Today’s Blogger Spotlight is the author of the website Rasa Malaysia and this month’s Cookbook of the Month – Easy Chinese Recipes, Bee Yinn Low. I have been absolutely thrilled with Bee’s cookbook, and will definitely be trying many more of the recipes in it. If you are looking for a good Chinese cookbook, this is definitely one you want on your shelf! I’m so happy to have Bee here with us today, sharing more about herself!

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Rasa Malaysia is an Asian recipes website with over 400 easy Asian recipes, from Chinese, Japanese, to Thai, Malaysian/Singaporean, Indian recipes, and more. The site also offers many baking recipes and non-Asian recipes catered specifically to American readers and audience. All recipes on Rasa Malaysia are easy, authentic, tried, tested, and work.

Rasa Malaysia is authored by Bee Yinn Low, a cookbook author, professional recipe developer, and content publisher. Bee’s first cookbook “Easy Chinese Recipes” is available worldwide and is a best selling Chinese cookbook on Amazon. (from Rasa Malaysia, photo by Zhao Photography)

What inspired you to first start writing your blog?
I started my blog because I wanted to document my family’s recipes and also share my passion for promoting Malaysian food on the blog.

What kinds of posts are your favorite to write? What do your readers seem to like the most?
I love sharing my family’s recipes, especially if the recipe has a story behind it. Such family recipes always bring fond memories—my childhood days and the memories of my late parents. My readers love all my original recipes because they are always easy to make, work, and deliver delicious results.

Do you plan a weekly menu? If so, what inspires your menu?
I don’t plan a weekly menu, I am very spontaneous. What I cook depends on what I crave during that particular day or what I have in my fridge, or what are fresh/available in the market. From there, I will come up with ideas what I will be cooking.

What is your favorite kind of food to make?
I love making Asian dishes, and that’s what my blog is all about. I can never get bored of Asian food—I can be cooking Chinese today, Malaysian tomorrow, Japanese for the rest of the week, and the following week, I can go exotic with Thai, Vietnamese, or Indian. It’s fun!

What is your favorite recipe posted on your blog?
I don’t have a specific recipe that is my favorite, but I do have a favorite category, which is Chinese food: http://rasamalaysia.com/chinese-food-recipes-chinese-recipes/

Will you show us your kitchen? What is your favorite thing about your kitchen?
I have a very small kitchen but I can’t complain because I do have a gas range, which is very important for Asian cooking. I don’t have a photo but I have a video that summarizes my life as a food blogger, cookbook author, and recipe developer.

What is your favorite kitchen tool/appliance?
My woks—a traditional Chinese wok and a non-stick wok. I use both because I can’t use my traditional Chinese wok for every single dish that I cook because it sets off my smoke alarm all the time. So, if I am making something that requires a lot of oil or smoky, I will use my non-stick wok.

What is your best tip for getting dinner on the table?
Have all your ingredients ready and prepped before you start cooking.

Where do most of your recipes come from? (Family favorites, you make them up, magazines, cookbooks, etc.)
Most of my recipes are my original recipes. Some are family favorites, but most of the recipes are created as I make them. I get inspired by the dishes I see on magazines and cookbooks but I almost never follow the recipes because I can go through the list of ingredients and create my own version.

What would you eat as your last supper?
A 8 – 10 course Chinese banquet that includes all my favorite dishes.

If you could invite any 3 people to dinner – living or dead – who would you choose?
My late grandmother, father, and mother.

What is your favorite part about blogging?
My favorite part about blogging is that I get to work on the blog on my terms, pace, and time. I am the one calling the shots.

What kind of camera/lens/equipment do you use?
I have two cameras: Canon T1i and Canon 5D Mark II. The former is an entry-level DSLR and I use it mostly for my blog. When I worked on my cookbook, I shot with the Canon 5D Mark II. I hardly use it for my blog because I feel that it’s too “professional” for my blog.
I don’t have a $2,000 lens. I shoot with only one lens, the Canon EF 50mm f2.5 Compact Macro Lens, which in my opinion, one of the best but totally under-valued food photography lens ever! I shot my entire cookbook and blog with it and it’s less than $300!

