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EP 135: Kat Can Cook
1.5k Plays14 days ago
This week on Mom Group Chat, we’re sitting down with the incredibly talented and refreshingly honest Kathleen Ashmore — the creator behind Kat Can Cook. From working for Martha Stewart to building her own food platform and navigating motherhood in real time, Kathleen shares the evolution of her career, her identity, and her relationship with cooking.
This episode is for the moms who have ever wondered:
Who am I now?
What does ambition look like in this season?
And how do I get dinner on the table without losing my mind?
We talk about all of it.
In this episode, we cover:
- Kathleen’s transition into motherhood and how it reshaped her identity
- Her experience as a stay-at-home mom and what that season taught her
- How her relationship with cooking has evolved over the years
- Behind-the-scenes stories from her time working for Martha Stewart
- Feeding kids without making 47 separate meals
- Easy, realistic recipes for busy families
- Letting go of perfection in the kitchen
- What it looks like to build something of your own while raising kids
Kathleen brings such a grounded, calming perspective to the conversation. She reminds us that cooking doesn’t have to be complicated to be meaningful — and that feeding our families can feel nourishing for us, too.
Follow Kat on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/katcancook/
Buy her best-selling cookbook: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/769436/big-bites-time-to-eat-by-kat-ashmore/
Keep up with the Moms and join the conversation on our socials:
📸 Instagram: @momgroupchat
🎵 TikTok: @momgroupchat
Questions/comments/need to vent? Email us at momgroupchat@gmail.com
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Transcript
00:00:07
Speaker
there's no right way to do it.
00:00:12
Speaker
Oh, we're gonna get into it.
Introduction to Kathleen Ashmore
00:00:14
Speaker
What up moms? My name is Candice and I'm here with my best friend Whitney and an amazing special guest today. I'm so excited. We are joined with Kathleen Ashmore. You probably know her as the woman behind Cat Can Cook. She is a professionally trained private chef, former producer and recipe developer at Martha Stewart, which is so cool and badass. She's also the author of a New York Times bestselling cookbook, Big Bites. And of course, she is a mom who has to feed her family and her kids just like the rest of us. And she is helping other moms do that through cat Can Cook. So welcome to Mom Group Chat.
00:00:52
Speaker
Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here with you. um yeah when you started off saying I'm here with my best friend. and I was like, oh, wow.
Kathleen's Family and Business Journey
00:01:02
Speaker
We're already connected that way. Literally instant besties. That's so funny.
00:01:09
Speaker
Amazing. Okay. So I know I just gave our audience like a little snapshot of who you are, um but give us, you know, your little spiel about who you are. We always, especially because this show is very mom-centric, like We want to hear about your family, how many kids you have, what ages they are, all of that stuff on top of obviously your professional life. Great. Yes. um And when it comes to feeding families, I think i it my cooking style, i won't say it's so different than it used to be, but I certainly am not in my
00:01:45
Speaker
like project cooking era. I'm not making pan of chocolate or, you know, deboning a rabbit on the weekend. Like it's very much, you know, it's very much as much as, yes, I went to culinary school and I'm professionally trained. i write recipes for the home cooks and especially moms.
00:02:07
Speaker
So I hope in that comes across. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Tell us a little bit about you and your family and your professional life. um Just give us kind of like a little bit of your journey to starting Cat Can Cook.
00:02:22
Speaker
Yes. So I have... Two kids. um William is nine and Coco is seven. i had to think about that for a second. That is so relatable. Like when the doctor asks you your kid's birthday and you're just like, I don't even know my kid's birthday anymore. yeah Why are you asking me such difficult? I remember it was cold outside. Like that's about it. um So yes, so I have seven and a nine year old. Um,
00:02:53
Speaker
husband and a dog. And we live in Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Embracing Willingness over Readiness
00:02:58
Speaker
I started my business in 2020. So really when you know, the pandemic happened. I have a friend who calls it the panini and I feel like that's that's a nice way to, that's a better way to describe it. A rebrand. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Exactly.
00:03:18
Speaker
So yeah, so I started my business in 2020 and ah prior to that, I was a stay-at-home mom for three years and wasn't not very good at it.
00:03:31
Speaker
i heard I was, ah i was pretty bad actually. I was not a good single mom. I felt guilty that I didn't enjoy it more. Um, yeah i mean that I should be better. You know, the whole thing that we, yeah um, as women and, uh, moms, but essentially, you know, I had worked for Martha Stewart right after culinary school And so I, as you said, I had worked on the television side. So um I was on the food producer team for her, which was incredible because she was very much um an idol for me. I mean, literally one of the first cookbooks that I read was her entertaining cookbook. And I would bring them on vacation with me in like middle school. How funny. That's so cute. My brother would be like, we you where are you cooking? Like, there's <unk>s no kitchen. I know. But i I
Feeding Kids: Approach and Philosophy
00:04:32
Speaker
read cookbooks like novels. and yeah feel And one of my favorite things that I hear is that a lot of other women read my cookbooks like novels. They, you know, just cozy up in a chair and they feel like it's a very personal thing.
