cooking with love.” It’s a nod to my Hispanic culture. I believe that you don’t have to be a master chef to serve delicious food. My grandmother, Paulita Lopez, was never formally trained but she was an excellent cook, I draw a lot of inspiration from her. I think what stood out the most about her dishes was that I knew they were made with love. I try to do the same.
Blogging since: 2011
Blogging from: This is the first year that both my boys are in school so during the day I get a little peace and quiet a (real rarity!) so recently I have been blogging during the day as I work on re-designing the site. Most times, however, you can catch me blogging on the weekends in my pjs, sitting up on my bed at home in New Jersey.
Most popular post: My most popular post is my classic Puerto Rican tostones (or twice-fried plantains) recipe. It’s my favorite too! The step-by-step photos make it easy for first-timers to make them. I love it because I feel it’s a help to those folks who have had them and want to make them at home as well as introduce a traditional Puerto Rican dish to those who have never tried it.
What you’ve learned about food while blogging: From reading lots of other blogs, watching cooking shows and reading various cookbooks, I’ve learned that a lot of times the simplest recipes are the best. In my blog I try to pick recipes that have a great wow factor but are not difficult to make. I’ve also learned not to take it too seriously, it’s not about perfection as it is about making something you love for the people you love.
Where do you get inspiration for your posts? I get inspiration from my grandmother and mother. I think about watching them in the kitchen as a I peered over the counter to try and figure out what they were making and how they were making it. When I’m putting a post together I want it to be easy to understand and make it look like fun so my readers will give it a try. I want them to have the same feeling I had looking at my mom and grandmother cooking; having that feeling of “Hey, I want to try that!”
What have you learned from blogging? I’ve learned that there’s a wonderful community of bloggers out there, and if you are friendly and social there is so much to learn from one another and different cultures of food. I’ve also learned that people really do love to cook and eat. It’s very satisfying to have people send me pictures and tag me in posts after trying one of my recipes.
Where else can we find you online? I’m all over! You can find me on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
What are your favorite food blogs? My favorite Latino blog that I found so many years before food blogs were popular is Elboricua.com. They have excellent authentic Puerto Rican recipes. I remember looking for a good alcapurria recipe and wishing my grandmother was still around to make them for me. I found Elboricua.com and was able to make them just like she did, it was a great feeling!
Tagged: blog, blogger, cooking, family, food, Latin cuisine, Latin food, Latina, Latina blogger, mother, parenting, Puerto Rican, Puerto Rico Image may be NSFW.
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Clik here to view. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Image may be NSFW.
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