About the Author

Food has always been a part of my life. From making peanut butter balls with Mom at age 4 to throwing parties as an adult, food takes center stage for me.

~::~

My culinary heritage is influenced by my parents' North-Atlantic childhood, my Greek- Hungarian ancestry, and my living in the South and the West. An East Coaster for the first half of life, Northern California is my home now and where I intend to stay.

I am blessed with a family of women who cook well and with joy, but my deep interest in culinary arts began in college. First, I needed to feed myself. With childhood behind me, my body and eating habits changed- I gained an excess of weight. This led me to a deeper understanding of what I like, don't like, and the effect it has on the body. Through experiments, body crisis and everything else in life, my wonderful husband Ray (aka NH) is by my side.

We met in college, got married in July 2007 and have created a wonderful nest in the middle of the Peninsula. We love to share tasting menus together and indulge in the occasional extravagant meal. NH's appreciation for food is increasing; he's always been an "eat to live" guy, but now more "live to eat." We often marvel at what we used to think of as great food.

Then there is Padma, who occasionally makes an appearance on the blog. Our cat doesn't have much to do with our food, but she is such a hoot that I can't resist posting her on occasion.
Her name? It's half & half: Padme Amidala of Star Wars and Padma Lakshmi from Top Chef.

~::~

Today I eat meat maybe 2-3 times a year and enjoy fish and shellfish when I can. My virtues are a great love for fruits and vegetables.

My vices? To name a few: Mom's apple pie, a calzone with dough from scratch, succulent sushi rolls, and purchased frozen yogurt from a shop near my house. I'm a great believer in moderation and being smart about what you eat. Treats may get more face time on this blog, but that doesn't mean that life is filled with them. These are special moments.

If I plan to indulge, I will eat with caution in the meals before or after.

Second to my love of food is exercise; I really enjoy working out and spend the first hour of every day doing so. I'm devoted to The Firm and have been doing them in my home for years. I want it all! Muscle, a trim and healthy physique, and to eat what I want! I'm 5'2 1/2" and 105 pounds, and I never feel deprived. I get as much satisfaction from making delicious things for my loved ones as I do eating them myself.

A third love? I've never taken a photography class and now I truly wish I have. Taking pictures for this blog is a joy and I've learned so much already.
Here's the first picture I posted on Suite Apple Pie~

and Today

The first camera used on this blog was a Canon PowerShot SD500 7.1 MP Digital Elph. Since December 2008, I've been the proud owner of a Nikon D60 Digital SLR.

I love writing this blog and connecting to you with your comments, please keep coming back!
~Sarah

~:::~