Simmer Till Done

Over at Whipped, Caroline notes what she likes (good movie popcorn, bread pudding) what she does not like (corporate life, maraschino cherries) and what she loves (a perfect peach, life).  These distinctions – like, not like, love – find their way into most Whipped-up posts.  Caroline’s straightforward recipes have a good dose of family, humor, place and time, and Whipped’s particular draw is the way it presents tasty things you’ll actually make.  As in, I’ve been thinking about making her Greek Frappe – but I’m afraid I won’t like it, I’ll love it.

How often do you think about eating?

Well, I myself eat about six times a day (need snacks to keep blood sugar on track). Then, I day dream of food and recipes I want to try another few times a day. And, I am lucky enough to work with a chocolate company and other food-based companies. So, a better question would be… how often do I NOT think about eating?

Coffee craving?

Yes, I realized that I am somewhat addicted to a morning cup of coffee. I noticed that in the morning, I start to feel hopeful, excited and energized about life and the ideas in my head. Recently, I made the connection that those feelings often come about 10 minutes after my first sip of coffee.

Favorite hometown food?

Easy. Yesterdog. The best hot dogs of all time served out of a small place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They are always consistently the same and amazingly delicious. Squishy white bun, small hot dog, thinly diced pickles, finely shredded cheese, and a mysterious chili sauce like no other.

Ever been served breakfast in bed?

No. And, the idea does not interest me. I am almost as serious about cozy sleeping as I am about eating. And, for some reason, I do not want those two worlds to collide on the same turf.

Your absolutely reliable, go-to dish for entertaining is:

If I have house guests, I often make different kinds of quesadillas. I also like to treat dinner guests to Greek food since many people are not as familiar with it nor eat it often. For dinner parties, I usually try to make a delicious, pretty layer cake that can sit on its cake plate throne, beckoning us towards dessert.

Food that makes you gag?

Plain, raw tomatoes. There is no rhyme or reason to it. I love the way they look and the way the smell. I can eat all cooked tomato things and I even enjoy fresh salsa. But, force me to eat plain slices of raw tomato and…..just thinking of it makes me gag.

Worst kitchen disaster:

I have been through four toaster ovens in the past five years. I keep catching them on fire. Before it was banned from my kitchen, I used to brush pita bread halves with olive oil and sprinkle on parmesan and spices and then broil them. They catch on fire easily if unattended. I caught the third toaster oven on fire the first day we brought it home. My husband found the fire, yelled profanities at me (for the first time ever) as he threw the toaster oven out onto the porch, and I decided to never make the pitas again.

Three things in your refrigerator right now:

Buttermilk (almost always have it), fresh peaches (eat at least one a day while in season) and leftover Thai food (thanks to my amazing Thai babysitter who cooks for us now and then)

Your idea of a romantic meal is:

Eating outdoors alone with my husband.

Secret snack of shame?

Donuts, donuts and more donuts

Most ambitious thing you’ve ever done in the kitchen:

I made my friend a 4-tier wedding cake covered in sage green fondant and decorated with royal icing. It was the first and last wedding cake I will ever make. The day before the wedding, I was in my kitchen, crying with a cramped hand from using the pastry bag for so long. But, it turned out to be beautiful, everyone loved it and it was the best way I knew how to show my friend how much I loved her.

Best restaurant if you’re not paying:

Alinea in Chicago. The full 24-course tasting tour with paired wines.

If you were a cocktail, what would you be?

Hmm…. tough question. I am going to say a margarita. It is a festive drink and I love to celebrate and be joyful. It seems like a social drink (I don’t imagine many people at home alone sipping margaritas) and I am very social. There are many different flavors and textures (salty, sweet, sour) and I have many different interests and love so many different things in life.

Extra Credit: Where is the world’s best pizza?

Probably in Italy. I hope to get there again some day and seek it out! In my Chicago world, my current favorite is wood-oven fired pizza at Spacca Napoli.

Tags: Tell Simmer, whipped