Betteirene, a cake decorator living in Washington, started cooking for her family at the age of 12, later honing her skills as a truck stop cook (where she surely perfected her Four-Season Flapjack Stacks), a cafe pastry chef (as evidenced by her Raspberry Mocha Latte Cake), and a home cook for her six sons.
While raising her children she grew her own vegetables and even had chickens (if you ask real nice, she'll show you how to butcher one), so seasonal cooking was a top priority. You can almost smell fall in the air when reading her recipe for Old-Fashioned Apple Spice Cake or sage-drenched Harvest Stuffing, and her Turkey Pot Pie is the ideal meal for those cold winter months.
Now a grandmother of seven, she volunteers in a community garden and is occasionally a freelance journalist. Oh, and in all that spare time of hers, she's also helping people out of cooking predicaments on Foodpickle on a regular basis. Her thoughtful contributions made her one of the first Foodpicklers of the Week we announced, earning her both bragging rights and a spiffy Viking Professional Hand Mixer. See betteirene's profie page and fan her here.
Read betteirene's profile Q&A below:
Dinuguan, a Filipino dish that's made of pork and pig's blood.
Besides leftovers? Fish, because no one else here eats it unless it's deep fried.
The Ecko Eterna bread knife that I grew up with, which means it's more than 50 years old.
Garlic-studded, Kosher-salted and coated with cracked pepper prime rib roasted to medium raw; an $18-$20 cabernet sauvignon; popovers; roasted broccoli or green beans; sliced tomato from my garden with a drizzle of creamy garlic mayo and a few shavings of parmesan or asiago; chocolate cheesecake with coffee.
Something with white truffles. I've never had them.
Two right now. I buy two, maybe three bottles a month. Egad! I've never owned a wine rack!
Six.
Not cleaning up as you go along--it makes me crazy when utensils, pans, and bowls are piled up all around me.
From Julia Child's Kitchen, followed by Mastering, then Dorie Greenspan's Baking book, then Beard on Bread--I love cookbook authors who teach, who root for you to cook as good as they do.
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Yup, all the boys cook and none of them uses instant rice. One is a current professional, another gave up being a hospital cook for a boring government job. My oldest grandaughter is working at Denny's to help pay for college; she's majoring in English and keeps a journal, and I expect her to write the next "Kitchen Confidential." My second-oldest took cake decorating classes a couple years ago at Michael's when she was in eighth grade and now makes those asymmetrical, boldly-colored cakes for friends' birthdays, but she doesn't think culinary school is in her future. The youngest ones help plant, tend, harvest and cook what we've grown.
I just love the whole food52 concept and the willingness of this community to share. I know a lot about food, but there's so much more to learn, and you all have been such great teachers. Before I "met" you, I didn't know that ginger, cilantro and saffron could be put in the same dish (Sonali's Moroccan chicken); that the smoothest, creamiest, most fully-flavored homemade ice cream I've ever made didn't require eggs, an ice cream maker or stirring every half hour (Merrill's lime ice cream); that Mario Batali is the father of one of Amada's twins (coolest Halloween costume ever! Mark Bittman this year?). Thanks to all you cooks, A&M and everyone behind the scenes at food52, for making it so difficult to decide what to make for dinner. Such a cauldron of creativity here!
A&M--Except for "No Reservations" and a couple of episodes of "Good Eats," your videos better than the current cooking shows on TV. Period.
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