My name is Shari, and I am an Arizona native and married mother of 3 who loves to cook and figure out how to garden successfully in our suburban home in the desert. My husband, Jeff, and I have been married for 27 years. For the last 23 years I have been a stay at home mom to our 2 boys and a girl. Recently, our youngest child graduated from high school. I feel like I am starting the second half of my life with a whole new slate ahead of me. I can relate to Julia Child in the movie, “Julie & Julia”, when she was trying to figure out what to do with her life and her husband asks her what she is good at. She responds, “I’m good at eating!” I am also good at eating ! I do love to try new recipes, and share them with friends and family so that is mostly what you will find here. Living in Arizona, and so near the border of Mexico, I have had the opportunity to eat wonderful Mexican food. One of my cooking goals is to be able to make more authentic Mexican food myself, and pass along that knowledge to fellow Mexican food lovers. My other love is dessert, and I hope to own a bakery someday. Part of the reason for this blog is to try out recipes with that goal in mind and share the results. Arizona is a great place to live, as well as cook, and even though I am a native, I haven’t seen all there is to see in this spectacular and diverse state. As my husband and I have more time to explore now, I would love to share those experiences so that others who live here or travel to Arizona can find recommendations for things to do, hikes, and beautiful scenery. In addition, I like old movies and trying new restaurants so you will find some of those recommendations here, too. Last, but definitely not least, my faith is important to me. My hope is to glorify God in all that I do and encourage others along the way. I hope that you will find that to be true as you visit this blog for recipes, reviews, and reasons to visit Arizona!
Cook AZ I Do 
Hey, Shari, I have nominated your blog for the Wonderful Team Member Readership Award. If you are interested in participating you can pick up your badge and the rules for this award here: http://cantstayoutofthekitchen.com/2012/12/06/wonderful-team-member-readership-award/
Thank you so much, Teresa! That is very sweet of you. I look forward to finding out about this award.
Hi there, Shari, Congratulations! I’ve nominated your blog for the Super Sweet Blogging Award. If you wish to participate you can pick up your badge icon and rules here: http://cantstayoutofthekitchen.com/2012/12/23/super-sweet-blogging-award/ I sure hope you will participate. Teresa
Thank you so much Teresa! That is so kind of you to nominate me for this award. Due to the Christmas holidays I haven’t had time to participate yet, but plan on doing it next week. Thanks again.
You’re so welcome. I’m glad you will be able to participate.
I love your blog Shari, and the pictures and recipes inspire!!
Thank you so much, Dee Dee! I appreciate you stopping by.
Hi Shari! We have both started our blog journey around the same time. You have a very Indian name. We definitely be back to read your posts.
Thanks for stopping by Preveena! It is very nice to meet you. I looked at your blog and really enjoyed it. I look forward to seeing your future posts.
Hi Shari! When you commented on my blog, I did not realize we shared the same name! Your recipes look awesome! I love Arizona – all thought I havent been there in a while. I look forward to reading your postings and looking through those already posted.
Thank you, Shari! It is fun to meet someone else with the same spelling. I haven’t found that very often. I am glad to meet you, and look forward to seeing your posts, too!
I’ve recently switched my food blog over to be self-hosted which I hope will make it more user-friendly in the future. As a result, if you were following Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen via email, WordPress, or using RSS feeds through Google Reader or some other way, you are no longer subscribed. If you wish to continue receiving future posts from my blog you will need to re-subscribe. Sorry for the inconvenience, Teresa.
I’m so glad you told me about this, Teresa! I definitely want to keep following your blog. I had noticed I wasn’t seeing any posts from you, and was hoping you were okay.
Love the clever name of your blog! We hope to go to Arizona one day so I look forward to your travel tips as well as your baking adventures!
So happy you stopped by! Arizona is a wonderful place with a lot to see and do. I hope you can come visit someday!
Adore your blog!!
Thank you so much! I appreciate your comment and kind words. I am glad I found your blog as well. We have similar interests!
Thanks for stopping by my blog, for leaving me a note, for following my blog, for sharing this wonderful story. You have wonderful photos and great recipes too. I look forward to seeing your posts and seeing more of your beautiful photos. Have a wonderful week!
You’re welcome, Liz. I hope you have a great week, too!
I just found your blog and being a fan of Julia Child and Mexican food, I look forward to reading more of your posts. Thanks, Tracey
Thanks for stopping by, Tracey! It is nice to meet you, and I look forward to looking at your blog.
