Big Flavors turns 18 - celebrating ways I've evolved in the kitchen

It's absolutely wild to think that I've been writing about food and recipes for eighteen.whole.years now. Sharing something a little different each year to celebrate my "blogiversary" has always been a lot of fun.

For the big 18, I figured I'd do something a little more symbolic of the whole "turning into an adult" type thing. So this year, I'm sharing 18 ways I've evolved in the kitchen since I started wayyyyy back in 2006.

Whether you've been here since the beginning, for a while now, or are new to me and the Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen brand, know that I'm so very thankful for you.

This work has allowed me to have so many wonderful experiences, try so many new things, and meet so many incredible people over the years. I appreciate everyone who has supported me in any way over the years.

Without further ado, here are 18 ways that I've grown and changed in my tiny kitchen over the past 18 years, in no particular order.

Jump to:

• 1. I've become much more eco-conscious in the kitchen.
• 2. I started composting!
• 3. I trust my gut when following recipes.
• 4. I help out "future me" waaaay more often.
• 5. I utilize leftovers in lots of different ways!
• 6. I recreate restaurant dishes at home.
• 7. I've been inspired by travel.
• 8. I try to be more intentional with meal planning.
• 9. I keep tabs on what I have stocked at home.
• 10. I’ve overcome being a picky eater. 
• 11. I pay more attention to labels and serving sizes.
• 12. I cook with fewer processed ingredients.
• 13. I don’t feel guilty about leaning into convenience items.
• 14. I go back to old recipes to re-test and update them.
• 15. I’ve entered cooking contests.
• 16. I’ve welcomed hundreds of people into my kitchen (virtually) with live cooking classes.
• 17. I've taught professionals how to develop and write recipes.
• 18. I've changed the way I think about recipe development.
• Want to see more blogiversary celebrations?
• Check out my latest posts...
• 💬 Comments

1. I've become much more eco-conscious in the kitchen.

By no means does this mean that I claim to be "zero-waste". In fact, I feel that terminology like that can often scare people off from trying to make any sort of impact.

I'm all about finding small ways to reduce waste in the kitchen, trying them out, and seeing if they stick for me and my family. Not everything works, and that's fine! Just trying out alternatives to see what works best that can be incorporated into daily life.

I've collected some of my favorite eco-friendly products over on my Amazon shop if you're in the market for alternatives. But I encourage you to use what you have before going out of your way to buy new things.

Trying to go full throttle and changing a bunch of things at once is a recipe for disaster. I started with replacing my paper towels with reusable paper towels. I still keep regular ones in the house, but on my main paper towel roll, it's the reusable ones.

That way, when I go to reach for one, I'm closest to the eco-friendly option. I've tried a few brands over the years, and the ones I love most are from a small, woman-owned brand called Porter Lee's. I'm also a big fan of their reusable sponges.

I still use disposable paper towels for things like patting meat dry, and then I toss them in my compost bin.

Speaking of...

2. I started composting!

Composting was suuuuper intimidating to me. I had been freezing veggie scraps to make stock in the slow cooker for a few years, but we still seemed to produce a fair amount of food waste.

I attended a webinar hosted by my local library and the author of a great book on sustainable food shopping and learned some things about garbage that really made me want to give composting a try.

The complex I live in doesn't offer compost pickup, and we don't have space for a big home composting setup. And, truthfully, I was also worried that it would be really stinky.

I found that my town offers a free food scrap recycling program. They offer kits that you can buy with a little bin for your kitchen, compostable liner bags, and a larger container to collect the bags outside.

Whenever your bin fills up, just take it to the drop-off site. They even do compost give-back days so you can go pick up processed compost for your garden each year.

I decided to give it a try, and we've managed to stick with it for a few years now! I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't make my kitchen smell bad.

Because of composting, we take our garbage out way less often. Everyone in the house knows to put any food scraps right into that bin. It usually takes us a few weeks to fill up the larger bin outside, so taking it to the drop-off site isn't something we have to deal with too often. It's also at a gorgeous park in my town, which makes it a nice little trip.

If you've been hesitant to try composting, I encourage you to check out what public composting options are available in your area. Depending on the setup, you may be able to compost things like bones from meat as well (preferably after you use them and some veggies to make homemade stock).

