10 Questions With Jennifer Schall Of My Kitchen Addiction

Our next nominated food blogger to be on the hotseat for 10 Questions is the lovely Jennifer Schall of My Kitchen Addiction. I didn’t know about Jennifer’s blog till she was nominated, then I headed over to it and was instantly hooked. I love her minimal blog style and design. The pictures are a joy to see and her whole approach to food and cooking is a lot of fun. She makes every dish appear approachable in that wholesome, home-cooked way. Her Penny Pinching Pantry Raid Section is not only brilliant but also very inspiring. In this day and age when there is excessive over-consumerism everywhere you look, it takes a lot of determination and gumption to actually put an end to that and cook fresh, healthy food for yourselves while cutting costs. I myself have been very very inspired after seeing Jennifer’s posts with pictures of her fridge and pantry, her fun pantry stock-take and the subsequent yumminess that results from her endeavors. Jennifer can also be found tweeting her love for food on Twitter as @JenSchall

Thank You Jennifer for taking the time to answer some questions for us. It is a pleasure to have you on the blog.

1. Your latest food discovery?
I think my latest food discovery has been agave syrup. I used to use a lot of artificial sweeteners (and drink a lot of diet soda), but in the last year or so I have been trying to get away from that. Instead, I have been using natural sweeteners, in moderation, when possible. Agave has recently become one of my favorites – I especially like it in beverages and dressings.  I love it drizzled over fresh fruit and plain yogurt, too!

2. What cookbook has inspired you the most?
Long before I learned to cook, I loved to bake. My interest in baking came from spending time in the kitchen with my mom when I was young. I remember sitting at the kitchen table paging through my mom’s copy of Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book trying to decide what kind of cookies I wanted to make. After I got married, she bought me my own copy of the cookbook – a reproduction of the original version that she has. I love the old-fashioned feel of the cookbook, and I still find myself paging through the cookbook looking for cookie recipes that I haven’t tried yet. Betty Crocker’s cookies make an appearance at almost every holiday in my family.

3. Your fondest food memory?
Each Christmas as I was growing up, my mom’s side of the family would get together to bake cookies. We would always make sand tarts from an old family recipe for thin, crisp sugar cookies. My mom, aunt, and grandmother would roll the dough and cut out the cookies while my great grandmother helped all of the kids decorate the cookies. In addition to decorating, I distinctly remember my great grandmother sneaking some cookies to our dog when my mom wasn’t watching. My great grandmother passed away while I was in college, but we continue to make her sand tarts each year during the holidays. The last few years we have gotten together at my house – and everyone tries to sneak cookies to my dog when I’m not looking!

4. Your most trusty kitchen companion?
For me, this is an easy question – my All Clad stainless cookware. Last summer, after only three years, I had already worn out the nonstick pots and pans that I got as a wedding present.  After quite a bit of deliberation (I am not known for making quick decisions), I took the plunge and bought the 15-piece stainless set at Williams- Sonoma.  So far, they haven’t let me down. And, I still get excited to see how pretty and shiny they are after I wash them. I swear, you could run over them with your car and they wouldn’t have a scratch.

5. Quick, tell us 10 things that are in your fridge right now!

1. Leftover Cranberry Apple Cole Slaw – although not for long 
2. Lowfat Milk (1%)
3. Boursin Cheese
4. Assorted Veggies – asparagus, bell peppers, mushrooms, you get the idea!
5. Ketchup – or is it catsup?
6. Assorted Mustard – plain yellow, dijon, and honey
7. Prosciutto – this will go with the asparagus in 4
8. Thai Chili Garlic Sauce
9. Sour Cream
10. Leftover Grilled Chicken – will be reincarnated into BBQ Chicken
11. Pizza for lunch

6. One ingredient that frightens you the most? Why?
I am very intimidated by seafood in general. It scares me when I am cooking it and when others are cooking, as well. I want to like it, but I often can’t get past the texture. After many failed attempts, I can now cook tilapia and mahi mahi, but beyond that, I am a fish out of water (no pun intended).

7. What are you doing food wise to be more ecologically responsible?
One way I try to be more ecologically responsible is to cook a few vegetarian meals each week. In addition, I have been making a conscious effort to utilize local, in season produce. This is the second year that my husband and I planted a garden in our back yard. We have a bit of a problem with groundhogs, so it doesn’t produce nearly as much produce as we use. To make up for it, I usually end up going to the farmer’s market each weekend. I love picking out fresh fruits and veggies for the following week. My husband and I are also looking into joining a CSA. If it doesn’t work out this summer, we will definitely be joining one next year.

8. Which celebrity chef would you invite to dinner? What would you cook for them?
Without any formal culinary training, it is quite frightening to me to even imagine cooking for a celebrity chef! Usually I’m happy if my husband will eat whatever I make for dinner each night. If I had to pick one, though, I think I would go with Mario Batali. I love his sense of humor and think he would be a very entertaining dinner guest.  What would I cook, you ask?  I think I would make him my roasted vegetable lasagna. It’s a bit risky, since he’s the authority on Italian cooking, but it’s one of my favorites. Besides, I don’t think he would be too brutal with his criticism – he always seems so pleasant on TV!

9. What vegetable are you?
I think this has been the hardest question for me. It reminds me of a job interview question. I think I am most like a yam – both sweet and savory.

10. Comfort Food
Have I mentioned yet that I love to bake?  I love sweets, so pretty much anything of the dessert variety will do. Lately I have been on a bread pudding kick. I found a recipe for individual chocolate bread puddings in a small batch cookbook. The recipe only makes two servings – one for me and one for the hubby. With vanilla ice cream, it is the perfect comfort food for me.

Such fun questions … Thanks, Sneh for including me in your 10 Questions section of your blog!!

And Thank You for your fun answers Jennifer! We wish you all the best with your fabulous blog.