- Blogger of the week is Denise Romeo of “We Like To Cook!”
- Blogger of the week: Heather from “Who needs a Cape?”
- Blogger of the week: Bevin Taylor from “Who needs a Cape?”
Today I am posting an interview with Denise Romeo of “We Like To Cook!”. I love Denise’s blog because it is full of warm family recipes that I gladly cook in my kitchen.I like her blog as well because she has a lot of recipes with veggies, so when you go to her blog you won”t be bored with “desserts only page”, her recipes go straight from the heart. And one more thing I love about Denise’s Blog – the whole family participates in cooking. All in all, “We Like To Cook!” is a great family blog with very delicious and hearty recipes.
Why do you blog and what do you blog about? (What distinguishes you from the other bloggers?)
Dom and I have been cooking together since we met. In fact, we had been dating less than a week when Dom cooked Chicken Marsala for us. We both grew up in homes where cooking was very important. We’ve used the recipes our mothers and grandmothers have handed down and added our own special touches. We love to experiment with new ingredients like cardoons and squash blossoms. Most importantly, we enjoy spending time together doing what we enjoy: cooking and eating!
We began our blog to capture these recipes for ourselves and for our (now teenage) sons. When friends and relatives would ask for recipes we would direct them to the blog and it kind of snowballed from there to become the site it is today.
What is your secret ingredient, the one that you cannot live without and the one that makes your cooking so special?
Freshly snipped herbs make everything taste bright and natural. We have sage, oregano, tarragon, and thyme tucked into our landscaping and a bay laurel tree so that we have fresh bay leaves for soups and stews. Parsley is especially wonderful and adds a flavor boost to almost any dish from a simply prepared fish to a grilled steak.
What is your favorite kitchen tool?
Dom never goes anywhere without a good knife and even has a professional sharpener to keep them sharp. I think we both agree that our Waring meat slicer was a good investment as well. We have used it for prosciutto, pepperoni, roast beef and even potatoes for homemade chips.
What is your signature recipe?
Years ago, Dom’s aunt taught me how to make Italian peppers in oil. They are a labor of love, but few people can resist them. They are good on just about everything except breakfast cereal. The recipe can be found at here
What is the significance of the recipe you have shared with us today?
As I mentioned, we grew up in families that cooked. This recipe for marinating meat was my grandmother’s favorite. It works well on beef, pork, lamb or chicken. Barbequed ribs prepared this way would be perfect for any 4th of July celebration!
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cup orange juice
Marinate meat for at least 2 hours or overnight. Cook meat at 325 degrees F for one hour or grill until desired doneness. If you want to use the marinade as a basting sauce, place in a sauce pan and bring to a boil before use.
