Linda Baker, fondly called Lindy by her friends and family, is the culinary talent behind Lindy Sez.  She’s a home-trained chef who enjoys developing and creating delicious food.  She’s often heard to say, “Life is too short to eat mediocre food.” – and that’s the truth.  She creates fantastic recipes that she readily shares to her readers.

She doesn’t think good food needs to be fussy or difficult to prepare.

“I know we all have busy lives, places to go and people to see, so spending time making dinner is often put on the proverbial back-burner. Most of my recipes are fresh, quick, easy, and tasty, while keeping both calories and fats in check.”

1. Tell us about your blog! What makes it different from other food blogs?

I think one major point of difference is, I’m not trying to make money on it, so no ads. (Laughs). Truthfully, over the 10 years I have had a blog, it has been a work in progress - but essentially I’m your mother, your grandmother, in the kitchen, talking to you. However, this mother has eaten in some of the best restaurants in the world, spoken at length to numerous chefs - real and celebrity - and wants you, the adventurous eater, to go into your kitchen and not be afraid to cook up something delicious.

People tell me my recipes are very easy to follow and that gives them confidence to tackle a new, and interesting dish, that they may not have had to confidence to do before.

2. How will you describe your cooking? What's your cooking principle?

Farm to table with a little high end thrown in for fun. I like to cook with what is fresh, and available, in season. But I’m not above making a basil risotto with canned snails.

My cooking principle is keep it simple, keep it fresh, keep it easy, keep it healthy as it can be, and keep it low in fat and calories.

3. How do you come up with new recipes? What inspires you?

Travel and eating out is my biggest inspiration. I’m lucky my husband travels a lot in the world of food and wine, so when I travel with him I eat some of the most innovative foods and dishes - which I then try to replicate for the home cook. Cooking Magazines and Cookbooks - I have many many cookbooks from many cultures and cuisines. I love to “cook the world”.

And sometimes, it’s just what’s in my fridge, my backyard garden and my pantry. Some of those are the best! Like Risotto with Fava Beans and Fava Leaf Pesto

4. What occupies your time when you're not in your kitchen whipping up a good dish?

Refer to above. TRAVEL. I love to travel to foreign places and eat their cuisine. Then there’s the backyard veggie garden and the backyard chickens that need to be tended to. And reading, I love to read a good “psychological thriller”.

5. What are the three recipes that you are proudest of and why?

This is like asking me - which is your favorite child?  I love all of my recipes but I’ll choose these, for the reasons given...

• Zucchini Spaghetti - well the concept of zucchini spaghetti - now widely known as Zoodles. When I thought of this concept, over 7 years ago, zoodles were not a “thing”. I just had a backyard full of zucchini and wanted to do something different with them. Now they are hugely popular. I put the first video on Youtube in 2010. It’s still #1 with over 775K views. That makes me proud. Here’s a recipe that’s included in the video 

• Hasenpfeffer - German Wine Braised Rabbit. This is my families traditional recipe which is different then anything else you would find on the web. It’s unusual. It tells my family history. It’s who I am. 

• The Best Chicken Vindaloo - Every recipe I looked at for vindaloo was so complicated with so many steps even I was confused. So I put them together and made it simple and delicious. Everyone tells me they love the simpleness of preparation - and the resulting complex flavor. What more could I hope to accomplish? 

How to Reach Linda Baker of Lindy Sez