Kristmas, Black Ice and Gold's Gym Trolls - Oh the Holidays!

I would first like to acknowledge that I am officially two weeks behind schedule. I have yet to post my blog for Katia's Christmas ( I am thinking after one more year I will have enough credibility to try and change the spelling of Christmas to Kristmas to go with the whole K theme - I just need to find Jesus' email in my Rolodex to confirm with him first) I was all set to sit down tonight and update my blog and realized I left my camera back in Texas. And we all know there is absolutely no point in me updating the blog without the photo's because no one wants to read my ramblings anyways....they only want to look at the photos. So..................I am officially asking for my fans to forgive my tardiness (all 5 of you - shout out to my followers going from 4 to 5 - thanks Kel!) and I promise you I will have an update from this coming Sunday and Kristmas (you know what screw it - I am officially deciding to change the spelling of Christmas without asking the big JC. I don't think he would answer if I called or emailed anyways ;-) I will be on hold for a LONG time!)

So while I have nothing to share yet in regards to cooking I would like to share a near death experience I had outside of Gold's Gym. Technically this accident could have effected ( I can never remember when to use affected versus effected) my cooking should I have paralyzed myself or busted my arm. Fortunately the only thing that was DOA was my pride and my tail bone. This story begins with the presence of my arch nemesis - black ice. Never have I met a man as evil or vindictive as Mr. Black Ice. He is that guy that after a first date you leave thinking things went fabulous and when he gets home he will be leaving you a text saying "great to meet you - can't wait to do it again :-) (yes some guys still rock the smiley face in texting and they do still have both testicles) But you get no message nor hear a peep from him and then see that a week later on Facebook he is now listed as "in a relationship"........and you know this relationship status has nothing to do with the time he spends with his family or his right (or left) hand......

Anyways - I had decided to venture out and see what the extra ten dollars I pay a month for my Gold's membership to use other locations besides my "usual" hang out was all about and hit up the Gold's Gym in Menasha, Wisconsin. Immediately upon entering I was reprimanded by the 4'11" guy with biceps larger than his neck (and that is not a compliment) that I didn't wear a different pair of shoes in the gym than the shoes I was going to work out in. First things first short stack.....This is my first time anywhere besides Dallas during Christmas - excuse me- "Kristmas" in 4 years so I am not used to the special rules Wisconsin implements during the winter season. (although I find it ironic the one year I leave Dallas to spend Kristmas in Wisco is snows and ice storms like a motha in Dallas - hysterical it was colder in Dallas than Neenah) Anyways after getting the stink eye from the troll who monitors the bridge from the parking lot to the inside of Gold's I proceed to the treadmill section. I step on the treadmill with my salt and ice covered shoes and proceed to knock out 12 miles (minus 10 miles - hey I am packing an extra 2 pounds - four bottles of wine, one bottle on run, a mini Absolute bottle and a pack of Marlboro's since my last work out) and struggle to stay upright and not just reach out and push the emergency stop button and call it a day. I complete my work out and this is where the true drama ensues.

As I am walking out I decide to be a true Dallas resident and be nice to home slice's face and then talk shit behind his back.....So as I am leaving I look at Danny Devito and say "Thanks for being so understanding about the shoe situation. Next time I will just walk in barefoot and carry my shoes if I have to as the longevity and health of your treadmill is far more important than me losing a foot to hypothermia or me catching phnemon..........." I couldn't even get the last syllable of Phenomia out before I was airborn and seeing my life flash before my eyes. As I was in the air I started to think of all the things I would do differently should I be blessed enough to survive this tragic incident. As you can see I am still here today - although I truly believe God and JC only saved me not to be kind but because I am SURE they are currently taping a video for all Christians on "what not to do" and I am the star character since they couldn't get Satan on location.....they can't afford to kill of their money maker..........ANYWAYS as I was 2 centimeters air born (which still beats my vertical from HS or College basketball) and I started to think of the things I would change should I be blessed to make it through this incident and here are a few things I decided.

1) I will no longer lie about my weight. I have a 5'11'' frame (ok 5'9" - note to self I will no longer lie about how tall I am either) it isn't SHOCKING that with these birthing hips I have passed the 160ISH mark.

2) No more swearing under my breath to people who buy a shit load of produce and then go through the self checkout lane. I get it - they need their greens as much as the next person and it's not their fault they didn't memorize every SKU number of the items they are purchasing.....but seriously some of you could save some money and time and just plant an f-ing garden.

