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by Emily

Friday Fuck Up: Norwegian Wouldn’t

In the Northwest, which has a large Scandinavian population, May is a very festive time. Why? Syttende Mai is Norwegian Constitution Day. I’m not quite sure what this means historically or whatever, but I know for my community it means we have a huge parade and eat and drink a lot. While I myself am not particularly Nordic, I am happy to join my friends and neighbors in gravlax eating and akvavit swilling.

Although I am not the most confident baker, this year I decided to bake my own cardamom buns, skolleboller. These fragrant, light buns are very delicious and a Norwegian staple, especially around the holidays. I love to eat them with gjetost, brown cheese. (Gjetost is a polarizing cheese: it has a very strong, nutty, caramelly flavor. I think it’s almost reminiscent of peanut butter. To me it is uniquely delicious. Many people hate it though.)

I imagined I would frolic around town with my rolls in a lovely woven basket, handing out celebratory breads to all who crossed my path. Probably some baby deer would be galloping alongside me while little birds chirped along to the traditional Norwegian tune I hummed. It was all quite idealistic. (I don’t even know any Norwegian tunes unless we’re counting this.)

Anyway, with a song in my heart, I started out on my buns using this recipe from the Transplanted Baker, which seems to be very trustworthy. I like her blog and I do not blame her recipe whatsoever. But… something happened. My dough did not rise.

in Desserts 1 comments

by Emily

Cioppino: Comfort Food Lite

It is May. I realize for many of us that means the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and we can all stroll around in sandals. Lest we forget, though, I reside in Seattle, the land of darkness and gloom. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of reasons to love the Pacific Northwest: crisp, clean air, gorgeous views of the mountains and water, athletic and intelligent citizens, lovely green trees everywhere, I can pretend I’m on Twin Peaks, etc… but I’m not gonna front. The fact that it’s officially spring and we are still dealing with rainy, gray 40-something degree days can get very depressing.

To be fair, bummer weather means more time I “get” to spend inside. While everyone else is dancing around on sun-drenched beaches, savoring tropical fruits and sipping on Mai Tais (maybe?! I don’t know what you exotic strangers do in your warm climates!) I have ample opportunities to play around in the kitchen. Last week my friend Kasey and I wanted to cook something soothing to counteract the lame rainy day, but I was sick of heavy, wintry comfort food. We decided to take the best of both worlds – warm and cozy, yet light and healthy – and threw together the perfect cioppino.

by Emily

100 Ways to Cook with Tequila

Ahhh, tequila, Mexico’s miracle elixir. This mysterious potion has the ability to both enhance and ruin lives. Often in the same 24-hour period.

There is no better time to celebrate the wonders of tequila than mid-spring, that festive portion of the year when Cinco De Mayo comes to call! Cinco is the ideal excuse for a night of debauchery. However if you, like me, crave a year-round “south of the border” journey for your tastebuds without the shame spiral and permanent liver damage, these tequila-based recipes are just what the doctor ordered! That and some anti-cirrhosis pills. (Do they make those? They should. I’ll look into this for everyone. You’re welcome.) Ole!

Click on the photos for full recipes.

in 100 Ways / Drinks / Featured / Lists 7 comments

by Emily

Hakuna Matata: Learning To Eat Bugs

I was not born an epicure; it has been a relatively slow evolutionary process. When I was young, I eschewed many foods I now love, such as: most vegetables, Mexican cuisine or any type of meat off the bone. Luckily, I grew out of my pickiness and now I am eager to stuff myself with organs, raw meat, marrow, you name it — anything edible is fair game.

Still, there are a few final hurdles I have yet to wrap my head (and mouth!) around. For example, while the nutritional value and sustainability of insects as food has been fairly well documented, the idea has never been at the top of my culinary to-do list. So when I received a coveted invite to the opening of Poquitos, a new restaurant in Seattle touting ultra-authentic Mexican street food, I knew I had to pay them a visit and sample their most notable menu offering: chapulines. Time to eat me some BUGS!

Before Poquitos, I was a virgin in the bug devouring department (except for that urban legend about the average human unintentionally eating eight spiders a year, which makes me want to die just thinking about it). My only “experience” with intentional bug eating heretofore was watching that “Hakuna Matata” scene in The Lion King: “Slimy yet satisfying!”

