Hello, I’m Kelsey!
I’m a farm wife, mom of four, and creator of Dance Around the Kitchen! As a food scientist, I love using my knowledge of ingredients to create easy meals and decadent desserts that work for you every single time!
When I’m not knee deep in laundry or at kids activities, you can bet I’ll be cooking, baking or dancing in the kitchen!
A Little Bit About Me
Growing up, if I wasn’t at the dance studio or out on the farm, I was in the kitchen. My siblings and I would line up on chairs taking turns adding ingredients to the cookie dough and argue over who got to be the “egg-cracker.”
I went to Iowa State University for food science and eventually got my master’s degree at Kansas State. I’ve always loved the challenge of figuring out why bread didn’t rise properly, why the egg whites won’t form stiff peaks, and why the pie is so salty (that one wasn’t much science though….just salt & sugar in the incorrect canisters!).
I live on a farm in northern Iowa with my husband Zach and four young kids who keep me on my toes and brighten my every day! While you’re here, you’ll find recipes that are family-friendly and made with easy-to-find ingredients (this is important when you live on a farm in the middle of nowhere!). Welcome to my kitchen!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chocolate Cobbler has always been the most popular recipes!! A few others that always seem to rise to the top are my Blueberry Cream Cheese Bars, Honey Garlic Pork Chops & Best Ever Baked Beans!
When my husband and I got married, we were living in the Des Moines metro area where there were numerous opportunities for food scientists. However, moving to the farm in small town Iowa, the job opportunities in my field were…..none. So I decided to start the blog in hopes it would take off!
We make a variety of the one-pot pasta dishes all the time! My two favorites are Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta and Easy Taco Pasta Skillet.
I truly enjoy it all! I love creating new recipes, the art of food photography & videography, the frequent trips to appear on Hello Iowa, and meeting up with blogger friends at conferences & retreats!!
Being on a Food Network TV show (Big Bad Budget Battle), receiving the Alumni Impact Award at Iowa State University, and being featured in numerous national media outlets (Taste of Home, BigOven, FoodGawker and more). And while these awards and mentions are fun, there’s nothing quite like a heart-felt review on a recipe I’ve spent hours to perfect. Knowing one of my recipes is bringing a family together for a meal is truly the best feeling and makes me SO very proud!
10 Fun Facts About Me!
- My brother introduced me to my (now) husband at a bar in college.
- I was on a Food Network show in 2022 (Big Bad Budget Battle) hosted by Ree Drummond.
- My parents AND in-laws are both Kevin and Linda.
- Our family lives on a pig, corn and soybean farm.
- I love country music, LOVE it!
- My favorite food has always been ice cream (& my first job was at an ice cream shop… no surprise, huh?!)
- I’m a big Iowa State Cyclone fan! I loved my time in Ames – learned a ton, met so many great people and am a proud alumni!
- Our son was named after a rodeo cowboy.
- I was once so excited to practice a tap routine in the garage that I backed the car out before the garage door was up.
- I always said I didn’t want to run my own business so I could just work from 8-5, go home and forget about work. Well, here we are… running my own business, raising babies and loving every minute of it!! <3
Get In Touch
It’s always great to hear from those who visit Dance Around the Kitchen! Whether you’ve got a recipe question or want to connect about a potential partnership, you can send an email directly to me below!
