A Spotlight On Allrecipes Allstar France Cevallos

France is one of the 60 million cooks in our Allrecipes community as well as 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 shared 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.

FUN FACT: France has 182 spices in her spice rack. To keep herself from not buying repeats, she has a genius tip of keeping track of all her seasonings.

France's Stats

Allstar since: 2011

Number of original recipes on our site: 342 (50 are easy side dishes!)

Number of recipes reviewed: 1,327

See France's side dish collection. Minimal ingredients and quick to make!

Q&A with France

Allrecipes: Why did you start using Allrecipes?

France Cevallos: Every time I searched for a recipe, Allrecipes was always one of the first sites to come up in the search results. It was inevitable that it would become my favorite site!

AR: What is your favorite cooking memory?

FC: Thinking back over the years, I always remember helping my mom cook, and more specifically, helping her make spaghetti sauce & meatballs from scratch. The sauce would simmer all day and fill our house with wonderful smells, making our stomachs growl until dinnertime. It has become one of my favorite comfort foods that I still make as a special meal.

AR: What is your favorite go-to recipe?

FC: One of my favorite recipes is The World's Best Lasagna. I was saddened to hear of the recipe creator's passing this year, as he made a positive impression on thousands of families.

AR: Who do you cook for?

FC: I cook for my friends, family, and coworkers. I also volunteer with Lasagna Love, so I cook for families in need when I can!

AR: What is the most helpful cooking tip you have ever received?

AR: How have you changed as a home cook?

FC: I used to always follow recipes to a T and was very self-conscious about my cooking. Now I regularly develop my own recipes for the Allrecipes website and love having people try what I make. I've also recently started to experiment with different craft cocktail recipes and love coming up with new twists on traditional cocktails.

AR: What is the hardest dish you have ever made? Would you make it again?

FC: Baking my first cheesecake was one of the most stressful things I have ever made. I spent what seemed like hours researching tips and tricks before Thanksgiving. I spent the whole time in the kitchen watching the cheesecake through the oven door. As scary as it was, I would definitely make it again because it was delicious.

AR: If you were a certain type of food, what would you be?

FC: Salt because it gets along with almost everything.

France's Recipes

Born and raised in Canada, France is no stranger to common Canadian flavors such as blueberries and maple. Paying homage to her heritage, she incorporates these flavors into her recipes, including the ones you see below. France has also begun developing cocktail recipes—leading her to mix up some tasty drinks that spotlight rich Canadian flavors perfect for the winter season.

France's Maple Mustard meatballs have been shared several times and we are always amazed how a simple dish gets such fanfare. Showing us that we can never underestimate the power of easy and simple recipes!

It takes a special twist on a classic to gain over 1k likes, reach 100k people, and get shared 50% more than similar recipes! France's Blueberry Cream Cheese Wontons did just that - a huge fan favorite over on our Facebook page.

Combining some of her favorite flavors from her homeland, these cocktails might just leave you singing "O Canada"

• Finnish Long Drink
• Tamarind Maple Whiskey Sour
• Maple Leaf Cocktail
• Smoky Irish Wolfhound

COCKTAIL ADD-IN: Give your cocktails and mocktails a boost with France's Blueberry-Lavender Simple Syrup. This simple yet sweet syrup is a unique way to spruce up even the most ordinary drink.

New Year, New Kitchen

Every year, France tidies up her kitchen to set herself up for creating appetizing meals. Try her five simple steps to get your kitchen clean and organized in no time.

• Take inventory: Clean out your fridge, and pantry by getting rid of expired items.
• Tackle the Tupperware: Your food storage containers can amount to major kitchen clutter.
• Clear the countertops: Get unnecessary appliances stored and deep clean those countertops.
• Make a shopping list: Restock your fridge and pantry with healthy items.
• Spice things up: Make a habit of trying 1-2 new recipes per week to keep meals interesting.

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