Food For Thought

March 23, 2010

Featured Community Member: TV Food and Drink

Filed under: Featured Member — Tags: , , — Penny Hawkins @ 7:33 am

Half Hour Meals member Gary, a TV producer and writer who lives in Los Angeles, authors a cool blog laced with his own special brand of sarcastic wit, and dedicated to his three favorite things: television, food, and drink. From the moment you visit Gary’s blog, you are transported to another place…a land where groovy people are drinking Harvey Wallbangers and having witty conversations while Dean Martin plays on the hi-fi in the background. Meanwhile, there’s Gary in the center of things, effortlessly cooking something amazing to serve his guests. Read on to learn more about Gary’s world:

Your blog, TV Food and Drink, is a fun mix of food, drink and television. What inspired you to start a blog that combines your favorite things? Thank you! I had been looking for an angle for a while.  Then about a year ago, my doctor noticed my blood pressure had gone up quite a bit and suggested some diet changes.  My days of fast food were numbered, so I started cooking for the first time in my life.  I discovered I had a passion for it.   But my job keeps me pretty busy, and in order to keep content coming in, I wanted to widen out the theme of the blog.  I love experimenting with new cocktails, and I love television (my profession), and I’m often eating, drinking, and watching all at once.  Combine that with the fact that the domain name I wanted – tvfoodanddrink.com – was available, and I had everything I needed to get my blog up and running!

How long have you been cooking? What types of food do you like to cook best? I have only been cooking for about a year.  Prior to that, I could manage spaghetti and grilled cheese, and that was about it.  So everything I try is a challenge.  I don’t really have a preference for the type of food I like to cook, because I feel I have a lot of catching up to do.   I want to be able to make anything and everything.  I only have a few requirements: 1.) It should fill the halls of my complex with an aroma to make the neighbors jealous.  2.) It should be something my boyfriend will enjoy.  I want him to be proud of me, after all.  3.) It should be something I can post to HalfHourMeals.com, of course!

Do you have a signature dish? What is it and how did you come up with it? I don’t think I have a signature dish yet, but I will tell you my favorite meal to make for myself… roasted cherry tomatoes with Italian sausage, goat herb cheese and garlic, cooked for about an hour and served over toasted ciabatta bread.  I sleep like a baby after eating that.  And I am a sucker for homemade pizza, though I’m still having issues with pizza crust from scratch.   Can’t make my damn dough rise the way it should.  Doesn’t stop me, though.

There is a distinct retro vibe to the posts in your blog. Where does that come from? If you could live in any era you wanted, which would you choose? I think I was born in the wrong decade.  I certainly was obsessed with all things television as a kid.  I’m really fascinated by production, watching a show that aired fifty years ago and observing how they did it, what’s different now, what’s the same.  Any era?  I would have to say the fifties and sixties so I could have gotten myself hired as a producer on What’s My Line? Actually, I would really like to have been a panelist on the show, but I think I’m always destined to be behind the camera, try as I may.

I am a huge fan of the way you weave TV, food and drink together in your posts. The Milk Chocolate Cookies and Crystal Bowersox post was both delicious and laugh-out-loud funny. Are you this funny all the time?  First off, thank you very much.  And secondly… yes I actually AM that funny all the time.  But come on, I defy you to find someone who watches television with friends and DOESN’T come up with a ton of snarky, sarcastic things to say.  I can’t be the only person who loves to scream about what he sees on television.  P.S. GO CRYSTAL!

Surprise! One of the stars of All My Children (perhaps Susan Lucci?) is coming to dinner! What would you serve? But she’s so skinny.  Does she even eat?  I guess you have heard that All My Children just re-located from NYC to the stages right next door to ours.  Well first off, obviously I would give her a large martini in case she wanted to dramatically toss it in my face.  Stuffed mushrooms would follow (recipe to be found at HalfHourMeals.com).  An hour or so of conversation on the balcony, and if I didn’t have to worry about serving something that would jimmy up her waistline, I’d go with some fried chickpeas and chorizo with fresh spinach and breadcrumbs, because that’s my current fave.  Yes, when you come to Chez TV Food and Drink, you eat what I serve you, Emmy winner or not!

