The Food Culturalist

Cold Weather Camp Chili Cold winter weather makes me crave deep,...

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:39:18 -0500

Cold Weather Camp Chili

Cold winter weather makes me crave deep, warm, rich foods like pot roast and hearty soups, so when I went camping in the Ozarks in the middle of winter I knew we’d need to make something substantial for dinner. As the temperatures dropped into the twenties I got my buddies to help prepare cast-iron cornbread and turkey chili with white beans and chili. This is hands down the simplest and most flavorful chili I’ve made in a very long time – perfect for any cold night whether you’re cozy at home or braving the great outdoors.

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2012 Stocking Stuffer Gift Guide The holidays are almost here...

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:49:00 -0500

2012 Stocking Stuffer Gift Guide

The holidays are almost here and I’m all set with my big gifts, but you know what always ends up being left to the last minute – Stocking Stuffers! With a little preparation a well-stuffed stocking can easily become the best gift of the season, so I’ve compiled my favorite stocking-sized gifts for Adventurous Foodies and Camping Gear Lovers into a last-minute guide. Merry Christmas!

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The Salt & Time Butcher Shop Salumeria Needs You Our...

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:48:29 -0500

The Salt & Time Butcher Shop Salumeria Needs You

Our friends Ben and Bryan of Salt & Time Butcher Shop and Salumeria have been working hard toward opening a permanent location in East Austin. Their goal is fantastic: to create a full-service butcher shop stocked with local and sustainable meats, fresh and custom cut as well as their famous cured meats, and a bar with chef-prepared snacks to enjoy morning noon and night. They have just launched a Kickstarter Campaign to raise funds to finish up and open their shop. Check out this sweet video of Ben and Bryan at work, talking passionately about the thing they love to do, and send them a few bucks if you can.

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Please Welcome L+L’s New Contributors!For the last year...

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:32:38 -0500

Please Welcome L+L’s New Contributors!

For the last year Liberty and Lunch has been the creative outlet where I, Katie, have expressed my…

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Thanksgiving 2012: Camping in the Ozarks Thanksgiving really...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 18:31:00 -0500

Thanksgiving 2012: Camping in the Ozarks

Thanksgiving really snuck up on me this year. All of a sudden it was a week away and we hadn’t booked the plane tickets that we’d promised, and I was feeling like this year Thanksgiving was going to be a big disappointment. Then one night over a few beers a friend mentioned that a group of climbing buddies was planning a quick trip up to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in northern Arkansas. Immediately we each decided that this was the Thanksgiving we needed. The four of us decided to leave late wednesday night and enjoy our Thanksgiving by camping in the Ozark National Forest.

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Planning for a Camping Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is hands-down...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:49:10 -0500

Planning for a Camping Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is hands-down my favorite holiday. I love cooking a huge meal and enjoying it with my friends and family, lounging in a house stuffed with good smells, and sharing all of the things I’m thankful for. But this year is going to be a little different – we’re going on a camping and climbing trip for Thanksgiving!

I’m used to having a traditional Turkey day, with a big bird all the trimmings, where I cook in my kitchen and can control most of the variables. But the things I love most about camping – carrying only what is necessary, cooking over a fire and being outdoors for long periods – are antipodal to my ideal Thanksgiving meal. I’ve spent the last couple of days brainstorming ideas for cooking Thanksgiving dinner in camp, considering what can be prepared beforehand and what we can cook over the fire, then narrowing down the options into something delicious, unique and feasible.

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Happy Camper’s Hot Cocktail It’s really cooling off this...

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 10:00:17 -0500

Happy Camper’s Hot Cocktail

It’s really cooling off this week here in Austin and I’m getting excited for wintery adventures, so to celebrate I dug up this recipe for hot peach bourbon toddy that I created while we were backpacking Big Bend earlier this fall. One thing I enjoy endlessly while backpacking is the challenge of creating delicious meals and tasty treats with extremely limited ingredients and tools.

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Lunch In Arches This year my mom had a fantastic garden so we...

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 12:38:08 -0500

Lunch In Arches

This year my mom had a fantastic garden so we dined on the summer’s last tomatoes, the first carrots, and pesto my mom made with beet greens and kale instead of basil. It was the perfect midday meal for hiking out in the Utah desert.

I love eating finger foods on the trail more than any prepared meal. I think it’s because I can choose the exact amount of each flavor that I desire, and each item can be mixed with another bite to create new sensational combinations. The key ingredients to any trail meal are simple: a cracker, a spread, a cheese, a nut, a fruit and vegetable, and a sweet for dessert.

2012 Harvest Classic Moto Rally Last weekend I rode with a few...

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 22:02:15 -0400

2012 Harvest Classic Moto Rally

Last weekend I rode with a few friends out to Luckenbach, Texas, for the 10th annual Harvest Classic European & Vintage Motorcycle Rally! I had a great time and took a few photos of some of the beautiful bikes in the show and around the rally. I also entered Birdie, my 1971 BMW R75/5 in the Bike Show, with the hope of fame and glory.

The food truck culture of Austin has been spreading steadily to other cities and has finally made it to Luckenbach! We ate a lot of Rally Food: Buffalo Tacos, BBQ and “Awesome” Bison Burgers, sausages from a few great food trucksand bottles of beer to wash it all down.

The Anatomy of Dinner: Butchering and Curing Basics Class with...

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 11:06:33 -0400

The Anatomy of Dinner: Butchering and Curing Basics Class with Salt & Time

Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of attending a class on butchering and pork curing basics by the wonderful guys at Austin’s very own Salt & Time Butchershop and Salumeria. Benjamin Runkle and Bryan Butler are two guys with a passion for making and sharing delectable cured meats, handmade sausages and responsibly farmed local proteins. They recently began teaching their specialized skills and I was lucky to get a place at the table. Keep reading for a little bit about my experience. Warning to the squeamish: the following contains photographs of pigs being turned into delicious food.

