5 Foods That Excite Both Me and My Dog

Cooper the labradoodle | getinmymouf.com

[This is post #014 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project.]

The internet is full of pictures of people who look like their pets, but my pup, Cooper, and I share something even more important than our looks: We are both highly motivated by food.

We both are more than willing to wag our tails at the mere mention of any of the foods below.

1. Meatballs

“Is…is…is…is that a bag of…MEATBALLS?!”

I won’t lie, I’m really proud that my dog knows the word “meatball.” Technically the ones that he eats are made for dogs by Milo’s Kitchen, but still..don’t take this away from me. Either way, he feels the same way I do when I unwrap a hot melty meatball sub. You know, where that one part of your brain releases happy juice to the other part (biologically speaking). When it comes to Milo’s meatballs, Cooper’s brain releases this happy juice in the form of drool. So, yes, our hardwood floors have a lot of water damage.

2. Chicken

“May I proceed to devouring the chicken in my bowl?”

Chicken is Cooper’s kryptonite, while fried Chicken is mine. I do generally restrain myself like an adult; however, Coop is still working on his willpower per the exhibits below.

Exhibit A: That time he pulled my friend’s chicken off his Chi-fil-a sandwich. He was a puppy and that sandwich was also delicious, so it’s hard to blame him. Yeah! In fact, Micah, you shouldn’t have left your sandwich unattended.

Exhibit B: Although pulling a chicken carcass out of the trash is a severe offense, it is also an impressive form of dedication. When’s the last time you’ve ever committed to something 100%? I’ve never pulled a carcass out of the garbage, but I have been hungry enough to consider dumpster diving behind Popeyes.

3. Ice Cream

“Ice cream is literally the best thing ever!”

We’ve already covered Cooper’s love of our local soft serve joint, Nathan’s Dairy Bar, but his infatuation with the cold creamy stuff doesn’t end there. We (and when I say “we” here I’m talking about the humans in the house) eat a lot of ice cream. Most days deserve to be capped off by a small bowl of ice cream (we’re constantly running out of spoons and bowls). As such, there will occasionally be a scoop of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream dropped into Cooper’s bowl. I think I’ve mentioned it before on this blog, but it’s at the point now that he doesn’t even need to hear the word “ice cream,” rather he will wake up from a COMPLETE slumber at the sound of the freezer door opening and a pint hitting the counter. It’s impressive. And he claims to not know how to fetch me my slippers…

4. Sweet Potato

“Totally regretting the fact that I know ‘stay’ right now.”

Conjuring up images of Thanksgiving, my mouth drools at the thought of sweet potatoes. Hell even outside of the holiday, I love them! Mashed, baked, roasted with chipotle pepper, casseroled with marshmallows. I’m there for them all. Although Coop won’t refuse a bit of our sweet potato froyo in his dog bowl, his preference is for the dried variety. I almost always try to keep one in my pocket when we go for walks, just in case he gets off leash. He won’t run away, but the second he tastes freedom he’s not likely to come back to the leash without running around taunting me for a few hours. It’s a fun game we play. However, one mention of “sweet potato” has him sitting in front of me so fast you’d think he was under the spell of a master hypnotist. Which, I can’t blame him for, ’cause I respond the same way when Thanksgiving dinner is ready.

5. Cheese

“It’s…on…my…paws.”

Who doesn’t love cheese? I’m mildly lactose intolerant and I love the stuff! Extra cheese on my pizza, double slices on my sandwiches, heck give me a bottle of wine and wheel of gouda and I’m good-a for dinner. Yikes. Puns aside, we keep a container of grated Parmesan in our fridge not for us, but for Cooper. Maybe it makes us terrible dog-guardians, but he prefers a little grated parm on his food. And the saltiness of the parm does pair nicely with his Eukenuba Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food. He also recently discovered (while we were making these tacos) his love for cotija and queso fresco.

Disclaimer: If we mentioned a brand, it is only because we actually use it. No money or goods hath exchanged hands or paws.

#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Mouf Links

Mouf Links

[This is post #013 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project.]

1. Interview with Jon Favreau – The Tim Ferris Show: This is one of those “perfect storm” interviews that covers just about everything I love: writing, film, food. Although this podcast covers a lot about Jon Favreau’s filmmaker career, a good deal of time is spent talking about the movie Chef and his preparation for the film. Yeah, he actually went through some rigorous training, becoming classically trained and eventually working in Chef Roy Choi’s restaurants. Afterwards, you WILL crave the Cuban sandwich from Chef. Sorry.

2. “Chefs Daniel Patterson and Roy Choi Reimagine Fast Food” – The Wall Street Journal: This is a great, in-depth follow-up article to a topic in one of our prior posts about Roy Choi’s and Daniel Patterson’s new fast food concept. The duo raised over $128K via crowdfunding and are expecting to open their first location this fall. This WSJ article gives us a peak into some of their menu items, which are divided into the categories of “Rollies, Foldies, Bowls, Burgs, Yotchays [snacks and veggies] and Dulces.”

3. “What’s So Special About 350ºF?” – the kitchn: I never really thought about why there are so many recipes that require an oven preheated to 350ºF, but this article at the kitchen explores the answers and how varying temperatures can affect certain baked goods. Isn’t learning fun?

4. “The 33 Best Donut Shops in America – 2015” – Thrillist: Sure, these types of lists are bound to miss a bunch of really good places that arguably should be included (no Stan’s in LA?!). Nonetheless, DC and VA did have some good representatives (I can attest to Astro’s deliciousness) and this compilation serves as a nice Donut Bucket List for the time being. Not to mention the glorious #donutporn pics. So, who wants to go on a road trip?

