About Leslie
Hi there! My name is Leslie and I live in coastal Massachusetts where lobster and sports reign supreme. I’m originally from Illinois and have a deep love for deep dish pizza.
I share our historic seaside farmhouse with The Official Stress Baking Taste Tester, my husband, Bill). We also share the house with two cats, Padfoot and Puck.
They make appearances on the blog from time to time, usually because they seem to believe they’re excellent food stylists. Keep an eye out for them in my posts!
I have a deep love for Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds, dinosaurs, and all things nautical (including, but not limited to lighthouses and lobsters). I’m 75% convinced that I’ve chosen to live in New England as an excuse to indulge in seafood as often as possible.
How Stress Baking started
My life has always been relatively high-stress, and one day I realized that baking really helped soothed that anxiety-filled beast inside of me.
The vigorous whipping of frosting, crushing of peppermint, and the oh-so-delicate placement of cupcake toppings all help me channel my anxiety into a constructive (and delicious) place.
I’m self-taught, and seek inspiration in my daily life. I see a pretty drink at a restaurant and immediately start brainstorming ways to turn that into a baked good. Sometimes it works wonderfully, and sometimes it fails miserably.
What to expect on Stress Baking
To learn why I chose “stress baking” as the name of the blog, check out this post.
I want to provide easy to follow homemade recipes that anyone can make – not just Martha Stewart. On this site you’re going to find desserts, drinks, savory dishes and more – you should be able to find a little bit of everything here.
I mean, honestly – the amount of powdered sugar and mascarpone cheese I purchase on a regular basis should be criminal.
.I’m always looking for new recipe ideas and inspiration, so please send me your ideas! I’d love to make your ideas come to life.
Reality > Pinterest perfect
I won’t hesitate to show you when I create an epic fail, because that’s reality. My life isn’t Pinterest-perfect, and that shouldn’t be the goal.
An overflowing bowl of batter that drips on a dog’s head because I added baking powder and forgot I’d just poured in some vinegar… that crap is funny.
I am not going to hesitate to tell you if a certain process is a complete pain in the ass and that using a box mix is going to make it easier – because I don’t want you to waste your time! Why make things more difficult that they have to be?
Humor is essential
Like it or not, I’m a very blunt and sarcastic person, and I try to use that to my advantage when I’m developing recipes for my readers.
I try to make my posts fun to read by injecting some humor – life can be overwhelming, but baking sweet treats for friends and family (that includes your dog) shouldn’t be.
Baking for stress relief
Esperanza Magazine
In 2015, a few of my favorite recipes were published in the Fall edition of Esperanza Magazine along with a brief interview about how I use baking and blogging as an outlet for my stress and anxiety.
If you’ve never checked out their site at www.hopetocope.com, you should – it’s a wonderful publication.
Podcasts
I love talking about food and stress management, and you’re more or less guaranteed that I will make dad jokes or let me dark humor leak – so be warned! 😉 Here are podcasts I’ve had the pleasure of joining previously:
- This is Not What I Ordered – Discussion about chronic illness, work-life balance, using baking as a form of stress management
- Cook it Real Good – We talked about all things butter, as well as my Baking Basics series.
Follow on social media
I know people say this and don’t mean it, but I totally do (way more than that one guy who wrote “KIT” in your high school yearbook).
Reach out!
Send me questions, comments, or email me pictures of my recipes that you’ve made. I love getting those emails.
You can email me at leslie@stressbaking.com – it would be great to hear from you!
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Thank you so much for stopping by Stress Baking – I hope you find some recipes you enjoy, and I hope to hear from you soon!
