Amy Gail Hansen
is the author of The Butterfly Sister (William Morrow/HarperCollins),
Professional Food History Lecturer,
Freelance Writer and Food Blogger
living in Chicagoland.
Professional Food History Lecturer,
Freelance Writer and Food Blogger
living in Chicagoland.
"People who |
A graduate of Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Amy Gail Hansen taught middle school, high school and community college English before finding her niche as a freelance journalist, interviewing such notable artists Wally Lamb, Elizabeth Berg, Elizabeth Strout, Jane Hamilton, Tim O'Brien, Louis Sachar, Chubby Checker and Christopher Coppola, to name a few. Her writing has also appeared in various online venues and blogs, including Writer's Digest, The Strand, Fresh Fiction for Today's Reader, and Chick Lit is Not Dead. Amy is the author of two biographies featuring singer/songwriter Taylor Swift, published by Triumph Books, and a women’s fiction suspense novel, The Butterfly Sister, published by William Morrow/HarperCollins. She currently presents lectures on Food History throughout Chicagoland while completing her second novel, which is food-based women’s fiction. Additionally, she publishes recipes and other culinary-inspired essays on her blog, The Backstory Kitchen |
BOOKS
|
FOOD HISTORY
|
FOOD BLOG
|
THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...
FAVORITE GO-TO FOOD BLOGS:
Look at my internet search history, and you'll see I frequent the following sites pretty regularly:
Brown-Eyed Baker: I always make her Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for my kids on the first day of school. It's a tradition that they come home to a plate of these cookies at the start of a new school year. (One year, thinking no one cared, I didn't make the cookies, and the first question they asked was "Did you make the cookies?") I discovered this recipe doing deep-dive research on soft vs. crispy chocolate chip cookies. I prefer soft and wanted to know how to do it (It really comes down to letting the cookies fully cool right on the pan, not on a rack, which makes them crispy). They are a soft version of the quintessential chocolate chip cookie with the added flavor of peanut butter and a hint of texture from the oatmeal. I often use whole wheat flour in these and in my opinion, they're even better.
Sally's Baking Addiction: I just made her Crusty Cranberry Walnut No-Knead Bread as a gift for my husband for Christmas. We used to buy a loaf like it from a bakery in Hayward, Wisconsin, where my in-laws had a vacation home for many years. It's an artisan, complex-tasting bread with almost no work. Time is your hardest working kitchen tool in this recipe. And it's delicious, especially slathered with Kerrygold butter. It was gone in a day.
Love & Lemons: I seem to revisit the How to Cook Spaghetti Squash post every time I make spaghetti squash, which must not be that often, because I can't seem to remember what I did last time and always need a refresher. The squash comes out perfect using this method. Foolproof.
Cookie + Kate: Her hummus recipe, called The Best Hummus, is my go-to homemade hummus recipe. I spent many a year trying to make homemade hummus that tasted like restaurant versions(.i.e. Pita Inn in the Chicago area). This is it. I use the dried chickpeas version, but she also shares how to use canned chickpeas if you're short on time. Her trick of letting the garlic sit for ten minutes in the lemon juice takes away that bitter, overpowering flavor that sometimes gives fresh garlic a bad name.
Spend with Pennies: In this day of inflation and increasing grocery prices, this website is a godsend. My favorite recipe, Braised Red Cabbage, is so simple, and perfect alongside a German or Polish style meal (like pierogis and grilled kielbasa). I admit I use brown sugar instead of white sugar, (and a whole lot more than the recipe suggests.)
FAVORITE FOOD PODCAST:
Cherry Bombe: I discovered this "female-focused food podcast" after researching food anthropologists for my forthcoming novel. My deep-dive research led me to an interview on Radio Cherry Bombe with chef and culinary anthropologist Casey Corn, of Recipe Lost & Found. I have since listened to over a dozen podcasts, and I can't get enough. Kerry Diamond, creator and owner of Cherry Bombe, is a master interviewer, perfectly balancing professional and personal. She has the most soothing and equally lively voice, I even enjoy listening to her entertaining advertisements for Kerrygold butter and San Pellegrino. There's also a print magazine that is the most gorgeous magazine I've ever held in my hands. It's like a work of art. It's high quality and printed at a family-owned printer in Rhode Island. I ordered a signed copy of the magazine, with Erin French on the cover, from her The Lost Kitchen website.
FAVORITE FOOD CELEBRITIES:
Too many to count, but I'll try anyway. The obvious and most common answer is always Ina Garten. But I've also got culinary crushes on (in no particular order): Elizabeth Poett, Erin French, Joanna Gaines, Elizabeth Heiskell, Katie Button, Annie Stark, Nadia Hussain, Giada De Laurentiis (future post about my holiday order from her online Italian food store, Giadzy) Casey Corn, Ree Drummond, Ruth Reichl, Zoe Francois, Julia Child, Ann Hood, and Stanley Tucci (oh, I guess there is a man on this list).