00:04:49
Speaker
you know story. And i I like to say that um cookbooks are the only stories that always end well. you know like like It's always like- So true. They're reliable. you know yeah Yes. Yes. Very very much so. um And ah all of my content on social media is pretty personal anyway. I think that it's just a natural extension for me and I want people to feel like I'm in- their kitchens with them, you know, and um feel the confidence that I have in them and sort of borrow it from me until they find their own. I want to say I had decided to become stay-at-home mom, but it really didn't feel like a decision. It didn't really feel like a choice. And I know that a lot of women feel that way. Like my career didn't exist in Connecticut, right? So I would have either had to
00:05:45
Speaker
you know, go into the city every day and much never see my newborn baby while my husband was also commuting into New York and, or stay at home. So it didn't really feel like a choice. I mean, it's, a it It's definitely a luxury that I was able to do that. Right, right, right.
00:06:08
Speaker
It didn't feel like a choice. um Yeah. So I started my business in 2020. I was invited into a program with TikTok, actually. cool.
00:06:21
Speaker
So they were in the process of a rebrand of their own and they wanted people to understand that they were more than just a platform where, you know, kids are twerking. Dancing. no yeah yeah Yeah. There are actually some really great, qualified, inspiring educators and creators. So um I said yes.
00:06:46
Speaker
I did not feel ready at all. i mean, i i didn't feel ready at all. And this is something that I've talked about a lot on my tour is I actually don't find asking myself if I feel ready to be helpful.
00:07:01
Speaker
I now ask myself, am I willing? Yeah. right Because if I wait until I'm ready, I'm not going to do anything. Yeah. And I was just willing. And I was like 51% willing. I wasn't 100%.
00:07:16
Speaker
And so i think it's important to talk about that because I know for a lot of my life where I had this perfectionist stuff going on, I felt like I needed to be like 100% ready and know that I wouldn't screw up and know that I write And like you know all the details and yeah. Yeah.
00:07:37
Speaker
And I just, I said yes. And I figured it out. And that's been the key to the success that I've had is just saying yes and figuring it out later.
00:07:49
Speaker
Yeah. like This is. doesn't come before it. It really comes after the action.
Philosophy on Food and Abundance
00:07:54
Speaker
100%. This is a core ah that I talk about in my content too i um I help women start their own online businesses. i'm i sir I started my business in 2020 and um the same thing. Like I was not ready, but I was willing and you figure it out as you go. and even in this year, like I did, you know, the classic like ins and outs post for 2026. And one of my ins was fake it till you make it because I just feel like that is the core of success. It's like you just kind of have to go and do it and like you figure it out as you go. And honestly, there's so much of that that is aligned with motherhood too. It's not just with like business. It's like hundred percent you just have to go and like do and smart right you out as you go. Yeah.
00:08:47
Speaker
Like I'm so mad when we have kids. No, that's literally what I tell everyone. I'm like, when everyone's like, so when do you know to have your second or your third? And I'm like, i don't i don't know what to tell you. Like, I don't think I would have ever just like done yeah it. was It's a, I don't know. That part's hard. But I felt like you talked about so many interesting things. Number one being you were into cookbooks in middle school. So were you cooking as a kid?
00:09:15
Speaker
You know, my mom, My mom cooked and she's a good cook, but she, would you know, it's, yeah, it's not like- but I'm better. well i mean, now she, of course, you know, ask me, text me. Yeah.
00:09:30
Speaker
Ad nausea every day, which I love. um But I'm also like, mom, there's this thing called Google that you can all see. I trust, I only trust you now. well And I will miss it someday. So I'm yeah very, very happy to be her. personal Google. um But yeah, I mean, it's not like I grew up in a home where
Lessons from Martha Stewart and City Life
00:09:52
Speaker
it was, um yeah, we where we were eating gourmet meals all the time.
00:09:57
Speaker
My parents were both teachers. They were going to grad school when we were younger at night. And the thing is, though, we always had dinner as a family at the table.
00:10:09
Speaker
And, you know, I mean, my mom would make you know steamed artichokes you know as like an appetizer, which I still love. And the other kids would come over and be like, your mom is amazing. She makes appetizers. It's like such a big deal. But she just you know it was the kind of thing where I knew very early on that I love people and food and cooking is like the best way i know of to love people. Yeah, and totally.
00:10:44
Speaker
You know, that's, that's kind of, that's my gift. But yeah, I mean, I was really, i was really taken with cookbooks and with just the whole, i mean, yeah, with Martha, to be completely honest. I mean, yeah I was just, I just would lose myself in those books. And so being able to, you know, work for her as it was just such an amazing full circle moment.
