#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Mouf Links

Mouf Links

Mouf Links Collage 04.21.15

[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!).

 

Standard
Mouf Links

Mouf Links: Travel Edition

MOUF links

Although this is mostly a food blog, you can’t find great food without a bit of traveling. With the travel bug still in our systems from our recent California trip, we figured it would be a good idea to share a few travel-related links. The recipe is simple: Click the links. Travel. Find food. Eat. Mouf is happy.

1.  Trippy.com
No, this isn’t an online store that sells hallucinogenic mushrooms. Trippy is a travel-based social media site designed to connect travelers around the world in a user-friendly Q&A style site. Expert travelers also engage with the community, so your travel question may be answered by the likes of Andrew Zimmern or Anthony Bourdain. The design is clean and site allows you to integrate maps, links, and pictures in your answers, resulting in a rich, intuitive design that will be your new BFF in travel. Seriously, this site makes that other advisory travel site look like an old Buick station wagon.

2. The Dining Traveler Blog
Our DC #Foodiechats friend, Jessica van Dop DeJesus recently re-branded her travel blog from the DC Repatriate to The Dining Traveler. Go check out her new site, packed with travel and food info from not only her current home in Washington, DC, but also other places like New York City, Chicago, Belgium, Germany, Australia, and especially her childhood home, Puerto Rico. And if you’re planning a trip to Washington, DC, feel free connect with her on Twitter for some advice from a local (she’s pretty much eaten at EVERY great restaurant in DC). WARNING:  When you visit her website, you will become extremely jealous of all the beautiful places she’s visited and delicious food she’s eaten. 

3.  Lowepro StreamLine 250 Camera Bag
I’ve been using this camera bag for the last year and it’s graduated (with honors) into an all-purpose travel bag. Since it’s supposed to hold all your camera goodies, there are lots of nooks and small pockets for batteries, lenses, etc. I’ve found it works great as your “one personal item” for flights since it easily holds an iPad, magazine, plane snacks, headphones, and anything else you might need to help you forget you’re stuck on a plane for hours. You can even squeeze in a 13-inch Macbook if you don’t mind not being able to zip it up.  For those of you traveling with mushrooms, the small front pockets should work wonderfully. This little guy is also perfect for hiking since you can tote around some camera stuff, with plenty of room for a bottle of water and a burrito. Yes, a burrito. What do YOU pack on your hikes? (I’m not getting paid to write this and I actually bought the bag with my own money. I really like it.)

4. Costco Travel + Alamo
There are lots of travel packages and deals you can find on the Costco Travel site, but I’ve never actually used them. I’m sure they’re fine, but what I do use almost every trip is the rental car section. If you travel and rent a car (even just a couple times each year), it’s worth it to become a Costco member. The deals are always the best and the booking process is fantastic since you don’t have to pay upfront and you can cancel at any time.  I may save it for another, longer post, but Alamo is the company I always try to use since they have check-in kiosks (yay, no human interaction!) and they let you physically walk around and pick out your own car at most locations. When you combine Costco and Alamo, renting a car is smoother than room temperature butter. (Again, not paid to say any of this. I mean, come on, like Costco is going to pay to be on this silly little blog.)

5. Alton Browncast Episode #43:  Samantha Brown
Fill your ear-moufs with this podcast full of tips and stories from the undisputed queen of travel, Samatha Brown. She’s been around the block (or globe) more than a few times, so heed her advice with more than a grain of salt. I specifically enjoyed her explanation of why taking a simple walk can help open up your travel experience to something beyond tourist traps. Not to mention, Alton Brown is as good of an interviewer as he is a devious Cutthroat Kitchen host.

Standard
Mouf Links

Mouf Links

Mouf links, Augie Carton, Pumpkin Noosa, Mind of a Chef, Oteri Scale, Cooking Caveman

