tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41092787003910583292024-03-05T02:40:37.529-05:00The Messie KitchenI love to cook. I love to eat. I can't use the toaster without making a mess.Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.comBlogger343125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-81226926612007475492020-05-17T21:19:00.000-04:002020-05-17T21:20:02.756-04:00Coconut Lime Margaritas
This is the first official post!! “It’s been 84 years...”
Name that movie?
Titanic. C’mon. Oh God, are you too young you haven’t seen Titanic? Leo was a fox!
I digress.
It’s been 5 years. And to be honest, at that point, the blog felt more like a chore and less like a hobby. So I stopped. It’s not to say I stopped cooking, but I stopped putting everyone on pause atJessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-24651697536406114452015-01-04T18:22:00.000-05:002015-01-04T18:22:56.524-05:00Cherry Cheesecake Crumb Bars
The holidays are totally meant for splurging. Splurging on plane tickets to visit friends and family. Splurging on gifts for your special someone. Splurging on Grandma's famous fill-in-the-blank and so on. In my family, we really go for it. We cook up a storm, drink tons of good wine, and indulge in sweets of all kind. We don't discriminate. Chocolatey. Minty. Creamy. Rich. You name it; we ate Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-4324241067201322082014-11-24T18:44:00.002-05:002014-11-24T18:44:53.602-05:00Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
I am…how would you say, a bit of a rule follower. I don't like driving off the map. I don't like sneaking into somewhere I don't have a ticket. And I don't like to deviate from baking recipes. I really don't. And you know what? That's usually why I am a pretty good baker. And that's why I find comfort in baking. I know that with this amount of flour, this amount of butter and this Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-86086330790857438252014-11-16T21:29:00.001-05:002014-11-17T17:50:05.243-05:00Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder (Slow Cooker)
This morning, before the sun came up, before the roosters were out and before even Dunkin Donuts was open, the alarm went off and I dragged myself out of bed. I work for a race events company, and at 5 AM, I was standing on the edges of the woods on a dark street across from a cemetery unwrapping Chewy bars and fruit snacks. It was c-o-l-d. Not just chilly. It was bitter. I had at Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-35898456521317614032014-11-09T17:49:00.001-05:002014-11-17T17:55:28.862-05:00Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
I am not a Boston native. Born and raised in Virginia, schooled in Pennsylvania, and up to Massachusetts after my Master's degree. I always loved Boston, so it my clear frontrunner upon graduation.
First of all, it is fun. There are so many young people, and while it's pretty transient, I've already made some forever friends. Also, you aren't far from anything. You've got beautiful Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-78319508697558730622014-11-03T19:36:00.001-05:002014-11-17T17:55:41.119-05:00Brown Sugar Cinnamon Rolls
Yesterday was a day that filled up my cup. You've heard that expression right? It's the premise that if you haven't taken care of yourself, your needs, and your wants, then you only have so much you can give, or empty, to others. It's far too often we (women, especially) are doing the things we think we should do, or feel guilted to do.
We tell our family we will be in charge or organizingJessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-9449745609268836722014-10-13T12:41:00.002-04:002014-11-17T17:56:06.158-05:00Heath Bar Brownies
I do
realize this is my second Heath Bar recipe in a row. And you know, I'm okay
with that, and I come by it honestly. You see, apart from my dad, the rest of
my family is full of fall babies. My sister and I are just 4 days apart, and
mother dearest, a few weeks later. So I spend the early days of autumn birthday
baking, and I will never complain about that.
I know
that people always Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-1511500882955628702014-09-24T18:42:00.001-04:002014-11-17T17:56:24.540-05:00Heath Bar Cake
I would guess, if I had to, that the most requested birthday cake flavor is Funfetti. Everybody loves the yellow cake speckled with colorful candy sprinkles, and I am one that agrees with the crowd. Once, for a friend's birthday, I made a homemade version. The box was better! It was my birthday last week, and my chef boyfriend who hates to measure and bake in general whipped it up. The point isJessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-87877040036058370772014-09-16T08:05:00.001-04:002014-11-17T17:56:37.135-05:00Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars
I moved two weeks ago. Still in Boston… still in the same neighborhood even, but the move was (as all moves are) tough. I lived in my old place only two years, but I loved it. Spacious, updated and most of all, it was mine. Two years of memories. Two years of laughter. Two years of pain. My things were on the wall, on the ground, everywhere. As my dad says, it was my dirt.
