blogs

My Food Obsession

 
Nov. 26, 2009 3:27 pm 
Updated: Nov. 28, 2009 5:49 pm
Today I cooked my second turkey ever.  The first Thanksgiving turkey I cooked was a year after my hubby and I were married, about nine years ago.  Both of our parents came to dinner and it turned out ok.  My goal for that dinner was to cook a turkey.  That’s about it! … MORE
Thanksgiving Table
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Oct. 12, 2009 10:50 am 
Updated: Nov. 9, 2009 10:38 am
Yeast breads.  A difficult subject for me.  I love baking and have perfected many cookie, cake, muffin and bar recipes.  But I’ve always avoided yeast breads.  They scare me.  So do fruit pies, but that’s a subject I’d rather not talk about right now.  Let’s tackle… MORE
See you later dough, and you'd better rise!
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Wow! It actually rose!
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They rose again! I'm on a "roll!"
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Aug. 27, 2009 8:36 am 
Updated: Sep. 25, 2009 10:24 pm
Our vacation this year was a trip to my aunt and uncle’s cabin “up north,” as we Minnesotans say.  My family has been going to Eagle Lake in Minnesota for decades.  Since my dad and his brother and sisters were young, my grandparents would take them fishing at Eagle Lake. … MORE
Hubby and Maggie fishing!
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From lake....
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.....to plate!
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The meal I made for my aunt and uncle
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Jul. 23, 2009 7:16 am 
Updated: Dec. 5, 2009 8:44 pm
My sister and her husband are expecting their first baby – a little girl – at the end of August.  My sister’s best friend and I teamed up and threw them a shower.  It was a hit, with great food and, at my sister’s request, NO SILLY GAMES!  My sister has a lot of friends that are… MORE
 
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Ladybug cookies - the dough
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Ladybug cookies - the dough pressed down
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Ladybug cookies - baked
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Jul. 7, 2009 11:51 am 
Updated: Jul. 23, 2009 10:25 am
Sunday was my sister’s birthday.  She is almost 33 weeks pregnant and is on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy.  For someone who is as active as she is, it is pure torture!  So I decided to make her a home-cooked meal and a cake for her birthday.  It was fun, I… MORE
Turtle Dove Cake - See my blog for recipe!
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Me, My sister and her pug Maxwell
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Turtle Dove Cake - Finished!
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Turtle Dove Cake - The caramel layer!
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Jul. 1, 2009 8:26 am 
Updated: Jul. 6, 2009 11:23 am
This past weekend, my dear husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.  Oh what a decade it has been!  We were married June 26, 1999, just six months before the new millennium.  Three months later I was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer.  I had major surgery to… MORE
Carrot Pineapple Cake I
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Anniversary roses!
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Hubby and me on our 10th Anniversary
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Jun. 9, 2009 8:15 am 
Updated: Aug. 22, 2009 8:46 pm
I recently went to see a movie and one of the previews was for the movie “Julie and Julia.”  I knew right away I have to see it this summer.  Julie decides to cook her way through Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in one year.  “365 days.  524… MORE
 
 
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Jun. 6, 2009 3:28 pm 
Updated: Jun. 11, 2009 12:35 pm
I had never had pesto sauce until last year, when I made it for the first time.  It turns out that I love it!  I studied and researched all different types of recipes and methods and came up with my own recipe that fits my taste buds.  I then freeze it in an ice cube tray and use… MORE
Dianne's Spinach Basil Pesto
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Pesto ingredients ready to process!
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Pesto ready for the freezer!
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Frozen Pesto Cubes
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May 28, 2009 7:50 pm 
Updated: Jun. 5, 2009 6:16 pm
I know I'm a little behind the times, since it looks like most people did this survey a while ago, but it looked like fun.    I thought maybe some of you might like to know more about me, although I don't know why since I'm kinda boring....Anyways, here it is!   1.… MORE
 
 
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May 19, 2009 10:19 am 
Updated: Oct. 26, 2009 7:50 pm
My husband and I were discussing rhubarb last night (I know, we have weird discussion topics, but that's us for you!), and we were agreeing that it seems most people have a love/hate relationship with it.  Either you love rhubarb or you hate it! We are rhubarb lovers.  We grew up on… MORE
Rhubarb Pudding Cake
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My Profile
Dianne
 Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)
Home Town: Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Living In: St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Member Since: Jan. 2004
Cooking Level: Expert
Cooking Interests: Baking, Slow Cooking, Asian, Italian, Mediterranean, Healthy, Dessert, Quick & Easy, Gourmet
Hobbies: Walking, Photography, Reading Books, Music, Wine Tasting
 
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About Me 
Cooking is my passion! I'm trained as a civil engineer, but right now I'm working part-time in the natural foods section of a grocery store. I really like it, I get to be around food and it gives me more time to spend in my favorite place - the kitchen! I've been cooking since I was about 10 years old and my mom was in the hospital, I had to take over a lot of the kitchen duties. I'm married to a wonderful guy and have two black pugs. When I'm not cooking or working, I'm reading, taking pretty pictures, making jewelry, or exercising.
My favorite things to cook
My favorite things to cook are also my favorite to eat - desserts! I love baking cakes, muffins, cookies and bars. On the flip side, I am a cancer survivor and my husband has MS, so good nutrition is very important to us. I cook a lot of salmon, veggies and whole grains. I also love to cook food that is more gourmet, things that go well with a nice bottle of wine.
My favorite family cooking traditions
Both of my parents are excellent chefs and we have a lot of traditional family recipes that I make throughout the year and holidays. For the past 5 years Sunday nights are when I make new or "fancier" meals for my husband and I to enjoy before starting a new week. We pop open a bottle of wine and enjoy each other's company and a great meal.
My cooking triumphs
My raspberry chocolate truffle cheesecake. I made it for my sister's wedding shower and it was the hit of the party. Turtle Dove Cake is my husband's favorite, so rich it's to die for! I make it every year for his birthday.
My cooking tragedies
In college I tried to make carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. The cake turned out fine, but I tried making the frosting with low fat butter and cream cheese. It was a soupy mess! I learned that you have to use the real stuff when baking!
 
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