Guest Post #4: Rachael

It's time for another guest post!  Introducing Rachael, my youngest sister.  Rach is fairly easy to please - she only really seems to hate mushrooms and eggs (well, and all Mexican food, which is bizarre).  She also likes healthy stuff and is more apt to eat quinoa or soba noodles than the rest of the family.  However, she's sort of a quiet influence on the blog; she doesn't often complain or rave about things.  I was pretty excited and interested to hear her thoughts actually!  Since it was her birthday yesterday, I thought she'd be a perfect guest poster.  I would have had her post last night, but she was too busy being the birthday girl.  So happy belated birthday, Rachael, and welcome to her guest post!


Please introduce yourself!  
I'm Rachael, Bridget's youngest sister.

What do you think of Bridget's cooking?
I think Bridge's cooking is  pretty awesome. I hate to cook. I love to eat - WINNING.
I like that she is always in the kitchen or on the treadmill these days. It is nice to see her with something other than a book in her hand. 

What do you wish Bridget would change about her cooking?
I wish Bridget would change the quote "BYOI" or "buy your own ingredients". When I get a meal cooked for me i don't want to have anything to do with it - except maybe set the table. :)  I also don't like her famous quote - "Cookers aren't cleaners".  However - she does usually end up doing it all in the end.

I wish Bridget would make more chicken. I understand that all raw meat is gross -- but i miss the protein and the energy it gives me when I eat it. I don't miss red meat at all - so you can keep not making that.

ALSO LESS MUSHROOMS!
LESS MEXICAN.

MORE ITALIAN FOOD OF ANY KIND.

What have been some of your favorite all-time recipes that Bridget has made?
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup!!
Vegetarian steamed dumplings with soy sauce
Chocolate crinkle cookies
bagels
baked ravioli

What were your top 3 recipes from 2013?
MINESTRONE
carrot cake
English muffins

Guest Post #3: Mark

If you really wanted to know what my darling fiancé Mark thinks of my cooking, you'll have to ask him in person.  He'd talk your ear off in real life, but in writing, he's a man of few words.  

The good news about Mark is that he likes almost everything.  He is into eating healthy and loves things like quinoa.  He really only hates eggs (this is new) and ground chicken (which I also hate), and he is always willing to try the weird things that I create.  He's a great sport, and for that reason, he will be a well-fed husband!  Love you, Marky!

Please introduce yourself!  
Mark Ajemian, famous local celebrity.

What do you think of Bridget's cooking?
She is a very good cook, who tries to make healthy but tasty foods and meals.

What do you wish Bridget would change about her cooking?
Add a little more spice and protein.  Some of her meals can not be spicy enough or not have enough protein, which will make you hungry soon after.

What have been some of your favorite all-time recipes that Bridget has made?
tortilla soup with black beans, quinoa salad with watermelon and feta, baked falafel with tzatziki

What were your top 3 recipes from 2013?
key lime pie (recipe soon to come!), Olive Garden minestrone soup, French onion soup with braised short ribs.

Guest Post #2: Mom

Happy New Year to everyone, and happy second blogiversary to me!  Who'd have thought 2 years ago tonight, when I was chopping lime zest to use in frosting (yes, chopping, not zesting), that I would be a blogger whipping up 3 different desserts in one day (that was today)!?

I am more than happy to say good riddance to 2013.  It was a pretty terrible year.  But 2014 is bound to be, while stressful, definitely better.  By this time next year, I will (hopefully) have a new house and a new husband!  It will be a big, exciting year for me, and I am happy for it to get started.  I am spending New Year's Eve at home (just how I like it) with my mom.  We thought tonight would be a good time for her to do her guest post! 

If you follow my blog, you know that my mom is one of my biggest challenges when it comes to my cooking!  She is always very appreciative, but she is... not picky per se, but critical.  And when she finds something she likes, she is willing to eat it nonstop for months (which is an issue when I am so into trying out new recipes!)  She also likes things "plain;" she doesn't like bread with flavor, likes to avoid rosemary because it's strong, and her favorite dessert is probably just a good old chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.  But despite her culinary differences from mine, I love this woman with every ounce of my being.   She may prefer meat to meatless, but she likes mushrooms and lentils, and she is willing to try just about anything.  Oh, and she is the kindest, sweetest human being.  And so, here's my mama.

