Connie & Hansel One of the secrets to our successful relationship is taking the time to cook together. Both of us share the same passion for cooking and love to work in the kitchen together, despite our different styles (Hansel neat & tidy--Connie a little disorderly). Together we've made some fine dishes, shared some great meals, and plan to one day have our own restaurant in Costa Rica. Five years ago when we met, we were both living in Cleveland, Ohio, and working in restaurants. Over a year ago we sold almost all our belongings except our kitchen stuff, a few books, and some clothes and drove across the USA for Phoenix, Arizona. Since then, we've let the desert climate and gorgeous landscape influence our lives as well as our cooking.
Welcome to Crazy In the Kitchen.
Connie
I am all about vegetarian cooking, yoga, art, and nature. During the day I work as an Art Teacher in a K-8 school. But at night, in the privacy of our home, I host a cooking show called Crazy In the Kitchen. Though there are no cameras, celebrity guests, and my only audience consists of our dog Nyla, cat Theo, and my beloved boyfriend Hansel, it still doesn't mean that Crazy in the Kitchen isn't entertaining, informative, and full of delicious recipes! I feel very blessed to have an awesome boyfriend that supports my goofiness, and to live in a place where the sun always shines. I have my own blog: Dirty Footprints and look forward to collaboriting with Hansel on this one. I hope to meet others who are not afraid to be crazy in the kitchen, as well as in life.
Hansel
I was born and raised in the most beautiful country in the world: Costa Rica. Seven years ago I decided to follow a dream and moved to the USA. After living for a few years in the snowbelt of Cleveland, Ohio this surfer boy decided it was time for a change. In 2006, I and my dear girlfriend, Connie, moved to Phoenix, Arizona and it has been a great adventure ever since. I love hiking, camping, mountain biking, searching for music on the internet and most especially cooking. Food has always been a part of my life, from a little boy growing up in Costa Rica I helped my family on their farm and in their restaurant. In the states I've had the opportunity to work as a server, cook, and manager of restaurants and now I work in an organic health food store that I love. My speciality is working with fresh and organic food transforming traditional Costa Rican cuisine into something modern and interesting. Some of my signature dishes are: Fried Plantains with special sweet tomato sauce, Gallo Pinto, Tamales, and Roasted Costa Rican Potatoes. I plan to add a little latin flavor to this blog and to make sure Connie doesn't get too crazy in Crazy In the Kitchen. Pura vida!
Nyla
I'm Nyla, and here I am pictured with my all time favorite toy and past time: my jingle bell. When I'm not chewing on my jingle bell, taking a nap with my jingle bell, or running around with my jingle bell in my mouth, I love to hike with my Mom and Dad, bully my brother Theo, and chase jack rabbits and chipmunks. Arizona has a lot of big mountains to climb, but I miss the snow from my hometown Cleveland. All in all, being a dog is fun.
Theo
My name is Theo and I am a very particular cat and have spent alot of time perfecting my style. Many are jealous, like the dog that shares my living space. I enjoy sitting by the window and watching the world go by, or indulging in a few daily naps. I prefer mushy food over that dried cereal that sits in my bowl all day. I don't talk about it much, but I have an addiction, and it is called ice cream. It affects many felines across the country, and I hope to use Crazy In the Kitchen as a platform to speak out about the struggles cats all over the world deal with when it comes to dairy products.
