Recipe #3: Hearty Meat Sauce

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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)

Everybody loves their mama’s sauce, right? Well like you, I think MY mom’s sauce is the best and today, I’m sharing her recipe with the masses … well, anybody that reads this blog anyway. I didn’t need to make too many tweaks to the original recipe but as usual, I’ve provided her version as well as a slightly healthier version below so that you can enjoy either one – or compare the two!

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Recipe Project #2: Chicken & Brie Sandwiches

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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)

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the support and feedback you have given me regarding this little passion project. I am so thrilled that you are all excited about this idea and following along. I love hearing from you and it also makes ME excited to keep getting back in the kitchen and playing with these recipes. I also think my husband is really loving this project as he has been deemed the official taste tester. Anywho, let’s get into today’s recipe. Continue Reading

Recipe 1: Butternut Squash Risotto

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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)

When I decided to take on this recipe challenge, I kind of assumed I’d start on page one of the cookbook and work my way through. But when I started mapping things out, it just wasn’t realistic. I’m very intentional about the meals I prepare for the week. But then I realized, working through the book in a way that fit into my life was a better plan anyway. That IS the whole point of this project after all – to show you how you can incorporate indulgent recipes into your life in a healthy, realistic way. Anywho, once I decided to choose my own order, I knew exactly which recipe to start with: Butternut Squash Risotto.

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Food For Thought: A Cooking Challenge

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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)

Tonight, I’m taking it way back to 2012, my senior year of college. I wanted to be a food writer/blogger. I was julie and juliaminoring in journalism and writing a food column for a local paper (thanks to my favorite professor for connecting me with his contacts). I loved it! I was able to sample menus before restaurants opened, eat for free (sometimes) and write my opinion in a column of my very own. I was thrilled to be 22 with a newspaper column – even if it was in a small local paper. Anyway, I wanted to do more so I approached my  father and asked him if I could write a monthly newsletter for his business. I could include updates and business stuff but I could also write in some family history and stories from the kitchen I grew up in at home. The newspaper column and my column in the newsletter both held the same title: Food For Thought.

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