1. What is your favorite spice or spice blend? lemon pepper and sea salt. I also have a soft spot for cinnamon, especially freshly grated/ground.
2. What do you cook for yourself when you are sad? Cookies, I guess that's technically baking but whatevs.
3. What do you cook for yourself when you are sick? Do you have a "cure-all"? I just drink gallons of orange juice. Sometimes I'll make fresh squeezed lemonade.
4. Describe your most memorable taste adventure - good or bad. Good: Both times I have gotten Tapas have been amazing. The first time (in Chicago) I had hummus stuffed grilled red peppers with lemon cream sauce and a delicious goat cheese & sun dried tomato dip with little crostinis. The second time (in Nashville) I had pork confit tacos, bucatini w/ olive oil fresh spinach & pumpernickel shavings, and scallops with this little vinegar carrot & cabbage salad topped with roe. Both places had really good drinks as well (sangria and mai-tais respectively)
5. What comes to mind when you think the word "garlic"? Essential. Best when sauteed in olive oil.
6. Who taught you how to cook? My mom and James
7. Are you a "pretty" cook? I love dressing food, but I also love taking pictures of food so it does not have to look pretty but it's always a plus.
8. What do you most like to make when you are entertaining guests? Do you have any "designed-to-impress" recipes? I bake more than I cook so I like making chocolate chip cookies with toasted walnuts, lemon white chocolate chip butter cookies, and Quiche. Quiche is definitely a staple for me.
9. What was the last thing you ate? More importantly, why did you eat it? A Cliff bar because I need more protein.
10. Do you have a favorite herb or herb blend? Mint and Chive. I wish I liked basil more but I worked in a Thai restaurant and they used really strong Thai basil so now I have an aversion to it, but it's delicious in pasta.
11. What is your favorite food that you haven't made/eaten in a long while? Spaghetti sauce made with red wine, sugar, olive oil, sauteed garlic, basil, and cheese and giardiniera stuffed meatballs.
12. What is your "fall back" meal? Something you can make anytime and it's always a hit? grilled salmon, asparagus, and fresh baguette from the french bakery. I usually try to get fresh berries and make whipped cream for dessert.
13. What was the first real recipe you learned to make? fried egg sandwich, my mommy taught me
14. What is the most difficult dish you've ever tried to make? (whether you succeeded or not) Espresso brownies, but everyone loved them and I was so very happy about it.
15. What is the most often used ingredient in your kitchen? ground black pepper/sea salt (same answer)
16. What is the most often used kitchen gadget in your arsenal? cheese grater & lemon zester
17. If you could only keep/have 1 pot or pan, which one would you choose and why? Our giant wok, we've cooked just about anything you can think up in that thing.
18. Do you have a favorite fruit or veggie to experiment with? Why? anything new!
19. Name 12 ingredients that you ALWAYS like to have on hand (besides butter, sugar, salt, and pepper….) lemon, olive oil, cheese (I prefer cheddar but James loves all cheese), berries, fish steaks (usually salmon or tuna), Italian sausage, red wine, orange juice, eggs, bacon, ½&½, and tortilla chips.
20. What’s you’re favorite food to cook - not only for the taste and nutrition, but also just for the SMELL that permeates everything around? spaghetti w/ extra garlic... this has been the same since I can remember.
21. What’s the last recipe you cooked for people other than yourself? I can't remember the last time we cooked for other people that was not on the grill. Probably double bacon, double cheese quiche.
22. What’s your favorite cookbook and why? BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking
23. When you’re looking/searching for a fresh idea - something new to try - where do you go first? A cookbook? A person? One of the food channels on TV? A magazine? The back of a specific product’s packaging? The internet? Someplace else entirely? James' mom because she is one of the best cooks I have ever met.
24. What was the first recipe you “invented” yourself? I've invented more mixed drinks than recipes...
I really love grilled salmon. You're making me salivate. It's a pretty big lunch time staple at my grandparents house. We eat it on salad or on open faced sandwiches. Yumm!