  1. Beer is Cuisine – Augie Carton (Tedx Talks) – Augie Carton (founder of New Jersey’s Carton Brewing) delivers a twelve-minute Master’s class in beer in this recent Tedx Talk. He challenges the audience to view beer not just as an alcoholic beverage, but rather an integral part of cuisine. For us beer novices, this is a great first step toward appreciating and exploring craft beers, while beer nerds are sure to enjoy Carton’s knowledge and culinarily scientific approach to beer making and tasting. (Shout out to @LipstickNLager for sending me the link!)
    .
  2. “Entering the Cave” (Cooking Caveman) – Although I don’t normally follow all the varying weight loss trends, I do enjoy reading personal stories of success based on diet changes. (Personally, I enjoy a good week of juicing every now and then, but I’ll save that for another post.) Screenwriter Jeff Nimoy started a food blog which provides a glimpse into the benefits of  the Caveman Diet (aka Paleo Diet) and how it has positively affected his life. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the Caveman Diet or is considering giving it a go, check out Jeff’s first post, then stick around for the recipes, Q&As, and other fun stuff. Oh, and even though he is a writer in Hollywood that doesn’t mean he wants to read your buddy-cop-sci-fi-adventure-family-comedy screenplay. But if anyone out there wants to read mine…
    .
  3. Ozeri Digital Food Scale (Amazon.com) – Yes, this is just a link to a scale, but stay with me. Until recently, I had only been measuring food with cups and spoons like a freaking moron. Then I came across a recipe that measured only by weight. I was forced to purchase this cheap little scale. Okay, I wasn’t forced (and I could’ve probably made Siri convert the measurements for me), but I thought it might come in handy for other future recipes. A few weeks after receiving this little guy (or gal…it’s really hard to tell the sex on  these things) and I wish ALL recipes provided measurements in weight. Part of it just feels cool, while part of it actually makes a whole lot of sense. At less than fifteen bucks, why don’t you already have one? And no, I do not get any kickback if you purchase it from Amazon, so go steal* one if you don’t have the money. *This blog does not condone stealing.
    .
  4. Season 2 of The Mind of a Chef on Netflix – We’re always a season behind everything since we watch in in “Netflix Time,” so it should be no surprise that we’re about a year late being excited about Season 2 of The Mind of a Chef. But, if you’re behind like us, GET REAL EXCITED. The first season followed David Chang and was a ramen-filled adventure that left us hungry for more after every episode. The second season continues the trend, with episodes this season split between Chef Sean Brock (McCrady’s and Husk) and Chef April Bloomfield (The Spotted Pig). Bloomfield’s excitement about food is inspiring, as she’s clearly not afraid to get her hands dirty (wait until you see the stuffed pig’s foot for two), while Brock’s heart clearly aches in search of good, soulful food. You’ll not only fall in love with the food, but each episode will end with you wanting to give the chefs a great big hug.  2015 Goal: Hug Sean Brock.
    .
  5. Pumpkin Noosa Yoghurt – I get tired of all the pumpkin hype generated this time of year (is it even Fall, yet?!). I enjoy a bit of pumpkin pie and a few pumpkin cheesecakes, but I’ve never really understood the Pumpkin Spice Latte parades. (Psst:  You can put nutmeg and cinnamon into your coffee all year-round.) I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find a new Noosa Yoghurt flavor (only available at Target). As a quick rundown, Noosa is the best yoghurt you can buy, period. And they don’t crank out a ton of new flavors like some of the other brands, so when they do, you have to savor the newness while it lasts. Is this pumpkin flavor any good? It’s like eating a pumpkin pie cheesecake with probiotics. If you want me to wait in line at a Starbucks, then ditch the latte and throw some Pumpkin Noosa in a grande cup. Extra whip.
Standard
Mouf Links

Mouf Links

mouf links

  1. Elvis Rolls (Bacon and Legs) – It’s hard not to shake your hips at any food with the Elvis-inspired combination of banana, peanut butter and bacon, but Fontina Turner’s idea to roll all that legendary goodness up into a cinnamon roll will definitely have you all shook up for breakfast. Breakfast?! Let’s not kid ourselves, this is late night drunk food at its finest (and possibly a hangover cure).
    .
  2. I Had A Terrible Experience At This Restaurant Because I Am A Terrible Person (Clickhole) – I’m a sucker for parody sites like Clickhole and The Onion (hence, the foodgawker Rejects post), so OF COURSE I’m going to love anyone poking fun of yelp reviewers. The title alone makes me laugh, because it’s way too true of many Yelpers out there. If only there were a way to rate the reviewers themselves…
    .
  3. Lessons from Ice Cream Maven Jeni Britton Bauer (Food and Wine) – If you’ve experienced the foodgasmic properties of Jeni’s Splendid ice cream, then you’ll understand me when I say the founder, Jeni Britton, is the Steve Jobs of ice cream. If you haven’t experienced a scoop of her brilliance, then go order some Brown Butter Almond Brittle right now. This interview/masters class on ice cream making will make you wish Jeni was a politician, ’cause she could fix this country one scoop at a time.
    .
  4. Planet Money Podcast:  Episode 555 – Why is milk in the back of the store? – In another fine podcast, the folks at Planet Money attempt to answer why milk is always at the back of the store. Maybe it’s because the grocery store gods want to manipulate you into walking through the entire store just for a gallon of moo juice. Maybe it just makes more logistical sense and helps facilitate the “cold chain.” Either way, the podcast is great fun, especially the friendly debate between food writer Michael Pollan and economist Russ Roberts.
    .
  5. SamePlate.com – Did you know there’s a dating site for foodies?!  Screw eHarmony’s 29 dimensions of compatibility and just find a partner with your mouf. (Through FOOD. Talking about food, here…)
Standard