An Interview with Monique

Monique, the awesome diva at Food Snob, has agreed to return the interviewing favor, and her answers to some of the food world's most pressing questions (since when isn't comfort food a matter of national security, folks?) are pretty awesome. Interview below, and don't forget to check out her blog.

1. You blog about food, but what other hobbies or interests do you participate in that are blog-worthy?
Thats a good one. Well, from time to time I blog about personal mishaps that, as my friends say, "only happen to me" so I sometimes add that into my daily foodie adventures for comedic effects- but a long time ago I considered writing a blog about the many misadventures of my life but I never got around to it. I guess I am more captivated by food. I also would probably blog about learning how to tap. Its an extremly BiPolar experience. One minute you are loving tap and the next you are cursing it. As of right now, I love it.

2. Does your job/career facilitate the range of topics or content of your food blog?
Not at all. Although at work people know I love the kitchen. When I first started working as a secretary in my office, I would bring in baked goods like Amish Bread or Pumpkin Bread and I guess I won them over with food. I work in the Legal field. There is no food associated with this whatsoever...unless you count all the things that officemates bring in to tempt me with!

3. What chefs do you admire?
I am hooked on the food network! A good day, in my opinion, is spent on a Sunday watchign all the wonderful shows. I like chefs that use ingredients that are easily accessible because some of them use things that are too deep for my pockets or too annoying to find. Bobby Flay is a favorite of mine along with Paula Deane (Minus all the butter) and in the non-chef category I love rachael Ray, Sandra Lee, and Robin Miller.

4. Is there a particular dish you have made your own?
Fritatta, Hands down one of the most effortless things yet most delicious things one can make that is versatile and always a crowd pleaser! I have at least 10 different fritattas on my blog!

5. Let's say you were a chef stuck on a deserted island, and you could only bring ten ingredients to sustain an island's worth of eaters. Which ingredients would you choose?
Eggs, Cheese, pasta, garlic, broccoli, chicken, beef, Zucchini, onions, milk.
The possibilities here are endless. I got like three seperate recipes right now!

6. Do you have a comfort food?
Oh yeah! Mac and Cheese! I used to go to Saritas Mac and Cheese in NYC almost every other day. then I moved out of mom and dads house and started to pay rent. One my of favorite mac and cheese recipes comes from a restaurant in Brooklyn. Its called DuMac and Cheese (DuMont) I ordered it one day and commented on how good it was to the waitress and I think she misjudged my food knowledged when she accidentally told me there was a bechamel sauce in the dish. So I went home and made my own version with Gruyere and parmesean, bechamel sauce, panchetta, and bread crumbs! YUM!






And here, just for your amusement, is a photo of Johnny Cash lol-style.