Written Together: A Story of Beginnings in the Kitchen and Beyond

by Shanna Mallon

A year into her Chicago-area office job, Shanna Mallon realized that the thing she enjoyed most about her new real estate marketing career wasn’t the copywriting; it was choosing what to order for lunch each day. So in August 2008, she started her blog, Food Loves Writing, partly to escape her boring cubicle and partly as homage to her grandma, the woman who had taught her how to bake and, who had died exactly nine years earlier, to the day.

Armed with a love of eating but little knowledge of what to do with it, she poured herself into restaurant reviews, family stories, failed attempts at pumpkin pies. She told readers about a childhood of baking cookies with her grandma and of a hunger in her heart that reached deeper than food. Over time, what began as a fun distraction soon blossomed into a rich community—and through the blog, she finds herself, today, living a completely different lifestyle of eating whole, natural foods; residing in Nashville, Tennessee; and, mostly, sharing it all with the love of her life, her now-husband, Tim, whom she first met in an email.

In Written Together: A Story of Beginnings, in the Kitchen and Beyond, Mallon tells the story of a twenty-something girl longing for change but afraid of it, the story of a girl learning to trust—and along the way, she shares the recipes she’s using, from homemade orange basil creamsicles to grass-fed meatballs to pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction

73 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Rachael Marsceau · Rating 3 out of 5]

My family knew Shanna back in the day, so I enjoyed reading her personal story. Short and sweet.

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shanna's story is utterly captivating. I related, in part, because we both moved from Chicago suburbs to Nashville and her chapters around this transition summed up the experience well. Written Together started slow for me but then reeled me in until I couldn't put it down.

[Vicki Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everybody has a story and Shanna shares her story as a writer/blogger who finds her soul mate through the food blog she started in honor of her late grandmother. Even though I followed her blog, it was nice seeing in one place the arc of Shanna's story from the why she began blogging to her growth as a cook through the early days of her courtship and eventual wedding to her husband. Nicely done!

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solidly a three and maybe a bit more. A short read of a love story that happened over food blogging and distance. Cute. I was not expecting the faith parts, which I should have figured when she mentioned following the Dave Ramsey budget system. I also did not like the recipes interspersed. Would have been better having the recipes either at the back or a chapter together.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully-written, heartwarming account of finding oneself and one's true love, taking risks/leaps of faith in order to do so. I loved it and have highlighted a good number of passages that may well make it into future sermons to illustrate trust, faith, self-worth, self-knowledge and perhaps other things I haven't thought of yet! Which is a bonus I didn't expect when I opened this eBook. I also bookmarked a few of the recipes. :-)

[S.M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel like you'd have to be very simple minded to actually LIKE this book. Yet another food blogger who thinks she INVENTED roast chicken. The world does not need another pumpkin choco chip cookie recipe.

tl;dr: Two long distance food bloggers fall in love, one of them moves to an adjacent state, gives up day job, bakes cookies and chicken, they then get married and keep baking cookies and chicken. The end.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but enjoyable nonetheless. Sometimes something can be conveyed without a lot of extra words as is the case with this story of how the author met and found love through her blog. A lovely story with some wonderful looking recipes. The oatmeal cookie recipe looks like one I should make for my husband and I might even take a look at the authors blog.

[Dave Buie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonderful book, the author is extremely personable. The few e-mails I have sent to her she has responded quickly. Her blog is one of my favorites a great companion to the book.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good read! I loved everything about Mallon's writing style. So glad I read it!

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet, honest, inspiring story about falling in love, taking giant leaps forward and eating good food along the way.

[Briana Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love story with food being the constant variable. Loved it, and I'm sure you will too. Especially if you're a hopeless romantic and/or foodie.

[Tim Mallon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an enjoyable, fun, inspiring, thought-filled, easy read--by my love.

[Maxine Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends with the author, so a lot of fun to read this one!