Shari,
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog this week so that I could find your blog in return and follow along. I’ve just signed up for my email subscription. So interesting that you are sharing a post about blueberry muffins today, my fave flavor for muffins. However, I’ve never been able to figure out how to create a streusel topping! You’ve solved this issue perfectly. Can’t wait to make them with this year’s super juicy and sweet blueberries!
Talk to you soon as you post,
Roz
Hi Roz, It really made my day that you stopped by and commented. I have been following your blog for a couple years now, and love your recipes and pictures. They are part of what inspired me to start blogging. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to say hi.
PS Shari!
I forgot to tell you that I used to live in Scottsdale in the 80s and that I still have family in the Phoenix are today. I LOVE Phoenix! Just love it!
Roz
I appreciate you telling me that, Roz. I really love living here. My husband and I just got back from an overnight stay in Scottsdale for our anniversary. It is such a pretty city. So glad to hear you liked it, too!
Thanks for checking out and following my blog recently! I hope you get a chance to stop by again soon and try out a recipe for yourself too. I look forward to following your posts in the future.
-Christine
Hi Chris, I thought that I was already following you, but then realized I wasn’t seeing any of your posts. Anyway, I’m glad I will be seeing them now. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!
Haha! Glad we got that all worked out!!
Me too!:)
Hi! You have some great recipes here. Lovely blog. 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and for your nice comments. I look forward to reading your blog, too.
Hi Shari,
You have a great blog out here! Absolutely love the recipes 🙂 Keep blogging! Cheers!!
Divya
Thanks so much for your kind comments, Divya! It is very nice to meet you. I appreciate you stopping by. I enjoyed looking at your blog as well, and am so glad we got connected.
It is indeed a pleasure to stay connected with like-minded people with similar interests in the blogosphere! I’m sure I have a lot to learn from you 🙂 Cheers!
Beautiful blog and pictures!! 🙂
Thank you so much! I look forward to seeing your blog. I appreciate you stopping by!
Thanks for following us! You have a lovely blog: beautiful recipes and photos.
Thank you so much! I enjoyed looking at your blog as well. My husband and I both love gardening, and what you are doing with Olive Groves sounds very interesting. I bet it is a lot of hard work as well. Best wishes to you both. I appreciate you stopping by!
Hi Shari, I wanted to let you know that I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award because I really love your blog and admire what you do! Participation is voluntary of course 😉 Thanks & hugs, Sylvia
Here is the link for it if you like to accept it:
http://superfoodista.com/2013/11/23/award-weekend-wordpress-family-and-versatile-blogger-award-and-quinoa-spinach-pancakes/
Thank you so much, Sylvia! What an honor to be nominated by you for the Versatile Blogger Award. I really like your blog, and how you focus on helping everyone to get more healthy ingredients into their diet. I love sweets, but also want to be healthy in the majority of my eating. You definitely inspire me, and I appreciate it!
Hey! I am passing the award – The Imagine Award – to you. Participation is optional. If interested, please visit this link: http://thenotsocreativecook.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/the-imagine-award-1-2/
CONGRATULATIONS and I hope you enjoy your award. 😉 xx Jhuls
Thank you so much, Jhuls! It is very nice of you to pass along the Imagine Award. I will check it out. I appreciate you thinking of me!
You’re welcome. 😉
Hi Shari. Krista Reimer (Roller) here. I tried to contact you by email but haven’t heard from you. Maybe I have the wrong address. Can you email me at krista@thereimers.org? Thanks! It was great to see you at Creeds’ open house in December.
Hi Krista, I sent you an e-mail. Hope you got it. We just got your letter in the mail yesterday. I loved the pictures of your family!
Really enjoying your blog,
and what an amazing place you live in –
so different from London!!
Emma 🙂
That makes me happy to hear, Emma! I agree, London and Arizona are 2 really different places. I visited London when I was 12. Such a long, long time ago! But I still remember how beautiful it was. I enjoyed it vey much. It would be nice to go back someday. I love that we can connect through our blogs, though!
Absolutely.
Surely it’s time for you to visit again…
Emma x.
Dear Shari, I have nominated you for the Shine On Award, hope you accept it 🙂 http://whilehewasout.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/shine-on-award/
Thank you so much for the nomination! That is very sweet of you and means a lot. I will check it out. Thanks for thinking of me!
Glad to find your blog through Fiesta Friday! You said, “My hope is to glorify God in all that I do and encourage others along the way. I hope that you will find that to be true as you visit this blog for recipes, reviews, and reasons to visit Arizona!” Love it! And I love me some Mexican food and dessert, so I am excited to see what you have already created and what you will continue to create!
