Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

My Mum, and my Dad. Since I was shared between them from a young age, I picked up different things from both of them. Primarily my Dad to start with, as Mum when I was younger, was very much a working Mum and started fare was steak & boiled vegetables, whilst Dad was making Lamb Korma from scratch. Mum taught me how to bake though, and this was the most important thing I could have learned. How to throw in the ingredients for a cake, and have it turn out great. I have memories of getting up on a Sunday morning, having the house to myself, and making a batch of brownies, being all of 8 or 9 at the time.
Now I've started my own food blog, and bake constantly!

I use Le Creuset dutch ovens, after being brought up in a household with Le Creuset dutch ovens, and black cast iron frying pans. I love my Le Creuset and try to pick a piece up when I see it's on sale.

Having said that, last year I had to return my Le Creuset big dutch oven as the enamel had started chipping away. They were frankly horrified and immediately promised me a new one, which was delivered a few weeks later. (Maybe 2?) So they're pretty good about replacing, and I'm already planning my next purchase.

I use Ruby Reds (a lovely pinky red skinned waxy potato) - some times I'll go for a Royal Blue (dark purple skinned waxy). Chop 'em up, boil them till their almost falling apart. I used to use a potato smasher, but since I moved it got lost, and I've had to use a fork. I found I wasn't getting the smoothness that I wanted out of my potatoes, so I've been taking a hand whip to them. Boy, does it give your arm a work out and get your potatoes whipped smooth and airy. I drain them, add lashings of butter. Mash, them get some milk and warm it so it doesn't cool the potatoes down. I add that and whip until creamy. If I feel like it, I'll add some lovely sharp romano cheese grated real fine, at the same time as the butter, so it all melts down into the potatoes. It makes for cheesey-licious potatoes :)

Fantastic research Ree! Big fan of pioneerwomancooks! here, so came across to see your very first post here - congratulations :) And in doing so, I've now discovered this site - thanks!!!

I'm looking forward to creating my own batch of experimental brownies with different chocolate, since I found some couverture Lindt chocolate at a foodie store last month. (I usually just use a dark chocolate bar for eating - usually a piece goes missing... )

Anyway, looking forward to seeing your future posts :)

I love, love, love Guittard chocolate for baking, especially their semi-sweet. If ya wanna get all fancy order their semi sweet, milk and bittersweet and experiment with mixing them. Sooo good! It is slightly less expensive than SB ($12 per lb) and the flavor in my opinion is superior.

My dear mother taught me to cook....wish I'd paid more attention!

I love to cook, learned a lot from different cookbooks and the food network on TV.

My mom! And my dad taught me a few things too!! :)

I learned to cook from watching my ex-husband. My mom isn't much of a a cook.