There is something about sunshine and warm weather that makes me crave Happy Hour. I tend to gaze out the window at work, watching everyone below me hurry off to fancy luncheons and mid-afternoon shopping sprees at Barney's and I decide I need a drink.
As I am no stranger to Seattle Happy Hours, I have compiled a list of my three favorites. They are my favorite places for many reasons---it is so HARD to pick just one!
1. Shorty's 2222 2nd Avenue # A
Seattle, WA 98121-2038 Price: Cheap pitchers of PBR and Rainier
Once upon a time I worked at a lovely job where I was done for the day by 1:00 PM. It was a high stress job and it led to MANY Happy Hour excursions. The place that I most often frequented was Shorty's.
Nothing boosts a mood like a bar that could be mistaken for a carnival. Yes, clowns are creepy---terrifying, really---but, 2 rooms of pinball, a juke box, alcoholic slurpees, Buck Hunter and veggie dogs make the clowns seem almost friendly.
Another high five to Shorty's for having the bartender who came and sat down with me and my friend to ask why we hadn't left him a tip. BEFORE YOU JUDGE ME: we hadn't finished ordering - of COURSE we were going to leave him a tip. For those of us who have worked in the service industry it is understood that the majority of time is spent biting your tongue, but not at Shorty's which makes me love it even more!
I have been on a dessert kick lately and let me tell you it is not a bad kick to be on. Unless of course you are dieting or trying to lose weight, but PLEASE--diets are SO 1963.
Instead of worrying about your weight, eat one of these scrumptious, toothsome (best word ever) Rolo Brownie Cups. What's a brownie cup?!!?! Well, it happens when you try to make cupcakes with brownie mix EVEN THOUGH the box says that it is a cake mix. So, your "cupcakes" come out all cupcake-shaped, but with the delectable taste of a chewy, fudge brownie. Only these are extra spectacular because I put caramel in the middle. Talk about a mind-sticker!
I used Trader Joe's Truffle Baking Mix. I had never used it before, but was not deterred. I had the feeling that it would taste just GREAT. It was also really easy to mix. I won't go into detail. Just read the instructions on the box and follow them.
I also had leftover caramel from when I made vegan Twix bars. No, I haven't posted it yet. I need to make MORE and actually take pictures. They were fantastic, by the way. Anyway, so this caramel had been sitting in the fridge, taunting me, "Heat me up! Or don't! Eat me with your bare hands right out of the Tupperware. Take me upstairs and gnaw on me in bed and start that Lifetime movie on Netflix you've been itching to watch....". Instead, I popped open a Tab and decided to bake these Brownie Cups with a dollop of homemade caramel in the middle. (Although, at the time I thought I was still making cupcakes. Details, details.)
I filled each cup with a spoonful of batter (after spraying it with Pam of course), a spoonful of caramel and then another spoonful of batter. And then I baked them for 35 minutes. Actually, I baked them for 20 minutes, checked them and baked them in 5 minute increments after that. The caramel caused them to bake a little longer, but it was well worth it.
Not the BEST picture, but that's okay. I'd still eat 4.
Sadly, the recipe only made 12 and they were gone like that (I'm snapping my fingers). I will definitely revisit these treats and, yes, the Twix bars too! Until then, gaze lovingly at these photos and peruse this awesome site (which I found today while searching for Rolo Cupcakes) for inspiration. I love the internet.
Have you ever wanted to make 40 tamales? Yes? Well, settle in. I'll show you how. (I am experimenting with photo-size here. X-tra Large? BBW? Thoughts, experiences? No one cares? Perfect, let's move on.)
Until recently I had never made a tamale. Frankly, I wasn't even really sure what it was other than it being wrapped in a corn husk (or a plantain leaf?) but with some thorough internet research (thanks Wikipedia!) I discovered that Tamales were a Spanish Conquistador staple and that in Central America they use plantain leaves, but in Mexico, corn husks are used.
Do you remember that time I promised you caramel corn? Today I shall deliver, and hopefully before The Rapture hits (crossing my fingers)!
I sometimes dream about caramel corn the same way I dream about beef jerky and those tofu egg patties (has anyone thought of a name for those yet?). Ew, and I truly mean beef jerky, get your mind out of the gutter! I recently decided to make my dream of caramel corn a reality and now, without further adieu, I bring you:
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it's so damn hard to eat it! At least for me. When given the option of sleeping in an extra 30 minutes or stumbling downstairs and eating, I will choose sleep. That is why the Food Gods created protein bars; specifically protein bars for Women (Receive a FREE box of TAMPONS with every purchase of 7 or more!(I kid, I kid...that's not a real offer, but it should be.)).
Weekends, however, are another story. I rise with the dawn (well, more like 8:30-9 AM) and ponder what's on the menu for the morning. Unless, of course, I am going to the Highline. The last couple of weekends I have been attempting to use up the magnanimous amounts of tofu I have on hand. There are several things I purchase every time I go to the store, regardless of need, and tofu is one of them. Chex Mix is another.
So, prepare yourself, here are two of my faux-egg-cellent breakfast dishes.
The best way to cure a hangover is the Highline. (I will spare you the link because hopefully all of you have been so enraptured with my previous two posts that you have already viewed both of the links provided. If not, I suggest you take a look. I'll wait for you here. In my food coma.)
I love food; I love eating food, cooking food, taking pictures of food, reading ingredients...I'm no Craig, but maybe in time. I plan on reaching that goal by eating absolutely every item on the Highline Menu, and after an eventful evening on the Bayou I was famished.
The Higline brunch menu is where I began my adventure. Well, sort of, I began my adventure with a red beer (you know, the whole "hair of the dog" philosophy) which isn't on the brunch menu per se, but whatever.
It has been one whole week since my first post, and what a week it's been. There have been two cooking projects, a birthday party, a hang-over and my first visit to Highline since deciding to eat my way through the menu.
Where to begin!? The best place to start is going to be on the bayou.
I had been enlisted to cook appetizers for 50+ guests for a bayou-themed birthday party. On the menu for the occasion were Cajun Mini-Quiche, Jalapeño Cornbread and Cajun Spiced Popcorn. (I actually had to stop typing for a second and reminisce about those quiche. They were so wonderful. Mmmmm....) Okay, so, last Friday:
I used Susan V's phenomenal, wonderful crazy-delicious mini quiche recipe and then kind of added my own little spin to Cajunize it. For the cornbread, I found this mamma jamma. I replaced the corn with jalapeños and we were set! My own little spin for the quiche involved Tony Chachere's creole seasoning and extra bell peppers!
( Ca-jun-izetransitive verb \΄kā - jun, - īz \ : to make something Cajun, in this case food).
(Mamma Jamma noun \ 'mä-mä, ‘jam-mä \: 1. something that is considered by many to be very sexy and/orboss. 2. synonym for the word "thing" (Thank you Urban Dictionary)).
We started the evening off with a some green beer to celebrate the launch of my almost world famous blog.
My roommate, Tiff, helped by drinking beer.
Brandi looks a little skeptical of the project.
The green beer slowed the cooking process down a little bit, but we still managed to get everything done. And Brandi even found time to KNIT!