00:11:10
Speaker
Yeah. How did that come about? Yeah. So when I was graduating culinary school, the last part of um our training was an externship, which is essentially an internship. yeah And was excited.
00:11:26
Speaker
i was It was very aggressively suggested to me to go to a restaurant and to get that on the ground training. Yeah. And I just, I stuck to my guns. And i think, you know, some of the chefs probably thought that I was really foolish for doing that. But I knew when I went to culinary school that I wanted to be on the business side of food. I always knew that I wanted to be on the media and business side of food.
00:11:58
Speaker
And obviously it worked out, but which which is great. But um it's really funny. My first day at Martha Stewart, and this is top of mind because, of course, everywhere I go when I do these events, people want Martha's stories. And I can't tell a lot of them. But my first day at Martha, um i remember like walking into the room and we were doing this big debrief on what tomorrow's show was going to be. And Martha walks in and
00:12:31
Speaker
The production team on her television show was quite small compared to her corporate business, right? I mean, there were thousands at her corporate business. There were like 50 of us, you know? So i ended up developing a really nice relationship with her and, you know, seeing her at- That's amazing. I am in clogs making a cappuccino, you know? So yeah it really was a much more intimate experience.
00:12:59
Speaker
But I remember just sitting there being like, I cannot believe that I am in this room right now. Yeah. I mean, I don't have a say in anything yet, but I'm privy to this information. And so I hadn't met her yet and I was leaving for the day.
00:13:16
Speaker
And as I'm walking down the stairs, I see Martha and her driver coming out of the elevator. And i my brain short-circuited because I'm walking behind her. And you know those rotating doors?
00:13:31
Speaker
Oh, God. I'm nervous. I walked right into the same tiny pitiful with her. I walked right literally. Right? No, yeah. And she goes, oh. And we like, walk our way through the door.
00:13:49
Speaker
it I was like, like, I walked down the street and I was don't have a job anymore. Yeah. You're like, and I'm not going back. That's funny. There is something about, yeah, there is something about those doors that like, breaks your brain. I feel the same way. There are so many times I've done like, weird things with those rotating doors. Like, I remember when I lived in new York City, obviously those are more like, around me. you know?
00:14:12
Speaker
And I would do things and I'd be like, ah ah or you like, if you don't like move with purpose, you know, you get like stuck or- i don't know why it's so stressful. Like, I don't know why- It really those yours That is so funny.
00:14:28
Speaker
Yeah. So that was my first day. But- Obviously, she's coming in. That was good. And I feel like Martha – I mean, Martha has always been obviously an icon, but I feel like you know after last year when that when the documentary came out on Netflix about her, like I feel like everyone has just had a full new like Martha obsession and resurgence, like myself included. So I'm just curious if you feel like –
00:15:00
Speaker
ah that same resurgence. Like obviously you worked with her, but then did you watch the documentary? Did you like feel like that resurgence of, you know, wow, Martha such a badass?
00:15:14
Speaker
Yes. And it was, yeah I mean, it was, it was amazing because it's the only documentary she's ever been a part of. So yeah it was very true to form. I mean, that is, that's exactly who she is. I mean, she, yeah.
00:15:29
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, she's amazing. Like she's yeah amazing. And I, I grew a backbone really working for her. Totally. i mean, you can see in the documentary, she is very straightforward. No nonsense. She's not warm and fuzzy by any means. And, but honestly, like, I love that. We don't see a lot of women in business and media who are like that. And it was just, I don't know. It's just refreshing to see that and to see how she operates. And I just feel like what a cool experience for you to work under her. Like that is so cool.
00:16:07
Speaker
It was, yeah, it was, it was amazing. I mean, I still, I still, I mean, it was such a formative ah time in my life. And I think moving to New York,
00:16:19
Speaker
too I kind of say to a lot of you know my younger followers because I speak at some high schools and things like that you know to like the senior classes. And I I suggest if you can, moving to a big city for at least six months or a year because you really are forced to figure out who you are. Yeah.
Making Mealtime Fun for Kids
00:16:44
Speaker
because I say this all the time. There's no tide that you can just kind of like float with. There's just so much of everything at your disposal that you have to decide
00:16:56
Speaker
who you want to be. And I think that that is it that really was life-changing for me. And also, i mean, kind of what we were talking about before, about being ready versus taking action. um I learned that I have to lead with a point of view. i can pivot and I can shift, but if I didn't lead with a point of view, i would have been walked all over. yeah it really taught me that I have to leave. Yeah. I have to leave with a point of view and put myself out there and join the conversation before I know everything. And yeah that, you know, that was not easy for me at first.