I have to ask…what TV show(s) do you work on? Ever get tongue-tied when you meet someone famous? If so, who was it? Currently, I work at GSN Live on the Game Show Network.  Home viewers call or log on to be entered for free as contestants, and they can play live on the air for cash and prizes (here’s the plug… go to GSN.COM/LIVE to enter for your chance to win!).  We’ve had a parade of classic game show celebrities as guests: Vanna White, Monty Hall and Wink Martindale were three personal favorites of mine.  The closest I got to tongue-tied was Betty White for sure.  What a sweet woman!  She really is as kind and delightful as you could imagine.  And when I met Bob Barker a few weeks before his retirement… that was pretty incredible.  I spent my childhood re-creating the games on The Price is Right with playing cards and Legos, so it was a lifetime dream fulfilled.

If you could do your own TV show that combined your love of television, food, and drink, what would it be called and what would it be like? I think “TV Food and Drink” would be a good name, don’t you?  Wait!  Even better… “TV Food and Drink with your host… that inimitable personality… Gary Green!”  Cut to me coming out from behind a curtain in a tuxedo and thanking my sponsor, Stopette.  There’d be some cooking with a famed chef, lots of witty banter, an in-house band and an in-house bartender.  Sunday nights at nine.  I’d kill off those sniping Desperate Housewives for sure.

What are three things people don’t know about you?

1.)    If I get to know you at all, I’ll probably create a television show in my mind where you are the star.  I’ll even brain-write a couple episodes to see if it has the legs to run a minimum of five seasons.

2.)    I watch reruns of Match Game for fun when there’s cleaning to be done.

3.)    I hate cumin.  Absolutely despise it. Ugh!  You’ll find less resistance if you try stapling a beehive to my tongue.

Do you see yourself still blogging several years from now? How do you balance food blogging and life? I love to blog but to do it well takes time and thoughtfulness.  I don’t want to just blabber on about myself.  I want people to read and think, “YES!  That’s how I feel when trying a recipe that’s more complicated that my skill set!” or “YES!  I thought the same thing watching American Idol last night.”  It’s tempting to just post like crazy when you’ve taken a new picture or made a dish that makes you especially proud, but I like to construct a little story around it first.  I want my posts to be fun, but I also hope they’re smart.  Will I be blogging several years from now?  Oh, we’ll have something new by then, and I’ll be trying to grab my share of unique web hits with it, that’s for sure. 

If others were to ask you about Half Hour Meals, how would you describe the site to them? I’ve done my share of website design, and HHM does a great job of visually hooking a foodie and keeping them faithful.  So many great recipes I have never even heard of and would never have thought to make, always a new post or recipe to check out whenever you drop by.  And it’s completely driven by average chefs just like me.  HHM is doing a great job, and I’m happy to have found it.  And thanks for including me!

My deepest thanks to Gary for letting us into his world for just a bit. I hope you all will stop by and visit his page at Half Hour Meals, and be sure to check out his wonderful blog as well!

January 31, 2010

Featured Community Member: ThomasMorris

Filed under: Featured Member, Member recipes — Tags: , — Anne Coleman @ 11:19 pm

thomasmorrisThomas Morris is one part lawyer and one part foodophile, something I thought was an odd combination. Thomas set me straight, though and let me in on his foodie life. Read on to learn more about our resident lawyer/cook and his blog, Thomas the Accidental Gourmet.

How does a lawyer wind up in writing a food blog? What is cooking to you – a hobby, an outlet, or a passion?

You’d be surprised about lawyers! Just like anybody else, we all have interests outside of our profession. My wife, Jenn, also likes to cook, but she’s more of a follow-the-recipe type of person.

I’d have to say that cooking is a mix of all three things you mentioned. I’m certainly no professional, so I guess it’s a hobby. It also is a great way to unwind after a stressful day/week. Finally, I’m very passionate about my cooking. I critique everything I make, and always try to improve. Friends who come to dinner are usually uncomfortable the first time because it sounds like Jenn and I are tearing apart each other’s cooking. Actually, we’re just figuring out how to make it better the next time.