3) Everyone is born with free will. 2 months old or 12 years old children have a choice to swear or not. I shall no longer apologize for letting an F bomb drop in front of young children. If they choose to repeat it then they weren't raised right. (except for everyone reading this who has kids that have done this - your kids are perfect and victim to society. I just mean the kids of people who aren't reading this blog)

I could go on forever but my wine glass is empty and needs refill. So let's just get to the end of this story.

So I am air born and realizing I am about to have my pride put in check because eventually I am going to land. What goes up must come down.....I am sure most people that live in cold weather states will agree with this.....the first fall is not the worst part. That first impact is not what makes you want to curl up in the fetal position and suck your thumb. It is the second time you hit the ice three seconds later when trying to get up that makes you want to cry like a baby. The original fall is not what damages one's pride. I have seen people in record speed jump back on their feet and act like nothing ever happened and people move past it quickly. It is when you try to get up and fall right on your ass again that all self worth escapes you. As I tried to jump back up with my tail bone now shattered in one thousands pieces (yes even this booty wasn't enough cushion to absorb all the blow) I made eye contact with Mr. Short Man Syndrome (pretty sure that Hummer in the parking lot was his - can we say OVER COMPENSATING) right as I reached my second heel on the ice only to bite it a second time.

Perhaps the WORST part of this whole story (yes it gets worse) is that a 65 year old man coming out of the gym stopped and helped me up. Never shall I knock the elderly again as that man saved what little shred of self worth I had left by helping me up versus my potentially biting it a third time.....

So as I have my third glass of wine (plus three ok fine plus another one) for the night I ponder whether I call the gym ahead of time tomorrow and ask for "Bilbo Baggins" (that's not his real name but you get the point) to see if he is working tomorrow before I make an appearance at Gold's.

In closing (doesn't that remind you of your junior high English class " In closing") I started this entry and I shall finish it and apologize once again for not having an update from Katia's Kristmas but PROMISE in the next few days to get it done once I get back to Dallas and have my camera. Happy holidays and a very Happy New Year!

So much to do........so little time

Hello everyone. I am so sorry that I haven't updated my blog yet with our Christmas meal. I promise to get to it tonight. Things have just been a little busy prepping for a vacation!

Deck the Orzo with Fontina...lalalalalala la la la!

Well the excitement is building as Christmas dinner in Katia's Kitchen approaches. The set is almost done with the Holiday renovations and the Christmas music is already playing!

We have suckered someone else into joining us tonight. Making his first appearance as a judge in Katia's Kitchen, Chester Morgan will be joining us. He is from the Finance department at Mosaic so he will be getting the largest servings and the best looking because without a paycheck Katia's Kitchen will become more like 100 ways to use Spam. This brings the guest list to four which is Katia's largest crowd to date. We will also have our head judge Tamara joining us as well as our professional photographers T-dub and Chewy.

Ok folks (imagine the lights dimming and some soft instrumental Christmas music starting to play lightly in the background) I would like to be serious for one minute and share something I have learned after only two weeks in this process. I used to only think when people wanted a "large"kitchen it was for show or because it just looked really expensive. But I am starting to realize just how many great times and meaningful conversations take place while standing around and prepping and enjoying drinks in the kitchen. I never realized how important the kitchen can be as a place to really bond and make great memories (or some not so great depending on who is doing the cooking!)

When I was home visiting my dad and Linda a few weeks ago I noticed there was a new small flat screen tv in the kitchen. My dad claims it is because Linda moved the furniture around in the living room and now you can't see the tv from the kitchen. However, denial is not just a river in Egypt and I think there is going to come a time when he has to admit he just can't see things far away as clear as he used to. (love you dad) REGARDLESS of why the tv is there they told me they did it because they spend so much time hanging out in the kitchen that it is great to have it there. Now that is the sweet and family oriented reason. I agree with putting a tv in the kitchen but for other reasons....Man Bait. What better way to get a guy off his ass and to help you in the kitchen than to put his mistress (the tv) right where you want his help. No longer will he have to make the century old choice between helping in the kitchen and watching the game...now he can have his cake and eat it too. The next device I am going to try and invent for my perfect kitchen is some sort of device that you have to insert a dish in the dishwasher for the fridge with the beer in it to open......but one thing at a time.

As much as I would love to crack the bottle of wine now - I am off for a run to try and burn off a few calories to at least lessen the blow wine consumption is going to have on my waistline this evening. Check back tomorrow for pictures, judges scores and other highlights of Christmas at Katia's Kitchen!

P.S I know it's wierd that I sometimes talk in first person and other times third. It's not going to change but I just thought Iwould ackowledge it.

