About Me

Bringing you the best recipes that have earned my seal of approval.

Hi there! I’m Christina, the chief cook and bottle washer behind It Is a Keeper. I share tried and true recipes that anyone can make.

Everything I share has been thoroughly tested and has received my seal of approval as “keepers”.  


When I’m not binging true crime shows or podcasts, you’ll find me in the kitchen.  It’s my happy place.  Nothing makes me happier than feeding people.

It all started when I was two and received my first kitchen set.  I would spend hours whipping up imaginary meals and treats.  
Christina cooking in her play kitchen

As a kid, I loved helping in the kitchen.  Whether I was helping my grandma make homemade ravioli or baking dozens of Christmas cookies with my siblings, I loved being in the kitchen. 

Cooking is very cathartic to me. I’m truly in my element in the kitchen. Maybe it’s that I’m using all of my senses – the feel of the dough, the smell of the sauce or the sound of the vegetables being chopped. Whether I’m making an old favorite that I know by heart or trying a new recipe, it’s exciting to see it all come together.

Christina chopping lemons

About It Is a Keeper

I started It Is a Keeper in 2010.  At the time, I was working full-time and my website was a hobby.  One weekend, I was cleaning my house, getting everything organized after the holidays. I found several piles of recipes I had stashed that I wanted to try. There were hundreds of them – ripped from magazines, clipped from pasta boxes, printed from websites, even written on paper plates.

I popped in a movie, Julie and Julia, and started organizing my piles of recipes. If you’ve never seen the move, the main character, Julie, decides she’s going to cook her way through Julia Child’s cookbook and blog about it.

recipe pile

A light bulb went off. That’s what I’m going to do! Cook my way through my pile of recipes and blog about it! The only problem was…I didn’t know what a blog was. I grabbed my laptop, did some Googling and by the end of the weekend, I had a website.

Today, blogging is my job.  I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to work from home doing what I love.  Some days, it’s crazy busy, like the running-my-dishwasher-three-times-in-a-single-afternoon kind of busy.  But I love every minute of it. 

Whether you’re watching me on YouTube or television or printing out one of my recipes, It Is a Keeper is a look into my kitchen. The food you see is what we are really eating. Most of the things I cook are not fancy and I don’t use hard to find ingredients. They are everyday recipes for everyday life.

You Might Have Seen Me

You might have seen me on TV – I’ve done quite a few television cooking segment.  Or, maybe you came across me in a magazine, like Taste of Home. Or, you might have stumbled on It is a Keeper from another website, such as BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, Woman’s Day or Reader’s Digest.  

Check out all of my media features.  

About My Family

I live in gorgeous northeastern, PA with my husband, teenage son and our cat, Bo.  When I started It is a Keeper, my son was only 4 years old.  Somehow, I blinked and he turned into a young man.  

These two are my taste-testers.  They’re always up for trying something new and offering their feedback.  Some are spot on. others…not so much.  

They’ve also become used to eating luke warm food that needs to be photographed before they can eat it. 

A Little More About Me

 Here are 21 things about me that you probably don’t know…

  1. I read cook books cover to cover like most people read novels. 📚
  2. I am named after two of my great-grandmothers.
  3. My middle name has a letter that is not in our alphabet.
  4. I graduated from Penn State with a BS in Management Science and Information Systems and a minor in Operations Management.
  5. I am a HUGE Penn State football fan! 🏈
  6. I’m the proud mom of an Eagle Scout. 🦅
  7. We live in the Scranton, PA area — you know, the city from The Office.
  8. I’m an Aries and I pretty much fit the profile to a T.
  9. Toast is on my list of top 5 favorite foods.
  10.  My favorite song of all time is Convoy by CW McCall (most people have never heard of it).
  11. My favorite movie is a tie between Footloose (it’s also my second favorite song) and Spaceballs.
  12. I am obsessed with true crime podcasts and TV shows.
  13. I have never had a mosquito bite. Or, if they do bite me (I don’t know 🤷‍♀️), I don’t get the itchy, red bumps. Weird, I know. But my mom and maternal grandmother were the same.
  14. My favorite flowers are hydrangeas.
  15. I am petrified of snakes.
  16. I am fascinated by all things Southern – I think I was born on the wrong side of the Mason-Dixon line.
  17. I’m very clumsy – I once fell off the end of Norway.
  18. I’m a huge spreadsheet nerd!
  19. My dad was like a walking GPS, however, I didn’t inherit that skill. I am ALWAYS getting lost. 
  20. I live with not one, but two drummers – my house is loud! 🥁
  21. I have a soft spot for veterans – they are true heroes. 🇺🇲

I hope this helped you get to know me a little better.  

Let’s Connect

I would love to hear from you. Feel free to send me your feedback and questions.  You can leave me a comment or you connect with me here:

18 thoughts on “About Me”

  2. Hello! I am a new follower. I found you through the “Terrific Thursday Blog Hop”! I just took a look through your posts and I have one thing to say, “I am in big trouble!” So many things looked SOOOOO good! I will be trying out some of these recipes! Thank you and please visit my blog at http://SurvivingSAHM.com/blog!

    ~Heather

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  3. Great site! I just found you and I like it! I too have have an obessive amount of recipes in binders that I have pulled from everywhere, the internet, magazines, etc including over 100 cookbooks. Keep up the good work!

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  5. Hello Christina! I just came across your blog. What a great idea! I, too, am guilty of collecting recipes and cookbooks without trying most of them. Most of my collection now is on my laptop, and no lie, I have over 1000. Guilty! Anyway, just wanted to send you a word of encouragement. Blogging daily must be a thankless job, but I hope it’s as fun for you to write as it is for us to read!

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    • Thanks for the words of encouragement, Jacqueline! I really like sharing recipes on my blog. I think it’s a bit cathartic! It’s the one place where I can talk (on and on and on….) about food! I’m impressed with how organized you are with your recipes! I hope to be like that someday too! Do you use software to help store your recipes?

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  7. I’m so glad I found you! Just today in fact. I’m always looking for new and different recipes. I’m a recipe collecter too, only I collect recipe sites that I know will be useful. I’m looking forward to seeing what else you bring out!

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  8. Your photography is fabulous. Can you tell me the name and model of the camera your husband uses? Mine Hubs is wanting a new one and I love your pics.

    Thanks!

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    • Deanne — Thanks for the kind words about the photos! My husband uses a Canon 40D with a 580 EX flash. However, this model was discontinued a little while ago. The 50D was the model that took its place. He uses 2 flashes (one on the cam and one off) to get the right lighting and not leave harsh shadows. It really does take beautiful pictures! Let me know if you need any more details.

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    • WOW! Thanks, Megan! I’m honored that you thought of me! Please let me know what I need to do. I added a link to your blog to my blogroll at the right, too.

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  10. Congrats ! I happen to think like you. And also about to start my own blog and then maybe a web page. Ultimately be my own boss, working with what I love the most; everything food related.

    Reply

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