As for writing the blog, it started more as a personal recipe repository, but I had some friends and family that said they enjoyed it, so I started trying to make my posts (i) more interesting and (ii) more regular. Life does, however, get in the way sometimes…

Have you always lived in Texas? What are other food influences in your life?

I grew up in the little apple, Manhattan, Kansas. My mother is from west Texas, and my father from northeastern Georgia. So, I’d have to say that southern cooking has always been in my household. (The folks used to have to special order buttermilk to make cornbread.)

It wasn’t until I moved to Texas in 1986 that I really started to get into the spicier side of things (there simply isn’t a good Mexican restaurant in Kansas).

As far as other influences, I’ve spent time in southern France, Tuscany and the Caribbean. So I’d have to say that I’ve got a lot of Mediterranean dishes, rustic Italian, and then Caribbean fare, using ginger and fruit with a lot of spices. Stuff I’ve made includes couscous; panini with tomato, basil and mozzarella; and “goat water,” which is what they call curried goat stew in St. Lucia.

What would a day in your kitchen look like?

Morning or night? In the morning, I boil water for coffee in the French press, grind some coffee, then come up with something interesting for breakfast. My wife would be content with cereal every day, so I do the breakfast cooking. (Recently, I’ve become a fan of spreading avocado on toast and topping it with tomatoes and bacon.)

At night, we usually get home from the office about 8:00. I get the protein I took out of the freezer from the night before, and make something happen with whatever vegetables we have while Jenn cleans up.

On the weekends, the mornings are the same, but we typically cook something fairly involved together.

An unexpected guest stops by for dinner and you had nothing planned -what’s your secret for a quick fix?

Stick my head in the ‘fridge and come out with dinner! I rarely cook anything using a recipe (some sauces are the exception, but that’s only because I don’t do a more complicated sauce such as a béarnaise or beurre blanc very often.) So, making a nice dinner on the fly for guests is about the same as any other meal at our house, just for more people.

That being said, if I’ve got it on hand it’s hard to go wrong with a good steak on the grill. Barring that, a pasta primavera with shrimp or chicken is always a crowd pleaser and super easy to make. Can’t forget the wine of course! (We have a wine fridge, be we can never seem to keep it full for some reason…)

Name a handful of ingredients you couldn’t live without.

Onions. Garlic. Oregano. Cumin. Kosher salt. Limes and lemons. Tomatoes. A hard cheese, such as parmesan or pecorino toscano. I also usually have ginger, bell peppers and serranos on hand.

Do you use cookbooks? What is a favorite?

Rarely. My mother in-law gave me “Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making” by James Patterson that I really like. Sometimes we’ll crack open ”The Joy of Cooking” for a reference. I’d say this is a must-have for anyone serious about cooking.

How are you liking Half Hour Meals so far? What would you tell others about the site?

I think it’s great. There are a lot of talented people out there. It’s nice to see that quick meals have moved away from the simple to real gourmet. I’d tell anyone that needs a little quick inspiration to check it out!

Thank you, Thomas –  and I’d like to tell anyone reading this to head on over to read Thomas’ blog or page here at Half Hour Meals – both very worthy reads.

January 22, 2010

Featured Community Member: SimplySandi

Filed under: Featured Member — Tags: , , , — Penny Hawkins @ 9:57 am

Sandi2

Half Hour Meals member Sandi lives in Dallas, Texas, and authors a fun, sassy blog dedicated to sharing her thoughts on things she loves such as entertaining, shopping, cooking, reading, etc. From snack cakes to Rachel Ray recipes, with tidbits about her family mixed in, there is always something interesting on the menu at Sandi’s blog!  Read on to learn more about Sandi:

Your blog, Peel Me A Grape, is a fun place to read about your thoughts on things you love like books, cooking, and entertaining! What inspired you to start your blog and what’s the story behind the name? I love trying new recipes – especially enchiladas. Back in 2008, I sent a picture of my latest attempt to a friend.  She replied back stating that I really should start a blog. I had never even READ a blog much less knew how to START a blog.  For kicks, I Googled blogs, and within about 30 minutes – I was hooked. I changed the name of my blog from “simplysandi” to “Peel Me A Grape” about a year later. Peel Me A Grape is a song by my favorite jazz singer, Diana Krall. I was thinking of dieting at the time, and the idea of peeling grapes to lose weight struck me as funny. Then, I realized that this title represents me and all things I love – like romance, music, food, and wine. 

