Hi my name is Ana! I love being in the kitchen in any capacity! I just scored a new job making all the pastries...

...and desserts in a restaurant on an organic farm! My philosophy of food is to surround yourself with great food and great people and a community will be created.

How long have you been a Daring Baker/Daring Cook and what’s your favorite thing about being in the group(s) so far?

I guess you could say I am a Daring Baker Baby, only two months old now. My favorite thing is the community of people who love helping each other with recipes, tips, ingredients, and whatever else one might need. Its so great to find people equally as passionate about delicious food as I am.

What’s your favorite kitchen gadget? How about your favorite kitchen appliance?

My whisk! I didn’t have a Kitchen Aid until a couple of weeks ago, and that whisk was my best friend in the kitchen. Anything that can be mixed on a mixer can be mixed by hand; it just might also make you faint. My other favorite is a spatula that the wooden handle broke off of… It is never a good idea to rest a spatula on the edge of a mixer on high speed. (Splintery buttercream = not safe haha) Regardless though I saved the plastic and half the handle and now I can use it to easily scrap down the edge of the bowl.

Are you known for making a certain dish or dessert? If so, what is it?

Beer Bread, yum, I normally make it with an India Pale Ale or Porter. I really love it and so do all my friends and coworkers.

Is there any recipe and/or technique that we haven’t covered yet that you’d really like to make/learn?

Recently I have really wanted to get into making sculpted bread , much like Korovai, a Ukranian wedding bread (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korovai)

Do you have a favorite movie? Book? Genre of music? Actor? Actress?

Movie: Stranger than Fiction; Music: Folk-sy-ish

You’ve just won $5000.00!!! What would you spend it on?

Paying off student loans, .

What is the ultimate comfort food to you?

Dutch food: stroopwafels, and patat, and drop…my Mom grew up in Holland, so the food is always very comforting.

Which season (Winter, Summer, Spring, Fall) is your favorite.. why?

Fall! So much color in the trees, so much food coming in and out of harvest season, it’s the perfect transition of seasons! And Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday which falls in fall.

Other than cooking and/or baking.. what hobbies do you enjoy?

Photography, jigsaw puzzles, right now I am working on a big hamburger puzzle, but it always makes me so hungry , reading

What’s your favorite cookbook for desserts/baking? What’s your favorite cookbook for savory/cooking?

Professional Baking by Gissslen. Its more of a text book, I like it because it is very direct. It will teach you the methods of making different pastries and the give you many different variations, but still leave room for your own creativity. My favorite cookbook is called The Seasonal Kitchen by Perla Meyes

Is there one food that you seriously dislike/hate? If so, which is it and why?

I am really not a fan of eggplant actually.

What’s your favorite flower and/or plant?

Big trees and fresh herbs

Do you have a favorite local restaurant? If so, why is it your favorite and what kind of food is served there?

Block 15 Brewery in Corvallis, OR. Really great beers, delicious food, and a few select chalkboard tables to doodle while you wait.

Who taught you how to cook and/or bake?

My mom, Martha Stuart

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Thanksgiving because t is all about gathering with friends and family and eating a great big feast!

You’ve had a rough week. How do you relax after a rough week?

A good cuppa coffee and a good book, and if I’m lucky a sunny afternoon.

Where is your favorite vacation (holiday) destination?

Europe, or my Home in Lubbock, Texas

What is your favorite cooking/food related magazine? Why?

Gastronomica….its very educational and cultural. I like that its not all about quick and easy recipes, its more about the people behind the food.

Do you have a food addiction?

GOOD BREAD!

What did you eat for dinner last night? Did you prepare it or someone else?

Salmon steaks baked with white wine sauce, I made it for my two roommates and I

What’s your guilty pleasure?

terrible gossipy tv shows…

If you had the choice of a free kitchen, bathroom, living room or bedroom makeover – which would you choose and why?

KITCHEN!!! Because it is the heart of the home

The Martha – Angel of Domestication or Minion of Evil? Why?

Angel of Domestication! I remember fighting for control of the TV every Saturday morning so I could watch Martha, all for the food part of the show.

What’s your favorite “sweet” spice? How about your favorite “savory” spice?

Vanilla bean, rosemary, tarragon

If you could eat in any celebrity chef’s restaurant which restaurant would it be, and which chef owns it?

Ferran Adria’s el Bulli

What’s your favorite herb to cook or bake with? Do you prefer fresh or dried?

Tarragon, mmmm, yum, I like fresh herbs

You can visit Ana on her blog All Things Pastry