About

How can I tell when my roast chicken is cooked? How big should those diced potatoes really be? And what does “cook until brown” really mean, anyway?

Welcome to my kitchen!

Hi, I’m Jessie Cross.

Not sure what to expect when you’re making a new recipe? Let me show you. Literally.

Most cookbooks display a picture of the finished dish, followed by thick paragraphs of instructions. The Hungry Mouse is a visual guide to food and cooking, and does just the opposite—relying more on pictures than words to demonstrate a recipe.

My signature, step-by-step photo recipes are designed to show you what each stage of cooking looks like. So you know just what you’re in for BEFORE you step into the kitchen—as well as when you’re in front of the stove.

Making raspberry orange sauce

What’s my deal?

I’m not a trained chef. I just love to cook—and write. (It’s really that simple.) My nickname is Mouse, or more formally, Miss. Mouse. You can figure the rest out.

I’ve worked in the food industry, written restaurant reviews, published hundreds of articles, edited a handful of books, and even wrote a cookbook of my own. (Ask me about the time I interviewed Second Lady Tipper Gore at the White House.)

My recipes and food photography have been featured in Bon Appetit magazine, Saveur magazine, Serious Eats, Apartment Therapy’s The Kitchn, The New York Food Examiner, The Hostess with the Mostess, not martha, and Sew Mama Sew. My pictures have been published on Foodgawker, Tastespotting, and Photograzing.

The Hungry Mouse’s Goat Cheese & Black Pepper Truffles

My work has also appeared on Citysearch.com, The Daily Beast, The Chicago Sun Times, The Southtown Star, Tana’s Habitat, and The Boston Phoenix.

When I’m not busy shopping for cheese or baking pies, I work as an ad agency creative type. (Want to work with me?)

Where is The Mouse House?

I live just north of Boston in beautiful Salem, Mass., with my husband, The Angry Chef, and two small, very friendly wolves. These are my cookbooks.

Salem is awesome. We love it here. (Those are the wolves, a.k.a. Keeshonds. Fierce, right?)

Does The Barking Sous Chef really help in the kitchen?

Well, sort of. Here’s Dexter, caught enjoying a (very) rare treat.