I'm a cooker, not a baker.

I have always said that I love to cook but hate to bake. And this weekend I learned that that's not entirely true.

When I bake I beat everything by hand. I don't have a fancy mixer or a fancy food processor to chop nuts. And so, I bake things out of the box when I'm required to and I leave the rest up to people who like to bake.

This weekend I discovered something very exciting. My mom's Kitchen Aid Mixer:

Mom's mixer isn't pink but we all know that if I had one it would be. However, they cost close to $400 and a 20something like myself cannot afford such a thing. So this is me letting you know that I want want of these bad girls. I NEED one of these! NOW. So, either I need to get married so I can put in on my registry or I need someone who loves me a lot to get me one. And since marriage is a little ways off for us yet, I'll depend on the rest of the people (Hey - MOM AND DAD) that love me. Thanks and have a good day.

About that food coma...

Two HUGE Easter meals will do that to you. And by that, I mean, leave you still feeling like you have a super heavy tummy on Monday afternoon.

But it was way worth it.

Easter started for us with my family this year. We spend Saturday night in the kitchen with my mom and step dad each doing our own 'step' to get my mom's homemade carrot cake ready for Easter lunch dessert. Lots of laughing was exchanged, which is my favorite part of being home.

The day started with veggie prepping, green bean casserole making, potato peeling and table setting. Before we knew it it was almost noon and the gravy had to be made (that was my job - and I used the trick of mixing butter and flour together to thicken it up and it worked soooo good!), ham needed to be sliced (Jeff's and step dad's job) and the potatoes needed to be mashed.

By 12:30 we sat around the table at my parents house ohhing and ahhing over the food. Everything was amazing. Less than 2 hours later, we were packing up the car, getting Jack in and were headed to Jeff's aunt's house to do it all over again, but on a much larger scale.

Being an only child, eight people in our small-ish kitchen seems like a lot to me but as I've become part of Jeff's family, I've learned that nearly 30 people in one house is nothing. Babies, dogs, aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins and Jeff's parents were all there. Salads, veggies, polish sausages, ham, turkey, jello, fruit and more lined the counter tops in the kitchen. My favorite was a mandarin orange, strawberry, kiwi, spinach salad with a fancy vinaigrette.

By 8 p.m., after a second round of desserts, we were in the car on our way back to Oshkosh. It all went entirely too fast. I cherish the time so much with our families that two days simply isn't enough. I hope everyone's Easter was as happy as mine!

Meet me at the sundial.

April 14 at 8 a.m.

I haven't made a big deal about it yet because I didn't want to make myself nervous, but today it officially became official when I paid my $18 and signed up. I'm running the Oshkosh 5K. Let me start by saying that this is a really BIG deal. Why? I'm not athletic, never have been, I don't run, can't run and I'm lazy.

However, for a few months now I've been watching my Coca-Cola intake, not eating after 8 p.m. and running a couple miles a few times per week to prepare myself for such an extravaganza. And now, I'm starting to get pumped. My dad and his girlfriend are even coming up to join Jeff at the finish line to support me, and that's great!

My only goal, really for the race, is to finish. I'm not much worried about my time or how many people finish before or after me. I'd just like to say I did it. And I will.

So, if you want to join me and the other over 1,000 people already registered, visit http://www.midwestsportsevents.com/ or just come out and watch! Starts at the sundial in Opera House Square and ends at the Leach Amphitheater. There is also a 1/2 marathon, which only the most dedicated, like my good friend Kritta, would even attempt.

Dinner at the Hansen home

Not only is the kitchen beautiful now that it has the touch of the Hansen family, but the food and company were also amazing. Jeff and I really enjoyed ourselves.

We arrived around 6 p.m. We hung out and drank wine for awhile while Kelley finished preparing dinner. She fits so naturally in her new kitchen, and I'm so jealous of how gorgeous it is. And boy, do I wish I had stainless steal appliances. While she was finishing up dinner Jeff and I were opening cabinets and drawers to admire the kitchen we don't have. Kelley and her husband, Perry, were showing us all the little trinkets they've already come to depend on in their home like a fancy trash compactor, a warming drawer and two ovens.

Anyway, Kelley invited her neighbors over and the six of us had a wonderful time talking and laughing, there was lots of laughing. We had ribs and baked potatoes and fresh coleslaw. We also had apple pie and french silk pie for dessert.

Y - U - M.

It's encouraging for me to see people who enjoy to cook (especially for others) as I do. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to get to know Kelley and her family through this whole process because I think our friendship will continue to grow and that makes me really happy.

Kelley said I could share her recipe with the world. So, here goes:

Kelley's BBQ Ribs:

Take baby back ribs and season them with seasoning salt, garlic powder (not garlic salt),and pepper. Place the ribs in a foil roasting rack which contains 12 oz. of beer and 12 oz. of orange juice. (Do not pour the beer or juice over the ribs. Rather put the beer and juice in the pan and then put the ribs on top of it). Cover tightly with aluminum foil so that the steam cannot escape.

Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for:
2- 3 racks for 2 1/2 hours
4-5 racks for 3 1/2 hours

Take out the ribs after roasting (careful they will fall apart easily) and place them on the grill for 15 - 20 minutes slathering them with BBQ sauce.

Kelley said: We like Sweet Baby Ray's.

Dinner for four.

My favorite part of my job is meeting new people every day.

I don't do well sitting at my desk all day. I don't even like doing phone interviews that much. I like stories that take me to places where I can relate to people.

Since October, I've been following the story of Kelley Hansen, an Oshkosh woman who won a kitchen makeover after submitting an essay about her mom to the CBS Early Show. I've written quite a few stories about her and her family. Her kitchen renovation wrapped up just a few weeks ago and needless to say, her kitchen is something worth being jealous over. It's beautiful and comes equip with a bunch of gadgets that I may never be lucky enough to have including, dual ovens, a warming drawer, a pot filler on her stove and a central vacuum system.

There are some times in this business of journalism that you really get to know people and so tonight she invited Jeff and I to join her and her husband for dinner. I'm going to help her cook a little and write a story about it for our food page, and I'm real excited about that. I feel like a little kid in the sense that I just want to touch everythign in her kitchen, because it is an amazing kitchen.

I'll let you all know how it goes tomorrow.