In the Kitchen with Katie

Whenever we have company over, I try to make an effort to cook something different and a little more special than I would normally cook.  A few weeks ago, the weather was cool and rainy, and lasagne was really calling to me.  There was a recipe that my brother-in-law made for us once that was […]

I hope that you all enjoyed a great holiday weekend – both Valentine’s Day, and also I know that some of you got a holiday on Monday for President’s Day.  We got really lucky with weather over the weekend, and basically sat in the 80’s everyday (sorry East Coast).  It was great to have such […]

The hubs and I are both big fans of the America’s Test Kitchen cooking show on PBS.  We are fascinated by how methodical and particular they are about everything – you almost get the feeling that there is no possibility that cooking a recipe from the show could go wrong.  They definitely try to foolproof […]

Inspired by my recent travels through Italy and David Lebovitz’s Mirabelle Jam, I decided to whip up a batch of homemade plum jam.  When the Mr. and I went apple picking a few weeks ago, we stumbled upon an Italian Plum tree, Susine plums to be exact (a variety that is grown in Montepulciano).  The […]

One of my favorite Fall flavors is applesauce, I just love how it makes the whole house smell warm and inviting.  Over the years I have tried several different recipes, but they have always had tons of sugar in them.  So I decided to try and make my own recipe.  With a bit of research, […]

The weather on Sunday was a bit overcast and cool, so the Mr. and I were both craving something a little heartier in flavor.  Lidia Bastianich’s Pasta with Sausage Tomato Sauce immediately came to mind.  You slowly simmer this sauce down to just about nothing, giving you the most rich and delicious sausage ragù that […]

On Friday I decided that I wanted to whip up something sweet for after dinner.  I looked through the pantry and it wasn’t as well stocked as I was hoping.   I opened up the fridge, and there they were…4 beautiful apples.  I knew exactly what I would bake. About a year ago, I stumbled across […]

A few years ago, my brother-in-law mentioned to me that he had started making homemade bread.  My thoughts we’re something like, “what!?!?!  homemade bread!?!?  how do you have time for that?  that sounds so complicated!”  He assured me that it was none of the above, and would only take a few minutes of my day.  […]

We are so lucky here in Southern California to have farmers markets everyday of the week, offering what is fresh and seasonal from local farms.  I think that that was one of the things that I was most excited about when we moved here (aside from the fact that it is pretty much 70° and […]

Each year for the Mr.’s birthday, I try to pick a different theme for what I will cook for him, and this year the theme was Spain.  I had so much fun picking out all of the different recipes, and we had even more fun eating them. For brunch, it was a smashing Tortilla Española, […]