Please introduce yourself!  
Hi I am Kim,  Bridget's mom.  I love her to the ends of the earth and back.  Love her love of cooking too.  Even love many of her creations, although you'd never know it to read about me in her blog!

What do you think of Bridget's cooking?
Bridget is a wonderful cook.  She isn't afraid to tackle even the most complicated of recipes.  Her affinity for meatless recipes gets to me sometimes.  But she makes far more delicious dishes than things that I would turn my nose up at.

What do you wish Bridget would change about her cooking?
Perhaps she should not be afraid, or repulsed to cook with meat.  Meat is tasty and is a good source of protein.  Also,  Bee should not act like I am sticking knives in her when I give her constructive criticism.  I often love her creation but say that I think it would be even better with nuts.  And then in her blog i come off as a godzilla.

What have been some of your favorite all-time recipes that Bridget has made?
I love so many things.  Date nut bread, stuffed shells, green lasagna, pasta with lemon and tomato sauce, baked alaska, salted caramels (but I wish she would put nuts in them), angel food cake, beans and rice, and sticky buns, lettuce wraps, fluffernutter cookies.  I could go on forever!

What were your top 3 recipes from 2013?
date nut bread, sticky buns and pasta with lemon and tomato

Guest Post #1: Mackenzie

As we come close to my second blogiversary this week, I thought it might be kind of fun to have some guest posts.  I have seen this done on other (real) blogs, and I've always wanted to give it a try.  While it is true that I have lots of recipes to share, as the new year begins, I think it is important to look back on the last two years of this blog, and all of the recipes I have made.  Some have been hugely successful, and others... not so much.

Then again, success depends on who you're talking to.  Besides Mark, who eats anything with a smile, my biggest cooking champion is probably my sister Mackenzie.  She is the least picky person in this house - she will tell you that she only hates mushrooms and lentils - so she can be the most fun to cook for.  She is willing to try most things, even the ones that seem pretty weird.  We also have similar tastes sometimes, such as our love for Oreos and all things potato.  For these reasons, I decided that she would be the perfect person to start off my guest posts.  And thus without further ado, here's Kenz.



Please introduce yourself!

Hi there. It's Mackenzie, Bridget's younger sister.  I am the middle of the three sisters.  For a long time, I was the cook in the family.  I  was a much different cook than Bridg. I had some specialties and was certainly not as adventurous as Bridget.  I like to cook meals such as chili, meatballs and sauce, pizza and cakes.  I enjoyed cooking but sometimes it was a bit overwhelming to be the chef among other duties.  I was more than happy to pass the kitchen over to someone else when Bridget came up with this new years resolution. Little did I know how drastically it would alter the culture of the house.

What do you think of Bridget's cooking?

As I said in the first question, Bridget is a very adventurous cook. She does not shy away from difficult recipes and is ready and willing to try almost anything complicated. THAT BEING SAID, she has grown increasingly opposed to meals including meat.  This has become a big issue in the house.  We need our protein!! Bridget will stir caramel for 4 straight hours but will not deal with any meats.  This is an interesting part of her cooking. She is a big proponent of the BYOI system (Buy Your Own Ingredients). This means if you pick a recipe, and buy the ingredients, she will make you whatever you want. This now excludes meat.  I also have to add that Bridge's cooking has gotten much weirder over time.  If you look back in her blog you will see that she made much more regular meals in the beginning.  Since then, it has changed into foods including odder and odder ingredients.  I am willing to try almost everything, except lentils and mushrooms, but I could go for some more "staple" type meals.

What do you wish Bridget would change about her cooking?

More meat. Less mushrooms and lentils.

What have been some of your favorite all-time recipes that Bridget has made?

-broccoli cheddar soup in homemade bread bowls
-Apple cider caramels
-pulled cauliflower 
-homemade pretzels
-cheesesteak soup
-chocolate crinkle cookies
-taquitos
-rice balls


What were your top 3 recipes from 2013?

-broccoli cheese soup
-cheesesteak soup
-pulled cauliflower with homemade bbq sauce