I feel like your ingredient list is the most balanced of anyone's I've read yet. I feel like a whole meal could emerge from it easily.
lemon pepper and sea salt. I also have a soft spot for cinnamon, especially freshly grated/ground.
2. What do you cook for yourself when you are sad?
Cookies, I guess that's technically baking but whatevs.
3. What do you cook for yourself when you are sick? Do you have a "cure-all"?
I just drink gallons of orange juice. Sometimes I'll make fresh squeezed lemonade.
4. Describe your most memorable taste adventure - good or bad.
Good: Both times I have gotten Tapas have been amazing. The first time (in Chicago) I had hummus stuffed grilled red peppers with lemon cream sauce and a delicious goat cheese & sun dried tomato dip with little crostinis. The second time (in Nashville) I had pork confit tacos, bucatini w/ olive oil fresh spinach & pumpernickel shavings, and scallops with this little vinegar carrot & cabbage salad topped with roe. Both places had really good drinks as well (sangria and mai-tais respectively)
5. What comes to mind when you think the word "garlic"?
Essential. Best when sauteed in olive oil.
6. Who taught you how to cook?
My mom and James
7. Are you a "pretty" cook?
I love dressing food, but I also love taking pictures of food so it does not have to look pretty but it's always a plus.
8. What do you most like to make when you are entertaining guests? Do you have any "designed-to-impress" recipes?
I bake more than I cook so I like making chocolate chip cookies with toasted walnuts, lemon white chocolate chip butter cookies, and Quiche. Quiche is definitely a staple for me.
9. What was the last thing you ate? More importantly, why did you eat it?
A Cliff bar because I need more protein.
10. Do you have a favorite herb or herb blend?
Mint and Chive. I wish I liked basil more but I worked in a Thai restaurant and they used really strong Thai basil so now I have an aversion to it, but it's delicious in pasta.
11. What is your favorite food that you haven't made/eaten in a long while?
Spaghetti sauce made with red wine, sugar, olive oil, sauteed garlic, basil, and cheese and giardiniera stuffed meatballs.
12. What is your "fall back" meal? Something you can make anytime and it's always a hit?
grilled salmon, asparagus, and fresh baguette from the french bakery. I usually try to get fresh berries and make whipped cream for dessert.
13. What was the first real recipe you learned to make?
fried egg sandwich, my mommy taught me
14. What is the most difficult dish you've ever tried to make? (whether you succeeded or not)
Espresso brownies, but everyone loved them and I was so very happy about it.
15. What is the most often used ingredient in your kitchen?
ground black pepper/sea salt (same answer)
16. What is the most often used kitchen gadget in your arsenal?
cheese grater & lemon zester
17. If you could only keep/have 1 pot or pan, which one would you choose and why?
Our giant wok, we've cooked just about anything you can think up in that thing.
18. Do you have a favorite fruit or veggie to experiment with? Why?
anything new!
19. Name 12 ingredients that you ALWAYS like to have on hand (besides butter, sugar, salt, and pepper….)
lemon, olive oil, cheese (I prefer cheddar but James loves all cheese), berries, fish steaks (usually salmon or tuna), Italian sausage, red wine, orange juice, eggs, bacon, ½&½, and tortilla chips.
20. What’s you’re favorite food to cook - not only for the taste and nutrition, but also just for the SMELL that permeates everything around?
spaghetti w/ extra garlic... this has been the same since I can remember.
21. What’s the last recipe you cooked for people other than yourself?
I can't remember the last time we cooked for other people that was not on the grill. Probably double bacon, double cheese quiche.
22. What’s your favorite cookbook and why?
BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking
23. When you’re looking/searching for a fresh idea - something new to try - where do you go first? A cookbook? A person? One of the food channels on TV? A magazine? The back of a specific product’s packaging? The internet? Someplace else entirely?
James' mom because she is one of the best cooks I have ever met.
24. What was the first recipe you “invented” yourself?
I've invented more mixed drinks than recipes...
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I feel like your ingredient list is the most balanced of anyone's I've read yet. I feel like a whole meal could emerge from it easily.
Also, more food pics please.
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