Meet Katie Goodman, author of the goodLife {eats} blog. When we saw Katie’s stunning food photography shots, we stopped dead in our tracks. And when we got to looking at her recipes, well, we knew it was time to make Katie one of our Favorite Food People. Katie took some time to answer our questions about her blog, her photography, and how she became a published food writer.

What was your inspiration for Good Life Eats?

I’m a bit of a recipe addict, but I’ve never been very good about having an organized system for keeping them. Back in fall of 2008 I decided enough was enough and that I needed to get my recipes organized, to have a place to put them down and a simple way to type up and record the ones that I make off the top of my head. It would be even better if I could easily share them with my friends and family. I had zero intention of being a “food blog,” and I’m not even sure if I knew what one was back then.

What’s the one thing you want people reading your site to take away?

That cooking isn’t and doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. You can still make a delicious meal that’s simple. So many times I’m making dinner with two kids fighting or nagging in the background but I’m still able to get it done most nights.

You’ve written for several food-related publications including Paula Dean and Tablespoon. What advice would you give to someone trying to get into food writing?

I get asked this question a lot, but I don’t know how helpful my advice is. Tablespoon and Paula Deen literally just fell into my lap. I first got started with Craftzine and I think that is what gave me a leg up. I submitted a hand scrub how-to to Craftzine. Weeks went by and I had completely forgotten about the submission when I got an email from someone at Craft saying that they’d love to feature the article. After that I started regularly pitching ideas, and now I have a standing two articles per month with them. The first article for the month is a recipe and the second is more of a Kitchen 101 type article. So I guess what it comes down to is just ask, send pitches to sites that take submissions, and talk to your local paper. The worst they can say is no.

What resources do you turn to for food ideas or recipe inspiration? Are there any books or websites that you are particularly fond of?

Before blogs my go-to resources were MyRecipes.com and Cook’s Illustrated: The New Best Recipe, but now I really rely on food blogs. I love to search FoodGawker for inspiring recipes and I bookmark anything that comes up in my Google Reader that looks like something I’d like to try. I have so many favorite food blogs, but you can check out my very favorite places here.

As far as books, right now my favorite book is The Flavor Bible. It’s a great way to explore flavor combination without relying on a true recipe format for cooking. It really inspires creativity.

Your site features incredible food photography. Can you give our readers helpful hints about how you get the perfect shot?

Know how your camera works. Actually take the time to read the manual. For the first year and a few months I shot on a point and shoot and still got some pretty good shots. A little bit of effort can really go a long way. Don’t just take 2 seconds to snap a pic without putting any thought into it and expect that you’ll be thrilled with the results.

If you have a DSLR, really wrap your head around the relationships between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. I’ve honestly never used my DSLR on Auto. I learned all about the settings before I even got the camera (at BlogHer Food 2009), then I shopped around for the camera I felt most comfortable with and that seemed the most intuitive to use. I love to shoot in natural light. I’m lucky that we have good light in our house so I don’t have to use light setups.

And of course, practice, practice, practice. There are still days where I’m frustrated with the styling and not getting the right shot. It helps to take a break and come back to it later or even another day. Sometimes I’ll end up with a completely different approach, but I’m happy with it in the end.

For food photography props, I love Etsy, Target, and Cost Plus World Market.

As a mom with two young kids, what’s your go-to recipe when you’re particularly busy and stressed?

I really like this 3-2-1 Pasta Formula, it gives me the flexibility I need on hectic nights. Or we have leftovers. Most recipes feed at least 4, and with just two adults and 2 small kids we always have a little of something else leftover. When all else fails, we will eat at a local cafe on occasion. I think we all have those kind of days.

In honor of Katie’s commitment to easy yet satisfying meals, try some of these ideas:

• A wide-range of guaranteed Easy Recipes.
• One-Pot Recipes for when you’re in a hurry.
• Don’t forget Kid-Friendly Recipes for the little ones.

Visit Katie’s Website: goodLife {eats} Follow her on Twitter

Laura Troyani heads up Marketing and Business Development for Plummelo. Not content with just being another behind-the-scenes pencil pusher, Laura decided to give blogging a shot and writes practical, everyday tips for the home cook (or aspiring home cook). Laura’s favorite foods are ice cream, olive oil, ice cream, parmesan cheese, ice cream, and occasionally ice cream.