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a rented kitchen
February 2014
By Elise Patterson
For many people, the integration of the Internet into our daily lives has made countless aspects of living, from paying bills to communicating with old friends, easier—and cooking is no exception. No longer are we confined to cookbooks. The biggest cookbook ever conceived is at our finger tips. And now, with the raging popularity of social media, we have a new way of expanding our stove-top horizons: food blogs. These trendy blogs provide fun and easy ways to get creative. If you’ve been on the look-out for a delectable new blog to follow, look no further than Richmond resident and VCU student Sarah Are’s a rented kitchen.
Sarah has been blogging since May 2012. What began as a way to share her recipes and creativity with family and close personal friends has ballooned. After nearly two years of blogging, Sarah claims, “I have nearly 57,000 views and over 500 followers on Facebook, was featured in Buzzfeed, have been viewed in over 150 countries, and have 147 e-mail followers, most of whom are individuals I have never met! Those numbers regularly blow me away, because I never anticipated such support and following.”
For many people, the integration of the Internet into our daily lives has made countless aspects of living, from paying bills to communicating with old friends, easier—and cooking is no exception. No longer are we confined to cookbooks. The biggest cookbook ever conceived is at our finger tips. And now, with the raging popularity of social media, we have a new way of expanding our stove-top horizons: food blogs. These trendy blogs provide fun and easy ways to get creative. If you’ve been on the look-out for a delectable new blog to follow, look no further than Richmond resident and VCU student Sarah Are’s a rented kitchen.
Sarah has been blogging since May 2012. What began as a way to share her recipes and creativity with family and close personal friends has ballooned. After nearly two years of blogging, Sarah claims, “I have nearly 57,000 views and over 500 followers on Facebook, was featured in Buzzfeed, have been viewed in over 150 countries, and have 147 e-mail followers, most of whom are individuals I have never met! Those numbers regularly blow me away, because I never anticipated such support and following.”
Once you take a look at Sarah’s blog, you may not be as surprised as she is. a rented kitchen boasts over 160 recipes and even tutorials for those of us who aren’t as kitchen-savvy as Sarah. Each post is accompanied by mouthwatering close-ups that appear just as delicious as they do beautiful.
The true draw, however, is that all of Sarah’s recipes are vegetarian, with notes for vegan alternatives. “I realized that starting a food blog would be an excellent way to witness to a vegetarian life style, which is something I have been committed to after discovering the harm factory farming and the meat industry have on the environment. I hoped the blog would provoke some thought, and inspire people to give up meat for a few additional meals a week.” Her delicious recipes, however, have inspired several of her followers to give up meat all together. She also has a large section of recipes devoted to gluten-free dishes, and most of her posts are as healthy as they are tasty. “I have a terrible sweet tooth,” she claims, and her recipes reflect an active effort to “combat that by eating healthy in every other setting.” |
a rented kitchen wasn’t just formed out of activism. The blog also allows Sarah to express herself creatively. With each post, her knowledge in the kitchen grows, allowing her to be more creative and flexible in developing her own unique recipes. “I now have a grasp on different spices and flavor combinations … that I definitely did not have when I started the blog. [I have also been introduced] to several new ingredients and spices that I never knew about.” Every recipe is accompanied by beautiful photos that Sarah shoots herself. The entire blogging process—picking and editing her photos, writing and formatting the posts, and sharing the recipes through various forms of social media—often takes Sarah about an hour; and that’s not including the time spent developing, cooking, and tasting the dish, and snapping photos.
With a rented kitchen’s success, Sarah has added one new goal for her blog: “As a college student, affording [the kinds of groceries needed for certain new recipes] takes great intentionality and saving…Confirming a few sponsors would help cover the costs, allowing me have more freedom to try new things!”
Whether you’re a vegetarian like Sarah, or looking for tasty ways to improve your diet, a rented kitchen is sure to have some new recipes to tantalize your taste buds. From Personal Portobello Pizzas, to Sweet Potato Ravioli with Kale Pesto Sauce, and Vegan Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting to Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups, you’re sure to find a lot of joy from this borrowed space.
With a rented kitchen’s success, Sarah has added one new goal for her blog: “As a college student, affording [the kinds of groceries needed for certain new recipes] takes great intentionality and saving…Confirming a few sponsors would help cover the costs, allowing me have more freedom to try new things!”
Whether you’re a vegetarian like Sarah, or looking for tasty ways to improve your diet, a rented kitchen is sure to have some new recipes to tantalize your taste buds. From Personal Portobello Pizzas, to Sweet Potato Ravioli with Kale Pesto Sauce, and Vegan Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting to Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups, you’re sure to find a lot of joy from this borrowed space.
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