3. I trust my gut when following recipes.

I used to think it was borderline blasphemous to question the way a recipe was written. Especially if it came from a chef who's super popular, has lots of cookbooks or restaurants, etc.

But you know what? Once you get more comfortable in the kitchen, you develop instincts that you can and should trust!

I'm still guilty of not always fully reading a recipe before I start cooking it, but I do find that a lot of recipes instruct you to use unnecessary extra dishes, leave out ingredients, or ask you to do something that just plain doesn't make sense.

And sometimes bigger chefs forget to write recipes for home cooks and leave in things that only make sense in a restaurant setting. Or they hire someone else to write up their recipes, so who knows how truly tested they are?

Trust your gut.

4. I help out "future me" waaaay more often.

Sometimes taking a little extra time now can help you save a lot of time down the line. Things like cooking a little extra of whatever you're making so you have leftovers can be a huge help.

Whether you decide to freeze the extras or keep them in the fridge to enjoy later in the week, it's great to have a home-cooked meal already prepped and ready for you when mealtime rolls around.

If I already plan to use the oven, sometimes I'll check out the produce drawer in my fridge to see what else I could cook for later in the week. My favorite thing to do is to take a bunch of veggies, toss them with a little oil and a sprinkle of grill seasoning on a sheet pan.

It's a great way to use up odds and ends in the kitchen, and it'll ensure you have side dishes to go with meals later in the week. Roasted veggies are also great toppings for grain bowls or tossed with pasta.

If I'm making grains like rice, farro, or freekeh, I'll often make extra to have with other dishes during the week. Grains also freeze really well, so they're a great candidate for that as well.

If we're grilling, I'll throw on some extra meat or veggies. That way we're firing up the grill once, but cooking for a few meals.

And speaking of leftovers...

5. I utilize leftovers in lots of different ways!

I used to shy away from leftovers. Part of it, I think, is that I didn't know how to heat them up in a way that worked well.

A few things that have helped me, reheating-wise, are to add a little splash of water to things like meat before microwaving. If it's something that could dry out or overcook easily, I'll use a lower power level. This works great for things like pork tenderloin.

Another useful tool for reheating is an air fryer. It's especially great for helping fried items get crispy again. I also use it sometimes to heat up those aluminum takeout containers (making sure to remove the plastic top!) so I don't have to dirty up any dishes when reheating food.

If you follow me over on Instagram, you'll see lots of ideas for how I utilize leftovers on my Instagram stories. I love sharing the things I try out, and it's always fun talking to people in the DMs. It's so nice hearing that my kitchen experiments inspire others!

6. I recreate restaurant dishes at home.

Going out to eat is a great way to get inspired in your own kitchen. If there's a dish or cocktail that you enjoy while you're dining at a restaurant, it's totally possible that you could make something similar at home!

I usually take a photo of the menu so I can refer to the description of the item later when trying to reverse-engineer it in my kitchen.

I've had great success with many of these experiments. Here are a few examples of ones that I've shared here on Big Flavors:

7. I've been inspired by travel.

I don't travel a ton, but whenever I do, I inevitably find new and exciting food and drink options. It has absolutely inspired me in the kitchen when I'm developing new recipes for my website.

Even if you don't stray too far from home, you can broaden your horizons by taking food tours or exploring markets and restaurants in new areas. I talk about food tourism with my co-host, Lisa, on this episode of the Passing the Plate podcast.

We also touch on exploring local flavors on the road in an episode that's coming out later this month, so be sure to subscribe to Passing the Plate wherever you listen to podcasts. It's always a delicious time around our (virtual) table.

8. I try to be more intentional with meal planning.

Instead of just picking random recipes to make for the week, I put in more effort to streamline what I'm cooking. Having a solid plan is a huge help here.

If I'm planning to make a recipe that needs a little bit of one ingredient, like cilantro, I'll see what else I can make that also uses that ingredient so it's less likely to go to waste.

Another thing I'll do is buy larger packages of things, like ground turkey, that I can divide between a few recipes (like tacos with homemade taco seasoning, turkey burgers, baked taquitos, and our favorite turkey chili with beans).

I find that if I mix up the cuisines and types of dishes that I'm making it helps the ingredient overlap feel less repetitive.

Or I'll repurpose leftovers in a variety of ways. If I make a big batch of taco meat, we can have tacos one night and use the extra on nachos, in a grain bowl, in a quesadilla, or on a big ol' taco salad.

