Hello Everyone:

We are happy you are here!  Thought it would be helpful to have an area for members to introduce themselves. It’s nice to know a bit more about the person behind the post.  

These are some things we would love to know about you:

(1) What brought you to the Pillsbury Community?

(2) Who taught you how to cook?  Who do you cook for now?

(3) Biggest time saver in the kitchen for you?

(4) Name some top ingredients that are the most often bought (and most often used) in your refrigerator and cupboard. 

(5) Anything else you want to share!

Sincerely, CateC and ErinD

Okay, I'll go first!

(1) What brought you to the Pillsbury Community?

My Job!

(2) Who taught you how to cook?  Who do you cook for now?

My family has been a huge influence. I love making the “family classics”! Also, I’ve gone out of my comfort zone- making new meals out of curiosity. I usually stick close to the recipe for the first time and then I usually get creative and attempt alterations.

I cook for my husband and me. When I am with my extended family, I love cooking with them. Also, I rather cook and entertain for my closest friends rather than go out to a restaurant.

(3) Biggest time saver(s) in the kitchen for you?

We just moved to an area that gets Pea Pod, and it does save us time when we think ahead on what we want/need.

Also, I love my rice cooker. I love that I can set the time that I want it cooked and ready.

Finally, pre-cut ingredients. If I am making multiple things in the kitchen- I might cheat and buy (ie) pre-cut fruit for the salad…

(4) Name some top ingredients that are the most often bought (and most often used) in your refrigerator and cupboard. 

Beans (refried and black beans), fresh/canned tomatoes (all types), cheese (Feta, Colby, Sharp Cheddar), hummus, apples (Fuji/ Red Delicious)

(5) Anything else you want to share!

Five other facts about me:

1-    I could watch the food channel/discovery channel all day and not get sick of it.

2-    I love a good cup of tea everyday.

3-    I need to fall in love with my crock-pot again.

4-    My family has raised me to think of the kitchen of the heartbeat of the house.

5-    Dirty dishes in the sink drive me crazy. 

Hi everyone, My name is Erin and I am one of the moderators of the community, along with Catherine. I look forward to getting to know some of you!

Here are my answers to the Introduce Yourself questions. I encourage you all to answer them too!

(1) What brought you to the Pillsbury Community?

My job!

(2) Who taught you how to cook?  Who do you cook for now?

My mother, and figuring a lot out through trial and error (emphasis on the error). Being single, I cook for myself, but love to share!

(3) Biggest time saver in the kitchen for you?

Hands down, the microwave. For boiling water, my electric kettle.

(4) Name some top ingredients that are the most often bought (and most often used) in your refrigerator and cupboard.

Olive oil, tomatoes, cheese and barbecue sauce. Lately, I’ve been using Thai peanut sauce as a dip or condiment.

(5) Anything else you want to share!

— I love spicy food!

— My biggest pet peeve is when people put an empty ice cube tray back in the freezer.

—  I love vintage cookware and housewares in general. I obtain pieces through my mom or at garage sales.

—  I was born on Thanksgiving Day. My mother did not get a Thanksgiving dinner, and my father ate his in the hospital.

Hello.   I am a fairly recent member and just learning to navigate the threads as well.  Due to my schedule, I am not able to sit and enjoy looking through and responding to the conversations very often but could today..  But I love it almost as much as I do cooking, PROVIDED, that I am not rushed.

1.  What brought me to the community was the email newletter I signed up for to receive recipes.  I finally clicked on to the community spot, and LOW AND BEHOLD, there all of you were.  What Fun!!!

2.Mom taught me to cook!  Who is a fabulous cook not baker.  Mom never measures anything which is great if you do a pinch of this, a shake of that, etc.  But in baking, you generally need to be a little more precise.  Due to circumstances, Mom no longer cooks.  I miss it so much.  But she still watches the food channel and she enjoys that.  The  two biggest talents of Mom's are: being able to eat something, then go home, figure out what was in it and recreate it. And the other is taking practically nothing and inventing a new and FABULOUS recipe.  She is so creative with spices and what is on hand.

3.  I am not sure about the time saver.  I am more old fashion.  I do not even own an electric can  opener, I don't like them and  use a hand one.  And don't own a food processor as I dislike the cleanup.  I do like  my microwave.

4.Spices, onions, tomatoes

5.  I want to share recipes, which I have posted 2  today and copied down 2.   And since I am more old fashion,  wish young people were more interested in cooking than fast, purchased, prepared food.

I thought I would give this a little while to read other info, since no one else has responded I guess I will take a stab at it.
1. I have enjoyed the sites at Pillsbury and Betty Crocker.  For some reason I can no longer log into the Betty Crocker site so this is the one I go to most often.  For postings at least.  I also like the Hershey's site.  (If anyone else goes to the Betty Crocker site tell them "Mittens" says HI)

2. I watched  and learned from my Grandmother mostly.  She lived with us for quite a while and after my Mom died she did a lot of the cooking, until she got sick then I did the cooking.  I was about 10 at thet time.  My dad was a pretty good cook also.  By the way write down your recipes and make sure they get passed down.  I don't have any of the "Old family recipes" and I miss them.

