I’m very lucky to have a mother who’s a gourmet home cook and who is more than happy to share her knowledge with me. Add to that a penchant for exploring other cultures and you get someone who’s fascinated with food! And I find fantastic food wherever I go: the batidos (frothy fruit drinks) and casados (“the married man’s lunch”) in Costa Rica are just as tasty as the Currywurst and Dönerkebabs are in Germany.
My dishes are based on three principles: health, affordability, and flair. As such, the majority of what I cook includes fresh produce and whole grains. (During the summer I like to make use of my small herb garden to create meals rich in taste and character.) The best word I can come up with to describe my eating philosophy is that I’m a Qualitarian — I’ll eat anything if it’s high quality. That means I prefer meat and dairy products from grass-fed animals, eggs from pastured hens, and organic produce. Since good-quality produce, grains, and dairy are more affordable (and available) than meat, I tend to use more of those. I also enjoy preparing good-quality seafood and organic eggs in a variety of ways. Baking, too, is near to my heart, especially now that I’ve branched out into using unusual flours like teff and spelt.
Aside from food and writing, my interests include languages, sailing, and dancing — my favorite kind of salsa is the kind you do on the dance floor. Fortunately, I live in metro Detroit, where the salsa scene is one of the best in the country. ¡Eso!
(Here is my shameless plug for the Detroit salsa dance scene: if you want to know where to go and what to do, check out www.yasalsa.com.)
I’m also a freelance writer; not surprisingly, most of my articles are about food, health, and travel. In addition to writing for magazines, I’ve penned two novels (one young adult fantasy/mystery, the other adult medieval epic fantasy) and a non-fiction book proposal about the Qualitarian approach to enjoying your food. My current project is an international cookbook for a publisher out West. I also have another company focused on professional editing and book coaching. If you’d like to know more about my wordsmithing services, feel free to stop by my Poignant Pen website.
In the meantime, I’ll continue to scour my local farmer’s markets and grocery stores in search of new and unusual ingredients to share with you!
Happy cooking!
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