Heavenly Forkfuls From Liz

Posted by Correen in Articles, Interviews | 13 comments

A great way to celebrate “hump day” is to delve into heavenly forkfuls of homemade baked-with-love goodies and Liz, from That Skinny Chick Can Bake, has made me a happy woman today. Upon our introduction, thanks Badger Girl, I’ve had good fun checking out Liz’s blog and other spots on the net. Read on…have a beautiful rest of the day too!

Who is your biggest cheerleader when you make and offer up a newer recipe? What are some things they say and do that make you know it’s going into your recipe file as a keeper?

My hubby is my #1 fan. He can be an extremely picky eater (his list of foods he won’t touch is a mile long…from nuts to beets to mint), so he rolls his eyes at a few of my more exotic posts (like curing raw salmon which I made for a recent French Fridays with Dorie). But when I make something he loves, he tells everyone. He often comes home from work with compliments or recipe requests…then I know he’s been talking me up.

What are some of your favorite blog parties or hops that you regularly participate in? Talk to us about how that has helped your blog grow.

I love blog parties and have discovered a lot of new, wonderful blogs through them. I have a list on my desk of which parties are on which days, but I rarely have time to post on them all each week. A few of my favorites are Sweets for a Saturday, Full Plate Thursdays, Fresh Food Friday/Seasonal Saturday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Your Best Recipe, My Kitchen and These Chicks Cook. Some of these will feature their favorite or most popular posts from the week before….and if I’m lucky enough to be featured, that honor brings more people to my blog. (Correen’s note – My Blog Party and Hop list. Drop me a note about yours )

Thinking of just one person in your childhood, who was it that sparked the cooking fire in you? Tell us about that person.

My mom was my biggest cooking influence. I grew up in a tiny Midwest university town. Luckily, due to the university, my parents were exposed to cuisines from different cultures….and my mom was inspired by her foreign friends. She whipped up paella, baklava, moussaka to name a few. I’m still amazed my mom could find filo dough in Iowa in the 70′s! She watched Julia Child and The Galloping Gourmet back in the days of 4 TV stations…and she was known to take cooking classes from chefs while we were on family vacations…I still remember the French bread from Maurice of the Copper Kettle in Aspen she’d knead on the counter top. We’d eat it piping hot with cold butter pats.

Give us your ideas for a simple Sunday morning breakfast.

I usually eat a few slices of whole grain bread with a cup of hot tea for breakfast 7 days a week. But I love to bake something special when we have company like this Apple Tart made with puff pastry or Cinnamon Bread French Toast, which can be put together the night before.

If you were willing to die from eating one decadent, gooey food what would it be? (Psst! Mine is homemade baked mac and cheese.

Oh, good question!!! As much as my family and I love a decadent chocolate dessert, I’d much rather overindulge on a peach or apple crisp, warm from the oven, topped with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. ~~Pure bliss.

Liz Berg’s, That Skinny Chick Can Bake blog is filled with humor and excellent advice about baking and cooking in general. Liz shares her enthusiasm for cooking and baking, and is generous with her tips, suggestions, and friendship. Her photos are drool worthy and often include glimpses of the family dog, Lambeau. Liz’s blog is easily approachable and good for bakers and cooks of any level.

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