About Laura

Hi, I’m Laura, the voice behind Family Spice. I’m the recipe developer, food stylist and photographer behind this food blog

Here you will find all amazing recipes that are tested and perfected before publishing. You’ll find modern Persian recipes, terrific family friendly meals, fabulous desserts that look like you slaved away in the kitchen, and campfire recipes you can prepare in your backyard or on a camping trip.

Whether you want to learn how to make Persian kabob koobideh (ground beef kebab), a barbie cake or a Dutch oven chili to make over the campfire, I give you detailed instructions and pictures to make them easy to prepare and insure success.

Getting creative in the kitchen, combining fresh ingredients, contrasting flavors, exotic spices and multiple cooking techniques from all over the world continues to be my passion today.

My philosophy to cooking is: Make it fresh, make it pretty, make it delicious. But more importantly, if you can read, you can read a recipe. And if you can read a recipe, you can cook.

Kinda like in the movie, Ratatouille.

“Anyone can cook”.~ Auguste Gusteau

A little about me

Laura Bashar at a campground cooking with Dutch ovens and hot coals

I am the proud mom to three adult children and one grumpy dog. We live in mostly sunny San Diego and we love our life here!

I have been cooking since I was a kid. My idea of fun was to read my mom’s cookbooks and make a meal from scratch using recipes from Paul Prudhomme. I am also half-Persian and learned how to cook Persian food from my mom, grandmother and uncle.

I received my undergraduate degree in Marketing from the University of Arizona. After college, I worked in advertising. When I was single and working full time, I still enjoyed relaxing in the kitchen with a home cooked meal. I would bring in whole wheat banana bread and make strawberry preserves to share with my coworkers.

Laura Bashar in a potato field in Idaho with a shovel

I left my career in advertising as an account executive and graphic designer to stay home and raise my kidlets. I started blogging in 2008 as a way to express myself creatively.

I create the recipes, photograph them, video them, write the blog posts, study SEO and pretty much do it all for this blog of mine! (learn how to work with me here).

What you will find on Family Spice

Reliable Recipes. All of these recipes have been developed and tested by me in my own kitchen. I share what I make with my friends and large family to insure that my creations are appetizing and enjoyed by all.
Persian Recipes. Because of my Persian background, I have a large range of Persian recipes, from popular kebabs and stews, to unique family favorites. I break down the recipes so that anyone can recreate these amazing dishes in their own home.
Camping Recipes. My kids grew up in scouting and we camped ALL THE TIME. So over the years, I have created lots of easy and fabulous recipes for your cast iron Dutch oven or to simply cook over the campfire to insure your hungry campers are happy!
Olive Oil Recipes. I love to bake! I have been baking exclusively with olive oil for over 15 years and have amassed a large variety of cake, cookie and scone recipes that use extra virgin olive oil. All of them are easy to recreate at home and taste amazing!

What is an easy Persian recipe for a newbie to try first?

Learning to make Persian rice and tahdig is a must for anyone wanting to cook Persian food. I break down the directions and many of readers have been able to make this basic dish perfectly on their own.

What is your favorite Persian recipe?

My favorite Persian stew growing up was Ghormeh Sabzi. And it still is today! This aromatic herb stew is so unique and incredibly delicious. It tastes even better the next day!

Is kebab difficult to make at home?

One of my family’s favorite dishes is my baked version of jujeh kebab, chicken kabobs in oven. I use the dry rub chicken seasoning on my Persian chicken wings and oven baked salmon. Not only is it mouth-watering delicious, it is also super easy to make.

Is it difficult to bake a birthday cake?

I have been baking birthday cakes for my children for over 20 years. I have made all kinds of cakes for them, from kool-aid cake to unicorn cake and everything in between. I even create all kinds of designs for my little nephew who is allergic to eggs and dairy using my vegan birthday cake recipe.

Certifications and affiliations

I have completed the Rouxbe’s Professional Cook Certification. The course was an intensive immersion in culinary skill and knowledge development. I have used the skills I learned in class, as well as my 30+ year experience as an avid home cook to create unique and delicious recipes.

