cook's profile


Chitowncook
 
Home Town:
Living In: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Member Since: Dec. 2005
Cooking Level: Expert
Cooking Interests: Baking, Grilling & BBQ, Frying, Stir Frying, Asian, Mexican, Italian, Southern, Dessert, Gourmet
Hobbies: Photography, Reading Books, Music, Wine Tasting
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Me
New and Improved
Sheila in Hawaii
My Niece Jade
My Family Christmas 2008
About this Cook
I am single and I live alone in Chicago, IL. I like entertaining, because I get a chance to show off my cooking skills. They're nothing special. I just like good old american food with an accent on southern cuisine. I bake a lot and at the moment I am experimenting with bar cookies. I have some of the best cookware and I entertain so that I can use it. Mostly my family and I cook on holidays. I also travel and I just took a cruise of the Greek Isles in May 2009, for my birthday which was June 1st. It was absolutely amazing! I look forward to the cruises my mother and I take each year. My sister went on the last one with us. Cruising is what I like to do most.
My favorite things to cook
I enjoy southern food like collard greens, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, etc. I really enjoy baking and I recently treated myself to a KitchenAid mixer. I'm trying all the bar cookies at the moment, because they're good for Christmas treats. My lasagna is a family favorite,as well as my whipping cream pound cake. I am going to make Tiramisu for Christmas. I found a good recipe on Martha Stewart's web site and I am excited to try it.
My favorite family cooking traditions
My family used to get together once a month on the last Sunday and we'd do pot luck (everyone would bring a dish). When I was a child we'd have holiday dinners with our cousins and I really loved it. We're all grown now so it's just immediate family, because the family is too big to gather at one family members home. Thanksgiving is always special and Sunday dinners are, too.
My cooking triumphs
I think that Thanksgiving dinner has to be one, but I remember when I made my first stuffed cabbage recipe. Now, that was a challenge and it was delicious. I got the recipe out of our Tribune newspaper and I was much younger then. I had a time getting the cabbage leaves off the head of cabbage.
My cooking tragedies
I remember once when I was making cheese cakes I made one and the spring form pan was bent, but I was unaware. The cake ran out into the oven. All my cheese and eggs. It was awful! I had a mess to clean up.
Recipe Reviews 15 reviews
Buttermilk Pie
I have been thinking about buttermilk pie for years and before I had a computer, I didn't have the recipe. My aunt, who has since passed away, used to make this pie every year at Christmas and it was so special. She was from Alabama and the lady could cook! Some people would never even taste the pie if you told them it had buttermilk in it. I followed the recipe almost to the "T", but I omitted the lemon juice and added an extra little bit more of vanilla. I also added 1/2 teaspoon salt and about a teaspoon of nutmeg. Before I poured the mixture into my store bought deep dish pie crust I dusted the crust with a tablespoon of flour and sprinkled the top with a tablespoon, also mixed with about 1/4 teasspoon nutmeg. I read that somewhere and don't ask me what it does.:-) Now when my niece and nephews eat it Christmas I want to see their faces when I tell them they just had buttermilk. Delicious pie, girl. Thanks for sharing.

1 user found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Dec. 24, 2009
Lemony Sweet Potato Pie
I gave this recipe three stars, because I made some changes to it. In my family and among my friends this is the basic sweet potato recipe without the lemon extract. I make it with the lemon extract on occasion and it is delicious. I just can't inagine a sweet potato pie without nutmeg and cinnamon, but that's me. The water isn't really necessary. I can't see what purpose it serves. You can use a little more milk, if you like and just eliminate the water. I bake my potatoes instead of boiling them and that way they're not soupy or water logged. A pound of potatoes is about 2 cups, mashed. so you can weigh them to have the right amount. I always use frozen deep dish pie shells and I get two pies out of this batter. Tip: Sweet potatoes are real stringy and I don't know many people that will use a seive or a food mill. Put your cooked potatoes in the bowl and use a paddle beater. The strings will attach to the beater (actually any kind of beaters) and you can rinse them off. Do that about three times. That way your pies won't have all those strings in them. I hate that!

33 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Jan. 6, 2009
Sweet Potato Casserole II
There are quite a few recipes for Sweet Potato Casseroles and they all differe, slightly. Ruth's Chris restaurant has a video on You Tube and it uses a similar recipe. They're based in New Orleans and they use 3 cups mashed potatoes, 1 cup white sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 eggs, slightly beaten, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup). For the topping they use 1 cup light brown sugar, 1/3 cup self rising flour (you can make your own), 1 cup chopped pecans and 1/3 stick butter. I also added a half teaspoon of nutmeg or cinnamon, if you prefer cinnamon. You don't need the milk or cream. I have dined at Ruth's Chris in Chicago and their sweet potato casserole is to-die-for. Try this variation and I am sure you'll love it!

1 user found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Nov. 26, 2008
 
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Cooking Level: Expert
About me: A self taught cook with a southern background. I… MORE
 
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