October 2011


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Everything’s Bigger in Texas (Including the Tacos)

Texas. Land of Shiner Bock, queso, beef, dry rub BBQ, and Mexican (okay, Tex-Mex) food. Truly one of my favorite places to chow down. I visited Austin and San Antonio at the end of September, partially to join the 10th Anniversary celebration of Austin City Limits, but let’s be honest, also partially to eat everything I set my eyes on.

I’ll go ahead and admit it, authentic Mexican is great but my heart truly belongs to Tex-Mex, something of which my hometown of Seattle has very little. I knew I had to take advantage of Texas while I could, so one day we headed to the Hildebrand area of San Antonio to a little…establishment…well.. fast food-ish shack imaginatively called Taco Taco.

Quite the luxurious digs, eh? No matter, everyone knows that some of the best food comes from some of the most unassuming exteriors. I took it as a good sign. Speaking of signs, inside Taco Taco there are multiple signs and banners proclaiming that they were named “Best Tacos in America” by Bon Appetit (a bit of internet research informs me this honor was bestowed in 2007). It has also garnered a fair amount of recognition from various Texas publications over the years, so I had to see if it could live up to the hype. Plus I just have a very tacky propensity for needing to try anything proclaimed the biggest, best, most famous, etc…. So I knew I had to go for it and order the taco that made Taco Taco famous: the El Taco Norteño.

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in Cheese / Food Travel / Red Meat / Restaurants 1 comments
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I am the MacGyver of Soup: DIY Bouquet Garni

I love fall, and being from Illinois, I expect it to start in September.  Not October.  Or mid-November.  Five years in DC and I am still in a state of denial as to the duration of summer, even after having to scrap my son’s bear costume because it was too hot out last year.  On Halloween.  At the end of October.

Upon awaking yesterday, the sky was gray, the air was crisp and the garden was looking half-dead (thanks Irene).  Three clear signs of fall, if you ask me.  Dear Husband had the car and the drizzle was drizzling, so it looked like an indoor day with the baby, the perfect kind of day to make soup.  I pulled out my trusty Twelve Months of Monastery Soups and thumbed through the fall section.  Tomato brandy soup sounded perfect.  I could finally finish off the bottle of brandy that had been languishing on top of the fridge since last November.

The recipe called for making garlic herb stock first, using a “bouquet garni,” which apparently consists of tying together different sprigs of dried spices.  When the soup’s done, you remove the bouquet from the pot and leave the gray, soggy mess on the steps of an ex-boyfriend’s house.  Or something.

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in Rants & Raves 5 comments
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Food Bikes Are The New Food Trucks

Out hipstered again. Damn Europe. [København, Denmark]

 

in Desserts / Food Travel 0 comments
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7 Food and Drink Kickstarters You Never Knew You Needed But Definitely Do

Crowdfunding phenom Kickstarter has helped indie projects raise more than $50 million, launching everything from debut albums and documentaries to pop-up cupcake shops and European vacations. They have also brought the world 7 amazing foodie inventions we never knew we needed but definitely do.

7. Microwave Popcorn That’s Not Gross

When you think about it, microwave popcorn is really a quite ingenious invention. But why does it have to taste like licking the top of a paint can? The Quinn Popcorn Kickstarter came up with a way to make micro popcorn that strips it of all that chemical crap and covers it in natural flavors like parmesan-rosemary and lemon-sea salt.
Result: Success! $27,880 raised. Au natural popcorn to hit shelves soon.

6. Edible Jello Cups

Death to plastic cups at keg parties. One day, every disposable cup will be an edible, disposable vehicle made out of Jello.
Result: Raised $10,429; Edible cup molds currently in testing stage.

5. Pedal-Operated Butter Churner

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been sitting in the kitchen, struggling with my appliances and wondering, why isn’t there one simple machine that allows you to pedal a bike that powers a toaster AND churns butter to put on the toast?
Result: Success! $1,505 raised. Butter bike officially invented.

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in Cheese / Lists / Trends 3 comments
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Artsy Photo of the Day

Already waiting for spring. [Grantoftegaard Farm / Ballerup, Denmark]

in Food Travel / Photos / Veggie 0 comments
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Endless Halloween

T minus four weeks until Halloween! Must mean it’s time to start planning ways to turn your favorite foods into dorky costumes, figure out how to dress your dog/cat/baby up as a hamburger, and of course — come up with ways to cook down all that pumpkin.

You can find all of Endless Simmer’s Halloween costume, cocktail and recipes ideas in Endless Halloween.

in Holiday 0 comments
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