Blogger of the Month: Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking

Finally, an alternative-Martha for non-perfectionists. Kate Payne, the Austin-based blogger behind, Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking, is crafting up an empire of exemplary DIY excellence. She is a gluten free guru, homegardener, and collector of typewriters. Kate describes herself as a “half-assed domestic goddess,” but there’s nothing half-assed about her. Her blog and her new book of the same name are creating a stir nationwide as craft reclaims its space in art and finds a comfy home in sustainable food practices. I caught up with Kate as she bounced from the Midwest to the West Coast on her 3-month cross-country book tour. Cheers to keeping things simple and reclaiming life at home!

I worked on a farm a year after I got out of college. I was doing really hard work every day and it became essential to think more about what I put into my body. I caught the urban gardening bug after my farm job ended. Since building my first 4′ x 4′ garden bed and growing my first cabbage, I’ve progressively expanded my horizons in food preparation and preservation. When I discovered a gluten-intolerance 5 years ago, I surprised myself by really enjoying making homemade goodies like bread and muffins. I ventured into jams, pickles, and preserves a couple years ago out of curiosity.

When and why did you start blogging?

I started this project as a blog in May 2009 in order to keep myself accountable. You can’t give up on something once you’ve told the internet! I had a houseguest who told me I ought to write about how to set up a house thoughtfully, since most people aren’t in the know, and at the same time, I was feeling particularly empowered by my first successful baking experiments.

On your blog you admit to being a “flashy cook” who “sticks to things that are alarming as opposed to required.” What is your favorite “alarming food” and how did this become your specialty?

I started baking gluten-free “convenience items” like bread and sweets when we moved to Brooklyn in September of 2008; I no longer had a regular paycheck (full-time freelancer) and realized that we just couldn’t afford to buy pre-made goods any longer. I make a gluten-free sandwich loaf that looks like and is even shaped like regular bread (sandwich homogeny is huge when you’re gluten-free).

How has growing your own food changed your cooking process?

Both growing our own food and being members of a CSA has shaped our meal planning process to what’s on hand, what’s in season. We hardly ever have to decide from a clean slate of dinner options, since the seasonal veggies are always in need of using up! What we can’t eat in time, like the bok choi over-abundance last year, we turn into other components like kimchi for future consumption or for trading at the food swap.

How are you an “alternative-Martha”? Has Martha Stewart been an influence on you, and if not her, who?

I’ve been inspired by the underdogs; my mom, who raised us for the most part single-handedly and through the leaner times; my grandma, who grew up in the depression era and continues to live a thrifty, resourceful life (sometimes to a fault!). I want to share thoughtful and creative solutions with people who might be overwhelmed by the Martha approach.Martha and I have the same goals, but I’m just taking an alternative approach.

What kitchen appliance could you not live without? Why?

My Craigslist-bought KitchenAid mixer. Besides all the fun things that benefit from mixing technology, marshmallows, pizza dough and bread, frosting, etc., I have the ice cream maker attachment. Making vanilla bean ice cream for the first time and then serving it to friends at a dinner party was an amazing feeling.

Your book just came out. Did you always know you wanted to write a book? What aspect of it are you most proud of?

I always knew I wanted to write a book. My agent found me via the blog in the fall of 2009. She helped me craft the proposal and she even drew pictures to help prospective editors see our vision. We sold it in February 2010, and I wrote the remaining 8 chapters of the book by the end of June. We finished final edits to the manuscript by December. My agent ended up illustrating the entire book (since my editor loved her drawings in the proposal) and my good friend hand-penned the calligraphy. I couldn’t have made this book nearly as informative nor as beautiful without the collaborative efforts of so many people, from compiling research leads to the strangers (now friends) who welcomed me into their homes.

How did you get interested in the “Meet your Kitchen” or “Life after Restaurants” concept?

Pure necessity. We moved to one of the finest food cities in the world, yet couldn’t afford to eat out. Rather than get depressed, I decided to get empowered and learn to use my kitchen like a grown-up. No more buying groceries and letting them compost in the fridge. Resourcefulness and thrift launched me into becoming a full-fledged kitchen maven in a matter of months.

What is your biggest hope for your blog and your book? Any new projects in the works?

I hope my book and blog continue to inspire people into trying new things around the house and ultimately brings communities together. I’m working on an expanded version of section 3 in the current book, which will be something like the Hip Girl’s Guide to the Kitchen. Two chapters was just not enough room to demystify all things kitchen!