Hobbies are important to have. Taking time doing things you love will make you a happier person in your career and relationships.
One of my hobbies is eating. Luckily, my husband Ralph Beier’s hobby is cooking (when not on the golf course). Together, we’ve blended our food passions to create Cookin’ with Gas, a recipe blog!
Culinary travels
Culinary travels
Ralph has worked many years in various sales positions requiring travel throughout the world. During these business trips, Ralph encountered a wide variety of culinary delights. Upon returning home, he often tried replicating the dishes he had enjoyed, and I was always eager to sample his creations.
Over the years, Ralph’s passion for cooking continued to evolve, and he rarely uses a recipe (unlike me). He also loves to make meals for family and friends – slaving away over a hot stove all day or preparing a charcoal grill is pure enjoyment for him.
This passion of his is what sparked the idea for us to create a food recipe blog, as a way to share his recipes and cooking methods with our children and others. While he cooks, I write as he explains what he’s doing, and we both take pictures and videos along the way.
Our food philosophy
Owning a much smaller fridge after we moved to Germany 14 years ago changed the amount of food we buy (enough for a few days), from where (mostly our local farmer’s market and butcher), and we aim to eat seasonally.
For us, great food is not just enjoyed on the week-end – every meal is equally important. We mainly eat meat and fish, but enjoy seasonal vegetables too. The burning question we have after every meal is…what are we making next?
Building the blog
We chose WordPress as the platform for Cookin’ with gas as I’ve used this for my updates from Germany blog, my business website, and many of my clients use it as well. Despite my familiarity with the platform, creating the layout and design for a recipe-style blog presented new challenges, leading to many late-night sessions with WordPress support.
Especially challenging was finding photos to use as the header and logo, as graphic design is not my specialty. I ended up creating a logo using a basic design program, with the intent to invest in more professional services later.
After sharing our blog, I received an email from my friend Banie Stafford surprising me with a logo design he made for the blog. It was exactly how I had envisioned it! His incredibly kind gesture brought me to tears. Banie is the owner of B Creative, a marketing and branding agency and for many years I’ve had the pleasure of working with Banie for our joint client ROTOCON. I can’t wait to meet Banie in person one day and share a braaibroodjie—a traditional South African grilled sandwich often enjoyed as a side dish during a braai (South African barbecue).
The story behind our blog’s name
“Now we’re cookin’ with gas!” is what Ralph blurts out when what he’s making is coming together fabulously. When I hear him say it, I know a delicious meal is on the way.
You can check out Cookin’ with gas here: https://wearecookinwithgas.com/
“Food brings people together on many different levels. It’s nourishment of the soul and body; it’s truly love.” – Giada De Laurentiis
Heather Roth Communications 