9. I keep tabs on what I have stocked at home.

One of the things that's been most helpful to me when it comes to staying organized in the kitchen is to keep lists of what I actually have stocked in my pantry and freezer.

My kitchen is super small, hence the name of my site, but you'd be surprised how easily things can accumulate. It's easy to put something in the pantry and keep pushing it to the back, forget that you have it, and buy the same thing again because you didn't realize you had it already.

Here's what's worked, specifically in those 2 areas, for me for the last several years. It's simple, but it requires attention to make sure that it works:

I make a list of what I have and keep it updated.

That's it! Really!

More specifically, I have a list for each area (freezer and pantry) in my phone. It's shared with my husband so we can both update it as needed. I have each list broken down into categories so it's easy to find something when I'm looking for it.

So, for example, my freezer list is broken down into headings like "produce", "meat", "prepared foods", "dessert", and "bread". Underneath each of those categories, I have all of the items that we have on hand listed in alphabetical order. Alphabetical order may feel like overkill, but it helps me quickly find out if we have things in the kitchen.

If you want to implement something like this on your own, feel free to use whatever style of organization works best for you. Don't think you need to do what I do. Experiment and see what works for you and your household.

Again, being able to find items easily so you can quickly update the list is key to being able to maintain it. Once you fall off of marking items off or adding new items, it can be tricky to get it back to working order.

Having lists like this lets me quickly take a look to see if I can "throw something together" out of what we have in the house, or if I need to go to the grocery store. This is especially helpful on busy weeknights, when we're getting ready to go on vacation, or when we just don't feel like doing much in the kitchen.

10. I’ve overcome being a picky eater. 

It comes as a surprise to many people, but I was a suuuuuper picky eater as a kid. I moved to New York after college and decided that I wanted to make an effort to try new things. There are so many great restaurants and ingredients to explore, so I figured this was a great place to expand my palate. 

Aside from trying new cuisines, I also decided to try ingredients I previously didn’t like to see if there was a way I could find to enjoy them. 

I’m happy to report that I was able to overcome my dislike of lots of ingredients (I’m looking at you fennel, seafood, sausage, bitter greens, et. al.).

A few years ago, I created the Adventurous Eaters Challenge to help picky eaters (especially, but not exclusively kids) find ways to explore new and different things in the kitchen. It's been so fun to help other people work on overcoming pickiness.

We also talked about picky eaters on episode 5 of my podcast. Check it out here: Passing the Plate episode 05: Tips for Modifying Recipes and Recovering Picky Eaters.

11. I pay more attention to labels and serving sizes.

Have you ever looked at the serving size on a label and laughed because it seemed so unrealistic? I certainly have. I didn’t used to pay a ton of attention to things like that, but these days that’s different. 

Part of it is getting older and maturing, and part of that is making sure I’m getting accurate nutrition information and basing decisions around that. 

Diet culture gives me a serious case of the icks, but being more mindful about what I’m eating has been really helpful to my overall health. Knowing what an actual serving of rice or chicken looks like vs. just filling up a plate can be really insightful and prevent you from over or undereating.

I also include nutritional information on my recipe posts, and I measure while I’m recipe testing to make sure that the serving sizes are realistic and that the nutrition listed is as accurate as I can get it. I use a paid tool to help calculate but know that it’s not perfect. It’s an educated estimate that can help guide you when you’re paying attention to your intake. I hope it’s helpful!

12. I cook with fewer processed ingredients.

Don’t get me wrong, my family still eats processed foods. But I do my best to incorporate a wide array of actual fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, and a variety of protein sources.

I've always loved fresh, colorful fruits and veggies, and I enjoy incorporating into my cooking in various ways.

When buying packaged items from the grocery store, I try to find things with ingredients that I'm familiar with and can actually pronounce.

That being said…

13. I don’t feel guilty about leaning into convenience items.

Life is busy. Things happen. Some days I don’t feel like cooking or dirtying a bunch of dishes. And that’s fine!

There are a lot of convenience items that I keep stocked at home to help out on days like that. It helps me avoid defaulting to takeout or delivery too often, although there’s no shame in leaning into that, either. 

Some things that are helpful to buy or keep on hand include pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, microwaveable rice pouches, jarred sauces, pre-cooked meals that just need to be reheated, frozen dinners, etc.

