Hey guys! I’m Blaire, the face behind the Miss Finger Foodie instagram you may or may not have come across over the past couple months. Thank you SO much for stopping by my little corner of the internet.
I’m a twenty-something Virginia Tech alum living in Washington, DC, who frequently travels back to my Jersey roots in the summertime. I work as an accountant by day, and this space has slowly become my creative outlet outside Excel spreadsheets and financial statements. But if I’m being honest, my fascination and passion with cooking and baking began way before I had this need for a place to put my creative energy towards.
It all started with a box of Pillsbury cinnamon streusel cake. Some people growing up saying they watched their grandmothers and mothers in the kitchen from afar, observing ever so intently and taking mental notes along the way. Whelp, that was not me. I would be plopped on the couch completely IMMERSED with the Food Network. And while the general gossip growing up circled around the most recent OC or One Tree Hill episode, I was fan-girling alone over Ina Garten and knew everything there needs to know about her (and Jeffrey’s) life.
But, back to the box of Pillsbury Cinnamon cake (and hey what do you know, you just got yourself an intro to my scatterbrained style that will definitely appear way too often here – you’re welcome for the warning).
It was “the cake” at all my birthdays growing up, my sister’s and brother’s included. It was the “thank you cake”. It was the “get well soon cake”. It was just THE CAKE, and a staple in our household, if you couldn’t already tell. But, one thing about it…my mom, or Nanc, would never follow the box instructions. She would replace the vegetable oil with margarine (we won’t judge her for not using real butter), and that replacement opened up a whole new door and inevitably shaped my approach of cooking.
You don’t necessarily have to follow standard instructions to a T. I like doing things my way, and that’s that. Not necessarily saying my way is the right way, I just like to share my successes in the kitchen while experimenting with those who are willing to listen. Sharing is caring people, and if I have a bomb way of getting Brussel sprouts extra crispy, you better get out your notepads and take notes 🙂
And, let’s just put it out there that I’m no chef (I’m actually a CPA – bring on all the nerd jokes).
Moving on to my approach of the ingredients you’ll see most often.
Why “redefine the clean plate club”? Well, for one, 9 times out of 10, I’m cleaning my plate with my fingers and eat with my hands way too often. Even at the ripe age of 26, I still get scolded when I’m home to “quit using your fingers” (and if you haven’t caught on already, that’s the inspo behind the name Miss Finger Foodie). So, let’s set the tone that we won’t take ourselves too seriously around here. Okay? Great.
Second, “redefining the clean plate club”, to me, means focusing on clean ingredients, i.e. minimally processed and getting back to the basics of good ole simple fruits and veggies. This means taking the extra 5 seconds to actually read labels while grocery shopping, and understanding what you’re eating. The less crap you put into your body, the less crappy you’ll feel, you with me here?
That being said, I do want to put a **disclaimer** out there that I freakin’ love desserts, and while I will have many with cleaner ingredients, sometimes life just calls for all the sugar and gluten in the world. It wouldn’t be a blog by Blaire if there weren’t any good desserts (for those who know me personally, baking has ALWAYS been a passion of mine), so I’m staying true to that and including them.
So, Blaire, what will I find here??
- Meals with minimal ingredients
- Quick dinner recipes (stay tuned for a monthly series where I compile my fave quick weeknight dinners because sometimes cooking for hours after work is the LAST thing you wanna do)
- A little something for everyone, whether that be your new go-to #Whole30 recipe, a fan-favorite Paleo appetizer, a vegan sauce or a decadent dessert, I want to be able to share my recipes with anyone and everyone.
If you’ve read this far, congrats. I should send you a loaf of this as a thank you. BUT, hopefully many of you have stuck around, and while I love some good snail mail, I certainly don’t have enough tupperware to ship it to you all, so go ahead and make it yourself. It’s so damn easy. Promise.
