tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142454362026-03-31T17:27:33.794-05:00"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." ~ Virginia WoolfKELLYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06855543273804405134noreply@blogger.comBlogger572125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-17049898237406845052018-03-20T18:23:00.006-05:002018-03-20T18:24:20.847-05:00

After ten years, I'm officially retiring this blog. It's time to move on and write a new life chapter. Thanks for reading, everyone. Cheers, Kelly

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-13489892728050469042017-08-08T10:47:00.001-05:002017-08-08T10:47:22.944-05:00

One of my favorite memories of my Grandma Green, my dad's mother, is watching her cook. She fried chicken in Crisco in an electric skillet...she rolled steamed cabbage leaves around meatballs and stewed them in tomato sauce..she mixed cooked macaroni noodles with shredded cheddar cheese, milk, & lots of black pepper...she baked the best bread. I can still picture her hands--tanned, thin skin

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-77978939334238438912017-07-22T10:19:00.001-05:002017-07-22T10:19:51.875-05:00

You can gauge my mood by paying attention to what I'm reading and eating. Happy, fun memoirs or serious classic novels and smoothies for lunch? I'm hunky-dory! Plath poems or self-help books and lots of buttered noodles? I'm sinking into depression. Depressive moods also mean that I re-read books that make me think about life...like Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things. I particularly love

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-31968250177519036622017-07-17T09:57:00.000-05:002017-07-17T09:57:07.660-05:00

I have food nostalgia. I often crave foods from my childhood...freshly-picked green beans cooked to death with ham and potatoes; icebox dessert made with layers of graham crackers, chocolate pudding, and whipped cream; canned potatoes fried in butter; bologna sandwiches with American cheese and yellow mustard; kielbasa and sauerkraut; macaroni with hamburger and tomato sauce aka goulash;

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-23054406211243998172017-06-14T12:23:00.000-05:002017-06-14T12:27:46.121-05:00

I spend the past week on Manasota Key in Florida. My Aunt Nancy lives there, and for the past four summers I've gone to visit...to chill out by spending time on the beach and eating fresh seafood.  The best dinners out this time were a lobster roll (a crispy bun with lots of lobster meat in a light mayonnaise dressing) from Lock 'N Key restaurant and

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-78818821811821548852017-04-22T14:36:00.000-05:002017-04-22T14:37:11.874-05:00

Last month, I mentioned that Nick's daughter Jordan will be carrying on my teaching legacy at Kitchen Conservatory. As of now, she has two pie classes on the summer schedule with a third one (featuring boozy pies and cocktails!) being planned for June 30. A year ago last fall, Jordan and I made an apple pie together from scratch in her college apartment. Since then, she has exceeded my

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-66763161547822386072017-03-19T19:48:00.002-05:002017-03-19T19:48:20.079-05:00

Pumpkin in March? That's right. But tomorrow is the first day of spring; winter is over. I said, THAT'S RIGHT. Poor punkin gets a bad rap due to the "pumpkin spice" mania each fall. But true pumpkin sans spice is really delicious and won't remind you of a jar candle. Its flesh tastes similar to a sweet potato and can should be eaten all year long. Even in March. Plus, it's good for

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-38825389535372961062017-03-05T20:47:00.002-06:002017-03-05T20:47:46.480-06:00

In my last post, I mentioned that I retired from teaching cooking classes at the end of December. As I'm cleaning up my computer files, I'm finding lots of pictures from the past 8 or so years of classes...of my fun students, of my awesome coworkers, and of all the great food we made. I'll miss Kitchen Conservatory, but Nick's older daughter Jordan will be carrying on my legacy there. ;-)

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-33922206401461669192017-02-26T18:48:00.000-06:002017-02-26T18:49:18.921-06:00

Hey there. I can't believe I haven't posted since last July! To be honest, I'm still not cooking all that much...and when I do cook, I just make simple favorites. Lots of pasta, potstickers, and roasted chicken around here. So, what have I been doing with my time? Well, I'm knitting A LOT. Since Christmas I've made 50 pink hats for the Pussyhat Project. I sent a few to Washington DC for

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-57876323552053687482016-07-11T19:42:00.002-05:002016-07-12T08:30:15.360-05:00

Updated: This is damn near the best pie I've ever made. Seriously perfect. Last week, I thawed out the remaining sour cherries from last summer's harvest. I had a couple bags of fresh cherries in the fridge, and I wanted to make a quick pie with all three varieties. Yes, it's near 100-degree temps in St. Louis right now...I know it's crazy to turn on the oven in my 115-year-old house

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-27129500459104638452016-07-07T09:02:00.002-05:002016-07-09T09:01:28.135-05:00

When we ate at Joe Beef in Montreal earlier this year, one of the best dishes we tried was the Spaghetti Homard-Lobster (pictured above). In their cookbook, the Joe Beef guys explain, "We take this name from an old Iron Chef episode when the host declared 'Battle Homard Lobster!' Yes, homard and lobster mean the same thing (like 'minestrone soup'). Among other things that don't make any

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-70839613891713285542016-06-27T15:15:00.000-05:002016-07-09T09:05:53.273-05:00

Confession: I taught the most difficult cooking class I've ever had last night. It was a demo class featuring all shrimp recipes: smoked shrimp salad, shrimp and corn fritters, coconut shrimp bisque, shrimp enchiladas...with watermelon-blueberry margaritas, strawberry shortcake, and mascarpone sorbet. Thanks to Ruth Sparrow for letting me this photo from Kitchen Conservatory's Instagram feed

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-39060618127175051342016-06-18T18:02:00.000-05:002016-06-18T18:02:17.242-05:00

