PAM29922
 Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)
Home Town: Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA
Living In: Waxhaw, North Carolina, USA
Member Since: Jun. 2004
Cooking Level: Expert
Cooking Interests: Baking, Grilling & BBQ, Mexican, Italian, Southern, Mediterranean, Dessert, Gourmet
Hobbies:
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My Wedding Cake (for day 2 of our wedding weekend)
About this Cook
I'm a Corporate Mom who truly loves to cook. Some people unwind with a good book or a hot bubble bath...I cook. I love to see the excitement on my friends and family's faces when they see the presentation of my food and the initial reaction to the taste of my food as well. I cater small parties in my spare time and have always received raved reviews and many referrals.
My favorite things to cook
I love to cook anything that will present beautifully. Cakes, nice cuts of meat, special chicken or fish dishes and especially appetizers. I'm a whiz when it comes to appetizers and Hors d'oeuvres. The smaller and more detailed the tasty morsel can be, the better. I also have a reputation for my homemade Italian Meat Stromboli and Tiramisu.
My favorite family cooking traditions
I'm Portuguese and grew up in New England so I have a love Portuguese foods and seafood. I host an Open House event every New Years day (that is a carried on tradition from my parents) and although I now reside in North Carolina, I always created dishes from my childhood that bring me back to New England and the Portuguese community that I grew up in. Of course, I always have a few Southern items as well!
My cooking triumphs
I have (2) major cooking Triumphs. (1)My best friends (and next door neighbors) are the pickiest eaters I know. Anytime I make something new and they like it, I consider it a triumph! (2) This year I perfected Chicken soup sounds simple, but to get the perfect blend of seasoning is no easy task, especially without using a soup starter! I'm still trying to perfect the classic cannoli shell. Hopefully, I will be able to my list that triumph some day soon.
My cooking tragedies
I make the worst pancakes on the face of the planet! I keep trying, but they are just terrible!
Recipe Reviews 48 reviews
S'mores
Great recipe! I made this for a cookout and everyone went crazy over them1 I had 5 people ask me for the recipe. I followed some recommondations in other reviews: I baked the crust for 5 minutes, added the chocolate and marshmallows (I used large and cut them in half) and baked for 5 minutes and then I topped with remaining crumbs and baked for 5 more minutes. I also lined the pan with tin foil so after baking, I put the whole pan in the fridge for an hour then lifted out the foil and sliced into triangles. They lifted easily and cut perfectly!

5 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Jul. 25, 2011
BBQ Chuck Roast
Excellent recipe. I made two modifications: added 2 TBS brown sugar for the carmelization factor and I didn't add onion (I didn't have one handy). This was delicious and my family went crazy over it! My picky 13 yo had 4 (yes, four) helpings! I used an adjustable rotisserie basket and it cooked perfectly. Will surely make this again!

2 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Jul. 17, 2011
Banana Upside-Down Cake
This is a very good recipe and very versatile. I have made it twice. First time, I made it as written and it was very tasty, but not nearly enough topping. The second time I made it, I used Yellow cake mix and a box of Banana pudding mix, I doubled the topping, but I used Macadamia Nuts instead of Pecans and I added Coconut. I also added mini chocolate chips to the batter and added 1/4 cup of Amarula Cream Liquer. It was FANTASTIC!!

5 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Jun. 11, 2011
 
Cooks I Like view all 1 cooks I like
Cooking Level: Intermediate
About me: I am a stay-at-home mother of a beautiful 4 year… MORE
 
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