Come celebrate the Runcible Spoon's latest issue, "THE GROSS ISSUE," at the newly opened Kafe Bohem in Shaw. There will be gross foods for you to sample, and a Make Your Own Pizza Mask craft. And wine and beer and cocktails and snacks for sale! AND THE NEW ISSUE OF THE RUNCIBLE SPOON!

Featuring: Maggot Poop Cheese

Meat Cake

Hospital Menu

Hollandaise Sandwich

And much, much more!

RSVP HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/184441455024287/ 

I had a chance to illustrate a piece in the Washington City Paper a couple of weeks ago. Check out the cartoon above, or go here.

-Malaka 

Why haven't you baked your avocados before? Because you're stupid. Because you're unimaginitive. Because you've locked your dear, wonderful avocado to the constraints of guacamole, sandwich fillings and boring pasta salad. 

Shame on you. 

I visited Runcible Spoon Issue 6 writer Ashley Hamm recently, and she showed me the wise ways of the Baked Avocado. In case you don't remember Ashley, she is a vegan-surfer-activist-yogi who wrote about the impossible in our Holiday Issue: vegan gravy. So, I absolutely trusted that her baked avocados would be just as delicious. 

And delicious it was! I don't know why I never had it before, because it is absolutely wonderful. The avocados take on a creamy, soft consistency with a crisp, roasted top. Here's her recipe -- at least, what I remember of it (Ashley, you can correct me if I'm totally wrong!). You can substitute out the vegan ingredients for other things if you would like. 

BAKED AVOCADOS
Makes 4 servings 

2 avocados, halved and pitted
vegan mayonnaise
Bragg's Amino Acids
Dried chives
Red pepper flakes
Cayenne pepper
Cumin
Freshly cracked pepper
Salt

Wrap each bottom of the avocados in foil. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 7 minutes. Take them out of the oven, and add a scoop of mayo in the center of each half, drizzle with Bragg's, and sprinkle on the remaining ingredients. Bake for another 5 minutes. Eat with a spoon. This is really good as a starter or a side dish. 

-Malaka

Friends! The Runcible Spoon 8, our summer SWIMSUIT ISSUE, is coming out tomorrow. Are you excited? Here's a preview of what's to come. Keep an eye out! 

Also, if you are free tonight, please drop by our dear little party: https://www.facebook.com/events/399261573437695/. 

Join your fellow food friends and come to the Runcible Spoon's Swimsuit-themed summer issue launch party on May 15 at Blind Dog Cafe. There will be a bubble gum-blowing contest, a door prize and lots of pretty zines for you to read. 

RSVP for the event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/399261573437695/ 

Our new issue is all about the hot, sweaty, decadent foods that make us look good in our bikinis. We have a guide to the best buffets in Washington from Alison Baitz, a recipe for lard pie from Tarts by Tarts' Emily Hilliard, and a fabulous photo essay on vintage kitchenware by AJ Chavar and Meredith Robinson. 

We can't wait for you to read the new zine and we hope you come to our little party!

-Malaka 

As I announced on Twitter, the Runcible Spoon is in Paris! I thought it might be interesting for you lovely people to read all about my happy food adventures while I am here. 

The first notable meal I had so far is something called Poule au Pot, from a restaurant called...well...Poule au Pot, an establishment in Les Halles founded in 1935. I had no idea what it was when I ordered it, but I figured that I probably should get it since the restaurant was named after the dish. The waiter brought out earthenware jugs of spicy yellow mustard and sour cornichons, and a bowl of delightfully crunchy and airy sea salt. Then, he brought out a big tureen of...soup. 

My heart sank. This was not what I expected. 

I was hoping for a hearty stew, maybe like a coq au vin or something like that, but this felt more like an Irish boiled dinner, but with chicken.The waiter ladled a fat chicken thigh, some leeks, parsnips, carrots and potatoes into my bowl, covering everything in broth. Then he brought out a basket of the crispiest, softest bread that you could ever taste. It reminded me of how Heidi must have felt when she had white bread for the first time at the home of her friend Klara in Frankfurt. 

Dubious, I took a sip of the broth in the bowl...

...And sparks were flying. 

The broth was so light and full of flavor. There were hints of nutmeg and parsley and celery and all the good flavorings of a French kitchen. The chicken was tender, and each vegetable was cooked perfectly, illustrating the cook's mastery of timing. I dabbed a bit of mustard on the chicken, sprinkled it with a bit of sea salt, took a bite of that with a bite of bread and a bite of cornichon -- and understood why there was a whole restaurant named after it. 

King Henry IV (1553-1610) said that every Frenchman should eat Poule au Pot on Sunday. It was his ambition to make sure that every family in his kingdom could eat so heartily, so healthily at least once a week. The dish has become a family dinner staple for the French since then, and I am glad to have tried -- albeit accidentally -- the humble little dish.  

BBC has a great recipe for it here, garnished with a homemade aioli instead of mustard. Get it here. 

-Malaka

Last Saturday, we had an American Craft Whiskey Tasting to help raise money for the Runcible Spoon. Almost 40 people came, and thanks to them, we now have enough money to create two more issues of the zine!

Joe Ledbetter, a DC whiskey expert, taught us some fascinating things about whiskey (like this cool fact: did you know that whiskey gets its color from the wood barrels that they're aged in? Or did you know that they spell "whiskey" with an "ey" in the States and just a "y" internationally?). Joe's leaving town soon to start his own whiskey company in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We wish him the best of luck and we know that he's gonna do just fine. We're glad to have caught him before he left!

Special thanks to Jess Goldstein who lent us her beautiful home and invited her network of friends to come to the fundraiser. And also a big thanks to Jeremiah Cohen from Tabard Inn for donating some lovely Irish cheese and Broad Street Market for donating flour and baking supplies for our Irish soda bread. And one more thanks to Mukul Ranjal from Brightest Young Things for taking photographs of our event. Here's a lovely picture he took above, but to check out the rest of them, click on the link below. 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.189941384454650.41790.100003163701549&type=3

Bon Voyage! 

Beware the Ides of March!!! Why? Because that's when our new issue, the MAD SCIENCE issue, is comin' out to getcha. There are so many wonderful things about this issue. Firstly, it's in color, has an extra page and is just $3. Secondly, beep beep! Thirdly, it has so much awesome stuff in it, including a secret recipe for OCCULT JAM, a guide on how to make your very own HOMECURED BACON, and EDIBLE RELATIVITY EQUATIONS. The zine will be available on our Etsy shop and select stores around the city. 

Here is the front cover. Start fantasizing...NOW! 

We are so proud to announce the "MAD SCIENCE" issue of the Runcible Spoon, which comes out on March 15. It is our springtime issue, decorated in scraps from the April issue of British Vogue, so you can trust that is in style and outfitted in the latest colors. 

Here is a photo of the zine pages before we sent them to print. They will be available, for the very first time ever, in full color! We are selling them at $3. They will be available on our Etsy account for purchase. I'll let you know where/when they'll be available at DC retailers. 

-Malaka

Joël Penkman's paintings of cakes, tarts, and Spam have me in love with Wayne Thiebaud all over again.

- Emily