About Me
My name is Kelly, and sass & veracity is my website.
Many would say I’m fortunate to live in San Diego, California where the sun shines all year long — well, except for June (hence the local loving endearment June Gloom), and then now that I think of it, May (fondly referred to as May Grey). In spite of that, I can often be found in front of my Mac doing something related to Sass & Veracity on most days. My desk sits next to a big window where I watch the world jog, cycle, and commute by, occasionally guilting myself into joining it to look around at this beautiful city I have lived in since 1968 after returning from Rota, Spain where my father had been stationed.
Sass & Veracity takes far more time than I ever imagined when I started it in the spring of 2007. Picture a hobby turned into a job and you’ll have it right. I manage the site myself, design the headers, and generally have learned enough about it all to act like I know what I’m doing, but it’s amazing how much there is to learn — sometimes on a day to day basis.
So why a food blog?
Well.
It was a kind of accident, actually. I started writing at kellementology a few months before I started sass & veracity because I’ve always enjoyed writing and have far too many opinions for my own good. But a challenge to lose weight along with my best friend found me thinking of a second blog where I planned to talk about our progress — or the lack thereof. Whipping up recipes came easily — the weight loss, not so much. But I realized I could combine my love for cooking with writing, and photography fell into place.
I was a twig when I was growing up, but I’ve always been someone who thinks about food so began cooking for my family about the time I was in the 4th grade. My mother cooked primarily “from scratch” using an old Betty Crocker cookbook I now own, so that’s what I’ve done most of my life — cook using good, fresh, wholesome ingredients. For the most part, if you want something to eat in our house, it has to be prepared. Our food isn’t always fancy or complicated, but I try to keep it interesting and good for our bodies as much as possible.
Are you a recipe developer?
Funny you should ask.
No. I have always thoroughly enjoyed reading cookbooks and food magazines and have always been willing to try new ingredients and food from other regions or countries. Although I’ve learned a tremendous amount while all that recipe trial and error has gone on, I still prefer to read and adjust others’ recipes. I don’t set out to adjust any recipe intentionally — often it’s a natural result of preferring different flavors, or simply not having a particular ingredient on hand.
What about those photographs?
I’ve always been interested in photography and have been far more comfortable looking through the view finder instead of smiling at the lens. Although I have owned Olympus, Canon, and Nikon SLRs once upon a time, I returned to Canon with one of the tiny digital Elph Power Shots a few years ago before purchasing my current Canon EOS Rebel XSi which I’ve enjoyed for more than three years now. Most of my photos are taken with the great light we’re lucky to enjoy most of the year, but I continue to learn to use my lamps after dark. I use two lenses — a Tamron 18-270mm f3.5 – 6.3 macro zoom which comes in handy for close-ups as well as distance shots I enjoy taking when I’m not in the mood to look at food. And the second, a EF 50mm f/1.4 USM. I have diligently used manual settings since I got this camera, learning by trial and error, whether I’m shooting inside or out, in natural or artificial light.
If you ever have questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at sassandveracity[at]gmail[dot]com and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
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I enjoy critical feedback because I’m constantly learning, so by all means, let me know what you think, and thanks ahead of time for that.
About my content and photographs…My work here is copyrighted. When I’ve been influenced by someone’s work, I give them credit. They’re either mentioned by name with a link to their site and/or the recipe specifically. Additionally, I leave a comment on their post to let them know how they’ve influenced me and to say thank you. When I’ve been asked to share my photographs, I have never declined. I’ve only expected that my name and or site is visibly linked with the photograph and I know that’s a reasonable expectation. If you’d like more information on copyrighting in general, you can get it at the U.S. Copyright Office.
