Leslie found out that baking channeled the anxiety into a constructive (and delicious) place. And, the rest is history. Leslie shares easy to follow and fun recipes on her social media accounts. Her recipes have more than 3 million views solely on Pinterest.
Baking is fun and perfectly suited for the quarantine. We spoke with Leslie about her passion for baking and food.
Can you tell us about your favorite childhood food?
My favorite dish is and always will be lobster in any form. Lobster rolls, lobster mac and cheese, lobster pulled straight out of the shell and dipped in warm melted butter. As a kid growing up outside of Chicago, lobster was a very rare treat – so as an adult on the coast of Massachusetts that can get it pretty much whenever I want? Pure heaven.
What did food mean to you before the lockdown?
Food has always been a productive outlet for my stress. Whether it’s creating new recipes for my (coincidentally timely and relevant) blog, Stress Baking, or eating a handful of chocolate chips while I stand in my pantry as a reprieve from a frustrating meeting. Food allows me to channel that anxious energy into something delicious.
How did your food choices change during the lockdown?
The choices I’ve made about food during this lockdown have been based entirely on availability. My husband and I always try to support local companies and organizations as much as possible, but there hasn’t been much open in our area. Sometimes we end up with tons of veggies and coffee and not much else, so there have definitely been some weeks where our meal choices are… let’s call them “interesting”.
What do you miss the most? What did you discover new?
I miss being able to easily pop into the grocery store to grab ingredients for a new recipe I want to try, or to make an old favorite (I cannot tell you how badly I’ve wanted to make my favorite pasta salad for weeks now). I also miss my favorite local restaurants that have the most inspired menus, delicious drinks, and the greatest staff. I truly hope they’re all about to bounce back from this so we can enjoy what they have to offer again.
Do you have a food hack or a 2 mins recipe you can share?
Since we don’t know when we can safely head to our favorite bars or take a tropical vacation, I plan to make lots of watermelon agua fresca and pineapple coolers as the weather warms up. Each only need a few ingredients and a blender for fruity bliss!
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