cook's profile


smitten_kitten
 
Home Town: Elmont, New York, USA
Living In: Port Washington, New York, USA
Member Since: Oct. 2007
Cooking Level: Expert
Cooking Interests: Baking, Grilling & BBQ, Stir Frying, Slow Cooking, Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Dessert, Gourmet
Hobbies: Camping, Boating, Walking, Reading Books, Music, Wine Tasting
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About this Cook
It's a known rule in my family that you're not allowed in the kitchen until you can reach the sink. Once there, you are immediately promoted to sous chef :) I was grating cheese, cutting peppers, and seperating egg yolks at the age of 7. By 10 I was baking hams, cup cakes and lasgna. I'm 23 now and my boyfriend says I'm fearless when I cook. I've always had a love for the kitchen and being able to produce not just amazing food, but memorable smiles.
My favorite things to cook
I love making anything from scratch...lately I've been making lots of tasty pies (being as it's October and all) Anything remotely considered comfort food is always at the top of my list. Anything with high involvement and big results is right up my alley too.
My favorite family cooking traditions
I come froma big Spansih family where magic happens in the kitchen. We are big on Pumpkin Pie, Sweet Potatoe Pie, and Flan. We marinate pork shoulders for a couple of days and then slowly bake it for over 6 hours. It falls off the bone every time. Yellow rice with ham, peppers, onions, and pleanty of other secrets is always a stable for any gathering....and of course my moms favorite cheesy lasgna.
My cooking triumphs
My brothers favorite pie is Sweet Potato and my boy friends favorite is Pecan Pie. I made a Pecan sweet potato pie that is to die for.
My cooking tragedies
I halfed a pressure cooker recipe and forgot to adjust the cooking time. Definitely had chinese food that night haha.
Recipe Reviews 4 reviews
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
simply fantastic! I saw that a lot of people found that the cream cheese baked out to be a topping instead of a filling...but I used two pastry bags to move things along in a neat way. First put a little of the pumpkin mix....then a dab of the cream cheese filling (there will be pleanty left over so you can go heavy on it...it makes the muffin super moist) and then when you put more pumpkin mix on top its okay if it doesn't cover the filling completely, it'll bake out just fine. I doubled up on the recipie and gave it out as a warming fall gift to family and friends...they're begging for more!

3 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Oct. 7, 2008
Slow Cooker Pernil Pork
okay....I haven't made this specific recipe, but I don't really need to...I'm Puerto Rican and the first time I made this by myself I was 10 and have made it 2-5 times a year for the last 15 years. If you really want a Rican Pernil, chuck all the spices except a few cap-fuls of vinegar and about a cup of water....replace with LOTS of Adobo (Red And Blue capped ones are the best) And a bunch of packets of Sazon (enough so that it turns your mixture a deep orange-red color) If you love garlic, you can go crazy here! I find that no matter how much I put, it's never enough. You can mince it or slice it, or just use big chucks of it.....either way, be sure to cut thin but deep slits all over the pork sholder, injecting this seasoning (especially that yummy garlic) deep into the meat. I tried all different methods for getting it in there, but my hands and a turkey baster always worked best. (careful, sazon stains skin orange, wear gloves) Marinating it overnight is even better! Be sure to cover with tin foil for the first 3/4 cooking time and to turn the meat half way through cooking. Baste every hour. Keeping the thick skin on is up to you, but remember that it will act as an insulation while cooking, taking longer. Some traditionalists like to cut the skin off, season it and cook it seperately. I personally don't bother and just throw it out. You will know if you seasoned it properly, because your whole house (I mean everything...even the items of clothing in your closet

102 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: May 22, 2008
Big Soft Ginger Cookies
Okay, so EVERYONE has had chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven....but these are something special. Have your milk handy and steal a moment for yourself, because these are out of this world right when you take them out. Comfort food at its best!

0 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Oct. 24, 2007
 
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