quinn's place

i don’t think i need to set the scene for context here, but…in the event you’re reading this far in the future…

it is currently JUNE 2020.

we have been mostly locked in our homes for about 4 months now due to the CoRoNaViRus pandemic. there’s a whooooole lotta other stuff going on, too. the world is upside down. but, as for the whole “being locked away in our homes” thing…

this means, we have been stocking up on all the pantry/freezer/bulk items and cooking a LOT. A LOT. this excludes all the food & recipe content i have been photographing for work. i’ve had food content coming out my ears, but not a lot i can share here besides my personal meals.

really, this post is simply an ode to our obsession with the flat top outdoor griddle we bought last summer. seriously the greatest investment we’ve made in some time. i’d say 85% of the food you see here was made on the flat top.

here are some iphone photos of a lot of the repeat meals we’ve been cooking up for the last few months while at home in quarantine. not pictured: many, many other non-photo-worthy pantry meals.

PINEAPPLE, SPAM & CHICKEN FRIED RICE.

this one has been a fantastic equal use of pantry, freezer, and fresh ingredients. it sucks when we eat all the “good” fresh groceries first, and are left with sad bags of beans, rice etc. this utilizes a substantial amount of 3 categories of ingredients within the same meal. and…it makes rice for days!

SO MANY TACOS.

all the tacos, all the time.

GARLICKY RICOTTA & BURST CHERRY TOMATO TOASTS.

SOURDOUGH FRENCH TOAST.

PUFFY CREPES THAT ARE MORE LIKE A CHALUPA.

APPROXIMATELY 800 MARGARITAS.

HOMEMADE PIZZA - EVERY WHICH WAY!

^ in the oven on the pizza stone.

^ …on the pizza stone on the barbecue.

baked in a skillet…

AFTERNOON-SNACK SMOOTHIES.

we’ve gotten bored of eating bananas plain, so i’ve been making delicious chocolate, banana, peanut butter smoothies that are more liiiiiiiiike… milkshakes. heeell yeah.

RED or GREEN POZOLE.

with all the toppings. toppings are the thing.

COLD SESAME NOODLE SALAD.

that's a real recipe from my blog, here! it’s very customizable. add meat, jammy eggs, whatever veggies, etc!

AMERICAN CHEESE BURGERS.

just like our favorite from loretta’s northwesterner. almost akin to a dick’s cheeseburger.

^ this was a major win for us. haha.

CHILLING OUR BEVERAGES IN BIG BOWLS OF ICE.

cuz we need refreshments and we need them now!

POACHIES ON BUTTERED, AVO’D SOURDOUGH ENGLISH MUFFINS.

my no-vortex egg poaching skills are getting pritttyyyy good.

PANCAKES.

on the flat top, OF COURX!

we wonder if our neighbors think we are freaks for making so many of our meals outside. but we are quite pleased about it.

also very pleased to have a bit of outdoor space to spread out, a very walkable neighborhood for multiple daily powerwalks, and access to a zillion youtube workout videos, haha!

^ OUR QUARANTINE SQUAD.

couldn’t be more grateful for all these lovely people (and dog!) to be cooped up with during this time.

…it has been quite a time.

or what we now refer to as, “the quarantine 15.”

wow wow wow. such strange times we are living in right now. i haven’t posted a recipe or blog post since just last month, but within that short time span, the entire world has turned upside down. you don’t need another coronavirus backstory, but it’s not to be glossed over either. these are super scary, unprecedented times for the whole world and our modern history. it’s all happening and unfolding right now as i type this. and while this post is about food & cooking, it’s a huge nod to all the time we are currently spending at home (even more-so than usual), cooking, baking, and trying to maintain our sense of safety, health, comfort & sanity.

i’m feeling very, very grateful to have a safe place to quarantine with people i love and trust and feel safe with. also so lucky to have business opportunities that allow me to work from home in a certain capacity; same goes for my husband. i know that countless people don’t have the same access to work opportunities, food, and a safe sanctuary in which to quarantine, stay healthy and financially stable. i’m just feeling so grateful for what i have, and i think this process of quarantining is really opening peoples’ eyes & minds to all the things in life that actually matter; things that seemed like problems one month ago seem so trivial and unimportant now.

we are safe, happy & thriving here; i feel lucky to be able to say that, and i do not take our situation for granted.

all that to say - i continue to be head-over-heels for all-things bon appétit. here are some of the delicious recipes made under this roof during the month of march!