I am glad to have found your blog too, Lori! Fiesta Friday has been a lot of fun. I look forward to reading your posts as well. Hope you have a great day!
Hi Shari, I found your blog through Angie’s Fiesta Fridays. I like your story and share your interest in baking. I love Mexican food too; willing to learn how to make it the authentic way from you 🙂 Your pictures are very good, and I look forward to your posts in my reader…
Hi Apsara, I am so glad to meet you. Thanks so much for your kind comment about my pictures. That is very encouraging. I hope that I can share more Mexican food recipes with you in the future. I look forward to checking out your blog, and seeing your posts as well. I appreciate you stopping by to say hi. Have a great day!
I nominated you for the Liebster Award!
http://foodlikecake.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/a-liebster-award/
Thank you so much, Chloe! That is very sweet of you, and means a lot to me. Your support is much appreciated, and I will check into what I need to do. Have a great day!
Hi Shari- Was just hopping over here to tell you I nominated you for the Liebster Award, and I see you were just nominated above! 🙂 Wonderful! Okay, 2 nominations for you Shari! Enjoy! Maybe you can combine our two sets of questions or something…i have seen people do that.
Here is the link to follow if you want to accept this award and participate:
http://creatingbeautyinthekitchen.wordpress.com/2014/04/02/liebster-take-2/
Thank you very much for the nomination, Lori! That is so nice of you. It means a lot to me. I will go to your blog and check it out. I really appreciate you thinking of me!
You are very welcome Shari! 🙂
Congratulations…you’ve been nominated for The Versatile Blogger Award! Participation is purely optional. If you’re interested here is the link you need to view the rules: http://feastingwithfriendsblog.com/2014/05/04/shout-out-sunday-an-embarrassment-of-riches-part-2/
Thank you so much, Nancy! It is sweet of you to think of me, and means a lot coming from you. I will check it out. Have a great day!
You are very welcome, Shari! Your blog has been a wonderful discovery. 🙂
Thanks, have a great day, as well!
MY PERSONAL FOOD BLOG
“COOKINGWITHLUCA”
is CHANGED to
“LUCACHEFITALIANO”
visit my new blog
“www.lucachefitaliano.com”
THANK YOU
Thanks for letting me know, Luca! I will check it out.
😉
Hi Shari, thank you for following my blog! I love what I’m finding here and think l’ll learn much more about the Mexican kitchen. I wish you luck and hope that you’ll have your very own bakery someday soon 🙂
Thank you very much, Connie! I do hope you enjoy the Mexican food recipes on here. Right now I’m experimenting with different recipes for enchilada sauce and hope to post that soon. I’m so glad we got connected and appreciate you stopping by!
Hi Shari, I’m stopping by to let you know I’ve nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger Award. You can find it here: http://foodessen.com/2014/05/14/beautiful-blogger-award/
Thank you so much, Connie! It is very sweet of you to think of me. I appreciate it very much and will check out the link. I hope you have a great week!
You have a great week too!
Hi Shari – First, congratulations on your 27 years of marriage – that is just wonderful to hear! I can really relate to you starting the next phase of your life – I’ve been so busy raising my son and working and now that he doesn’t need me as much, it has been wonderful doing something just for me, which is indulging my passion for food and documenting it via the blog. Arizona sounds fabulous and so different from London! xSelma
Thank you, Selma! I feel the same way about blogging. It is so nice to meet others who can understand our passion for food. Arizona is really different from London. I have been to London once a long time ago and enjoyed it very much. There is so much history there, and it is very beautiful. I have grown to love Arizona over the years. One of my favorite things is the sunsets here. Also, I really hate to be cold so it is the perfect place for me to live. So great to meet you, and I know I will enjoy following your cooking through your blog.
Hey Shari, nice to see you again here For proper introductions I am Kloe from http://www.kloesktichen.wordpress.com . Funny, you live down south and out west and I am moving down to Arkansas next month…We will have lots in common! Can’t wait to see your around again!
-Kloe
Thank you for introducing yourself, Kloe! I would love to learn more about Arkansas. I have only driven through there a long, long time ago. I look forward to getting to know you better through our blogs!
Awww, this is a yummy blog, must follow! I found you on Blogging 201 and am so glad I did! I hope you will find something to like on my blog, too, and hopefully follow it back!
Thank you so much, Angie! Meeting new people has been an unexpected fun benefit of Blogging 201. I look forward to reading your blog, too, and appreciate you stopping by!
