About Carol Bee Cooks

Hi! I’m Carolyn Stilwell, the creator, recipe developer, and photographer behind Carol Bee Cooks.

Carol Bee Cooks is a recipe site for home cooks who want easy, tasty meals that feel doable on a busy weeknight. You’ll find approachable recipes made with pantry staples, plenty of pasta and orzo dishes, and simple techniques that prioritize flavor without overcomplicating the process.

Every recipe is developed and tested in a real home kitchen with the goal of helping you cook with confidence and actually enjoy making dinner.

If you’re ready to start cooking, you can browse all of my recipes or explore pasta recipes, orzo recipes, and one pot recipes.

Carolyn Stilwell, the creator of Carol Bee Cooks.

About Me

I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and have lived in several cities across the United States. I now live in Columbus, Ohio with my husband, Sam, and our dog, Marty.

I currently work a full-time 9 to 5 job, and cooking is my creative outlet outside of work. Some of my earliest memories in the kitchen include baking cookies with my grandma, folding homemade Chinese dumplings with my family on Christmas Eve, and learning how to make my favorite comfort food of all time, buttered pasta.

Because I cook around a busy schedule, the recipes I share are designed for real life. I focus on clear instructions, approachable techniques, and meals that feel achievable after a long day, without sacrificing flavor or enjoyment.

How I started Carol Bee Cooks

While working a full-time 9 to 5 job, I began sharing short cooking videos on TikTok and Instagram as a creative outlet. As more people asked for full recipes and clear instructions, I created this recipe blog, Carol Bee Cooks, as a place to share the complete, written versions of the dishes I was making at home.

The site was built to be a practical resource for home cooks, with reliable recipes that are easy to follow, well tested, and designed to fit into everyday routines.

My Recipe Philosophy

My approach to cooking is centered on easy, tasty recipes. Most of what I share are dinners I make after work, so I focus on recipes that are approachable and do not require hours of shopping, prepping, cooking, or cleaning.

I keep things practical by:

Using fridge, freezer, and pantry staple ingredients that you may already have on hand.
Keeping prep and cook time realistic and clearly listed on my recipe cards.
Minimizing the number of dishes whenever possible, with a focus on one pot or sheet pan meals.

Pasta is one of my biggest inspirations in the kitchen, and many of my most popular recipes, including One Pot French Onion Pasta or Orzo al Limone with Crispy Parmesan Chicken, are pasta and orzo based. I also enjoy exploring global flavors and putting my own spin on familiar dishes such as Chinese-Italian Ragu, always with the goal of making them accessible for home cooks.

A white bowl with french onion pasta sprinkled with parmesan and parsley.

A bowl of pasta with red sauce, strips of parmesan cheese, and pieces of parsley.

A Little More About Me

Outside of the kitchen, I love staying active. I played college golf and still enjoy making time for movement, whether that’s getting outside for walks with my husband and Marty or finding small ways to stay active during the week.

I also love trying new restaurants for inspiration and researching food spots before traveling. Many of the ideas and flavors you see on Carol Bee Cooks start there and are adapted to be easy and approachable at home.

Press and Features

My recipes and work have been featured by major publications, including:

Several of these features highlight my One Pot French Onion Pasta, which introduced Carol Bee Cooks to a wider audience.

I also share my recipes with a large and engaged audience across platforms, including over 300,000 followers on TikTok, nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram, and more than 10,000 newsletter subscribers.

Brand Collaborations

I have partnered with a range of food and kitchen brands, including Campbell’s, Barilla, Kerrygold, Grey Poupon, Butterball, Breville, Our Place, Made In, Graza, Bertolli, Banza, Reynolds Wrap, Bona Furtuna, and more.

All collaborations reflect brands and products I genuinely enjoy cooking with and sharing with my audience.