Blogger We Love: Julie Chiou of Table for Two.

Julie Chiou is a self-proclaimed foodie and the creator of Table for Two, her blog that’s chock-full of tasty recipes. With dishes from a “Holidays” theme to “Take-Out, Fake-Out”, she’s sure to have a recipe you’ll love.

1) Must-have kitchen accessory: It’s a tie between my stand mixer and my food processor. I can make a huge batch of cookies, frosting, or whipped cream in my stand mixer in no time. With my food processor, I make a lot of pestos, sauces, soups, and even dough. I would say without those two items, my kitchen would be a whole lot messier!

2) Favorite ingredient: Salt. I love how versatile it is. You can add it to savory foods to bring out and enhance the flavors or you can add it to sweets to cut the sweetness as well as give the dish a sweet-salty effect.

3) Biggest Cooking Inspiration: My mom. I was always in the kitchen with her, learning every step of the way and watching her come up with the most unique recipes. We rarely ever ate out because she made sure we had a home cooked meal every night. It really reinforced eating at the family table together and also really helped with a nutritious and healthy lifestyle.

4) Dish you’re most proud of: I’m most proud of my most recent pasta creation, the Roasted Red Pepper Pesto with Goat Cheese Pasta. It was one of those dishes that you couldn’t help but eat the entire thing. It’s fairly healthy too! There’s no cream or butter!

5) Salty or sweet: Ahh, this is a toughie! Ideally, I’d love to choose both because I love a good salty-sweet dessert such as my Nutella and Salted Caramel Pie, but if I had to choose just one, I’d say sweet.

6) Favorite person to cook for: My fiance! He’s so easy to cook for because he loves everything and isn’t picky!

7) Recipe You’d Recommend: Absolutely love these Peanut Butter Truffles. They’re so easy to make and even more delicious! They’re great to bring and to have at baby showers (any kind of shower, really), potlucks, and any get-together with friends and family. They’re definitely a crowd pleaser.

8) Your go-to dinner dish: For this time of the year (summertime), I love roasting vegetables and making pasta dishes with them or fresh pestos and sauces.