About

Hey y'all! Welcome to Cooking to Perfection! My name is Elaine and I'm a 20-something southern girl living in Washington D.C. I'm a lover of food, especially anything sweet, and trying new recipes. In June of 2012, I decided to document my experiments in the kitchen and explore my creative side by creating this blog. What started out as a way to log and share recipes with a few friends and family turned into a hobby that has made me grow in more ways than one; Cooking to Perfection has allowed me to meet some amazing people, learn all about food photography (and how incredibly hard it is), try exotic recipes with ingredients that I had never heard of, teach myself how to write HTML code, gain a greater appreciation for bloggers and their dedication to their work, and land a hobby that I plan on continuing for years to come.


A little about Cooking to Perfection...

I love food. I can thank my family for this obsession. I learned everything I know from growing up with parents and grandparents who believe that making things from scratch was the *only* way to eat. Processed, packaged products and fast food did not exist for me. I could go on and on about how this has benefited me, but I will just say that I come by my love for being in the kitchen honestly. I would bet that I spent more time in the kitchen as a child than I did in my room. I thought it was more fun to help my dad fry chicken (and thus burn myself because I decided to throw the chicken in the hot oil instead of gently laying it in the pan) than play with my Barbie dolls. So, naturally, if I ever have a free second, I'm browsing the internet looking for new recipes to try, researching the newest craze product, ingredient, or diet, emailing my mom asking about a delicious recipe that she made years ago, or whipping up a batch of Swedish Cream or other family recipe that I remember my grandmother making. Cooking to Perfection is an outlet for me to track all of this, while sharing the recipes with anyone who happens to stumble onto this blog.

I hope that Cooking to Perfection introduces you to a new recipe or ingredient, or even motivates you to try something new like my family has inspired me to do throughout my life. And even if Cooking to Perfection is simply a way to take a break from every day life and read about yummy food, then take off your shoes, make your favorite beverage, kick up your feet, and stick around for a while.

Thanks for visiting! If you would like to contact me, please feel free to email me at cooking2perfection@gmail.com. And for other ways to stay up-to-date with Cooking to Perfection, follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, and Bloglovin'!

13 comments:

  1. I'm loving your new layout!! Can't wait to recipe shop for a Thanksgiving dessert!

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    1. Thanks Lisa :) You'll have to let me know what dessert you make!

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  2. you must get to try some great eateries in washington! love the southern twang, btw. ;)

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    1. Yes, being in this area is great for trying new restaurants and getting inspiration! Too bad there aren't more southern people up here, but I make sure to bring plenty of southern twang wherever I go. :)

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  3. Elaine, you're adorable. I know we're going to be good blogging girlfriends... I love your page, it's so cute! DC has sooooo many good restaurants, you're one lucky girl! Can't wait to read more...

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    1. Haha thanks Beth! DC is full of wonderful restaurants and food...every foodies' dream!

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  4. Hi Lisa. Your mom and dad had dinner at our house last Sunday and I made my own version of West African Ground Nut Soup. Your dad mentioned you might want to know more about it. If you want to try it, here's the basic recipe: Saute some onion and garlic in olive oil and add a few celery tops. Add chicken stock and a diced sweet potato or two and simmer/boil until the potato is tender. Put through a blender to smooth. Mix up a paste of PB2 (peanut butter powder: http://www6.netrition.com/bell_plantation_pb2.html) and ginger pickle (http://www.amazon.com/Priya-Mango-Ginger-Pickle-garlic/dp/B004XTD1LE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1363099929&sr=8-6&keywords=ginger+pickle) using chicken stock to thin. Stir into soup. Serve hot with a swirly garnish of greek yogurt mixed with the juice of a fresh lime. Your blog is super! I hope to try some of your skinny sweets soon. Bon Appetit! Paula E., Durham NC

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  5. What a great About page! Living in DC must be exciting! But now that I've seen photos I cannot believe you eat all of the desserts you post - or it would just be cruel that you can have a figure like that! ;-)

    Anja @ cocalores.blogspot.com

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    1. Haha, you are too kind Anja. I always try all of my recipes, and usually end up solely devouring the sweets. My gym membership and good genes are the only thing keeping me from staying in decent shape!

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  6. You are gorgeous! Glad to have found your blog on the blog hop... Awesome recipes

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    1. Thank you so much Liz! I'm so glad you found my blog. I'm looking forward to trying those cheesecakes you just posted!

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  7. Hi Elaine. Just stopped to say hi, we've just started our blog and we're bloglovin yours!!!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Mariana! I'm loving the Candid Kitchen--will definitely stop by and check out your posts.

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