Eight cooks move into Round 2; let's get to know them better
Denise Allen
What is your favorite kitchen tool? Slicer. It saves a lot of time when I need to slice or dice something.
What three things are always on your grocery list? Eggs, apples and all kinds of vegetables. I love to make egg white omelets and breakfast casseroles. I eat two apples a day and love to cook veggies.
Tell us about your approach to weekly cooking/menu planning. I usually try to plan out meals that will provide leftovers so that I am not cooking every day. Even though that doesn't matter because I cook whatever I have a taste for at any given time.
What is your guilty pleasure? Ice cream and more ice cream, cheese and chicken.
Any hobbies besides cooking? Singing and decorating
Is there a Round 1 mystery basket you're glad you didn't get? I actually got it. However, I turned my thoughts about anchovies to a positive one.
Are there any Round 1 recipes you've tried or plan to try? Yes, I can't wait to try the Stuffed Blue Cheese Meatballs.
Jamie Andrade
What is your favorite kitchen tool? My Mini Ninja; best $20 I ever spent. I use it for everything. I make fresh fruit smoothies in the morning for the kids breakfast, marinades, salsas, chicken salad. I'm in love.
What three things are always on your grocery list? Limes, olives and feta salad, shredded cheese. Limes are basically a staple in our house, I don't think I've ever been out of them. I'm a big fan of citrus marinades, we make a lot of salsas and sauces with them and the kids love it on everything. The olive and feta salad is my “go-to” work snack. The mix I buy has marinated kalamatas, feta and Peppadew peppers — I pulse it a few times in my Mini Ninja (seriously, buy one) and take it to work with some crackers, it's amazing. We always seem to have shredded cheese in the house. With the kids being so young (5, 6 and 7) they like to be involved in cooking and preparing so we do a lot of “make your own” nights. Whether it's tacos, pizzas, quesadillas or whatever else we are in the mood for it's always good to have around.
Tell us about your approach to weekly cooking/menu planning. We love to eat and can have expensive tastes but I am still very budget conscious. I love jumbo scallops but I can't bring myself to spend $15 a pound on them, especially when feeding a family of five! When they go on sale for $10 though, we splurge. My sale papers come on Wednesday (and heaven help my husband if he accidentally tosses them out) but I take a look for who has the best sales on meat/seafood and I build my menu on that. We have a few staple meals I make again and again but for the most part, I'm playing around trying to come up with new ideas based on what I bought that week.
What is your guilty pleasure? Homemade chocolate chip cookies. Leave me alone with a dozen and it won't be pretty.
Any hobbies besides cooking? We are big outdoors people. We try to camp as much as we can, go for walks or bike rides in the woods; really anything to get some fresh air.
Is there a Round 1 mystery basket you're glad you didn't get? Ground beef and pears. No thank you!
Are there any Round 1 recipes you've tried or plan to try? I loved the budget challenge. Trying to feed my family with healthy and delicious meals without breaking the bank is very important to me. With the weather changing, now is the time I start making more homestyle warm dishes — soups, stews, chicken and dumplings, etc ... The chicken and corn soup sounded delicious.
Chris Crabtree
What is your favorite kitchen tool? My Cuisinart chopper. It chops large quantities within seconds and I even use it to grate cheese.
What three things are always on your grocery list? Peppers: raw, sautéed, diced and added to stir fry, grilled, roasted for sandwiches. Chicken: I use in soup, grilled, stews, roasted, and even as burgers because my girls eat chicken just about any way I make it. And stock: I use it in so many things, such as spaghetti sauce, stir fry, soup, stews, casseroles, even to moisten my chicken burgers
Tell us about your approach to weekly cooking/menu planning. I love watching cooking shows, so often when I see something new, I like to take that idea and put my twist on it for the following week. In addition, I do need to have some kind of tried-and-true for my kids during the week such as tacos, pasta, grilled chicken or stir fry. I also like to shop every three to four days rather than once a week. I think we eat healthier that way because I buy more fresh foods.
What is your guilty pleasure? Unfortunately, too many. A homemade chocolate chip cookie that is crunchy, not soft probably tops the list.
Any hobbies besides cooking? Reading. I read three to four books a week.
Is there a Round 1 mystery basket you're glad you didn't get? Trout. While I enjoy most kinds of fish, trout is not one of them!
Are there any Round 1 recipes you've tried or plan to try? Yes, I want to try several: my competitor's artichoke hearts, the fried green tomatoes and the blue cheese stuffed meatballs. I have saved all the recipes because they are so creative and look delicious.
Emily Geddes
What is your favorite kitchen tool? Cooking tongs. I use them for everything.
What three things are always on your grocery list? Greek yogurt- a great protein source for the baby growing in my belly! Cheese: There can never be enough variety of cheeses in the house. And any time I go to the grocery store, I come home with a French baguette.
Tell us about your approach to weekly cooking/menu planning. I start out with an inspired new recipe or idea, or possibly an old favorite. I grocery shop with this particular meal in mind, but fill my cart with staples. Then I morph the leftovers into new creations, or come up with ideas with what I have on hand for the rest of the week. Sunday is usually a special meal.
What is your guilty pleasure? I love potatoes. Served any way, any time of day or night.
Any hobbies besides cooking? I read and garden. Since August hit this year, I haven't had to buy any produce! I recently have tried my hand at refinishing furniture too.
Is there a Round 1 mystery basket you're glad you didn't get? Probably the cellophane noodles, they are so hard to work with!
Are there any Round 1 recipes you've tried or plan to try? I plan on trying the Fried Green Tomatoes and Bacon Aioli as well as my Round 1 matchup Tim's Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Meatballs. I think it would be fun to have a party where all the contestants bring one of their recipes for everyone else to try.
Juanita Harrell
What is your favorite kitchen tool? I would have to say my cast iron skillet. I love it because I can cook anything in it. I've fried chicken in it, made a pie and a pizza just to name a few.
What three things are always on your grocery list? Butter, eggs and flour. When I get bored I bake and with those three ingredients I can make anything from cookies to brownies.
Tell us about your approach to weekly cooking/menu planning. Unless I am planning for a particular meal I usually let my meal planning come together as I grocery shop. For example I'll pick up a roast and then decide that I'm going to make a pot roast and then a potpie later in the week with the leftovers.
What is your guilty pleasure? Potato chips. Sour cream and onion to be exact.
Any hobbies besides cooking? Yes. I love to read and I've been writing poetry since I was 10 years old.
Is there a Round 1 mystery basket you're glad you didn't get? Yes. Although all of the baskets seemed challenging I would have to say the basket containing cellophane noodles, carrots, anchovies and fresh mint is the one that I'm glad I did not get.
Are there any Round 1 recipes you've tried or plan to try? The fried green tomatoes with tomato bacon aioli recipe and the spice-rubbed, peach tea-sauced ribs and harvest salad recipe are a few of the recipes that I would like to try.
Joan Huenecke
What is your favorite kitchen tool? My knives are sharp and make cutting tasks easy. I recently bought a mandoline slicer. I can't wait to try it out.
What three things are always on your grocery list? I always have fresh, in season, vegetables and fruits on my grocery list. My cooking method of choice is roasting or grilling the fresh vegetables. I like to add fresh fruits to salads or to plain Greek yogurt for breakfast or a snack. The third thing that is frequently on my grocery list is poultry. I like to make extra poultry and use it for lunches or in sandwiches/wraps throughout the week.
Tell us about your approach to weekly cooking/menu planning. I usually begin planning my weekly menu by looking at the food ads and asking my family for menu suggestions. I plan meals for Sunday through Wednesday. I like to cook/prepare all of the main components of the meals on Sundays. I leave the last minute assembly of the meal for the day it will be served. Thursday is usually leftovers or “smorgasborg” night. Friday is usually pizza night. Saturday is 'date night”, which means my husband and I go out for dinner or we have burgers.
What is your guilty pleasure? My guilty pleasure is butter. I love putting butter on almost anything. I think that butter enhances the flavor of most foods.
Any hobbies besides cooking? I enjoy reading. I like to read almost anything I can get my hands on: books, magazines, newspapers and Internet articles.
Is there a Round 1 mystery basket you're glad you didn't get? No, I thought all of the ingredients were interesting and offered opportunities for development into delicious recipes.
Are there any Round 1 recipes you've tried or plan to try? I tried the radish-broccoli slaw that my competitor made in the first round. I liked the peppery flavor that the radishes brought to the slaw. It tasted as good as it looked.
David Rench
What is your favorite kitchen tool? My favorite kitchen tool would have to be my chefs knife. Without a good chefs knife that holds a sharp edge, I would be lost in the kitchen. I use my chefs knife in the preparation of every meal.
What three items are always on your grocery list? I use eggs often, not only to start most days with a little protein but because they are so versatile and necessary. Cilantro: Let's face it people either dislike or like cilantro. I have never found anybody that is indifferent to it. My wife and I love to use fresh cilantro in cilantro/lime pesto, pico de gallo, Thai, Latin and Indian meals and as garnish. It brightens and adds fresh interest to many dishes. Alium family: The aromatics (Alium family) and start to most savory dishes, start with either one or a combination of onions, shallots or garlic. When asked why French food is so good, I reply “because of shallots, butter, garlic. That's two out of three.
Tell us about your approach to weekly cooking/meal planning. Weekly planning? I have to admit that I don't weekly plan. But I have a large pantry, refrigerator and freezer that are well stocked. Nine out of 10 times, if I have a taste for something or at minimum a certain ethnic style, I can make a dish that will satiate me from what I have on hand. That being said, I often daily plan. I can then pick up that one or two special ingredients which I may not have fresh. I usually eat and prepare what I have a taste for. It's rarely a mundane day, when it comes to food at our home. After 50 years of home cooking experience I consult recipes maybe 35 percent of the time, but usually skim over the recipe and just then cook by instinct and tasting as I go along.
What is your guilty pleasure. That's an easy one. Cheesecake. Here is the catch. I am slightly lactose intolerant and high doses of sugar can wind me up and quickly wind me down. That's why I can control, through educated choice, my consumption of cheesecake. I guess if I didn't have those adverse physical reactions to cheesecake, I would weigh more!
Any hobbies besides cooking? Maybe too many hobbies. When I dive into something, I go head first. Here a few: bee keeping, gardening, fly tier and trout fishing, potter, bread baking, sailing, beer brewing, zymurgy (the study of fermentation), wild mushroom foraging, inventing, writing and scuba diving.
Is there a Round 1 mystery basket you're glad you didn't get? I have thought about my approach to creating recipes with each of the other mystery basket challenges. I think the can of corn basket would have been my least favorite. Mostly due to it's lack of challenge to create something from a group of ingredients, rather then a fairly common ingredient plus cash.
Are there any Round 1 recipes you've tried or plan to try? I have learned ideas and approaches to creating new cuisine from all the contestants. I salute them all for their wonderful cooking related inputs. The first dish I will try is the fried green tomatoes with bacon aioli.
Molly Sutton
What is your favorite kitchen tool? My favorite tools are my All Clad cookware. Great cooking and easy clean up.
What three things are always on your grocery list? Extra-virgin olive oil, because I use it for fat. Pasta, my comfort food, and herbs.
Tell us about your approach to weekly cooking/menu planning. On Saturday I make a grocery list based on the Wednesday sale fliers in the Herald and ingredients on hand. I adjust for things at the farmers market and the weekly activity schedule.
What food is your guilty pleasure? Linguine with white clam sauce and Panang curry.
Any hobbies besides cooking? I love to sing.
Is there a Round 1 mystery basket you're glad you didn't get? They all looked good, although I don't care for pears.
Are there any Round 1 recipes you've tried or plan to try? I'd love to try the Shrimp Stir Fry and Spring Rolls and the Fried Green Tomatoes.