issue # Itchin’ Irritations in Kitchens and Resolutions
Special Recipies from Paula Deen and Julia Child!
View our preview to our special edition copy coming this September! You saw it here first
Table of Contents
breif letter to editor/summary of magazine advertisment
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Thanksgiving and Portion Control DO Match Up! Don’t be fooled! while many diet regiments look very appealing, you can do many other alternatives that will get you the slim figure you are hoping for while feeling good and with little to no expense!
Thanksgiving is the one holiday a year when someone can load 4500 calories (yes, 4500 calories is typically how many calories the average person consumes during a thanksgiving meal) on their plate and it’s socially acceptable. Every year my family goes on an excursion down to Akien, South Carolina to visit my grandparents. My Grandparents are in their mid-seventies and my grandpa has been going along with the whole “I’d rather be fat and happy” motto for a while. My grandma expresses her concern for my grandpa’s weight daily and yet he never fails to respond with “Mary, if you really want me to stop gaining weight why don’t you stop making cookies!” This always gets us to chuckle; especially since we know my grandpa would go into shock if she actually did stop making her famous, crisp, chocolate chip cookies which always rest in an aluminum coffee tin. As I was saying, my grandpa is continuing to get rounder and rounder around the edges and every time we see him his Green Bay Packers sweatshirt gets tighter and tighter. He has tried a series of diet regiments and this Thanksgiving he tried something new. After grace we were about to start digging into the steaming potatoes covered in gravy, with the turkey sliced to perfection when my grandpa insisted we wait. He got up, which takes a while as is, went into the other room, grabbed a small white box and sat back down. My grandma looked at him sternly and then rolled her eyes. My grandpa then
exchanged glances with each of us and then proceeded explained that he was trying, yet another new diet regiment. Here’s the kicker, this diet regiment allows you to do absolutely nothing.Yes, nothing! No working out, no portion control… NOTHING! The product is called Sensa and you simply “shake your Sensa” (the slogan used as advertised on TV) and it works it’s magic. My grandpa referred to Sensa as magical pixie dust and we all couldn’t help but burst into tears laughing.Yes, kitchens are also places where new dietary regiments are discovered or encouraged. If you are looking for some type of diet regiment, I suggest you stick with portion control,trying to maintain a balanced diet and working out daily. Sensa has been proven to work in some cases, however, one flaw of Sensa is that it doesn’t give you the balanced and correct nutritional diet you are looking for. Many diet regiments that are advertised on television do work and can work if you stick with them. The problem today is, people go on what I like to call “yo-yo diets”. They say they are going to start eating healthy and do so by investing in a program that will most likely benefit in the long run, but can be costly. Here is some advice, try it yourself first. If this is just another diet it is not worth the time or money. Try portion control. Instead of two slices of pizza stick to one. Simple enough right? If you are still hungry make sure you eat fruits and plenty of vegetables. Many studies are now saying you’re your fruits and vegetables portion should be
half of your diet per meal. Avoid snacks that have higher sodium content than calorie count. Or in general just avoid snacking! Set reminders on your phone to eat healthy and exercise. Try and get 60 minutes of exercise a day. If this is to much of a challenge start with working out for 30 minutes, build up to 45 and then you will get to the 1 hour work out you have been working towards! Notice, this diet regiments cost is exactly $0.00, TOTALLY WORTH IT!!! It takes a lot of effort to get motivated, but once you are motivated you have to stick with it. Don’t swing back and forth like a yo-yo, stick with it and you will be happy you did. Portion control, 60 minutes of exercise, and a positive and motivated mind can get you far.
