Okay guys

I'm moving! This blog! To somewhere else!

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If you so please, come visit me there. I'll be posting much more regularly...

Guest Post: DECORATING THE HOUSE, PART II (Electric Boogaloo)

Avid readers of the blog will remember this post about decorating your house for a beach themed party. Kate threw me a SURPRISE WITCH THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY and decorated thusly:

 

Things you will need: black streamers, christmas lights, glow sticks, temporary tattoos, glitter temporary tattoos, scented temporary tattoos, candles, pentagrams, animal sacrifices, a healthy dose of sacrilege. GLITTER GLITTER GLITTER GLITTER GLITTER

Mix well and serve.

There is glitter in my bed.

CORN and Friends, plus Roasted Potatoes Recipe

(and potatoes and kimchi rice)
This blog is quickly getting very corn themed. I love corn. It's also always on sale at the Fresh Grocer. I also love my friends, especially friends who come to visit from other places! I also love lemon water, it sounds very simple but is really very important.
This one is a two parter:

Summer Fried Rice - Make it yourself!

I've been on a big corn kick recently (corn salad recipe coming soon!), and I also have a bag of rice I'm trying to use up. Earlier this week, Tuesday night actually, I made some rice in hopes of then making fried rice with the left-over aforementioned corn salad. BUT even though I wasn't too lazy to make rice, I was then too lazy to make anything else out of it so it's been sitting in my fridge all week. Mix this with my love for using up everything in my fridge (code for, not having any food) and enter: SUMMER FRIED RICE.

Ingredients:
This is variable based on what you have around but I will say that this turned out absolutely delicious, so maybe trust me on this one.

 olive oil
some rice you already cooked, or some rice you cook and then let cool off - about a cup and a half
about 1/4 cup onion, roughly choped
1/2 cup canned pineapple, diced
1/2 of a jalapeno, de seeded and cut into rings
1 clove of garlic, chopped
lime juice
2 cobs of corn, pre cooked, the kernels cut off (ends up being around a cup)
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
pickled ginger, cut up
KIMCHI (because it makes everything taste a little bit weird, but in an awesome way)


Step 1: Heat olive oil in big frying pan (or a wok if you have one/are fancy) add the onion and cook for a few minutes, then add the garlic and jalapenos. Stir those babies around for about 4 minutes then add the kimchi and pickled ginger.

Step 2: Add a the corn and anything else veggie wise you want to throw in there (peas could be good).
Step 3: Add another tbs of oil and put in the rice, fry it on high heat for about three minutes then turn the heat down to medium and add the pineapple and lime juice. Stir until the rice is heated through.

One of my secrets is that I rarely enjoy the food I make. I think it is something about having to stare at it for so long while you're making it. BUT THIS IS DELICIOUS. I'm eating some right now.

This is called "COOKING"

aka it's too hot (already) just kidding I love the heat but Kate doesn't
Look at her...so sad.
I made her bandana though, and cut up those carrot stickss

Breakfast of Champions

Cold brewing some coffee in preparation for tomorrow's 87 degree forecast. Hellllooooo gorgeous.
See that baggie of donuts defrosting? LICK IT UP BABY

Pretend you don't see those carrots, I have a non vegetable eating persona to keep up.
p.s. how not to defrost a donut:

Gorl's Night Out (Donuts Part 1)

Nothing better than some iced coffee with (imaginary) coffee cubes and a doughnut sampler plate to get you in the mood to go out and lie to some boys about your name!
side note: doughnut or donut?

Curried Chicken Salad with Pesto/Sriracha

Hey guys. How to take this:

 Frozen chicken (allegedly), red nailpolish (sexxxy) and a cookbook (ew books)
and turn it into this:

 

TRUST FALL:

All American Grrl

Hot dogs! Are the shit! I used to be ashamed, now I'm not. Up next: PRETZEL DOGSS...

 p.s. check out my sweet grill pan, it's like a bbq but you're at home, by yourself

Sad Mom Food: Stuffed Shells

This is something I made a while ago. Some of these are still in the fridge. While I was eating this food I realized that I had stumbled across the way food tastes in all your sad childhood memories: store brand pasta sauce and overcooked baked pasta. Take that grandma, I figured out your secret recipes!
This recipe comes on the back of the shell box. You're welcome:

Cream Cheese Brownies

Mark Bittman lured me in with the promise "the richest, densest, most luxurious brownies I know - sort of like very heavy chocolate cheesecake." Well... I guess. I'm not going to type out this recipe exactly as given because it was sort of ridiculous, three separate bowls etc etc etc BUT I will give you an approximation, in case you want a pile of your own. What came out sort of looked like throw-up, took on the form of a pile and tasted pretty good (only while warm - Kate sez: "If you  had the dedication to eat the whole thing right after it came out of the oven, that would probably be the best way to do it"). Not a failure, not quite a "success", but definitely chocolate.

