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I started this blog in March of 2010 under its original name, Design Wine and Dine. I had no experience with blogging, nor any real direction, but I was home with two kids under the age of three and needed an outlet all my own!
In my early blogging days, my food photos were pretty awful...I focused more on telling the stories...until it dawned on me...I'm not that interesting. I was boring myself and my photos were bad...two sure reasons NEVER to revisit a blog!
Despite my frustration, I kept at it. I spent down time visiting fellow food bloggers' blogs and noting what made each individual blog special. What was it about "that blog" that made me want to return? For me it boiled down to two things...the food ...and the pictures.
Anyway...I'm not sure exactly when it clicked, but sometime in 2011, I decided to focus more on recipe development and food photography. So my pictures got better (still not the best...but better) and I noticed an uptick in traffic. (Thank you food gawker!) People want to see beautiful food. They want to taste it with their eyes before committing to the kitchen. They want to be inspired to cook!
So I changed the name of my blog to, CaresKitchen.com and I cooked...I photographed...and I posted. I posted a lot!
I remember thinking...
"I love food blogging, I wish someone would pay me to do this. That's my dream and also my goal. So keep doing it Carolyn. If you work hard enough at something and believe in yourself and always strive to do better...maybe someday, someone, somewhere will notice!?"
My wish came true...or my hard work paid off. Either way, today I am a food and recipe contributor to the website SheKnows. They pay me and that makes me happy. :) I blog through Care's Kitchen and I link to my content on SheKnows.
So really...I'm just another stay at home mom (which by the way is my #1 job and main priority in life) who's a food blogger on the side. I'm also proof that if you work hard enough at something you love to do...follow a passion...anything can happen!
I would love to hear from you! I can be contacted at: careskitchen@hotmail.com
Thanks again!
Carolyn McCaffrey Stalnaker ~ Care.
