Hello! Welcome to episode 16 of I’d Rather Stay In. This week, Megan and Stephie are answering reader questions in an AMA.
How do we feel about New Year’s resolutions?
Megan: Torn because of the mindset that comes with them.
Stephie: Pass. (Because why wait until the New Year to do something?)
Who designed your cool logo?
Our friend and coworker Susannah! Check her out on Feast + West and Insta: @feastandwest.
What made you want to start a podcast?
Someone told us once upon a time that we should have a podcast and it sounded fun…so we did it.
It only took us months and months to actually get started.
How do you create a podcast as long-distance friends?
We use a program called Cast! It is really easy to use and allows us to record, edit, and publish all in one platform.
We also split the labor; Megan edits the episodes and Stephie does the show notes (hi, if you’re reading this!) and schedules the episodes.
We also split social media with various levels of success given that we both tend to forget about our Facebook page.
We stay organized by recording a few weeks in advance and by using a shared spreadsheet to track upcoming topics, guests, etc.
What the heck do we do for a living?
We both work for Mediavine.
Megan is the Events Coordinator, planning dozens of amazing events each year like our 2019 conference in Chicago. Stephie is the Director of Influencer Marketing and her job is nearly impossible to describe concisely, much to her husband’s chagrin.
What got us into blogging?
Megan was trying to teach herself how to cook more by reading blogs and started blogging on her LiveJournal before moving to a food-specific blog in 2006.
Stephie was bored after she graduated from college and thought blogging sounded like a fun thing to try.
For both of us, blogging has turned into so much more than either of us could have imagined.
Who should we all follow to learn cooking techniques?
We love following Joshua Weissman on YouTube and Instagram.
There are a lot of fun, useful videos on the Bon Appetit YouTube channel as well.
Serious Eats has some very helpful articles.
We also recommend watching some of the original episodes of Good Eats, especially if you like knowing the why behind what you are doing.
Binging with Babish also has a great basics series for learning some good cooking basics.
Is lava cake just a soufflé?
We think no. But there was a lot of debate to get there.
What’s it like for Megan being a midwesterner in Texas?
The Midwest vs Texas doesn’t feel all that different to her. The biggest difference she sees is living in a big city vs growing up in a small town.
Also the weather. She misses having distinct seasons.
What are the good and bad parts of living in a smaller town?
There’s not a lot coming to smaller towns in terms of concert, museums, theatre, and amazing restaurants. You also have to work a little harder to find diversity in small towns, if there is any at all.
On the flip side, small towns aren’t very busy or crowded. There is definitely a friendliness when you’re out and about, and you’re likely to run into someone you know or recognize.
If we could live anywhere in the world, where would we live?
Megan: California! Bring on the mountains, ocean, and valley. Wherever her dream location is, she wants to see water.
PS: Sweden is her dream vacation spot.
Stephie: Spain! She would also accept Portugal. Basically, bring on the Iberian Peninsula.
What is one recipe you will never share?
Megan doesn’t really have one. Stephie will share her aunt’s recipe for baked beans with those who ask, but will probably never share it on her website to keep some of the mystery alive.
Other stuff we mentioned in this episode
Stephie’s recipe for Fruitcake Cookies is a weird one but so good.
We are obsessed with the Sugarfina Rosé All Day gummy bears.
Farm and Fleet is the best place to find old-school candies.