Feeding the Saints (A. C. Parker)

New York City
Freelance Writer/Editor/Recipe Developer & Tester

• What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
  "Strange" is just a question of perspective or custom. That said, here are some things I've eaten that others might consider strange: raw sea urchin (uni); magerítsa (Greek Easter soup of lamb innards); strange food combination of pickles with peanut butter (no, I was not pregnant!); boiled fresh peanuts (not strange at all if you're from the Southern U.S.)
• What do you cook when home alone?
  Morning: oatmeal with vanilla and blueberries. Afternoon: soups. Evening: soba noodles with shitake dashi broth. Any time: old-fashioned, labor-intensive Greek pastries.
• Your most treasured kitchen possession:
  No way can I pick just one. It's a toss-up: mortar & pestle given to me by my mom; candy dish that used to belong to my aunt; Le Creuset pots/ramekins (in red); odd-size measuring cups and spoons; my set of spring-form pans . . .
• Your ideal meal:
  My ideal meal is anything made with love and inspiration, eaten with friends and/or family.
• Something you'd like a chance to eat or cook:
  At least one special dish from every country in the world.
• The number of bottles of wine you own:
  If you count my husband's bottles as joint property, then I'd guess about fifty.
• The ideal number of guests for a dinner party is:
  6 to 8
• Kitchen pet peeve:
  Knives left buried, blade-side up, in a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. Actually, just looking at dirty dishes is enough to set me off.
• Your favorite cookbook:
  There are so many! One very special one for me is the cookbook published in the 1950s by the ladies of the Greek Orthodox Church, Saints Constantine and Helen (in Detroit, MI), where my grandmother was honored for 50 years of service.