I honestly had no idea what to expect when I ordered my chapulines, but I knew I needed to have a margarita at the ready. Besides my lifelong vendetta against spiders, I’m not terrified of other bugs. But the prospect of putting a whole insect in my mouth wasn’t exactly delightful either. Especially when my lovely server deposited a huge bowl of them right in front of me. When Matt, one of Poquitos’ co-owners, stopped by my table to check in, I pulled him off the busy floor for a quick chat re: Mexican bugs. I needed to know what I was in for.

in Featured / Restaurants / Trends 9 comments

by Emily

Magic Marshmallow Peep Treats

Generally, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I do have a foodie fetish for anything marshmallow. Combine that with my love of cute and colorful things, and it should come as no surprise that my favorite cereal as a kid was Lucky Charms, and my favorite Easter candy was obviously Peeps.

Now that I am all grown up, no magical Easter fun for me anymore, right? WRONG!

As adults, I think we can all agree that there is absolutely no activity more mentally stimulating than brainstorming ways to implement Peeps into everyday recipes. This time of year my complex mind is constantly churning out ideas. The perfect storm has been brewing, and it didn’t take long for me to pair my beloved childhood cereal and beloved childhood candy into one miraculous dessert/snack/breakfast (why not? sugar provides a lot of energy for an otherwise dreary morning).

Warning: these are not for the faint of heart; they are pushing the threshold of the human body’s tolerance for both sugar and cuteness consumption. Personally, I think they are perfect for children, or those who are still children at heart, or maybe a certain subset of the population who still think that Lisa Frank‘s designs are the height of sophistication and style (myself included).

in Desserts / Holiday / Recipe 4 comments

by Emily

Success with Southern Biscuits

I am a west coaster born and bred; my family hails from San Diego and I happen to live in Seattle, which in many ways is the antithesis of the deep South. That being said, I don’t know how it happened — maybe Paula Deen is a long-lost-great-aunt-twice-removed or something (fingers crossed!) — but I harbor an intense love for Southern comfort food. Sadly, up here in the somber Northwest, I am rarely presented with the opportunity to try my hand at whipping up a grand dixie feast. With the exception of my impressive cole slaw making superpowers, I am pretty inexperienced in cooking Southern food.

So when ES was presented with the opportunity to preview Nathalie Dupree & Cynthia Graubart’s newest cookbook, Southern Biscuits, I knew this was a perfect chance. Fresh off the heels of an authentic creole food binge, I figured it was only fair to prove my love by giving Southern cooking a go myself. Southern Biscuits addressed a double whammy of insecurity, actually — not only am I lacking in the Southern cooking department, I am also mildly suspicious of baking in general. It involves so much precision, patience, adherence to directions…basically all of my weaknesses. Though Nathalie is a James Beard winner, she certainly had her work cut out for her with this book. Teaching a baking-skeptical Seattleite how to craft perfect Southern biscuits is no small feat.

Plus I had been slightly dubious about the breadth (no pun intended) of biscuit options. I mean, how many variations could there be? Turns out, about a million. After it covers the basics, Southern Biscuits also includes recipes for things you can do with biscuits, such as breakfast sandwiches, casseroles, bread puddings, etc. While some of the more complex recipes in the back of the book were tempting, I knew I shouldn’t get too overzealous. I decided to go with an intermediate biscuit recipe that included one of my very favorite ingredients: sweet potatoes.

in Recipe 2 comments

by Emily

Breakfast Beer: It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere

(Photo: Facebook)

We’ve all been there. The morning after a birthday/big game/house party/Wednesday, the harsh light of day beating through the window, you drag your carcass out of bed in search of something, anything that will make your pounding hangover subside, an attempt to take the edge off…then you see it: the can of warm, half-flat PBR on the counter. Dare you?! A hair of the dog can’t hurt, right? Bottoms up and hope for the best.

Well, a brewery in New Zealand says, enough is enough. Time to free morning beer from its stigma as “desperate hangover cure” and into a whole new perspective: elegant breakfast!

According to the NZ Herald, Moa brewery has released a new beer, a “cherry-flavoured, wheat lager,” that is being marketed as a breakfast beverage. Of course, this has simultaneously excited and outraged society. Some sources go so far as to call it “normalising pathological behaviour.” Hmm, pathological? The Moa brewery co-owner makes a valid counterpoint:

“Look at cultures like Germany where a lager in the right circumstances is part of the culture, or Italy where the grappa is used as a morning pick-me-up. Cultures around the world consume alcohol in the right way, and that includes breakfast.”

Beer as breakfast: a welcome addition to the table, or a plight upon society?

in Breakfast / Drinks 2 comments

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