Karen from Dallas

about me

I am a weekend chef, and am always trying out new recipes with my daughter, Amanda. We love collecting and sharing recipes with our family and friends, but find we just don't have as much time to devote to it as we used to. Zaar has provided an easy way for us to post even the most sought after family recipes,giving easy access for all the aunts and cousins to collect and share.

I was born and raised in Dallas, and have never been out of the state for more than a few weeks at a time.

I love gardening,but since moving to a town home, I don't have a large backyard anymore. So, we make do with an herb garden and a few planters of flowers and ivy each spring. This year, we are going to try our hand at growing a couple tomato and bell pepper plants on our patio.

My daughter and I share a lot of the same interests in music, books, and crafting. We always have at least 5 projects going, and lots of ideas for new ones to follow at any given time. We donate a day of our time at least 4 times a year to the soup kitchens in Dallas and Fort Worth, and are big supporters of the local SPCA.

We have 4 cats: two toms: Tigger, an American ginger tabby,& Shadow, a Russian Siamese; recent additions are Sabastian & Liam:two adorable little kittens-both coal black with their tails dipped in white paint! We are not sure, but their mother looked Abyssinian. Their father was feral, but most likely a Bombay breed. We love watching them learn all the tricks the older cats know to get treats!

We are experimenting with making gourmet cat and dog treats, and as soon as we perfect the recipes (with at least a 4 meow! or woof! rating) we will post them online for everyone. Doing this kind of thing makes a great fundraiser at work, as well as great gifts at holidays!

Favorite Foods:

My favorite foods are primarily Tex-Mex and Cajun/Creole cooking. Amanda's favorites are Oriental dishes, especially Chinese and Thai cuisine. We recently discovered Kenyan cuisine, and have enjoyed the rich and spicy flavors it has to offer, as well.

Favorite desserts are pecan pie, pralines, and cheesecake. My daughter leans more towards chocolate cakes and brownies. Summertime, though, means dragging out the ice cream maker and experimenting with grandma's old ice cream recipes-like Georgia Peach or triple chocolate chip flavors. My cousin recently found an old recipe for boysenberry flavor. None of us are brave enough to try it!

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