00:17:36
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I love that message. All right. I want to transition to mom life a little bit. And i want to hear, i feel like we, i feel like probably one of the most talked about things on the show is just feeding our kids the mental load of feeding our kids and,
00:17:56
Speaker
ah Give it so i want to me. Give it to me. Literally every meal of every day. That's like one thing anyone that like doesn't have kids yet or um is about to have more, like that's one thing you don't realize is I have to feed someone three meals a day plus snacks typically for the rest of your life. no it feels like It's a big deal. I've tried to get my kids to intermittent fast and I'm Oh my God.
00:18:28
Speaker
a For the record, I'm kidding. Oh my God. That's so funny. hard um I want to hear like, I want to hear what your journey has looked like feeding your kids. Like, are they picky? Are they open to trying new things? Like, what have you struggled with? What have you loved? Just kind of give us a background about like your journey with feeding children.
00:18:51
Speaker
The first thing I will say is that I have come to realize that there are just phases that the kids go through. And even, i mean, I have like a friend and I mean, I can say this because we joked about it, but you know, she has a two year old and she's like, he is such a good eater. he will eat everything. And I was like, yeah.
00:19:15
Speaker
Just wait. like yeah Yeah, literally. Yeah. He doesn't know like his foot from his head. like He has no ah opinions yet. um Yeah. So there are phases that they go through. And the biggest thing for me, honestly, ladies, has been managing my own anxiety.
00:19:35
Speaker
The thing is when kids, what I find is when kids are rejecting food or feeling emotional about um like not having control or, you know, being like super, super picky, oftentimes it's not the food that they're rejecting.
00:19:55
Speaker
It's your anxiety, you know? And i find that to be true beyond food as well. Right? So like- Oftentimes it's not the rules that they're rejecting. It's my anxiety. You know, they're like, yeah you know, i mean, I wouldn't want to eat something if someone was like, just one bite, just try one bite. Come on, just try one.
00:20:17
Speaker
Good for you. You need to have to, I would be like, no, like get out of my face. Even if I would be open to doing it. And true kids have such little control in their lives. If you really think about it, I mean, they're told what to do all day long.
00:20:33
Speaker
So yeah this is one place where they feel like, you know, when they get to an age where they want to have some control and be an individual and realize that they are separate from their mother. This is a place where they can exert that control. And so I don't pressure anything.
00:20:53
Speaker
i really don't. I mean, i present the food. I'll talk about it. I have a lot of little hacks when it comes to like veggies and how I kind of got my kids to, you know, enjoy them. Like I do these like bell pepper bracelets, for instance, right? Where yeah i just like make slices of bell peppers, like put them on your wrist and they just like eat them off. They love that. That so cute. Yeah. It's like integrating play into food.
00:21:24
Speaker
Yeah. It should be fun. Right. And so, um I don't use the words healthy or unhealthy in my house. I don't use the words junk food.
00:21:35
Speaker
i mean, my kids, you know, they eat plenty of chips and, you know, Nutella and all of that stuff. I'm not like your typical, um, like healthier food influencer. So, well, I was going to say that a lot, I feel like aligns with us. Like we are, I feel like very realistic with food. Like i I, don't know. I just, I feel like we grew up in a society that was like, so like diet culture focused. And I've just seen, that take effect into so many of my friends and whatever. So like, I'm just really trying to raise a house or raise a house, raise kids in a in a household, raise a house. I'm trying to, yeah, raise kids in a household where like,
00:22:27
Speaker
We love food and food is amazing and it's offered and they can try things if they'd like. And if not, like I'll offer some things that I know that they love and just trying to keep it light and light as in light as in like energy, not light as in light amount of food because I am that like yeah yeah casual. on Like I'm Yeah. um And I love something that you talk about in your content is like you talk a lot about food feeling abundant and not restrictive. So I'd love for you to talk about that a little bit and like what that actually looks like in real life.
00:23:08
Speaker
So I believe... I don't operate from a place of either or. I operate from a place of more, right? Like I'm always like, what can I add to the plate rather than what should I be taking away? So I find for myself, I mean, kids, kids aside, honestly, um you know, people will often ask me like,
00:23:33
Speaker
you know you are in good shape. Like, how do you eat this stuff? Cause like literally last night, like I had cool ranch Doritos. Okay. I had them. with Like on my sofa. um And I had them with cottage cheese. Yeah. Like, I mean, it's the best combo, by the way. That sounds really good. I was going to say, I'll have to try that. Later. um But the fact is that you're getting like, you're getting satiated by more than just the chips. So I ended up eating less chips because yeah I'm adding in
00:24:08
Speaker
all this protein. Right. So just stuff like that actually has been like that one tip alone um seems to have helped a lot of people. They're like, so you see like a half a bag of chips, but if i have like a small, and I will make like a nice little plate for myself. Like I have my sofa stack and have my sofa snacks every night and I make a nice little plate for myself. You know, I don't, I'm not eating in the pantry, standing up. I mean, I'm pretty mindful about it um and it
00:24:42
Speaker
Yeah, it feels like it just, it feels. I'm a big snack plate girl myself. Like I'll just kind of, I feel like when you like romanticize it a little bit and you're like, okay, I'm going make myself a hot little plate. That was like, honestly, during my second pregnancy, that was like my thing. I would make these like snack plates and I would have like, okay, this is a controversial take. You're not really supposed to eat deli meat when you're pregnant, but I didn't follow that rule. I would eat. You know what guys? I have to know. I can't say on this podcast. I'm sorry.
