Facing an empty nest, Barrington mom shares love of cooking on blog
Three years ago, Tina Holloway, our cook of the week from Barrington, realized she was at a crossroads: her kids were grown and living on their own, and life was changing. Because she had always loved to cook and was good at it, her kids suggested she open up a restaurant.
“I knew that was never happening,” she says dryly, “but I did want to record all the things I did that they loved.” And thus Tina's blog, shreddedsprout.com, was born.
“I didn't know a thing about blogging,” says Tina. “I did it myself, with no help, which was a big stretch for me technologically. I had to go to the other side of my brain!” Tina began by searching Google for “how to write a blog” and went on from there. Part of the fun for her, besides the cooking and writing, is taking the photographs. Tina uses a photo step-by-step format for her blog, so she often cooks with a camera by her side.
When you check out Tina's blog, you will see that there is an emphasis on healthy, nutritious food.
“This was the way I grew up, we had to eat well,” Tina explains. “I grew up with five sisters, and one of my sisters was a juvenile diabetic, so food was clearly important. We ate dinner together every single night.”
Consider her Halibut en Papillote with Spring Vegetables, a recipe Tina shares with us today. Tender halibut is baked in parchment paper and served on a bed of julienne vegetables. Tina enjoys serving fish or seafood often.
“I'm very conscious of good nutrition and what I am eating. I prefer to use real food; I use a lot of olive oil. But not everything on my site is healthy. You kind of know what is healthy and what is not, sure we all go through the Doritos stage, and the pizza stage - but not anymore.” Tina doesn't necessarily shop all organic, however, (“it comes down to price”) but she does exclusively buy meat and dairy with no hormones or antibiotics.
“My kids are 6 feet and 6 feet 7 inches, God forbid I gave them more hormones!” she laughs.
The other thing you will notice about Tina's blog is the careful attention to the way food is plated and presented.
“The plate should always look pretty. My mom was really creative and always put attention to the way food looked, down to the cherry on top.”
Apparently creativity runs in the family. While Tina prefers to make, not bake, dessert, no dinner guests will ever be disappointed. Her Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries is a creamy confection topped with the best berries spring offers.
When Tina entertains, (she loves entertaining, and she usually hosts the holidays) she likes to do the majority of the cooking ahead of time so that she is not cooking when the guests arrive.
“I like to make something that is pretty easy, but looks like it was harder to make than it was! If you can read a recipe, you can cook. Just put a little more effort into the details and you've got yourself a nice party.”
Fridays however, are reserved for her husband.
“It's our new Friday Night tradition. We drink wine and cook together. We might make seared scallops or a good pasta dish. It's just the two of us now, and I really enjoy cooking because he appreciates it.” Hopefully, he doesn't mind occasionally stopping to take photos!
“The blog has turned into such a creative outlet and is a perfect transition for my new life,” says Tina.
See Tina's recipes for Grilled Chicken Burgers with Sweet Potato Chips and Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Chicken and Brown Rice at dailyherald.com/lifestyles/recipe.
<i>To suggest someone to be profiled here, send the cook's name, address and phone number to food@dailyherald.com.</i>