A Peek Inside The Family Flavor

our baby

 Almost three years ago, my little family and I were headed out to find our Christmas tree (it was actually the evening of THIS post. I remember it so clearly because I was ridiculously excited). I got an email from the famous Whitney Ingram. You see, Whitney was a celebrity food blogger in those days. I had stumbled upon her blog somehow and immediately became a fan. Not only were her recipes easy and delicious, but the girl could turn a basic recipe blog post into the most entertaining story. She was well written and funny, and I was immediately drawn to her little corner of the web. I commented a few times and about died when she left a few comments on MY blog. I mean, this was famous Whitney.

She emailed me that chilly December night with an idea.
A cookbook idea.
And she wanted little ol' me to photograph her book.

done. deal.

A few months later we made it official. We met (uh yeah.....we'd never met. I had to make sure that she actually existed, and was not a crazy basement living internet weirdo). We chose a well lit, well populated location in case she was an ax murderer--Barnes and Noble--and hugged and laughed and poured over cookbooks together.

And so it began.

We started meeting up at her house. She cooked, I styled and shot, and our 5 kids wrestled in the background. We took the process slow. We had busy lives and never wanted The Book to feel like a chore. She cooked and cooked and cooked until each and every recipe was perfected.
There was a great question last week:
"how many test runs does it take before [the recipe] is cookbook quality and ready to be seen by the world?"
Not only did Whitney work each recipe over and over herself, she actually sent her recipes OUT to multiple testers. This not only ensured that the recipes tasted great, but it made sure that the recipes were easy to follow were written perfectly. The internet is full of fantastic recipes, but I guarantee most bloggers (myself included) don't make and remake (and remake!) their recipes (and send them out to others) to make sure they are exact.
Recipe writing is tough stuff, and Whitney wanted to make sure it was done right.

So many questions about what is IN The Family Flavor. 

It's a little bit of everything.....really. 

From the back of the book

"With 125 recipes of new family favorites like Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Rosemary Gorgonzola Butter, Shredded Sweet Pork Tacos, Baked Eggs with Chard and Feta Cheese and Orange Cream Cake, "The Family Flavor" will delight and satisfy the people you love most. It's an answer for busy parents wanting to enliven meals and give their families the gift of diverse flavors without having to hunt down obscure ingredients and sacrifice family time. Featuring stunning photographs of each recipe, "The Family Flavor" serves up food that's simple and utterly delicious."

There is truly something here for everyone.

I wanted you to be able to take a peak INSIDE the book, just to see how much there really is....here are all of Whitney's different sections (and just a tiny taste at what you will find in there)

Chicken and Turkey- you have to try the Sun-Dried Tomato & Pine Nut Stuffed Chicken

Beef-we LOVE the Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps! A definite favorite in our house.

 Pork-we ate the Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Coleslaw at our cover shoot and they were a HUGE hit 

 Seafood- BAKED HALIBUT FISH STICKS!

 Vegetarian-I am craving the Grilled Flatbread with Goat Cheese, Roasted Red Peppers & Fennel

Pasta and Polenta- the Farfalle with Pumpkin Cream Sauce and & Bacon is perfect for fall

Soups- the Red Curry Carrot Soup is a great new recipe to add to your soup list this fall and winter

Salads and Dressings-the first thing you should try is the Orzo Shrimp with Creamy Dijon Dressing

Sides-Baked Artichokes with Lemon Garlic Mayo....I will never eat artichokes any other way.

 Breads-never open up a can of biscuits again--you have to make the Buttermilk Biscuits

 Desserts- Hands down the BEST brownies I have ever had. no joke.

Drinks- Dark Hot Chocolate with Ice Cream anyone?

125 Recipes!

And before each recipe Whitney takes the time to introduce you to what you are about to make. You get to know more about Whitney--her childhood and her family traditions. She uses this little space to teach you about food and cooking methods--you will love reading this book as much as you will love cooking from it.

You can pick up The Family Flavor on Amazon (HERE) !!!

Right now they have the book at a fantastic sale price 

of $15.49--more than 1/2 off!
(Amazon controls their own sales so I have no idea how long they will keep it so low--grab a few for gifts!)

I want to thank you ALL so much for your support over these past few days! Whitney and I have felt so overwhelmed with how wonderful everyone has been. We appreciate all of your kind words about our book that we have worked so hard on. If you have an extra minute, would you leave us a review on Amazon? We would love your feedback, and it helps spread the word. 

And thank you for all of your reposts and pins and photos on Instagram! Please keep it up and make sure to tag your photos of your shiny new cookbook and your Family Flavor adventures #thefamilyflavor so we can see what you are up to. 

ps. for those that have asked--the table on the cover is made by Ivory Bill!

up next: All about Whitney!