Hi, I’m Shauna! I like my recipes easy, my desserts extra sweet, and my men tall with cowboy boots on!
I live just outside Salt Lake City, UT with my amazing husband Mike. Together, we have seven kids ranging in age from 12 to 27 — all of whom seem to think my kitchen operates like a 24-hour all-you-can-eat buffet.
When we’re not gathered around the table eating something delicious, you’ll usually find us hitting all the local rodeos in the summer, hunting in the fall, or curled up together for a good movie night.
I believe the best recipes are simple, comforting, and made with ingredients you actually recognize from the grocery store. Because good food shouldn’t be complicated — it should just make everyone ask for seconds.
Coffee, Cowboys & Casseroles: A Little About Me
Why did I start The Best Blog Recipes?
Way back in 2012, after I had my first son, I decided I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. The only problem? I still needed to make money. When I realized you could actually earn a living sharing something you love with people all over the world, I decided to give this whole recipe blogging thing a try.
Fast forward 14 years, and I’m still lucky enough to do what I love most — cooking for my family and sharing those recipes with all of you!
What recipe does my family request the most?
Stroganoff!! They cannot get enough of it. Four of our kids ask for it constantly, so it officially earned a spot on the twice-a-month dinner rotation around here.
What’s your most-used kitchen appliance / tool?
You guys… I am OBSESSED with my new cheese grater from Amazon. It suction cups to the counter, you stick the cheese in, turn the handle, and magically get freshly shredded cheese in seconds. It’s oddly satisfying and honestly makes me feel like I have my life together.
What’s my most popular recipe ever?
Definitely my Banana Pudding Cookies! They go viral on social media every single time I share them, and the reviews are AMAZING.
The funny thing is, I originally made them one day because I was bored… and they’ve been a hit ever since I first posted them!
What’s one thing you can’t live without?
My daily Diet Coke. I cannot get enough — especially when it’s extra crispy with nugget ice. MMMM. Nothing better.
What’s a food I absolutely refuse to eat?
CILANTRO. It tastes exactly like soap to me and I will never be convinced otherwise.
My family thinks I’m completely crazy because they all love it while I’m over here practically wearing hazmat gloves to chop it. Apparently it’s genetic, so I guess I’m special or something.
Who is the pickiest eater in the family?
That would definitely be my 14-year-old son. I honestly don’t know how he’s already taller than me considering his diet mainly consists of cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, fries, pizza, chips, granola bars, and basically every stereotypical teenage-boy food imaginable.
He’s always been my picky eater and has a super “sensory” thing with food textures.
What’s your guilty pleasure TV show?
I’m a total Breaking Bad, El Camino, and Better Call Saul girl. I watched them for the first time a few years ago and binge-watched all of them over a couple months. I was HOOKED and honestly can’t believe I waited so long to watch them.
What’s the hardest recipe to photograph?
Cheese. Anything with cheese.
It gets weirdly shiny, cheese pulls never cooperate, and somehow the food starts looking old in pictures almost immediately. Food bloggers everywhere know the struggle.
If you weren’t a food blogger, what would you be doing?
I would 100% work in the medical field if I wasn’t a food blogger — or maybe even be a Medical Examiner.
For some reason my brain remembers two things extremely well: food and medical terminology.
What’s something readers would be surprised to know about you?
I never had dogs growing up, and large dogs absolutely terrified me for most of my life.
Then I met my husband, who had an 80-pound silver lab that scared me to death at first. Fast forward a few years, and now we have THREE black labs that fully believe they’re lap dogs despite weighing 96, 70, and 64 pounds.
The second I sit down to watch TV, it turns into a competition for who gets Mom’s lap.
Which kid sneaks the most snacks?
Definitely our 12- and 14-year-old boys. I swear they have hollow legs.
Teenage boys will absolutely eat you out of house and home. Before having boys, I truly had no idea how much food they could put away in a single day. Trust me… it’s A LOT.
