We’re very excited to be working with Jeanine from the blog, Love & Lemons as she launches her new cookbook later this year. She admits to loving food that's fresh, bright and often finished with a squeeze of lemon! She lives in Chicago and cooks and photographs food with her husband…
Can you tell us about Love & Lemons? When and how did it come about?
Love & Lemons is a food blog with bright, seasonal, plant-based recipes that are often finished with a squeeze of lemon.
The "when" is easy - my husband and I launched the blog in 2011. As for the "how," it came from realizing that my cooking "hobby" was becoming my cooking passion. My background is actually in art, and prior to starting the blog I had been a graphic designer for a number of years. I always had an interest in healthy food, but I never really cooked it much until around 2008. It was around then that I became interested in local produce and putting vegetables in interesting, flavorful combinations. Over time, I looked more and more forward to the end of the work day, where I could just immerse myself and using cooking and chopping as both a stress reliever and a creative outlet. I started to see the artfulness of colorful veggies hitting a hot skillet, and the freedom of changing and adding to soups.
I came to realize that the elements of design all apply to food and cooking, particularly balance, color, and texture. So one day, I just decided that I should combine these two loves - design and food - into a food blog. Then I convinced my third love(!), my husband Jack, to join me on this ride. He programmed the website, learned digital photography, and generally deals with all things technical while I deal with the creative.
What can we expect from your new cookbook and when does it launch?
The new cookbook will be out Spring 2019 and it will have 100+ plant-focused recipes for the every day cook. If will be feature plenty of hearty dinner recipes as well as soups, salads, breakfasts, and charts to help you mix things up on your own.
What do you think makes for a good product/design, especially for the kitchen?
I tend to stick with products that have stood the test of time, both functionally and aesthetically.
How do you use Falcon in the kitchen?
Many of my meals, especially the larger salads, require a dish that's in between a bowl and a plate. Falcon's deep-rimmed plates are perfect for this!
I love using the bake ware not just for baking, but as a serving dish and as a way of bringing food back-and-forth to the grill in the summertime.
For safety reasons, I've largely stopped using plastic utensils, but I also love variety, so I love the clean look of Falcon's large utensils. I use the large serving spoon, slotted spoon, and ladle almost daily, and they look so nice that I usually keep them out on the counter top.
What will you be cooking this Easter?
Brunch will be my go-to family brunch staple: a big frittata with an avocado spring salad on the side.
How will you be spending Easter this year?
I’m going to have my family over and send everyone home with cookbook recipe testing leftovers, ha ha!
https://www.loveandlemons.com/