Content
Random fact: I hate bringing lunch to work.Am I the worst food blogger ever for preferring a sandwich that's been expertly prepared by the staff of Taylor Gourmet, to a sandwich I've made at home?Probably.However, until I can get up at the butt-crack of dawn to roast my own meats, Taylor Gourmet wins.A Taylor Gourmet opened roughly 5 steps away from my office last year, and I've become
Oh, hai.Remember me?That girl who wrote an ode to tacos and then disappeared for two weeks?Stuff got busy, man.Annie came to visit. We drank Prosecco and ate lots of cheese at Cheesetique. Work was super busy, too. I went up to New Jersey for my Mom's birthday and Easter, where I finally got to enjoy a beer (okay, 4 beers) again after my Lenten fast.I finally got my butt back in the kitchen on
My name is Maggie, and I am a taco-holic.This is the sixth taco recipe that I've posted on A Bitchin' Kitchen. If I could open a restaurant or a food truck that exclusively sold tacos, I would. In addition to being insanely delicious, they're one of the most versatile foods ever. Do you want a quick and healthy taco? You're looking at them in this post. Do you want a slow-cooked an
I'm having a bit of trouble focusing on this blog post, because I just got done watching the season finale of Girls for the second time. I have so many things that I could write regarding this episode, especially pertaining to Shoshanna's speech (which I won't elaborate on because I don't want to spoil things for those of you who haven't watched yet), however, my main bit of co
Remember last August when I started an oven fire, and 5 firemen had to come and save me help this nincompoop who couldn't properly operate a broiler?That was an embarrassing day.This is the recipe that caused the fire! I know you're all dying to make it now, given that I'm prefacing the recipe with a story about it bursting into flames. For obvious reasons, it took me about 7 months b
You know how you're supposed to bring new parents stuff like casserole?That's not how I roll. Unless its my dad's awesome hash brown casserole, or has the words french toast in its immediate vicinity, casserole is usually not my thing.However, friends of mine just had an adorable new baby, and when I went over to their house a couple weeks ago to snuggle her, and pet her soft hair, and
I *just* made this chicken quesadilla pie yesterday afternoon, and it was so delicious that my planned cookie post for today is being postponed until later this week. The cookies are amazing too, but Mexican food beats cookies any day, at least in my world. I wanted to share this as quickly as possible, so that every single one of you can add it to your dinner plans this week. Seriously. Do it. N
Cooking inspiration can come from the most random places.Several weeks ago, I was watching Girls. Specifically, the episode "One Man's Trash", where Hannah has an affair with a rich, hot, brownstone-owning doctor. While she's sitting in his gorgeous kitchen, she looks around and remarks, "I feel like I'm in a Nancy Meyers movie." I thought to myself, "Man, I lo
You may be wondering, what the heck is a Snicker-Chip-Doodle?Allow me to explain.When a Snickerdoodle and a Chocolate Chip Cookie love one another very much, they hug, and they kiss, and they fool around a little, and in 9 months 8 - 10 minutes they give birth to a Snicker-Chip-Doodle.That's right. Cookies can get pregnant. Yay science!Now, these cookies may not look like anything super specia
Who here has played the game two truths and a lie?Let's play:Statement #1: Risotto is difficult to make.Statement #2: Risotto is one of the most delicious foods on the planet and cooking it will impress your cat, your lover, your dentist, and your mom. Statement #3: Onions are a miracle vegetable that taste like unicorn tears when caramelized low and slow in olive oil. Statement #1 is most def
Hey, remember that dummy that gave up dessert for Lent last year? Oh right, that was me.I was shockingly successful. I think I only screwed up twice - once at a girlfriend's bridal shower, and once when I completely forgot about Lent in a fit of hunger and ate a bag of peanut M&Ms. This year I wised up. As some of you probably know, Lent started up again yesterday with Ash Wednesday, and I
This Thursday will be my first Valentine's Day as a single lady in quite a few years. I know a lot of people who aren't in a relationship on this day get bummed out, but seriously, don't. Just don't. Celebrating Valentine's Day as a single person can be equally, if not more fun. Take the money you would have spent on a gift for your significant other and treat yo self to a fanc
As a person who loves baking and cooking, there are a lot of garbage foods that people don't expect me to like.McDonald's Quarter Pounders? Get in my face.Cool-Whip? Guilty.Little Debbie Strawberry Shortcake Rolls? Until someone comes up with a way for me to bake these at home, Little Debbie will get two of my hard-earned dollars the one time a year I allow myself to buy these hydrogenated
