I love cooking and I love writing. I started a food blog a few years ago, but I quickly lost interest after I took a new job where I was on the computer all day long. I didn’t want to come home and have to write a blog everyday. Not only that, but taking photos of food is hard. Especially when you work an eight hour day and come home to darkness. Oh, and you’re tired.
I have a B.A. in journalism but too late into my degree, I realized that I didn’t have the drive to be a journalist. I just hate the news. So I really had no idea what to do with my life when I finished college. When I found this new job that had me on the computer all day, I stumbled into something really interesting: social media. I mean, how do you have a job where you are on Facebook all day? But I did. And it was pretty awesome. I quickly realized that’s what I wanted to do.
For the last three years, I have switched companies several times to focus on social media marketing and to allow myself to learn and grow.
On August 26, 2015 (our three year wedding anniversary), I found out I was pregnant. We weren’t really “trying” persay, but we were planning for a baby… Just maybe a few months down the road. It was still quite a shock to realize the life we had was coming to an end and now we were going to be parents! What?!
The day before Thanksgiving, my contract was terminated with my current employer. I was fired.
This was pretty devastating to say the least. I’ve never been fired from any job ever and to be honest, I HATE failing. Not only that, but I was three months pregnant and it was right before the holidays. I had no clue what I was going to do. Did I try to look for a new job or just try and hold out until after the baby is born? I had been able to work from home, so I hadn’t even thought about any kind of childcare after the baby was born. I was lost.
But then something happened: my husband. He didn’t stress out. He didn’t get upset. He didn’t blame me. He was worried, sure, but he assured me everything was going to be okay.
And then he did something even better…
He encouraged me to do what I really wanted: this. This blog. He spent so many nights after work helping me do all the computery, internety, techy things that would have taken me months to learn.
I have a purpose again. A reason to write and cook and research. A reason to be excited. And I am so excited! I want to share my recipes, food experiments, and new adventure with you!
So stick around, come back often and let’s see where this adventure takes us!
Health(ier) Spinach Artichoke Dip
Today I bring you a healthier spinach artichoke dip that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating!
You know how everyone has that one signature dish? Okay, maybe some people I have more. But this is mine. I am requested to bring this to every family gathering.
The first time I had this spinach artichoke dip, I fell in love. I was at a party, put a small amount on my plate,and went to sit down. Then I tasted this dip. I’m pretty sure I stayed by the bowl of dip for the rest of the night and told everyone else that they should avoid the dip… And continued to devour it all by myself.
I’m not a huge spinach or artichoke fan, but together, in this dip? Perfection.
However, I often felt terrible about eating so much of this dip. The original recipe was filled with sour cream and mayo, which, while delicious, not good for you. So I tweaked a few of the ingredients and added yogurt as a replacement. You can’t even tell the difference and you won’t feel so bad about eating a gallon of it. 🙂
This dip is best served hot. So if it’s for an appetizer, you can easily heat it in the microwave and serve or if you are having a party, you can use one of those little dipper crock pots to keep it hot.
I like it best served with bread, however, I usually choose the easier route and serve it with chips. Those little multi grain scoops are my favorite.
Health(ier) Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients:
1 c thawed, chopped frozen spinach (I will usually do more, so if you like spinach, add extra)
1 can artichokes
8 oz cream cheese
½ c plain Greek yogurt
⅓ c grated Parmesan
½ tsp red pepper flakes (Do NOT skip this!)
¼ tsp garlic powder
Directions:
Easy Pickled Jalapenos
Currently I am about 6 months pregnant (26 weeks to be exact). I’ve had a really great pregnancy so far and have enjoyed being pregnant for the most part. Who doesn’t want to eat delicious foods all the time?!
Last week, I wanted guacamole. And by wanted, I mean, I NEEDED. There was one issue: I didn’t have any pickled jalapenos in the house! The guacamole I usually make includes a few chopped rings of pickled jalapeno and it really adds a ton of flavor that I NEEDED.
We were already headed out to Trader Joe’s to grab a coupe things, so I figured I would just pick up some pickled jalapenos there.
Then tragedy struck: Trader Joe’s (or at least my location) doesn’t carry them! What?! Oh, how you disappointed me, TJ’s.
