'In the Kitchen' Archive Fridays: Featured Food Blog 'Cooking during Stolen Moments'

Welcome to the first installment of 'In the Kitchen' Archive Fridays!  I figured that the best way to start the event is by posting the very first food blog feature that I did on Everything 'In the Kitchen' Up Close back in March of 2009!  Make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for an update on 'Cooking during Stolen Moments'!  The information contained in the original post may not be completely up to date, although, all the links should still work.  

Enjoy!

"Welcome to my very first featured food blog posting! The name of this weeks featured food blog is "Cooking during Stolen Moments....an Affair with my Kitchen." When I saw this blog for the first time, I almost had to leave the room to stop myself from drooling all over my keyboard. “Cooking during Stolen Moments” is run by a woman named Kate. Before Kate started her blog, ‘dinner rush hour’ was not the easiest hour in the day to make it through. She recalls a baby, toddlers, and an older child, all of whom seemed to want her attention at the same time…supper time. Kate set out to discover how to make supper time a bit easier. Kate has found a solution that has eliminated the dreaded “dinner rush hour” and now shares her plan with others, through her blog. Kate’s plan involves what she calls “Stolen Moments”. Stolen moments are chunks of free time in between activities that she uses to prepare supper. 

As you look through Kate’s blog you will find amazing recipes that feature fabulous pictures of the entire preparation and cooking process. She also leads you through the entire recipe from beginning to end with step-by-step instructions. In addition, Kate enjoys sharing all her tips and tricks in the kitchen. Besides making meals in stolen moments, Kate seems to enjoy developing a monthly grocery budget for her family. I was shocked to see that Kate’s family has a monthly budget of only $350. This budget satisfies six hungry members and includes breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and desserts for her whole family. After reading that, I think I could learn a thing or two from her. I sadly admit that for two people in my household, we spend even more than that. Finally, Kate makes it extremely easy to locate different recipes. Labels down the side of her blog clearly define all the recipes on her blog. I love this! It makes it so much easier to find what I am looking for.

Now…on to her fabulous recipes. The first time I visited Kate’s blog she had posted a recipe she entitled ‘Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti’ (sounds amazing, doesn’t it?) Well, hopefully Kate doesn’t mind but I took a screen shot of her blog to entice you all over there. However, I do warn you…once over there, you may not be able to put the mouse down….or you might get the urge to immediately cook one of her fabulous meals! Please keep in mind, this screenshot is just the beginning of it. You’ll have to head over to “Cooking during Stolen Moments” to get all the step-by-step instructions for this recipe, as well as others.

Here are a few other recipes on “Cooking during Stolen Moments” that caught my eye:

• Pizza-Stuffed Meatloaf
• Stromboli
• Cinnamon-Apple Stuffed French Toast
• Bacon, Cheese & Egg Biscuit Cups

Somehow, after looking after her four children, cooking up a storm in those stolen moments, budgeting, and writing her cooking adventures on “Cooking during Stolen Moments”, Kate manages to contribute to her two other blogs: Happy to be at Home and A Simple Walk. "

Update:

Since completing this Food Blog feature back in March of 2009, Kate has moved 'Cooking during Stolen Moments' to a new web location!  You can continue to read about her latest moments in the kitchen at http://stolenmomentscooking.com/.  The website has a beautiful new look and still continues to offer you all the joys of her original website.  Unsurprisingly, Kate's blog has grown substantially over the past couple of years.

One thing I love about her new website (other than the brilliant look of it) is the Recipe Index.  The recipe index is fantastic because it sorts all the recipes that she has shared on her blog in an easy to navigate system, sorted by type of dish (e.g. chicken, baked goods, beans, pasta, and more!).

When reading through Kate's About page, I noticed that she had an exciting announcement in September of 2010...a new addition to her family - a new baby.  Kate is now a mother to five.  I'm impressed that an even busier Mom manages to find the time to put her heart into 'Cooking during Stolen Moments'.  Since I'll soon be a new Mom, this is encouraging and wonderful to see!

Another exciting announcement is that in 2010, Kate's 'Cooking during Stolen Moments' was awarded the Top 50 Mommy Food Bloggers award from Babble.com. 

Kate from 'Cooking during Stolen Moments' can now be found on Facebook and Twitter. 

A note about Kate's old blog...If you are checking out the links to posts on her old website, you will notice that the background is no longer there and shows up white.  This makes it difficult to read her posts.  For ease of reading, I suggest highlighting the text so it appears against a darker background instead of white (the text on the page is a beige colour).