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Aquarelle
Duluth MN
October 21, 2005
November 21, 2009

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I share my home with my husband, Steve, our daughter Adrienne, and three extremely spoiled cats. Steve is a retired locomotive engineer, Adrienne is a student, and I work full-time in a civil engineering office. I come from a long line of good cooks: both of my grandmothers were excellent cooks, as is my mother, who is in her 70s and still turning out delicious meals and baked goods. Now that my daughter is getting older she's interested in learning to cook, too, so she and I are having some fun times in the kitchen.
That had to be when I was 19, had just moved to my very first apartment, and decided to bake a loaf of yeast bread after reading a recipe and thinking, "It doesn't seem to be that difficult." I'd watched my mother bake bread for years prior to that, but had never attempted it myself. After running to the grocery store for the necessary ingredients, and to the neighborhood hardware store for a loaf pan, I had at it. It turned out perfectly. My roommate and my then-boyfriend gobbled up the entire loaf--I think I only got to eat one slice! (The recipe was called Cottage Dill Bread, and I've seen a similar recipe on the TOH website.)
The time I tried to make grape preserves from wild grapes? The time I ended up scrubbing homemade spaghetti sauce off of the kitchen ceiling? The time I fell asleep on the couch while supper was cooking and reduced a lovely Swiss steak meal to charcoal briquettes? The time I had guests and the pork roast was just not getting done, so I kept urging the guests to "have another glass of wine, it'll be done soon," and the problem turned out to be a faulty meat thermometer? There have been more than a few. I don't dwell on them, at least not too much.
Potica and Limpa

Aquarelle's Highly Rated Recipes

  • Ambrosia Fruit
  • Ann's Special Tuna Salad

    Nothing is better at a potluck than a macaroni salad. This tuna salad features delicious celery, green onions and pimientos adding tasty flavor. This salad will be gone in no time.—Ann Kaiser, Wisconsin

  • Apple Coffee Cake

    This layered coffee cake comes together easily with canned pie filling and other pantry staples. "I enjoy making it for my family or even to celebrate co-workers' birthdays," writes Joan Kuderer from Sparta, Wisconsin.

  • Apricot Ham Steak

    Ham is a versatile main menu item that's a standby with all country cooks. One of the best and easiest ways to serve ham slices is topped off with a slightly sweet glaze, like this apricot version.

View All Highly Rated Recipes»