[disclaimer from the future, mid 2020: reading this section back of myself singing all the praises of BA is definitely cringeworthy given the very public reckoning that bon appetit has faced over the course of this year. it is safe to say that i have been thoroughly disappointed in discovering their unfair compensation practices amongst beloved staff members and phony strides toward a “diverse” and “inclusive” publication/workplace. it is a reminder to carefully examine all of the things that we think are great, and to really consider the reality of what may going on behind the scenes. this applies to many things that have been brought to light this year - as for my own interests, that includes BA, the ellen show, and many brands and people i’ve admired. it is a healthy & necessary exercise to be aware, curious, and informed of any dangerous or harmful inner-workings of large companies. i want to fully support the mission behind brands i love before blindly giving them such high praise, or funnel my dollars back into their toxic system. needless to say, all the previous content i’ve written in major support of bon appetit is a bit embarrassing now in retrospect - i won’t delete it, as it has been a part of my learning and unlearning process. it has been a part of this year’s huge cultural paradigm shift and so many incidents that have opened my eyes to many types of injustice. we all need to better examine the content that we each choose to consume and decide if it’s really worth or supporting.]

{…back to the past:}

ooomahhhgaaawwddd, i forgot about this glossy cookie dough. whoa baby. this is a top-notch cookie recipe.

i’m learning that i probably need a baking scale - my cookies are always too dense & poofy, so i’m probably using too much flour. very good cookies, though. will make again - even if its just to freeze the dough for future dough cravings snack :)

BA Brown Butter and Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

couldn’t have jumped on this recipe faster. i made these biscuits the day they released the recipe on instagram. wowweeeee, they were amazing - flaky, buttery, flavorful. i didn’t have sour cream and subbed greek yogurt and a little cream cheese - they turned out fabulously! i’ve been wanting to find a reason to make them again already, but we’ve been going a bit kooky krazy with all the carby items around here, lol. blessed be all the youtube workout videos that exist.

BA Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

it took me longer than i’d like to admit to understand why this recipe is called “billionaire bars” - which was actually a fun little riddle once i’d had the epiphany. this is probably extremely obvious, but these bars are super richhhhhhh. get it?!? 🤪derp. i’m just slow sometimes. holy moses, these will knock your sweet cravings right outta the park. veryyyy delicious, but will give you the sugarz if you don’t move around after eating one. i can see that if you don’t care for sesame flavors or tahini, you won’t be a fan. you could get crazy and use creamy peanut butter instead of tahini in the butterscotch layer, but that would be, like, “trillionaire” bar status. i think the tahini brings in an earthiness that somewhat tones down how rich the dessert is as a whole. approve!!!!!

BA Tahini Billionaire Bars

and for the superbowl snack i never made but wanted to - queso!

this queso recipe is freaking delicious. i was inspired to randomly make it the other day because we had american cheese from some burgers we’d grilled. and it did not disappoint the squad that got to eat it pipin’ hot and ready! will absolutely make again and again.

BA Queso, Not From a Jar

simply a bon appétit adjacent, the alison roman caramelized shallot pasta:

very enjoyable and opened up our anchovy-closed minds. duh, it makes all the sense. anchovy usage as saltiness, just like using fish sauce in thai food, etc. i’d put up a hard wall against anchovies in my life because i don’t like fish, but it makes sense all broken down in this salty, shallot-y sauce!