At This Farm Girl Cooks, every recipe begins in my real home kitchen, not a commercial test kitchen.
As a farm wife, mom, and recipe creator, I develop recipes designed for busy families who need dependable meals made with everyday ingredients. My goal is simple: help you answer the question, "What's for dinner?" with recipes and meal solutions that fit real life.
Whether you're feeding your family after a long day at work, packing meals for the field during harvest, or trying to get dinner on the table between sports practices and activities, I believe good food doesn't have to be complicated.
My Recipe Philosophy
The recipes you'll find on This Farm Girl Cooks are built around practicality.
I focus on:
- Simple ingredients available at most grocery stores
- Easy-to-follow instructions
- Family-friendly flavors
- Realistic preparation times
- Recipes that fit busy schedules
While I enjoy cooking, I don't believe every meal needs to be made completely from scratch. Sometimes shortcuts are exactly what busy families need. My goal is to provide recipes that help you feed your family with confidence, whether you're cooking for a regular weeknight or a special gathering.
Every Recipe Starts with a Problem to Solve
Many food blogs start with a recipe.
I often start with a meal-time challenge.
Readers frequently tell me they're struggling with things like:
- Getting dinner on the table after a busy day
- Feeding hungry teenagers
- Packing meals for the field during planting and harvest
- Stretching the grocery budget
- Using ingredients they already have on hand
- Finding meals the whole family will eat
Those challenges inspire many of the recipes and resources you'll find on this site.
Whether it's an easy slow cooker meal, a make-ahead breakfast, a freezer-friendly dinner, or a creative way to use overripe bananas, every recipe is created with real-life needs in mind.
How Recipes Are Developed
Every recipe follows a process before it's published.
The process typically includes:
Recipe Development
Recipes may begin as family favorites, reader requests, seasonal ideas, or solutions to common meal-planning challenges.
Testing and Refining
Recipes are prepared and adjusted as needed to ensure ingredients, cooking times, and instructions produce reliable results.
Some recipes come together quickly. Others require multiple rounds of testing before they're ready to share.
Writing and Review
Once a recipe is finalized, I write detailed instructions, tips, and notes to help readers recreate the recipe successfully in their own kitchens.
Tested in a Real Home Kitchen
Unlike large food media companies, I don't have a commercial test kitchen or a team of recipe developers.
I cook in the same kitchen my family uses every day.
That means the recipes on this site are created around real schedules, real grocery budgets, and real family meals.
If a recipe requires difficult-to-find ingredients, complicated techniques, or simply isn't worth making again, it's unlikely to be published.
Original Photography
Every recipe on This Farm Girl Cooks is photographed using the actual recipe featured in the post.
The photos you see are intended to show readers what the recipe looks like when prepared in a real home kitchen.
Whenever possible, I include process photos to help guide readers through important steps and techniques.
Family Approved
Many recipes are sampled by family members, friends, and guests before publication.
As a mom of four and member of a multi-generational farm family, I receive plenty of honest feedback. 😉
If a recipe becomes a repeat request at our house, that's usually a good sign it's ready to share with readers.
Why Readers Trust This Farm Girl Cooks
- Creating recipes and publishing content since 2016
- More than one million annual readers
- American Farm Bureau Women's Communications Boot Camp graduate
- Certified Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition
- Recipes developed and tested in my own home kitchen
My Promise to Readers
Every recipe I publish is created with one goal in mind:
Helping busy families put good food on the table with confidence.
You don't need fancy equipment, expensive ingredients, or professional culinary training to make a great meal.
You simply need recipes that work for real life.
That's exactly what I strive to provide at This Farm Girl Cooks.
Made with love,
Deanne Frieders
This Farm Girl Cooks