Welcome!

My name is Maria, and I am so happy to start up this blog and share it with all of you. I’d like to share little bit about me and my cooking journey to start off. I have always taken an interest in cooking and baking ever since I can remember. My grandma would often be in the kitchen trying new recipes and always offered to let me lend a helping hand as a kid.

My favorite memory would be her chocolate chip cookies that she would typically bake in large quantities and store away in the freezer in the basement. Well, my brother and I quickly figured this out while snooping around one day, and would sneak away to the basement whenever we were over there to visit to see if there were any cookies in the freezer. And yes, we ate frozen cookies, because we were kids, and it was something we weren’t supposed to be doing, haha!

Later on in Junior High and High School, I took a major interest in watching the Food Network on TV. Almost every day after school or tennis practice, I would go home and work on my homework in the basement while watching the Food Network. My all-time favorite cook to watch was none other than, Ina Garten on The Barefoot Contessa. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Ina is a self-taught cook and that has truly inspired me.

Following suit of my love for cooking and baking, my first job in high school was at a local bakery. Sweetie-Licious Bakery to be exact. The owner of the shop is extremely talented and an absolute sweetheart, and welcomed me with open arms. I learned a lot while working there for two years, and still carry a lot of that knowledge with me to this day.

Throughout college, I would prepare and cook dinner for families as my job. My dad would connect me with colleagues of his that were interested and wanted some relief with cooking responsibilities, in turn to have more time with their families after work. In addition, I would often cook for my room mates and sorority sisters during college, because it was just something I genuinely enjoyed.

Post graduation, I entered the corporate world as many have. This meant that meal planning and meal prepping was crucial, at least in my eyes. Meals got repetitive, boring, and quite mundane for awhile and I felt as if I lost some of my zest for cooking for a small while. I moved around the state of Michigan a few times within about a 5 year time span, and tried about every fad diet out there during that time. It wasn’t until moving back towards home, that I regained my love for cooking. I was cooking for my family on occasion, coming up with twists on recipes, and throwing together whatever sounded good. It made me genuinely happy.

Fast forward to 2020, the year we will never forget. A global pandemic causing shifts in all aspects of life. We were essentially in our homes for almost an entire year, restaurants were closed or on a take-out basis only, which meant cooking almost every meal at home. While it has been challenging in many ways, it was also an opportunity to reflect and really dig deep into a soul search. Am I fulfilled at my current job? Do I see a future here? What do I love to do that I could potentially turn into a business? Cooking, creating, writing, photography. Those were the immediate answers that popped into my head.

Here we are today, with my first blog post and the start of something new and exciting. Blissful Bites Blondie is an opportunity to build a name, brand, and business for myself where I can actually act upon my passions in life, because we all deserve to love what we do. You just have to work hard for it, and I am looking forward to learning and educating myself throughout this venture in order to make it the very best I possibly can. I can’t wait to begin posting recipes for you and hope that you try them out. Always remember, food is fuel, and delicious CAN be nutritious!

Talk soon.