You live in the great state of Texas (also the home of Half Hour Meals!). What is your favorite recipe that reflects the unique regional flavors of Texas? Fajitas.  It combines Texans love of all types of meats from beef to seafood with all the spices that scream Texas – cumin, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, chili powder, garlic powder. It is a very versatile dish. Based on the seasoning, it can be mild or spicy.  I am constantly experimenting with different marinades to bring out the best flavor in the meat.  Just last night I used a Mango Ginger Haberno sauce.  The fajitas were awesome.

Do you have a signature dish? What is it and how did you come up with it? This is a hard one. The latest dish that I’ve been serving company is Shrimp Pasta in a Tomato Chile Sauce.  It’s an Emeril Lagasse recipe. It has all my favorite spices along with pepper jack cheese for that extra kick and creaminess. 

Name 5-10 ingredients you can’t live without. vanilla, unsalted butter, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, light sour cream, cheese (all flavors), Italian bread crumbs, extra virgin olive oil Interviewer’s note: I suspect Sandi was cheating a bit by naming cheese (all flavors), but we like her so much we’ll let her pass!

Surprise! Tony Romo, Quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys is coming to dinner! What would you serve? I’d pick the main course from “The Pioneer Woman Cooks” cookbook – either the rib-eye steak or chicken fried steak. I’d serve it with twice-baked potatoes, lettuce wedge with blue cheese, and banana pudding for dessert.

You have a 23-year-old son. When you make a special dinner for just for him, what do you make? How has being a mom influenced your cooking and your blog? My son has many favorites – mostly Italian, but his ultimate favorite dish is very simple – chicken tenders with mashed potatoes and peas.  I use mayo on the chicken then dip them in Italian bread crumbs and bake for 20 minutes. He loves them dipped in bbq sauce.  I didn’t cook much when my son was younger.  He was a picky eater. As he got older, I found that the more he appreciated good food, the more I liked learning to cook it. 

What is your favorite cookbook and why? The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I basically want to cook every recipe in the book.  She has updated the classics like “pot roast” or “chicken fried steak”. I recently made her “potato skins” – they were awesome, and it was like I went back in time to the 80’s.

Do you see yourself still blogging several years from now? How do you balance food blogging and life? I am hooked on blogging and really want to evolve my blog. I work full-time, so just keeping my blog up to date was a challenge at first.  I have learned to “schedule” postings so that my blog stays current, but the hardest part is finding the time to take advantage of the tools available.

If others were to ask you about Half Hour Meals, how would you describe the site to them? Half Hour Meals is a great site to get quick and easy recipes as well as share your own.  It’s appealing to look at and easy to navigate.  I do not feel overwhelmed at all when I go to it. So many sites have so much information, you do not know where to start. 

My deepest thanks to Sandi for letting into her world for just a bit. I hope you all will stop by and visit her page at Half Hour Meals, and be sure to check out her wonderful blog as well!

January 18, 2010

Featured Community Member: Love4coffee

Filed under: Featured Member — Tags: , — Anne Coleman @ 6:00 am

-for fmday.JPG-The Coffee Shop,  is one of the most happy and positive food blogs I’ve come across in some time. Paloma (love4coffee) is all sunshine and sweetness with a side of seriously delicious recipes. Take a look at her blog, and her page here at Half Hour Meals, but first check out what she has to say on the subject of food blogging:

What was the inspiration for your blog, The Coffee Shop? You write about much more than coffee, it’s almost like being in a coffee shop with your friends and discussing the day’s events.

