There are two requirements that must be met to make for ideal football-watching foods: they have to be easy to make and they have to be easy to eat. Pizza, burgers and brats are always good go-tos because, (a) easy to make (or order and have delivered), and (b) easy to eat. But doesn't that get a little stale, year after year after year serving the same-old, same-old? Just because you're a football fan doesn't mean you're a savage. This Super Sunday, surprise your guests with gourmet fare that is (a) easy to make, and (b) so easy to eat. Even the bowl itself is edible. Enjoy these super bowls this Super Bowl! | RDW
Bacon Bowls
Everything is better with bacon; even serving ware! Here's a recipe for a breadless BLT. Hey, it's even gluten-free!
Dave Graw and Derek Swanson are solid dudes. So what is a "solid dude"? It's kind of like, when you meet someone, and you have this moment of "Gasp I love you!" because even though you don't know really know them what you know of them already by just meeting them you know is awesome. "Solid," if you will. It's kind of like that.
Dave illustrates his point by talking about some guys that he and Derek once had a gig with in Grand Rapids. (The Dudes make a lot of connections between music and food. It makes sense; just roll with it.) They had never met each other and before any of them got onstage to play, they bro-bonded immediately. "I don’t care about what we are, we gave a shit about what we played whether they liked it or not, whether it was good or not, we cared. The guy [later told me that he said to himself], 'Holy shit, we gotta fucking give it,' and they did--[these guys are awesome AND they have an awesome band]--and afterwards we’re all hugging, and that started a beautiful friendship. You know, I met you guys and just had that moment of, 'Alright, right on.' It was a good feeling. It’s a like-minded respect; you’re there honestly playing music because you have to."
Derek: "Not because you're trying to get signed; not because you’re trying to get laid."
Dave: "Green Dot Stables is catering [the Season Two DVD release party]. They contacted us. They're just doing it because they have to.
Derek: "It's two guys who sunk their own money in with no backing."
Dave: "Just like McClure's; they had a a family recipe, they HAVE to make pickles."
Derek [speaking as if he were Joe McClure]: "'I HAVE to take cucumbers and put salt on them' – fuck yes you do!"
Dave: "That's what's awesome about Detroit, people do things because they have to. For Derek and I right now we have to make a cooking show."
Derek [explains that prior to the pickle business, Joe McClure was working in the very lucrative field of post-production]: "Joe saw he could make millions in post-production and said, 'That’s great; I have to put salt on pickles.'"
Dave: "I love him. I don’t know him, but I love him. He's rad. His pickles are rad, and he’s rad."
And that is the essence of what it means to be a "solid dude." Basically, you're a good guy and your band is good too.
Dave: "Dave Mancini [of Supino Pizzeria] is a good dude and his band doesn’t suck. Joe is a really good dude and his band is awesome."
And really that's what Solid Dudes Kitchen is all about. It's a cooking show, but not one you could ever realistically cook along with. But that's not what's important. What's important about the show and what makes it so damn enjoyable to watch is the camaraderie between Dave and Derek (every bit as evident on camera as it is in real life), two dudes who played in a band together and both work in commercial film and video production who got this crazy idea to start a cooking show for shits and giggles.
Dave: "When two assholes who look like us have a show people assume the wrong things about us. When we met, it was like, 'I want to hang out with you.' It’s about friends. We’re friends. What came out of [the show] was an honest depiction of what we do."
The episodes are short, a decision they made because they found they are much more entertaining in smaller bursts.
Derek: "We both work in film, 98% of it being advertising, 98% of that being commercials. On any given day we work with multi-million dollar productions. It's one of the best film schools because its super-pragmatic; art is probably fourth[-ranked] on a list of 10 [criteria] because they need to sell things – 'What is the quickest way to sell things to stupid people?' – so we skip the boring shit, that’s why you can’t 'cook along.'"
Dave: "But if you want to make mac and cheese you’re going to sit and open up a recipe book. That’s not what we’re trying to do; we’re trying to hang out, spend time together, and share some of what we think is funny with other people. What I like about the Internet is that niche cultures can be niche and that’s exciting. I think we have a niche and we have an area we can operate in comfortably."
They may have a niche audience but it certainly seems to encompass a big chunk of Detroit. Their Season Two DVD release party on Thursday night at the Belle Isle Casino was packed; other of Detroit's solid dudes provided food, drinks, projection and music (Green Dot Stables, Sugar House, Corktown Cinema and DJ Michael Trombley, respectively). Whether it's because of who they are and what they represent, or just because people think the show is funny, Dave and Derek are surrounded by other like-minded individuals with that same DIY spirit and drive to create and do something fun.
