Maggie, Recipe Developer

Maggie, one of Betty’s Lead Writers, has been writing about food for national food and beverage companies for more than two decades. She fell in love with family-style dinners in college, when she and her friends would gather on Sunday nights, turn on appointment TV, and cook together. Her go-to dish back then was one she learned from her mom — angel hair pasta and chicken in a cream cheese-butter sauce. She still remembers the recipe because it was so easy and so good. “It was this creamy, dreamy, yummy dish and everybody loved it.”

Her rich, delicious college dinners were a big improvement over her first foray in the kitchen at age 10. “I made chocolate chip cookies using the recipe on the back of the package, but I misread the ingredients,” she recalls. Instead of putting in 2 ¼ cups of flour, she added two ¼ cups of flour. “They came out of the oven and they were like nothing. I was so upset. When my older sister came home, she helped me make a new batch.”

Thankfully, her false start didn’t keep her from baking. “I really love making Christmas cookies,” she says. Her mom made holiday cookies when she was growing up and she carries on the tradition today. “And when I make sugar cookies, I always use the Betty Crocker mix because it’s delicious and sooo much easier.”