I made this brown sugar pie, a traditional French-Canadian recipe, last fall when I wanted to bake something for school but didn't have much in the way of ingredients at home. The brown sugar melts into a caramel-like filling. Think pecan pie without the pecans. It's rich and sweet, almost too sweet. But, I'm thinking this would be a lovely dessert topped with summer berries...something

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-25247961599605562042016-06-08T14:07:00.001-05:002016-06-08T14:08:18.701-05:00

Whenever I'm feeling down or need to feel inspired, I watch cooking shows like Parts Unknown (or anything with Anthony Bourdain), Chef's Table, Michael Pollan's Cooked (a new Netflix series), and my favorite The Mind of a Chef.  While the newest season of Mind of a Chef (season 4) isn't yet available on Netflix, you can watch two episodes on the show's webpage. In the first episode

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-19413395128083400532016-06-06T09:06:00.003-05:002016-06-06T09:06:49.121-05:00

Ahhhh, summertime. All school year, I look forward to summer break...the lazy mornings, breakfast on the porch, endless hours to read and knit... Except this summer. This summer...I decided to teach summer school. It sounded like such a good idea in February. In the 20 years I've been teaching, I've never taught summer school. I thought I'd give it a try. After all, I could use the extra

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-746670365209608982016-06-02T20:45:00.000-05:002016-06-02T20:54:43.248-05:00

First of all, I'm using the word muffins liberally here. In mid-April, I started a fitness program in an effort to get healthier and drop a few pounds...as my size 12 clothes were starting to feel a bit snug. I chose to follow the Fit Girls Guide 28 Day Jumpstart exercise and meal plan after seeing amazing progress pics online. I've found that the daily exercises are easy, and the

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-77395871748613919412016-04-26T18:36:00.001-05:002016-04-26T18:36:41.468-05:00

This dish is so good that I made it twice last weekend...in my Girls' Night Out cooking class and as a side dish for a BBQ. Consider the recipe a guideline, not something to follow exactly. On Saturday, I used arugula, asparagus, peas, green onions, fresh radishes, dill, mint, and Parmesan cheese. On Sunday, I added spinach, peas, radishes, zucchini, tomatoes black olives, parsley, and feta

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-23384291715006779022016-04-03T20:35:00.001-05:002016-04-03T20:35:54.034-05:00

I brought back some maple syrup from Montreal. Of course. While I plan to make waffles (mmmm....waffles) soon, I wanted to make something else to showcase the syrup. I've baked a maple pie in the past. I considered a maple-glazed roasted pork tenderloin, sesame-maple tofu, maple donuts (mmmm....donuts), peanut butter-maple fudge, some cocktails, or another batch of maple granola. Since I have

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-39715723796783162052016-03-29T19:54:00.001-05:002016-03-30T08:40:44.063-05:00

We spent Easter weekend in Montreal, thanks to Nick who gave me the trip as a Christmas gift. Our reason for going was two-fold: To get my first passport stamp and to eat. Specifically, to eat at Joe Beef. Nick booked the flights, our hotel room, and made dinner reservations for Friday night. The rest of the planning was up to me. I did a lot of research before our trip. I annotated a

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-35019969436195916892016-03-06T16:36:00.001-06:002016-03-06T16:36:44.433-06:00

Kitchen Conservatory's spring schedule is now available online!  My classes include two new Girls' Night Out menus: French-inspired cuisine on April 23 and a shrimp feast on June 25.  I'm also teaching a new brunch class for Mother's Day featuring savory French toast, hash brown-crust quiche, and mimosa sorbet. Below is my schedule through June. To register, call Kitchen

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-77699320493975444682016-02-08T16:48:00.000-06:002016-03-30T08:37:59.734-05:00

Yesterday, I made a quick and easy dessert to take to a friend's house for Superbowl watching. I didn't take any pictures. I am a bad blogger. However, I want to post the recipe with some suggestions on how to substitute ingredients. In my weekend cooking classes, students will often ask about substituting ingredients. Recipes are just guidelines, I tell them. Use what you like or what you have.

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-16075831146222149212016-01-01T18:25:00.001-06:002016-01-01T18:25:43.128-06:00

Happy New Year! 2016 started with lots of laughs. I had a few people over last night. We ate a side of smoked salmon, cheeses and crackers, tomato bruschetta, prosciutto & parmesan gougères, and stuffed shells (thanks Christy & Allen!). For dessert, I made this delicious cake. Lovely Ladies There are currently several hard ginger ales on the market. I've tried Not Your

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-5424063840761788222015-12-28T13:05:00.001-06:002015-12-28T13:11:12.825-06:00

It's the final days of the year and time to look back on the past twelve months. 2015 was a great year, the happiest I've had in a long time. I fell hard and fast for a wonderful man who loves me (and all my quirks), who makes me smile until my face hurts, who spoils me rotten, and who has become my favorite person of all time in the history of ever. I'm as smitten with him today as I was on

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-45017826377246027892015-12-26T15:19:00.001-06:002015-12-26T15:19:44.014-06:00

Remember the Downton Abbey-inspired birthday lunch I made for a friend and her mother last month? Here are those lovely ladies I had the pleasure of cooking for: Here is another of my favorite recipes from that day.  Normally, I don't care for smooth, creamy soups...too much like eating baby food. But this recipe is flavorful and velvety. The addition of tart apples, ginger, and

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14245436.post-29352653347376892592015-12-21T10:37:00.000-06:002015-12-21T10:37:02.831-06:00

This year, I am actually looking forward to Christmas....the first time in many years. I've decorated my house; I even have a little tree! I've bought many gifts. I'm excited to spend the holiday with Nick and his daughters. It's nice to be part of a family again.  We are planning a few get-togethers this week...crafting on Tuesday, cookie baking on Wednesday, and (hopefully) dinner at

Kelly @ Barbaric Gulp!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02137576361356289175noreply@blogger.com0