And toprecipes is my little corner of the internet!
I launched toprecipes in the spring of 2016 while I was still working full‑time as a marketing analyst in Charlotte, NC. I’d been juggling a demanding job, a newborn, and a growing curiosity about home‑cooked meals. One night, after a particularly chaotic dinner, I scribbled a simple chicken‑and‑rice recipe on a napkin and posted it to a tiny WordPress blog. I never imagined that a single napkin‑note would turn into a site that now draws more than 120,000 unique visitors each month.
Fast forward to 2024, and toprecipes has become a modest recipe hub with over 200 tested dishes, three printable e‑cookbooks, and a newsletter that reaches 15,000 hungry readers every Friday. I’ve added a seasonal “Pantry Staples” series, a video tutorial archive, and a community “Ask Kristen” column that gets more than 500 questions a year. The growth has been steady but never overwhelming—I still write every post myself, photograph each plate with my phone, and edit the copy in the evenings after the kids are in bed.
I call home now in Asheville, North Carolina, where I live with my husband, Mark, and our two kids, Lily (7) and Noah (4). When I’m not whisking, sautéing, or answering reader emails, you’ll find me hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains, tending to my herb garden, or listening to a good jazz record while the coffee brews. My favorite things are fresh basil, a perfectly timed sunrise, and the smell of cinnamon on a cold morning.
If you’ve landed on toprecipes, it’s because you love simple, honest food as much as I do. I’m grateful you’re here, and I hope my recipes make your kitchen feel a little cozier.