Multitasking: Screwing Up Several Things At Once

Well this Saturday I have been challenged to focus on the art of multitasking in the kitchen. Instead of one main dish and a dessert T-Dub has called me into the gauntlet of trying to complete two dishes to be served at the same time. I am fully capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time or even listening to my iPod while running. However neither of those tasks involve a meat flattener ( I don't even know what it's called but I figured 'meat flattener' was better than 'meat pounder thing'.....that just opens too many doors that couldn't be closed fast enough) and oil hot enough to melt metal.


Honestly the thing that pisses me off the most about this whole multitasking thing is I am going to have less drinking time. I can't turn my back for one second because the minute I check one dish I am going to have to check another. This may end up being a good thing because getting loaded before cooking anything in hot oil can't scream 9-1-1 loud enough. I can't even stand it when they put the hot oil on your eyebrows so.......

Well without further ado here are the recipes for this Saturday's Katie Child's Christmas Catastrophe!!!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-saltimbocca-recipe/index.html


http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_116729_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html




Another item we will be focusing on this week is AMBIANCE. You may have noticed in previous pictures the scenery wasn't exactly "mood setting". Here are a couple of things that you will NOT see in the pictures from the new and improved set of Katia's Kitchen this Saturday.




Nothing screams fine dining like clothes crawling out of your bedroom and into the dining room. As noted by the red arrows you can see that a few pairs of socks, running shorts and a few unmentionables felt they were missing out and wanted to join the fun. (for the record those clothes were all CLEAN they just hadn't made their way back to their residence yet)





So I am not quite sure why I didn't just put the clean clothes in one of these empty clothing baskets instead of on the floor......Obviously there is a little room for organization in the laundry area and I am not quite sure what is even in that box.

I have never walked into a restaurant with an overflowing garbage can in visible site. And if I have I am pretty sure that was the first and last time I have visited that place. Of course you accumulate garbage while cooking but it almost looks like the garbage is trying to escape and crawl out to meet up with the clothes on the floor only a few feet away.

On a different note - this picture is why you will never see these pants in Katia's Kitchen again. Yes they are cute and extremely comfortable, but they make my ass look like I just finished eating an entire family of zebra's for dinner. That print is far from flattering - it has been noted.




Hello Guests, Pull up a chair right next to my luggage, guitar that hasn't been used in months, Fan Box that I am pretty sure has made a permanent indent on the carpet and bag of clothes going to Good Will in the garbage bag right next to the door. At first I saw this picture and thought R dog was resting but now I am starting think he passed out from the clutter.

Well that is all for today. I am very excited for the updates to the set of Katia's Kitchen that will be taking place for the Holidays! Also, I am looking for any suggestions on good Christmas music. Something a little more modern maybe????


And one LAST request from Katia. I received an email yesterday from someone who saw my blog and said "Obviously you aren't a good cook or people aren't interested because you only have two followers". Apparently this D-bag has a cooking blog as well and is trying to start some shit. No pressure, but if you have time and are comfortable following this blog publicly I would appreciate putting that asshole in his place. If you would prefer not to no worries - at the end of the day the whole purpose of this blog is to entertain and make people laugh- all at the expense of my self dignity and attempt to learn how to cook so please continue reading even if it's anonymously:-)

On top of couscous, all covered in spice, I lost my poor meatball when........

Well I think it is safe to say that week two of my cooking expedition was a success. All three judges are still speaking to me and as far as I know are alive and well. I have seen all three since the meal and no one has a rash, hives, or any other sort of physical ailment. I have to say that at first I think they were a little doubtful of how the meal would turn out as at one point I noticed them going through the fridge and freezer checking to see what there was to eat should the meatballs go south.

I am asked them very nicely to please move all of the "Just for One" and "single packaged servings" off to the side to at least help me save some face. As you can see in the pictures I do have all of the major food groups covered in my diet.

1) Nicotine (once again just a prop kids)

2) Dairy

3) Frozen Pizza

4) grains (alcohol)

5) mold (cottage cheese)

I should clarify that this isn't what my freezer looks like all the time. These items are only around when I am training for an upcoming race. Typically when I am not training you will find things such as fruit, vegetables, chicken etc.....

Well without further ado let's jump to the chaos that was the Moroccan Meatballs and our qualified judges feedback!!!

First things first - I need to get my special cook "juice" ready. Wine to Katia is like gasoline to a car. You aren't going to get a lot out of it without first filling 'er up.

