Welcome! My name is Cristen, and I’m an Iowa farmer. In my family we raise corn, soybeans, pigs and cattle. I love cooking and writing, and sharing contest winning recipes with people I know. Memories made in the kitchen, are some of the most vivid memories I have, and certainly the most treasured. I started this blog to share the recipes straight from my family cookbook and moments on our farm in Iowa. You’ll find heirloom recipes, recipes I’ve entered and won money with, in cooking and baking contests, and plenty more that just taste dang good. I am a mom of two, a daughter who loves pigs and basketball, and a son who loves tractors and… tractors. He gets that nowhere strange as I, too, love big tractors. I can’t live without mascara, leather work gloves and Nike crew socks. I survive on two eggs, over hard with two slices of bacon for breakfast, and the sports page every morning of my life.
Connect with me on Snapchat for a glimpse of what my life is really like: CristenCClark
Things I’m doing now:
Pork Be Inspired, guest blog host
Anderson Erickson Dairy, brand ambassador
Common Ground Iowa, Volunteer
Iowa Food and Family Project, contributor
Iowa Pork Producers
Social Media Task Committee: National Pork Board
Cooking and Baking Contest Judge
Speaker and Consultant
Fastpitch Softball Pitching Instructor
*Iowa Egg Council Decadent Dessert Competition
*Iowa Beef Industry Council Collegiate Beef Cookoff
*Sutter Home Winery, Build A Better Burger Contest Napa, CA
Disclosure: Occasionally, I work with third-party companies to help me keep underwrite the cost and keep up with writing Food & Swine. You’ll see this now, when you visit my blog. These companies may use aggregated information (not including your name, address, email address or telephone number) about your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.
24 Comments
Thanks for the shoutout in the “blogs I follow” section!
Anytime! Have to support my Midwest friends! Love your blog. :)
I can see I am going to be spending a lot of time on your blog getting recipes!! Great to meet you!
Thanks Beth Ann! I appreciate your kind words. Nice to meet you too!
I just wanted to stop in and say hello. I’m from NE Iowa and my family has cattle, although I do a lot of work with pigs through my work. I am working to convince my husband that our unborn children should show pigs in addition to our Hereford heifers on day. Excited to connect.
Hey there! Thanks for stopping by. My best friend lives in NE Iowa as well! Small world. I too grew up on a cattle farm and showed pigs a tiny bit because they were in my extended family growing up. Now we have barns in a few places and our small ‘hobby herd’. Pigs are so fun with my children! I hope through some of my posts you can convince your husband that you MUST have them for your children to come! Take care and thanks for checking in!
Love the title of your blog! Cute.
Thank you very much! :)
Cristen, your site looks fantastic, I look forward to following your blog :)
-April from The Thin Kitchen
Thank you so much April!
Looking forward to following along.(:
Best,
Emily Grace
Thank you Emily!
Cristen-
It’s Mary Brooks’ mom, Mary Jo. I found your “in the kitchen with…” aritcle today in the Welcome Home Des Moines magazine! I just read it and had to say hi to you. Wow, I am so impressed with your beautiful family, love of cooking and down home values. Good for you. I enjoyed seeing pictures of your family including sis, mom and dad. I married George Howe ( Andy Howe’s dad) so I see Kassie Graziano alot. She said she is a friend of yours. Well congrats to you. Hi to your mom, dad and Tana. I hope we cross paths again someday. Keep smiling!
:)
Looking forward to reading through your blog. I love connecting with other people who love this lifestyle!! Tina
Sounds like a wonderful life. It’s a pleasure to meet you.
Cristen, we farm in NW Iowa. Wondering if you’re in the same area? Is the orchard with bouncing pillow Community Orchard Ft. Dodge? Good job teaching people about farming through your blog! I try to do the same! I said to someone today that we’re busy right now and she said “doing what?” LOL
Cindy, we’re in Central Iowa, the orchard is “Center Grove Orchard” in Cambridge. So fun! :) Nice to meet you!
We are from Rockford, Iowa! I am so excited to continue to follow your blog!
So awesome! Thanks for stopping by! I love to connect with fellow Iowans. I’ll check out your blog!
Hello from Garner,Iowa .. I just found your site :)) yay ! I grew up in Clear Lake, Iowa .. Do you know where these 2 towns are !!!
,