So I thought to myself that there has to be an easy way to make them, right? I’ve made pickles before, how hard could it be? Turns out, not hard at all! I grabbed a bunch of jalapenos and gathered a few different recipes.
And it is SO easy! But here’s the thing, pickled things all need time to marry. Sad face. My guacamole didn’t come out quite as good as normal (but I still ate just about all of it… whoops) and now I have this delightful jar just brewing in my fridge for future use!
I’m not a huge spicy fan. I like jalapenos IN other foods, but straight up? No, thank you. So I did keep making my husband try them. The first few days they were still too crunchy and HOT. Even for my husband who has a very high tolerance for spicy foods. After about 7 days, they had become softer and really tasty! I would definitely recommend letting these sit for 7 to 10 days before they are ready.
The longer they sit, the better they get!
Pickled Jalapenos
Ingredients:
¾ c water
¾ c white vinegar
3 tbl white sugar
1 tbl minced garlic
½ tsp oregano
8-10 jalapeno peppers, slice into rings
Mason jar (for this recipe, I used 8 jalapenos and one small mason jar)
Directions:
How I Got Here: The Story of KaliKat Corner
I love cooking and I love writing. I started a food blog a few years ago, but I quickly lost interest after I took a new job where I was on the computer all day long. I didn’t want to come home and have to write a blog everyday. Not only that, but taking photos of food is hard. Especially when you work an eight hour day and come home to darkness. Oh, and you’re tired.
I have a B.A. in journalism but too late into my degree, I realized that I didn’t have the drive to be a journalist. I just hate the news. So I really had no idea what to do with my life when I finished college. When I found this new job that had me on the computer all day, I stumbled into something really interesting: social media. I mean, how do you have a job where you are on Facebook all day? But I did. And it was pretty awesome. I quickly realized that’s what I wanted to do.
For the last three years, I have switched companies several times to focus on social media marketing and to allow myself to learn and grow.
On August 26, 2015 (our three year wedding anniversary), I found out I was pregnant. We weren’t really “trying” persay, but we were planning for a baby… Just maybe a few months down the road. It was still quite a shock to realize the life we had was coming to an end and now we were going to be parents! What?!
The day before Thanksgiving, my contract was terminated with my current employer. I was fired.
This was pretty devastating to say the least. I’ve never been fired from any job ever and to be honest, I HATE failing. Not only that, but I was three months pregnant and it was right before the holidays. I had no clue what I was going to do. Did I try to look for a new job or just try and hold out until after the baby is born? I had been able to work from home, so I hadn’t even thought about any kind of childcare after the baby was born. I was lost.
But then something happened: my husband. He didn’t stress out. He didn’t get upset. He didn’t blame me. He was worried, sure, but he assured me everything was going to be okay.
And then he did something even better…
He encouraged me to do what I really wanted: this. This blog. He spent so many nights after work helping me do all the computery, internety, techy things that would have taken me months to learn.
I have a purpose again. A reason to write and cook and research. A reason to be excited. And I am so excited! I want to share my recipes, food experiments, and new adventure with you!
So stick around, come back often and let’s see where this adventure takes us!
Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Mash
Hi there!
When I was growing up, my food level was very plain Jane. We didn’t eat a lot of “weird” foods or spices. It was a lot of meat, potatoes, pastas… So when I started dating my husband, his family really opened my eyes to all these amazing foods that I was missing out on! One of those things were sweet potatoes. Can you believe that as a kid I never had sweet potatoes?! I know, it sounds like crazy talk. But it’s the truth. No sweet potatoes. I had never even had sweet potato casserole. I mean, that is seriously nuts. So one of the things I really like to rotate into our meals is sweet potatoes because I mean, hello, you can eat vegetables that taste like candy. Um, yes, please.
One of my favorite recipes is this quick and easy sweet potato mash. It is one of those recipes that you can quickly memorize and one that it is really customizable for specific tastes, meal pairings or group size. And did I mention how easy it is? Seriously, you can make this in about 20 minutes and the leftovers are just as good!
Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Mash
(This recipe yields about 4 servings. I usually estimate 1/2 a sweet potato per person)
Ingredients:
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed (I usually do about bite size. The smaller the pieces, the faster they will soften)
2 tablespoons of milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
Optional:
Cinnamon – to taste.