Dave says, "I think that’s the key to life, just don’t stop—everyone we surround ourselves with just doesn’t stop." Derek interjects, "I'll quote Earthmover: 'It’s not about money.'" (Earthmover was a hardcore band from Michigan.) Dave continues, "We just kind of end up gravitating towards these people. It’s terrifying but it's also motivating--look how much that guy’s done, look at that guy’s blog where he's giving music away for free [because he just needs to make music].
'I like when people are doing it just to do it; there’s no endgame, just to do it. We’re gonna do it until it’s not fun or funny for us or our friends." The Dudes have had sponsorship offers in the past, all of which they've turned down. Dave references the movie Airheads and how the guys wouldn't bow down to the sleazy record executive who didn't care at all about their music, even in the face of a record deal. "They just wanted their demo back so people could hear it, so he rips up the contract ... they had people interested but what’s the point if you don’t know who we are? We're like punk rock snobs [turning down opportunities for money]."
Because for them, the second it stops being fun--which could happen the very second they had to answer to a suit waiving a check--is the second the show is done. And for them, to anyone who sits around and waits for someone else to fund their vanity project, Dave says, "Fuck you." Derek adds, "Had we waited for someone else to fund our project it probably wouldn’t have happened."
It might not seems the most natural thing for musicians to be "into" cooking. Au contraire, sayeth the Dudes. "Musicians, artists and chefs are all really similar people," Dave says. "Being younger you don’t really know that, you don’t relate with an artist when you’re into punk rock, but as you get older and become more aware of your surroundings, everything is everything and it's all the same. The art of food preparation is like writing a good song, it's all composition and structure. Once you understand the notes are just like ingredients, making a good pasta is like writing a pop song."
Derek: "I think the common denominator with chefs and musicians is that you know that to do what you’re doing as a career, you’re probably not going to make a million dollars. If you’re going to do it you have to love it. To have a chef tell us, 'We really love you, we love what you're doing,' it's like, 'Fuck, you do this for a living, we're doing this as a joke but only because we want to do what you’re doing."
Derek: "That was Dave’s thing – let’s hang out, drink our faces off, laugh our asses off and make a show."
Dave: "I can’t stay at home and watch the finale of Battlestar Galactica a third time and feel good about myself."
So just how solid are the Solid Dudes? They've received one piece of hate mail since season 1 premiered in 2009. That letter came from a Detroit priest who saw their cover on the Metro Times of them covered in baked beans. In it, this priest accused the Dudes of being reckless and wasteful that at a time when so many people were out of work, struggling and starving that they would waste food like that for a photo (note: it wasn't their idea). So they started looking up more info on this priest, and found out that over the decades he's been a huge activist, the kind of guy who stood in front of military tanks to protest the Vietnam War; THAT kind of guy. "I started to like him!" Dave says. "He's doing way more than we're ever going to do." Derek adds, "He's kind of fucking cool."
So they hosted the Solid Dudes Kitchen canned food drive, and took all the money and food they collected and dropped it off to that same priest, who had no idea it was coming. And so I ask, are these dudes solid? Fuck yes they are.
"If you put in good, it comes out good," Dave says. "It's just like a crock pot. That's an analogy for life: you put good shit in there and it comes out tasting good."
Season 2 of Solid Dudes Kitchen is now available for purchase on DVD, featuring the Solid Dudes German special "Dudes Hast." It will probably be another two and a half years before we see another season but cut them some slack, they have lives, jobs, wives and families, and they're not getting paid to do this. To get your fill of the Dudes in between seasons, check out their website for recipes, musings and probably some dick jokes.
For more on the Philosophy des Dude, check out some other solid stories here and here.
Who run the world? Girls. EID is giving some love to fellow female food bloggers Beyonce-style this week. There are some that focus on recipes, some on restaurants, and some a mix of both. A couple of them are down in the trenches as fellow freelancers; some are chefs, some are students, some stay-at-home moms. Because female food bloggers tend to get categorized somewhat dismissively as mere "cooking" blogs -- or worse, "mommy" blogs -- these girls don't always get their due in a world full of loud, flashy, graphic-heavy man-blogs. I couldn't have sifted through the plethora of local female-authored food blogs without a little bit of help, so this Hot List comes with special thanks to Noelle Lothamer, whom I contacted for a consult after deciding her blog was getting the #1 spot regardless (ashe is also an admin for the Michigan Lady Food Bloggers).
#1 Simmer Down!
It's mostly a cooking blog (with eye-popping pictures; both the author and her husband are photogs), but it is also the somewhat personal blog of Detroit-area freelance writer and musician Noelle Lothamer. Followers of Simmer Down! read along as Noelle charts not only her own cooking and family adventures (like planning her wedding earlier this year), but also as she covers Detroit's DIY food scene from events like Tashmoo Biergarten to the Detroit Holiday Food Bazaar, which she organizes. Noelle is also a freelance food writer for Model D and the Metro Times.