So I have to take one second to brag (because those of you who know me understand how humble I usually am about letting people know how great I am).....out of the million and one spices this recipe called for I had all but two already at home. This is a major accomplishment for me as before I started this journey the only spices in Katia's Kitchen were some sort of lemon pepper spice that had somehow managed to stick in a clump to the side of the jar and a baggie of crushed red pepper that someone had brought over one time when we ordered pizza.

Ok so let's stop for a moment so I can give you some important kitchen advice. Onions, Jalapenos and other items have juices that burn like a mother f-er when they get in your eyes. I would like to say this shot was posed for humor but this is what happens when you rub your eye with onion remnants on your finger. I am thinking of taking a collection to get one of those eye washing machines that they have in chemical labs installed just as a safety precaution moving forward.

After taking 25 mins to chop one medium sized onion and 4 tomatoes (no bullshit - however I was majorly distracted by the circus going on in my living room) it was time to zest the lemon. Judge Simon (aka Tamara) seemed to get a kick out of the fact that I didn't have a cheese grader and at this time was asked to exit the kitchen. You will see in later photos I gave her the largest wine glass I had in an effort to get her get her to a "happy" place and hopefully a little more forgiving on her judging.

Finally (approx 65 mins later) the sauce was done and it was time to shake and bake some balls.

One thing I have always been jealous of when you see cooks on tv is their ability to measure without using actual measuring cups so I decided to try that as well. I also think this is a great way to create less dishes to clean. From this moment on Katia shall swear off all measuring cups and eye ball everything!

Ok mixing the meat together was definitely my least favorite part of this recipe. It reminded me of when I was younger and you would have those activities where there would be something in a dish and you had to touch it but didn't know what it was and they would say it was something like brains or eyeballs. Although I doubt they ever actually used raw meat in that activity as there could probably be a few lawsuits that stemmed from that.

The balls are sculpted and ready to go. The last time I saw this many balls in one place was at a Chippendale show we went to for a bachelorette party. (don't worry dad - I sat in the corner and washed my hands with Purell every 5 minutes. I also went directly to the hospital and got a tetnus booster just for good measure)

Me with my balls after baking them in the oven. Honestly the way these look they reminded me of something disturbing I had recently seen on the Discovery Channel about meat packing plants. The recipe called to only bake them for 6 minutes in the oven which caused my judges a little concern - as me. However, once I read the next paragraph that stated you put them in the boiling sauce for ten minutes we all felt a little better. I know people order steaks raw but I have never heard someone order the spaghetti with meatballs rare (unless they have a death wish). Lesson learned I should probably start by studying the whole recipe ahead of time. As someone who made it through college on Cliff Notes and got a C in History of Rock n Roll (hey it was at 800am on Friday - don't act like you had perfect attendance in college) my studying habits have never been something to write home about. I am sure my dad would also back this up as he has 5 years (ok 5 and 1/2 but I took a semester off!) of loans to prove it. I am sure he feels much better now after reading this blog and seeing where all that well spent money has gone.

Actually they reminded me of a video we saw in 9th grade Sex Education Class (which I believe now they have for 5th graders). That video was the best birth control ever.

Two hours and five minutes later Dinner is served!!!

Let's hear from our Judges!!

Simon (aka Tamara) says.......

***note objects in this picture appear larger than they are. I don't think it is legal to make a wine glass as large as this one looks in the picture! That is like the Big Gulp of wine glasses.

Three words to describe: Too much wine

Favorite Part: The sauce. I love the surprise of cinnamon

Least Favorite Part: A little too much cinnamon

What would you do differently? Maybe brown the meatballs a little before putting them in the oven to give them a little texture.

Out of 5 stars: 4

Comments: Very good meal. It had a lot of spice and flavor. I would make this again. It was healthy and satisfying. Thanks for the wine.

T-Dub

Three words to describe: Tomatoey, "yummy with wine", surprising

Favorite part: Sauce was tasty and provided a good balance of flavor against the turkey meatballs.

Least Favorite: Cinnamon flavor. Although this is apparently "Moroccan" I can't get past the feeling I should be at Cinn-a-bun.

Out of 5 Stars: 3.5

Comments: For 300 calories in a serving this was very tasty and satisfying. For a little more flavor I would prefer ground beef with a bit more spices in the meat - since as a rule I like my meat spicy.

Ry-dog

Ry-dog was not available for comment but I believe the clean plate club picture says it all!

MUFFING THE TINS!!

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Brownies!!

