Places That Make Me Fat: The Puyallup Fair

“Who goes to the Puyallup Fair?” in disgust many of my friends have asked me in the past.

Who doesn’t go to the Puyallup Fair is my response to everyone who has never been to that magical place. I look forward to my yearly trip to the Fair months in advance, just talking about it right now is making my mouth water.

The Puyallup Fair has been for what it seems a lifelong tradition, just like Husky Football, and my love for baseball. I feel like when I popped out of my mom the first thing they did was put a baseball hat on me, fed me a fleischkuechle (more on this later), and then took me to a Husky football game. That’s how far back the Fair goes for me.

Now to someone who has never been before, what you would expect from a fair is probably what you would get; lots of mullets, fried foods, crappy rides, and stinky barn animals. However, unbeknownst to most, The Fair is a food lover’s heaven. I love food and people have been known to make fun of me because I will eat and at least try everything. Growing up all of my friend’s moms loved me because I loved their food. I enjoy a fancy meal every so often, but ultimately I like food that tastes good and I like to be full. It’s pretty simple and the Puyallup Fair hits both criteria.

The reason I’m posting about The Puyallup Fair is because it’s a fond memory of mine and it’s coming up in a couple of weeks. I’ve taken many of my friends with me and my family over the years to the Fair and consider myself somewhat of an expert. I have a pretty set routine and a mental list of food that must be consumed before I leave. If you’ve never been before, print off my guide and you’ll be set.

The To Eat List (in order of consumption):

• fleischkuechle – A German deep fried meat turnover is really the only way to describe it. Probably the only German food worth eating and the highlight of the Fair. This stand is the only one of its kind and is outside of the fairgrounds so whether it’s breakfast or lunchtime, I’m starting off my Fair experience with some deep fried meat. Also they say they are going out of business every year and that this year is their last; however they’ve been there for over a decade now. People love this place, one time I saw a person order 30 of them to go. She took home a fat, greasy grocery bag filled with fried meat. I think that’s overkill.

Loving my fleischkuechle before I found Crossfit

• Myer’s cheeseburger with Walla Walla sweet onions – you can’t go to the Fair without eating a burger with grilled Walla Walla sweet onions. They literally go through tons of Walla Walla onions during the Fair.
• Young Life BBQ beef burger – this sandwich is godly, basically they just give you a bunch of bbq meat on a bun, and then you slather on your own BBQ sauce, creamy horseradish, lettuce, tomatoes, onions (optional), and then voila, it explodes all over your lap and is delicious.
• Young Life smoked turkey leg – this I added in recently because I loooove smoked turkey legs. Nothing makes my mouth water more than smoked turkey legs. I pretend I'm a caveman tearing meat off a bone.

Look at Fatty McFat Fat devouring that turkey leg

• Corn on the cob - with lots of butter and seasoning salts, nothing to explain just a good fair snack
• Wilcox Farms chocolate milk – best chocolate milk I had ever tasted, literally. A few years ago I found out that when I was little my mom used to water down my chocolate milk (I’m still not sure why), so when I had this stuff in it’s pure form it blew me away – (just make sure to bring your special pills Becca)
• Fisher Fair scones - every year these get more and more expensive, but every year I get a dozen. The old ladies making these things must want everyone to suffer and become diabetic too because they slather on the butter and jam like none other. The scones always make good week after The Fair breakfasts as well.
• Elephant ear - half raspberry jam and butter and half butter and sugar and cinnamon – mmm best comboski ever, by this time in the day my sugar and food high is running very, very high
• Massive curly fries - on the way out the door I always have to get a massive carton of deep fried curly fries with a ton of ketchup to untangle on the car ride home
  
• Cheeseburgers - with grilled walla walla sweet onions for the road – you might want dinner right?

I promise to follow up this post in a few weeks with a recap and pictures of my 09 trip to the Fair. Let me know if you want to join us!

