About
Welcome to Homemade In The Kitchen – Your Resource for Small Batch Recipes and Recipes for Two!
If you often find yourself cooking for 1-2 people, whether it’s every day because you don’t have kids, your kids grew up and moved out, or you have certain evenings where everyone isn’t home together, then this is the place for you.
I know how hard it is to scale down recipes, so I’m here to teach you how to cook and bake from scratch without drowning in leftovers.
Most of my recipes make 2-4 servings, leaving you with no or minimal leftovers (which are excellent for lunch the next day).
This is what I like to call “realistic dinners for two.” I mean, who really only eats one Mediterranean chicken thigh or one bowl of lasagna soup?
Instead of quarts of ice cream and a 13×9 pan of brownies, I make small batch ice cream recipes and loaf pan brownies.
Instead of three layer cakes, I make 6 inch cake recipes.
Since I’ve been blogging since 2007, my older recipes may make more servings. I’m slowly retesting and rewriting them, so please bear with me. If you need help scaling down an older recipe, please ask.
Meet Carla
Hello! I’m Carla Cardello, an independent woman in her mid 30s learning how to adult alone. No kids, no boyfriend/husband/boy toy. Just me and my cat Mr. J.
Currently I live in Pittsburgh where I was born and raised (except for 4 years where I lived with cows for my first after-college job). Follow me on @citylifeadventures to get a better look at the city I call home.
How I Got Started
I started blogging in 2007 when I noticed most if not all of the recipes online focused on making large quantities for families.
Back then I was a single college girl learning how to cook; I don’t need 8 servings of tuna noodle casserole. I decided to document my recipes in hopes others felt the same way.
Now I’m older and freelancing full time but still have the same philosophy geared towards working adults. You don’t need to make giant meals to enjoy delicious food from scratch!
Although my cooking has evolved over the years, you won’t find any convenience foods like boxed macaroni and cheese, canned soup, or cake mixes.
I rebranded in 2018 from Chocolate Moosey to Homemade In The Kitchen. Although the name was whimsical, I felt it no longer reflected who I am.
My Cooking Background
My love for food and recipes go way back.
Growing up I would often tear recipes out my mom’s magazines and stare at the photos. Although I was too young to make them, I knew some day I would.
My parents aren’t great cooks so it wasn’t until 8th grade cooking class where I learned the basics and really fell in love with food. I continued this love in high school where I took more cooking classes.
After graduating high school, I found myself in college with a kitchen and a million cookbooks. Then I started my blog in 2007 and the rest is history.
Although most of my knowledge is self-taught through experience, in 2017 I completed my Certificate in Culinary Arts, which means I understand the foundational techniques used in recipes. This ensures you will have great results in your kitchen every time.
All recipes are developed and tested multiple times to ensure you can recreate them at home successfully without any doubt. I then style, shoot, and write the recipes for you to enjoy.
FAQ
Because I’ve been blogging for over 15 years, I tend to get the same questions a lot. Here are the most popular ones:
If you’re single, why do you cook for two?
You’re probably wondering why as a single gal I’m talking about recipes for two. I find it much easier to save some leftovers for lunch the next day.
Your lasagna for two makes more than two servings! We ended up with leftovers! You’re a disgrace!
As I mention numerous times on this blog (on this about page, on my lasagna for two post itself, on other blog posts), I usually don’t make literally 2 servings.
I should probably clarify what a serving is. When I say 4 servings, I mean 4 helpings. I don’t mean it feeds 4 people (unless those 4 people only eat 1 plate and 1 plate only. I grew up in a 4 person household. 4 servings is never enough for a family of 4).
Sit down and think about the last time you ate only 1 serving of something. Were you still hungry afterwards? I sure was!
Imagine sitting down with your partner and eating 1 serving each. You go back for seconds and…nothing! Because you literally made 2 servings.
I personally enjoy making 4 servings because I get to eat 2 servings now, 2 servings for lunch without having to cook again. Win win.
But I understand people may have smaller appetites and only want literally 2 servings. In those cases, you can either scale the recipe down even further or save the leftovers for lunch.
Your lasagna for two doesn’t make enough! My husband and I love freezing a whole 13×9 pan just for us!
If that’s what you enjoy doing, then keep doing it. But not everyone has the freezer room (nor desire) for that much lasagna when you’re cooking for 1-2.
Can I take your small batch recipe and making a regular size recipe?
My small batch recipes have been tested specifically for the pans I tested them in.
I wish I had the budget and team of America’s Test Kitchen to test for every single pan and scenario, but unfortunately it’s just me and the often useless cat.
I’m flattered you loved my recipe so much you want to use it for larger sizes. I will do my best to help you out, but sometimes you’re better off finding a recipe already made in that size.
What does childfree mean? Do you hate children?
Childfree means I don’t want kids. Much like not everyone is meant to be a lawyer or doctor, I am not meant to be a parent.
However, you don’t have to share my lifestyle to enjoy my recipes! Plenty of readers are empty nesters who are relearning how to cook small meals again. Or they’re a single parent feeding their child.
And if you are here feeding a large family, I welcome you too. Just note most recipes don’t make large quantities.
Did you go to college for cooking or photography?
I went to Slippery Rock University for my Bachelor’s degree in Multimedia with an emphasis in video.
Although I never formally learned photography, I’ve been shooting photos for as long as I can remember, ranging from a disposable camera on childhood field trips to my first point and shoot camera for vacation to buying my first DSLR for this blog.
Disclosures and Disclaimers
To read all of the legalese necessary for running this blog, check out my Disclosures and Disclaimers page.