Meet Meseidy

 
Don’t adjust your sets, folks. Last week was Noshings, and this week, The Noshery. No relation, except for a shared love for a good … nosh.

Remember that Posole recipe we mentioned in our recent Slow Cooker theme post? And the Banana Chocolate Chip Espresso Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting from the Peanut Butter theme post the following week? (Hint: both are pictured above.) Well, it’s time we all met the woman behind those delectable dishes. Everyone, say hello to The Noshery.

The Noshery is Meseidy (pronounced Má-say-dee). Her names comes to her by way of the early 1970s movie “When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth,” which her father had seen in Puerto Rico, dubbed in Spanish. He liked the name of a cavewoman in the film (Meseiby), changed the “b” to a “d” and reserved it for his darling firstborn.

Her father joined the Air Force shortly after getting married, and moved from Puerto Rico to Maine, where Meseidy was born on a small base close to the Canadian border. Being in a military family, she’s lived in several places for no longer than 5 years at a time, from as far north as Maine, as far east as Guam, as far south as Florida and Puerto Rico, and as mid-west as Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she currently resides.

She says that because of her tall stature, fair skin, green eyes and complete lack of an accent, most people don’t believe that she’s 100% Puerto Rican. If you ask me, I think there’s a sure-fire way of convincing them without a word. Just hit them with a taste of any one of your incredible Puerto Rican dishes, and you’ll make believers out of them.

Clockwise from top left: Limber de Coco (Coconut Cream Popsicle), Pastelon (Puerto Rican Lasagna), Bacalaitos (Salted Cod Fritters), Slow-Cooked Puerto Rican Pulled Pork (Pernil), and Sancocho (Puerto Rican Beef Stew).

 
 
 
In Meseidy’s photo above, you see her with her husband Obed. They were married in 2008, and she credits him with saving her from a profession that she no longer enjoyed. The Christmas before they were married, he gave her a DSLR as a gift. She quickly combined her long-standing interest in photography and love for cooking, and launched her food blog, The Noshery, in the summer of 2008.

She enjoys the creativity that can come from cooking and watching people enjoy what she cooks. And if you think her Recipe Box holds mostly Puerto Rican dishes, think again. She’s got everything, from appetizers and sandwiches:

Clockwise from top left: Shrimp Cakes, Cuban Sandwich, Southwest Chicken Eggrolls with Avocado Creme Dip, and Brie Stuffed Meatballs and Red Wine Mushroom Sauce Hoagie.

 
 
 
To breakfast and dessert:

Clockwise from top left: Birthday Carrot Cake, Mantecaditos con Guayaba (Shortbread Almond Cookies with Guava), Bacon, Egg and Cheese Toastcups, Pan de Mallorca (Mallorca Bread), and Sweet Potato Biscuits.

 
 
 
And many other dishes from around the world.

Clockwise from top left: Ropa Vieja with Arepas, Crispy Indian Spiced Yogurt Chicken, Almost Carbonara, Herb de Provence Chicken, Pineapple Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers, and a vegetarian Roasted Butternut Squash, Pears and Onions with Blue Cheese.

 
 
So let’s get to the part of the post where we ask Meseidy some questions, and get to know more about the wonderful gal behind all these incredible dishes!

 
 
Q: What are your favorite ingredients or food pairings?
A: My favorite ingredient is Sofrito, which is a staple in Puerto Rican food. It is a puree of onions, peppers, garlic, cilantro, culantro and few other things. It is really handy to have to add some flavor to any food, not just Puerto Rican dishes.

 
Q: Any favorite chefs or food celebrities? Who inspires you?
A: I love Alton Brown because he teaches you about the basics and fundamentals of cooking. Who inspires me? It’s more like what inspires me. I have the cookbook “Cocina Criolla” (Puerto Rican Cookery, English Version) by Carmen Valldejuli that my grandmother gave to my mother, and that was given to me.

 
Q: Do you have a most memorable kitchen flop?
A: When I was 21, I hosted my first Thanksgiving away from home for friends who were also away from home. I wanted to make Arroz con Gandules (pigeon peas and rice) and mistook hot Jamaican peppers for ajies dulce (small sweet peppers) which my grandmother use to grow in her garden when I was little. I was chopping these peppers, which I didn’t know at the time were hot Jamaican peppers, and brushed hair off my face. A few seconds later, the left side of my face was on FIRE! I spent the next half hour with cold cream on my face, right up until my guests arrived. Needless to say, the rice was a little spicy.

 
Q: Other than hot Jamaican peppers (sorry, couldn’t resist), what ingredient gives you the most trouble?
A: Whipping cream. At first I get a good peak, and then it becomes runny.

 
Q: Give us one of your favorite kitchen tips that you wish you’d always known.
A: That rubbing your hands against metal with soap gets rid of strong smells on your hands, like onion, garlic and fish smells. I now have a metal soap-shaped bar that I always use. You can also use a large spoon.

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Thank you for answering our questions, Meseidy!

Check out The Noshery’s Recipe Box here at Tasty Kitchen for more of her incredible dishes. She’s got almost 50 recipes in there as of this writing, and in one of those pages, you just might find what’s for dinner tonight! You can also visit her blog The Noshery to learn more about this “Puerto Rican, military brat, newlywed, parent of 4 dogs named Jake, Girly, Buster and Honey, and mother of a camera named Roxy.”