Winner of Your Best Recipe with Cereal

 
The winning recipe, left, and darksideofthespoon on vacation, right.

Congratulations to darksideofthespoon, whose Oatmeal Ice Cream with Toasted Walnuts won the contest for Your Best Recipe with Cereal!

Describe an early food experience that has influenced the way you think about food and/or cooking.
Cliché as it may sound, my mom is a huge inspiration for me. From a very early age, I can remember her always reciting "mise-en-place!" as I helped her in the kitchen. She always experimented, and she taught me to be fearless when I cook. Now that I'm a mother, my fearlessness has been kicked into overdrive and I'd like to think my daughter reflects that -- she'll eat anything!

What's your least favorite kitchen task?
I usually don't mind doing dishes, but I'll procrastinate on anything that has a floury rolling-out process, like the pizza we had last night.

Your favorite kitchen tool?
Life with my KitchenAid is pretty nice, but I'd take a good sharp knife anytime!

What is your idea of comfort food?
Anything ridiculously rich. Right away I think of the Genius Al Forno's Penne with Tomato, Cream & Five Cheeses. We make this about once a year to spoil ourselves!

What is your greatest kitchen disaster?
I'll never forget this: I was working with a new employee at a restaurant a few years ago, and we had pantry racks that slid around. I asked him to grab something for me, and as he was sliding the racks around, he knocked over a 10 gallon pail of cocoa powder that was teetering on the top shelf. The scene afterwards was reminiscent of a cocoa powder atom bomb going off, and more than a year later, we still found evidence of the disaster.