Happenings Blog - Member Of The Month: Breezermom

breezermom with her son, Will

To cap off the year, we chose breezermom as December’s member of the month because of her tireless dedication to Food.com. As a “tag-a-holic” and host in our Photo Tag game, it is not surprising that she is one of our top contributors with 2490 photos and 2710 reviews.

Southern gal breezermom finds cooking relaxing and has no qualms firing up the grill anytime or preparing a two hour dinner after a long day at work. Read on to find out how she tested and tasted her way to a winning recipe in last month’s Ready, Set, Cook! recipe contest.

Tell us about yourself and why you like to cook. Living on the Gulf of Mexico, I grill quite a bit of fish (red snapper, grouper, amberjack), plus I adore scallops! It’s a tropical paradise, a white sand beach is only eight minutes away! I have two children. My daughter got married last September and my son is a student at the University of Central Florida. I was married for 25 years and loved to cook for my family. One of the fun things about being on my own is I can cook what I want when I want. I can come home at 7 pm, still make a very involved dinner and dine at 9 pm and there’s no one to complain about eating so late! Although nothing makes me happier than when my kids come home and ask for their favorites. It’s the best of both worlds.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

You grew up in the South. Any down-home Southern dishes that you miss or that you make now? Memories of growing up in the South involve lots of okra picking and shelling of peas. Fried okra and crowder peas or creamer peas are still a favorite. Turnip greens (cooked with the turnip roots) with a slice of cornbread is often a meal on its own. Seafood Gumbo! Smoked Pork Butt is a favorite that I make, but it is an all-day affair. Another Southern favorite is Chicken Pot Pie.

Congratulations on coming in second place in our latest round of Ready, Set, Cook! recipe contest. Tell us how you came up with your prize-winning recipe – Mexican Stack Up. I love Mexican food, so I gravitated towards the corn, black beans and Monterrey Jack cheese on the ingredient list. From there I went to making burritos, enchiladas and finally ended up with the recipe. It was trial and error, I wanted something that would appeal to people that wanted a main dish or an appetizer.

What’s your most epic cooking flop? Did you cry? Save it? Or you just get take out? I didn’t know how to cook anything when I got married except toast and grilled cheese. My flop was making dried beans. Simple, yes, but I didn’t know you were supposed to wash and get rid of the grit and rocks. My new husband came home and got a mouthful of dirt and rocks. And yes, he ate it. And yes, I cried. After that flop, I decided to learn how to cook.

What drew you to Food.com? The recipes, other home cooks, something else? When I first joined, I was looking for recipes for my son. I headed back to college and went straight from work to school 3 days a week. I needed something he could pop in the microwave or oven and eat while I was in class because most of the time I did not get home until after 9 pm. Now I like the recipes AND the community.

What’s your favorite Food.com recipe? With all my reviews, you want me to pick one? Here’s a few favorites:

#1 Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts by TexasGriffLovers
I just love the flavor of the spinach with the sweetness of the raisins and the crunch of the toasted pine nuts. Plus: It is so quick and easy to make!

#2 Filet Mignon with Dijon Sauce by KellyMac6
A gourmet dinner ready in under an hour. And you feel like you’ve been treated instead of cheated!!

#3 Spring Mix with Walnuts, Cranberries and Goat Cheese by alligirl
I sub pecans for the walnuts and alternate goat cheese with feta, depending on what I have on hand. My son will eat helping after helping of this salad and that makes this a favorite.

#4 Mustard and Mayonnaise Glazed Asparagus by JanuaryBride
Another favorite of my son’s, this is so good cooked on the grill next to your favorite meat. I’ll heat the grill up just for this!