Living In:
Member Since:
Jan. 2009
Cooking Level:
Expert
Cooking Interests:
Baking, Grilling & BBQ, Frying, Stir Frying, Slow Cooking, Asian, Mexican, Italian, Southern, Low Carb, Healthy, Vegetarian, Dessert, Kids, Quick & Easy, Gourmet
Hobbies:
I've loved cooking since I was a small child. I have done institutional cooking for an active retirement center with 127 residents, cooked at my parent's dinner house in Hayward, California, am a retired Baker from Harvest Day Bakery(Lucky Stores) in San Leandro, CA. as well as cooked for my family of 7 children (4 already grown) and my husband. I currently cook for my husband, my three school aged girls and cook for our right after church luncheons. Cooking has been my passion all of my life.
My favorite things to cook
I enjoy creating boneless breasts and thighs of chicken (stuffed with everything imaginable) served with my own spare of the moment sauce creations. I also do large scale cooking in a 20 quart roaster oven for church every Sunday and enjoy surprising everyone with my casseroles, gumbo's, chili's, stews, etc.
Japanese foods such as Tonkatsu, Tempura, Teriyaki (beef and chicken), Sushi, Yakisoba (pan fried noodles)and Yakimeshi(fried Rice) are what I enjoy cooking and eating!
My favorite family cooking traditions
New Years Day I always serve black-eyed peas with ham for good-luck! Side of greens w/bacon crumbles and some sweet buttermilk cornbread.
My cooking triumphs
After finding out I had Type 2 Diabetes I created a Whole Wheat w/Splenda baker's blend Chocolate Cake quite by accident! To make the whole wheat flour rise better I heated all the liquids then mixed in the flour, the eggs and last of all the baking powder! It bubbled like crazy and after pouring the bubbling batter into the pan it looked already raised! I cooked it in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and it browned beautifully and tasted great! I sprinkled it with powdered sugar for my girls.
My cooking tragedies
I attempted to make authentic Lebanese baklawa for my half Lebanese friend.
I followed the recipe to the tee! What I failed to read at the next pages bottom was that I was supposed to let the syrup cool before pouring over the layers and layers of expensive ingredients!
TIP: Syrup must either be cool and poured over hot baklawa or hot and poured over cooled baklawa. Never pour hot syrup over hot baklawa; it will make it soggy.
I had to start all over again :(