Welcome To My Neurotic Home

This morning on cooking with Katherine I will show you what I cooked this morning.

Good morning world! I'm sterilizing a pickle jar!
 I usually have a little coffee left over, and waste not/want not so why not save it for later in the fridge? RIGHT? Also, iced coffee = my raison d'etre. So I did a really good job of washing this pickle jar out and yesterday morning I put some coffee in it. This morning I made some coffee, wanted a little more (because why the hell not, I'm only going to be young once so I may as well be over caffinated). Well the coffee smelled like pickles because as my lovely roommate Kate put it:

I was really shocked because, as you know if you have ever left coffee in a container for more than five minutes, coffee smell gets all up in everything. Also, how could the smell of pickles permeate so thoroughly a GLASS JAR? Idk guys.
Thus: Sterilization.

It didn't work. Now all I have is a pot of boiling water that smells like pickles, and a glass jar that smells like pickles and some nasty coffee I had to throw out because it smells like pickles.
Since I went to all the trouble to cook this jar, I'm going to save it for the kimchi I'm planning to make soon. Welcome to my glass jar collection.

Hey is that a chicken gyro in your (pita) pocket or are you just happy to see me?

This meal comes to you courtesy of the subscription my mother gave me to "Real Simple" magazine for Christmas this year. I think she is simultaneously trying to A. be nice, B. encourage my neurotic tendencies and, C. keep me from having a normal social life.
So, a meal in two parts:
Part 1: Making your own tzatziki sauce (also known as "Our Mush, Ourselves).
Part 2: Making gyro style chicken.
You'll need: Tzatziki ingredients (listed below), chicken, spices, some oil, an onion, pita and feta!

Follow the leis!

Guest Post: How to decorate the house!

Eff-you Martha Stewart, this is how you decorate the house for a bitchin' theme party.
Kate will be our guide through the wonderful world of LEIS:

Warm Weather Comfort Food

In the midst of finals currently, which is only partially to blame for my lack of posting (the other 79% is my debilitating laziness). Kate and I took advantage of the beyond beautiful weather and took a little stroll down to Whole Foods which is always very inspiring in the food department and depressing in the wallet department (and annoying in the other people shopping there department: side note, last time we were there we found out the salsa aisle is also the baby food aisle and this woman was filling an ENTIRE SHOPPING cart with baby food).
So, a dinner made up of my favorite warm weather and all weather foods:
Corn on the cob
Bread
Olive oil with stuff in it
Mozz
Olives

xoxo Gossip Girl...

Just some things

Pretend summer cocktails

Enthusiastic response to my cooking

That time I burned myself rly badly.

Make it yourself - NACHOS, gossip gorl

One word. Nachos.
As Peggy Hill would say, this is real, authentic MEHICAN food.

Get ready....here we go!

I'm Sick

I'm sick. I can't talk. I got some free benadryl from student health but that just means I take three hour naps at 1:00pm/go to bed at 7:00pm and wake up choking on my own saliva. YUM! This is a meal I made myself. There are two parts:

Part 1: a toaster strudel, they're on sale at the Fro Gro this week if you are in the philadelphia area, 2 boxes for $4.00...

Part 2: Part 2: Part 2: I came home from school and thought I was going to pass out on the subway, I opened the fridge and in some delirium I bought a huge pack of flour tortillas and there they were. So this is what they do! This is what you do: STOVE TOAST THE TORTILLAS. Stove toast is the best way to achieve diner toast results in the comfort of your own home/in the absence of New Jersey.
1. Frying pan on the stove
2: Buttered bread (tortilla) in the pan, on both sides. Let the butter get really melty and soak in.
I swear to jesus if you stove toast some shitty grocery store flour tortillas and roll jam up in them IT'S JUST LIKE A CREPE I PROMISE.

Happy Spring! Peppermint Bark

I got the stuff to make this over winter break. So three months ago. But it's really easy which is why I didn't make it until last night, you should make some too.Inspiration for this comes from my bff Laura who makes this around the holidays and then would let me eat it all xoxo

Risotto!

I've had a couple of really disappointing rice cooking experiences recently. For some reason, I decided it would be a good idea to try an even more temperamental grain: Risotto (technically arborio rice). Kate and I made some Vegetable Risotto and it came out great! Full disclosure, this requires a decent amount of stirring and need to be watched full time (like a baby), but if you have someone to help and keep you company it's a delicious dish that makes for great leftovers!

