Mouf Links | Get in my Mouf

Mouf Links

Foodie Brunch at Casa Oaxaca (Adventures of the Repatriate) – I was fortunate enough to participate in a lovely bottomless brunch organized by Jessica of Adventures of the Repatriate. It was a great time comprised of a few of us #FoodieChats participants in the Washington, DC area. Considering so much blog interaction is online through social media, it was nice to meet some fellow bloggers and foodies in person. It may very well be a reoccurring event, so drop me or Jessica a line if you’d like to be kept in on the loop for future meet-ups. And as you can see by her pictures, the food and beverages were delicious (guava mimosas > normal mimosas).
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Brown Sugar Peaches and Cream Grilled French Toast (Half Baked Harvest) – It’s almost as if Tieghan somehow snuck into the deepest crevices of my mind and compiled some of my favorite food components into one super breakfast. The title says it all, so just click the link and commence drooling.
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The Best Iced Latte in America? (The New York Times) – I stumbled across this article a few weeks ago about Los Angeles based G & B Coffee and their almond-macadamia nut latte, which is purported to be the best iced latte in America. Ever since then I haven’t been able to shake the idea of a coffee-spiked macadamia nut milk latte; I literally think about it a few dozen times per day. But until I have a chance to visit LA, I guess I’ll be ordering a nut milk bag so I can try to recreate this cold, caffeinated moo-free beverage at home.
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Gluten Free{dom} (Poor Man’s Feast) – An eloquent and personal take on the gluten free “movement,” Elissa Altman tries to unite the naysayers and the yaysayers by underlining the bigger, almost simpler issue at hand: real food > processed food. If you hate reading (then why are you here?), you can also check out her interview on the Go Fork Yourself podcast.
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Novel: The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill – I don’t read nearly as many novels as I should, so there will be very few book recommendations on this blog. Fortunately, during our recent trip to Puerto Rico, there was plenty of time dive into a couple novels. I was turned on to the book when Alton Brown mentioned on the Alton Browncast that it was one of his favorite novels and also happened to take place in the restaurant industry. Beautiful prose, a tragically unique protagonist, and plenty of narrative #foodporn make this a perfect book to read during a vacation.

Mouf Links

Every State in the USA, Ranked by its Food/Drink (Thrillist) – I’m sure some people might be upset by this list (which ignores Washington, DC), but it’s still fun. Virginia is at 32, which I think is nearly accurate (albeit a bit too rough). Of course Virginia doesn’t really have much of its own food identity, but hey we’re like RIGHT NEXT DOOR to Washington, DC. Spoiler Alert: California wins the top spot. That’s about right. .
Vanilla Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Maker (Ice Cream Science) – This is actually an older post from last December, but I just discovered Ruben Porto’s blog this week. With Alton Brown-like perfection, this guy is clearly an ice cream scientist and his ‘how to’ post/video are entertaining and informative. You will feel smarter after visiting his blog and I really wish I could’ve taken this as a high school science credit instead of biology. .
Alton Browncast Episode #48: Andrew Zimmern – In general, Alton Brown’s podcast is like the culinary version of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast. If you’re unfamiliar with Zimmern’s backstory, you’ll enjoy this conversation about not only Bizarre Foods, but also stories of his pre-cable show fame and struggles with addiction. .
Food Photography Blunders (Fork & Good) – In a world of perfectly staged food photos with glistening afternoon sun rays and a background of reclaimed barn wood, it’s nice to see Emma poke fun at some of her old food photographs. While you’re there, stick around for some tea (she LOVES tea). .
Thanksgiving Leftovers Tacos (Cook In / Dine Out) – It’s not November, but it’s never too early to start talking about Thanksgiving! This is one of those ideas where it’s so brilliantly simple that I get angry and jealous that I didn’t think of it. But come this November, I’ll certainly be THANKFUL (see what I did there?) that Andrew posted this.

Mouf Links

It’s only Wednesday?! Here are a few links for your mouf that will help you get up and over the mid-week hump.

5 RABBIT INSPIRED DECONSTRUCTED LATIN-STYLE LOBSTER ROLL (theblueberrybison.com) – Yeah, that title is a mouthful, but after checking out this insanely creative dish (inspired by a craft brew from 5 Rabbit Cerveceria) you’ll wish your mouth was full. I mean the base of the dish has orange pork belly tortillas!
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PornBurger.me – Mat Ramsey’s site delivers exactly what you’d expect from something called “PornBurger,” glorious burger porn in the form of uniquely beautiful (and delicious) creations. Burgers include creative twists like the Sookie Monster (with a “bun” made from fried pimento cheese grits), a Game of Thrones inspired burger called The Kaleesi, and even a breakfast creation, the Wake-N-Bacon, which features a bun made from apple fritters, sharp cheddar cheese, caffeinated maple espresso syrup, and a bacon-wrapped burger patty. If you’re in the Washington, DC area, you can even score a chance to be served by Mat Ramsey himself, in his own kitchen, with his pop-up burger bar, Bar R.
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Mini Cherry Clafoutis with Chocolate Whipped Cream (climbinggriermountain.com) – Do you know what a clafoutis is? Until this week, I did not (and I probably would not have guessed that it was food). Lauren’s version of this french, flan-like baked dessert looks impressive and you can’t go wrong with fresh chocolate whipped cream! And let’s face it, it’s just fun to say “clafoutis” even though I’m pretty sure I’m not saying it correctly…
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Go Fork Yourself Podcast: Guy Fieri – If you haven’t already discovered the Go Fork Yourself podcast with Andrew Zimmern and Molly Mogren, you’re missing out on some great food talk. This particular episode was fascinating, as they interviewed the polarizing Guy Fieri. Guy gets a lot of hate for being a sell-out, catch-phrase injected cartoon character, but this interview addresses who the real Guy is and how he deals with all the antagonism. It was a quick interview and I actually wish they had time to delve deeper into the off-camera Guy a bit more, but it was sufficient enough give you his perspective and allow for some empathy for Mr. Fieri.
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Dizzy Pig BBQ Rubs – This is not a paid endorsement, I just really love this local spice rub company. And when I say “local” I mean their shop is literally less than a mile from our townhouse. It would be difficult for me to pick a favorite, as you can’t go wrong with any of the rubs, but I’ve been using the “Bayou-ish” to kick my sandwich up a notch (thanks, Emeril) and “Cow Lick” is a great deviled egg topper. Don’t just take my word for it.