Don't get Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-18671538834162989782014-09-10T20:21:00.001-04:002014-11-17T17:56:51.241-05:00Easy Caramel Apples
I sort of feel like a fraud posting this as a "recipe." Especially when I haven't updated anything for almost an entire year. Especially when I hardly cook (or bake!) anymore. But then I thought, I have to post. Because it's September, and today people in Boston are wearing coats. People are ordering pumpkin spice coffees and drinking cider beers and slowly tank tops are being replaced with Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-36067304848271127072013-10-12T18:09:00.000-04:002014-11-17T17:57:25.721-05:00Maple Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel
I was standing guard at the bench; three, maybe four pumpkins were lined up in a row. I had my eye out on them. After digging through piles of deformed, warted, green pumpkins, my Dad and I had narrowed it down to a handful of perfectly orange, round gems. You see, ever since I was a little girl, he and I would make the trip out to the country and hit as many pumpkin patches as were around. Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-40666734912134275352013-10-06T15:30:00.002-04:002014-11-17T17:57:41.692-05:00Homemade Vegan Granola Bars
Something about the summer makes it hard to imagine preheating the oven and making your tiny apartment feel like the depths of hell. Or maybe not for you, if you can afford using your central air. But for me, a frugal fanny, summer baking is not exactly my jam. So when the drizzly Boston weather kept my Dad and I from spending a leisurely Sunday out exploring some New England farms, I knew justJessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-66800753632354852562013-06-12T21:30:00.001-04:002014-11-24T21:50:19.220-05:00German Chocolate Cake
Well, it happened. For the first time. We (Julia and I) took our first baking order! And in the mix? Two classics. Red Velvet, which of course you loyal fans know that I adore, and German Chocolate. I have never made German Chocolate before. I have never ordered German Chocolate before. I have never thought about German Chocolate before. And folks, as The Monkees and Smashmouth once said, "thenJessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-56131596779034162832013-06-05T12:28:00.000-04:002014-11-24T21:51:17.709-05:00Homemade Take 5 Bars
Take five things in your life that you can't live without. Choose wisely. I mean really. Think about what matters and what doesn't. Think about those things that make your day worth living. The things that get you up in the morning. And then, keep reading.
I heard once, from someone far wiser than myself, that you need three things in life: something to do, someone to love, and something to Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-32073926274579464632013-05-29T21:29:00.002-04:002014-11-24T21:51:39.086-05:00Homemade Nutter Butters
Everyone in life has a few precious things that bring them back. Bring them back to a sweet memory, perhaps when they were carefree, without pain, in love or maybe even when they were a child. These memories do not come often, and when they do, I want to cherish the moment. I want to squeeze every second of nostalgia and joy out of it. I want to stay in that precious memory forever. But, alas, Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-76822134154967863282013-05-16T20:50:00.000-04:002014-11-24T21:51:54.020-05:00Lavender & Lemon Scones
I am wearing shorts and flip flops. Our windows are wide open. The shade was a welcome cover from the bright sun. At last, it seems like winter is retreating spring has decided to show it's baby face. I get winter... I understand it. It's a necessary evil. And you know, December to February is fine. March is tolerable. By April, the days of thirty degrees and whipping wind leave something to beJessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-65509509937848408882013-03-16T11:48:00.000-04:002014-11-24T21:52:21.789-05:00Irish Bread Pudding
Okay, I know, I know. Everyone is a little bit Irish on St. Patty's Day. I myself am a huge advocate of bringing out my inner Celtic lassie all year long, but on this weekend, might as well be a no brainer. I have the absolute advantage of living in one of the most historic Irish neighborhoods in the city, South Boston, and the pride here is fierce. I'm telling you, if you aren't celebrating in Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-72339947035917504742013-01-17T21:43:00.000-05:002014-11-24T21:52:43.034-05:00Toffee Cream Cheese Brownies
