Who or what inspired you to start your blog?
It was actually friends and family back home who encouraged me to keep them up to date with our travels and adventures after moving to Houston,TX. Being so far away from home is hard, for both us and our friends and families. I guess my writing makes the gap feel not-so-huge sometimes, it makes us all feel a little closer.
Who is your foodie inspiration?
I read a lot of food blogs, it started with maybe one or two, but these days both my Twitter and Facebook pages are littered with food bloggers.
My favourite bloggers at the moment are Savory Simple, Love and Olive Oil, Movita Beaucoup, and Doughmestic, not only are these blogs creative, informative and filled with tonnes of delicious, easy and accessible recipes (ranging from sweet to savoury) but the bloggers themselves are also approachable.
Check them out on Twitter, feel free to tweet them ideas, questions or ask them for advice on recipes – they are a great group of people and I’m really glad that I stumbled upon them!
Your greasiest most batter splattered cook book is?
Y’know, I guess my most-used ‘cookbook’ is Allrecipes.com, I know, I know, I hear the collective gasp of food bloggers around the nation. However, that said, Allrecipes.com is a great resource, type in what you are looking for and find first hand additions, edits and suggestions from people who have tried the recipe before you.
I don’t have many ‘real life’ cookbooks, but my collection is slowly and steadily increasing, I haven’t yet found that ‘must have’ cookbook to recommend to y’all. When I do, I’ll share it with you – honest!
The best thing you have ever eaten in another country, where was it and what was it?
One dish may be an impossible challenge to single out, when I first read this question, my instincts went straight to Singapore last year. I thought of the Hawker stall there in China Town, where I got the best tasting Roti Prata I’ve ever had, with a delicious flavourful curry sauce for less than one Singapore Dollar. It blew my mind!
Something else that blew my mind, was a Chinese meal that Col and I had while we were in Bergen, Norway, a few winters ago. We were out for a dander for dinner and happened upon a sign for a Chinese upstairs from a store front, I don’t even remember the name of the place, but it was the best Chinese dinner we’ve ever had.
Another Food Blogger’s table you would like to eat at?
I have to say, one of my bestest friends, Becky, over at If all the World Were Apple Pie, is one of the best cooks I know. I love going to visit her, ’cause she always fills me up full of yummies and I can never really move when I’m done with the food she cooks!
I have to say, she learned from the best, her mummy (aka ‘Mummy P’) makes the best darn hotpot I’ve ever had (I have tried and tried and can’t recreate it in its entirety!) and it’s always a high-light of my trips to Manchester to drop in on them!
What one kitchen gadget would you like Santa to bring you? (if money were no object)
I got my Kitchen Aid mixer in the Black Friday Sales last year and this year we’ve started to build up my Le Creuset collection as they are retiring my colour, so I’m pretty much taking down my ‘dream kitchen objects’ one at a time.
However, my oven/cooker/stove SUCKS. It’s about 20 years old and well past its best days. It’s one thing I miss about my (albeit small) kitchen at home in our apartment in Ireland, our brand new gas stove and oven. The one here in Houston, is awful, the hob top (stove top) rings are all bent outta shape, they don’t cook, evenly. The oven itself doesn’t cook evenly too, ANYTHING that you put on the bottom shelf, comes out dry, crispy and oftentimes cremated!
Who taught you how to cook?
No one really, I taught myself, though, when I say ”taught” that’s not *really* accurate. I tend to follow recipes, not create them. That’s not to say I don’t follow recipes well, it’s just that I don’t think I’ve ever come up with my very own recipe.
I’m coming to you for dinner, what is your signature dish?
Dessert! LOL! I make some pretty good cupcakes! I also do a good Marsala pork and chicken Florentine 🙂
What is your guilty food pleasure?
I don’t really have one, I’m a firm believe in everything in moderation. If I ever cut stuff out of my diet, it doesn’t last, it’s unrealistic, unmanageable and as soon as I bring it back in to my diet (which is inevitable), weight piles back on. I *do* however, try and make full-fat recipes lower in fat, using low-fat substitutes, milk, cheese, cream etc while keeping the yum-factor, and I do try and keep my portion sizes reasonable.
Reveal something about yourself that others would be surprised to learn?
That I’ve only started baking ‘properly’ in the last year or so. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always cooked, baked the occasional cake or set of ‘buns’ at home, but I’ve never been a serious baker. I’ve only ever owned one bun-tin and had very few baking ingredients in my pantry.
Since becoming an expat wife, not being gainfully employed (by modern, bringing-in-a-pay cheque standards) and having more time on my hands (LOL!!!) to do fun things like cook and bake more, I’ve branched out and really started to spend time in my kitchen and my pantry is very well stocked with a variety of ingredients.
Col will also testify that things in my kitchen seem to be multiplying, I now have bread pans (large and small), cake tins (square and round), a bundt cake pan, flan tins, cupcake tins (large and small), cookie trays, cookie cutters, piping bags, piping tips…etc etc etc (I don’t want to list it all in case hubby is unaware of the true extent of multiplication and I end up in trouble! LOL!) and I’ve even run my own fundraising bake sale – like I said, I’ve branched out.
I love food, I love cooking and I love recreating other peoples inventions and adding my own slight modifications and improvements to their recipes. I love having the time and space to be able to bake and cook a variety of yummies and I love having a wonderful hubby who thoroughly enjoys taste-testing my ‘creations’ 😉
Feel free to ask if you’ve any other questions 🙂