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Oatmeal: 1 Camping Breakfast 2 Delicious Ways It’s finally...

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:01:45 -0400

Oatmeal: 1 Camping Breakfast 2 Delicious Ways

It’s finally starting to cool off! And with that I feel two really strong, semi-related feelings: I want to be campingall the time, and I want to eat a hot breakfast. I’m working on fulfilling at least one of those primal urges this weekend so I thought it’d be appropriate to share a super-tasty, super-easy hot breakfast that’s perfect for your next camping adventure: Oatmeal. Simple? yes. Tasty? Always, if you do it right.

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When Avery Beer Meets Easy Tiger Cooking Wednesday Yesterday,...

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 09:53:34 -0400

When Avery Beer Meets Easy Tiger Cooking

Wednesday ~~Yesterday~~, out of the blue, I won a contest on Twitter, and made an impromptu night of celebrating two of my favorite things, good food and good beer! Easy Tiger, the best bakery and sausage joint in Austin, hosted and excellent evening of Avery Brewing Company beer paired with a special chef’s six-course dinner. Ryan and I booked it downtown just in time to enjoy Joe’s Premium American Pilsner and settle in for a fantastic night surrounded by great people.

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Camp Cooking: A Well-Balanced Dinner I’m about to give...

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:01:00 -0400

Camp Cooking: A Well-Balanced Dinner

I’m about to give you the formula for the best camping dinner ever. It’s so tasty I even cook it at home. And it’s so easy, it’s possible to make even after a seriously long (ike, 17+ miles long) hike, with only your camp kitchen gear. And a bonus: It’s fast too.

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Strawberry-Blueberry-Cherry Pie When I was a kid I hated pie. I...

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 08:51:18 -0400

Strawberry-Blueberry-Cherry Pie

When I was a kid I hated pie. I thought, why would I want to eat sour cooked fruit for dessert when I can have cake!? Fast forward a few years and I realized that, given enough planning, I could have pie and cake. And ice cream, and cookies, and chocolate. But in practice I’ve found that I only make pie on a whim. I don’t ever plan to bake, and I don’t crave pie. But then once or twice a year the stars align and I rush out for ingredients, necessarily forgetting at least one key part, and I rush home full of excitement and improvise my way through a traditional recipe. This was one of those nights. I recalled this board game I keep hearing about, Settlers of Catan, and we jumped in the car to go find it, and I had visions of a pie and game night.

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Camp Cooking: Breakfast Hash What do you do when you wake up...

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:30:50 -0400

Camp Cooking: Breakfast Hash

What do you do when you wake up outside and it’s still dark and everything is wet and you’re a hundred miles from the nearest town (you think, but you’re not sure because there’s no cell service) and you forgot to pack salt and pepper in your camp kitchen? You make hash for breakfast, of course.

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Canning in the Old Fashioned Style I’m craving pickles right...

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:16:55 -0400

Canning in the Old Fashioned Style

I’m craving pickles right now. And since I can’t get any pickles, sharing my great grandmother’s recipe for Spicy and Dilly Pickled Beans is the next best thing. When my mom was in town a few months back we got into the box of old recipes she gave me and made a few things for fun, including this oldie-goodie from her Grandma Brown and Aunt Betty…

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Cooking Dinner With the Sun: A Solar Oven Story Everybody knows...

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:04:30 -0400

Cooking Dinner With the Sun: A Solar Oven Story

Everybody knows the summers in Austin get hot – last week we had a record of 110°! When it’s such an oven outside it only makes sense to gather the heat of the sun and concentrate it into an aparatus that can cook your dinner for you – keep that heat out of the kitchen! That’s what my mom said when she gifted me this funky little Solar Oven and a book on slow cooking. A couple weeks ago she came to Austin for a visit and gave me a 101 on how to cook almost anything in the solar oven: beans, rice, potatoes, veggies, whole chickens, chili, stews and soups, even whole roasts of meat.

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Platos Typicos I just returned from 8 days in the beautiful rain...

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:18:17 -0400

Platos Typicos

I just returned from 8 days in the beautiful rain forests and beaches of Costa Rica! Ever wonder what a typical meal – platos typicos – in Costa Rica is like? Keep reading to find out what we ate, where we explored and what we saw!

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Hibiscus Sun Tea & A Royal Tea Cocktail My mom was always...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:27:00 -0400

Hibiscus Sun Tea & A Royal Tea Cocktail

My mom was always making sun tea in the summer when I was a kid. I never made my own until she gifted me a bag of organic dried hibiscus flowers from her adventures in Mexico. So on the first hot day of the summer I taught myself how to make sun tea out of the flowers, a black tea that I’ve always liked, and some of the mint that was swiftly taking over a corner of my garden. Even as a first try the tea came out perfect. Not too sour or acidic, not too minty, this tea comes out a beautiful pink-beet color and is incredibly refreshing. So refreshing that Ryan and I created a cocktail out of it! A little award-winning local vodka, a little lemon and honey, and this tea is transformed into a bright and totally sip-able Royal Tea Cocktail!

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The Perfect Picnic Picnics are one of the best things about a...

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:07:49 -0400

The Perfect Picnic

Picnics are one of the best things about a new summer! Gathering at the park with friends and seeing fellow picnickers with their romping dogs and kids, shaking out a blanket, searching for the perfect spot, pouring the first drink, unpacking the basket of goodies, unwinding and finding comfort on the lumpy ground…These are my favorite parts of a good picnic. Add to that a delicious spread and fair entertainment and I’m the happiest girl around. Read along to discover what to bring to make your own picnic magical!

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