Le Cordon Q

Would you like to know where you can find
the recipe for this yummy salad?


...then read on...

Brie & Raspberry Salad with Chicken
and Fresh Raspberry Vinaigrette

If you absolutely LOVE to COOK and BAKE and CRAFT
but... not all at the same time... of course... lol...
...then this POST is just for YOU...

Let me INTRODUCE you to...

Kayley...


from...

Le Cordon Q...

I've known Kayley since she was 15 years old when she and her family were our neighbors. Her family moved soon after she graduated from High School. Kayley and my oldest daughter were good friends and continue to keep in contact. I was lucky to watch Kayley grow up and see her many talents blossom.

I started to think that all of you would enjoy sharing in the results of her talents so, I emailed her and asked her what she thought about doing an interview and letting me do a post about her new cooking blog. She was very excited to let me do that for her.

The name of her newest blog is called Le Cordon Q and the pictures alone are worth having a look. I have yet to try one of her recipes (since her blog is still really new) but, there are several recipes that I want to try my hand at. If you get a chance to visit her blogs I know she would love you to leave some comments and become a follower. Also, I'm sure she would enjoy hearing back from you whenever you make one of her recipes.

Kayley also has two other blogs you'll want to be checking out...

Her crafting blog is Frayed & Fancy...
You can also link to her Etsy Shop HERE...

Her Cake Blog is Cakes by Kayley...

Here are a few pictures of her cakes.

I could eat this cake right now.
It looks so yummy!

I recently did an interview with Kayley so I could introduce her to you...My Blogging Friends. I hope you enjoy the pictures of her wonderful food as much as I did. I'm really HUNGRY, now! I better go make dinner...if only...I had the ingredients handy to make one of her entrees, soups, salads, or desserts.

Questions • Answers • Pictures • and Links

Me: How old were you when you discovered your love for cooking? Describe the memory.

Kayley: I remember being about 7 or 8 years old and being absolutely convinced that I had concocted a new dish never seen before by the culinary world. It was sliced hot dogs, pan-fried and served on toothpicks. Gordon Ramsey would have been proud.

Chicken Fricasse

Me: Tell us about your journey to Culinary School and how long it took you to finish?

Kayley: I decided to go to culinary school because I really wanted to have a useful education that could provide a career that I would enjoy. So I took a look at all the things I like to do and decided that culinary school made the most sense. I chose to go the self-paced route so that I could focus on school and get done as quickly as I'd like. The average length of culinary school to earn an associates degree is about 2 years. I focused only on school and pushed through in about a year. I know that many culinary programs offer beginner and intermediate classes for those who are interested in learning a little more.

Watermelon Agua Fresca

Me: I know you have a passion for creating beautiful cakes and desserts so, what is your favorite dessert(s) to make?

Kayley: Hmmm. Chocolate has always been my one true love and the epitome of a "real" dessert to me. My favorite dessert to make is my chocolate truffle torte. It's a flourless chocolate cake covered in ganache and has the texture of a truffle. It's so yummy! When I lived in Utah, I would enter it in Cache Valley's Chocolate Festival in various forms and it won the contest three years in a row. Chocolate never lets you down.

Velvety Carrot Soup

Me: What has been your most asked for recipe? Tell us about it.

Kayley: My Key Lime Curd Mousse Torte has always been a popular one. It consists of a buttery shortbread crust filled with a mousse made from key lime curd, whipped egg whites and whipped cream and then topped with more key lime curd. I took it to a company party once where utensils had been forgotten and folks were walking around eating it with tortilla chips or giant spatulas as their forks. I've been wanting to make it recently, but I can't eat it because of the raw egg whites. Pregnancy food restrictions are the hardest part of the whole 9 months, I've decided.

Strawberry Pana Cotta

Me: What made you decide to start your newest blog?

Kayley: Now that I no longer am working(if you count chasing after a two year old and keeping up a house with a billion flights of stairs not working), I really miss having a job where I can be involved with food to the same extent that I am used to. So, I started Le Cordon Q to give me an outlet for my passion for cooking. I love sharing culinary creations with others and seeing what others create.

Mediterranean Tomato Phyllo Tart

Me: Would you share with us a little about your two other blogs?

Kayley: Well, my cake blog is a blog where I post pictures of the cakes that I make to kind of advertise options for those looking for a special occasion cake. My Frayed and Fancy blog is my crafting blog where I get to post all of my crafty creations, whether it be furniture refinishing, paintings, home decor, or accessories from my Etsy store.

Heirloom Tomato Bisque with Basil Butter

Me: I know you are a very creative person so, tell us a bit about what you LOVE to do.

Kayley: I think I love to do too many things, which is exactly why I have too many blogs. Besides cooking, cake decorating, and crafting, I also love to sing and play the piano. Music is HUGE to me. I also just love getting to be a mom and be with my little family. I love life. Life is great =).

Flourless Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Me: Do you have any insights or experiences that you'd like to share with us?

Kayley: Ha. I don't know about insights, but I will tell you one of the biggest secrets to cooking: Presentation. If you can make your food look nice, people will think it tastes better, even if it's terrible! I used to work with eating disorder patients who had about as much interest in eating as my two year old does in potty training. But I found that if I presented their meals to them in an asthetically pleasing way, they were much more excited to eat it. The mind can trick the stomach sometimes. Please note that this theory does NOT work on young children. Or Gordon Ramsey.

You will find more of these kinds of delicious recipes and more on Kayley's Cooking Blog.