Feast of the Southern Wild (Grilled Pork Chops with Apricot-Dijon Relish)

Carinn and I met working in the deli of the West Seattle PCC (that's the Puget Consumers Cooperative for all you foreigners). We actually started on the same day, as the only two 'West Side' employees at orientation. PCC is definitely a bit on the "crunchy" side (ok, maybe more than a bit), and the person hosting the orientation gave a rather in-depth lecture on NOT wearing any scented products so as to avoid offending customers. I have one of those brains that shoots first and asks questions later but not in the badass, John Wayne sort of way. I blurted out, "Do I smell? Can you smell me?" I was really referring to the strength of my deodorant, but it didn't exactly come out gracefully. The fact that Carinn would even speak to me, let alone invite me into her home after that spectacle is a testament to her kindness. Anyhow, on to the food. 

A Bacon Lover's Paradise

When Elliott asked me if I'd ever been to The Swinery, I didn't quite know how to react. He wanted me to have lunch at a butcher shop?

Elliott assured me with a signature "trust me" and we swung in for lunch one day. As it turns out, they grind their beef for burgers in-house and add pork belly to the mix. They're rich, greasy, and totally worth it. But what really got me was what they sold on top of the case. Chocolate chip cookies with BACON. It was my dream meal in one and I've been a fan ever since.

Elliott's Habañero-Slaw Fish Tacos

We took a trip to Maui a couple of years ago and had our minds blown by the fish tacos at Coconut's in Kihei - We had to figure out how to make these on our own. On our first attempt we made habañero ranch to put on top of the slaw, but on the second attempt we incorporated the habañero directly into the slaw dressing. This allowed the heat to incorporate more evenly into the cabbage, which we think is way better. We have two versions of these tacos: the "payday" version with seared ahi, and the "rent-is-due-tomorrow" version with battered fish filets from Safeway. Honestly, the version with the fish filets is equally as satisfying, just not as 'special'.

Two Cooks, One Pot

We are known to most as Carinn and Elliott and creating over-the-top meals at home is the foundation of our relationship. We met while working in a kitchen and we've been cooking together ever since.  We spend an obscene percentage of our income on ingredients like chanterelles, pancetta and locally produced artisan cheeses (so. much. cheese.); This blog is our attempt to justify the extravagance.

We will do our best to include recipes along with photos of our creations, but most of the time our meals start with a recipe and quickly become improvisational (courtesy of Elliott and his endless tinkering). We look forward to sharing our culinary adventures with you!