I made one of your recipes. Can I share the picture with you?

Please do! This is one of my favorite things to see. You can share the photo on the How Sweet Facebook page or upload it to instagram and tag me (@howsweeteats; if your profile is private, use #howsweeteats). I love seeing what you’ve made. I mean, I really adore it.

Can you give me the nutitrional breakdown of this recipe?

Unfortunately, I cannot. But feel free to plug the exact ingredients you use into any of the free available online calorie counters. There are tons of them these days.

Is there an easy way to access your monthly favorites posts?

Yes – click here, and for future reference, you can click the drop down “categories” menu on the right sidebar and choose “favorites.”

I tagged you in an Instagram picture but you never liked it! What gives?

If your profile is se to to “private” on instagram, I unfortunately can’t see any photos you tag me in. If you use the hashtag #howsweeteats, this will solve the problem. I love seeing pictures of dishes you’ve cooked!

How do I print a recipe?

There is a print icon on the upper right hand side of the recipe box. To see more detail, read this post.

Who designed your website?

Lindsay from Purr Design and she is PHENOMENAL. Seriously. I cannot say enough good things. I highly, highly recommend her.

What happens to all the food? Do you really eat everything you post?

Definitely. I could never share something with you that I wouldn’t personally eat.

The blog is an extension of my passion to create recipes and is no reflection of what we eat daily. Sometimes I make upwards of six recipes per day that get eaten either that day or later in the week, or sometimes things get made for parties or when we are entertaining. It just depends on what kind of recipes I’m making that week. Either way, the food gets eaten, except for maybe the last of some leftovers or a few stale cupcakes that we are sick of. My first priority is to create unique recipes to share that find a balance between heathy meals, comfort food, and indulgent desserts that I can share with my invisible internet friends – not to cook things that we will eat daily. What you see on the site today might be something I made three or four weeks ago.

Is blogging your full time gig?

Yesssss. I adore it. Recipe development, blogging and freelance food writing all contribute to my full time job.

This means that I can support myself fully with this job. My husband does not financially support me, nor did he as I started this career – I worked other jobs until I was able to do so. I feel insanely grateful that I am able to do what I love every single day, but I worked my ass off for it – and continue to do so. I’ve been entrepreneurial my whole life and this is what I love. I have a degree in business but previously was a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, teaching classes since 2001 and training clients since 2005. And yes… I still loved food back then.

I’m a new blogger… can you give me some tips on blogging?

Work harder than everybody else. Seriously. Only blog because you 100% love it. Do not expect to make any money from it, even if others are.

I really don’t feel that I warrant being asked this question because I don’t do anything extraordinary. I think the three most important things are to consistently write about what you are passionate about, not what you think is “popular,” to write in your own conversational voice, and to make your pictures as outstanding as you can. I answer a few of these questions more in depth in the comments in this post. Most of all, as long as you are being yourself and being consistent, don’t change a thing. I have been true to myself and this site since the beginning – some hate it, some love it – but I never feel bad about it because it’s genuinely me.

Can I write a guest post for your site?

Thanks for asking, but I do not (nor have I ever) have guest posts on my blog. It’s just something I do as a way to keep things more personal and authentic on this little corner of the web. (I hate that expression.)

Can I send you a product to review on your site?

I do not do product reviews on How Sweet It Is and never accept free products in exchange for reviews. Occasionally I will do a sponsored post which often includes some recipe development. I work for compensation, not brand exposure.

Occasionally you will see an amazon affiliate link (maybe in my monthly favorites post), but other than that, I do not use affiliate links.

Can I advertise on your site?

My advertising is run through Federated Media. Please contact them for all inquiries.

Do you really hate vegetables?

Yes. Yes, I really do. I’m not being “cute” or pretending to not like vegetables. I really dislike them.

But do you ever eat vegetables?

I try. I try really, really hard. Luckily, blogging has taught me ways that allow me to choke them down. Like, once a week. I can currently enjoy kale, brussels sprouts and mushrooms. I know… really weird stuff that most people hate. Basically at this point, I force myself to eat them and play toddler-like games with my brain: “eat this salad and you can have a cookie!” Uh huh.

Who takes the photos on this blog?

I do! Only me. No help.

Tell me about your camera.

As of August 2010, I am shooting with a Nikon D5000 and [99% of the time] a 35mm f/1.8 lens. I only shoot in natural light. I do not have a light box or a tripod. Depending on the background I am shooting, I may edit my photos in Adobe Lightroom if needed.

All photos before August 2010 were shot with a Canon point and shoot (SX100) that was 3 years old.

Update:  as of January 2103 I am shooting the majority of my blog photos with a Nikon D800 and switching between the same 35mm f/1.8 lens, a 50mm f/1.4 lens and the 24-70 f/2.8 lens. I still really have no clue when to use what lens and just play around when I’m in the mood. I have purchased a tripod but DO NOT use it for photos you see on the blog. I take too many different photos and don’t have the time for constantly screwing around with the tripod – I prefer to move. I still ONLY shoot in natural light. I use the occasional light bounce if needed – which is just a white piece of cardboard. My backgrounds that look like marble/ceramic are simply large pieces of tile that I bought at Lowe’s for $5 or less.

Update #2: as of fall 2016, I am shooting with a Canon 5d mark IV and it changed my life. I find it SO much more user friendly than Nikon and it has made photography (very) slightly more enjoyable for me. I mostly shoot with the 100mm lens and the 50mm f/1.4 lens. I still only shoot in natural light. I use backgrounds from Erickson and Woodville.

Can I use one of your photos on my blog/in my article?

Yes. I really don’t mind.

Can you tell me how you frost your cupcakes?

Like this!

Can you tell me if this cupcake recipe can be converted into a cake? Or if this cake recipe can be converted into cupcakes?

Gah. I wish I could. The thing is – I am NOT a baker. I don’t know the scientifics behind baking or anything to do with conversions. Every baked good I post is tested and developed through my own trial and error. Unless I specifically note in the recipe that I’ve successfully converted the cupcakes to a cake (or vice versa), I can’t guarantee your finished result.

Can you respond to my email?

I hope so! I can most definitely respond if you keep your email short and to the point.

Can you answer my question about one of your recipes?

Of course. Please leave the question IN THE COMMENTS ON THE RECIPE POST. I cannot answer the question via email. It’s also helpful because others may have the same question as you. In fact, someone else may have already asked the question, so if I don’t immediately respond, check out previous comments.

When you eat avocado toast, do you add anything to the smashed avocado?

Sure do. Salt, pepper and occasionally a spritz of lime. See here.

Who the heck is Mother Lovett?

Mother Lovett is my maternal grandmother. She passed away in April of 2009 and I began this blog because of my love for my amazing grandmothers. Words can’t really express Mother Lovett. You can read about her life here, how we served her ½ a cake on her birthday without her knowing here, her recipes here, how she mispronounced every word known to man here, and how we celebrated her life here.

Think Betty White, but magnified.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I try to respond to every email and comment I receive, but inevitably a few fall through the cracks. Please leave a comment on a blog post if you have a question – I tend to reply to those first. If I missed your question, please don’t hesitate to ask it again.