Any suggestions or hints to have great food photos?
Lighting is the secret ingredient.

What kind of food did you eat growing up? Do you cook the same kinds of things today?
I grew up eating all sorts of food—Malaysian, Chinese, and Nyonya food. Yes, I still cook the same kinds of food today, but not as much as I wanted to because I can’t find some of the ingredients here, or the ingredients available are mostly frozen.

What was the first dish you ever cooked?
Fried eggs, if you consider that a dish!

When you really want to cheat, what do you eat?
Instant ramen, with extra toppings and seasonings.

If you could travel anywhere in the world – just for the food – where would you go?
Malaysia – because it’s my home and it has the most amazing and varied foods in all of Southeast Asia.
China – because I can eat a totally different regional Chinese cuisine every day and not get bored with it. In terms of the varieties and taste structures, you can’t beat China.
Japan – because Japanese food is so refined and delicious, it’s an art.

What is the best thing you’ve ever eaten? The strangest?
Giant clams steamed Chinese-style. The texture and sweetness are unforgettable.
Strangest: Sweetbread, because it’s neither “sweet” nor “bread.”

What are your favorite blogs to read?
Entertainment and celebrity news blogs, I can’t read about food all the time. Breaking news today: Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher split.

Take us through a typical day of eating in your house.
In the morning, it’s a glass of warm soy bean milk and a bun from my favorite bakery. Lunch time is either noodle soup or fried rice, something simple and quick. Dinner will be a 3 to 4-dish dinner that can be a combination of Chinese, Malaysia, Thai, Indian, or Japanese dishes.

What is your best tip for saving money on groceries?
Shop at Asian grocery stores—they have the best price and live, swimming fish in fish tanks!

What is your best tip to becoming a successful blogger?
Creating killer content as content is KING. Also be patient as success doesn’t come overnight.

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Thank you so much, Bee! It has been wonderful to get to know you more, both through your interview and from cooking through your cookbook! Here is where you can find more from Bee:

Blog: Rasa Malaysia
Facebook: Rasa Malaysia
Twitter: @rasamalaysia

and you can see my review of her book HERE

I love that I have met some really amazing bloggers on Twitter. Bev is one of them. I absolutely love getting comments on my blog from her – she makes me smile, and usually laugh, every single time. Seriously – if everyone was like Bev, this world would be a very happy place!! And her blog – Bev Cooks – is simply beautiful. I am so glad that she is joining us here today so we can learn a little bit more about her!!

Hi! I’m Bev. And I love to cook. I’m a self-proclaimed foodie with an unabashed obsession in the kitchen. 7 years ago as I was reaching for the toy in the bottom of a cereal box I’d opened for dinner, I had an epiphany, “Yeah, I need to learn how to cook.” So, here we are. With no cereal box in sight, I’m ferociously cooking out of my little Kansas City kitchen, husband and dog by my side, and I’m having a blast. Plus I get to use phrases like, “braise the thighs in butter.”

What inspired you to first start writing your blog?
Well, it’s no secret that I love to talk. I talk to my husband. I talk to myself, my dog. . . to myself. It was when I first started reading blogs years ago, I thought to myself, “Okay, these people have this outlet. I need an outlet. I need a blog. I can do this. I have things to say, gosh darnit!”

….hello?

What kinds of posts are your favorite to write? What do your readers seem to like the most?
I really enjoy incorporating a funny story about my day with what I’m cooking. Readers seem to connect with that. So if I giggle when I write, I know I’m onto something.

Do you plan a weekly menu? If so, what inspires your menu?
It’s funny you ask this, because when I worked full-time, I was absolutely OBSESSED with meal planning. I had a chart, I wore glasses. It was so hot. But then I quit working, so now that I’m home I find myself planning 2 days out. Which is actually pretty contradictory to who I really am inside, because I tend to lean towards “scary neurotic planning woman.” She’s nice though.

What is your favorite kind of food to make?
If I’m going to be completely honest, it’s going to be a pasta of some sort. Or any sort. Oh my gosh with mushrooms. And wine. And lots of herbs. And maybe some more wine.

What is your favorite recipe posted on your blog?