00:25:13
Speaker
nothing But I would eat like salami and cheese and like I would cut up some peaches and bell peppers, but I would also have like chocolate covered, you know, candies on the plate and I would make myself like a little snack plate. And I swear i felt so like it just feels good to like, I don't know, eat what you want, but like I still had so many healthy things on the plate while also having some bad things and like,
00:25:41
Speaker
yeah I don't know. I'm a big snack plate girl. no i am. I mean, you are speaking my language. And every time i do, i call it a dinner board. So I do it for the kids. And ah we i have this absurdly, on like, unnecessary, unnecessarily large board that is like, I mean, i'm not even kidding. It's like, it's taller than me. but it's perfect for that.
00:26:09
Speaker
So I will just, I'll put it out. We'll be like watching a movie and I put out all of this stuff. And every time I'm like, why do i give them anything else for dinner? Because i know you think they eat so, they eat a really nicely balanced meal.
00:26:28
Speaker
That's a cute. I you really do. That is such I've we've I've talked about this on this podcast before, but i I have done like picnic dinners before where I move the coffee table out of the living room and I'll like lay down a blanket and we'll I have two French Bulldogs that are up in your grill. So I got to put them outside. but that yeah The dogs are actually the biggest issue. it not the kid yeah Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. But we'll do that. How old are your kids, by the way?
00:26:57
Speaker
They are. It's okay. Evie turns two on, oh my God, Thursday. What day is it? Yes. She's about to turn two. There we go. There we go. It's my birthday. I'm like, I don't even know. Two and almost four. So two and four. Same for me. They're still really young. Oh, okay. Four and two. The two-year age gap is the same thing. Yeah.
00:27:22
Speaker
Yeah. So we will do like a picnic dinner and I'll just make a big tray of stuff. And I always am shocked. I'm like, wow, they eat. probably double the amount they do as when I make their like perfect little, you know, bento plate of stuff I think they should eat. And um so it is sometimes you just have to like, what's the word? Oh God, there's a word for this. It's like, you got to add the nuance. Like you have to add the new thing and um just kind of shake it up. And sometimes they'll, you know, they eat better.
00:27:57
Speaker
So what do you typically put on the snack board when you're doing this? Okay. So when I do the dinner board, so one of the first things, and this is something I really, really stand by, is the sooner in the process you can involve the kids, the better. Because they've got some skin in the game. Again, like control is really what they care about, right? So love the fact that one of the most common things I hear from both my first book and my second. And i I did this with my kids. This copy doesn't have all of them. This is like a clean copy, but I have the one with all the post-its downstairs. It's so many moms, because I do this with my own kids,
00:28:46
Speaker
you just sit down and they get to put little like post-its on the recipes, like the photos or the recipes that they want you to make.
Balancing Cooking as a Hobby and Necessity
00:28:56
Speaker
and So already they're invested, right? that's Like smart idea. right truth and Honestly, it's a game changer because especially if it's something that's a little bit different, they've already had a say and that is really what they care about. I mean, it And you will find in my book, in my second book, I have some recipes in there that I really debated putting in there for maybe a millisecond because I was like, these are too easy.
00:29:29
Speaker
Like they're like barely recipes, right? Nothing was too easy for me. true they were Yeah, but they are genuinely dinners that my kids love and if i like what is my purpose? you know So I have to go back to that and go like, okay, but what is my purpose? It's to help home cooks, especially moms, yeah make it more joyful, feel less like a chore, and give them recipes that they can rely on, that have like you know locked in reliable techniques, but have but are like very approachable. So
00:30:10
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, there are a few I could name off the top of my head, but um I mean, it's literally a journal of what I feed my family. so Amazing. i love that. Yeah. It's incredibly helpful.
00:30:24
Speaker
Yeah. I will definitely be doing that with my little ones. Especially because I have a little- What is your biggest challenge with your kids and eating? it like just that they don't want to try new foods or- I'd say that for my oldest, Candice and I have talked about this before where like, yeah, our first were born. There was like so much pressure on having them try every food and like every little thing. And then we learned that they go through phases, like you said, but, and I like took the pressure off of my second and she eats way better and tries way more things than he ever did. awesome. our poor first kid it's like the first pancake when you're making pancakes it's like the first one's gonna be disaster yeah i hope he turns out all right you know i'm saying but like
00:31:19
Speaker
But he's still to this day is he's all about familiarity. He likes kind of the same things. And she's more willing to try anything. Like if we have something on our plate, she will grab it, try it. And he like won't go near it. So he's a little more skeptical.