Comfort Food

Comfort food. Most people’s definition of this word is mac and cheese, cornbread, fried chicken. For me, it is a bowl of leftover beef stew. My dad and I had a tradition growing up; when my mom went out of town, we would go “camping” in the basement. We’d set up a tent during the afternoon and spend the day cooking beef stew that was inspired from the book “stone soup”. If you haven’t read that book before, it is a classic in my mind. It is incredible to me that they could make a soup that’s base is made of hot water and stones sound absolutely, mouth-watering, delicious. My dad got a big, cast iron pot that we would fill with fresh carrots, mushrooms, celery, and potatoes. We’d cook it all day with big chunks of beef shortribs until it simmered into a belly-warming soup you could smell down the street. We’d build a fire and eat the soup, then go to Baskin and Robbins (I would call it Batman and Robins) for dessert. We’d then go back to our tent and tell ghost stories. But the best part was the next day. After the stew had settled for a night and been refrigerated, we would reheat it, and somehow, it would taste even better than the night before. Maybe all the juices and flavorings are able to fully develop over night. Whatever the case, whenever I make my dad’s stew, I always make extra and put it in jars that I freeze. When I have had a bad day, or Kyle and I don’t feel like cooking, we will pull out a jar, heat it up, and instantly have a meal that satisfies and…comforts.

Here is the recipe, straight from my Dad:

• 2 lbs (or more) beef chuck roast Optional: 1 or 2 lbs beef short ribs, shanks or oxtails. These can be combined with the chuck or substituted for it, in appropriate quantity.
• 1 cup flour
• 1 large round onion, large dice 3 or 4 carrots, cut into ½" thick diagonals
• 1 dozen crimini mushrooms, cut in half or thirds
• 3 stalks celery, ½" chop
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, sliced or chopped
• Red Wine
• Beef stock or broth (in a box, from the soup shelves of the store)
• Salt, pepper, fresh or dried Italian-style herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, etc.; any combination)
• 5 dried bay leaves
• 3 large potatoes
• Nina brand canned Italian tomatoes

Cut the chuck into large chunks (up to 2" cubed). Do the same with shanks. Toss the meat chunks with salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with flour and toss again so that all the chunks are coated with seasoning and flour. Heat oil, enough to just cover that bottom of a large pot. When the oil begins to smoke, toss in enough meat almost to cover the bottom of the pot. Let the meat brown undisturbed. After a few minutes, try to lift a chunk with a large spoon. If it doesn’t stick, then the browning is done on that side. Turn the chunks to brown on the other side to the same degree. Remove the browned meat, then repeat the browning of the rest of the meat in batches. Do not crowd them in the pot. Remove the batches as you proceed. When all the meat has been browned and removed, dump the onion in the hot pot and oil. Stir and cook until it’s limp. Add the celery and carrots. Stir. Add the mushrooms and stir. When all the vegetables are coated with oil (add oil if necessary) and have had a chance to cook a little, return the meat to the pot. Lift and stir.

Do this carefully: pour or splash brandy (for example, E & J Brandy) onto the meat. You can flame the brandy if you wish. Pour a cup or more of red wine onto the meat. Flame. Now pour enough beef stock into the pot to just cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Add five dried bay leaves. Simmer until meat is tender but not yet falling apart (about 1.5 hours). Cut potatoes into large chunks. (I use Russet potatoes, but red skinned potatoes are supposedly better because they hold their shape better, whereas Russets tend to melt). Slide potato chunks into the pot and submerge them. In a mixing bowl, pour the canned tomatoes, liquid and all, and crush the tomatoes with your hand. Pour this into the stew pot. If using dried herbs, then you can add them when you add the bay leaves. If using fresh herbs, add them here, closer to the end of cooking. Stir or paddle everything gently. Taste and season. At the end, mix ¼ to ½ cup of flour with enough water to make a slurry, then swirl it into the stew. Stir to make the stew thicken evenly. This makes a very large pot. Cut the recipe roughly in half or two-thirds if you need to try it in smaller quantity.