I love coffee and my husband does too, we drink it every night and our dates usually involve a coffee shop, so this blog actually started as “Coffee Lovers” because that’s what we are and I was sure there were more people like us who would like to read about coffee, see pictures and be able to just know more about this wonderful ingredient. I do not describe it as a drink because coffee is much more than that, it is a comfort, a help when you are studying and even a garden fertilizer! Later on, and because of my love for good cuisine, books and a nice conversation I thought about changing the name of the blog to “The Coffee Shop”, that way the blog would include many more topics and reach more people, everything of course inspired by the aroma of coffee.

How do you balance food blogging and life? Do you see your blog as an extension of yourself or more like a business?

I am a stay at home mom and food blogging is part of my daily life, I have been taking pictures of food and coffee years before the blog started, so I had some material to start with. I do not make any money from it right now but I have been planning on doing something to generate some income from it when the time is right, basically to be able to offer more to the coffee lovers who follow my blog. Blogging for me is just something that I enjoy I do not see it as work. It has been fascinating to also get to know other bloggers and take a peek at their lives (and what they eat).

What are five ingredients that you can’t live without?

I do not even need to give it too much thought to answer: chicken, cilantro, rice, onion and tomato. There are of course many others that are BASIC for me to have but I just can’t live without those 5, I would say that lime is just as important, though.

If the president of any country were to stop by for dinner, what would you make for him/her?

I would definitely make “chiles en nogada”, it is a very traditional dish from Mexico and it was “created” by some nuns in a convent in the city of Puebla to entertain an emperor on his birthday. It is basically a poblano chili pepper stuffed with a a mixture usually containing chopped beef and pork, aromatics, different types of fruits, nuts and spices, topped with a walnut-based cream sauce and pomegranate seeds. I know it sounds “very exotic” and you would never be able to imagine how that tastes you just need to try it, trust me, there is no “overpowering flavor”, it is just the perfect balance of heat, sweet and salty ingredients which create the most perfect harmony in taste. This goes perfect with cold hibiscus tea (agua de Jamaica) which is very popular in Mexico, too and an authentic Mexican flan for dessert, the star of this meal would definitely be the chili.

You’ve had The Coffee Shop up and running for 8 months, do you see it still going in a year? What are your plans and hopes for your blog?

Definitely! I see it going for many more years, we are now on Facebook too and some of the plans I have is to include more giveaways, make reviews of different coffee brands and coffee shops (locally and in other cities) and soon create my own brand of coffee mugs. I want people to be able to see my blog as their favorite “Coffee Shop”, where they look forward to be and see what is the topic of the day, where they can always find familiar faces and things that they can relate to in their everyday life. I basically want them to see it as a “treat” they deserve as they enjoy a cup of coffee, hot chocolate or their favorite drink.

Where does Half Hour Meals fit in to your food life? When did you join and how are you liking it so far?

I love Half Hour Meals, I recently joined (just in December) and I am so happy I did, I have found wonderful people and great recipes and tips that have made my cooking experience more fun! I really enjoy the interviews and the community section is phenomenal!

Walk us through a day in your kitchen. What would we be eating from breakfast through dinner?

As simple as it can be with a 16mo. girl running around, playing with my pans, pots and measuring tools! The way I cook has had to adapt since she was born. I try to keep it quick and nothing too elaborate! There is always cereal for breakfast, for lunch we always have what people here in the USA call “Mexican food”, but for me it’s just what I’ve been eating since I was born. It can be either chicken with rice and vegetables, meatballs or beef with potatoes and salad. I always try to include fresh vegetables with lunch (which is the main meal in Mexico) but I must always have “salsa verde” (green hot sauce) to go with it. For dinner we have eggs, a sandwich or tacos made with the leftovers of whatever we had for lunch with some little touches here and there like onions, tomatoes and cilantro, those 3 make such a great difference, nothing too fancy, everything affordable and easy to make. Later in the evening my husband is in charge of coffee, he brews the coffee as I get some cookies I previously baked from scratch (usually) ready, that is a common day in my kitchen.

Thank you so much, Paloma, for sharing yourself with us!

