Home Town:
Member Since:
Nov. 2006
Cooking Level:
Intermediate
Cooking Interests:
Baking, Asian, Indian, Italian, Southern, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Dessert
Hobbies:
Hiking/Camping, Boating, Walking, Reading Books, Music, Painting/Drawing, Wine Tasting, Charity Work
I was an Air Force brat, and the second of 6 girls born to a Filipino mother and Mexican father. San Antonio is the city where my late step-father retired in 1991, and I absolutely love this low-cost, hospitable, and sunny city. I married my best friend, David in March of 2004. We have no children- as of yet, but I don't mind because we are really kids at heart ourselves...who aren't financially stable enough. (Cut us some slack, Grandma&Grandpa!) I wait tables at a chain restaurant, and I'm a student- every other semester ;P. My hubby is a certified personal trainer and a student at University of Texas at San Antonio. (Yay! 1 more year left for him!) We are fun-loving, humorous people who love to eat, laugh, and enjoy the simple pleasures that life brings. I don't watch much TV... I love the internet. Some of my other favorite websites include Youtube, Pogo, CakeCentral, and of course... you know, allrecipes!
My favorite things to cook
Sweet pastries! I wanted to start a cookie baking tradition in my family about 5 years ago. I scoured the internet for reliable and memorable cookie recipes, and that is how I found this website. My Grandmothers and Asian mother never took to the art of baking, so I rolled up my sleeves and put on an apron. I've been unstoppable eversince. If I must say so myself, I'm not too shabby, and I have some killer recipes and techniques that I've picked up along the way. Would you believe in less than 5 years I've had to purchase an entire bookcase to store my cookbooks?! Unlike my hubby, I'm an adventurous eater. Lately I've been enjoying Mediterranean, Thai, and Indian cuisines. YUM! David, on the other hand will ONLY eat Southern, Classic American, or Tex-Mex food :/
My favorite family cooking traditions
My sisters and I usually gather at my little house and we bake dozens of Christmas cookies to take home and pass on as gifts to our favorite people. Another traditon of the Mexican side of my family is making tamales. My father's siblings and their children run a makeshift tamale factory in my Aunt's kitchen and dining room. We make tamales and share laughs and stories, and by the end, we also walk away with delicious tamales and wonderful memories to share!
My cooking triumphs
I came across a unique recipe for Red Velvet cake through one of my cookbooks. On a whim, I gave it try. I tasted it, and it blew my mind! Everyone that had a piece had high praises, and I was even told by several that my red velvet was the best they ever had! I have been REQUIRED to bring a cake- A RED VELVET CAKE in particular- at family gatherings eversince.
My cooking tragedies
One early cooking tragedy that comes to mind is when I was in middle school. My home economics teacher split the class into groups and began giving instruction on how to bake a cake (Yes! A CAKE! :0) The kids in my group began assembling the dry ingredients and I proceeded to measure out about a cup of SALT! Needless to say, we failed the project, my classmates hated me for awhile, and I got scolded by the teacher for wasting ingredients :( We're not perfect, you know!