Home Cooking with Teri Hedrick

Home Cooking is a regular feature on The Front Burner that offers a peek at how home cooks around the Fredericksburg area work in their kitchens. If you’d like to answer our questionnaire, download it here and return your responses to ebattle@freelancestar.com with a digital photo of yourself, or pass it along to anyone you think would like to participate.

Name: Teri Hedrick

Tell us who you are and why you cook.

I live in Idlewild within the city limits of Fredericksburg and I love to cook, bake and entertain in my home. I cook because I want to and enjoy it.

Describe your cooking style in three words.

creative, presentation and skilled

How did you learn to cook?

My mom taught me how to cook when I was young and I have mastered the skill as an adult.

Favorite cookbook?

The Food Network would be my favorite online source; Pampered Chef cookbooks

What is one dish on your menu this week that you’re excited about?

Bourbon marinated tri-tip steak with a wild mushroom and parmesan risotto was dinner on Thursday night.

What is one thing that must be in your pantry at all times?

chicken stock

What one kitchen gadget could you not live without?

baking stone

It’s 6 p.m., the people in your household are hungry and you just walked in from work and need to get something satisfying on the table as soon as possible. What’s your favorite thing to whip up in this situation?

Normally I will have something thawed for dinner, but if I don’t it’s usually something like fettuccine Alfredo or leftover spaghetti sauce and pasta.

It’s a snowy Sunday, you’ve just done the grocery shopping and have the rest of the day to spend in the kitchen cooking a meal that will bring comfort. What’s for dinner?

Chicken and dumplings, with the dumplings homemade and laid to dry on the counter.

What is your favorite dish to make for pot-luck dinners?

Mushroom pockets or cilantro lime meatballs.

Do you have a favorite food source in the Fredericksburg region?

Yes, love Snead’s asparagus farm and always make a weekly visit to the Farmer’s Market downtown on Saturdays for fresh vegetables and herbs.