cook's profile


Baricat
 
Member Since: Mar. 2000
Cooking Level: Professional
Cooking Interests: Baking, Grilling & BBQ, Stir Frying, Asian, Italian, Mediterranean, Healthy, Vegetarian, Dessert, Gourmet
Hobbies: Quilting
About this Cook
My husband and I are avid scuba enthusiasts, and I enjoy quilting when I'm not cooking. I recently shed some 112 pounds, but still enjoy cooking for my husband and grown kids. Life sure is different when you wear a size 2, but as I tell my family, just because I don't eat anymore doesn't mean I can't cook. Cooking is my life-line. It keeps me connected. Food is the great equalizer. Rich or poor, there are few who don't experience a truly visceral enjoyment via great food. Few pleasures equal creating something that makes people moan with near-ecstasy!
My favorite things to cook
Anything Italian, as that's my family background. Love to bake - cakes, cookies, breads, pies. Love Oriental cuisine. Originally trained classically in France, then completed chef training by graduating from Johnson and Wales University (Providence, RI) with a degree in Culinary Arts. I've worked as an executive chef for a private school, a caterer, and a pastry chef.
My favorite family cooking traditions
Home made pasta, sauces and pizza, ice creams and sorbets, Christmas cookies, fruit combo pies.
Recipe Reviews 132 reviews
Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Biscuits
Westie approved! I wanted to beef things up even more, so I added 1/4 cup whey powder, added 2 more Tb peanut butter, and replaced half the wheat germ with rolled oats. Omitted the honey, as the whey powder was non-calorically sweetened. Rolled into 1" balls and flattened onto the sheet. It made exactly 35 this way. My dog went NUTS!! She sat her butt down next to the oven and wouldn't move until I gave her a couple, and I finally had to shoo her out of the way. It's great to know that all the ingredients are good for her, and they contain no preservatives, which means BTW that they'll have to be stored in the fridge so as not to get moldy. Thank you for the recipe, a sure-fire way to make your favorite canine very, very happy.

0 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Jul. 9, 2009
Perfect Berry Shortcakes
Very good. If you like a true shortcake with a somewhat traditional, dry, biscuit-like cake, you'll go for this in a big way. The sugar crusting on the top was perfect. I pureed half the berries to make sure there was enough moisture to soak into these. If I had just sliced up the berries, it would have been a little dry for our taste. Like shauna85 said, very must like a scone.

0 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Jul. 6, 2009
Cherry Cheese Pie I
The best I've tried of its type. True, it's not exactly what you could call a cheesecake, so "Cheese Pie" is appropriate. This recipe sets up much more predictably than the one made with sweetened, condensed milk and lemon juice. The texture is light and creamy when served cold - tends to get a little loose as it comes closer to room temperature. As a consequence, it may be frozen, and when allowed to thaw for a few minutes, can be cut and served that way. To give the cheese layer a little more interest, I added about 1/4 tsp lemon extract, plus a dash each of maple and almond extracts. These complemented the cherries perfectly. A+ for a simple recipe that tastes luscious and takes only minutes to throw together.

0 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Jun. 30, 2009
 
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