Other People's Kitchens. Q&A with Christina
Christina lives in Northeastern US where there is a ton of local farm-to-table fare. Plus Recipes, Dungeons & Dragons and Sunday Morning Meetings.
Please note. All images are copyright of Christina. * = Links.
Hello Christina. Can you briefly introduce yourself?
Hi! Thank you for having me, Lynn, and for creating FoodStack. I love how all of the food writers on Substack are coming together. You're building an incredible community!
As you mentioned, my name is Christina. I write a Substack publication called *"Sunny Side Breakfasts & Desserts," which is a companion to my traditional food blog, *Sunny Side Suppers. As the name of my publication indicates, I focus on breakfast and dessert recipes here on Substack.
How would you describe your kitchen layout, and how much of a role does it play with your family and when writing & testing recipes for your newsletter?
My kitchen is, honestly, the reason we bought our house. We used to live in a home I loved, but it had a tiny kitchen. I made do, but on recipe testing and photography days, I basically took over half of the house. Our current kitchen has two islands, two sinks, two ovens, and a nice-sized pantry. Now, more than one of us can happily work in the kitchen. At the old house, maneuvering around each other in such a small space felt like dancing the tango. :)
Our kitchen is where everyone hangs out. When my son's friends come over, they'll make pizzas together for dinner. Or if it's a Dungeons & Dragons game day, we'll cover one of the islands with all the goodies we've made, plus a few bags of chips - one needs lots of snacking foods to vanquish monsters.
There is always a pile of notes in one corner of the kitchen, where I keep my stash of recipes in progress. I usually make each recipe 3-4 times during development, then I make it again once I've got everything the way I like it. Along the way, I'm regularly snagging anyone who's around. "Hey, can you come taste this? What do you think?" is a frequent refrain around here.
Once the recipe is set, I hand it over to my 14-year-old son. He's my official recipe tester and makes every recipe before it is published. He's been helping me in the kitchen since he was little, and when he said he wanted a job, I thought helping me test my recipes would be perfect. My secret goal is to make sure he has solid adulting skills in the kitchen before he heads off to college in a few years.
What are your favourite and most used kitchen gadgets?
Hmm, probably my Nespresso. I'm not a morning person, and asking me to measure coffee grounds before I'm properly caffeinated is an exercise in futility. Placing a Nespresso pod in the machine and hitting the start button is about all I can manage at the beginning of the day.
Your breakfast ideas were created for your Sunday Morning Meetings. Can you tell us more about that?
* = Links to recipes
When my son was little, we started having meetings every Sunday morning to create a tradition of connecting as a family at the beginning of each week. It began when he was in kindergarten. We'd read a story together, then sit around the table and check in with each other. How did the week go? Was there anything frustrating that happened? What went really well? How can we support each other during the coming week?
We asked all these questions while enjoying good food together. I usually make something special for our meetings because it adds an element of enjoyment and anticipation that naturally becomes associated with family time. During the week, we usually eat egg sandwiches or yogurt parfaits for breakfast, but for family meetings, I make things like *cinnamon roll pancakes, breakfast strata, or *blueberry coffee cake.
As my son grew older, we started reading chapters of a book each week on our own and then discussing them together. We're big fantasy fans, so we often picked books by Jeff Wheeler, Brandon Sanderson, or Will Wight.
Now that he's a teenager, our reading has evolved. These days, we mostly focus on philosophy because it sparks fantastic conversations. We've read "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz, all of Ryan Holiday's Stoicism books, and are currently reading "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle.
Can you tell us more about how you came to develop dessert recipes for the teens who play Dungeons & Dragons at your house every month?
My son and his friends have been playing D&D at our house for years. (In fact, there is a D&D sleepover going on as I type this.) In the world of D&D, food is an important part of adventuring. Everyone gathers around the table, eager to continue the story and face new challenges. Amidst all the banter and battle, snacks are essential. You need fuel to vanquish your foes!
I started making desserts for the group from the very beginning. It's a chance to test recipes and flex my creative baking muscles. I think of myself as a medieval barkeep feeding hungry travelers. We even have a sign in our kitchen that has a dragon on it and reads, "Welcome to the Green Dragon Inn."
I haven't shared many of the recipes I make for the group because they are very niche to D&D players. For example, one time, I made a pie covered with Beholders (a kind of monster in D&D). Here's a quick photo I took before I baked it. I suspect most of my readers would not be interested in a pie like that unless it's around Halloween!
Another reason I cook for the group is to add positive memories to their gatherings. For example, this morning I made them scones with hot chocolate, which they munched on before picking up the next round of D&D. Later this morning we'll dig into waffles, breakfast potatoes, and scrambled eggs for brunch. Sharing food (and adventure) together is a timeless way to forge lasting friendships.
Some of the recipes I have created for the group that are on my Substack are my *purple blueberry cookies and the *blue monster cookies.
What is the one thing your kitchen is missing that you would love to have?
A larger pantry. Even though our pantry is a good size, I have so many ingredients for my work. I’d love a walk-in pantry with lots of shelves where I could easily see many labels at once.
If we had more land, I’d also want to build a root cellar. I love gardening, and though I enjoy canning and pickling what we grow, a root cellar would make preserving our produce even easier.
Do you have any baking tips to share?
Use an oven thermometer: Always use an oven thermometer because the temperature you set on your oven might not match the actual temperature that is reached. I keep an oven-safe thermometer in both of my ovens to check the temperature before baking.
Read the entire recipe: Read the entire recipe - including all the ingredients and instructions - before you start. Sometimes, the accompanying post also has helpful tips that aren't in the printable recipe. For my recipes, I always add extra tips in the post to help you succeed.
Organize your ingredients: After reading the recipe, prepare and measure all your ingredients. This makes it easier to follow the recipe and reduces stress while cooking or baking.
How would you describe the regional cuisine in your area? Are there fresh food markets or farmers markets available where you live?
We live in the northeastern US, right on the edge of the middle of nowhere. There isn't much ethnic food in our area, but there is a ton of local farm-to-table fare. Farmers markets are a big deal around here, and we love visiting them on the weekends. In the spring, you can find fiddleheads and ramps, and in the fall, you'll find all manner of heritage squashes.
How many cookbooks do you have and what are your favourites?
I counted in order to answer this question, and it turns out I have 157 cookbooks. I didn't realize I had that many! In terms of favorites, I love "The Hot Bread Kitchen" by Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez and "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook" by Tasha Tudor.
Do you have a recipe suitable for a family Sunday Morning gathering with family and friends?
Most of the recipes I've *shared on Substack would be perfect for a Sunday gathering. If I had to choose some favorites, I'd recommend my grandmother's *mantecadas recipe or my *blueberry bread pudding. The mantecadas are golden, fluffy, and perfect with a hot cup of coffee and good conversation. The bread pudding is tender and full of juicy blueberries. You can serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, or both - why not?
If you want something savory, then *huevos rancheros is the best choice. My recipe comes from my family's rural farm in 1930s Mexico. It's easy to make and everyone can customize their serving with their favorite toppings. When I make *huevos rancheros for a get-together, I usually put out an assortment of fixings so everyone can choose: guacamole, pico de gallo salsa, sour cream, Mexican crema, diced avocado, diced red onions - the possibilities are endless!
Thank you for sharing your kitchen with us, Christina.
Visit and subscribe to Christina’s substack *Sunny Side Breakfasts and Desserts.
What a pie!! I loved peeking into your kitchen Christina! 👀
Love the breakfast meeting idea