ALLRECIPES.COM 52 APRIL/MAY 2019ALSO KNOWN AS Paula Roten,
65, Olive Branch, Mississippi
WHERE I GREW UP
Memphis, Tennessee
COOKING SKILL LEVEL I used to
say expert, until I met so many experts
through the Allrecipes Allstar program :-)
WHO I COOK FOR Myself and my
husband, Gary, 67
WHAT I DID BEFORE RETIRING
I taught English and French for nearly
20 years at junior and senior high
schools in Mississippi and Tennessee.
BEST COOKS I KNOW My mother
and my mother-in-law. They are both
in their 90s and no longer cook,
but when they did...my, oh my, it was
delicious comfort food!
MY APPROACH TO COOKING I love
trying new recipes and rarely cook
the same thing twice in a month. My
husband doesn’t get upset if he doesn’t
like a recipe because he knows he won’t
see it again for a long time anyway.
WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES MY
COOKING Ordinary people, like
the home cooks on Allrecipes
and particularly the Allstars. They
have inspired me to try things that
scared me, like cinnamon rolls and
yeasted breads. They have introduced
me to new-to-me foods like quinoa.
They have recommended great
tools like immersion blenders, meat
thermometers, stand mixers, and
high-powered blenders. They have
given me the courage to try new
things in the kitchen and be creative.
FOOD DISCOVERY THAT CHANGED
MY LIFE Okra. I roast it straight
from the freezer as a side dish. I use
it as a thickener. And I put it in
healthy shakes.
IN MY FRIDGE RIGHT NOW
Refrigerator pickles. I made some
with sugar for my husband and some
with a stevia blend for me.
ONE KITCHEN TOOL I CAN’T LIVE
WITHOUT I’d say a small paring knife.
My husband says a step stool because
I can’t reach the top shelves without it.
This is true! I’m 5-foot-2.
FAVORITE THINGS TO COOK
Zippy Egg Casserole (the recipe is on
page 54), fried tilapia fillets with capers,
corn on the cob, and baked beef stew.
OBSESSIONS Family! My husband,
my son and daughter and their spouses,
and my eight grandchildren.My daughter, Candice (below), has six
children and is a nurse at St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital, but we set aside two
mother-daughter days each month—time
just for the two of us.Gary (above, middle) and I have been married 44 years. This is
us in our backyard with our whole family: our son and daughter,
their spouses, and our eight grandchildren.I love to hike
and visit
waterfalls
when we
travel. It’s on
my bucket
list to visit
every national
park in the
United States.
That’s me
(left) at South
Cumberland
State Park in
Tennessee.The last recipe
I searched for:
a brownie
(above) that Ava,
my 11-year-old
granddaughter,
can make with very
little help from me.
Of course I found
it on Allrecipes
(armagazine.com/
best-brownies).Cook to Follow
TRENDING