Columbia Falls blogger finds audience for home cooking

Between her bubbly personality and excitement for cooking, it’s no surprise that Kathie Lapcevic has managed to find her way into more than 40,000 homes across the country on a weekly basis.

The food writer and Columbia Falls local runs a blog, Homespun Seasonal Living, which boasts thousands of regular followers and subscribers. Over the last year, she has become more serious about her hobby, creating recipes from cookies to canning, and everything in between.

In August, the blogger furthered her passion by attending the Food Blog Forum in Nashville, N.C. Earlier this year, she applied for and received the Strategic Investment Grant for the Arts from the Montana Arts Council. The grant, which was given as a professional development tool, allowed Lapcevic to attend the conference as a way to hone her skills as a writer, and further her blog.

More than 120 participants from across the country attended the conference to learn more about food writing and photography.

“I just went and I thought, ‘I’ll see what happens.’” she said. “I didn’t really know exactly what I was getting into, but I knew it would be good.”

The grant matched Lapcevic’s funds, paying for half of her trip, and as it turns out, the trip was worth it.

“I was so inspired by the experience, and the collaboration with others,” she said enthusiastically. “It was definitely money well spent.”

At the conference, she learned from magazine editors, book publishers, newspaper editors and other renowned bloggers about how to hone her craft.

The conference focused on food photography, and how to make the subject stand out. Lapcevic photographs different stages in her work to accompany her blog posts, which she said was one of the hardest things to learn.

“I always wanted to use these quirky plates or fun designs, because I thought that might make it more interesting,” she said. “It took me a long time to learn that you have to let the food be the center of the photo.”

Lapcevic said the conference taught her how to turn her kitchen into a photography studio without using her entire budget. Instructors at the conference encouraged the participants to use everyday items when setting up photos, and to make the most of natural lighting.

“It was nice to know you don’t have to break the bank buying expensive equipment,” Lapcevic said.

She connected with nine other bloggers from across the country, and spent the month of October collaborating on cookie recipes for Homespun Seasonal Living, in light of National Cookie Month. The weekly posts were sponsored by large baking suppliers such as King Arthur Flour and Bob’s Red Mill Flour, who provided supplies to the bloggers in exchange for reviews on their products.

“It was a really great experience,” Lapcevic said. “We got to use some great materials. I’d like to try it again, maybe with local Montana companies.”

Lapcevic, who has a “day job” with Swan Valley Medical, has not always aspired to become a blogger. Instead, she said the skill just came naturally to her.

The blog started many years ago as a way for her to jot down recipes and ideas to remember. Eventually, it grew into a full-blown website, which followed her day-to-day explorations and passions.

“I’ve always loved gardening, which lead me to loving food,” she said. “The blog just naturally followed what I was doing anyway.”

Her big break came shortly after starting her blog in 2006. Lapcevic started thinking of recipes to pitch to magazines, and her first pitch was snatched up by Mother Earth News, a popular environmental magazine.

“I read all these books and articles about how you have to build up the confidence to pitch to a big magazine,” Lapcevic said. “They tell you to pitch to something locally, and to work up over time, building your name and portfolio.”

However, Lapcevic knew her idea was golden, and that the healthy-living magazine would eat it up, so to speak. She had developed a story based on substituting applesauce in recipes for items such as butter, which makes the food more healthy. She tried out many recipes, perfecting each one, and constantly worrying about whether or not the magazine would like it.

“I knew it was a good magazine, and all my research said I shouldn’t be pitching to someone so big yet,” she said. However, after all her fretting, Lapcevic’s husband, Jeff, pushed her to submit her idea.

“He told me, ‘What’s the worst that can happen? They can’t take away your birthday,’” she said. “And he’s right! The worst thing that happens is they say no.”

So Lapcevic pitched her idea to the magazine, and in less than a month (a quick turn-around for a freelance pitch) she heard from Mother Earth News that they loved her idea, and wanted her to write the piece.

Since then, the blogger has gone on to create stories and recipes for other magazines across the country, including Costco Connection.

Her stories and recipes parallel what’s happening in her own life, Lapcevic said. She and her husband live on Two Frog Farm near Columbia Falls, where the couple grow whatever strikes their fancy. The blogger draws ideas from whatever they’re dealing with on their farm.

“Last week, we harvested a ton of carrots, little tiny ones, more than we could eat, and we had to find something to do with them,” she said. “And while we were canning them, and making soup stock, and finding ways to save them, I knew I had my next blog piece.”

Homespun Seasonal Living regularly publishes new content at least twice each week, on Monday and Wednesday. Lapcevic sometimes posts additional recipes or reuses content on Fridays, if the post is relevant. She also puts out a newsletter on Fridays for subscribers with special, secret recipes.

Since her initial success, Lapcevic has continually broadened her reach in the community. She teaches classes on canning at Flathead Valley Community College, which have been a huge hit with locals.

“It’s always nice when someone keeps coming back,” she said with a smile. “I feel like that’s the biggest testimony to my work. When someone has fun at their first class, and they bring a friend or keep coming back, that’s a big honor.”

Lapcevic published her first eBook last year, a collection of 60 recipes for the holiday season. The book, available online or on her blog, is called “Gift It From Scratch,” and contains a plethora of food gifts and possible pairings.

She plans to keep blogging and pitching ideas to magazines, and eventually hopes to write another book.

To view her blog, visit www.homespunseasonalliving.com.

Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com.