Satisfy My Sweet Tooth

Welcome and thank you for visiting!  My name is Mercedes.  I live in Minneapolis with my wonderful husband and our very curious (that’s a nice way of describing her) cat.

Food is a love of mine that began when I was quite young.  Some of my earliest memories are of standing on a stool in my mother’s kitchen with my Teddy bear apron on helping her cook and bake.  I give credit/blame my mom for my love of all things sweet.  She was always baking something and dessert came after all meals.  To this day I “just have to have a bite of something sweet” after breakfast, lunch and dinner.  My mother is the person that taught me to cook and to appreciate fresh, flavorful foods.  I am still her “taste tester” letting her know when something needs a pinch of this or zest of that.

My grandmother was also a great influence on my passion for food.  My grandma Marge was from the East coast and made the best Italian red sauce.  Her “gravy” would simmer all day and by the time it would be ready to serve I would inevitably be too full to eat a whole meal as a result of tasting the sauce all day on pieces of French bread.  Even though my grandma is gone, I can still smell her sauce and hear her thick Bostonian accent, as she would tell me to “add more gaa-lic to the gravy”.  For dessert for our big Italian feasts grandma Marge would make her traditional Italian prune cookies.   She made them the “old school” way without a bowl or mixer. She just had her well of flour on the counter and mixed all of the ingredients by hand.  I particularly loved helping her with this because I was allowed to get dirty!

I like to challenge myself in the kitchen and spend many hours perusing cooking magazines and cookbooks.  To me mastering a French macaron or my grandma’s fudge feels like a great sense of accomplishment.

 My adoration and passion for food that has been ingrained in me through memorable family traditions has developed into one of my most fulfilling pastimes.  Creating beautiful baked goods and savory meals to me is a way to show love and appreciation to others.

I look forward to sharing recipes, techniques and favorite kitchen equipment and hope you will continue to join me on my quest to Satisfy My Sweet Tooth.