Those of you who have been around for awhile may remember that I explained my complicated relationship with football last year. By complicated relationship, I mean that I want to like it. I really, really do. I just don't. I love the camaraderie of rooting for a team, the fact that football signifies the start of fall, and the excuse to drink beer and eat wings.I was a marching band geek in hi
You know what's really awesome? I just wrote a whole blog post, and it inexplicably got deleted right as I was about to hit publish.No, I lied. It's not awesome. It's a giant load of crap, and now I have to remember everything I wanted to tell you guys about these blondies from memory. Here are things I'm good at remembering: birthdays of everyone I knew prior to joining Facebook,
Saturday night, I channeled my inner 80-year old and stayed home for the evening. I drank juice box wine, talked to my sister on the phone for an hour, watched old episodes of What Not to Wear, and read the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook from cover to cover. It was glorious. I also got sucked into a really bizarre Wikipedia vortex that resulted in me reading about obscenity laws in America...don't e
Usually when I bake something, it's for a specific event, a party, or someone's birthday. I didn't make these for any of those reasons. I made these cookies on a complete whim, for no reason at all, after finding Sally's recipe via Pinterest last Wednesday. As far as whims go, this one worked out extremely well for me. Whims that have not worked out well for me in the past can be f
For those of you who aren't in the know, the newest season of one of the best shows ever started up again last night. That's right, The Bachelor.Judge away, my friends - if you don't watch, you're missing out on one of the most glorious products of modern day television. Surely, most of you know the premise of The Bachelor, but in case you're a dude, or live in a country that d
Happy New Year everyone! The past 2 years I've kicked off January with a healthy recipe, so I'm continuing the tradition in 2013 with this awesome vegetarian chili. I would seriously cry and go on a hunger-strike if the only way to eat healthy was to eat a plain nasty chicken breast and some steamed broccoli. Eating boring, flavorless food is no way to go through life.Fortunately, this chi
I have been in a food coma for 7 days.It started when my family arrived in town last Friday for Christmas Part One. I ate ribs, brisket, and macaroni and cheese like I had never seen food before in my life. My food coma worsened when when I traveled up to New Jersey for Christmas Part Two, where I proceeded to make beef tenderloin and creamed spinach my bitch.Yesterday, I made the bright decision
I just wrote and deleted a whole post because it was super boring. Instead, I've decided to take the easy way out and share some of my favorite Christmas things on the interwebs. This is the last recipe I'll be posting until after Christmas. For those of you that celebrate, have a safe and Merry Christmas! For those of you that don't, enjoy the day off work! Five Awesome Christmas Th
When I was a kid, Annie and I started getting revved up for Christmas in September. We went through a 5-Step Christmas spirit program, unintentionally designed to test the patience of our parents. Step 1:Blast Christmas cassette tapes on repeat. The ones full of really annoying Christmas songs such as the Twelve Days of Christmas (no good music involves counting, see also, 99 Bottles of Beer), The
So, remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that I was going to Mixed Conference courtesy of the nice people at Lucky Leaf? Due to a last minute work obligation, I sadly couldn't make it to the conference, however, I still wanted to share what I created with one of Lucky Leaf's tasty products.Blueberry and lemon is probably my favorite flavor combination next to peanut butter and chocola
I'm alive!!It's been a busy couple weeks in Maggie-land, but I am back with a stupidly easy pasta recipe for you today. I'm the absolute worst at cooking dinner for myself when things get busy, but this takes 15 minutes of your life, and makes two perfect and super-cheesy portions.Speaking of cheese, I got in a fight involving a plate of cheese fries this weekend. I'm not usually a
I never really need an excuse to eat spicy food, but if I did, the horrible cold I've had for a few days that has reduced me to a mouth-breathing crybaby is a really good one. I rarely get sick, so when I do, I'm completely miserable. When cold medicine fails to relieve my congestion, I turn to my favorite sinus clearing ingredients like sriracha, jalapenos, and canned chipotles in adobo.F