00:31:36
Speaker
Well, and there are are, you know, personality traits and there can be neurodivergent stuff, which I've experienced with, you know, that impacts that as well. So yeah um it's understanding some of that too, right? but Yeah.
00:31:52
Speaker
think like one of the most helpful things for me has been to take note of what they really love, what they really like. Is there a meal that you know if I put it in front of them, they're going to eat it and they're going be super happy with it?
00:32:08
Speaker
You know? And then there are so many derivatives of that meal. Yeah. It's like tweaking it just a little to like – So like the roasted mushroom and beef meatballs are perfect example, right? So – My kids love meatballs. I feel like a lot of kids love meatballs, right? Yeah. Safe food. A hundred percent. And I love them because I almost always will double or triple the recipe. i freeze it.
00:32:37
Speaker
I'm investing in my future self, right? So, I mean, I have... it i If I can make it into a lawnmower into a meatball, early I will make anything into a meatball. okay So um the Chumi Churi meatballs from my first book is one of the most popular dinner recipes. That sounds good. Sounds still delicious. I'm obsessed with them.
00:33:02
Speaker
And the roasted mushroom and beef meatballs in my second book, you basically are taking a pound of ground beef and You're mincing mushrooms. You're roasting them to get rid of all of the water because they're mostly water really. um And mushrooms are quite meaty on their own. You're just folding that in with the beef. and And it's not like it's only mushroom. I'm not.
00:33:28
Speaker
freezing cauliflower and blending it and being like, it's ice cream. It's rice. Yeah. Exactly. Oh my God. Don't even get me started on cauliflower. um I know. Same. Yes. so Remember that trend? Yeah.
00:33:41
Speaker
They're getting an actual meatball, but they're getting a full serving of veggies, you know, and it makes your life easier because just like put it with some bread and sauce or some, you know, pasta or whatever. And yeah you're done. You've got an entire- meal planned. um yeah But like the teriyaki beef bowls are They take 15 minutes to make. You do a quick homemade teriyaki sauce. It's ground beef. You do a quick pickled cucumber and some rice and you're done. My kids will eat two or three helpings of those. I mean- Yeah. if My daughter would eat that. She loves some rice. she I don't know. She's just like very- I feel like both my kids, I want to make the meatballs tonight, honestly. Yeah. is Yeah. They're actually great. And I'm actually hosting a Galentine's day dinner tomorrow night for um Coco and four of her friends and their moms. So I'm planning kid-friendly menu, but that is also something that we will all enjoy. and
00:34:50
Speaker
quite honestly, a couple of the recipes I have to test because I'm writing my third whole book because I'm a psychopath, um which is due in like three weeks. Yeah. So, yeah. So I'm going to be, you know, I'm doing a charred steak with a miso lime batter with an optional, like there's going to be some of it on there, but there's also more on the side. going to be doing rice and like, it's going to have bunch of delicious like herbs and dates and all that kind of stuff. A cheese board for the appetizer because don't cook, I don't,
00:35:26
Speaker
it's not that I don't cook appetizers, but if I'm doing kids and adults, I know that there's something on the cheese board, whether it's a cracker or yeah yeah there's going to be something that they're going to eat. Right. Totally.
00:35:40
Speaker
And then I'm, yeah. And then I'm doing, like garlicky green beans. And then I'm doing like an olive oil company. Wow. I will be there. Let me know the time. I'm about to marry her. So honestly, where do you like find inspiration for this?
00:35:59
Speaker
think about food a lot. I think about food a lot. Like it's it's a little crazy to that person probably. So I would say i find inspiration – Definitely seasonally. so I'm a very, very seasonal cook. i don't I don't even buy berries in the wintertime or tomatoes.
00:36:21
Speaker
I like them not in the house. And not because I'm being dogmatic like, oh, they're beneath me. It's because there's such a watered-down version of what they're supposed to be that I like being excited every season for the new produce, right? Yeah. But I also – i also take take a bit of direction from my kids and what I see that they really like. And then I expand on that. Right. So yeah um yeah, that has been great. And again, I mean, I had a few recipes in this book where I was like, is this like too easy? i mean, build people know.
