About Me
I'm married and a mom to a three year-old daughter and also work outside the home. I do virtually all the cooking in our house (wouldn't have it any other way! My husband's idea of a vegetable is a potato...) We're putting in a pretty decent vegetable garden this year, and I always grow a good variety of herbs. If only I had enough land for a few fruit trees....well, maybe some day! We also have two big dogs, a Great Pyrenees and brand new Newfoundland, three very confused, angry cats and a 56-gallon fish tank (Um...thanks to the ice storm of Dec 2008 it is now an EMPTY fish tank...). If you're really bored :), come check out my very own, mostly food-based blog, http://marvelouslymundane.blogspot.com.
My favorite things to cook
Thanksgiving dinner has got to top the list - I love incorporating my family's traditions with my husband's family traditions, then adding our own new ones. As far as day to day cooking, I'm happiest when I'm baking! Although I don't mind spending time with complicated assembly every now and then, I prefer dishes where you toss everything together, like stir-fries, pasta dishes, stews and chili.
My favorite family cooking traditions
Holiday baking, Thanksgiving Dinner are my all-time favorite traditions. I love putting together buffets - it gives me an opportunity to try a variety of recipes.
My cooking triumphs
I had always wanted to do an elaborate wedding cake, so when a good friend's daughter got engaged I offered to do her wedding cake. I was not intimidated at first, BUT they were engaged for 3 years... It went from a 50 person do-it-yourself semi-potluck reception to a 140 person elegant, catered event. I worked on it for 3 days, baking, making the two fillings and batch after batch of Italian Meringue Buttercream. My mixer even burnt out and I had to run out and get a new one at 10:30 P.M. The results? Although I saw some flaws, it really looked lovely and tasted great! It was definitely my most challenging feat in the kitchen, and so far my greatest success!
My cooking tragedies
No major tragedies, but there must be something about me that kills yeast, because I have no luck with yeast breads. I make the ugliest pie crust in the world, but it tastes good, so I guess that's not a total failure... Oh, I do tend to burn things...I'm usually multi-tasking, so I always forget about something until the smoke detectors start blaring.
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