I have a significant obsession with cupcakes. Northwestern native, born and bred, I followed a love of cheese to Wisconsin and love of a sports fan to Michigan. I live in the North end of the Jet City with my sports fan, our dog and our two cats. I've been working for a large coffee company for nearly 10 years. On the side, I do some theater stuff. My weakness is collecting and reading vampire smut. I love baking yeast breads, cupcakes, pies, tarts, cookies, muffins, cobblers, scones, rolls and all things from the carbohydrate family! Unfortunately, my mother is not much of a cook. Her signature dish is a frightening "mexican casserole". She's great at appetizers, but Pops takes over most kitchen duties to the joy of the household. We grill out a lot. My dad's mother taught me to bake zwieback (german rolls) at an early age, so I've been baking yeast breads since about six or seven years old. Our current home traditions involve asian food. Most nights, my boyfriend and I have a sit-down dinner with each other. This is my favorite time of the day. I love to bake things. My I feel triumphant anytime I bake something and get to watch someone bite into it, as long as their expression stays dreamy and pleased. I was a vegetarian until well out of college and missed the entire chapter on cooking meat and poultry. My chicken is usually better served as a projectile device for defending one's self. I had a dinner party where I tried to make pork loin and ended up tossing together pasta salad an hour into the event when the pork came out of the oven like shoe leather.