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Fox and Briar
Meghan is a passionate, self-taught home cook who recently moved from Portland, Oregon, to the Seattle area and spent most of her childhood in Alaska. While she tries adopting adult skills like meal planning and healthy eating, she balances the boredom by being creative in the kitchen mixing new drinks and discovering new places.
I am so psyched to have Meghan of Fox and Briar joining me here today.
(*All photos below are Meghan’s.)
On Growing Up in Alaska:
It’s a really unique place. It’s not like anywhere else. And I think that now that I’m an adult, I appreciate how beautiful and how different it is. But it’s awesome to have so much nature and empty space around you. But also, it can be a little bit isolated sometimes, because you have to pretty much fly to get out of Alaska. That’s sort of the dual-sided thing about living in Alaska.
On What Got Her to Start Cooking:
I think it’s been really a process and a journey over the years. When I went to college, I started cooking more. And at the time, the Internet was very different than it is now. I would go on the Internet on forums and find recipes and try them out. It kind of blew my mind. Every time I tried something new, like I can make my own teriyaki sauce, it’s not in a jar, or whatever. It kind of just surprised me and gave me the sense of accomplishment.
I can’t think of a specific time where it really changed for me. It’s always been evolving over the years.
On Teaching Herself How to Cook:
I just would get an idea of something I wanted to try. I’m the kind of person that sort of ruminates on things for a really long time before I try them. So I might have had an idea floating around in my head like, “I should really figure out how to do this.” And then finally one day, I’m at the store, and I’ll see the ingredient, and I’ll just buy it. So that’s usually what would happen. It would just strike me to learn, and then I would do it.
On a Dish That is Special to Her:
It’s a roasted chicken. When I moved to Portland, I was very, very poor. Sometimes I only had $20 to buy my groceries for the week. And so at that time, I had never ever made a whole chicken before. I knew that it was a budget-friendly thing. So one day, I found a really good sale on chickens, and I was like, “Okay, I’m going to do this.”
I roasted the chicken with the vegetables on the bottom. I felt like the coolest person. I was like, “I can’t believe I did that. That is so amazing.” It tastes incredible, and it’s inexpensive. And it’s also impressive. You can serve it to guests, and they’ll think that you’re really cool and on top of things. And then after that, I started roasting chickens often all the time. It’s something I do every few weeks. It depends on the weather. I think it’s something everyone should know how to do if you eat meat.
I have the recipe on my blog. It’s really not hard. I think I adopted it from Ina Garten and her recipe. It’s just incredible. It meant a lot to me because of the extensive accomplishment I got from it and because of the time in my life. It sort of represented me becoming an adult I guess. Also, it’s so good. It tastes delicious.
The Pressure Cooker:
Which food shows or cooking shows do you watch?
I don’t have cable, so I don’t watch a ton of TV. But my husband and I do watch America’s Test Kitchen together and Cook’s Country.
What are some food blogs or food websites we have to know about?
Well, I already mentioned The Kitchn. I think that was just the number one. Food52 is really good too. There are a couple blogs I really like, Alexandra’s Kitchen or Alexandra Cooks. Her stuff is always great. Those are the ones I really rely on.
Who do you follow on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat that make you happy?
I love Snapchat. It’s weird. I didn’t think I was going to like it, but I really do. And I love following Liz from The Lemon Bowl on Snapchat. Her snaps are always really entertaining and fun to watch. On Instagram, there’s so much cool stuff on Instagram. TheFeedFeed is really good. There’s one called Paper Apron. She’s a food stylist. And her photos are just awesome. I love her photos. So she’s on Instagram Paper Apron.
Facebook, I don’t really follow a ton of people.
What is the most unusual or treasured item in your kitchen?
I would have to say my KitchenAid, because it was my grandmother’s KitchenAid. And it’s almost as old as me. I think I was a baby when she bought it. And then when she passed away, my mom got it. And then when my mom moved across the country, she gave it to me. So I have it now. It’s like 30 years old, and it still works. Amazing.
Name one ingredient you used to dislike but now you love.
I used to be super picky. I used to hate so many things. And I’m still kind of picky, but I’ve really come around. I would say, weirdly, mushrooms. I used to hate mushrooms. I’d pick them out of everything. And now, I cook with them pretty often. I don’t know if I would go so far as saying I love them, but I like them a lot.
What are a few cookbooks that make your life better?
I used to have a lot of cookbooks, and I don’t have very many anymore. But one cookbook that had a big influence on me especially when I was in my early 20s and I was really learning how to cook was the Everyday Food Cookbook. I think it was called Fast and Fresh or something like that. It was arranged by season. And all the recipes are pretty simple, not a ton of ingredients. I learned a lot from that cookbook. I still have it. So that’s one that had a big influence on me.
What song or album just makes you want to cook?
I always have music on in my house pretty much every minute of the day. I really listen to a lot of Pandora. I will listen to Alabama Shakes or The Black Keys or something like that.
On Keeping Posted with Meghan:
I’m on all social, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
