A Spotlight On Allrecipes Allstar: Maura Rawlette

Maura is one of the 60 million cooks in our Allrecipes community and an Allrecipes Allstar.

What is an Allstar? Food bloggers, registered dietitians, and more home cooks (just like you!) make up our enthusiastic squad of 100+ brand ambassadors. This crew of food lovers has submitted thousands of recipes, photos, and reviews over the years, plus share their cooking expertise all over our website and social channels. In short, they make all of our cooking adventures more successful. Interested in becoming an Allrecipes Allstar? Learn more, and sign up here.

Q&A with Chef Mo

Allrecipes: Tell us about yourself! 

Maura Rawlette: I am a small-town girl from Virginia. I was born and raised in the same county I live in today. I love the kitchen unless it means cleaning up all my food messes. If I am not in the kitchen, you can find me outside in a kayak, scrapbooking, or reading.

AR: What is a fun fact about yourself?

MR: I used to be an undercover liquor customer in Virginia. I would arrive and ask for alcohol and wait to see if they asked to see my ID.

AR: Tell us why you love cooking:

MR: The most gratifying part is hearing someone say, "This tastes great! How did you make it?"

AR: What kitchen tool can you not live without?

MR: My food processor. I've started loving making homemade pizzas. Being able to shred cheese myself is excellent for all those cheeses no one thinks they want to eat.

 AR: How did you come to love cooking?

MR: I never grew up with a cook I admired. I started watching Food Network, and from there, my love for cooking has just continued to grow.

AR: What are your favorite things to cook?

MR: Sweet potato fries and Thai food.

AR: What is your favorite easy weeknight dish?

MR: My Spicy Canned Salmon Salad Rice Bowl. A quick meal that doesn't skimp on flavor!

Recipes for the Holidays

Christmas cookie decorating is a family affair in Maura's house, with her great uncle's spritz cookie recipe and her late grandma's cookie cutters. This recipe is just the taste of Christmas nostalgia everyone craves. "My niece and great-niece make cookies together at Christmastime. We love making them with some of my late grandma's cookie cutters and some new ones we've added. We somehow end up with a lot of trout-shaped cookies, great memories, and lots of laughs, too!" Maura says.

Maura's go-to potluck dishes have you covered for any gathering. Her Golden Rum Cake is always a crowd-pleaser. She explains that she didn't create the recipe, but if she ever brings a different recipe to gatherings of friends and family, they all ask why she didn't bring THE rum cake. Before turning out the cake, Maura suggests poking holes in it with the back of a wooden spoon and pouring in the glaze. Then, let the cake soak in all that glaze for several hours before turning it out.

Maura's Spicy Thai Basil Chicken gets a lot of raves, too. This simple recipe creates the feeling you went out for dinner at your local Thai place but only takes 30 minutes at home. It's spicy, tangy, and warm, the perfect cozy dish that will wow the crowds!

Learn more about Chef Mo and what she's cooking in her kitchen!