Mother of two, business owner, cancer survivor and now TODAY's Home Chef winner Kara Anderson says that she fell in love with cooking at a young age. Learn more about her, and get her fabulous winning recipe for crab-stuffed mushrooms, which took in an overwhelming 84 percent of the vote.
Are you up for the challenge? Enter your recipe here. And vote for next week's winner; three readers with simple but scrumptious snacks face off for top honors.
Name: Kara Anderson
Age: Just over 40
Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla.
How does it feel to win the Home Chef Challenge?
'Yippee!' is how I feel and the other recipes that were listed are something I will be making very soon since they sounded delish as well!!!
How long have you been cooking?
I have been cooking since I was young with my grandmother. I am sure everyone has a nanny that was an awesome cook and mine made it to the Pillsbury bake-off twice. She made the best homemade fried chicken and I used to stay and watch her just to get the crust first. I blew up my first cake and fell in love with getting it right the next time so I did not have to clean the oven again, which also allowed to me love clean spaces. I absolutely am thrilled to show people that cooking does not have to be complicated and it can be so much fun to do and teach with kids. After that I fell in love with creating and making recipes.
Share your favorite cooking tip
My favorite cooking tip would be mise en place...everything has a place and keeping it there makes cooking and cleaning a breeze. I also would love to share with your readers that you don't have to sling tons or pots and pans to make a great meal.
What would be your ideal last meal?
Nothing fancy...Plain Jane for this girl. How about comfort food? Crab-stuffed mushrooms or sausage stuffed, since my kids claim they are allergic to anything in the ocean, my best meatloaf, red smashed potatoes and green beans with roasted garlic. To finish how about some white chocolate brownies.