Don’t feel like everything has to be made from scratch all the time. It absolutely doesn’t, and you’ll likely burn yourself out if you try to cook every single day. Take some help when you need it!

14. I go back to old recipes to re-test and update them.

Since Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen has been around for so long, there are a LOT of recipes to dig through. Over the years, tastes change, ingredients change, and cooking methods change. 

Aside from all of that, I’ve also grown and learned a lot as a cook. I've been working on going back into the archives to make sure my older recipes still work well. If I can do something to help make the steps more clear or concise, I do that. If there are steps that can be omitted, I rework the recipe so it takes less time and/or effort. 

I’ve been slowly but surely updating recipes, adding helpful tips, and taking new photos. I try to answer any questions that may come up during the cooking process in my posts to make sure that you have a successful experience when you go to make my recipes in your kitchen!

Here are a few examples of older posts that have been revamped at least once over the years:

15. I’ve entered cooking contests.

Several years ago, my son’s school was having an apple pie baking contest. I absolutely LOVE my family’s Dutch apple pie recipe, so I made one and entered it into the contest. 

There were so many beautiful pies that day,  and I was honored to have won first place (and a blue ribbon)!

On a larger level, I took part in a live cooking competition that took place in the Finger Lakes region of New York. It was sponsored by the American Dairy Association Northeast, and hosted by Food Network Star Chef Jason Smith.

My category was cheese, and I made a deliciously unique pizza with burrata, prosciutto, and pickled grapes. It was a big hit with the judges!

You can read about my experience here. It was a ton of fun, and it got me over being intimidated to be on camera. 

And speaking of being on camera…

16. I’ve welcomed hundreds of people into my kitchen (virtually) with live cooking classes.

It started with Facebook live cooking demos years ago. Then I started teaching cooking classes in person at my local library. 

Once 2020 happened, I transitioned into online virtual cooking classes, where I was able to reach hundreds of people around the world. I partnered with many libraries and organizations as well as private clients to make lots of delicious meals. 

I had a lot of fun teaching these classes, but have moved on to other things now. I still do teach occasionally, but I'm not packing my schedule like I was a few years ago.

I put a ton of effort into those classes, and was able to connect with so many wonderful people and help them build confidence in the kitchen.

Some of the library class videos are available on my YouTube channel, as are the Facebook Live replays. I also have a few of the on-demand classes available on my Gumroad page as well. 

I was a guest on a few podcasts talking about this topic. If you’re interested, you can check them out below:

• Eat Blog Talk Episode 495: How to Make Money by Teaching Online and In-Person Cooking Classes with Ashley Covelli
• Food Blogger Pro Podcast Episode 385: Teaching Cooking Classes in Your Community as a Food Creator with Ashley Covelli - November 2022 

17. I've taught professionals how to develop and write recipes.

One of the coolest experiences I've had because of my work here at Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen took place last year when I spoke to the Pace University Nutrition and Dietetics Masters Capstone Program on how to develop and write recipes.

When I was first asked to do this talk, imposter syndrome kicked in big time. I'm not formally trained in this (I went to college for art!). But as I thought about it, I had well over a decade of experience in this industry and have really honed my skills over the years.

Speaking to this group of women, answering their questions, talking about inspiration and formatting... it was so much fun! It went over really well, and I'd love to do more things like that in the future.

18. I've changed the way I think about recipe development.

One of the things I've learned over the years is that being able to adapt and be flexible is really important. It's not always easy, but it's an incredibly helpful skill.

When I develop recipes now, I do my best to include options, suggest alternatives, etc. so that more people can enjoy them. One big example of this is talking through the different types of ground meat or vegan ground meat substitute that can be used in certain recipes.

I'd hate to think that someone who doesn't eat red meat wouldn't be able to enjoy my favorite broiler kebab recipe. So I worked on a version of it that omitted the meat in favor of a vegan ground meat substitute. I even made tweaks for people who can't (or don't!) eat eggs (a splash of water works just fine!).

I've also started working on mocktail versions of the cocktail recipes I develop. You can see examples of that in this passionfruit margarita recipe and this watermelon tequila cocktail recipe.

Being inclusive of a variety of dietary needs and preferences is something that can help you connect with more people and enjoy delicious food and drinks with them. And I'm all about that!!

Thank you again for being here. Cheers to another year of Big Flavors!