Getting to know me, getting to know all about me...

 
When Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake! sent me a list of questions to answer, I couldn't help but think of that scene in The King and I: Anna, surrounded by all the king's children, singing in unison, "Getting to know you, getting to know all about you..."  In case you would like to know a little bit more about me, check out this interesting little interrogation - it made me have to think (I hate that part...)

So settle in with a cup of tea and a cookie.  Here goes:

1. Who taught you to cook?
My mom is a great cook.  When I was growing up, she was often trying new recipes, which is a great way to broaden your kids' exposure to new foods.  She didn't use much in the way of mixes - always fresh, always good quality.  She bought her meat from the best butcher in town and had fresh eggs delivered to the house every week.  My mom's mother worked in a bakery.  It was an old fashioned place where I worked a couple of times when I would visit her in the summers.  I started by washing dishes and pots & pans, then got to fill the jelly doughnuts, then got to work the front - the big, antique cash register.  I have wonderful memories of that little place.  The carryover is now, when I'm down for some reason, the first thing I usually turn to is cooking and/or baking.  When my grandmother passed away several years ago, I spent the whole next day in the kitchen, baking and cooking like crazy.  It's a release for me, I guess.  I never realized that about myself until that day.

2. Do you prefer cooking or baking?
I don't know that I prefer one over the other.  I like the 'prettiness' of baked goods, but cooking has more 'soul'.  I like both.  I won't choose.  I won't.  And you can't make me...

3. What is your favorite meal to cook for company?
I often cook Italian food for company:  lasagna, homemade manicotti, homemade pizza.  It's easy to make a lot of  and how can you beat the aroma of a pot of sauce simmering away on the stove??

4. Are there any foods you will not eat?
I think offal is... awful.  Sorry.  I guess I'll never be an Iron Chef.

5. Who is your favorite TV chef?
There are a few I enjoy watching.  Bobby Flay has an easy-going personality and an easy way about his cooking that I really like.  I like the verbal artistry of Nigella Lawson (nothing is just red - it's ruby red...that kind of thing).  I really appreciate Jamie Oliver's passion. And I could watch re-runs of Julia Child's shows over and over and over...

6. What famous person/people would you love to dine with (dead or alive)?
I'd like to have a burger with August Escoffier.

Okay.  Just kidding.

I've been a Barbra Streisand fan forever.  I understand she appreciates a good meal.  I wouldn't mind sharing a nosh or two with her.  And, honestly, I would like to ask Julia Child just how much butter she actually consumed in her lifetime...

7. Was your favorite meal ever eaten at a restaurant or someone's home? Tell us about it.
I had a wonderful meal at Spago's in Las Vegas once.  Our daughter had just gotten married a few weeks before, and it was a time to de-stress from the wedding preparations.  I remember I started with the best gazpacho I've ever had.  I had scallops for my entree, and then THE BEST creme brulee I've ever tasted in my life (and I've tasted a lot of creme brulee in my life).  *sigh*  It was wonderful.

8. What dish are you still trying to master?
I think sugar work is intriguing.  Blowing sugar, pulling sugar.  It's an amazing art form.  I'd love to try it sometime.

Well, that's a little bit about me.  How about you?  Care to share?