cook's profile


Mandy Sue
 
Home Town: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey, USA
Living In: Florham Park, New Jersey, USA
Member Since: Jan. 2006
Cooking Level: Expert
Cooking Interests: Baking, Frying, Stir Frying, Asian, Mexican, Italian, Southern, Healthy, Vegetarian, Dessert, Kids, Quick & Easy, Gourmet
Hobbies: Gardening, Hiking/Camping, Walking, Photography, Reading Books, Music
  •    
  • Title
  • Type
  • Overall Rating
  • Member Rating
Just Little Old Me
My boys
Broccoli and Sausage Cavatelli
Ed Zieba's Famous Family Pork Chops
Ed Zieba's Famous Family Pork Chops
About this Cook
7 Random Facts About Me... 1. I love to journal. I find it very therapeutic for the heart and soul. Whether it be on my blog, in my journal or on a piece of scrap paper or napkin; I find it's the best way to release my worries and anxieties. 2. I am big on proper etiquette and am really disappointed that it is being left behind. 3. I love to get lost in nature. Anything from cloud watching, digging in the dirt, or watching the trees and flowers dance & listen to the wind's song for hours. 4. I day dream a lot and find that I prefer my own thoughts over wasting time on silly small talk with others. 5. Family relationships are very important to me. I am very close to my parents and sister and I value their opinions over any others. 6. Rain makes my soul smile. Anything from a small rain to a large thunderstorm. 7. I prefer simple gestures over extravagant gifts. Something thoughtful and sincere means a lot more than something with a dollar value whether giving or receiving.
My favorite things to cook
I cook to please and try to make at least a few healthy choices throughout the week. Some of our favorite repeat meals from this website include Flank Steak in Garlic Wine Sauce, Easy Tortellini Bake, Orzo with Sundried TOmatoes & Basil, Mimi's Slumgullion, Chicken Marsala, Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini, Fabulous Fajita's, and Flank Steak Pinwheels. We have many other favorites from this site, but those have been repeated the most. I also love making meals and desserts that my children can help me with. Not only does it make them proud to have helped but they enjoy their dinner more and it's a great way to teach them basic skills including listening and following directions.
My favorite family cooking traditions
Sunday's are usually spent at my parents house. The holiday's are split up between my parents and myself; however we all enjoy helping each other in the kitchen. My favorite holiday treat is olive salad that my mother makes on the holidays. I look forward to it at every holiday gathering.
My cooking triumphs
Let's see... Having five boys in the house (one being my fiance), sometimes it is very difficult to make something that everyone will enjoy. I guess my cooking triumphs would include every time I get it right and make something that everyone enjoys and I hear no complaints through dinner. It sounds easy, but when you have five people to please with different taste buds, sometimes this task is hard to defeat.
My cooking tragedies
My biggest tragedies seem to be accidents in the kitchen. Usually cutting myself or burning myself. Recently I was using the julienne blade on my pro chopper plus. I accidentally julienned the tip of my finger. That hurt but life goes on. I bandaged it up and continued cooking with my finger raised above my head. Another one was when I had a frozen pizza in the oven on aluminum foil. I took it out holding on to the aluminum and it started to tear. Well I tried to catch it...and I did. Third degree burns all over my wrist and hands from the cheese. Guess the pizza wasn't really worth saving, but sadly it was still eaten.
Recipe Reviews 138 reviews
Easy Tortellini Bake
My family absolutely loves this recipe. The only thing I do differently is I use one big package of cheese tortellini and one small bag. I also prefer it with fresh spinach when I have the time to chop it. Best part -- kids love it and don't realize they are eating spinach. :)

0 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Feb. 11, 2012
Jamie's Minestrone
This went over really well with my family. 5 out of 6 approved!! Changes Made: Omitted the water and used a 48oz carton of broth. Otherwise there would not be enough liquid. I also upped the pasta to 1 cup - ditalini not shells, could have probably used a little bit more but it wasn't lacking. We just like a lot of pasta. Next time will add corn, use 1/2 the zucchini called for and add some potatoes. Personal preference but tastes great with the veggies called for. Perfect flavor and makes enough for 12 with second and possibly third servings.

0 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Feb. 11, 2012
Chicken Rotini Stovetop Casserole
Really good! Everyone loved it. Cooked the chicken and peppers first with salt, pepper, minced garlic and scallions. Then added the ingredients for the creamy herb sauce. Added the parm at the last 5 minutes (raised it to 1 cup) then tossed all with the rotini. Awesome! Next time will add more vegetables.

0 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Feb. 8, 2012
 
Cooks I Like view all 16 cooks I like
Cooking Level: Intermediate
About me: I am a mom of 2 busy young boys. Jakob is 5 and… MORE
Cooking Level: Intermediate
About me: I was born in Brazil and came to the U.S. to go… MORE
Cooking Level: Intermediate
About me: I married my high school sweetie in 1978. We… MORE
Cooking Level: Intermediate
About me: I have a few dishes that I rely on but love… MORE
Cooking Level: Intermediate
About me: If you love to cook and would like to interact… MORE
Cooking Level: Expert
About me: I LOVE to cook and love to try new recipes and I… MORE
 
Published Recipes
 
ADVERTISEMENT
 
Select Your Version:  Argentina  |  Australia & New Zealand  |  Brazil  |  Canada  |  China  |  France  |  Germany  |  India  |  Japan  |  Korea  |  Mexico  |  Netherlands  |  Poland

Quebec  |  Russia  |  SE Asia  |  United Kingdom & Ireland  |  United States