Welcome to Sip + Sanity where you’ll find recipes for entertaining and celebrating moments of all sizes. My passion is to help home cooks like me savor the art of hosting with joy, confidence and ease.
Let Me Introduce Myself
Hey! I’m Linda, the recipe developer, food photographer and chief cook & bottle washer behind Sip + Sanity.
I’m half Vietnamese and one-quarter French – you’ll see that influence pop up from time to time in my recipes. My mom is an amazing instinctual cook who makes the best phở and bánh xèo on the planet! I think I inherited my comfort in the kitchen from her. My dad is the family crêpe maker, and introduced me to béchamel, French mayonnaise and the art of the French dinner party at a very young age.
But, it wasn’t until I worked in fine dining that I really fell in love with food. As part of the job, the restaurant staff would taste everything on a changing seasonal menu and attend classes on wine, spirits and cheese. It was a delicious experience, and ignited my desire to learn how to cook!
I received my undergraduate degree in Mass Communications, Television & Radio and my master’s degree in Interior Design, many years apart. The time in between, I worked in marketing, franchise development and knowledge management & productivity. Eventually, I started the most important job of my life…mom.
Along the way, I never lost a love of sharing laughs over a good meal. And because good babysitters are hard to come by, many of those meals happened at home. Entertaining at home became both a passion and a necessity.
Gathering together is ultimately about connecting with others and showing the people in our lives how much we care about them through the meals we prepare and the experiences we create and share. My mantra? Celebrate every. little. thing. with something delicious! (And, don’t worry about the dust bunnies.)
What else? I live in Northern Virginia with my husband, teenage son, and our pets – Effie the boss cat and Sooshi the nutty mutt (who insists on an appetizer before dinner). I love a good mystery, from books to television shows & movies. I’m a sucker for nachos (with lots of jalapeños) and spicy fried chicken.
P.S. My son named those photos below — sip + [in]sanity. Can you guess which is which? 😂
How Sip + Sanity Began
I was a stay-at-home-mom for many years, and when our son got older and more independent, I wanted to ‘go back to work’. It was my husband who encouraged me to share my love for the thing I constantly think about…food and cooking said food. So, I went all in and launched Sip + Sanity in June 2020.
It took awhile to land on a name for this site, but eventually it came down to three simple things. I love sipping on wine while I cook. Being creative helps keep me sane. I love alliteration. 😉
What You’ll Find On Sip + Sanity
- Tested recipes for celebrating all kinds of occasions, some with beverage pairings!
- A range of recipes from quick and easy for the novice cook, to more complex dishes for experienced home cooks.
- Party ideas and inspiration for every season.
- Lifestyle content including my own home organizing solutions and our ongoing house renovations (with before and after photos!).
- My favorite kitchen gadgets for a hard working kitchen.
- Opportunities to work together whether its menu curation, food photography or recipe development.