People are interesting creatures. Really, we are. You have those people, and maybe you know one or two, but those people who are hyper focused workaholic types who can never get out of their own head and take a breath of the life they are missing out of? Yeah, I bet you know the type. Well, eventually those people dry up. And it's sad and it's hard, but sometimes it's just like the life is Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-81035106952850473932012-12-31T17:25:00.001-05:002014-11-24T21:52:59.322-05:00Butterscotch Blondie Crunch Bars
The last few hours of 2012 are quickly ticking away. I can't say this enough - what a year. Major ups, major downs, and through all of it, we move forward. I think that for most people, this time of the year begets reflection. We look back and examine the year that has passed. We try and forget some of the pain we felt. We try and hold tightly to the joy we found. We scrutinize the decisions weJessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-61282147406336108602012-12-25T23:43:00.001-05:002014-11-24T21:53:13.468-05:00Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie
Ever since I was a child, Christmas has been my favorite time of the year. And not just Christmas, but at the first sight of holiday cheer, I get that giddy childish buzz. I've talked about this before. You all know this. But lo and behold, 2012, once again, has proven different...surprise surprise. This was my first holiday season as a Catering Sales Account Manager at Milk Street Cafe in Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-24429575805985367982012-12-10T22:53:00.000-05:002014-11-24T21:53:33.535-05:00Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
It's hard to believe that I've known Julia for 14 years. Yes, back in the day when we were Umbro wearing, bad haircut having, chestless tweens, we really bonded over our shared awkwardness, gangly bodies and necessity for prescription deodorant. Let's be honest, not much has changed. But over the weekend, Jules entered her 26th year. Our little girl has grown up. And while she left behind her Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-47283930598592372932012-12-06T20:35:00.001-05:002014-11-24T21:54:18.290-05:00Cranberry Bliss Bars
You know, ever since I was a child, this has been my favorite time of year. And twenty-five years later, here I am, sitting on my couch, wearing slippers watching The Polar Express. Some things never change. But when I was a child, it was Christmas lists. It was toys. It was reindeer. And, sadly, while I still hope every year that Santa will squeeze his way into my tiny apartment in Boston, my Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-68036066009307512212012-11-09T21:48:00.001-05:002014-11-24T21:55:16.826-05:00Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
So I love October. It's probably, no, definitely, my favorite month. The air gets a little cooler, the beers a little darker and the food a little, well, how do I put this? The food gets better. Mostly because of pumpkin. But also because of pumpkin muffins, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin scones, pumpkin drugs. You know the deal. And, without a doubt, when I finally started baking again (it's been a Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-81085053907421557072012-07-28T18:09:00.001-04:002014-11-24T21:55:33.820-05:00Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Right now in the Bean, it is pouring rain. I might even venture to say it is chilly outside. And on television, I just saw a back-to-school commercial. I mean it is July, and at my new job, we are planning our holiday menu! Is it just me, or is this summer flying by? I haven't even been to the beach and suddenly I find my mind wandering to cozy sweaters and warm coffee drinks.
But before I Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4109278700391058329.post-8661183380973519202012-07-25T21:07:00.001-04:002012-07-25T21:07:13.475-04:00Carrot & Zucchini Frosted Sweet Bread
I've
been going to church for about three and a half years, which is pretty
surprising to anyone who knew me prior to then, because I was downright
opposed to organized religion. I have heard a lot of things that have,
unfortunately, gone in one ear and out the other, but on Sunday, I heard
something that will stick with me for a really long time. There are
times in our lives where we Jessie -- The Messie Kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128775283821875528noreply@blogger.com3