You are welcome. You are free to follow if you like it. 🙂
Thanks for visiting and for the lovely message! I love connecting with other food bloggers! 🙂 Your blog looks fantastic- I will definitely be visiting often! 🙂
http://fromayoungfoodie.wordpress.com
Thank you so much, Sarah! I love connecting with other food bloggers, too. I appreciate your visit and look forward to seeing your posts as well!
Hi Shari,
Thanks for stopping by my blog, great to hear from you! Your have some delicious recipes on your site and fantastic photos – look forward to seeing more!
Jen x
Thank you very much, Jen! I appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to comment. I’m glad I found your blog, and I look forward to sharing recipes with each other!
Hi Shari! I liked your blog and content. Seems i can learn a lot from you. 🙂 I love cooking and being a new homeowner will be experimenting with gardening too. I have recently started blogging but finding it tough to write with full time job and all the work at home. Hope to get some tips from you.
Thank you so much, Anuja! I would find it tough to blog and work full time, but I hope you can find the time. I have really enjoyed it. Gardening is pretty tough here in Arizona, but we keep learning new things each year for yielding better results. I really appreciate your comment and look forward to checking out your blog!
I bet, gardening in Arizona must be challenging. I was in Kansas from past couple of years and there is only a small window of time when you can grow something even in patio garden. We have moved to California last year and am highly excited for all the gardening opportunities I will have here :).
Oh, I bet you are going to love gardening in CA! My sister lives there, and we are always so envious when we visit of how big and beautiful the plants are.
Hi Shari, Gladly informing you that I’ve nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award for your amazing blog! Happy blogging dear!!!
https://savourexoticwithsari.wordpress.com/2015/05/02/versatile-blogger-award/
Thank you so much, Sari! I feel honored that you would think of me. You are very sweet, and I really appreciate it!
Pingback: Blog Tour Award | All I do
Hello Shari! I have nominated you for a award 🙂
https://anujajain.wordpress.com/2015/05/04/blog-tour-award/
Thank you so much, Anuja! I was so surprised. That is very sweet of you, and I really appreciate it!
Hi Shari, you gave a wonderful blog here. I can’t wait to discover your local dishes 🙂
Thank you so much, Noemie! I appreciate you stopping by to say hi. I look forward to seeing your recipes, too!
Thanks for visiting my Blog. Your Blog is simply ‘Delicious’. I wish I could enjoy some of tasty food (am not much of a cook, but I have a sweet tooth, or rather sweet teeth altogether 🙂 .
I still haven’t watched Julie & Julia, would love to.
Looking forward to checking out your old movie reviews.
Thank you so much for stopping by, Nuwan! I wish I could send you some of my desserts. Probably wouldn’t taste too good by the time they got there, though! 🙂 I love Julie & Julia. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that it is about food, but I also enjoy Nora Ephron films. I love her sense of humor. I’m so glad I found out about your blog, and look forward to reading more of your reviews. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Have a great week!
Hi Shari:
Love your blog. Thanks for taking the time to share your passion with the rest of us. My dream, as is yours, is to own a restaurant one day. I hope you see yours come true.
I’ve tried the Deviled Eggs and your tip on getting the bright yellow color for the yokes is spot on. Thanks for that. Also, the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, mmm mmm good. And the Roasted Bell Pepper and Egg Breakfast Pastries are the “best breakfast ever!” I can’t believe how good they are. When my 3 sons come to breakfast on the weekends now, they ask for that or my stuffed pancakes. Can’t get them to try anything new, lol.
I wanted to let you know that I plan to review your blog in the debut issue of AZ LOCAL, an online magazine geared toward everything local here in Arizona… food, lifestyle, events, business, non-profit, government, etc. It will be out on July 2nd.
Thank you again for such a great place to find some really awesome recipes. Please keep up the great work.
Thank you so much, Angela! I really appreciate you letting me know that you have tried some of the recipes here. It makes me so happy that you and your family enjoyed them. It is nice to meet someone else who has similar interests. Your online magazine sounds great! I love learning about local places. I look forward to reading it and feel very honored that you would feature my blog. Thanks again for your kind comments!
My pleasure Shari. AZ LOCAL Magazine will debut on July 2nd and you will be able to read it for free here: http://keepitlocalarizona.com/azlocal – If you have anything specific you would like to say to our audience of almost 20,000 East/Southeast Valley readers, send it to me through the submission form on the site or my email and I will include it.
I will do that, Angela. I’m looking forward to reading it. Thank you!
Nice to meet you! I look forward to trying your recipes!
It’s very nice to meet you, too, Lynn! I hope you find some recipes you like. Thanks so much for stopping by, and I look forward to visiting your blog as well!
your welcome, please do stop by I look forward to following you and your very nice blog!