5. Jalapeño Mania: This is a new site from Kristy Bernardo of The Wicked Noodle that’s kind of like Foodgawker meets all things peppers. Easy enough, right? So, if you have any recipes with a pepper in it (any pepper), this is another avenue to share and link to your work. And while you’re there, find something spicy to make for dinner (or lunch…or breakfast…or a snack for RIGHT NOW!).

#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Recipes, Reviews

Chef Roy Choi’s Cheesy Ramen: Weirdly Delicious

[This is post #011 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project.]

Instant ramen and processed american cheese.

Confused? Good.

Now, watch the Tasting Table video below with Chef Roy Choi.

A co-worker of mine sent me that video a few months ago and my first reaction was, “Cheese and ramen?” Cheese is the last thing that comes to mind when I think about Asian food. But after watching the video a few times, I started to think “This could actually be awesome…”

For whatever reason I never seemed to have the right combination of ingredients to give it a try and I forgot about it.

Until TODAY:

Consider my mind blown. (And my mouf.)

Normally, I’ll try a new recipe and it will be good, but I might not necessarily make it again. But THIS? THIS is how I’ll be making my ramen from now on. The cheese coats the noodles and thickens the broth, making this a rich, salty, creamy bowl of comfort. And although seemingly minor, the green onion adds an element of freshness that pairs brilliantly with the cheese.

I added a little hot sauce to give it a kick, which then made it taste almost like a Mexican queso dip. It was so freaking good!

It makes me a little sad to think about all the times I’ve eaten ramen, but without the cheese. So many wasted meals. This will definitely be the first meal I teach my children. They are the future and I want them to be well-prepared.

There’s no excuse for you not to try this right now. Do it. Go!

Oh, you need the recipe?

You can find the recipe online here or in Chef Roy Choi’s book, L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food.

Also, while you’re here, check out Loco’l to Globo’l: The New Fast Food, a look at Chef Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson’s new fast food concept.

#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Thought Nuggets

Orange Extract Revolution

[This is post #010 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project.]

Why does vanilla extract get all the attention? Seems like every single recipe calls for a teaspoon or so of this tired brown liquid. No disrespect to vanilla, but–wait. I take that back. Disrespect indeed. This King of Extracts has ruled for too long, and for what? An assumed flavor enhancement that we all just accept, even though if you taste the darn liquid straight up it burns like a bitter earthy fire in your mouth.

I know that when “science” comes into play its supposed to make food like cakes taste better, but have you ever forgotten to add vanilla and then truly missed its presence? Probably not. So, why are we stuck worshiping this nepotism-fueled pantry staple?

Well, turns out in 1875 it was actually part of the law set down Queen Victoria, which stated, “Every baked good shall thee include thy vanilla extractacus.”

Okay, that didn’t happen.

But this isn’t a historical blog and right now there’s no need to look at the past, because the future is here: Orange Extract (or as her supporters are calling her, Orange-X).

Before we get into what Orange-X can help enhance, I encourage you to just taste it straight up (or with ice if you prefer). Not bad, right? I’m not going to be drinking it by the glassful, but it tastes like it should.

I have no allegiance to orange extract brands and nobody has paid me to endorse any, so any type will do. OR if you like the idea of bottles filled with orange rind and vodka sitting around your house for a few months you can follow these instructions from the just-making-noise blog and make it yourself. I do want to try making my own at some point, or I’ll gladly sample someone else’s homemade orange extract.

ORANGE EXTRACT IS BETTER THAN VANILLA EXTRACT

1. Orange French Toast / Pancakes – Many recipes call for vanilla extract, so just swap it out with your new BFF, Orange-X. I think the hint of orange is small change that helps breakfast feel new. Vanilla who?

2. Orange Maple Syrup – If you’re going to spice up French toast or pancakes, you can’t use REGULAR maple syrup. Boring. Add a splash of Orange-X to your favorite syrup. I’ve actually started to like this better than regular maple syrup because it helps cut the sweetness a bit with the citrus tang.

3. Orange Yogurt – You could buy orange yogurt, but what if you wake up one morning and you have a ridiculous craving for something orangey and yogurty? (This is based on a true story, by the way.) All you have in the refrigerator is Noosa honey yogurt, but you do have Orange-X (because it’s now a staple in your cupboard). A few splashes later you’ve just satisfied your craving. Here’s the kicker: Noosa doesn’t even make orange yogurt, so it would be impossible to buy this!

4. Orange Coffee – Even though I like my lattes sweet and creamy like dessert, I’m not a huge fan of flavored coffees. There’s always an overwhelmingly manufactured taste that steps on the coffee flavor. For the most part, I like my coffee to taste like coffee (albeit with copious amounts of milk and sugar), but occasionally it’s a real hoot to try something new and adding a few drops of Orange-X is a nice change. Breakfast often includes OJ and coffee, so why not sort-of-combine the two?

5. Orange Whipped Cream – I love the combination of chocolate and orange. I love the combination of chocolate cake and whipped cream. If only there were a way to combine those two statements into a an easy dessert that my whole mouf will enjoy… Most of the time when making fresh whipped cream, I toss that wretched vanilla extract in, so a quick substitution of Orange-X helps pop a bit of orange into an otherwise pedestrian meal. Just wait for your mother-in-law to be all like, “Is that…do I taste…ORANGE?”

You get the point.

Any other ideas on how we can bring down the Vanilla Extract Empire from our lives and make room for Orange-X?

Get in my Mouf

Food Stories

5 Foods That Excite Both Me and My Dog

Mouf Links

Chef Roy Choi’s Cheesy Ramen: Weirdly Delicious

Orange Extract Revolution