Today I’d like to introduce you to Alta. Alta has such a wonderful outlook on life. She makes great food and takes amazing photos of it that you could just eat off the computer screen. Make sure you visit her blog.
Name : Alta Mantsch
Business and or blog name: Tasty Eats At Home
URL: https://tastyeatsathome.wordpress.com
Location: Dallas, Texas (well, Wylie, to be specific)
Favorite quote: Don’t really have one, although right now I’m listening to an audible (for iphone) version of Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain, and I would love to use quotes from just about any part of that book! It’s awesome.
Focus of blog or business: Gluten and dairy-free food, recipes, living
Social Media I play in: Facebook and Twitter (to a lesser degree)
I started my blog in the month and year: July 2008
Professional organizations I belong to: food-related: Foodbuzz. non-food related: Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists and the Dallas Area Compliance Association.
Training/education I received: none food-related, but I have a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration, and I am a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist
My favorite healthy food: Just one? Can’t decide! I love greens – collards, kale, spinach, chard…yum!
My favorite snack food: Again I’m indecisive. My go-to easy snack is usually some form of nut – almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios
My top 3 healthiest foods I love to eat or recommend: greens, coconut, avocado
Childhood ambition: to become a writer, and to sing professionally
My favorite cookbook: Apparently I’m indecisive a lot. It changes all the time. My latest is Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef by Shauna and Danny Ahern, and I frequently turn to The Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam. But I also love Tom Colicchio’s Think Like A Chef, anything by Gordon Ramsay, I love Fergus Henderson’s Nose To Tail At Home, Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking, I’m all about Julia Child and James Beard, Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, and I think the Culinary Institute of America textbooks are a great read for anyone who wants basic cooking skills on hand. And the list goes on…
Wildest dream: To land a book deal, or two, or three, that are lucrative enough for me to stop this thing called my “real job”.
Favorite activity: Umm, cook? 🙂
Favorite thing to cook: Braises – I love braising lamb, duck, beef short ribs. The whole process takes a while, isn’t rushed, and it just fills the house with a delicious, enticing aroma. And then, when you serve it, it’s love on a plate – melty, tender, umami-bombed meat that is falling off of the bone. I also love to bake cookies, cakes, brownies, just about anything. Baked goods bring a smile to anyone who receives them.
Favorite kitchen tool: cast iron skillet
Biggest risk I’ve taken: In the kitchen? Making croquembouche was the most difficult – although maybe not the most risky. More often, my risks come from “throwing stuff together and see what happens” activities. I’ve failed miserably sometimes with those activities – like trying to bake leftover almond pulp (from making almond milk) into something edible to trying to substitute for eggs in not-so-simple baked goods. Sometimes, though, my improvisation rewards me – I’ve subbed teff flour many times in baked goods and have been delighted, for example.
Favorite exercise: playing soccer
What I you do to treat myself: bake (I think I have an addiction), or allow myself to shop at Central Market (one of the most amazing groceries around here)
What I do to feel at peace: sit outside on my back patio and just gaze into the yard and enjoy the weather
Biggest challenge: balancing work life, home life, and blog life
Favorite vacation spot: I love to explore new places all the time. However, I loved when we visited Fredericksburg, Texas. We stayed in a little cottage built in the 20s on about 300 acres of farmland. Quiet and restorative.
Health concerns I’ve cleared up: Heartburn, fatigue, tingling of hands and feet, high cholesterol levels, low vitamin B12 levels
Books I’ve written: none
I started my blog to: gather and share recipes with family and friends
What I hope the people that visit my blog find: help and inspiration on what to eat on a gluten-free or dairy-free diet, and delicious recipes they can make at home, regardless of food intolerances
Top 3 results people get from visiting my blog: gluten-free and dairy-free recipes for everything from chili to cookies, family-friendly recipes and recipes kids can cook, and tips on gluten-free foods and living
Products and/or services I offer: none
What I love about what I do: I get to cook (and eat), and I get to creatively write and share with other people who are as passionate about food as I am
How am I making a difference in my community: I am showing people that gluten-free doesn’t mean taste free – it’s not a “death sentence”. There are many delicious things you CAN eat.
My greatest success so far: as far as cooking/blogging: Being published in the Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook. Greatest success in overall life? Having a wonderful, loving, supporting family and watching my kids grow and enjoy cooking and expanding their tastes and experiences about food and the world.
In the future I see myself: The future is unwritten, so I don’t want to nail it down too much. I see myself continuing to blog (or modifying the blog into whatever new medium is most desired) and cook, and experience new ways to enjoy and share healthy, delicious foods!
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