{a day in the life} Nutmeg Nanny

I am so excited to announce this new series that I am launching. Every Tuesday, I will feature a different food blogger and follow them through a day in their life. We’ll get to see a glimpse of what their daily life is like. I’ll ask them what they like best about their day, and what they could do without.  I’ll also be asking some other nosy questions about their life and blog so we can all get to know our favorite food bloggers a little better. I asked Brandy of Nutmeg Nanny to be my guinea pig because she’s kinda my go-to girl. She’s a great friend and runs a fantastic food blog.

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Tell me about yourself and how you started food blogging.

I’m a recently engaged 30-year-old freelance writer and nanny. I grew up in Ohio and moved to New York when I was 19 years old.  I started Nutmeg Nanny a little over 3 years ago after I came across the blog Sweet reciPEAS. I remember reading her blog and thinking “Wow! She is amazing! I want to be like her”…haha that probably makes me sound like a crazy person, but that is really what I thought.

What does a typical day look like for you?

This is a typical schedule for when I work during the week. 

• 9:30 – 10am: wake up
• 10 – 10:30am: eat breakfast
• 10:30am – 11:30am: gym (this unfortunately doesn’t always happen. If it doesn’t happen you can pretty much count on me being on the computer and twitter)
• 12 – 12:30pm: make and eat lunch
• 12:30pm – 1:15pm: watch TV, chat on the computer, clean, cook, etc.
• 1:15pm – 1:30pm: shower and get ready for work
• 1:45pm – 3pm: work commute
• 3pm – 12:15am: work (After the child goes to bed I work on my computer, watch TV, write blog posts, organize, etc.)
• 12:15am – 1:30am: home commute
• 1:30 – ?: lay in bed on my phone until I fall asleep and wake up in the middle of the night searching for my phone in my bed…..

When I work on the weekend my schedule sadly looks like this:

• 9:30 – 10am: wake up
• 10 – 10:45am: get ready for work
• 10:45 – 12pm: work commute
• 12pm – 12:15am: work (when I work on the weekend I am in and out of NYC on Saturday for piano lessons and run various errands)
• 12:15am – 1:30am: home commute
• 1:30am – ?: horrible phone habits that usually result in me staying up too late

The reason I work such odd hours is because both of my bosses work on Broadway so I work the hours of a performer.  I guess it’s alright since I’m a night owl.

What is your one must-have kitchen tool or gadget?

Besides my oven, I also love my kitchenaid mixer and food processor. 

What is the most important part of your day? Why?

The most important part of the day for me is making sure I actually stay on track.  Sometimes I get wrapped up in what I’m doing and leave late for work. When this happens it makes my commute even worse because the whole time I’m driving I’m worried about being late for work.

What is your favorite part of your day? Why?

The best part about my day is in the morning and when I get home from work.  I do not see my fiancée that much because we work opposite schedules. So he always wakes me up in the morning before he leaves and he says goodbye to me.  (Most of the time I fall back asleep and get up later) I also love when I get home at night because some nights he is still awake and I can chat with him about how our days were.  I really try to appreciate the small amount of time I can spend with him.

What is your LEAST favorite part of the day? Why?

Commute…blerg.

If you could choose one room in your house to spend the WHOLE day in, which room would it be? Why?

I would probably hang out in my bedroom.  I love my new bed and I love relaxing! However, I generally spend all day in my kitchen, which I love but at the same time can be hard on the feet.

If you could choose one room in your house to remodel (on an unlimited budget!) which room would it be and why?

I would probably remodel my kitchen.  Aesthetically there is nothing wrong with the space but I would like a little more room and more natural light.  I would probably bust out the wall leading into the dining room and make it one large eat-in kitchen.  Also I would figure out a way to make a massive walk-in pantry.

What is your favorite day of the week? Why?

My favorite day is usually Monday.  I know most people dread this day but I don’t mind because it’s usually my full day off.  Although, for the next few weeks my day off has been moved to Thursday so for those couple of weeks Thursday is my new favorite day. 

If you had to choose one place to travel to every year over and over again, where would it be? Why? Have you been there before?

Europe. I absolutely love it there.  The history, the food, the adventures…it’s so much fun!

Starting at top left: German countryside – Town of Heidelberg, Germany – German Christmas decorations – Amsterdam – Venice, Italy – Wengen, Switzerland

If you could travel anywhere in the world for free, where would you go and how long would you stay?

I would probably travel first class to Fiji. Then I would stay in one of those awesome over the water huts.  I imagine I could stay there for at least a month…or longer…

What is your favorite quote or verse?

I can resist everything except temptation – Oscar Wilde

What is your favorite cookbook?

I love King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion and Baking Illustrated

What recipe on your blog are you most proud of?

Pumpkin Yeast Bread – it was not an original recipe but it helped me overcome my irrational fear of baking with yeast. Thank you King Arthur Flour!

What recipe on your blog do your readers seem to love most?

My readers seem to love my Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries recipe. I love when some readers even leave me comments after they made them telling me they liked them. It’s the ultimate compliment.

What have you learned since you began blogging?

On a technical level I have learned more about writing and photography but I have also learned a lot about the blogging community.  It’s such a tight-knit group of people. We are there for each other when we are feeling down, we throw each other virtual parties and we are really genuine friends. I may not have met most of my twitter friends but I consider them friends and I think they feel the same way about me.

What have you found to be the most challenging part of blogging?

The most challenging part of blogging for me is finding the time to read and leave comments for all my fellow friends.

Do you have any advice for someone who is interested in cooking or food blogging?

Go for it! Find your voice and carry on.  However, please do not go into blogging thinking you will be the next big star.  It’s nice to want to be famous but that is exception to food blogging, not the rule.

Who would you like to see featured here in the future?

Rachel from Baked by Rachel.  That girl has three kids and still has time to run a blog, made delicious food, take amazing pictures and chat on twitter. I’m not sure how she does it. I need to learn her secret….

Is there anything else you would like to tell the world about yourself?

I love being part of the food blogging community and appreciate every comment, tweet and message you all send me.

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Thanks for letting us get a peek of your life, Brandy! (And for being my guinea pig!)

You can find more of Brandy here: Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

PS: Let me know what you think of this new series. I’d love any feedback. 

If you could ask your favorite food blogger any question, what would it be?