3.  I don't really look for time savers I enjoy cooking and baking and I find it fun.  My grandson has declared Friday as his night with grandma so my grandson and I enjoy our time in the kitchen as well.

4. Top ingredient has to be Chocolate.  When I splurge.
My husband and I have lost quite a bit of weight so I try to cook healtful meals.  I told myself I don't want the weight to come back.  It has been 8 years and for the most part it is still off. (that last 10 pounds just won't go away.) That said I do go a little crazy on weekends when I allow myself a treat.  So during the week it is mostly home made meals and good salads.

5. I am 55.  Married for 25 years, been together for 30.  2 (step) children (I dislike that term, if any one has something better let me know). Retired from a full time job 4 years ago after 30 years.  I work part time at a Curves and I love it!
I have been asked what's with the Grandma "Ikki"  I love telling the story:  When my grandson was learning names, I guess my daughter was trying to get him to say Grandma Nikki and Grandpa Rich what came out was Grandma Ikki.  They must have laughed and that was all it took to reinforce the name.  When I saw him he said Grandma Ikki and laughed.  I asked him to say No, Night, Nice, and Nikki he said them all pronouncing the N just like he should. When I said, say Grandma Nikki he responded by saying Grandma Ikki then he laughed and ran off again.  The grandma Ikki stuck.  And I love it.  I almost dread the day when it stops.

Well I hope to learn more about everyone else now that you know more about me than you thought you wanted to know.

ldbayou: Hey! I am so glad to see you are on here also. (It’s the same CateC from the Betty Crocker Community!)

Ahh, sometimes that creative meal making (with no cook books) is the best kind. I remember the memory my Aunt Rose was showing me how she made her pasta sauce. She laughed when I was trying to write it down, “So- wait- two pinches of sugar?” Ha, ha! Anyways- I really loved reading about your mom. :D

I have some threads started in Kitchen Conversations- that when you have time- I would love to hear what you have to say… it’s all about getting creative in the kitchen.

Thank you again for sharing with us.

Grandma Ikki: I love seeing your posts on here Grandma Ikki!

Hmmm- I have wonder why you can’t log into the Betty Crocker site. I would love to have you there also. It must be an easy fix. Did you try the forget your password trick?

http://www.bettycrocker.com/Register/ForgotPassword.aspx And nothing was emailed?

From there- did you contact costumer service and let them know? http://consumercontacts.generalmills.com/ConsolidatedContact.aspx?page=http://www.bettycrocker.com If you here nothing by early next week- will you let me know? I bet it's an easy fix. 

Erin and I think the story of Grandma “Ikki” is SO sweet- I think it’s lovely that you two have bonding time in the kitchen! Those memories will really last a lifetime.

Ha, I love chocolate too. Sometimes I’ll freeze dark chocolate- and when my sweet tooth kicks in- I’ll have alittle piece to treat the taste buds. Way too easy to do. I feel like it doesn’t spoil my healthy days.  Grandma Ikki- when you have time- I started top 2008/2009 restaurant trends… I would love to know your thoughts on them.

Thank you for telling us more about you.

Now that the categories are live- I look forward to growing them with your help!

Sincerely, CC

CateC_Pillsbury_MOD:

Hello Everyone:

We are happy you are here!  Thought it would be helpful to have an area for members to introduce themselves. It’s nice to know a bit more about the person behind the post.  

These are some things we would love to know about you:

 

(1) What brought you to the Pillsbury Community?

(2) Who taught you how to cook?  Who do you cook for now?

(3) Biggest time saver in the kitchen for you?

(4) Name some top ingredients that are the most often bought (and most often used) in your refrigerator and cupboard. 

(5) Anything else you want to share!

 

Sincerely, CateC and ErinD

 

1. I was online looking for new recipes and found the pillsbury site, so here I am.

2. Both my mother and mother-in-law taught me to cook. I have always been a stay at home mom, since my three children are grown, I cook for just me & my husband, except for holidays when all the kids come back to mom's. (I love it)

3. I have alot of time on my hands so I don't really have any time savers.

4. The top ingredients in my house would be vegetables, garlic, onion, celery, and stock, usually beef & chicken.

Hi cegreen1: 

It's so nice to learn more about you.  Would love to learn some of your favorite recipes that you make for the hubby and you in our Cooking for Two section.  Hope the kids are able to come home for this weekends holiday! 

Sincerely, Cate

(1) What brought you to the Pillsbury Community? I entered the 44th Cook Off!

(2) Who taught you how to cook?  Who do you cook for now? My parents taught me, I cook for my family and freinds.