December 17, 2009

Featured Community Member: Nancyscooking

Filed under: Featured Member — Tags: , — Anne Coleman @ 6:00 am

-Nancy n Matt.jpg-Half Hour Meals member, Nancyscooking is the author of not just a food blog, but an entire site dedicated to food. Read on to learn more about Nancy and her husband Matt and their exciting food adventures!

Your site, Food Tastes Yummy, is not just a blog, but an entire website! How do you keep up with such a large undertaking?

I realize that most bloggers don’t blog everyday but I manage to keep it up by planning my meals ahead of time. I make sure that, most of the time, I’m not re-creating a dish specifically only for the blog. I want the recipes to be one one of my daily breakfast, lunch, dinner or desserts. Also, grocery shopping once a week also means that planning needs to be involved for a grocery list to be possible. I absolutely love food and cooking so I don’t consider this really a large undertaking.

Are all of the recipes posted your own creations? What inspires you when creating a new recipe?

Most of the recipes on the blog are my own creation, but of course when I do post a recipe from another source I always make sure to give credit where credit is due. Cookbooks inspire me, food and cooking websites like Half Hour Meals inspire me, going grocery shopping inspires me. Really I could be just walking outside and a recipe will pop into my head. Luckily, I always carry a little notebook with me just in case.

Take us through a usual day in your kitchen.

The usual day in the kitchen really is no different than any other home cook out there. I make sure to have a good breakfast, and have my morning coffee. Once I have those I’m set for the rest of the day. I just make sure to cook around the same times every day so I can keep a daily routine going.

Name 5 ingredients you can’t live without.

Oh this is an easy one…. olive oil, garlic, tomatoes (can never have too much of this), salt and cheese. Most recipes call for one or more of these ingredients. These are definitely my must haves in the kitchen!

Your husband also writes, but about beverages rather than food. It sounds like a match made in heaven – is it really?

Yes! Matt was buying the occasional wine or beer so he can enjoy it at dinner time. He almost always had an opinion about what he was drinking, which then got me thinking. Matt also happens to be a terrific writer as well (I do realize here that I am little biased) but really he was a natural fit for the blog. Needless to say, we are very much enjoying the blogging ride together.

Food Tastes Yummy is only 5 months old, but very full so far. Do you see yourself still blogging a year from now? What are your plans?

Most definitely! I always wanted to start a food blog but didn’t know how to go about starting one until 5 months ago. I plan to blog about my love for food and provide recipes for all those home cooks out there for years to come. I am in the preliminary stages right now of re-designing the blog for next year. I plan to make the blog more interactive and hopefully I will start posting videos next year as well. I am currently working on holiday recipes and will have some guest Christmas food bloggers posting their favourite holiday recipes soon.

Have you tried others’ recipes from Half Hour Meals?

I have tried several recipes from Half Hour Meals and really thoroughly enjoyed them. The lemon bars I made recently were really delicious. I have a personal notebook full of recipes I love, and I wrote down several of the Half Hour Meals recipes that I plan to make again and again!

How would you describe Half Hour Meals to others?

I consider Half Hour Meals to be a website that assists people to find tasty recipes so that they can make a fast meal at home. I just love the idea of homecooks and foodies coming together on a website, and helping others just like themselves to cook satisfying meals during the busy work week. I have recommended this site to quite a few people that are always stuck on what to make for dinner. They haven’t complained since.

Thanks so much for sharing your blogging life with us, Nancy! Please stop by her blog or her page here at Half Hour Meals to find out more about Nancy.

December 7, 2009

Featured Community Member: FujiMama

Filed under: Featured Member — Tags: , , — Anne Coleman @ 7:00 am

-LFM Picture.jpg-Half Hour Meals member FujiMama is Rachael who blogs at La Fuji Mama, a life blog that transformed into a food blog. Her photos are beautiful and her recipes accessible and innovative. One trip to her blog and you’ll be back for more, guaranteed. Read on to learn more about Rachael, and when you’re done, be sure to visit her Half Hour Meals page and her blog. You can also find her on Twitter as @fujimama and become a fan of La Fuji Mama on Facebook.