Garden Tomato Pizza

I dug this one quite a bit because A) It’s pizza! B) It was SIMPLE. and C) It’s purty.
Will you show us your kitchen? What is your favorite thing about your kitchen?

Why sure, come on in! My favorite thing about the kitchen is how cozy it is. I love the pretty spines of the cookbooks above the stove. And I love my little magnetic spice holders on the vent hood thingy. And I love the way it opens up into the living room so that I don’t miss anything on TV. What?

What is your favorite kitchen tool/appliance?
Without hesitation, my Cuisinart food processor! You guys, it purrs when it processes. It’s so sexy.

What is your best tip for getting dinner on the table?
Plan ahead! If you need to thaw or marinate something, do it in the morning before work. If you are a stay-at-home human, start thinking about dinner mid-day and getting some of the prep work out of the way so that the cooking is stress-free. Well, LESS stress-free.

Where do most of your recipes come from? (Family favorites, you make them up, magazines, cookbooks, etc.)
It’s all over the place, really. I do get inspiration from the gajillions of magazines, cookbooks and other blogs that I read. Lot of times I’ll just wing a recipe, based on what my garden has going on in it. I do watch a lot of PBS cooking shows (stop laughing, they rule) so I’ll jot down ideas if I get giddy.

What would you eat as your last supper?
I think it would have to be a succulent mushroom pasta dish with a giant chicken taco shoved inside it. That sounds horrible actually. Let’s put the taco on the side. With some cheese dip and guacamole. And shrimp. Oh! And a pizza! What? This is my LAST SUPPER.

If you could invite any 3 people to dinner – living or dead – who would you choose?
This one is hard. I think definitely Chris Kimball from America’s Test Kitchen, Sarah McLachlan and Robert Pattinson. The alive version AND the dead one. Ba-domp. (Sorry.)

What is your favorite part about blogging?
A: It’s therapeutic.
B: The community. It’s a freakishly fun one.
C: It’s rewarding. It’s a creative outlet that feeds me. Score!

What kind of camera/lens/equipment do you use?
I shoot with a Nikon d3000, and the lens is a 35mm. Most of the time I don’t use a tripod, but if I’m surprisingly not impatient, I’ll drag it out. In the winter, I light the food with this hilarious little rig that my husband made for me. A “daylight” lightbulb screwed into an old theater lamp head, which is attached to a pole which is screwed into a Roller Racer. It’s actually really handy. And only a little bit sad.

Any suggestions or hints to have great food photos?
A good camera and natural light! I love shooting next to this giant window in my living room. I use a white tray as a “bounce card” and it works just fine. Get close to the food. You want to really see that melting cheese, or the drizzle of oil, or the fresh herbs. I’m hungry.

What kind of food did you eat growing up? Do you cook the same kinds of things today?
Oh, we were very much in a food routine growing up. On Monday nights we ate little Texas pot roasts and watched Blossom. On Tuesday nights we ate spaghetti and watched Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Wednesday nights we ate at church. Thursday nights we’d have pork chops and applesauce (name that show) and watch The Cosbys. On the weekends dad would grill steaks or BBQ chicken. Sundays mom always had a roast in the oven, and Kraft mac and cheese. And chicken tenders. We ate those quite a bit. I do cook a few childhood favorites from time to time. Grilled cheeses, cheesy pasta, tacos. Actually those little Texas pot roasts sound pretty good right now. I’m hungry.

What was the first dish you ever cooked?
You mean in LIFE? I think it was a box of macaroni and cheese with ground beef. I know, so awesome. If you mean for the interwebs it was sriracha shrimp skewers with a homemade succotash. That was shot with a point and shoot, so I’ll spare you the photo. You’re welcome.

When you really want to cheat, what do you eat?
A huge vat of cheese dip that I could stick my entire face in.

If you could travel anywhere in the world – just for the food – where would you go?
Well this is simple, Italy! Amen.

What is the best thing you’ve ever eaten? The strangest?
A few years ago we went to Boston to visit family, and while we were there we cooked fresh lobster one night. This lobster…I have no words. Dipping the succulent meat in drawn butter, and paired with a simple loaf of rustic bread and freshly grilled corn on the cob – I DIE. I’ll never forget that meal. I wore giddy pants. The strangest? How about those tapioca beads at the bottom of bubble teas? No thanks, man. That’s strange.

