Home Town:
Lisboa,
Portugal
Living In:
Usa,
New Mexico,
USA
Member Since:
Jan. 2009
Cooking Level:
Expert
Cooking Interests:
Baking, Grilling & BBQ, Stir Frying, Slow Cooking, Asian, Mexican, Indian, Italian, Nouvelle, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Healthy, Vegetarian, Dessert, Gourmet
Hobbies:
Gardening, Walking, Photography, Reading Books, Music, Genealogy, Painting/Drawing, Wine Tasting, Charity Work
My palate & experience is wide & varied. I tend to minimize or exclude meats. I prefer making & eating healthy, organic foods, but am able to enjoy the occasional fast-food/pre-prepared foods. My newest ventures are: using a pasta machine, the panini grill, & a clay roaster with lid. Also, the cuisines of Hawaii, Vietnam, & Korea ~ while continuing to perfect what I already do know, and learn what I don't.
My favorite things to cook
Almost everything from around the world, although meats are usually minimized.
My favorite family cooking traditions
American Thanksgiving & Christmas meals; baking holiday breads & cookies. For their birthdays and other special occasions, my family members can ask me to bake & decorate for them ANY cake (from scratch) that they can possibly imagine. I especially enjoyed this when my children were younger, as my creativity burst forth with ideas that coordinated all aspects around a theme/interest: designing & making the cake, invitations, pinata; tying in the activities & party favors with that.
My cooking triumphs
I can make feasts (from scratch) of many countries' cuisines. Mostly proud of teaching myself Indian cooking, methods, and accumulating/sourcing the vast array of spices necessary. The current intriguing (non-Indian) spice is peppery, cinnamony 'Grains of Paradise'. Next? Perhaps Avocado Leaves....The spice I haven't yet found is the Piri-Piri (aka Peri-Peri) hot peppers necessary for a Portuguese sauce & marinade of the same name. I learned through AR that 'Malagueta' peppers may be the elusive Piri-Piri.
My cooking tragedies
Several attempts at a 19 layer European sponge cake for a 19th birthday. At least I scaled back the grandiosity before 19 attempts!