Your blog, La Fuji Mama has been up and running for nearly 3 years, what
is the inspiration behind your blog?

My inspiration is my love for food and family and for trying to live life
to its fullest. I started my blog right after the birth of my oldest
daughter, while we were living in Japan. I started blogging as a way of
journaling our experiences living overseas. When we moved back to the US a
little over a year ago, I went through a period of a few months where I had
no idea what to do with my blog. I finally realized that the longer I had
been blogging, the more food showed up. I’ve always loved to cook and eat,
so food blogging was a natural transition. My blogging still is heavily
influenced by my time in Japan as we still eat a lot of Japanese food, or
incorporate Japanese flavors and ingredients into our meals.

Having a family can be very challeging for a food blogger. How do you
make it work for you?

I try to make what I write representative of what we’re actually
eating/doing. The wonderful thing about blogging is that I’m not having to
blog every single meal that we eat, so I can constantly have new content.
I use my cooking time as an opportunity to involve my oldest daughter in
the kitchen. The actual writing usually takes place during naptimes or in
5 minute increments here and there. I keep a laptop in my kitchen, so if I
have a thought, I can run over to my computer and type it out.

Walk us through a typical day in your kitchen.

It seems that for the most part, there is no typical day in our kitchen!
My girls are still so young (3 years old and 10 months) that it’s hard to
predict what any given day is going to be like. We always start the day
with a simple breakfast–usually oatmeal, miso soup, or fruit and yogurt.
Depending on what we’re having for dinner that night, I may start cooking
early. Lunch is often leftovers from dinner the night before, or a quick
recipe I’ve been dying to try out. We’ve got a rice cooker sitting on our
counter that is always filled with fresh rice, so several times a week we
have onigiri (Japanese rice balls) for an afternoon snack.
(http://www.lafujimama.com/2009/03/onigiri-squirrels-favorite-oyatsu.html)
Depending on the day of the week I also make bread. About an hour before
dinnertime I usually put the baby in her highchair with a snack so that I
can have my hands free to finish/start cooking dinner, and my oldest
daughter comes in and helps or watches. There seems to always be something
going on in our kitchen, and as a result, it’s usually a bit crazy. My
rule is that I can’t go to sleep with a dirty kitchen, so I usually spend
some time after the girls go to bed cleaning up.

Name a handful of ingredients you can’t live without.

Fresh basil, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, butter, yeast, flour, and miso
paste.

How many cookbooks do you have and which is your favorite? Why?

I have no idea how many cookbooks I have–too many! Chocolate and
cookbooks are my biggest weaknesses. LOL I have several favorites,
depending on the type of food I’m making, but one of my favorites that is
currently getting the most use is “Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home
Kitchen” by Elizabeth Andoh.

The book is basically a master class on Japanese approaches to prepping
ingredients for cooking, the basics of the different techniques used to
cook those ingredients, and the equipment required for each procedure. I
started a group called Washoku Warriors to start cooking through the book. The book is gorgeous and is a
fabulous reference source. It also makes cooking Japanese cuisine very
accessible, even to someone without any previous knowledge of the cuisine.
It’s been wonderful to strengthen some of my existing skills and learn some
new ones!

Do you see La Fuji Mama still running in a few years? What are your
plans?

Yes, La Fuji Mama is around for the long haul. My current plans are to
keep doing what I’m doing and exploring this crazy huge world of food.

I love your recipe for Chipotle Pork Quichelettes. I know they were
devised for a dairy challenge and I think you hit the mark! Without an
impetus like that challenge, what else inspires you to create original
recipes?

I get inspiration from a variety of sources. Sometimes it’s a recipe that
looks good, but I rework it to fit the ingredients that are already in my
pantry. Sometimes it’s a particular ingredient (like the Diary Challenge).
Sometimes I take a dish and try to think of new ways of looking at it or
thinking about it. Sometimes I taste something at a restaurant that I then
try to recreate at home. I also occasionally do a theme week where the
entire week is devoted to a certain ingredient, type of food, etc. This
forces me to come up with new ideas (ex: Pumpkin Palooza, Cupcake Week,
Tofu Week, etc.)