What are your favorite blogs to read?
There. are. so. many. Here are 10 of my favorites:

www.thepioneerwoman.com
www.smittenkitchen.com
www.latartinegourmande.com
www.howsweeteats.com
www.dooce.com
www.roostblog.com
www.designspongeonline.com
www.greenkitchenstories.com
www.101cookbooks.com
www.whatkatieate.com

Take us through a typical day of eating in your house.
Breakfast: a cup of berries with a little egg muffin sandwich with spinach, tomatoes and cheese. Lunch: leftovers or a simple salad and sandwich Snack: almonds, crackers and cheese Dinner: whatever my face is craving. Dessert: leetle chunks of dark chocolate

What is your best tip for saving money on groceries?
Garden! Even if you don’t have the space for a full-on deal, start small with indoor herb plants. You’ll be surprised how much you can save over time. Of course whatever you save on groceries you’ll spend on gardening supplies. Ignore me. Something else I do is stock up on pantry staples. I always have pastas, rices, canned goods and a variety of whole grains on hand, so I end up saving time, money and sanity when I don’t have to run out to the store every 5 minutes to pick something up.

What is your best tip to becoming a successful blogger?
I think for me the trick is to not take myself seriously. To remember it’s not a competition. To be the dork that my soul begs me to be. To build relationships with other bloggers. To get inspired, play with photography, tell a fun story, and KEEP AT IT. Okay who’s hungry? I mean, seriously.

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Thank you, Bev. You always bring a smile to my face!! Here is where you can find more from Bev:

website: Bev Cooks
Facebook:  Beverly Weidner
Twitter: @bevweidner

Welcome to today’s Blogger Spotlight – Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny. Kelly has only been blogging for a few months, but I have loved her energy and love for the food blogging world, so I just had to feature her here!

Hi there! I’m Kelly, a DC based food blogger with a true passion for cooking and a love for photography. My blog Eat Yourself Skinny shows how maintaining a healthy lifestyle can still be fun and really easy. I love to put a spin on classic favorites by substituting calorie-loaded ingredients with healthier alternatives that still taste delicious! Oh and you’ll see lots of pictures of my yorkie Oliver from time to time…he’s my little buddy.

What inspired you to first start writing your blog?
I’ve ALWAYS had a passion for cooking which was definitely a love my Grandma instilled in me. While looking for recipes one day at work, I stumbled upon a food blog that had such gorgeous pictures along with some very delicious recipes. I thought that it would be so fun to do, especially since I was starting my diet for the summer and needed some healthy recipes. I started in March and have been addicted to it ever since!

What kinds of posts are your favorite to write? What do your readers seem to like the most?
Well when I started my blog I knew I didn’t want it to be ALL recipes and nothing else. I really wanted to add a personal touch to each and every post where readers felt like they actually know ME and feel at home when they visit. Some of my favorite blogs are like that and they keep me coming back daily! I think my readers enjoy those posts as well.

Do you plan a weekly menu? If so, what inspires your menu?
I actually don’t plan a weekly menu, but sometimes think I should. I work a 9 to 5 job so my meal ideas come from whatever delicious recipe I stumbled upon that day and looks exciting to make. I LOVE Cooking Light Magazine and they inspire a lot of my dishes, especially because they tend to be diet friendly. Oh and did I mention I’m obsessed with Food Network?? Yep…guilty.

What is your favorite kind of food to make?
My favorite kind of food to make is anything involving chicken! I especially love stuffed chicken breasts and have been making those a lot lately since learning the fabulous technique.

What is your favorite recipe posted on your blog?

Strawberry Granola Squares

I’m still learning and by no means am I a photographer, but these Strawberry Granola Squares turned out to be my favorite! I was actually in a hurry that day since I got home from work late and was desperately trying to shoot these while there was still sunlight. I really thought they’d turn out horrible, but I was actually super pleased with how focused and bright they turned out! Oh and did I mention they were delicious?? Tastespotting and Foodgawker liked them too so that made me proud!

