Every once in a while, we like to get a little up and close personal with our bloggers. We've already met Bob Sassone, Ellen Slattery, Shayna Glick, Sarah J. Gim and Alanna Kaufman. Now let's meet the latest addition to our team, Julie Tilsner. -- Marisa McClellan

Do you have a personal blog?
Who doesn't these days? Mine is Badhomecooking.

What is your day job, or rather, what do you do when you're not food blogging?
I mostly write for Parenting and American Baby magazines, but I edit a variety of AOL-owned blogs, as well. I also have a few book projects going. And the obligatory screenplay (I do live in L.A. you know). Really, I'd rather write about food these days.

How long have you been blogging with Slashfood and what is your favorite post?
I've been here one week! So no favorite post yet, but I've been a huge fan of Slashfood's Sarah Gim for way longer than that. She's so sassy! I link to her Delicious Life from my blog. We need to meet for drinks or something. I promise not to disparage her dates.

Do you have any non-food-related, non-blogging hobbies?
Blogging cuts deeply into my flamenco dancing, flea marketing and kid-chasing time...

Not every foodie does, so we have to ask: Do you cook?
Sigh. Refer back to question #1.



What is your most prized utensil/gadget in the kitchen?
My Bauer bowls. I found them at a flea market just out of college, and I've used them regularly ever since. I guess my chef's knife is handy, too. Oh, and I just got my first sifter! That should help.

List three things in your refrigerator right now:
A big tangy block o' feta cheese in Tupperware, a remaining slice of Membrillo, half a jar of olives...

You have to impress a date with a home-cooked meal. what are you going to make:
So you put a gun to my head and tell me I have no choice but to cook for a date? Well it's his digestive system. I'd probably go for my Californian paella, which looks impressive and tastes pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. I've managed to make it a few times over, but I do tend to choke under pressure. To be safe I'd probably buy takeout and lie.

What is the last thing you ate?
Several slabs of above-mentioned feta and the remaining rice cakes. I didn't use utensils. The Europeans find me barbaric.

Confession time: What do you eat that will get you kicked off Slashfood?
Didn't the rice-cakes bother you? OK. How about Cheerios for dinner? I also have some cookie dough rounds in the freezer that I'm hiding from my kids.

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
That would probably be M'juderah, the Lebanese rice and lentil dish. Everything you need to live...plus carmelized onions.

Your Mom makes the best....
resume coach? My mom didn't cook. Nobody needs to know about the creamed tuna on toast or TV dinners of my childhood. But dang, if my mom were born in my generation, she'd be a corporate raider. And she'd have her own cook.

Which chef would you most like to have come into your kitchen and cook you dinner?
Alice waters.

Who would you most like to eat dinner with?
Oooh! That's easy. Ruth Reichl! I gobble her books and I love her style. I met her once briefly when I was an intern at the LA Times a hundred years ago. I looked up and there she was standing over my computer, all this curly black hair, laughing with the copy guys next to me. At the time she was the restaurant critic, but I was a callow 22-year-old, with no interest in food at all. I smiled at her and went about my business. To this day I regret not getting to know her.

Your drink of choice?
Daytime: coffee or iced tea. Nightime: Two-Buck-Chuck. If you want to buy me more expensive wine, I'll drink that, too.

Where was your best restaurant dining experience?
I just had the most sublime roasted red pepper tempura in my entire life yesterday at a hole-in-the-wall noodle place in Gardena...my best restaurant experiences are all moments, stacked on top of each other.

The worst?
Any time I pay too much for mediocre food, like the entire time I lived in Manhattan, with rare exception.

Do you want fries with that?
Well....just one maybe.

What foods to you think should be banished from existence?
Kraft Lunchables, American Cheese, low-fat Oreos...wait, none of those items are actually food, are they?

What do you see as the biggest "thing" in food for the coming year?
You're asking me?