Daily Kitchen Interview, Matt G. age 17. the kitchen from a teenage boys perspective
As I sat in the Strozier library, I contemplated who would be willing to sit down for a few minutes and let me ask them a few brief questions in regards to an interview assigned for my English class. I opened my backpack, placed my binder on the oval table and then proceeded to take out my laptop. I opened Facebook and scrolled through my newsfeed, procrastinating doing this assignment and then my friend Matt Gallagher messaged me saying “Claire help I’m so bored”. If that wasn’t a sign to call him up and interview him, I don’t know what is. Matt is one of my best friends. He is always there to talk, grab a bite to eat, or just converse with when you are super bored, like he was in this instance. Matt lives five minutes away so he casually swings by and will honk outside my house twice and I will just hop in his car knowing we are doing a Dunkin or Chipotle run. Matt works at a local pool in town. He works at the grill there and also teaches tennis lessons to younger kids. I feel like Matt’s job description suites him well- chief and teacher. I met Matt last year on a service trip to West Virginia, where we rebuilt houses for the Preston County community. Here, Matt and I instantly became friends. We were paired to work in the same group on a house that needed new siding and a new roof. While driving to the house I turned to Matt and said something in a joking matter, he laughed and we clicked, and as weird as it is have been best friends ever since. I called Matt and he answered with a “ALO”, a joke we have some how adapted, and then asked him about how
Q: What holiday was your favorite to spend in the kitchen? I always enjoyed Easter time, because my family and I always loved coloring eggs. One year, we colored eggs all different colors of countries. So we colored eggs the colors of the Spanish flag, Italian flag and so on. We always used dye and the invisible crayons, which allowed you to write things before dying the eggs. Growing up, I was always fascinated by that… but as my siblings and I got older the invisible crayon was used to draw perverted things that should just not be drawn on Easter eggs. My mom would always take the eggs out, when we were younger, and place the different dyes in
small cups with silver spoons in each cup so we could dye the eggs a spectrum of different colors. We always did this on the island of my kitchen and placed the cups from one end all the way to the other and walked around dipping the eggs in the dye. The tradition of dying eggs has sort of gone downhill though, but that was a great memory growing up in my kitchen. Q: Would your whole family color eggs together? Yes, it was just immediate family. We always did it the day before Easter, on our big island. There is a huge island in the middle of our kitchen, which opens to the living room so there is room for ev-
his day was and then we started the interview. Q: Do you have any Specific memories taking place in your kitchen growing up? Holiday meals in my kitchen were always pretty big, so were birthday parties. Family dinner was also an important part of everyday; all of these things took place in my kitchen. During family dinners, it was usually during the school week but as my siblings left for college it became just me and my parents and dinner became more relaxed. Meaning, we were allowed to watch TV during dinner or eat at the island, the center of our kitchen, rather than the table, which was nice. Our island was a big focal point for my kitchen, because as you know, my
kitchen is very open. Watching different talent shows such as The Voice or America’s Got Talent was also done in our kitchen, because in our kitchen is a living room with a TV and couches, which made our kitchen very comfortable. But, going back to your question… my main memories taking place in the kitchen are preparation for holidays.
eryone. There is a small kitchen table to the left, but we wouldn’t use that for coloring eggs during the holiday. Q: What would your dream kitchen look like? I guess I would like white cabinets, with a colorful backsplash, an open kitchen with a center island, similar to the one I have grown up with. The island was great to have growing up, mine had stools around the island for sitting and it just made the kitchen really functional, so I would definitely want to have stools again. Stainless steel appliances. A double oven would be cool. Classic fridge and stove. A big hood range over the stove. Granite counter tops and lots of storage and cabinet space. A nice big sink is a necessity and I guess that’s basically it.
Q: What is the most important part about a kitchen? I think the most important part about a kitchen is the openness. Having the island made our kitchen much more open and it allowed the living room to be near. The living room so close made the kitchen much more inviting and allowed you to have options in the kitchen. If you wanted to relax, eat and watch TV you could or you could choose to chat with people at the island because of the stools that surround it. Overall, just openness is important, because it forces you to have conversations even when you don’t want to have them. Q: What are key necessities in your kitchen? In my kitchen, the dish washer is key because it is always running in my house. There are a lot of people, so there are always dirty dishes. It makes the kitchen more organized so not everything is always sitting in the sink. Also the stove, for all cooking purposes. Mac n cheese is constantly being boiled in my house so that’s important.
