Mouf Links

[This is post #022 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project.]

1. “The Specialists: Franklin Barbecue by Aaron Franklin” – Lucky Peach: As noted in the article, Aaron Franklin is a true “wood whisperer” and this first person timeline of his typical day shows a dedication that few will ever achieve. I’ve yet to visit Franklin Barbecue, but I guarantee you it’s very near the top of my to-do list, as it should be on yours.

2. “Fried Chicken Skin With Hot Sauce and Honey From Heritage” – Serious Eats: This is probably the one recipe I’m most excited to try out. It comes from Sean Brock’s book, Heritage (which is a beautiful collection of recipes, stories, and photographs), but is also shared on Serious Eats for your online consumption. I mean, come on! This is the best part of fried chicken, prepared from a recipe by one of the best chefs in the universe. Need I say more?

3. Menswear Dog: It’s pretty much what it sounds like. If you’re having a bad day, scroll through this for a few minutes and you should feel slightly better. Now I’m off to buy some suits for Cooper.

4. Chef’s Story Podcast: I recently just discovered this podcast, which means I’ll be binge-listening to all the back episodes over the next few weeks. Each week Dorothy Hamilton (Founder and CEO of The International Culinary Center) sits down for an in-depth interview with world-renowned chefs. She’s already covered quite a few greats, so chances are your culinary crush has already been interviewed. I’ve already enjoyed both of her interviews with Sean Brock and am looking forward to learning about Christina Tosi on my commute home this evening. So, yeah I’m going to need something amazing for dessert tonight.

5. SAVEUR’s 6th Annual Blog Awards: A lot of people scoff at awards, but I think it’s cool that bloggers are recognized for their work and can pretend to be “famous” for once. Although, some might already be nearing that celebrity status already… So, check out the nominations and vote for your favorites, cause it’s basically their Oscars. While you’re there you might even discover some blogs that you’ve never heard of before. I’ve really been enjoying two blogs that are up for the “Best New Voice” category, Chocolate + Marrow and O&O Eats, so give them a click or two.

#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Thought Nuggets

15 Minutes of Random Food-Related Writing

[This is post #021 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project.]

At the risk of falling even more behind (did you realize we’re one post behind?) on the #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, today we’re keeping it short and simple. Since I’ve created a pseudo-writing theme for Wednesdays (see: The Recipe for Writer’s Block and ‘Mise en Place’ for Preventing Writer’s Block), I’m just going to set a timer for 15 minutes and write some random thoughts about food until the timer goes off. I’m eliminating any excuses for not having a post today, because a) Who can’t spare 15 minutes? and b) After writing two posts about stopping writer’s block, I should be able to back it up with some weird impromptu writing exercise.

Anyway, enough time wasted with an intro. The clock starts…

NOW.

I wish there were more foods that were packaged and marketed for both dogs and humans. Sure, there are tons that already could be eaten by both, but I think there’s a lack of consumer awareness. Or maybe it’s a distribution problem. There are separate stores and within some stores separate aisles for humans and canines; why can’t there be an entire boutique store where every item on the shelf can be eaten by either a person or their four-legged friend. Would be great if it was a bakery that made pies. Who wouldn’t want to share a pie with their dog?!

It would have to have a catchy name and some really slick viral marketing. And probably a good celebrity spokesperson. Marketing would be key, since there probably isn’t really any demand for this sort of thing.

Man, I just got distracted by a tweet…

Okay, never mind. Forget about the joint dog/human grocery stores and/or pie bakeries. Here’s where the real money is at:

Canine Fast Food

Although I guess you could argue that dogs can eat regular fast food and that would be redundant. My counter to that argument would be that Cooper has thrown up (on more than one occasion) after eating fast food chicken nuggets. He does have a weak stomach (he takes Pepcid every morning) so maybe he’s not the best model for any of my canine culinary ideas.

I want to respond to that tweet, but my timer is still going… Should have definitely put my phone on airplane mode.

Why is peach season so short?

I wonder if Sean Brock ever eats fast food.

More important than all of this: What IS for dinner?

Alright, I do still believe that the joint human/dog grocery store and/or bakery could work. I think the bakery is the way to go, because (as I type this) I remembered that my mom made these homemade cheese crackers for Cooper one year and I ended up eating half of them.

This is the longest 15 minutes ever.

And now it’s over.

#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Reviews, Videos

America Eats Tavern – Tysons Corner, VA

America Eats Tavern

[This is post #020 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project.]

The Tastemade video above is probably my favorite; not just because I got to play with the time lapse feature on my phone, but because of the fond memories I have of the rich vermicelli mac and cheese, fluffy biscuits, and cloud-like coconut cake. Aptly named, America Eats Tavern is José Andrés’ ode to American cuisine. It strikes a good balance of providing a casual, welcoming atmosphere while serving up Andrés’ sophisticated takes on classics like fried chicken, shrimp & grits, and the aforementioned mac & cheese.

