20 Nov Inside the Fridge welcomes Vitamix lover Katie from katieatthekitchendoor.com

Katie has been blogging at Katie at the Kitchen Door for four years. A management consultant by day, nights and weekends are dedicated to creating hearty, home-cooked meals with a unique twist. When not experimenting in the kitchen, she and her boyfriend spend their free time attempting to raise fruit trees and grow vegetables. You can also find her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Where do you shop for food?

I’m lucky to live in  a city with a lot of great food shopping choices, so I shop all over the place. I shop most frequently at Whole Foods, because their dairy and produce is high quality, they have a good selection of items, and I can stomach the prices for better quality produce. When I need to stock up on dry-goods, I hit up Market Basket, which also has a great, affordable meat selection. And in between big shops, I head to our local butcher, located just around the corner, or any of the great ethnic corner stores for more exotic ingredients.

Do you love food shopping or dread it?

I love it! In college, we had a 24 hour Kroger down the street that I used to go to late at night just because I found it kind of therapeutic to shop when it was so quiet. My boyfriend and I have always loved cooking together so, grocery shopping has also been the beginning of lots of great dates. In fact, sometimes we go on dates to Wholefoods specifically to shop… and then have the hot buffet for dinner. Is that completely dorky?

What is your weekly food budget? 

I track my food expenses pretty carefully, so I can tell you that I spend exactly $115 a week on food on average – $70 on groceries and $45 eating out. Of course, there are weeks where I splurge on something fancy like lamb chops and weeks where I spend $0 because we have so many leftovers, but for me I guess $115 is the magic number.

How many times a week do you eat out? (based on 21 meals/week)

More than I would like. Although I try to make time to have breakfast at home, and to bring leftovers in to work as many days as possible, sometimes the temptation of the convenience of all the restaurants in downtown Boston gets the better of me. On average, I would say that I eat 6 meals out a week – 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and usually at least 1 dinner with my boyfriend or friends at some point during the week.

How do you plan your weekly meals? Create a spreadsheet of fly by the seat of your pants? 

I’m very much a planner. Especially when I’m thinking ahead about blog posts, I’m very particular about what I’ll make and what exactly I need to shop for (I even have a “weekly menu” Pinterest board). But on the nights that my boyfriend cooks, he makes whatever he feels like based on what we have in the fridge (and it’s always delicious). I think our contrasting cooking styles suit each other – we have both stability and surprise in our meals every week.

Do you believe in leftovers?

Absolutely. Although there are only two of us in my house, we usually make enough for dinner, for lunch the next day, and at least 2 portions to freeze. I love having delicious, homemade lunches at the office, and for those nights when you get home late or just don’t have the energy to cook, popping something out of the freezer is just as quick (and cheaper and better for you!) than ordering takeout.

What cooking utensil/piece of equipment/appliance do you live for?

This might be a phase for me, but I just got a Vitamix blender and I’m loving it. It’s so powerful, and I feel great starting the day with a spinach or kale smoothie – without having to strain it! I’m not much of a health nut, but green smoothies are one thing I can really get behind – they honestly taste delicious if you put the right balance of ingredients in there.

When you hear the word “homemade” what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Homemade bread, fresh out of the oven, slathered with butter. We make a lot of products that some might buy in the store from scratch – chicken stock, jam, creme fraiche, we’ve even dabbled in home brewing and cheesemaking. But the ultimate homemade item for me is fresh bread. My mom is an excellent bread-baker, and a thick slice of her nutty Anadama bread is the best snack in the world.

How have your cooking/shopping habits changed over the last 10 years?

I’m no longer as hesitant to splurge on quality ingredients. When I started cooking, I was still in college, and had to be very careful about budget. I almost never bought meat, and focused mainly on vegetables and grains bought in bulk. Nice cheeses and good olive oil were a splurge. Now, while I’m still fairly budget-conscious, I’ve realized that a little bit of good quality, high flavor ingredients, like duck confit or a really nice pecorino, can go a long way in improving the flavor of your dishes. It’s all about stretching the more expensive ingredients out!

If one person could cook for you tonight, who would it be?

My boyfriend, Trevor. Coming home and finding that the house already smells delicious and dinner will be ready in ten minutes is one of the best feelings ever. I didn’t appreciate it enough when I was a kid, but now I know how hard my mom worked to feed us home cooked meals every night! I love cooking, but I’m equally happy to let someone else take over (as long as they know what they’re doing…). Cooking a meal for someone else is such an act of love.

 Thanks Katie! 

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