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“Eat like you love yourself.” – Anonymous
Hey there! My name is Kalie and I have a passion for international foods, books, travel, writing, and finding the perfect piece of chocolate cake. All of those, mixed in with friends, family, and all the shenanigans of a twenty-something, manage to keep me pretty busy! I try to incorporate my energy and passion for life into my cooking; any night of the week, you can find me in the kitchen, singing at the top of my lungs and dancing a little, as I experiment and try to make magic from my mother’s stove top. I’ve been told my food tastes as good as my voice sounds…that’s good… right?
Favorite Mr. Food recipe: Barbecued Drumsticks, or our Ultimate Fudgy Brownies. It’s a safe bet that I’m craving barbecued meat or chocolate at all times, day and night.
How often do I cook? My mom and I trade off cooking for our family, so I’m cooking 3-4 nights a week. However, I do cook a lot of breakfasts.
Who am I cooking for? My parents and myself mostly. Occasionally, I’ll have friends visit and request one of my legendary grilled cheese and tomato soup lunches.
How long have I been cooking? I hovered around my mother in the kitchen all the time when I was young. Then on a random day when I was thirteen, I decided I wanted to learn to cook; I kicked my mom out of the kitchen and cooked every night for a month until I knew what I was doing. Then we went back to sharing dinner duty.
My biggest challenge in the kitchen: Understanding that not everyone likes spicy or foreign food the way I do, and adjusting accordingly. I once made Indian food for my family, and my mom had to have her appendix out the next day; she lovingly blames my “excessive” use of chili powder.
What profession best describes me in the kitchen? Storyteller. All the ingredients I use, flavors I try to capture, and meals I create are inspired by books I’ve read, emotions, or some elaborate scenario I’ve imagined in my head. Life is an epic adventure and a story worth telling, my food should be too.
The kitchen appliance I couldn’t live without: My mom’s Amish cutting board. I’m not sure if that’s an “appliance” , but it’s my favorite surface to do prep work on.
My ultimate meal: I’m constantly figuring this out, and it varies day by day…right now I’m going to go with an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet.
The one food I can’t stand: Someone in my childhood used to make these green beans and I was forced to eat them very frequently…in the second grade, I actually wrote a poem about how much I hated them.
The food that instantly takes me back to childhood is: A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, with a bowl of chicken noodle soup. My mom made this whenever I was sick; then I’d put my head in her lap and we’d watch a Disney movie while she played with my hair.
If I were a spice, I would be: Is honey a spice? No? In that case, probably Ginger.
My favorite food that grows from the earth is: Broccoli–so many ways to eat it–raw, steamed, baked, rabe, with balsamic vinegar… I’m getting hungry just thinking about this!
If I could have dinner with anyone in the world, dead or alive, it would be: David Bowie; he and I would have a lot to talk about.
Sweet tooth, or salt-craver? What’s my weakness? Sweet tooth! My father and I both share the same weakness: mom’s chocolate chip cookies. Eaten fresh out of the oven, by the fistful, with a cold glass of milk.
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