Meet our member of the month, Erin Clarke, the blogger behind Well Plated
What was your original motivation for your blog? What keeps you motivated?
“I started my blog as a hobby when my husband and I moved to a new city for his law school. Since he was spending a lot of time cuddling with his books, I wanted to find a creative outlet of my own. I’ve always loved to write and cook, so a friend encouraged me to start a food blog. To be honest, I’d barely heard of blogs before I started mine! Who knew?”
“My biggest motivation now is hearing from readers who make my recipes every day. I strive to create dishes that are healthy, reasonably easy to make, affordable, and best of all, still great! When someone comments that they loved my recipes or that I’m helping them and their family eat a healthier diet, it makes my day. Every. Single. Time.”
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
“Well, since the cookie diet isn’t as sustainable as I might wish, I’d have to pick this Harvest Chicken Skillet. It’s easy to make, has my two favorite veggies (sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts), and is PACKED with flavor. Oh, and there’s bacon. This is a lifetime commitment after all.”
What has been your biggest cooking disaster?
“What? You only want me to pick one? I’d have to say the time a cheesy caramelized onion and butternut squash bread pudding I was baking bubbled over, caught fire at the bottom of the oven, and filled our apartment with smoke. The fire alarm went off, and everyone in the building had to evacuate. Silver lining? The dish magically didn’t burn and still tasted great!”
What has been your most memorable Valentine’s Day meal?
“Although I am the cook in our household, every Valentine’s Day, my husband Ben cooks me a special dinner. His balsamic salmon is one of my favorite dishes, so much so that I convinced him to write a guest post so I could publish it on my blog.”