Hello! I'm so glad you're here! I'm Traci, the recipe creator and photographer at The Kitchen Girl. Welcome to my collection of family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
About The Kitchen Girl
I launched The Kitchen Girl in 2014 as a place to share my tested and trusted recipes to simplify home cooking for busy people.
My recipes turn your fresh ingredients and pantry staples into delicious, wholesome, family-loved meals with minimal effort.
Drawing on decades of professional and personal experience, I meticulously craft and test every recipe before it ever gets into your hands.
In short, I make ALL the mistakes in my kitchen so you'll find success in yours.
Home cooks also appreciate that I use basic cooking terms, regular kitchen tools, and when available, I offer photos or videos showing how to make a recipe.
Here's what you guys and gals keep telling me you love about TKG recipes:
- family-loved (including picky eaters!)
- easy to follow
- reliable
- straightforward
- customizable
- delicious!
I love helping you build kitchen confidence. So, when I create a recipe, just know that I put my entire food background into it so that your efforts will yield the best outcomes.
Even beginners can fearlessly cook the perfect strip steak or assemble a simple charcuterie board for special occasions. We all need the comfort of turkey chili and a fluffy cornbread recipe.
Minestrone soup and kale salad are two of my favorite ways to fulfill meatless cravings, especially on weeknights!
Lastly, I feel so rewarded when my recipes answer your what do i want for dinner question. This happens a lot with my lasagna soup, taco pasta, and baked chicken legs, to name a few.
My food story
- I was a table busser for my first job at a floating restaurant in the Missouri Ozarks during high school.
- During my second job, at Taco Bell, I was reassigned from the production line to customer service because I was "too slow". In my defense, I was "fixing" the uneven burrito ingredient problem that still plagues us to this day LOL.
- After high school, I spent four years working FOH service and management at my family's amazing Italian restaurant before going off to college. Ironically, we're not Italian.
- During my first two years of college, I worked off-campus as a bread baker in a health food store. I was hired with zero bread experience, and left obsessed with yeast bread. In fact, my French bread recipe and quick yeast rolls are 100% inspired by that experience.
- After that, I co-managed the launch and operation of the store's grab-and-go deli with a full line of prepared foods from scratch. Turns out I had a natural aptitude for recipe testing and development and my natural foods education went into stealth mode.
- I parted ways with this dream job to pursue graduate studies, but we're still good friends. In fact, the store still has an artichoke feta pizza named after me!
- I spent the next 3 years as a university instructor while earning my graduate degree in Communication Studies.
- I relocated to Northern California's wine country and managed an upscale Italian deli for 5 years. It was the retail gourmet crash course I didn't even know I was missing. It also made me super hungry for more food knowledge. So...
- I studied culinary arts and computer studies for 2 years, while concurrently managing the deli.
- I founded The Kitchen Girl where I, to this day, turn messes of test kitchen notes into your next favorite recipe.
After 14 years of professional food industry experience, 2 years of culinary arts, 5 years of teaching experience, 30 years of home cooking, and a few random opportunities in between, I never stopped writing recipes, which is why I created this blog.
In fact, I have enough creations in my vault to last a few lifetimes. So, join my email list and get inspired weekly! It's free!
As seen on
TKG recipes appear in several web publications, including Today, Lifehack, Healthline, Brit + Co, Everyday Health, Well + Good, Parade, Buzzfeed, She Knows, Greatist.com, MSN, Women's Health Mag, and Amanda's Cookin.
Press
September 2022 SIUC press announcement for Brian Baumgartner's Chili cookbook release tour and book signing. My White Chicken Chili and Vegetarian Chili Recipe are published inside the cookbook and on the cover.
Contact Me
I’d love to connect with you! Please email me with questions, let me know how I can help you, or just say hello. You can also follow or contact me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.