I’m Kate. I am in my 40s a grown up and I’m a life-long Chicagoan. I have a husband, a teenage daughter, and two dogs who add an extra level of difficulty to cooking by their commitment to letting no food hit the floor. Even if they have to pre-emptively remove it from the countertop.
Like most people, I am not paid to spend my days in the kitchen; I have a full-time job doing something completely unrelated. Not only am I completely self-taught but I grew up entirely without any kind of “home cooking” in the way most people think of it. I come from a long line of working women who all greeted the advent of convenience foods like airlifted medical supplies. So I really started from ground zero with my self-instruction. It wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I realized that a homemade cake didn’t mean a box of cake mix and a can of frosting. Which is all to say: I came a long way.
My general philosophy about cooking is, despite my personal history, almost everything is better if you make it from scratch. Certainly not always possible but I do try to make as much myself as I can. Making food yourself allows you to control the ingredients, adjust for you and your family and friends’ tastes, is cheaper, and safer. And I think for many of us processed and prepared foods are so habitual we’ve forgotten, or never really known, how easy some things are to make from scratch. So while I’m not slavishly committed to the manifesto that nothing processed will ever enter my home, I try to get as close as possible and not beat myself (or anybody else) up when I fall short.
When I’m not cooking (and even sometimes when I am) I like to read. I like to ride my bike and occasionally I’m part of a triathlon team called Bike, Bath and Beyond. I’m also an excruciating neophyte pianist. After the dishes are done you can find me sitting in my backyard in my hammock or on the couch in front of the fire.
I often remind myself, as Carly Simon so perfectly put it, that “these are the good old days.”
I’d love to hear your questions, or your experiences cooking one of the recipes I’ve talked about, or any comments about how youthful and thin I am. Send them to Kate at KateCookstheBooks dot com.
Hi Kate,
This is GREAT… I read a couple of your recipes and reviews of books and they are so candid and wonderful…Thanks so much for including me on your email list… I can’t wait to continue to discover great recipes…
Thanks Jacqueline!
Your blog is great, Kate!
I look forward to trying some of the recipes. I also look forward to running to buy baking books you love and being spared buying cookbooks that don’t test-drive well for you. Thank you for sharing!
Anita
What a great blog with especially good writing. Even your “about” section made me laugh out loud.
I have never had – nor do I ever remember seeing – a Frango Mint, despite spending all my growing-up summers with my cousins in Galesburg, IL, (I’m from NYC) and going to The Katherine Gibbs School in the late sixties with a granddaughter of Marshall Field. I guess she didn’t carry any around with her. Since we had to wear hats and gloves and two-inch heels, we probably weren’t allowed to be seen eating candy in public.
Did you click on the Wikipedia entry on Frangos? They still make them and sell them in the Macy’s in Chicago and, I think, some of them still say Marshall Field’s on the box. They are not unlike Fannie Mae Mint Melt-a-Ways, if you’ve ever had those. Next time you’re here check them out!
Thanks for reading!
Kate,
Hi. You may not remember, but W\we met several years ago at the CI Chicago get-together. I’ve been following your cookbook comments on the CI website with admiration for years, and just stumbled across your wonderful website. Congrats on a great job! I love your writing and your recipe selections. Having just purchased the new New York Times cookbook as well, this is great fun!
Hi Patti! Thanks so much for your nice comments. This has been so much fun.
Hi Kate-
Just stumbled across your blog by mistake! The theme behind your website immediately peaked my interest…I love when people do the work for me by taking some of the guess work out of cooking! That is why I too love anything by Cooks Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen. I actually found your site when searching for a CI recipe. Looking forward to adding your site to my list of cooking references!