Will you show us your kitchen? What is your favorite thing about your kitchen?

As you can see I have a tiny little kitchen, but my favorite part about it is that it’s the very first place I’ve ever had all on my own! This is where I developed my love for cooking and really found what I’m capable of in the kitchen. Though I can’t WAIT to have a nice big kitchen one day (soon I hope!), this little nook will always hold a special place in my heart.

What is your favorite kitchen tool/appliance?
My kitchen-aid mixer!! My boyfriend’s amazing mom got it for me for my birthday this year and I have had so much fun with it. As most people know, I’m not much of a baker at all, but it’s another passion I want to get better at so this has helped tremendously!

Where do most of your recipes come from? (Family favorites, you make them up, magazines, cookbooks, etc.)
Most of my recipes come from magazines and/or cookbooks. I’m that girl at the grocery store that ALWAYS has to scan the racks trying to find as many cooking magazines as possible, especially the healthy ones. I have binders organized full of clipped out recipes as well as countless cookbooks. Even though there are so many dishes that still need to be made, you can never have enough new recipes!

What would you eat as your last supper?
My last supper would absolutely be steak and potatoes. I do try to eat healthy as much as I can and always have fresh fruits and veggies on hand in the fridge, but growing up southern I can’t live without my meat and potatoes!

What is your favorite part about blogging?
I absolutely LOVE all the amazing friendships I’ve made through blogging. Even though we’ve never met and it is just through the “blogosphere”, I feel like I’ve come to know each and every person I talk to and I learn so much with every new friend I meet.

What kind of camera/lens/equipment do you use?
When I first started the only thing I had was my iPhone! Eek! That had to change fast so for my birthday a few months ago, I received my first DSLR camera…a Nikon D3000. I absolutely love it! I still have so much to learn and plan on purchasing a 50 mm lens as well as a tripod soon, but for now it’s absolutely perfect.

Any suggestions or hints to have great food photos?
Like I said before, I’m still learning photography and consider myself a beginner, but the most helpful points I have learned has been making sure to get the aperture as low as it will go on your camera, shooting in natural light (preferably outside) and holding your camera super still to make sure the lens is in focus. Even after doing all that I still wasn’t happy with my pictures and found that photoshop is a must!! I use picnik, which is a free program, and found that by just sharpening the photo completely I was able to FINALLY get my pictures accepted into Tastespotting and Foodgawker! It really makes a world of difference!

What kind of food did you eat growing up? Do you cook the same kinds of things today?
I grew up on ALL frozen food that was easily thrown into the oven…chicken nuggets, french fries, fish sticks. Anything my mom could easily serve to kids. Now I can’t stand cooking anything pre-made! Even pizza I feel the need to make by hand and I love using all fresh herbs and veggies.

If you could travel anywhere in the world – just for the food – where would you go?
Italy!! I love, love, LOVE Italian food, but I’ve heard from so many people that have been there say that America’s version of Italian food is nowhere close to how amazing the food in Italy is! It’s also an absolutely gorgeous country!

When you really want to cheat, what do you eat?
Pasta…it’s my weakness and I could eat it any day, every day!

What are your favorite blogs to read?
Oh I have so many favorite blogs, but here are just a few:

Our Best Bites
Gina’s Skinny Recipes
For the Love of Cooking
The Girl Who Ate Everything
How Sweet It Is
The Comfort of Cooking

What is your best tip for saving money on groceries?
Coupons!! Also, planning out your meals in advance helps to consolidate a lot of your ingredients into different recipes so that you aren’t over-buying things at the store.

What is your best tip to becoming a successful blogger?
I think success is different to everyone, but I personally think that making sure to comment on other people’s blogs daily is very important as well as answering comments that they leave for you. Building relationships is key and brings readers back to your site. Also, making comments on other blogs puts your name out there and brings even more bloggers to your site. And of course…just be yourself!

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Thank you so much Kelly! It was fun to learn a little more about you! If you’d like to see more from Kelly, here is where you can find her:

Website: Eat Yourself Skinny
Facebook: Eat Yourself Skinny
Twitter: @EatUrselfSkinny