I have also completed the University of California Davis’ Sensory Evaluation of Olive Oil Certificate Course and became and expert olive oil taster. Learn more about my passion for olive oil below.

I am the current president of the San Diego Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier. We are a philanthropic organization of women leaders in the fields of food, beverage and hospitality. I have been an active member of this wonderful group since 2014.

Second Cookbook

Both of my boys are Eagle Scouts. Because of all the camping my family and I enjoyed, I found myself cooking outdoors all the time. I decided if we eat well at home, why not outdoors? So I brought gourmet meals to our campfire cooking, as well as to our scouting families.

This passion for preparing fabulous meals over the fire inspired my second cookbook, The Camp and Cabin Cookbook (May 2018 Countryman Press). I created and photographed 100 recipes that you can prepare outdoors over fire using a number of different techniques: grilling, foil cooking, ash cooking, Dutch oven cooking…

The recipes feature my cooking philosophy of using fresh ingredients to create beautiful and delicious food.

A camera on a tripod shooting pears cooking on a cast iron pan in an outdoor fireplace

Two Dutch ovens with coals underneath in a big fire hearth with fire behind it

First Cookbook

For my first cookbook, I collaborated with fellow food blogger, Mary Platis (California Greek Girl), to design, write and photograph Cooking Techniques with Olive Oil. Our ebook received the Gold medal winner of the Global Ebook Award from Dan Poynter.

We both took University of California Davis’ Sensory Evaluation of Olive Oil Certificate Course and became expert olive oil tasters.

The response to our cookbook was so positive that we were encouraged to bring our book to print. And we did. Mary and I have self-published our own 132-page hardback cookbook.

We added more information, more recipes and more photographs! My graphic design background came in handy as I did all the photography and book design myself.

Laura Bashar doing a cooking demo on how to make olive oil lemon curd

Educating the world about extra virgin olive oil has grown into another passion of mine. We are so extraordinarily careful about the ingredients we cook with and put into our bodies yet so many of you are cooking with rancid, poor quality oils.

And with all of the myths out there about cooking with extra virgin olive oil, Mary and I tackle them all. To learn more, you can purchase our olive oil cookbook here.

You can also find a lot of olive oil recipes here on my blog, too. I especially love to bake with olive oil and make a large variety of delicious olive oil cakes.

A ripped open loaf of kalamata olive bread with fresh rosemary next to it with a shallow bowl with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Closeup of a gingerbread man cookie with baker's twine tied around it

Food photographer

My passion for photography began at a young age, way before digital photography. My father gave me my first camera, a Pentax, and he also gave me the photography bug. I took classes, joined my high school newspaper, developed my own film and photographs in the dark room, and began shooting sports events for my community newspaper.

In 1988, I was an intern at The Houston Chronicle where I learned all about photo-journalism. But my very science oriented family convinced me to not pursue a fine arts degree in college. I graduated from the University of Arizona with a business degree.

Side view of a jar of watermelon jelly and a spoon next to it and cut up wedges of watermelon behind it

Top view of a baking sheet with pulled pork nachos topped with sour cream, chopped tomatoes and guacamole with even more ingredients around it

And here I am, some years later, doing what I still love the most: photography. But this time, food photography. I not only do all of the photography on my blog and my cookbooks, but I also do free-lance food photography for companies, too, like Sun-Maid Raisins and Harris Ranch Beef. You can see my photography portfolio here.

My photos and recipes have been featured in a number of publications and cookbooks in the US an worldwide. I do NOT use AI or computer generated photographs.

My family and I were recently featured in Woman’s Day Magazine (March 2023) where I shared our nowruz traditions and recipes. My camping recipes have been featured in AAA and KOA.

Cover March 2023 Womans Day Magazine with page about Nowruz

For advertising and PR requests, you can learn more about working with me here or just email me at Laura AT familyspice DOT com.

Avid miniature lover

In 2021 I started a second blog, Life In Mini, where I share my love for miniatures. From making mini foods with polymer clay to rehabbing my dollhouse with popsicle stick flooring, I share my passion and dollhouse tutorials on dollhouse diy tutorials.