Kate,
Just found your blog and am sooo excited! I love cookbooks and cooking (and eating yummy food) but have always wished for a friend to sit down next to me as I leaf thru a new cookbook and tell me which are the really fabulous dishes in the book worth making. So I am thrilled to have found you! So far I’ve just looked thru your reviews of Perfect One Dish Dinners, as I have the cookbook and am deciding which recipes to cook. Some of your reviews clearly state that the dish is sooo delicious. But with other reviews, I am not so sure. For instance, your review of the lasagna. You mention the cream cheese and then state “it works”. The recipe works, but is it really delicious? Is it worth making? Is it the best lasagna you’ve ever eaten? Were you blown away? Is it the “perfect” lasagna? Will it be the lasagna recipe you turn to again and again for many years to come? Is it a dish most suited to your family? or will you be making it for your next dinner party? Maybe a rating scale would be good so that readers could quickly know where the dish stands on taste. The same with the review of the tamale pie meal. Lots of good info. on the logistics of cooking the meal (which is great) and how your husband did with it and would other husbands be able to make the meal (love it), but I couldn’t find in the text if you and your husband actually loved the taste of the meal… no specifics there. Thanks so much for sharing. I will be returning to your blog over and over (and over) again!
Stacy
Hi Stacy,
Thanks so much for reading and for your helpful comments. I guess I am reluctant to be critical and always try to find something nice to say about a dish. I think you can probably read between the lines and surmise that if I say “it works” it is probably not the best lasagne I’ve ever eaten. But your point is well taken: I could be more direct.
Thanks again for reading and taking the time to comment.
It did cross my mind after sending off the note that if you aren’t raving about something… there in lies the answer! That makes sense. I am loving your blog and finding all kinds of recipes I can’t wait to try. I am excited to see that you are trying things from Jeni’s Spendid Ice Creams and can’t wait to hear about it. It’s a book I’ve been eyeing up! Thanks.
Hi Kate,
If possible, I’d love for you to e-mail me the recipe of your delicious Mocha Frosted Chocolate cupcakes that were demonstrated last Sat. Oct. 1 @the VAPL. They were to die for & I would love to have the recipe if you could e-mail it to me (at either or both of the above e-mail addresses) I would truly appreciate it & be forever grateful & perhaps a little heavier…. Thanks again!!!! Sincerely, Teri Dobrow
I don’t quite remember how I found your blog, but I love it. I collect cookbooks, and own several hundred (so far), but can’t resist more. It’s wonderful to read your reviews, and see which recipes you have chosen to make, how they turned out, and see your pics (as against the “styled” pics from a book). I’m working my way through all your posts, when I should be doing something else — it feels indulgent to read this blog.
I have a suggestion for a cookbook review. I love the Donna Hay cookbooks (and the magazine), and would suggest her “New Food Fast”. I’ve been using it for a couple of years and love it. The recipes are definitely different from most of the “quick cook” books you find — probably because Ms. Hay is Australian and writes for that audience– and there is a definite Asian influence. But all the ingredients are are easily found here, or easily substituted for. The book is organized by the time it takes to make the dish (all are main courses, with a few sweets at the end of each chapter) — 10 min, 20 min, 30 min. I wouldn’t recommend the book for a new cook — some things are assumed, like seasoning to taste with S&P, and some techniques are just referred to, but if anyone who has cooked a little should be fine with the book. Many of the recipes would be easily adapted for vegetarians. In fact, if you’re a confident cook, these recipes lend themselves to a lot of adaptation, especially in using what’s on hand. What do I love and cook often: In 10 min, Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Dill Sauce (with a spinach salad); “Egg Rolls” — thin omelets made with sesame oil, filled with smoked salmon, tuna or chicken, arugula and served with sweet soy; White Bean and Tuna Salad. In 20 min, Lemon and Parsley Fried Fish over pea pods; Grilled Eggplant with Basil Salsa Verde; and Warmed Olive and Garlic Pasta. In 30 Min, Chicken Baked on Sweet Potato Rosti; Corn Cakes with Prosciutto Salad; and Chicken Poached in Ginger Broth. Okay, I’ve gotten carried away, but I really love this book and think it should have a wider audience.
Thanks for the blog!
Jane
Kate,
Love your site and your writing. I found it when I was making the Cook’s Country Chicken Adobo tonight. Actually, I found you after the dish was nearly done. It probably would have saved a disappointing dinner if I had found your review before. So note to self: check with Kate about any new Cook’s Country or CI recipe. Also, I have not thoroughly searched your website, but do you do much with gluten-free/dairy-free cooking? As a Franco-phile of 15 years, I have just found I have to do without both and it has been trying.
Thanks for doing this blog,
Julia