Girl Scout Cookies Galore!

Schatzi: I was never a Girl Scout, or even a Brownie, but I have always been fond of their cookies. And for the first time in several years I have Girl Scout Cookies, and all thanks to Eli. For a long time it seemed like I was always just missing the Girl Scouts; I did all my grocery shopping in the middle of the night after work, I didn’t realize it was Cookie Season til months later, and they just don’t seem to go door to door anymore. I don’t even know any Girl Scouts these days, though I knew several in high school. They would always lug huge duffel bags filled with cookies around campus, and some of my favorite memories involve the many bomb threats and fire alarms spent sitting out in the May sunshine noshing on cookies while we waited for the okay to return to class.

If, like me, you have trouble finding some Girl Scout cookies to stockpile, you’re in luck. Girl Scouts are using the Internets to everyone’s advantage, and now have a Cookie Locator! Simply plug in your ZIP code and specify the distance you’re willing to travel, and they will provide you with a handy list of dates and locations of a cookie booth near you.

I better get on this before Cookie Season is over. Eli only brought home Thin Mints and Samoas–and I can’t not have Tagalogs!*

the L Magazine

*(Yes, I know that they’re Tagalongs. I just think it’s funny. And need to think of a suitable Oceania-themed name for Thin Mints.)

Valentine’s Day

a One Night Stand at Collosso (terrible name, amazing taste)

Schatzi: It’s a bit of a rough time since I just had midterms and we’re right in the middle of moving. So, updating isn’t our top priority this week. But on Saturday, after we both got off work, Eli took me to see the Murder City Devils and then we stopped by Collosso for drinks and deviled eggs. I had the One Night Stand (strawberries, coconut milk, lime, and black peppercorn-infused tequila), which is not a great name, but it was a perfect bland of tangy and sweet. We had a lovely time, and I hope you had a nice weekend, too.

See you next week!

Murder City Devils

deviled eggs

My Biscuit Recipe = My Dumpling Recipe

Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie using Eli's Biscuit/Dumpling recipe

Elisha: Here is a recipe for buttermilk biscuits that are really easy. I also use the exact same recipe for dumplings.

quick Coq au vin

my first effort at coq au vin

Schatzi: There are probably as many recipes for coq au vin as there are cooks, it being one of the twentieth century’s popular recipes. (We can probably assign a large portion of the blame for that to Julia Child.) According to my Larousse, “In traditonal stock farming, cocks which were good breeders were kept as long as they could fulfil their function. They would be several years old before they were killed and therefore needed long and slow braising in a casserole (coq au vin). Nowadays, coq au vin is usually made with a chicken or hen.” This development is great for many of us, since it’s not that easy to find a rooster suitable for coq au vin in your average supermarket, though it is worth trying to find a stewing chicken. Though the dish’s popularity skyrocketed in the Sixties, the Food Timeline dates the recipe only to 1913, though it is generally acknowleged to have been around long before then.

I found my recipe in the Oregonian’s FoodDay in the late winter/early spring of 2007, and made it for my then-boyfriend who praised it inordinately. I’ve made it a couple times since then, always sans mushrooms, sometimes with skins, and it has always been delicious. I’m especially fond of the little steamed potatoes, which after seasoning are tasty little bombs of potato-y goodness. Steam the potatoes while the coq simmers; I use my trusty and ancient rice cooker for perfect potatoes.

Unlike the FoodDay (which I can’t link you to because I cannot find it on their site), I added celery to mine for an earthier flavor. I also use wine almost exclusively, rather than the insipid wine and chicken broth combination they favored. I usually just dump the bottle in, reserving a generous glassful for myself. If the chicken isn’t quite covered, then I top it off with broth. Excellent leftovers will result, so plan on eating it for a few days.

my most recent coq au vin

What We Ate: pub fare and Malay Satay Hut

Scotch egg at the Rose & Thistle

pints at the RaT: some organic thing and Newcastle

our shopping cart at FuBonn

chicken satay (nibbled upon already) at the Malay Satay Hut

Schatzi's: Singapore Noodles with Chinese sausage and shrimp

Eli's dinner: wide noodles with shrimp and squid