Baked Jalapeno Poppers

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Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)

I think I mentioned this in last year’s Super Bowl post, but I am not a sports fan. The only reason I look forward to game day is because of the food. Why are football snacks so delicious? Anyway, everybody knows that your team doesn’t stand a chance if you aren’t serving up something delicious to your friends (okay, maybe that’s not true but it’s probably just as effective as wearing your favorite jersey!).Continue Reading

Your New Favorite Holiday Recipe

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Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)

I love candy. Sweet, sour, chocolate, caramel … I love it all. While I try to stray away from my sweet addiction more often than I indulge, the holiday season is the one time every year during which I allow

Cracker Candy
Photo and recipe from AllRecipes.com

myself to just go for it. Between holiday parties, family get togethers, and the overall Christmas spirit, I feel like I’ve always got some type of treat in my hand. But there is one that outshines all others (at least

in my opinion) and it’s not something you can find in any store. Have you guys had cracker candy yet? You make it with saltines! I don’t remember when or where I first tried it but I do know that I’ve been obsessed ever since (there’s a pun in there but I’ll let you figure it out). Anyway, I’m sure there are a ton of different versions of this but I love this recipe from AllRecipes.Continue Reading

The REAL Way to Enjoy “Fun Sized” Candy This Halloween

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Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)

Why are the mini versions of candy bars always called “fun sized?” Who wants a tiny candy bar? Giant versions … now that is fun. I mean if you think about it, it makes

Grown Up Twix
Photo from Epicurious

perfect sense: mini versions for children and extra large versions for us grown-ups, right? Well, if you agree with me then unfortunately, it’s going to be tough to find extra large varieties of some of our favorite Halloween treats but fear not because we can make them ourselves.Continue Reading

To Salt or Not to Salt? The Answer is Both

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Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)

Let’s be real for a second. Salt is the spice of life. We use it in cooking and baking because it goes with sweet and savory. It balances out a meal, livens up other flavors, and turns a bland dish into something worth writing home about. An under-salted dish is extremely underwhelming yet an over-salted dish can often be deemed inedible. To salt or not to salt?Anyway, before I go off on a tangent, I think we can all agree on the fact that salt plays a really important role in our kitchens. But there are more ways to add salt to a dish than throwing another pinch into the pot. Today I want to talk about three ingredients that you can add to a dish to kick the salt level up a notch without adding actual salt.Continue Reading