Cookbook Success and Audience Engagement
00:37:03
Speaker
see if i tell you it was like, well, people know that I, am a legit cook and then you what you're saying yeah yeah fuck yourself and be like, but what's your purpose? Are you trying to bless people? are Are you trying to help people? I'm trying to help people. Right. Yeah. Well, that's what I was going to say when you asked about like what our biggest struggles are. And I am a cook. Like I love to cook. I am also a cookbook collector. So everything you were saying earlier is like me, I yeah above my sink, I have two shelves in there. Yeah, i totally get it. And, um, but my biggest challenge becoming a mom and feeding my own family is that cooking was something I did almost like a hobby. Like I love trying new recipes, but now my mental space for that is like so little um,
00:37:58
Speaker
I feel you it like yeah yeah like it took a little bit of like the joy out of it, which I struggled with. And I was actually just talking about this to my husband last night. and i was like And he was like, oh, well, you'll be able to talk to the girl you're interviewing tomorrow about this. And I was like, you're right. But I feel like I just literally, like in the past month, have found like the right – I feel like for me it's all about like logistics and like cadence of cooking – like what works for us. And I feel like, I feel like I have found my cadence and it's this, I can choose one like new and exciting recipe a week.
00:38:38
Speaker
Right. And then I need one recipe that's like tried and true. I know it I don't even have to think cooking it. I know we typically have the stuff. It's something whenever I go to the grocery store, I get, so for us, it's like tacos or whatever.
00:38:52
Speaker
pasta and meat sauce, like stuff I know that I make all the time and it's like tried and true. And then I have one recipe that I know makes a lot that we can like eat for leftovers or turn the leftovers into like a second meal. So for us, that's like, I, I make like chicken cutlets and chicken Milanese, but then we use the cutlets in a salad, the next, you know, in two days from now or whatever. And so I feel like that's my tried and true. I have one new recipe, one tried and true, and then one like something that makes extras that I will turn into like a leftover second meal and then we'll eat out once a week. So that's like my five days life. That's perfect. mean, that's a great cadence because honestly, mean, I think it's amazing that you already have that. Yeah. Because I – like no one is –
00:39:44
Speaker
they're most creative at five o'clock on a Tuesday. Like no one, I mean, myself included, no one enjoys cooking that way, you know? So I actually, i will take 20 to 30 minutes on a Sunday with a cup of yeah coffee and I will just, I'll just, I'll write my meal plan and I do my grocery list. I'm not making new recipe every single night. i mean, yeah I am cooking more, um,
00:40:13
Speaker
well, I can't really say what my next book is like the about, but, um, let's just say it's the meal that is the Achilles heel for most of us. Um, wherever we come and yeah no yeah yeah yeah. Yeah. So that's my entire next book. And so i'm you know, I'm cooking a bit more, but I completely agree with you. And I think that, um,
00:40:39
Speaker
I think when we put too much on ourselves, we just set ourselves up to fail. And then we're like, I should be enjoying this more or I don't like to cook. It's like, no, you just don't like to be stressed. Right. So true. And that's exactly – that's like what I was – I feel like when I got into this place of like, oh, the joy of cooking is like sucked away. It was – I was trying to like try – do something new and exciting like four days a week. And I'm like, and then I'm like, well, i'm I'm looking at my phone trying to read the recipe while my dogs are licking underneath me. And like, don't get me wrong. The dogs are my 13th reason right now. i just Totally. They're like a piece of cake.
00:41:24
Speaker
It's also like, what are you doing it for? Right? Yeah, exactly. I had say that myself too. Like, why am I driving myself crazy? It's my own stuff. It's my own yeah expectations that I'm putting on myself that I should be like having this You know, exciting like theme night dinner every – like what? No. That's just not – so that's why I do include – you know, i have some recipes that are a bit more complicated, but they all cook in an hour or less. so Yeah. Amazing. Like there isn't a ton of –
00:42:00
Speaker
Yes. I was very excited that it made the New York Times bestseller list, which was incredible. thing Amazing. It's very hard to do with your second cookbook. And I just like, i kind of tried to manage my expectations, but what it told me, um i mean, I knew that this was going to be the theme for for the book simply because I listened to what recipes people were making the most from the first book. And I said to my editor, even though you know I signed the contract for books two and three before book one even was published because the pre-orders were so great. I said, I really don't want to firm up a theme until I start getting feedback. Exactly. Because really just, if you just open your ears and like huh ask questions, people will tell you what they want from you. They really will. You don't have to read people's minds. Yeah.
00:42:55
Speaker
so I think that this was a good way to go and it seems to be helping a
Conclusion and Social Media Engagement
00:43:00
Speaker
lot of people. The soups and stew section is, yeah, i like, I mean, my kids love soups and stews now. Me too. like They didn't always. mean, Caroline wouldn't touch anything that had like a hint of a tomato in it. But now, I mean, the Italian stuffed cabbage soup is by far the most popular. Yum. I have to make that. I love.
00:43:28
Speaker
In the book. I made it on the Drew Barrymore show last week. And i mean, people are loving it. Loving, loving, loving. So that's a really good one. right. Because it's a meal in a bowl, right? like Yeah, got exactly. Exactly.