French Toast Stix

I'd like to dedicate this post to Justine and the french toast she made (with lots of audience participation, conscious or not) last night. It was delicious and this morning I wanted to make french toast but I thought it would be sexier and more work to make french toast sticks. It's the same, you just cut the bread. Also I'd like to introduce you to a very important part of my life, my bathrobe. I couldn't have wintered with out you. I'd also like to thank my parents, and god and most importantly the academy.

DRAMA

Sick Day! Cookies!

"If there was a movie version of your blog, I would be a major minor character"
Yes Kate, you would be. Here is that movie:

And here are the cookies:

And here is the box they came out of, courtesy of SPrinG Br3ak 2o11 at my Grandma's House...brought this sucker all the way through airport security:

Look it has a side ponytail...just like me!

Follow up - award winning mini coconut lime whatever whatevers

Thanks "PAUL"

Cooking With Katherine: St Patrick's Day Edition

Make it yourself: Quiche

How to cook like my mom's mom - Grandma's Quiche Recipe.
This is really, really easy. It's also a great way to use up bits and pieces you have in your fridge. You can also make two and freeze one. My favorite!

Kate Cooks!

If you're a long time reader and a first time caller, you may have noticed by often appearing guest star and life partner, Kate. She's great. Really.
These are some things she has made:

Audience Participation: What Would You DO?

Every week John Quinones asks the hard questions on "Primetime: What Would You Do?" Well get ready for a tough one, because I'm playing hardball. YOU'RE IN THE HOT SEAT: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

I'm not really sure.

Are you there God? It's Lemon Bars

This are pretty easy! And they're tasty.
Recipe courtesy of my dear old friend Mark Bittman (it's okay buddy, I know the divorce has been really hard on you. Hang in there)

And now, for your reading pleasure, a recipe for lemon squares, with notes from yours truly.

QUICKIE: Making school "fun"

"Ever been bored in class? Ever wanted to impress people with your talents? Put some glitter on your school supplies and all this and more can be within easy reach."
-Quote taken from "Living Your Dreams: A Book by Nancy Reagan"

SUPPLIES (surprise!)
Notebook, glue/mat medium/mayonaise, glitter (duh)

Recipe: Baked Pasta with Sausage and Peppers, courtesy of Ma Dukes

This is the best. It makes a ton of food, great leftovers, doesn't take a lot of time and turkey sausage!

Seven out of Ten Dentists Agree

That reading this blog will send you to hell.

Sweet dreams are made of this

This would be a nice replacement for my 'imaginary mixer'

I'd settle for this though:

I'm trying to make some Key-Lime Pie topped with meringue.... (key lime pie will be happening soon, however)

"Award Winning" Coconut Lime Mini Custards

HOW TO: Crush Graham Crackers like a champion. (Hint... use a can. Also good for quesadillas, rolling pin)

 

I don't really have a recipe since I cooked them up in a time crush/fit of genius/insanity for an "Iron Chef Potluck' birthday party. Secret ingredient: Coconuts. Such a good idea for a party, Pro Tip: good way to get people to bring you food. I'm going to try to track down a photo of the finished product for the future. 

COMING SOON

Oh really Snooki? I'm going to find out for myself...
p.s. pickle flavored chips? real life?

Cooking With Friends: "What if everything we made was deep dish?"

 Dear Friends,
Cooking with friends.
Sincerely,
Katherine.

Sean wanted some deep dish pizza so we made some. I also saw a recipe for Oreos wrapped in chocolate chip cookies, so obviously those needed to be made also. Probably should have been separate occasions, but a little food coma never hurt anyone... and by that I mean I almost died this night.
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, courtesy of America's Test Kitchen (one of my fave shows)
Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, courtesy of this blog (you are an evil genius, whoever you are)

Onward and upward with the arts!

Home made "hoagies"!

I'm from New Jersey so every time I start to say 'hoagie' I die a little inside, and want to say sub. But at some point during the last year and a half in Philly hoagie has slipped into my speech like an little wriggling worm. I've also started referring to Pennsylvania as PA, but I will never say jawn. EVER.
SO want to get a great tasting sub at home? I know I did! There are some foods that I find myself wanting to eat only to realize that they really need a vehicle of some sort... i.e. Buffalo sauce, banana peppers, pickles, salami... only three of those are on this sandwich. Instead of paying someone to make you a sandwich MAKE IT YOURSELF!