You know the scene in The Boondock Saints where David Della Rocco launches into an impressive stream of profanity, after the brothers kill a bunch of people? (Here's a clip. Probably NSFW unless you work with people who curse a LOT.) Well, imagine me in that scene instead of Rocco, and instead of me being surrounded by dead bodies, imagine wet slippery potatoes and hot oil. Allow me to explain...t
Is Thanksgiving seriously in 3 days?I feel like Labor Day was last week. How on earth did this holiday sneak up so quickly? I haven't even completed my traditional pre-Thanksgiving ritual of watching all 10 Thanksgiving episodes of Friends back to back. Have I mentioned my obsession with Friends on here before? You know how there's comfort food? Friends is the TV version of comfort food to me. I o
Happy blog birthday to me!!!Tomorrow, my blog baby turns 3, and according to WebMD that means that it should be able to bend over without falling, use age-appropriate scissors, and clearly state its name and age. Oh...never mind, that's only for real live toddlers and not my silly little website. If we were talking about a toddler and not my blog, you'd all think I was a pretty terrible mother. I
Umm...please excuse the giant bruised piece of avocado front and center in this photo. Somehow, I didn't notice it while photographing these, and by the time I uploaded the pics, the tacos were long gone and I couldn't re-photograph. Oh well. A bruised avocado is still a tasty avocado! Maybe if I got my act together and learned how to use Photoshop I could have figured out a way to turn that brown
This cake is killing me right now.It's sitting 6 feet away from me on the kitchen counter, whispering in its stupid little cake voice "Maggie...have another slice! Your thighs can totally handle it."No, creepy talking cake, they can't. It's probably unnecessary for me to tell you that this cake is really, really good. I think sweet potato has officially usurped pumpkin in the list of my favorite o
Hellooooo, longest recipe name ever.I made these cookies for three reasons:1) I was bored and couldn't find anymore cat videos to watch on the YouTubes.*2) I had leftover candy and mini-chips left from making these that I wanted to use up in an actual recipe, rather than just eating them by the handful.3) I decided that I wasn't that hungry for dinner and would rather just let a massive 437 calori
I wake up ravenous every single morning. My growling stomach at 6 am is way more reliable than any alarm clock my money can buy. The second I'm out of the shower in the morning, I'm in the kitchen scavenging for food. I'm definitely a creature of habit when it comes to my weekday breakfasts. 90% of the time I eat oatmeal, an egg and cheese sandwich, or Greek yogurt with granola. This is usua
Soup isn't usually one of those foods where I lack self control. That unfortunate characteristic is usually reserved for foods like brownies, risotto, and macaroni and cheese. Ya know, health food. With soup I can usually have a small bowlful for dinner with a salad or some crusty bread, feel satisfied, and call it a night. However, with this soup I really just want to sit on the floor with the po
For those of you who are regular readers, you may remember that I made these delicious Pecan Turtle Black Cocoa Brownies to bring to my mom and sister up in NJ last month when I visited. Well, my mom informed me on that trip that she now prefers lemon desserts to chocolate ones. Since I'm such an awesome daughter, I made her these lemon ricotta cookies when I went up to visit this weekend. I don't
I'm am a HUGE fan of Chipotle's Barbacoa. In fact, I just spent 20 minutes of my life making a crude homage to the Dos Equis "Most Interesting Man in the World" ad to illustrate just how much I love Chipotle's Barbacoa: Stay hungry, my friends.I've wanted to make my own barbacoa at home for a long time, because as delicious as Chipotle is, it's not somewhere that I should be frequenting. I on
Is anyone else bored of logging on to Facebook and being bombarded by a million people spewing their political opinions? Ever since the debates last night, I've been avoiding Facebook like the plague. As some of you know, I live in Northern Virginia, right outside of Washington, DC. I don't know if people argue about politics this much in other areas of the country, but here it's constant personal
Want to know how to make a delicious and cozy fall meal? Of course you do.First, make a pot of my incredibly easy black bean soup, and while it's simmering away on the stove, whip up a batch of from-scratch biscuits. These biscuits are beyond delicious. The dough is full of good stuff - chives, spicy jalapenos, and sharp cheddar. I'm thinking these would also be a great base for a breakfast sandwi
Other than babysitting, my first job ever was working at Perkins as a hostess when I was 15. In case you live in an area of the country or world that does not have Perkins, they're most known for their pancakes, the sassy old ladies working as waitresses, and in the case of the location that I worked at, their mouse infestation behind the hostess stand.Mice issues notwithstanding, my 15-year old m