00:43:42
Speaker
That's why I love soups and stews for that reason. It's like, okay, it's just this one pot of stuff. And then i and like sometimes I'll- That's something you can eat a lot of for a long time. So I love that. You freeze it. You can make it in the morning or the day before. It's just like, and as moms, you have to find those windows, right? So it might be 11 a.m. And I'm like, this is actually the only free hour i have all day to cook. Yeah. So that's where these recipes are great. So true. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. We're going to wrap up here, but we always like to do at the end some like rapid fire fun questions. Okay. Yeah. so
00:44:21
Speaker
what is one food trend that you're totally over?
00:44:27
Speaker
Food trends. Just in general. Yeah. I'm kind of over food trends. To say that, I mean, look, I'm not a viral recipe maker. That's just not, it's just not my thing. um Food trends. And a lot of times they just don't make any sense. And I think that we, if you are looking to follow people and to consume content that is actionable and you're going to use in your homes, that is a different thing than viral videos that are like outrageous combinations. mean, it can be fun. I mean, and some of them do make sense sometimes. Yeah. But I'm kind of over that, you know, there's a big difference between an entertainer and an educator. Yeah.
00:45:26
Speaker
I hope that I'm a bit of both. um But yeah, no, you are. As someone who who watches and follows your content, you definitely are. Yes. You do both. Oh, that's really nice. Thank you.
00:45:37
Speaker
Okay. What recipe, what's one recipe from your new book that you make on repeat the most? It's the teriyaki beef bowls. Like, no question.
00:45:48
Speaker
No question. I always have a ah pound of ground beef in the freezer. Always. You could do ground turkey if you want. Just don't do ground turkey breast. If if you if you don't listen to anything else I say listen during this podcast...
00:46:07
Speaker
Don't mess with ground turkey breast. It just – Okay. That's so interesting because I have tried ground turkey and I hate it I hate it. And maybe it's that I've been doing ground turkey breast. Yeah. That's why.
00:46:19
Speaker
Yes. I bet. It's good to know. It's too lean. It's going to be dry. dry. Yes. Every time. But oftentimes, the ground turkey is not labeled – like ground dark meat turkey. It's just labeled ground turkey and it looks a bit darker. You will see ground turkey breast on the label for the turkey breast.
00:46:42
Speaker
Good to know. I feel like that's the most important thing that I've said. yeah You're like, screw the cookbook. by that's like That's really my big takeaway. so yeah If you weren't in food or you weren't a cook, what do you think you'd be doing instead?
00:47:01
Speaker
I would probably do something in the... I feel like this makes me sound like I think I'm Gandhi or something. But in the mental health world, whether it's probably a psychologist or something, just because I like to go deep and I'm not great with... I don't like the surface chit-chat kind of stuff. Mike always jokes that... Like, he's always like, if I lose her at a cocktail party, like, nine times out ten, she's in a corner, someone's crying to her. Literally, that you met, like, four minutes ago. You're like a life coach at this cocktail party. yeah, yeah. Tell me why your mom... You all are both, like, on the floor sitting, having this thing.
00:47:48
Speaker
No, I do, like... is funny. I do, like, that's where i I just find it very soulful, and I'm very curious about other people. And... I love to, you know, be additive in some way. Yeah.
00:48:03
Speaker
Yeah. Amazing. Well, this has been so, so fun. We have loved having you give us the deets about your cookbook, where people can find it, what it's called, all of that. And then also where people can follow you.
00:48:16
Speaker
Yes. um So my cookbook is Big Bites Time to Eat. It is available for you. I thank you. I love so much. um and All my outfits on my tour were burgundy, pink, and green. Love. they can And I know that nobody cares about that other than me. I do.
00:48:35
Speaker
here. Yeah, I was going to say we do for sure. Oh my gosh. you're worried Are you wearing pink and green? Wait a second. We literally are in the colors of your cookbook right now.
00:48:46
Speaker
I love this so much. I couldn't have planned it better. could not have planned it better. Yeah. So it's called Big Bites Time to Eat. And yeah, it's available everywhere. Books are sold. Of course, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, all of those places. Amazing.
00:49:05
Speaker
Yeah, and it was just released a couple of weeks ago. And i my handle is Kat Can Cook, so it's K-A-T-C-A-N-C-O-O-K on Instagram and TikTok. And then my website is rapidlymashmore.com where I've got lots of great recipes for you as well. Yes. Well, thank you so, so much for joining us. This has been so amazing. Everyone go check out her cookbook and definitely check out her content. She is such a good follow and we will see you guys later.
00:49:36
Speaker
Thank you. Thank you so much for being a part of our mom group chat. New episodes drop every Tuesday. And don't forget, the group chat is blowing up on our Instagram page. So make sure you're following along over there. All right. Gotta go. My toddler just put something in her mouth.