BYU alumnus stands out with her cooking blog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS5LHtXP8IQ

Former BYU student Mandy Merriman grew up cooking alongside her mother. After years of asking her mother questions about cooking and collecting recipes, she began to write down the recipes and keep them.

Merriman began adding recipes from his mother, grandmother, websites and cookbooks to his collection, and stuffed them into the sheet protectors of a large pink folder with his name written on it. before.

“It was getting full. It was just overflowing, and I decided I had to put them online, ”Merriman said. “What I decided was that I needed to blog them, and eventually it turned more into a corporate blog. … It has become more than just an online cookbook.

Merriman began promoting her blog almost unintentionally when people asked for recipes for the food she brought to events.

“When I started promoting my blog, it all started with word of mouth. I think only my mom read it, ”Merriman said. “Eventually I would do some TV spots on some local TV channels, cook there and they would send my blog back to people watching.”

From there, “Baking with Blondie” was born. The idea for the name came from various incidents that allegedly took place while Merriman was cooking. One of them was to leave a large pan of beautiful cupcakes on top of his car and go, only for them to slip and be ruined.

Merriman and her husband Ryan are currently living with Bethany Hillary while the couple’s home is being built. Hillary said the mishaps were the most fun for her.

“She’s hilarious,” Hillary said of Merriman, laughing. “She sings while she cooks, and there’s flour flying everywhere, even on her laptop.”

Merriman said mistakes in the kitchen are just one of the things that take a long time to create a blog post.

“When you post a blog post, there is a lot to do,” Merriman said. “If (the recipe) explodes, you have to start over, and sometimes you have to try a recipe three or four times before it’s perfect.

After she finished a recipe, Merriman said it takes a long time to photograph the food and edit the photos to prepare them for the blog.

“I have a lot of pictures of her standing on the counters trying to get pictures of her food for the blog so she can get them from the right angle,” Hillary said. “It’s just fun to see how much work is put into it, because you think she’s doing it and taking a picture of it and she’s done, but it’s a lot of work.”

The ultimate reward for Merriman is being able to reunite the families for dinner. She said she loves receiving feedback on how the recipes on her blog have helped parents come up with new meals their kids love. Merriman said it benefited his own family as well.

“When I think back to what we’ve typically eaten before blogging and compare it to the past few years, I’m amazed at how much she picked up,” said Ryan Merriman. “It’s fun to see how much she’s done with it.”

Mandy Merriman discovered how much she missed blogging when she took a break after having her first child. Now, she plans to continue blogging, creating, and trying new recipes.