cook's profile


cookin'mama
 
Home Town: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Living In: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Member Since: Jan. 2001
Cooking Level: Intermediate
Cooking Interests: Healthy, Quick & Easy, Gourmet
Hobbies: Photography, Reading Books, Wine Tasting, Charity Work
About this Cook
I live in a suburb of Boston with my husband, who is a commercial pilot, and my teenage daughter, often referred to as the "finicky child". I also have two stepdaughters who love food, thank goodness. I am very involved in volunteer work since I retired as a flight attendant. I have always enjoyed photography, but just started taking food photos in the past year when I went kicking and screaming into the world of digital photography. I love to read and collect cookbooks; I have no idea how many I have. My idea of relaxation is to grab a glass of wine and a cookbook to page through. Of course, the helpful reviews and fabulous photos from others keep me coming back to Allrecipes. I'm not really a good cook, I'm just a good "chooser of recipes".
My favorite things to cook
My favorite thing to cook is anything that makes the people I am cooking for feel satisfied and happy. My husband complains that I'll make something that he loves and we never have it again because I am always trying something new. I like basic, good comfort food. If you start putting too many competing flavors on a plate, you've lost me.
My favorite family cooking traditions
Everyone gets to choose his or her own birthday meal, from beginning to end. We have had some unusual meals and even more unusual birthday cakes, pies, tortes, etc.
My cooking triumphs
I love sharing recipes. I always feel great when I have people asking for copies of the recipes for the food I have served.
My cooking tragedies
Nut Loaf! I went to a health spa in Mexico once and came back with the recipe for this absolutely delicious treat called nut loaf. As I was preparing it, my husband was complaining and whining about "nut loaf". I just smiled because I had already tasted it and knew that he would love it! The moment came; we both took a bite, threw it in the trash and ordered pizza. I still have no idea what I did wrong, but it was so awful I had no desire to try again.
Recipe Reviews 399 reviews
Italian Torte
This is an excellent appetizer with a flavor that belies the amount of time that goes into making it. I used mini spring form pans and made three small tortes. Served with crisp crostini, it was absolutely delicious. This would be a great appetizer to serve at an appetizer only party, as it is quite filling. I noticed that some people used sun dried tomatoes in oil and I am very glad that I did not. The clean taste of the tomatoes was a great contrast to the oily pesto. I will definitely serve this again.

1 user found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Jun. 22, 2009
Aunt Anne's Coffee Cake
This coffee cake was very easy and tasty. I used a 9x9 pan and used the same amount of butter for the topping but used roughly 1/2 cup white and 1/2 brown sugar and almost 2 tsp. fancy Vietnamese cassia cinnamon because I love a pronounced cinnamon flavor. I would make it again exactly the same way.

0 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Jun. 4, 2009
Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Coffee Cake
Even with my healthier substitutions to this it still came out great! I used coconut sugar for the first time since it is lower on the glycemic scale than sugar and used organic white whole wheat flour for the majority of the flour. I used half regular and half low fat sour cream because that is what I had in the house. Even with the whole wheat substitution this came out moist and delicious. Vietnamese cassia cinnamon and coconut sugar made up the filling and I wish I had increased the amount. I am not sure, but that could have been because of a difference in sweetness between regular and coconut sugar. Great recipe!

0 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: May 12, 2009
 
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