About Emily Carter and Finger Licking Recipes

Hello! I am Emily Carter, the founder, head cook, and photographer behind Finger Licking Recipes. If you are looking for realistic, hearty meals that will actually get eaten by your family, you are in the right place.

I am a 34-year-old mother of two boys (ages 7 and 10) living in Naperville, Illinois. My goal with this website is simple: to help busy home cooks put dinner on the table without relying on expensive ingredients or spending hours by the stove.

My Journey from Frozen Dinners to Family Chef

I did not grow up attending a prestigious culinary school. My expertise comes from a decade of standing in my own kitchen, learning through trial and error. When I was in my early twenties living in Chicago, my cooking extended as far as reheating frozen pizza.

However, when I became a mom, everything changed. I suddenly had little mouths to feed, a tight budget to stick to, and very little time. I realized that the “perfect” recipes I saw in glossy magazines were not realistic for a Tuesday night after soccer practice. I needed food that was comforting, fast, and wholesome.

I spent the last ten years teaching myself how to cook. I learned how to roast a chicken so it doesn’t dry out, how to hide vegetables in pasta sauce so my youngest won’t notice, and how to bake bread that actually rises. Finger Licking Recipes is the collection of those lessons. It is my digital recipe box where I document the dishes that have survived my family’s taste tests.

How I Develop and Test Recipes

Trust is important when you are choosing a recipe for your family. I want you to know exactly what goes into the content on this site.

Every single recipe you see on Finger Licking Recipes is cooked, tested, and photographed by me in my home kitchen here in Illinois. I do not post a recipe unless I have made it multiple times and worked out the kinks.

Here is my standard for publishing a recipe:

• Availability: Ingredients must be available at a standard American grocery store. If I have to go to three different specialty shops to find a spice, I won’t publish the recipe.
• The “Picky Eater” Test: My 7-year-old is my toughest critic. If a dish is too complicated or the flavors don’t work for a child’s palate, it does not make it to the blog.
• Clarity: I write instructions assuming the reader is distracted or in a hurry, because that is usually how I am when I am cooking.

What You Will Find Here

My focus is on American comfort food and easy family dinners. When you browse the site, you can expect:

• 30-Minute Meals: Dinner solutions for busy weeknights.
• Casseroles and One-Pot Dishes: Less time washing dishes, more time eating.
• Midwest Staples: Hearty recipes inspired by my life in Illinois, from corn chowders to classic pot roasts.
• Baking for Beginners: Simple cookies, cakes, and breads that don’t require professional equipment.

Who is “We”?

Throughout the blog, you might hear me refer to “we.” While I am the sole author and creator of the content here, this is very much a family operation. “We” refers to myself and my husband, Mark, who handles the heavy lifting and dishwashing, and our two boys, who serve as the official taste-testing department.

Let’s Connect

I love hearing from people who try these recipes. It makes my day when someone tells me a specific dish helped them get through a busy week.

• Browse the Recipes: Head over to the Home Page to see what we are eating this week.
• Ask a Question: If you are stuck on a recipe step or have a request, please use the Contact Page. I do my best to reply to emails within 48 hours.
• Privacy: To understand how this site manages your data and cookies, please review the Privacy Policy.

Thank you for trusting me with your dinner plans.

Emily Carter
Founder of Finger Licking Recipes