Well by the time dessert rolled around needless to say Katia was a little under the influence. Which was made obvious when she asked T-Dub to help her in "muffing the tins" which in sober speak translates to.....actually I am not sure. I believe I was asking her to help me line the muffin pan with tins but who knows....

A moment of silence please for the eggs. This is the last picture we have of them in tact. As you can see from the picture I would have never known how unhappy they were. They seem to be playing so nicely with the other ingredients and really look like a true member of the team. The peanut butter is still having a hard time accepting they are gone.

I also feel I should address the brownie mix. I had every intention of making the brownie mix from scratch but honestly I was just too tipsy at this point and the mix looked so much easier.

This was the second time that I had to kick Tamara out of the kitchen. Her exact words "Oh my god you actually own a mixer?" Adios!

Chocolate, cream cheese, and peanut butter - I would take this over a man any day!

Let's hear from our Judges

T-Dub

Three Words to Describe: Moist, Satisfying, "2 in 1"

Favorite Part: The chocolaty, peanut buttery goodness is simply perfection

Least Favorite Part: Nothing

What would you do differently: Serve with Ice cream

Out of 5 Stars: 4.5

Comments: You got your peanut butter in my chocolate and man it's yummy! Thank you, Katia Child

Tamara T

Three Words to Describe: Seriously, OMG

Favorite Part: So good when their warm

Least Favorite: Zero issues with the brownies

What would you do differently: Could use a little vanilla ice cream on the side

Out of 5 stars: 4

Comments: Warm, gooey, chocolaty, peanut butter brownies...yes please!

Well that is it for this week in Katia's Kitchen! It appears the live taping was a hit as we will be having this coming week's recipes prepared and cooked again in front of a live audience. We are moving the taping day to Saturday instead of Sundays going forward to accomodate the mass amounts of wine that are consumed as I need to keep my job and Sunday isn't the best day to inhale three bottles of wine. T-Dub has provided the recipes for next week which will serve as our Christmas taping so check back tonight for those to be posted. And yes I said Christmas and not Holiday. In no way do I mean to disrespect any other religions or non religions or whatever but I am Catholic so Christmas it is. Maybe a 'diluted' version of Catholic...actually let's just say Christian.

Also a HUGE THANK YOU to T-Dub for her fantastic photography. You're hired!

See you next week for a Katia Child Christmas Catastrophe!

Lights - Camera - Morrocan Meat Balls!

Dish: Moroccan Meatballs
Recipe: http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/newsletter/december2009/#feature
Projected prep and cooking time: 75 minutes

Actual prep and cooking time: 120 minutes

Glasses of wine: 6 (during prep and cooking - who knows how many through out the whole night)
***I would like to call out that I believe the additional time needed for prep and cooking is DIRECTLY related to the amount of wine consumed.

This was a very emotional day for Katia's Kitchen. We had some laughs and also a few tragic losses.

Tragedies

1) I would like to give a tear full good bye to the carton of eggs that were lost during the creation of these meatballs. One minute they were there resting on the counter peaceful and content with their fate of joining the turkey meat and other spices in the mixing bowl. The pressure must have been too much for them or they decided they wanted to go out on their own terms because the next thing I know they managed to leap off of the counter and come to a crashing death on the floor of my kitchen. Two of the 5 in the carton survived and are in Intensive Care in the fruit drawer of my refrigerator. They just seem so lonely and withdrawn since the loss of their friends so I am thinking I may treat them to a spa day in a hot tub which will be in the form of a pot of boiling water on my stove to help them relax.

2) Additionally we had to say good bye to my $5 baking sheet from Walmart. Apparently parchment paper and wax paper are NOT the same thing as the wax paper I used instead of parchment took quite a liking to the baking sheet. It was love at 400 degrees because they became quite close during their 10 minutes in the oven of lovin and parting was just too sweet of sorrow. I hope they enjoy their new life together in the Dallas landfill.

3) Not sure this was considered a tragedy until the next morning when I had a bag of frozen peas and a bottle of Advil and a Gatorade next to me on the couch - but there are three bottles of wine and a bottle of vodka that left their mark in the form of a hangover the next morning. I thank them for serving their purpose that night but was cursing their name the next morning. Let's just say work was hard to get motivated for on Monday.

POSITIVES!

On a more positive note this week we had an actual LIVE AUDIENCE in attendance. A huge thanks to Ry dog, T Dub and Tamara for taking part in this session. I would also like to publicly extend apologies for a few things. Things got a little hostile in Katia's Kitchen this week and my PR person has advised it is best for my image to publicly apologize whether I think I was in the wrong or not.

