cook's profile


GWENMBELL
 
Home Town: Houston, Texas, USA
Living In: Katy, Texas, USA
Member Since: May 2001
Cooking Level: Expert
Cooking Interests: Baking, Slow Cooking, Asian, Mexican, Italian, Southern, Mediterranean, Low Carb, Healthy, Dessert, Quick & Easy, Gourmet
Hobbies: Quilting, Gardening, Reading Books, Genealogy
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Gwen
About this Cook
Love comfort food, but made easy because of busy career and family responsibilities. I am also a traditional cook so I have some recipes that I have now handed down to the 4th generation of family cooks....some could probably be credited to prior generations but honestly, I learned to cook from my grandmothers - one from East Texas and the other from Central Texas - both amazing bakers and cooks.
My favorite things to cook
Casseroles and one-pot meals for easy lunch the next day at work. Baking unique and impressive sweets for family get-togethers, friends and co-workers.
My favorite family cooking traditions
Traditional holiday fare, made-from-scratch baked goods, and experimental throw-togethers from the pantry and freezer.
My cooking triumphs
Pitched a cookbook fundraiser for charity to a professional organization which was a huge success. The result was a 490-recipe, 3-ring binder cookbook with over 2,400 units sold, substantially under publisher's suggested retail price, and garnered $23,000 for cost of publishing and grassroots marketing PLUS $16,000 for charity and approx. $1,000 in seed money for next project. Recipes were submitted from around the world and several were identified early on as definite must-haves.
My cooking tragedies
Pecan pie. I cannot get one to turn out. Have been shown up by my 21-year-old niece who has scored everytime with a recipe from the cookbook I was involved in publishing. She says the cookbook is the greatest gift she has ever received...especially because she married early last year and is now expecting her first baby. UPDATE: My niece (now 24) finally told me which Pecan Pie recipe she uses, gave me her secret twist, and last weekend I had my first success! Woo Hoo! Maybe I'll tackle a cherry pie next!
Recipe Reviews 9 reviews
Ham and Cheese Quiche
I've been using this recipe for almost a decade now and have modified it to suit whatever leftovers I have hanging out in the frig.....cubed, baked potato for the mushrooms, thick-sliced bacon for the ham, etc. My only constant change is that I totally cover the bottom crust with sliced swiss cheese and top with shredded swiss but that's just a personal preference, not to mix the cheeses in the same dish. Even the men in my family find this a hearty lunch served with a salad.

3 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Mar. 25, 2011
Saucy Stuffed Peppers
[UPDATE] I follow this recipe exactly as written almost everytime using Uncle Ben's Converted Rice and have never had any issues with the rice being crunchy on top and mushy on the bottom. The only thing I have done differently is twice I used a little V-8 with the tomato juice (I wanted to finish an opened bottle of V-8). My suggestion for those who have had rice issues is to make sure your peppers are wedged into a single layer in your pot OR weigh them down with a plate or steemer basket so that there is at least 2" of sauce covering them. When I "stir" them, I am usually just making sure they are still covered and sometimes move them around the pot like a carousel. My extended family asks me to make these several times a year for our monthly Sunday dinners and they bring large empty yogurt containers to take any home that survive dinner. All generations of my extended family have been eating stuffed peppers their entire lives and without exception, they believe these are the best they have ever had. I have been asked for this recipe so many times that I have it saved on my computers at work and home so I can forward it upon request.

2 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Nov. 11, 2010
Baked Potato Salad I
I made this version of potato salad for a BBQ cook-off team meeting and all the members raved about it....will definitely make it again.

2 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Nov. 11, 2010
 
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