Doritos Macaroni

Contrary to popular belief, I follow doctor’s orders. It’s just that no doctors ever tell me not to josh and jostle with drag queens on Halloween, or not to do flying leaps off skeeball lanes in skyscraper stilettos. But if I happen to do those things and then after the fact a doctor tells me how to ensure that they don’t happen again, I listen good. My ever so well-meaning orthopedic surgeon informed me that I have long, slender bones. In the spider world I would be more daddy longlegs, less brown recluse.

My bones are spindly, so they are more prone to breakage. I’m like one of those really dry wishbones from a big ol’ turkey that has been baking in the kitchen window for weeks- you can’t help but snap me on the first try. Over the years I’ve fallen prey to a boy on rollerskates and an appaloosa with a mean streak (my wrist, both) as well as a giant overhang while rock-climbing (my spine). And now, twice in one month the dancefloor dropdown and the skeeball stiletto swan dive took out my wrist and foot. Yoda only knows what fate has in store for my hip.

How to cook with a broken foot, photo by Greg of SippitySup.com

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As part of Doughvember, which is our month-long celebration of sourdough baking, I asked Sharon from NickelMoon to write a guest post. She has had a profound connection to sourdough through the years and her story is resonant to many, even if the particulars are unique. She writes from her soul and I’m happy she is a part of our food community. Here’s what she has to say: Read more

This is a powerhouse post. If you stick around to the end, you’ll walk away with two mind-bending recipes, each containing enough magic sparkle sauce to put a permanent spell on a dishy prince (should that be your aim). You will also learn a lot, but not in a “Charlie Brown versus the Adults” kind of way, more in the “let’s all get together and figure this out while singing Kumbaya”-style.

So first, you remember how it’s Doughvember? If you need a quick catch-up, Doughvember is the month where we join forces to master the art of sourdough. If you want in, either make a starter (use Nicole’s handy instructions!) or revive your starter, and post, tweet or otherwise fling sourdough from the rooftops. If you’re the posse type, @ me on twitter and I’ll add you to the @saltyseattle/doughvember list. We’re using the hashtag #doughvember to aggregate our doughy coterie.

I knew when the idea for Doughvember first came about that I wanted to recreate the trashy-yet-classy American dish known as “egg-in-the-hole” or “eggs-in-a-basket” depending where you live. Me being me, however, I also knew I couldn’t simply plop an egg in a hollowed-out piece of toast and call it breakfast without you calling me on my lack of creativity. So I massaged the concept until out spooged the happiest of happy endings that you see here. It’s a sourdough bagel that has been lye-dipped to improve color and crust texture, then topped with a sous vide soufflé. It is like the lovechild of John Waters and Marilyn Monroe- sexy, dirty, vampy, campy, dewy and a little bit whorish. Let’s just say it’s impossible to eat without having impure thoughts. Read more