I forgot someone; I just know it!
FAVORITE FOOD MEMOIR:
Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Love, Life and Food by Ann Hood: I knew Ann Hood for her fiction writing, but she's also a prolific non-fiction writer and turns out, a total foodie. Her ability to blend a poignant personal narrative with a recipe is next level. I am planning to make the Chicken Marabella she describes in this book (it's based on The Silver Palette recipe), which sounds like the ultimate flavor bomb considering the combination of red wine vinegar, olives, capers, prunes, white wine and overnight refrigeration. Hood's book is a true delight and a love letter to the power of food.
Also, a big shout out to Life from Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family and Forgiveness by Sasha Martin, which was the catalyst for rediscovering my passion for food. Martin took on the arduous task of making a dish from every country in the world--195 countries to be exact--and in the process ,found out that food can heal a broken heart. Interestingly, because of it's global perspective, it's published by National Geographic. I read it in the early days of Covid, and it catapulted my obsession with not only reading food memoirs, but trying new, ethnic recipes. Her website Global Table Adventure is an introduction to the literal "world" of food. I especially enjoyed making her Afghan Rice with Chicken & Carrots (Kabeli Palau)
FAVORITE COOKBOOK
A Basket by the Door by Sophie Hansen: (Is this my Aunt Sophie? Nope. No relation). This is a truly unique cookbook I picked up at an adorable boutique in Galena, Illinois. The concept is about leaving "a basket by the door" for various reasons like the birth of a baby or illness. It's basically about caring for others through food, and that's me in a nutshell. I find her recipes so fresh and unique, probably because she's Australian and uses flavor combinations and some ingredients I don't normally see in American cooking. This cookbook is gorgeous, from the photos to the layout to the writing. The book is organized by season but there's a twist: Because she lives in New South Wales, Australia (AKA the Southern hemisphere), her seasons are the exact opposite of us Northern hemisphere folks, So her "summer menu" includes Christmas baking!
FAVORITE SPICE
Smoked paprika: I feel like I put it in everything to boost flavor. I specifically love the one from Trader Joe's. First of all, the metal mediterranean style container is seriously too cute, I would buy it "just for show." But I definitely use it, as it brings a really fresh, layered smoky flavor to dishes without being overpowering. And it's only $2.99 (at least in Chicagoland).
FAVORITE PRODUCT I'M WILLING TO PAY EXTRA FOR:
Pasture-raised eggs: I finally learned and understood the difference among the various types of eggs from watching the eggs episode of Katie Button's From the Source (Season 3, Episode 4) and have sworn by pasture-raised eggs ever since. They are definitely the most expensive egg (find them most affordably at Aldi and Trader Joes!) but those deep orange yolks and creamy, rich taste are so worth it!
Look at my internet search history, and you'll see I frequent the following sites pretty regularly:
Brown-Eyed Baker: I always make her Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for my kids on the first day of school. It's a tradition that they come home to a plate of these cookies at the start of a new school year. (One year, thinking no one cared, I didn't make the cookies, and the first question they asked was "Did you make the cookies?") I discovered this recipe doing deep-dive research on soft vs. crispy chocolate chip cookies. I prefer soft and wanted to know how to do it (It really comes down to letting the cookies fully cool right on the pan, not on a rack, which makes them crispy). They are a soft version of the quintessential chocolate chip cookie with the added flavor of peanut butter and a hint of texture from the oatmeal. I often use whole wheat flour in these and in my opinion, they're even better.
Sally's Baking Addiction: I just made her Crusty Cranberry Walnut No-Knead Bread as a gift for my husband for Christmas. We used to buy a loaf like it from a bakery in Hayward, Wisconsin, where my in-laws had a vacation home for many years. It's an artisan, complex-tasting bread with almost no work. Time is your hardest working kitchen tool in this recipe. And it's delicious, especially slathered with Kerrygold butter. It was gone in a day.
Love & Lemons: I seem to revisit the How to Cook Spaghetti Squash post every time I make spaghetti squash, which must not be that often, because I can't seem to remember what I did last time and always need a refresher. The squash comes out perfect using this method. Foolproof.
Cookie + Kate: Her hummus recipe, called The Best Hummus, is my go-to homemade hummus recipe. I spent many a year trying to make homemade hummus that tasted like restaurant versions(.i.e. Pita Inn in the Chicago area). This is it. I use the dried chickpeas version, but she also shares how to use canned chickpeas if you're short on time. Her trick of letting the garlic sit for ten minutes in the lemon juice takes away that bitter, overpowering flavor that sometimes gives fresh garlic a bad name.
