Easy Student Recipes: The Spiffy Cookie Blog

Are you a busy student trying to get back to home cooking?  Get inspired!  We interviewed Erin, full-time student and author of The Spiffy Cookie Blog, about her culinary interests and how she juggles blogging and her studies.  Not all students live on takeout and ramen!

Could you tell us a bit about the Spiffy Cookie blog?

Even though I am a full-time graduate student working towards my PhD in Biomedical Sciences, I cook or bake almost every day. I started The Spiffy Cookie blog in November, 2010 because friends and family were always curious as to what I was cooking for dinner and asking for the recipes. What better way to document my thoughts and suggestions on a recipe than to post it online? It also made organizing recipes I have tried a lot easier to find later on. Prior to food blogging, you could find me digging through stacks of magazines and printed recipes found on other food blogs, trying to find the one that I really am craving to make, but can't remember what it was called or where it was discovered.

The Spiffy Cookie may sound like it should be all about desserts, but it's full of everyday foods as well. I try to prepare things that are healthier (most of the time) by substituting low fat ingredients when possible. But don't worry, there are plenty of treats mixed in there worthy of the name. Dessert is my favorite "food group" after all. Even if I am stuffed to the brim, mention the word "dessert" and a secret space in my stomach appears. To be honest, I rarely go a day without some sort of treat. While out for dinner, I'll even pick out my dessert first and adjust my entree order accordingly.

How did you become interested in cooking?

I can't remember the precise moment that it began, but I always remember wanting to help my dad with whatever he was making in the kitchen. My favorite was this huge batch of cookies (it made 12 dozen), that required a bowl so big I could've curled up inside of it as a child. I remember my arm getting tired while helping stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts with a wooden spoon. It felt like so much work (just give me the cookies already), but was a fun challenge.

Other than helping my dad and the occasional pizza-making party with friends, I didn't cook for myself or others much until my third year in college. I had lived in the dorms for the first two years, so it was the first time that I had a kitchen all my own. My friends and I were always cooking together - trying out old favorites and discovering new ones. Then one day I discovered the wonderful world of food blogs and over time, my love of all things cooking and baking grew to the point where I was being told to open a restaurant - I decided a blog of my own was much more manageable.

Is there a certain family member or other personality that inspires to your culinary adventures?

My dad would have to be my inspiration. I always felt like he could cook or bake anything and to this day I still call him with questions, especially if I got the recipe from him. He also has much more patience than I when it comes to tackling the more daunting baking tasks. I hope one day I can actually make the family potica recipe by myself!

From all of the recipes on your site, which has been the most fun to make and why?

The most fun recipe that I have made on my blog so far has been the petri dish cookies. Despite the fact that they were highly entertaining since they look like a cartoon version of the actual plates I grow in lab, it was great to see them come together with each step. Until these cookies I had never messed with royal icing for fear of it being complicated, but I was pleasantly surprised that not only was it fairly simple, but it was like painting on a cookie - food art!

How do you juggle your Biomedical Sciences studies and your blog?

It is really hard sometimes. I have contemplated more than once to reduce the number of times I blog a week, but cooking is one of my greatest stress releases (the other is a really good workout). And I don't really feel like I am cooking much more than I did pre-blog. A girl's gotta eat after all! Although I have increased the amount that I bake, from which my labmates have benefited by all the extra goodies I bring in to share (their pants might beg to differ). But when there is a really big experiment coming up and I know I won't have the time to create something to post, I will recruit other food bloggers to guest post on my blog to fill in for me. It is also really helpful to plan out ahead of time what I will be making and posting throughout the week.

If you could summarize your love of baking into one quote, what would it be?

"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie." - Jim Davis