Tamara: I apologize for banning you from entering the kitchen for a majority of the actual cooking. It was like Stacy and Clinton from "What Not to Wear" going through Roseann Barr's closet. You know the feedback they are giving is 100% accurate and they are trying to help - but I value our friendship too much to put your safety in jeopardy and that is why I asked you to exit the kitchen.

T-Dub: You did an excellent job for your first time photographing Katia in action. Please know that my yelling and demanding attitude was simply for your best interest in an effort to make you better. My goal is to not just encourage people in cooking but also serve as a mentor and motivational figure so we will just call that "tough love".

Anyways, talk about pressure! I have realized there are both pros and cons to having the judges on set while the cooking is taking place.

Here are just a few examples of how a live audience can effect Katia's performance.

1) It can be slightly distracting

While I admire my audience's health conscience attitude in wanting to get a good work out in prior to eating - it was hard to focus on the meat and eggs while "sweating to the oldie's - the X Rated Version" was taking place in my living room. Look for T Dub and R dogs video in the next few months (featuring Tiger Woods).

2) It is impossible to get even a short break in without getting caught.

*Kids please note this cigarette was just a prop and was never actually lit or smoked.

HOWEVER, the biggest difference I found with a live audience is what sticklers they were for cleanliness. I mean come on - there is a reason that most restaurant kitchen's are not visible to guests. There are things that sometimes happen behind the scenes that may 'freak' out the guests should they know what was truly going on. We used to eat dirt and worms as kids for gods sake.....So this week I would like to have a tribute to cleanliness in the kitchen with Katia's tips for a Clean and Sanitary Kitchen.

KATIA's Klean Kitchen Pointers

1) Always be sure your hair is properly tied back away from the food.

How many times have you gone into a restaurant and found a hair in your food and been totally grossed out? Although I guess the difference with this situation is that they aren't paying for the food so it's not like they can ask to be comped or send it back.......

2) The 5 second rule is your friend.

People have been using this as a parameter for eating something when it falls on the ground for years and I have NEVER read an article that someone died from it. I can just see it now - Yesterday a Wisconsin man died after eating a cheese curd that had fallen on his kitchen floor. When his wife was interviewed she tearfully stated that if only he had been one second faster he would still be with us today. "The cheese was on the floor for 6 seconds. I know it was that one extra second that did him in. Had he only picked it up one second earlier......The 5 second rule could have saved his life".

So just remember that 5 seconds or less is fine but anything after 5 seconds shouldn't be used. Well, unless what you dropped is going into something that has boiling water because then the water will kill the germs. This rule also applies to kitchen utensils. No point in wasting water washing off a utensil when not needed! (this is my plug for Going Green and how Katia is trying to save the planet)

One important thing to remember with the 5 second rule is that anything in the garbage you are trying to find that you may have accidently thrown out can only be used if it was wrapped prior to being thrown away. That is just gross to eat something from the garbage that may have touched something else while in the can.

3) Continuing the whole going green thing....

It is important to know when washing your hands is necessary and is not. In my last update I discussed how important it is to wash your hands when handling raw meat. This is important because as the cook you could get sick from raw meat. However, human saliva is not nearly as fatal as raw chicken - so no need to waste water washing your hands when the only germs on your hands are coming from your mouth. I guess there is the chance of giving someone mono - but I would think anyone who got that from food would be thanking the cook not getting upset. Who doesn't want a few months off from work where doctors orders is to lay around and take it easy?

4) Penicillin can't cure everything - wash your veggies!

Unless you want to risk your unborn children having 6 fingers or three ears I would advise always washing your fruits and vegetables before using them -even those people who claim "buying organic puts you at less risk" from pesticides etc....... The only difference between organic vegetables and "regular" vegetables is that not washing an organic tomato guarantee's you an environmentally friendly child with a missing toe.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!!

I would like to extend a huge thank you to our sponsors for this week. Currently they are not providing any sort of donation monetarily and probably would be pissed to see their product is even on site of this caliber. Also, I am currently accepting applications for anyone who would like to advertise their business on my apron.

-Bella Sera, Robert Mondavi, Fox Run and Monopolowva thank you for the great times that night and a big middle finger to the havoc you caused the next morning.

- Imodium you truly are the best morning after pill ever. The phrase "that is one spicy meatball" is no bullshit.

Well that concludes this update from Katia's Kitchen. Check back tonight for the judges feedback and photos from the actual creation and consumption of the Moroccan Meatballs and Peanut Butter Cream cheese brownies!