Chef Wolfgang Puck describes cooking like painting or writing a song. He says just as there are only so many notes or colors in painting or music, there are only so many flavors in cooking, and it’s how you combine them that sets you apart.
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| Angela Paris grew up in the Lakes Region of Maine and has been sharing recipes on her lifestyle blog jugglingactmama.com for the past 10 years. She is the new recipe columnist for The Windham Eagle newspaper. COURTESY PHOTO |
Paris grew up in the Lakes Region of Maine and after graduation from Bonny Eagle High School, she attended Eckerd College in Florida, which she says was drastically different in both culture and weather.
“After college, I moved back to New England. I have always loved being able to drive short distances to the ocean or the mountains,” Paris said. “We still have family in Maine, and we visit regularly.”
According to Paris, who now lives in New Hampshire, it was through her family that she learned to cook.
“My mom is an amazing cook, as was my grandmother. I learned so many things from them that I really hope my children embrace too,” she said. “And I love food, partially because food is the language of family. It's shared memories and a way for us to hold onto traditions and even loved ones who have passed. My mom has my great-grandmother's bread bowl, and everyone knows you can't make her oatmeal bread without that bowl.”
She said learning to cook came naturally to her.
“Cooking for people is part of my love language; I think I get that from both my mom and grandmother. I love being able to make something for people I care about – soup for a sick friend, muffins for the teachers' room, or just a cozy meal for my family,” Paris said. “I love putting smiles on people's faces because of something I was able to create. It's so much fun to transform boring ingredients into something that nourishes your body.”
Her own favorite dish is macaroni and cheese.
“I'm a mac and cheese fanatic. My mom makes the world's best mac and cheese, hands down,” she said. “But I make a pretty good mac now, too. I think I have nine different versions on my website.”
Something she dislikes about cooking is cleaning up afterward.
“I really dislike doing dishes, especially silverware,” Paris said. “In my house, whoever cooks doesn't have to do the dishes.”
Paris said she wants to share her recipes with readers for one simple reason.
“I love making good food and sharing it with people,” she said. “Creating yummy but easy recipes is my passion. The truth is that it's really hard to make a meal that everyone loves. My tip is to make at least one thing that everyone will eat. That doesn't mean being a short-order cook. There are always leftovers in our fridge that I can warm up as an alternative meal. And I'm lucky that our daughter loves salad. On nights when I make something like mac and cheese that she doesn't care for, she has a big salad. It's all about balance.”
Her biggest struggle, though, is with her oldest child, who is on the spectrum and struggles with ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder).
“He has a very low appetite and an extremely limited diet. It's one of the reasons I began cooking, especially baking, so much when he was young,” Paris said. “For breakfast, he would only eat pumpkin muffins I made, so I found ways to sneak extra nutrition into them. Working with his pediatrician, we found ways to keep him at a healthy weight and manage his anxiety around food.”
Her own cooking blog, jugglingactmama.com, a lifestyle blog that provides quick and easy recipes for busy people, has evolved over the years.
“In the very beginning, more than 13 years ago, I shared mostly family recipes including lots of sweets and things that I cooked all the time,” she said. “I still do that, but I also love helping busy families with easy recipes, so I look at really great meals, and I try to find ways to make them faster, easier, and less expensive.” <
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