Q and A with S-A-R-A

     

What is your go to dish: This one's easy - Brown Sugar Salmon, mmmmmm.  I try to keep salmon in the freezer so that I can whip this up on a weeknight.  If I want to earn mega points with Bo, I cook it  :)

Who are you cooking for: Youuuuu, my adoring fans. Oh wait - sorry. I usually just cook for me and my boyfriend. We call him "Bo" here in blogland.

How did you learn to cook: My amazing mom taught me to cook. And now, because it's a hobby of mine, I tend to read a lot of blogs and books about recipes and techniques. And I'm still learning. I swear, at least once a week, I say to Bo, "I dunnnnooo about dinner tonight. I made ____ for the first time, and I have no idea how it will turn out."

Worse recipe disaster: The night before my very first time cooking for Bo, I decided to do a dry run of the meal. (Please tell me that I'm not the only one who's done this.) I was making salmon in a skillet for the first time, and I was worried about how it would turn out. Well, in a word - awful. I had hot oil splattering everywhere, smoke billowing up from the skillet, and salmon that was crispy on the outside and raw in the middle. I kinda sorta panicked. I might also have said a few bad words. But then I mustered up some bravery, and cooked it for real for the boy the next night. And it turned out perfectly. I like to think that's how I suckered him in. That or the chocolate chip cookies I sent home with him. Those things really are magical man catchers.

Best recipe: I don't know that it's my best, but my chocolate chip cookies recipe is my favorite. By a mile.

Do you take your kids in the kitchen: My future babies will definitely be spending a lot of time with me in the kitchen. And I'm sure our dog will be all the more thankful and fatter for each and every one of our spills.

Personal cooking goals: I generally have at least one recipe I'm on a quest for. (Right now, I'm on a quest for a fantastic marinara.) But beyond that, I usually just like to try new things. My style of cooking could be described as homestyle with just a teensy bit of gussying up.

Favorite cooking utensil: My garlic press! I refuse to mince garlic with a knife, because my press shoots garlic out like no other. I don't even have to peel it first. I love it so much that I've always been tempted to take a video of it shooting garlic bits out. Oh yes, I'm fascinated by ridiculous stuff.

Favorite Method of cooking: (i.e. crock pot, one pot meals, bbq etc..) If we exclude baking here, I probably do most of my cooking on the stove top, in skillets. I like to be able to see my food and poke at it while it's cooking, so I get antsy when I put meat or main dishes into the oven. I'd rather be able to see them front and center.

Do you bake: Yes, yes, yes!! And all thanks to my mom! I still can't make apple pie as well as she does, but I keep trying. My friends know me for my baking, and it really is my favorite way to spend time in the kitchen. (Sidenote: anyone else craving cookies by now? This is like torture!)

Favorite Beverage while cooking: I've always wanted to be that chic girl, sipping on a glass of wine while casually throwing together an amazing, yet healthy meal. But, uh no. I'm still not the biggest fan of wine (sacrilege!). Every once in a while I'll drink champagne while I cook, but usually it's just a tall glass of water or a diet pepsi.

Does your husband/Boyfriend cook: Not one bit. And it's entirely because I'm too selfish to let him.

Childhood memory about food: When I was in first or second grade, my cousins and I "made jam" by smashing up raspberries in our backyard, by the woodpile. My mom was none too pleased that we had smashed the ripe berries out there, making her own jam supplies smaller in number. Sorry, Mom!

What is your favorite food to eat: Dare I say it? You know this is coming, right? Yes..Chocolate chip cookies. But as far as real food goes, I love me a good filet mignon with green beans sauteed in a little oyster sauce and fish sauce (green beans are amazing that way, trust me).

Favorite place to go eat at when you don't want to cook: Sushi. Salmon nigiri is my fave.

What do you want to teach your children through cooking: That vegetables are yummy and that cooking is a way to express creativity.

What is your favorite dessert: Ok, you already know the answer to this. But my other love is apple pie. And the only apple pie that I like is my mom's. When I get the pie crust honed and perfected, I'll share this how-to with you.

What is your favorite junk food: All the sugar kinds. At the movies, I really like Red Vines. Haribo gummy bears are amazing too. Oh, and if you can't find Hostess Tiger Tails, Zingers are a great substitute. But most of all? Most of all, I love cake with frosting.

Do you have a food weakness: Really, anything with sugar. I can inhale an entire batch of fresh baked cookies faster than you can say "Sara-sponda, Sara-sponda, Sara-sponda rat-tat-tat."

What time is supper/dinner: I wish I were quicker at food prep so that we could eat earlier, but our dinner time is usually around 7 or 7:30.

Note:  All of these photos were snapped in my gramma's kitchen.  The only picture I could find of me with my mom in her kitchen was taken when she was pregnant with my little sister.  And I would've been in a heap of trouble if I had even considered posting it.  Love you, Mom!