Spend with Pennies: In this day of inflation and increasing grocery prices, this website is a godsend. My favorite recipe, Braised Red Cabbage, is so simple, and perfect alongside a German or Polish style meal (like pierogis and grilled kielbasa). I admit I use brown sugar instead of white sugar, (and a whole lot more than the recipe suggests.)
FAVORITE FOOD PODCAST:
Cherry Bombe: I discovered this "female-focused food podcast" after researching food anthropologists for my forthcoming novel. My deep-dive research led me to an interview on Radio Cherry Bombe with chef and culinary anthropologist Casey Corn, of Recipe Lost & Found. I have since listened to over a dozen podcasts, and I can't get enough. Kerry Diamond, creator and owner of Cherry Bombe, is a master interviewer, perfectly balancing professional and personal. She has the most soothing and equally lively voice, I even enjoy listening to her entertaining advertisements for Kerrygold butter and San Pellegrino. There's also a print magazine that is the most gorgeous magazine I've ever held in my hands. It's like a work of art. It's high quality and printed at a family-owned printer in Rhode Island. I ordered a signed copy of the magazine, with Erin French on the cover, from her The Lost Kitchen website.
FAVORITE FOOD CELEBRITIES:
Too many to count, but I'll try anyway. The obvious and most common answer is always Ina Garten. But I've also got culinary crushes on (in no particular order): Elizabeth Poett, Erin French, Joanna Gaines, Elizabeth Heiskell, Katie Button, Annie Stark, Nadia Hussain, Giada De Laurentiis (future post about my holiday order from her online Italian food store, Giadzy) Casey Corn, Ree Drummond, Ruth Reichl, Zoe Francois, Julia Child, Ann Hood, and Stanley Tucci (oh, I guess there is a man on this list).
I forgot someone; I just know it!
FAVORITE FOOD MEMOIR:
Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Love, Life and Food by Ann Hood: I knew Ann Hood for her fiction writing, but she's also a prolific non-fiction writer and turns out, a total foodie. Her ability to blend a poignant personal narrative with a recipe is next level. I am planning to make the Chicken Marabella she describes in this book (it's based on The Silver Palette recipe), which sounds like the ultimate flavor bomb considering the combination of red wine vinegar, olives, capers, prunes, white wine and overnight refrigeration. Hood's book is a true delight and a love letter to the power of food.
Also, a big shout out to Life from Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family and Forgiveness by Sasha Martin, which was the catalyst for rediscovering my passion for food. Martin took on the arduous task of making a dish from every country in the world--195 countries to be exact--and in the process ,found out that food can heal a broken heart. Interestingly, because of it's global perspective, it's published by National Geographic. I read it in the early days of Covid, and it catapulted my obsession with not only reading food memoirs, but trying new, ethnic recipes. Her website Global Table Adventure is an introduction to the literal "world" of food. I especially enjoyed making her Afghan Rice with Chicken & Carrots (Kabeli Palau)
FAVORITE COOKBOOK
A Basket by the Door by Sophie Hansen: (Is this my Aunt Sophie? Nope. No relation). This is a truly unique cookbook I picked up at an adorable boutique in Galena, Illinois. The concept is about leaving "a basket by the door" for various reasons like the birth of a baby or illness. It's basically about caring for others through food, and that's me in a nutshell. I find her recipes so fresh and unique, probably because she's Australian and uses flavor combinations and some ingredients I don't normally see in American cooking. This cookbook is gorgeous, from the photos to the layout to the writing. The book is organized by season but there's a twist: Because she lives in New South Wales, Australia (AKA the Southern hemisphere), her seasons are the exact opposite of us Northern hemisphere folks, So her "summer menu" includes Christmas baking!
FAVORITE SPICE
Smoked paprika: I feel like I put it in everything to boost flavor. I specifically love the one from Trader Joe's. First of all, the metal mediterranean style container is seriously too cute, I would buy it "just for show." But I definitely use it, as it brings a really fresh, layered smoky flavor to dishes without being overpowering. And it's only $2.99 (at least in Chicagoland).
FAVORITE PRODUCT I'M WILLING TO PAY EXTRA FOR:
Pasture-raised eggs: I finally learned and understood the difference among the various types of eggs from watching the eggs episode of Katie Button's From the Source (Season 3, Episode 4) and have sworn by pasture-raised eggs ever since. They are definitely the most expensive egg (find them most affordably at Aldi and Trader Joes!) but those deep orange yolks and creamy, rich taste are so worth it!