The Polavarapu Kitchen a kitchen in a traditional Indian home.
Apoorva Palavarapu is one of my closest
friends who brings a special uniqueness to our friend group. Not just because her name will always have a red squiggly line underneath it, or because of the obvious culture difference, but because of her unique personality which establishes her as an individual. Usha and Pradeep Polavarapu, Apoorva’s parents, came to America from Hyderabad, a city in South India, in search of a better life and opportunity, not just for themselves but for their family. They wanted to, in general, have a better lifestyle since India is a developing country. The kitchen at the Polavarapu residence resembles their Indian culture as it is very colorful and is located right near a place for worship. Their kitchen always
smells rich of Indian cuisine. On the shelves and island of the kitchen are pictures of Apoorva and Aditya, Apoorva’s younger brother, and places they have traveled to. Apoorva’s mother is always in the kitchen, baking Indian dishes, which means you never leave the Polavarapu ‘s with an empty stomach. There is always a barrel of crunchies, an Indian snack, awaiting us when entering their house. My friends and I, in a way, have developed a tradition of having oatmeal crisp in the morning after nights spent over at the Polavarpu’s. As we gather around the kitchen table with Indian rice, curry puffs, and samosas and again, talk.
Open Campus: Jennings Edition
Small chit chat and conversation with friends sometimes make a kitchen feel like the heart of the home.
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s a senior at Chatham High School, a public high school located in a suburban town in New Jersey, you are awarded the privilege of “open campus” which simply allows you to go off campus during the lunch hour. Michele Jennings, is one of my closest friends who, conveniently, lives right next to the high school. Because her house is so close in proximity to the high school, the Jennings household became the “go to” location during open campus. We would enter from the backdoor and would always be welcomed in by Mrs. Jennings, Michelle’s mom. Mrs. Jennings has short brown hair, which bobs as she walks. She has an energetic smile and has a loud laugh that is contagious. We set our backpacks down and gather around the granite island, located in the center of the Jennings kitchen and converse about anything from schoolwork to gossip or any conversational topic out there, we have literally discussed it all. The Jennings always have odd food such
as frittata, an egg based dish, to lychee, a Chinese fruit that looks similar to a cactus in the shape of a sphere. Frittata can contain anything thing from meats to cheeses and has the scent of omelets but tastes like quiche, which makes frittata a fairly confusing dish. The kitchen is filled with wooden cabinets and the sound of a teakettle steaming. The hot tea is served in ivory mugs with thin brush strokes of blue paint. The kitchen becomes filled with senior girls around noon laughing and talking every day. The Jennings kitchen became an escape from the hectic and sometimes stressful school day.
Butter N Oil!
Paula Deen, the famous icon! Read here about her story and some new recipies you should bring to your kitchen!
“Onions and bacon cooking up just makes your kitchen smell so good. In fact, one day I’m going to come up with a room deodorizer that smells like bacon and onions. It’s a fabulous smell.” – Paula Deen Whether it’s watching Kristen Wiig impersonating her on Saturday Night Live, or tuning into the Food network, we are all familiar with the glowing and lively face of Ms. Paula Deen. Her memorable recipes served with “butter n oil” permeate through many kitchens in America. Many see Paula as a famous icon, known for her cooking and admiration of food, but not many know the chal-
lenges Paula had to go through. Paula’s marriage had failed and to make matters worse, her parents passed away shortly after. Paula began to suffer agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder. This disorder did not bring Paula down because as a result of it she spent a lot of time in her kitchen where she grew more and more as a chief. Since then, she has made it on several television programs, such as the Food Network, and has become not only a successful chief but also a famous icon. Paula releases many new recipes on her website monthly. One recipe that we think the readers of The Daily Kitchen might enjoy is different recipes involving
zucchini. Zucchini is considered a New World food and goes well with anything. Take a look at the different recipes on page _!
