About me: I grew up in a home with a dad who did most of the cooking but rarely used recipes. Many a time I've had to call him and ask, "Dad, how do you make...?" My mom, who cooked mainly when my dad was out of town, taught me the very useful breakfast-for-dinner trick, which I still use today when I'm cooking solo.
I tend to favor recipes with budget-friendly ingredients and pantry staples. I have a hard time buying a specialized item that I will only use once, and will usually pass over a recipe requiring such a purchase. I'm also not above substituting for or eliminating a recipe component if I don't have it on hand.
Most hated ingredient: bell peppers.
Favorite cookbook: The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook
This recipe made enough salad to feed an army. Luckily, with a bit of doctoring, it was also quite tasty. I substituted butter beans, since I don't care for limas, but otherwise followed the recipe closely.... read more >