Our Story ~ Barley & Sage

Hi there! I’m Kyleigh, the writer, photographer, and recipe developer for Barley & Sage! Here you'll find delicious scratch-made recipes ranging from quick and easy cocktails or salads, to time intensive labors of love like how to make sourdough bread completely from scratch or my popular salted caramel French macarons!

Keep reading if you want to learn more about me and how I got started in food blogging! If you are curious about how we can work together, click here!

How It All Started

I've loved to cook for as long as I can remember but no one ever taught me to cook. We didn't have a TV at home but my grandparents did, so whenever I would go to their house, I would just spend hours watching the Food Network. Looking back, I’ve realized that the Food Network was my culinary school. My little 8 year old brain just absorbed hundreds of hours of recipes and techniques and everything just seemed to stick. My mom was a single mother for much of my childhood, so I started making dinner for the family by myself at about 10 years old. I loved creating things and putting random ingredients together (thanks, Chopped) and I've been creating my own recipes ever since.

kyleigh in the kitchen cooking at 3 years old — The very first picture of me in the kitchen.

For the longest time I wanted to go to culinary school and become a chef, but then I realized what a brutal career that really is. I was afraid that if I made cooking my career, it would take the joy out of it. I know so many people that dread cooking dinner after a long day of work, but it's my relaxation. Spending hours cooking is how I unwind and refresh my mind. It's truly the only place I've ever felt creative and artistic.

For years friends and family have been asking me to share my recipes which is one of the highest compliments I've ever received. So I finally decided to start writing them down and thus Barley & Sage was born!

If you want to learn more about my journey to becoming a full time food blogger, be sure to check out this post!

What You'll Find on Barley & Sage

I focus on scratch made recipes for the home cook and baker! It's mostly desserts but I also include quite a few savory recipes too!

I love making things from scratch because it's often and healthier and just tastes better in my opinion, but sometimes doing everything from scratch is more expensive (although usually cheaper) and often takes a lot more time. So I try to always include cheaper/easier options in my recipe notes for people who might not find cooking for hours as relaxing as I do. As the iconic Ina Garten always says, "If you don't have _______, store bought is fine."

My recipes contain detailed step-by-step instructions, along with step-by-step photos to ensure you have success in your own kitchen! I also try to include FAQ's and substitutions for special diets when possible.

There is a Recipe Index where you can browse all sorts of recipes by category! From course or type of cuisine, to individual ingredients.

I also have a category that I call Baking Basics, which includes all the recipes and techniques that I think everyone should master! Like how to make brown butter and my recipe for perfect pie crust.

Lastly, if you're looking to start a blog yourself I have a TON of blogging resources! When I first started out, I had no idea what I was doing. So I've created resources I wish I had when I was a newbie!

Just one more thing to keep in mind:

All of my recommendations are genuine. This blog does use affiliate links and curate sponsored content, but I only promote products that I actually buy and use in my kitchen (you can read more in my affiliate disclaimer). So if I talk about a brand or a tool that I love, it's because that's what I use and wholeheartedly recommend. If you're curious about my most beloved kitchen and photography items, you can check out my shop page!

Fun Facts About Kyleigh

I started Barley & Sage with ZERO knowledge of blogging or photography! I just knew I loved to cook and hated my office job.
The only thing I love more than food is traveling! I've been to over 20 different countries and fallen in love with the local cuisine in every place! My travel had informed much of my cooking style!
Peaches are my favorite fruit of all time, so you can find a LOT of peach recipes on the site!
I'm a little picky about what I like, but I'll try anything once! For example, I hate pickles and refuse to eat them. But I had no problem trying a fried scorpion on a stick in Thailand!

About Barley

I had the name Barley picked out before I even had a dog. I thought it was the cutest name for a pup and decided on it about a year before I even started looking to adopt. In September 2018, I was scrolling shelter websites and stumbled across this precious little 4 month old stray and I knew I had to have her. She was all legs (still is), incredibly sweet, and most importantly, she looked like a Barley. I fell in love with her immediately.

Barley is a very good dog and a masterful beggar, which means she gets pretty much whatever she wants. When I'm cooking, she's sitting at attention right at my feet giving me those sweet puppy eyes that she didn't grow out of. Needless to say, she tastes almost all of my food before Kyle or I do.

When I was trying to come up with a name for this blog, I knew I wanted to use my last name (Sage) and combine it with something that was ever-present in my kitchen. Ingredients like garlic, butter, and flour just didn't roll off the tongue quite right and then I realized that Barley is the most constant presence in my kitchen of all.

Barley & Sage had the perfect ring to it and I'm so happy that's what I chose to name my business!