Daily Kitchen Interview, Brendan P. age 18. The kitchen from a teenage boys perspective
Still sitting in the library, I contemplated who I should call next. I wanted another male’s perspective, because a kitchen, which was the basis of this interview, is a common place for teenage boys, who are constantly eating. Brendan, is another one of my best friends who is very full of himself, but is great company. Brendan and I have been friends since sixth grade, not friends, but rather enemies. Brendan would always tease me when we were younger and it would drive me insane. At the same time I think I enjoyed his teasing because my sixth grade self was in awe that a boy would actually make the effort to talk to me. When seventh grade came along and all of our classes matched, he stopped teasing me and decided to put up with me. From that point on we were close friends. Every year from sixth grade to twelfth grade we had at least one class together and senior year, it all came full circle when Brendan was surprisingly my prom date. Having been friends with him for so long it made prom all the better. It didn’t have to be like previous dances I had been to where it was awkward going with a guy you didn’t know all that well. As I mentioned, Brendan is very full of himself so he tried to convince me he was the best looking at prom. And although the oversized jacket for his tux might make this statement a bit of a stretch, I do think we were a hot topic of the night (not really, but one can pretend). I was lying down in one of the booths in the Stroizer library with my shoes off, very relaxed waiting for Brendan to answer. Brendan answered with an annoyed voice, which is not atypical of him, so I knew it would be more of a struggle to get him to answer a few questions but he eventually caved and the interview began. Q: Do you have any specific memories taking place in your kitchen growing up? Before my brother Austin’s hockey games my family always blasts music and dances around the kitchen so my brother gets psyched up for his game. We have an island in the middle of our kitchen, so we dance around it, blasting whatever songs we feel like. My mom lives for these moments and always tries to take a picture, which usually kills the mood. But… yeah… I would have to say dancing around the kitchen before Austin’s hockey game is probably my favorite memory in our kitchen. Which
is sort of weird when you think about it because that has nothing to do with preparing a meal or anything, but then again my mom hates cooking and my dad isn’t to fond of it either so… I guess it does make sense that my favorite memory in our kitchen is something completely unrelated to cooking. Q: What would your dream kitchen look like? I don’t know, marble countertops I guess. Q: Seriously think… 10 years from now. You’re married. You come home from work… what do you want your kitchen, which could very well be the center of your home, to look like? Claire, I really don’t know. If there’s food and a 6-pack I would probably be good with whatever. But I do want one of those cool apron’s that says “#1 DAD” or something funny like that, my Grandpa always wore one like that and I would wear it when I went to his house when I was younger. So... definitely cool aprons.
Q: What is the most important part about a kitchen? The fridge, actually no the cabinets. That’s where the food is. We always keep freshly baked cookies in my kitchen cabinets so the pantry is constantly open. We have a basket at the bottom of the pantry with a variety of different chips. We also always have a barrel of pretzels. Having two brothers and myself in the house allowed for constant snacking, so I was constantly running downstairs opening the cabinets in search for something to eat, and so were Collin and Austin.
Q: What are the key necessities in a kitchen? The fridge is probably the biggest necessity because of the food. My brothers and I need to eat ya know… Also, the kitchen as a whole is probably the most important part of my families house because of the food, which you obviously need, but it forces my family to converse and talk about our days and events in our life and stuff.
Itchin’ Irritations in the Kitchen! Spill milk? Burnt toast?
Read solutions to get over the every day irriations kitcehns bring!
The kitchen can be the most irritating place on earth. The dishwasher is full, but no one turned it on or you burn your toast… feelings of frustration begin. You decide to have some PB&J but when you take out the bread, it’s moldy. Oil gets on your favorite shirt… Joy. Your mom spends what seems like a year preparing a meal and it tastes like crap. Irritations in the kitchen are totally normal and we all experience it. “I am constantly unloading and reloading my dishwasher and always manage to somehow stain my shirt while doing it!” Says an avid reader of The Daily Kitchen. These irritations leave most of us steaming with frustration, so the writers of The Daily Kitchen have developed some solutions that will leave you feeling less frustrated and more at ease in the kitchen. Here they are: