See Jack Write

Ginger Magic

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:50:19 -0500

Today a piece I wrote on pickled ginger ran in the Register Guard - you can read it here.

Which has me thinking about what else people want to learn how to make, and what I should be sending out in terms of pitches. If only I had like, Grace Helbig-level followers. I could post on Tumblr hey, what do you want to read about? And people would answer.

Maybe I should just email Grace Helbig. Now there’s an idea.

Some say it ain’t easy being green. I say it ain’t always easy being a freelance food writer. Case in point - articles like the one posted on First We Feast: 20 things everything thinks about the food world (but nobody will say). Followed by a post on the same website that deals with 20 most annoying things servers do.

It became painfully clear that the person putting together the server article had never set foot in the back of the house.

But, this is food writing. Where have all the Ruth Reichls gone.

Yeah, yeah I know Chanukah is over - but I don’t care. It...

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:34:00 -0500

Yeah, yeah I know Chanukah is over - but I don’t care. It is downright freezing for an Oregon winter and I’m craving holiday doughnuts dusted in cinnamon, sugar and cardamom.

So I’m sharing this very special recipe with you - courtesy of Tobi Sovak, baker extraordinaire. Eat responsibly.

Tobi Sovak’s Jelly Filled Doughnuts for Chanukah, aka Sufganiyot

2 (1/4 ounce) envelopes dry yeast

2 cups cups lukewarm milk

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter, room temp.

5 cups flour

1 – 2 quarts oil, for deep frying

1 jar strawberry or raspberry jam

1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, mixed together in a bowl and set aside

In the bowl of a standing mixer, sprinkle yeast over warm milk and let stand five minutes or until foamy.

Add the sugar, salt, eggs, butter and two cups flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed.

Beat in remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about five minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about an hour or a bit longer.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and gently roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into circles. Let rise again until doubled in bulk.

Heat four cups of oil in a deep fryer or large pot to 350. Carefully slide doughnuts into hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn the doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Doughnuts are ready when both sides are golden brown. Remove from oil and blot on paper towels. Quickly toss into the spiced sugar mixture.

Fill each doughnut with one teaspoon jelly using a pastry bag and a small pastry tip, or by cutting a small slit in the side of the doughnut and inserting the jelly with a baby spoon.

Serve immediately.

Not too long ago I put together a piece on molasses for...

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:34:49 -0500

Not too long ago I put together a piece on molasses for Culinate.com. This time of year seems to be the only time that forgotten jar of molasses gets to come out of the cupboard and play awhile, usually mixed into gingerbread.

But I love molasses! It’s thick and not overly sweet, and it has a sordid past! Read my piece for a few uses - or do yourself a favor and make this beautiful molasses cake.

A recipe I culled from The Kitchn, this cake described as one for chocolate haters. It’s dense and moist with great flavor - and the cream cheese frosting is absolutely wonderful. It’s perfect for holiday baking!

Dark and Damp Molasses Cake
serves 10 generously

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) unsulphured dark or unsulphured blackstrap molasses * (see Note below)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups whole milk

Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter or grease a 10-inch springform cake pan.

Place the chunks of butter in a 2-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Pour in the molasses and whisk in the brown sugar and white sugar. Whisk as the butter melts. When the butter has melted and is completely liquid, and the sugar has dissolved and is no longer grainy, give it a final stir and turn off the heat. Set the pan aside to cool. (The molasses will look slightly separated from the melted fat; they won’t be smoothly combined.)

Use a clean dry whisk to combine the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and espresso powder in a large bowl. (The espresso powder is optional; it will lend one more dimension of flavor to your cake.)

Whisk the vanilla, eggs, and milk into the saucepan with the molasses and melted butter. When it is completely combined, pour this liquid slowly into the bowl of dry ingredients. Whisk thoroughly to combine, making sure there are no lumps.

Pour the thick batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 20 or 30 minutes, then run a thin, flexible knife around the inside of the pan to help the cakes edges release. Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a cooling rack before icing.

* Note on molasses: If you want the very dark, nearly black cake seen here, use unsulphured blackstrap molasses. Lighter molasses varieties will still work fine in this cake, but it won’t be as dark or have any many bitter notes. If you want a lighter spice cake, then use regular molasses.

Extra-Creamy Cooked Cream Cheese Icing
makes enough icing to sandwich and cover two 9-inch cake layers

16 ounces (2 bars) full-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature for at least 1 hour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place the softened cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or simply use a large bowl and hand beaters). Whip the cream cheese on high speed for several minutes, until it is completely smooth and silky. Scrape the cream cheese out into a separate bowl and set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a small saucepan. Turn the heat on to medium and slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. It will look lumpy at first but whisk vigorously to create a smooth paste. Continue whisking as the mixture comes up to a simmer. It will thicken rapidly and dramatically as it comes to a boil (see photo below). Simmer for 1 full minute, then turn off the heat. Scrape the flour and milk paste into the mixer bowl. (If you want to be 100% sure there are no small lumps, pour it through a mesh sieve.)

Turn on the mixer or beaters and whip the flour-milk mixture for 10 minutes, or until it is lightened and no longer piping hot. It should be lukewarm or cooler. Slowly add the whipped, softened cream cheese, whipping constantly. Add the vanilla. Continue whipping until the the two are completely combined and smooth and silky. (See photo below.)

It is best to let this icing firm up a bit more in the refrigerator but you can use it now to ice a completely cooled cake. If not using immediately, store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Whip again briefly on high speed before using. It is also best to refrigerate cakes that are iced with this frosting. It is best eaten within three days or so.

hyperallergic: Amen. And we found the source, she said this...

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:05:46 -0500

hyperallergic:

Amen. And we found the source, she said this during the ribbon-cutting of the new American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum in 2009.

sfmoma:

Wonderful words on the importance of the arts from the First Lady :)

nprfreshair: archiemcphee: From the Department of Awesome...

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:33:19 -0500

nprfreshair:

archiemcphee:

From the Department of Awesome Anthropomorphic Foodstuffs come these wonderful photos taken by a farmer in Hyogo prefecture, Japan, who unearthed a daikon radish that strongly resembles a figure swinging its arms and running for its life. It looks like it would be right at home as a creature in a Miyazaki film.

The imaginative farmer, who goes by the twitter handle @konsai_umemama, decided that such a fantastic vegetable deserves a more interesting fate than ending up on someone’s plate. And so they’ve set about placing the radish in a variety of humourous situations and then taking these great photos.

[via Spoon & Tamago]

Happy Monday, Internet! We salute you with this anthropomorphic radish running for its life. Or getting ready to dance the day away? You decide. —Yowei

(via wwdtm)

Photo

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 23:36:06 -0500

Miss getting this in my mailbox. Time to renew my subscription

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 19:26:31 -0500

Miss getting this in my mailbox. Time to renew my subscription

imwithkanye: #CALLSFROMOBAMA

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 01:31:22 -0400

imwithkanye:

#CALLSFROMOBAMA

Hey y’all! I made souffle! Read about it here in my latest...

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 17:04:50 -0400

Hey y’all! I made souffle! Read about it here in my latest Poor Taste column.

In other news, Cirque du Soleil’s “Quidam” was in the big Euge. I went opening night and was completely entertained. If the show is coming to your city and you’re on the fence in regards to tickets, read my review for Ticket Files here.

Have a great Monday!

I live in Oregon - the only state in the Union that votes by...

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 21:33:55 -0400

I live in Oregon - the only state in the Union that votes by mail. There is no polling station to go to, no “I voted” sticker to proudly wear this November. This is new for me - I’ve always excitedly marched to the polls.

I got my mail-in ballot last week, and talked to some friends about it. One said he doesn’t vote because “votes in Oregon don’t count. The president is already announced before Oregon ballots are finished being counted.”

Talk about malarkey. First of all, that’s not true. Second of all, call me naive but I’m of the “every vote counts” camp. I can’t wait to mail in my ballot, vote again for my president. It doesn’t matter if you live in Oregon or Oklahoma - get your vote on.

anniewerner: rookiemag: Thank you to everyone who sent in...

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 18:05:44 -0400

anniewerner:

rookiemag:

Thank you to everyone who sent in clips of themselves lip-synching to “You Don’t Own Me” for this PSA! You’re in good company with Mae Whitman, Justin Bond, Alia Shawkat, Carrie Brownstein, Miranda July, Tennessee Thomas, Zoe Kravitz, Leith Clark, Rachel Antonoff, Lena Dunham, Ruby Karp, Erika Spring, Alexa Chung, Karen Elson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sarah Sophie Flicker, Rain Phoenix, Sia, Becky Stark, Natasha Lyonne, Lesley Gore herself, and many more. (Not in a LISTEN TO WHAT CELEBS TELL YOU TO DO kind of way, but in a YOU MIGHT WANNA SEE THIS PERSON’S FACE IF YOU ALREADY LIKE THEM? kinda way.) (Also, Lesley Gore=<3333.)

THANK YOU!

<3 Tavi

KUDOS to the Teen Media Elite!

Salt & Fat: Gumbo

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:36:17 -0400

Salt & Fat: Gumbo:

saltandfat:

It’a shame that Cajun/Creole cooking, perhaps the most authentically American cuisine of all, gets so shortchanged in American restaurants, reduced to a paprika-covered chicken breast or fish sandwich. If it were up to me, families across the country would gather around for a feast of crawfish…

uhh… this can’t be good imwithkanye: Honey, You...

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 20:28:57 -0400

uhh… this can’t be good

imwithkanye:

Honey, You Make Me Blue. Beekeepers near the French town of Ribeauville, which is home to a M&M’s processing plant, have noticed their bees turning out honey in unnatural shades — green, blue and dark brown among them.

barackobama: It’s one of those moments; let him know you do.

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:08:49 -0400

barackobama:

It’s one of those moments; let him know you do.

imwithkanye: Chris Kluwe | Out I strongly believe that...

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 17:29:14 -0400

imwithkanye:

Chris Kluwe | Out

I strongly believe that goodness is contagious and that others will jump on board as the younger generation begins to populate the NFL.

One Thing At A Time, Revisited

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 15:30:35 -0400

I interviewed someone today that gave me something to think about. He was describing a feeling I totally and completely identify with; that feeling of having so much to do you don’t know where to start. You can make lists and outlines, but at once things can seem completely overwhelming.

Once that feeling hits, it becomes really easy to throw in the towel, do nothing on the list, and defiantly spend the next hour (or three) scrolling through blogs, Tumblr, and Facebook.

He said that he was always told “one thing at a time” and while that was a great way to think, he’s amended it to say “one thing at a time; advance the plot.”

I love this idea. I am a list maker. A procrastinator. An avoider of tasks once I feel overwhelmed, leaving them to the last possible millisecond. It’s probably why I don’t blog as much as I would like to, tweet as much as I probably should to “maintain a presence” and all those things my PR self keeps screaming in my ear.

While I might finally take the time to do one thing at a time, I’m not advancing my plot.

And as much as I would like to take a “it ends today” stance, I know I can’t change overnight. However, I’m making an effort to become more conscious of my actions. Pay attention to my lists. Advance the plot.

Photo

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:42:07 -0400

Photo

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:37:45 -0400

towritelesbiansonherarms: dietchola: viktorye: videohall: Bad...

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:51:28 -0400

towritelesbiansonherarms:

dietchola:

viktorye:

videohall:

Bad Lip Reading does Twilight, and it’s a better love story than Twilight

> This is the one of the rare things that actually make me laugh out loud on the internet.

> That voice is more fitting for her than her own voice.

> Do they do whole movies? I’d actually consider watching Twilight if it was all like this.

How dare you…

JESUS

bahahahaha

Yikes, it’s September! Since I last posted anything...

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 19:15:45 -0400

Yikes, it’s September!

Since I last posted anything original, I’ve celebrated a birthday, had a bash, went to see the always amazing and entertaining Michael Franti, went camping, made new friends and picked up loads of freelance work. I’ve been so busy it’s been wonderful.

Here are a few things I’ve written in the past few weeks:

For Poor Taste:

An ode to sweet summer corn, how to pickle green beans, and how to fail at making saltwater taffy.

For the Eugene Weekly:

A run down of the music lineups for the annual Eugene Celebration and a preview for the Mavis Staples show coming to Eugene with Bonnie Raitt.

For the Register Guard:

A feature on Ginger Kesey, the graphic designer behind original artwork for Kesey Enterprises and the McDonald Theater, Cuthbert Amphitheater and Eugene Celebration.

And, I think that’s all for now. There’s a ton of stuff in the works, possibly a new job opportunity and an upcoming Minnesota vacation. I think I’ll like September.

What about you?