Sometimes my brain feels blocked. I have been sitting at my laptop, staring at a blank screen for longer than I care to admit, wracking racking my brain trying to think of an interesting anecdote, or words of wisdom to share. I've got nothing. I did read up on the difference between wracking and racking. So there's that. I was up in New Jersey all weekend visiting my sister and mom, and had a rela
Random thoughts as I attempt to cobble together a blog post at 12:39 AM:1. I considered titling this recipe Special Brownies, but realized that would have a different implication than what I intended. These are special brownies because they contain awesome and pricey ingredients (not ganja), and should be served only to special people that you really, really like. Pecans, vanilla beans, and black
I have some serious anxiety about sharing these cookies with you guys.You see, I don't make a lot of stuff with cake mixes, and these cookies contain one. Personally, I just think that baking things from scratch is way more fun than dumping a mix into a bowl, and usually tastes a heck of a lot better. You certainly won't ever catch me refusing a gooey brownie or slice of chocolate cake that's made
So, I know I jumped the gun a bit on fall this year by posting a pumpkin bread recipe like, 5 seconds after Labor Day, and the spiced applesauce cake while it was still August. Next to Christmas, fall is my absolute favorite time of the year, and I apparently get a bit over-excited about seasonal cooking.Before I share any additional fall recipes, I wanted to highlight a few that I've posted over
When you were a kid, did you ever eat cut up hot dogs mixed with a box of Kraft mac & cheese? Me too. Actually, I may have actually eaten that concoction as recently as a few months ago, so I don't know who I'm trying to fool with the whole "when you were a kid" qualifier. This reminds me of a grownup version of that! However, instead of hot dogs you have delicious smoked turkey saus
It's September.Labor Day has come and gone.You all know what that means......it's time for pumpkin. Those of you who have been reading for awhile are probably aware that I am majorly obsessed with pumpkin.From Labor Day through Thanksgiving of every year, I try to make as many pumpkin recipes as possible. I just can't get enough of the stuff, and since it's really only acceptable to bake with it
I know you guys might think I'm crazy right now. I feel crazy for passing off a couple slices of toast smeared with a concoction that took 2 minutes to whip up as a blog post.Hear me out.I have seen avocado toast all over Instagram, Pinterest, and various blogs. As delicious as it looked, and as much as I love avocado, I was never really enticed to try this combination until I saw a version here t
This is not the recipe you are supposed to be seeing right now. You are supposed to be seeing a delicious sesame-ginger salmon recipe, however while I was cooking it under the broiler, it burst into flames, and 5 firemen had to remove it from the oven while I hyperventilated. Yup, that happened. I shouldn't be allowed to have a cooking blog. I should also invest in a fire extinguisher. It smelled
This salad was supposed to be healthy. On Monday night, I went out to dinner at Guapo's, where I consumed nearly an entire basket of chips, 3 steak tacos, and one beer that did not have "light" in its name. Then, when I got home, I drank an inexcusable amount of wine while simultaneously stuffing my face with ice cream. My sister is no longer allowed to visit. Whenever she's in town, I eat (and dr
I have been wanting to join a CSA forever-ever, but have been extremely hesitant to commit to one. They're a lot of money, a lot of food, and there's only one of me. However, every time I go to the grocery store I get peeved when I attempt to purchase an in-season piece of fruit and see that it's been flown in from halfway across the country, or even worse, from another country all together. I liv
Do you guys ever visit the site WorldsHealthiestFoods.com? I'm not a health nut by any stretch of the imagination (in case you didn't realize that from the eleventy billion cupcake recipes on here...) but I'm kind of obsessed with looking up foods on there and learning precisely why they're good for you.They have this list of the 127 healthiest foods, and I was excited to realize that every ingred
Once upon a time, I was repulsed at the idea of seafood in a taco. I had the ridiculous notion that tacos should be filled with one of two things: beef or chicken. Fortunately, I came to my senses several years ago, partially thanks to one of my favorite restaurants in DC, Ceiba.Ceiba has this amazing happy hour menu with stuff like shrimp and crab nachos, ceviche, queso fundido, and pig-shaped mo
