Nikoma

about me

My rating system (Which I stole from HeatherFeather, I think she put it perfectly) — 5 Stars: Outstanding,a special find that I will make over and over again.

4 Stars: Very good, something I highly recommend others to try, I would make this again, although I might make minor changes to suit my tastes.

3 Stars: Good, but not something I will make again often. Might need some slight changes, but in general the recipe works and others might enjoy this more than I did.

2 Stars: Fair, recipe did not work out well for me and I cannot recommend it. Not what I was expecting.

1 Star: Poor, recipe did not work at all and I would caution others to consider another recipe.

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Well, obviously I love to cook since I'm here on Zaar! Besides that (in the food dept) I've got my hands in a little of everything. I do a lot of canning these days. As well as drying and freezing. I do a lot of berry picking in the summer as well as other wild foraging. I'm just learning, but I'm coming along fast. I love plants and botony so learning about local eatables and herbs has always been an interest. Plus home gardening ofcoarse But I don't have much room right now.

I've just started experimenting with home brewing (trying some basic and easy wines and meads) Hopfully I'll eventually become adept at that and be the family's Merry maker lol Any tips are welcomed!

Ideally I spend most of my time trekking around the woods and mountains here in PA looking for adventures and hidden treasures, old ruins, and historical trails. ( I may have an overactive imagination . I love backpacking and camping. If there wasn't anyone around to drag me home I'd probably just disppear into the wilderness never to return.

I have a major interest in Mythology and History (focusing mainly on Ancient Greece, but I'm enthralled by all ancient history and interested in anything up until the second half of the 20th century)


I really enjoy learning the old ways of doing things. I'm definitely not suited to this cellphone infested, computer run, digitalized existence we're living, it all just hurts my head and makes me wonder if anyone has any original thought or imagination left.


Halloween (Samhain) is another of my favorite things in the world. I wait for it all year and make a full week out of it. Building props and setting up yard displays keeps my head spinning strait through Sept and Oct. I admit I still go trick or treating some years. Other years I try to organize scavenger hunts or treasure hunts etc. Wish I could get more people interested though! Usually just 3 or 4 of us. I also do all the traditional things for a proper Pagan New Year so it's a very busy week!

I love summer and I live for the heat. 90 degrees is when I feel the best. I hate the cold! Despite that Autumn is my favorite time of year though! Fairs, festivals (anyone who lives in PA knows we have some of the most crazy, odd and fun festivals!), Harvest feasts, Fall foraging and gathering, corn field fights, haunted hayrides, pumpkin patches, crafts, all the fresh veggies! The leaves ,the trees, the colors, dressing up, popcorn balls, candy apples, apple picking, apple cider, Mabon and Halloween, the smell of fires, and herbs.... I could go on and on here.

My dream in life is basically to live off the grid. To own a large piece of land in the middle of nowhere surrounded by forest. Enough room to grow the majority of our own food ("our" is still up in the air) To have a little cabin, some chickens, a couple of horses, my cats and a barn big enough to accommodate a small wildlife rehab center (I'm hoping to become certified in the next couple of years.

I've rambled on enough I think. I have a dreaded myspace page (link below) if anyone wants to know anything more.

Favorite Foods:

Favorite foods? That's rough since I like just about anything. Off the top of my head.

Muffins and Cupcakes
Veggie Sushi And Indian Food
Avocados
Soft Ice Cream
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Peanut Butter
apples
maple candy
candied ginger
tomatoes




Foods I don't like -

asparagus (most of the time)
rosemary (90% of the time)


I'm A vegetarian 3 years this Halloween (2009) And I've had a lot of fun sort of relearning how to cook without meat, and discovering more and more wonderful foods that I never knew existed before. So I just love trying anything new!

A Big THANK YOU to all the other veggies on Zaar for posting their recipes and being there to answer questions when I've had them!! This site has definitely been a huge help to me!

As for dishes I'm known for -

Perogies (only one left in my family that makes them)

Salmon tartlets ( I don't eat them anymore but they're still an often request)

Ambrosia Fruit Salad (recipe posted on the site)

My friends would probably say what I'm really known for is the canning and campfire cooking.

I also love finding recipes with healthy mystery ingredients to feed to my picky eater friends (not known for that because they never find out lol)

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=186373832