I’m a 17 year old know it all who loves to try new things. Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever described myself so well in one sentence!

I was born in Brazil (Brasilia) and moved to the USA at the tender age of 6. My life completely changed!
I basically turned out to be an American girl, full of American friends, food and lifestyle.

This all changed when I was 12 and moved to last place on Earth I’d ever think of moving to… Africa.
My dad was transferred to Mozambique (he’s a diplomat) and still to this day I am living here…

Living in a third world country really made me use up all of my creativity and time with things at home.
Cooking has always been a passion of mine. I remember baking my first apple cinnamon muffins in the USA, the house filling up with the cozy delicious scent.

I liked those memories, so I decided, why not make one of those things I loved a day to day routine?
So I did. I started little, making new simple things here and there… Until, I was making dinners for parties and being paid to make cakes for birthdays. Now that I’m finishing high school I definitely want to follow cooking as my career path… I’m still not sure what kind of cook, but I’m getting there.

How long have you been blogging? Do you like it? What’s your favorite post you’ve written?

Blogging about food all started in teamsugar.com, a community where people post just about anything in different groups and forums. Not too long ago I created my very first food blog, so there aren’t a whole lot of recipes and things are going slow because of school… But in less then a month I’m getting back on track with new delicious recipes!

Where do you like to vacation/go on holiday the most?

Anywhere new and exciting, I’ve been to a couple of places so far… Such as Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Brazil, USA, Holland, etc. I still want to go to Egypt and Hong Kong, the culture and food must be amazing!

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

You could say I’m known for my sweet tooth. People are always pleading me to make my “famous” peanut butter cookies and four layer, caramel “oozing” cake. Its different making desserts for people, when you make something like a casserole, people thank you. But when it’s a decadent dessert, the feeling is so much more appealing, it’s like OH MY GOD, THIS IS SOOOO GOOD, thank you! When it comes to cooking for someone else I rather go with something sweet, but never the less, I still make a kick ass butternut squash and chicken lasagna, hungry?

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

My favorite cookbook for desserts and baking has to be my trusty Australian cookbook called “The Colour Library Book of Baking”. Yes guys, coloUr. For savory and cooking, I like to browse around all of my mom’s old Brazilian food magazines, the recipes are EXCELLENT and you always find something new and creative.

Brazilian food is the BEST. The magazine is called “Claudia Cozinha”, Claudia’s Kitchen.

What is the ultimate comfort food to you?

Comfort food! Either warm, out of the oven chocolate chip cookies dipped in ice cold milk (yes, I’m very precise with my cookies and milk) or spoonfuls of “brigadeiro”. Brigadeiro is a classic Brazilian party sweet, it’s basically condensed milk in a pan, add 3-4 tablespoons of cocoa, 1 tablespoon of butter and one egg yolk, DON’T STOP STIRRING until you can see a clear firm path at the bottom of the pan when you scrape it with a wooden spoon.

You roll that into small balls with heavily buttered hands and cover with chocolate sprinkles. I skip the rolling part and eat right from the pan with mom watching a movie.

Which season (Winter, Summer, Spring, Fall) is your favorite… Why?

Definitely Fall! Right now it’s Fall, where I’m living so its feeling great.

I don’t know, it’s that cool wind against your cheeks and that partially sunny sky with a bit of gray that really makes me feel cozy and happy. Pumpkin and cinnamon in the oven, going to bed wrapped around in a light blanket… Everything!

Other than cooking and/or baking… What hobbies do you enjoy?

I enjoy using Photoshop, making new designs for people, vectors and touch ups. Watching tv, listening to music and playing on the X Box… I’m still a kid, don’t forget. I also like to just sit and do nothing, really.

Who taught you how to cook and/or bake?

Both my Portuguese mom and grandma are excellent cooks, I have been watching them in the kitchen as a toddler and have learned some things from them, but I honestly kind of just started on my own. Learning from myself, experimenting new things and making modifications… All because I wanted to be a big girl and do things all by myself. I don’t really like it when people are watching me cook, I always like to surprise people with the food and just be relaxed and all me in the kitchen..

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Christmas! Oooh I get so excited talking about Christmas food, it’s the best! Those little ginger bread cookies with milk, the stuffed turkey, the Portuguese sweets my mom makes and just being with everyone. I also really enjoy Halloween, the little spooky sweets and feeling of the day is so awesome. Watching scary movies, drinking pumpkin punch. There’s no Halloween here, so I make it my own at home with friends.

You can visit Maia on her blog Freakin' Delicious!