Guest Interviews

Our lives runs on food, and often there’s a person, business, or an organization of interest with a great food story to tell. These are a collection of interviews featured on MyLifeRunsOnFood.com

Appetizing Guest Post: Cookbook Author, Funke Koleosho of “Contemporary Nigerian Cuisine Cookbook”

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One pot aromatic Jollof rice, served with grilled chicken breast, covered with salsa style mixed sweet pepper sauce and steamed mixed vegetables.

Yes, I’ve been missing in action. Unless absolutely necessary, apologies are rare on this food blog. In this situation, my excuse is because of news that went from crazy good to fortunate and grateful. It’s the kind of news to jump up and down to yell, “Hallelujah,” with tears of joy. My life is changing for the better—the best. It’s long coming and deserved. Every moment is savored.

In the midst of joy, is incorporating less cooking time in a new schedule. Life is crazy busy, which explains my absence from MyLifeRunsOnFood.com. In anticipation of this week being the finale of crazy joy, I invited a guest who graciously agreed to write a post and share her recipes.

Funke Koleosho is an award winning cookbook author and has a mobile recipe app, Cook! Nigerian. In her guest post, Ms. Koleosho is sharing her Nigerian cuisine and ingredients. Enjoy her story. If you know or would like to learn about Nigerian cuisine, leave a comment below and download her smart phone app.

I’ll return soon to share happy details of what’s going on in my life. And, yes… there’s going to be changes here soon, because My Life Runs On Food. Read more →

Olives growing on a tree.

Appetizing Thoughts: Demystifying Olive Oil

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Olives growing on a tree.

We’re curious and thirsty for olive oil. Thirsty not just for using it in our favorite recipes, but learning more about it. Bill Sanders, an olive oil evangelist at Crush+Press, initially appears to have successfully reached his goal on Kickstarter to start a private label selling quality olive oil in the United States at competitive prices. However, the amount raised is based on a shoestring budget. Ideally, he needs to raise a total of $25-30k. In the following interview, Sanders demystifies olive oil and explains his quest for offering authentic olive oil at affordable prices. Read more →

Appetizing Thoughts: Pearl Lee Q’s Vegetable Que

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Deb & Theo of Pearl Lee Q

Trying to eat more vegetables during this carnivorous Fourth of July? No problem. Slap your grill with perfectly seasoned slices of sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini and other vegetables. The grill is a hearty flavor enhancer for caramelizing vegetables competing with those saucy baby back ribs. Either do it yourself or hire a caterer that specializes in both carnivore and vegan dishes. Read more →

Hibiscus Tea featuring “Teaspoons and Petals”

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Loose Leaf Hibiscus Tea sweetened with Cream Honey
Loose Leaf Hibiscus Tea sweetened with Cream Honey

Besides talking and thinking about food, I dream of mint, matcha, oolong, pu-erh, ginger, darjeeling, and sencha tea to name only a few. Similar to my passion for rediscovering and developing classic recipes with real ingredients, I am curious about the origin tea. It started with purchasing inexpensive green tea bags in Chinatown. Over a few weeks, my complexion cleared. A friend would later tell me how green tea detoxes the blood. My interest in tea starts out of vanity, and it expands into how different teas benefit our health.

Across the blog universe, I discovered Alexis Siemon’s Teaspoons & Petals. Her writing is poetic and quaint. Reading her blog is similar to taking a tea break in a whirlwind of a busy day. My knowledge about tea skims the surface, but her passion for tea is deep. I invited Alexis to write a guest post, and she provided a collage of beautiful teapots. Read more →

A Tale of Two Lasagnas

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Both "New and Old" World Lasagnas
Food Bloggers visit other sites quite frequently to support, inspire, comment, and learn. I found Anjali Shah of The Picky Eater: A Healthy Food Blog, through another excellent food blog, The Duo Dishes. I remember leaving a comment on her site about being an inspiration. The voice of her food blog is of good spirits and full of adventure. She responds immediately to request a guest post for her site. “We’re really aligned in our food philosophies,” she reasons. After several emails are exchanged, we agree to collaborate on writing about lasagna. Both of our versions are relatively healthy, and they have plenty of vegetables and cheeses. Anjali’s version is an “Old World” traditional recipe with a classic tomato sauce, and my version is a “New World” traditional recipe sans the tomato sauce. To be historically accurate, both tomatoes and squash are ingredients from the “New World.” It’s the techniques and stories that separates our recipes, which makes them endearing and comforting to both of us. Read more →