Have you tried any others’ recipes from HHM?

I’m relatively new to the HHM community, but I have tried several recipes
from other members. Though my favorite activity is lurking on the
discussion board…

How would you describe HHM to others?

A community where you can go for recipes, advice, inspiration, and ideas
and where we’re all normal people with a limited amount of time!

September 19, 2009

Featured Community Member: Jane Doiron

Filed under: Food Storage Tips, How To, Quick Meal Tips, Recommended Cookbooks, Writing — Tags: , , , — Theresa H Hall @ 9:23 am

AUTHOR, JANE DOIRONMake-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms is not just a blog Jane Doiron writes, it is also the title of her brand new cookbook! Released earlier this month, it is a dream come true for this Massachusetts mother and second grade elementary school teacher. Being a busy mom herself has given her all the inspiration she needed to develop her delicious ideas into a beautifully bound, carry-along book, that also invites its reader to turn the pages, and discover new meals to prepare. Overnight Pancake Mix, Seafood Quiche, Big Ginger Cookies, Lemon Lush and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Crackles are but a few of her tempting delights.

What is the inspiration for your blog.

I created my blog to connect with other busy moms like me. I would love to meet some moms that want to swap “make-ahead” recipes!

Are you on Twitter?

Yes I am! My name is janedoiron. Feel free to send me a tweet! I have to say, with a full time job and the marketing of my book, I don’t spend much time on Twitter. But I always answer direct messages.

When did you start blogging because I think your blog is so interesting? Do you see yourself still blogging a year from now?

I started my blog 5 months ago, around the time that I submitted my cookbook manuscript to the publisher. I thought it would be a nice way to keep family and friends informed about what was going on with my book.

I will definitely be blogging a year from now. I hope to talk more about food and recipes when things quiet down with my book.

Are you married?  Do you have a family?  Does that change the way you blog?

Yes, I married my high school sweetheart 22 years ago!  We have two sons, one in college and one in high school. As a mom and a teacher, I only blog about things that I would feel comfortable with them reading.

Where does your inspiration in the kitchen come from?

I have always LOVED food! I remember helping my mom bake when I was a little girl. When I was a teenager, I started getting interested in cooking. I remember making my first homemade cinnamon buns! They were delicious! I was hooked from that moment on! I have bought my share of cookbooks and recipe magazines throughout the years and have always enjoyed trying new recipes.

Make Ahead MealsYour new cookbook is right up my alley, and I have a feeling it will be such a huge hit with moms and college students.  Are they all your own creations or did you use some of your relatives’ recipes, which were passed down?

I created some of them myself, but I have gotten quite a few recipes from my family and friends.

What was your biggest challenge writing your cookbook?  How long did it take and had you been creating it in your mind for a while?

My biggest challenge was editing the book. When you go through a self-publishing company, you are responsible for everything. Whatever you approve, will get printed. It’s a big responsibility. It took 15 months for me to write my cookbook and took almost 5 months to get it published.

I always wanted to write a cookbook, but I became very interested in make-ahead meals in the last few years. I knew that there was a target audience of busy moms that could use a cookbook like this.

Why did you join (HHM) Half Hour Meals?

I was looking for a new recipe to try and loved how the site was set up. There are great food pictures with the recipes!

How long have you been a member here?

I joined about a month ago.

What is your favorite thing about the HHM site?

I love the great selection of food blogs!

Have you had time to try any other members’ recipes yet?

Yes, I made the Warm Spinach Dip. My family and friends loved it!

If others were to ask you about HHM, how would you describe the site to them?

It is more than just a recipe site. It has a great community for people to share their thoughts about food and has almost 400 food blogs that you can browse through!  I love it!

Thank you Jane for being my first featured member and also the very first friend I made here at HHM. We wish you great success and I enthusiastically endorse your new cookbook, Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms, which is sold on-line and can even be downloaded right from your site. I am proud that you have worked toward your goal and can only hope you will continue to create future works of your art. Visit Jane and see for yourself!

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