Other – I have also added nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice to change it up.
Directions:
Wacky Cake
Today’s recipe comes from my mom’s recipe book. This recipe has been in my family forever. I really hope it’s not a “secret family recipe” because I’m about to tell all of you!
This is sort of like a mix between a brownie and a cake. It’s not too sweet, there’s no frosting, but it is so light and moist. It’s super easy, can be made all in one pan if you wish, and will get devoured! This cake is so easy that I have been making it since I was a child.
This is a great recipe because it can be made ahead. If you are making ahead, make sure you sprinkle the powdered sugar just before serving. Otherwise it gets soaked into the cake, which is delicious, but doesn’t look quite as pretty!
Ingredients:
3 c flour
2 c sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla
2 tspn vinegar
3 oz oil (I have used both vegetable oil and olive oil)
2 c cold water
Powdered sugar
Directions:
Parmesan Baked Potato Wedges
Since I’ve been pregnant, I love carbs! Bagels, bread, pasta, and potatoes! I seriously can’t get enough!
I saw this recipe and NEEDED to make these! And they were AH-MAZING. Seriously. So good. We almost ate them all before I could take a photo!
They go perfect with ranch for dipping. My husband also liked them with ketchup and BBQ sauce. He really loves sauces. 🙂
Ingredients:
3 Russet Potatoes
4 tbsp olive oil
½ c. grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp garlic
2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Trees ‘n Cheese
Today I am bringing you a recipe from my mom’s cookbook. Growing up, my mom cooked everything in the microwave. We had this giant microwave that you could literally fit a whole turkey inside… It took up so much space on the counter and sounded like an airplane taking off in our kitchen. My mom claimed it lived to be a ripe age of 25 years old.
This particular recipe can be made in the oven or microwave, but to be honest, I’ve never had it or made it in the oven.
I usually try to stay away from foods that have a lot of preservatives or foods that aren’t “real,” but when you have a recipe like this, sometimes you just have to. Someday I might try and make it more healthy, but for now, when I’m remembering my mom and her Thanksgiving’s, this is the dish.
This was her signature dish. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Trees ‘n Cheese
Ingredients:
Directions:
Option 1:
Option 2: (Easier and my mom’s preferred way)
Vegetarian Homemade Mexican Pizza
My husband and I used to love Taco Bell. In a very seriously gross way. Lots of memories from our early relationship involve Taco Bell. I’m pretty sure there was an entire summer that I ate it everyday… No joke.
Then we grew up and realized how unhealthy fast food is for us, so we stopped eating it.
But every once and a while, that craving hits and you gotta have it! Luckily I discovered a recipe for homemade Mexican Pizza! It is delicious and may even be better than the original!
4 flour tortillas – soft taco size
olive oil
1 (15 ounce) can refried beans
enchilada sauce
cheese, shredded
1 tomato, diced
green onions, choppedoptional:
taco sauce
jalapenos
Directions
Black Bean and Corn (Loaded) Baked Potatoes
This is one of the first meals I started making when were transitioning to being vegetarian. It’s so easy, delicious, and filling! It makes great leftovers too!
Ingredients:
(This made enough for 2 people with extra “insides” left over)
2 medium Russet potatoes (could use sweet potatoes)
olive oil
salt
1 onion
garlic powder (I forgot to measure! Just shake until it feels right!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 can rinsed black beans
1 cup frozen corn
To top: (optional)
Salsa
Jalapenos
Sour cream/yogurt
Shredded cheese
Cilantro
Directions:
1. Poke potatoes with fork, rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake at 450 degrees for about an hour. Keep poking with a fork to see if they are soft enough.
2. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat, add onions and cook until clear. About 3-4 minutes.
3. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, beans and corn. Cook until heated through.
4. When potatoes are ready, cut down the center, but not through the potato. Push ends of potato towards the middle to open the potato up, fluff inside with a fork.
5. Add bean/corn mixture to potato and load it up!
Guacamole
I was under the impression that I hated guacamole… I’m not that big of a fan of avocados. However, when I tried this recipe that one of my good friends made, I fell in love!
I have tweaked it a bit and you should too!