#2 Take a Megabite
She says she's "Just a redhead who likes to bake," but Ferndalian Meg Dekok does so much more on her Megabite blog. This blog is a brain feast -- pretty pictures! funny words! WHAT'S THAT, I WANT TO EAT IT! She takes things that are awesome and combines them into things that are MEGA awesome. See: Nutella-Filled Donuts, Monte Cristo Waffle Sandwich, Chocolate Salami. And all so pretty! I think I might love her.
#3 Okie Dokie Artichokie
This Ann Arbor-based blog is a beaut. Author Stephanie Russell is a personal chef and also a freelance writer, and this well-written, witty blog focuses on delivering interesting, somewhat eclectic recipes with gorgeous pictures and a little bit of Stephanie's life mixed in. A navigation bar on the right allows you to easily view different recipes by category (such as "comfort food," "healthy," "Peruvian" and "noodles").
#4 The Wine Gal Blog
Ericia Bartels is the resident "wine gal" and event coordinator at Angelina Italian Bistro, and this blog is all about her adventures in wine (including sitting for the sommelier exam and lunching with the president of a legendary Italian winery). In between personal and professional anecdotes are some fantastic wine finds, and you can stop by Angelina anytime to talk vino with the pro. (Their monthly wine tastings are hugely popular and tend to sell out quickly.)
#5 Fruitcake or Nuts
It's a simple, straightforward, and regularly updated cooking blog with easy-to-follow and none-too-fancy recipes. There's nothing flashy about the design or presentation, and recipes tend to have more of an everyday appeal. And honestly, that's kind of refreshing -- after all, you can't make chicken galantine until you've mastered basic chicken.
Just because you’re living in a dorm doesn’t mean you have to survive on Easy Mac, and contrary to popular dorm legend vodka is not in fact a food. These original recipes are all made with easy-to-find ingredients with minimal preparation involved, and can be cooked entirely in a microwave or toaster oven. Get your gourmet grub on while you get your learn on.
Fondue Sandwich (serves 3) Inspired by Swiss cheese fondue, this recipe takes all those great flavors and puts them in a sandwich.
Ingredients:
● Emmathaler cheese (one kind of Swiss)
● Gruyere cheese (another kind of Swiss; can also use Comte, which is the French version)
● 6 slices of hearty sourdough bread (we used Avalon International Bread’s Farnsworth Family Farm deli-style sourdough)
● ½ stick salted butter
● 3 cloves freshly-peeled garlic, sliced thin or minced
● 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
● 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
1) Remove rack from toaster oven and preheat to 450˚F.
2) Make a quick garlic-infused “clarified” butter by placing butter and garlic in a bowl and microwave on high until melted (about 1 minute). Scoop white solids off the top. Let butter cool and harden. Spread butter on one side of all 6 slices of bread.
3) Place 3 slices on rack, buttered side down. Cut desired amount of cheese into thin (1/8’’) slices; should have equal quantities of both cheeses.
4) Place thin slices of cheese on bread. Sprinkle nutmeg and pepper onto each slice. Place remaining 3 slices of bread on top (buttered side up) to form sandwich.
5) Place rack in oven and for about 15-20 minutes (flipping once) until cheese is melted and edges of bread are slightly brown. Cut into halves and serve while hot.
Guacamole 3-Way (serves 4-5) Easy to make, always delicious and GASP, healthy even – the possibilities for guacamole are endless. Now you can say you had your first college 3-way. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
Beer. Wonderful, nourishing, health-sustaining BEER. (Seriously, its health benefits have been studied and proven, it’s even better for you than red wine, look it up.) We all love to drink it, but did you know you can also cook with it? Everything from citrusy wheat beers to robust stouts can be used to add a flavorful depth to a variety of dishes. Here’s some of our favorite beer-based recipes.
Beer cheese soup at Detroit Beer Company, Detroit. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.
Beer Cheese Soup (8 servings)
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups diced carrots
• 1 1/2 cups diced onion
• 1 1/2 cups diced celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups beer – we suggest using an IPA for its sharp, bitter flavor, like Short’s Huma Lupa Licious
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 4 cups milk or half and half
• 6 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• Salted butter popcorn
Directions:
1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, simmer carrots, onion, celery, and garlic in butter until soft. Stir in hot pepper sauce, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Pour in chicken broth and beer; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Meanwhile, heat butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Stir in flour with a wire whisk; cook, stirring until the flour is light brown, about 3 or 4 minutes. Gradually stir in milk, whisking to prevent scorching, until thickened. Remove from heat, and gradually stir in cheese. Keep warm.
3. Stir beer mixture into cheese mixture. Stir in Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard. Adjust for hot pepper sauce. Bring to a simmer, and cook 10 minutes. Garnish with popcorn. Double your beer food delight by serving with a generous chunk of rye beer bread.