(3) Biggest time saver in the kitchen for you?  Making big batches and freezing for next meals . As I work m0f 805

(4) Name some top ingredients that are the most often bought (and most often used) in your refrigerator and cupboard. Oh jeez I have to get back to this one

(5) Anything else you want to share!- I am 44 years old, mother of 6 ! Live in the Midwest ( Iowa)

Hello everyone,

My name is Katie. I'm a mother of 4 young children. I try to involve my kids when I bake/cook as much as I possibly can without them getting hurt. My mother involved us when we were younger and thats where I picked up the skills that I have. I absolutely love to bake. I used to want to own a pastry/bake shop, but have realized that I would try everything daily!!! My favorite item in my kitchen that I can't live without is my Kitchen Aid mixer... I LOVE IT!!!

Hello my name is tprince1984! First off, I love the Pillsbury website!

What brought me to the Pillsbury Community is the Pillsbury website. It's very easy to follow and it cuts a lot of time out of your day for cooking. I was blessed to have a wonderful person in my life who had a love, and passion for cooking, that was my guardian who raised me. She cooked without a cookbook or directions, and it was homemade. She's passed on now, but I often long for her cooking. Some of her recipes I remember. I will never be as good as her, but I'll keep trying. I now cook for my family. I have a husband and three kids, two are at home. They love my cooking. I would have to say the biggest time saver in the kitchen for me is the oven. I do bake quite a bit, and that does allow me to do other things. The ingredients I use most often are onions, garlic, butter, chicken broth, vegetable broth and cream of mushrooms. These ingredients add so much flavor to alot of dishes. I too, love to cook and I try to be creative, as well as use affordable items. I don't care to use a lot of expensive ingredients to make a fancy dish. I do like the simple things to create something GOOD! Thanks.

TPrince1984

I was online and got refered here. Then I got hooked and started looking for recipes and found this community.

My mother taught me to cook and then i took home ec in jr high and had this awsome teacher we called momma reed. She was fantastic. Between these 2 fantastic ladies and my mother-in-laws love of just throwing things together and coming up with something great I developed my love for cooking over the years.  My son has even cooked for his girlfriends and my daughter is starting to cook for her boyfriend. I hope the love of cooking I have will rub off on my daughter eventually.

 I cook alot from scratch so I dont know if there really is too much other than some of the canned veges I use that is a time saver for me.

My spice cabinet is full, and I always have portabella mushrooms in my fridge.  I also can not live without my extra virgin olive oil. Always have chicken in my freezer, too.

I hope to get to meet other people who love to cook the way i do. 

Hi Everyone! So happy you took the time to tell us more about you!

tia25: Thank you for telling us more about yourself! Yeah, those frozen big batches and be so helpful on a busy weeknight.

When you have time- I was wondering what your favorite ingredient was on the Bake-Off List: Thread Here! http://www.Pillsbury.com/CommunityForums/forums.aspx/27/698

kanickol: So happy you found us and told us more about you. I think it’s great that you get the kids involved in the kitchen!

How do you keep the kids involved in the kitchen during summer? I started a thread about it here- and I would love your input. http://www.pillsbury.com/CommunityForums/forums.aspx/10/676

tprince1984: I do love the oven also. I posted this link about how casseroles are making a comeback in everyone’s kitchens… and I would love to know your thoughts when you have time! http://www.pillsbury.com/CommunityForums/forums.aspx/9/625

auntme1313: Thank you so much for joining us... I love making portabella's also- so I've been eyeing these recipes:  http://www.pillsbury.com/search/searchresults.aspx?terms=portabella&tab=All

Do you put mushrooms on your pizza... I started a thread about it here- and would love to know your toppings! 

Look forward to reading your next posts! Sincerely, Cate

I have for years used Pillsbury products from cake mix to packaged rolls etc.  My mother taught me to cook and a little from my grandma.  The biggest timesaver in the kitchen are my kids. I only have one at home now but she also loves to cook and starts dinner for us several nights a week.  One of my absolute fav things from pillsbury is the cresent roll.  I have a recipe that I use for breakfast and brunch and snacks that you use bulk sausage and cresent rolls and make little pinwheels with. I also use many cake and dessert mixes. I work full time in retail and my time is so limited in the kitchen.  I love to cook and wish I could go back 30 years when I did not work all the time and made so many things from scratch.   I would like to pass along my love of the kitchen to my grandson (and future grands happily and hopefully).  The kitchen is not just about food and eating, it is about family and connecting.  My best memories of my childhood are about the kitchen.  Sit at your table with your kids, have a glass of milk and some cookies and talk about your day!!!!!

CateC_Pillsbury_MOD:

Hello Everyone:

We are happy you are here!  Thought it would be helpful to have an area for members to introduce themselves. It’s nice to know a bit more about the person behind the post.  

These are some things we would love to know about you:

 

(1) What brought you to the Pillsbury Community?

(2) Who taught you how to cook?  Who do you cook for now?

(3) Biggest time saver in the kitchen for you?

(4) Name some top ingredients that are the most often bought (and most often used) in your refrigerator and cupboard. 

(5) Anything else you want to share!

 

Sincerely, CateC and ErinD