Deviled Eggs | America Eats Tavern | getinmymouf.com

Slow-Boiled Mustard Deviled Eggs

During my second visit I tried the Mustard Deviled Eggs, Harvard Beets, and Mushroom Hoppin’ John. I also took a slice of George Washington’s Chocolate Cake to-go. This was a very special meal for me, as it was the first time I had the pleasure of trying Carolina Gold rice (which comes in the form of a griddled rice cake with the Mushroom Hoppin’ John). Anyone who has ever heard Sean Brock talk about anything, knows how much he loves/supports/worships Carolina Gold rice. Upon the first bite I was a believer. Normally your mouth waters for great food, but in this case my eyes wanted to water…for I nearly teared up over this beautiful rice.

Mushroom Hoppin' John | America Eats Tavern | getinmymouf.com

Mushroom Hoppin’ John – Carolina Gold rice cakes, red pea salad, roasted maitake mushrooms

It’s also important to note that it takes more than just inspiration to fill your plate and mouf with culinary magic and fortunately, Andrés’ vision is in the talented hands of Head Chef Nate Waugaman. You can tell a lot about a restaurant based on how the staff talks about the food and the chef. Not only does the food taste good and look beautiful, but from my interactions with the staff, they truly love what’s coming out of the kitchen and believe in Chef Waugaman.

And also, my second visit wouldn’t have been as enjoyable without the hospitality from Hannah Lobel, the restaurant’s Events and Marketing Manager. A HUGE thanks goes out to Hannah for the great food, good conversation, and excellent recommendation on the Mushroom Hoppin’ John.

Harvard Beets | America Eats Tavern | getinmymouf.com

Harvard Beets – Roasted beets, sugar vinegar glaze, biscuit topping, goat cheese cream

Random Tips:

Give one of their house-made sodas a try. Both the ginger beer and strawberry mint were so refreshing that I Googled synonyms for “refreshing” and couldn’t find one that was strong enough.
The restaurant is located in the Ritz Carlton, which is attached to Tyson’s Galleria. Valet parking is available for a small fee, but you can also park for free at the Galleria and walk through the mall.
Order extra biscuits and take them home for breakfast the next morning. Trust me.
If events like complimentary whiskey and craft beer tastings tickle your food fancy, then follow America Eats Tavern on Twitter and like them on Facebook to keep abreast of their monthly happenings.

Martha Washington's Chocolate Cake | America Eats Tavern | getinmymouf.com

Martha Washington’s Chocolate Cake. Good enough for FLOTUS, good enough for YOU.

Don’t just take my word for it, for another opinion and more #foodporn, check out these posts about America Eats Tavern from other local food bloggers:

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Disclaimer: Hey, we were actually provided free stuff for this post. Tastemade took care of my meal in the video and I was a guest of the restaurant for my second visit. As always, opinions, cravings, and our love of food is genuine.

#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Reviews

Frozen Foods That Don’t Suck

[This is post #019 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project.]

As much as we love to cook and eat at awesome restaurants, there are times where we just want something quick and easy so we can spend more time watching Netflix, walking our dog, or finishing these 100 posts. Also, there are some nights in which dinner is a formality and we just want to get right to dessert. Like when Nathan’s Dairy Bar has Captain Crunch ice cream, or when we have leftover Flourless Chocolate Waffle to take care of.

For these such emergencies, we like to keep some frozen meals stocked up in our freezer. Although a good portion of the frozen food at your local supermarket tastes like a salt-laden food derivative, there are a few brands that make you forget you’re eating something that came from your freezer.

Amy’s Kitchen

My history with Amy’s Kitchen goes all the way back to when I was a junk food kid living with two vegetarian parents. I pretty much hated all “healthy” food until I was introduced to Amy’s frozen Cheese Pizza. It was the first time that I realized how much better the organic/all natural stuff could taste. It’s not delivery, it’s Amy’s.

We recommend the Cheese Tamale Verde, Pad Thai, and Cheese Pizza. You can add chips, salsa, crema, and hot sauce to the Cheese Tamale Verde to make it a fiesta; and a fried egg goes great with the Pad Thai.

Evol Foods

Evol Foods seems like the “bad boy” of frozen foods, with meals that could have easily come from a food truck (like asian street tacos). But the one thing that really sold me on Evol was their mac and cheese (both gluten-full and gluten-free). Until Evol (and Blake’s below), I NEVER EVER had a frozen mac and cheese that was worth eating.

We recommend the Sweet Potato Street Tacos, Gluten Free Uncured Bacon Mac & Cheese, and the Chicken Enchilada Bake.

Blake’s All Natural

Where Evol is the “bad boy” and Amy’s Kitchen is your “vegetarian mom,” Blake’s All Natural is kinda like your grandma, ready to serve you all the comfort foods you crave. And the thing I appreciate about Blake’s is how easy their heating instructions are for most items. No poking holes, no heating at 50%. Just throw it in as-is for a certain amount of time and BOOM, maximum comfort food is achieved.

We recommend the Swedish Meatballs, Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes, and Chicken Dinner Casserole.

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Disclaimer: As with 80% of our posts, no money or free stuff was provided for this post from any company. We eat this stuff all the time and so should you.

Get in my Mouf

Food Stories

Mouf Links

15 Minutes of Random Food-Related Writing

America Eats Tavern – Tysons Corner, VA

Frozen Foods That Don’t Suck