Meet our Recipe Testers!
They help us make sure the recipes we bring you are the best they can be!
Featured recipe testers...
Meet some of our recipe testers and their favorite recipes. Watch for their notes & advice on the NellieBellie recipes!
Our recipe testers are everyday people like you. For their privacy and safety, we have not used their real pictures.
Tester since 2011. From Minnesota. Specializes in Asian Cuisine.
Favorite NellieBellie Recipe:
With us from the beginning. True OG. Lives in Montana
Favorite NellieBellie Recipe:
Tester since 2011. From Ohio. Specializes in big flavors & ethnic cuisine. And dessert. Always dessert :)
Favorite NellieBellie Recipe:
Recipe Creation Process...
Here at NellieBellie we value your time, energy, and money. I want to be sure our recipes are the best! Enter...recipe testing.
Recipe Idea
I am eating a yummy dinner at home and realize I haven't shared the recipe with my readers yet. Or my sister asks me how to make a sauce and I go to send her the recipe...wait? I don't have it up yet?
Create Recipe
I make the recipe again carefully keeping notes and measurements.
Make AGAIN
I make the recipe yet again. Sometimes the recipe gets sent to Amy (baking guru!) for review and testing.
Testers Get It
The recipe hits the recipe group for testing.
Improve
Changes and improvements are made based on recipe testers comments.
Re-Test
Some recipes get tested in multiple rounds, depending on the edits and suggestions by the testers.
Ready!
Once the recipe gets the go-ahead it hits the site for YOU.
If a recipe has multiple similar questions or complaints it gets sent back to recipe testers to help determine trouble-shooting.
We have over 500 recipes on NellieBellie and it is a continual effort to keep them up to date with the best information, photos, and advice. We want you to feel confident in us.
You can be sure that it isn't just me making these recipes one time and then posting them. Nope...it's a whole thing :).
We are one of the only food blogs testing recipes like this!
Don’t have any Online Recipe Epic Fails as I did.
Boo to raw food.
Boo to wasted groceries.
← totally BOOOOOOO!
Wondering how to stock your kitchen?
Check out what's In Nellie Bellie's Cupboard, and learn how to stock your kitchen with the tools, staples and necessities that'll make you a successful cook.
Hey, I'm Nellie!
My husband, two kids, and two spoiled rescue dogs are my world. Wine, food, and entertaining are some of my favorite things to do. Pretty much in that order.
We owned a small business for more than 15 years, which we recently sold to allow me to focus full-time on my passion: food and building community.
Each day, I try to get myself dressed and to work like a proper business person. Most often, I’ll be curled up on the couch with my laptop and Say Yes to the Dress playing on my TV, and a cup of coffee (one of many!) sitting on the coffee table. In fact, it’s the same coffee table I warn my family not to use because it’s on the beautiful white rug. What a hypocrite!
My role as the oldest of ten children makes me a very bossy individual. The thing is, I am generally right (I know when to pick a fight and that is the key to seeming super smart). I have a rule at home where the oldest member of the family never gives up his or her seat. In other words, I’m always able to sit at family gatherings comfortably while my younger siblings (my oldest is older than my youngest.) often occupy the floor.
Expertise:
Starting things. Getting “pretty good” at things and then moving on. Cleaning (no, that might not be true). Talking. Being kind. Sharing. Dressing up. Decorating. Painting (gross! but I’m good at it.). Gardening. Cakes. Soups. Cocktails. Breads. Salads. Coffee. Basically, all food… I’m super good at it. Being creative. Planning parties. Speaking. Making people feel comfy. Hosting parties. Yoga. Spending hours floating in the lake. Painting nails! 💅🏼 Playing bass guitar (nope, not anymore…that was ages ago).
I’ve finished my Professional Cooking Fundamentals coursework in Sur La Table Culinary Institute. I’ve been featured on many websites, magazines, and brands throughout the last 12 years. Some included Better Homes and Gardens, Woman’s Day, Cottages and Bungalows, Country Living, Reader’s Digest, and many more. I was also a Stillwater Gazette Columnist for 1.5 years, have spoken at multiple conferences, hosted local events, taught classes for Pinners Conference, and much much more…
I don’t think you need you don’t have to be a great cook or know how to read a recipe. Grab a frozen pizza and bottle of wine and share it with a friend. Learn how to bake a cake with your kids while laughing at how poorly it turns out. Or, master a recipe here on NellieBellie and feel like a SuperHero (heck, I’ll send you a sticker!). Just find a way to walk into your kitchen and feel joy.
Your Stories
We are proud to be a part of your success!
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Frequently Asked Questions
For the Novice Cook Who Isn't Sure Where to Get Started
We have answers for you!
Where should I start?
→ Check out the Kitchen-Reference guide to learn the definitions of various kitchen terms (like what the heck is folding?), what pan to use if you don’t have the one you need, and even how many tablespoons in a cup…etc.
→ Check out In NellieBellie’s Cupboard for my list of essential kitchen supplies and the quick link to my favorites!
→ Don’t miss the Learn to Cook section.
→ And for SURE don’t miss the 5 Ingredients or Less Section. Those recipes are guaranteed to help you gain confidence in the kitchen fast!
Do I have to be experienced to cook your recipes?
No way! We believe that home cooks of all levels should feel confident and supported in their cooking journey.” — that includes you! We just ask that you follow the directions, have fun, and watch for the tips and tutorials that we’ve included for novice cooks. I think our Short-Cut Cooking recipes are the perfect place for you to start looking for new recipes. And don’t miss the Learn to Cook section as the perfect starting place for learning new skills!
Are there any tools you recommend I have in my kitchen before I get started?
A large mixing bowl, whisk, chef’s knife, baking sheet, and skillet should get you started on most recipes. As you do more cooking & baking you’ll find yourself building on the basic supplies you need to. In fact, check out my essential supplies list for a tiny kitchen. This list was created when we were renting and I had to condense my supplies down a TON. This list will give you a great place to start as well as tell you how you can multi-purpose several tools, if needed.
To learn more about the tools and supplies I keep on hand in my own current kitchen, check out what’s In the NellieBellie Cupboard for links and info.
How do you stock your pantry to be ready to cook any meal?
You’ll want to keep some basic baking and cooking ingredients on hand. Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, oil, salt, pepper, bouillon, pasta or rice, and canned beans are some items most people find useful. As you start using recipes you’ll learn more of what ingredients would be helpful to keep in your pantry.
If you want to learn more now, check out what I keep stocked In the NellieBellie Cupboard.
Do you have recipes for special diets? Where can I find them?
We have LOTS of recipes for Vegan, Vegetarian, and Gluten-Free diets. On the recipe index page we have an easy button to sort via diet. You’ll find lots of great recipes!
Our Mission
In our company, we aim to make home cooks happy by providing them with the best resources and community, regardless of their experience or budget.
We believe that home cooks of all levels and budgets should feel confident and supported in their cooking journey.
