Posts from May 2011

The recent publication of "100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know: Engagement Chicken and 99 Other Fabulous Dishes to Get Everything You Want in Life" means the famous roast chicken is in the news again.

Before you pour a tablespoon or so of your fancy bottle of E.V.O.O (extra virgin olive oil) into a skillet, stop and read this post. The word on which oils to consume and cook with, has, in my opinion, become the equivalent of modern day folklore over the past decade.

The Santa Monica farmers' market has been the scene of a lot of excitement over the past few weeks. I waved to my yoga teacher across the crowds, spotted Giada de Laurentiis filming, and most importantly, found that strawberries have flooded the market! My friend Jamie and I conducted a taste test and can assure you that Harry's Berries are by far the sweetest strawberry at the market - seek these out if you are in the Los Angeles area, thank me later.

As you walk through New Delhi, you're struck by the pungent smells wafting from the food stands lining the streets that serve up everything from pani puri (fried dough filled with spicy tamarind water and potatoes) to aloo tikki (pan fried potato cakes).

When I was little, I was a fussy eater. I sat at the dinner table for hours after everyone else had finished, tightly pursed lips refusing my mother's every attempt to shove dahl chawal (lentils + rice) into my skinny [less skinny now] self.

Picture this: 30 MBAs, crammed into a classroom, one by one jumping out of their seats, throwing their hands up in the air and screaming "I failed!" at the top of their lungs. Yes, one of the most entertaining moments of my and Mili's illustrious MBA career.

Ever had "Delhi Belly?" Or a bad stomach virus? Food poisoning? Or just a sore throat and cold/flu? We all turn to certain foods and home remedies when we're sick, and virtually all of mine come from childhood memories of what my mom fed me when I was sick.

My friend Krista and I have been cooking together since the fourth grade. We subjected treated our parents to many a feast in which we tried to tackle things like ile flottante and 50 layer cake.

There was a lot to celebrate this weekend: my niece's first birthday, my nephew's 19th birthday and my other niece's college graduation! With all of my family (minus one sister) heading to my alma mater, Duke, I was reminded of a family vacation we took in 2003.

After shelling the bag of English peas purchased at the farmer's market I was surprised to fill a large bowl with sugary plump orbs. My last sack of peas had resulted in a pile of pods (think Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and scant peas.

To this day, I haven't figured out if a cucumber is a vegetable or a fruit. And Wikipedia confirms that I am not alone in my confusion, "Having an enclosed seed and developing from a flower, botanically speaking, cucumbers are classified as fruits.

Mili and I have interviewed many a twenty and thirty-something aspiring cooks, and when we ask "where do you get inspiration" most will say: my mom. Moms certainly have decades of kitchen wisdom, but they also provide us ties to the flavors of our childhood.

I returned home at 9pm last night after a weekend in Philly visiting my soon-to-be one year old niece, and I was pretty hungry, despite the two pieces of lasagna that my sister forced me to eat four hours earlier.

Editor's note: In honor of mother's day, today we have a fabulous guest post from Katie's mom Jane. We are hoping she will continue to share her wisdom in future blog appearances. While I spent two weeks of total immersion at the San Francisco Film Festival, in dark theaters eating sandwiches and grocery store sushi between double and triple features, the seasons turned.

I went for a run yesterday; I know: shocking. As I get older and more out of shape, I find that each time I run, a different part of my body screams. Yesterday, it was my shins. I've realized that to get back to a place where running doesn't hurt, I need to isolate these issues and address them.

If I were to be reborn as a celebrity chef, I think I'd be more Ina Garten than Rachael Ray. I adore that Ina ambles about her kitchen, dreams up treats for Jeffrey and is always whipping out her kitchen aid mixer.

It's a tradition that I think we picked up from the British, and probably the only one that makes me look fondly upon those years of imperialistic rule: chai time (or tea time).  Every morning and every evening of my 27 (soon 28!) years of life, my parents have had a cup of chai.