Meet & Eat: ThatGirl153
The recipe for the Meet & Eat feature here on Serious Eats has always called for a varied mixture of food lovers—from chefs to critics to bloggers to food-loving tech nerds. Today, we're happy to add one of our favorite ingredients to that mix: Serious Eats community members who are on the site sharing their thoughts and insights. So, come meet this week's subject, ThatGirl153, a screen name you're probably already familiar with if you've spent any time on SE.
Name: Kellie (ThatGirl153)
Location: Rochester Hills, Michigan
Occupation: Graphic artist
Favorite comfort food?
Summer, ice cream. Winter, garlic mashed potatoes. (Subject to change without notice!)
Guilty pleasures?
Dove milk chocolate is like my kryptonite! Chocolate in general is my weakness, and I must have a little every day or I could possibly die. (I'm afraid to test this theory though.)
Describe your perfect meal.
A few weeks ago some friends came over for what we called "Seafood Fest 2007." We had shrimp, crab legs, lobster, baked potatoes, a nice salad, and of course lots of wine. My friend brought a crab-cake dip that was fabulous. We ate too much, drank too much, and laughed till our cheeks hurt. That was a perfect meal!
What food won't you eat?
Organ meats, tripe, and most gravy.
What's an unexplored food you'd like to try?
I have never had Indian food. Never had an interest until recently, when my brother was talking about how much he loves it now. I think I'll take his advice and find a good Indian buffet and try lots of different dishes to get a feel for it. I admit, though, that I am a bit skeptical.
Favorite food person?
My Nonna is my go-to food person. She knows how to make everything taste good. She is the best cook I have ever known, and I've learned so much from her. There are even a few dishes of hers that I've managed to duplicate. When I made one of my Nonna's recipes for cappelletti (sort of a ravioli in broth), she tasted it and then asked me for my recipe. I laughed and told her I just followed her instructions exactly. That was a proud culinary moment for me!
When did you first realize you were a serious eater?
Since I was a kid. I used to sneak up to the store and buy things that my parents wouldn't have in the house just so I could try new things. (And, yes, I would buy lots of chocolate too!)
What do your family and friends think of your food obsession?
They love it! My friends know that when they come over for a party, they'll eat their hearts out. As far as my family goes, last Thanksgiving was the first time we did a big family dinner at our house. I think everyone was pleasantly surprised—I had sort of kept my food/cooking hobby a secret from them. After all, even as a grown-up, it's still more fun to go to Mom's or Nonna's for all my favorite childhood meals.
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10 Comments:
Seafood Fest '07 was awesome! Kellie really is quite the entertainer/cook. I always look forward to getting together and sharing meals with her and her husband, there is no fear of ever going hungry or without a laugh at their house!
Kevsho at 9:42AM on 04/13/07
Heh. I like the idea of you sneaking to the store to buy food as a kid. The only thing I used to buy at the store (the store being 7-11) was candy—Nerds, Big League Chew, and those weird coffins of candy bones.
Adam Kuban at 11:05AM on 04/13/07
Adam...I too had a 7-11 that when I got a little older I would ride my bike to. My brother and I would always get a Marathon Bar or the Charleston Chew...not because we loved them that much but because they were the BIGGEST candy bars available.
ThatGirl153 at 12:37PM on 04/13/07
Enjoyed your meet and eat! Allways interesting to find out more about the people behind the comments. It's wonderful that you have that conection with family to share and learn culinary traditions. I certainly love to cook for friends and family. Slow BBQ, pasta, and braises are my stock but also enjoy exploring the dining scene in the Denver / Boulder area. The wife and I like to try a new restaurant each week. Allways look foward to your comments on this great site. Go Tigers!
Colorado Jim at 2:21PM on 04/13/07
That Girl. Would you be willing to share your recipe for cappelletti? We have relatives in Parma Italy who make it when we visit -- and it's just so wonderful I think about it for years after.
jellybean at 8:49PM on 04/13/07
jellybean...should I email it to you?
ThatGirl153 at 10:02PM on 04/13/07
Oh it would be wonderful if you could email your recipe. I've tried asking our relatives but they do it by rote. And given their limited English and my limited Italian, not to mention the conversions, it just hasn't worked. Thanks so much.'
jellybean at 8:33AM on 04/14/07
Ok, I will ask The Serious Eats team to send me your email address. I would post the recipe but it is quite long and has two parts...filling/dough.
I am curious to see if my Nonna's cappelletti is just like the stuff you had in Parma. Did they serve it as soup? We serve it in chicken broth. Sometimes I make a meat sauce and serve it that way.
ThatGirl153 at 9:03AM on 04/14/07
Yes, always in 'en brodo', topped with lots of grated parmagiano reggiano that is made just miles away along the Po River -- right next to where they cure the prosciutto di parma and not far from Bologna, home of the best bolognese sauce. I could go on and on. The Emilia Romagna area of Italy is a food lovers paradise. But Cappelini en brodo is our favorite meal of the trip. Where do you live? There are two great restaurants in NYC that serve traditional food from Emilia Romagna.
jellybean at 9:21AM on 04/14/07
Wow, that sounds awesome! San Marino is not that far from Bologna so I bet the cooking style is very similar. I wish we would have made it to Parma and more of that area when we took my Nonna back for a visit 2 years ago. We had her to cook for us the first week. We would walk to the market and get the fresh ingredients and have bread and cheese and prosciutto for lunch. Good times!
I live in Michigan, north of Detroit. I have never been to New York but would love to go there one day.
ThatGirl153 at 3:05PM on 04/14/07