WEEKLY MENU 10.16.22
We’re doing a (very) light dive into the Last Frontier during the Weekly Menu 10.16.22~
Alaska Day falls during the Weekly Menu 10.16.22 – this year it’s on Tuesday, October 18th. What is Alaska Day? It celebrates the anniversary of the day the territory was transferred to the United States from Russia.
After 68 years of Russian rule in Sitka, Alaska, the Russian flag at the governor’s house was lowered on October 18, 1867, and replaced with a United States flag. Two years before, the transcontinental telegraph line reached Sitka, and old expansionist dreams were rekindled. The United States bought the territory for 7.2 million dollars. Many Americans thought this was a waste of money and called Alaska “Seward’s Folly”, after William Seward, the state’s secretary who championed the purchase.
Time and Date Holidays
Of course, the US of A being the US of A, everyone’s tune changed in 1897.
Little happened to interest the residence of the rest of the United States until gold was discovered in the Klondike in 1897. The gold rush era in Alaska began with the gold discovery by Joe Juneau and Richard Harris. Soon hundreds of prospectors poured into the site that later became Alaska’s capital city. In 1897, gold was discovered on the Klondike River in Canada. About 10,000 fortune seekers headed for the Klondike gold fields. Many of them hiked from Skagway across the Chilkoot Trail. In 1898, gold was found on the beaches near the Alaskan city of Nome. A city of tents sprang up overnight and by 1900, 232 ships had arrived in Nome carrying nearly 18,000 prospectors.
Time and Date Holidays
In honor of Alaska Day falling during the Weekly Menu 10.16.22, I tried to work in some typical Alaskan foods. Dear reader, this is a lot more difficult than you’d think. First of all, some of their favorites are, well, kind of yucky.
Muktuk.
Not for the faint of heart, muktuk is another traditional Alaska Native delicacy. Cut into cubes, it’s the skin and blubber of bowhead whales (though sometimes beluga and narwhal are used). When served in the traditional raw fashion, it has an oily, nutty taste. Sometimes it’s deep fried and pickled or served with soy sauce.
The Culture Trip.com
Salmon, King Crab, Oysters
Which make sense, because seafood is a major component of the Alaskan economy. But not everyone around here likes Salmon, none of us like oysters, and despite understanding why King Crab is so expensive (shout out to Deadliest Catch!), it does not work into our budget. Plus it’s kind of a pain to eat.
Reindeer Dogs
At first I thought these were just going to be hot dogs decorated to look like reindeer. Nope. These are made out of reindeer meat. As if Rudolph doesn’t have enough to worry about.
Eskimo ice cream (Akutaq)
Eskimo ice cream is a far cry from what they serve at your local scoop shop. The Alaska-Native dish was traditionally made with whipped fat from the animals they hunted (reindeer, seals, bears, whatever), snow, and wild berries. More recent iterations of Akutaq (a Yup’ik word meaning “something mixed”) feature vegetable shortening and berries.
The Culture Trip.com
That would be a hard no from me.
Unavailable to us items
Wild Alaskan Berries look delicious, but we can’t buy them at the local supermart. Game meat in general is also not easy to come by. What’s a girl to eat to celebrate Alaska?
Baked Alaska (naturally, but unfortunately meringue is not a favorite around here) or the fabulous Tongass Forest Cookies we’re actually linking to. What is the Tongass Forest you ask?
Nothing major. Just the United States’ largest National Forest.
The treasures inside the Tongass National Forest are vibrant and abundant. Spanning across 500 miles of Alaska’s Inside Passage and bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Coast Mountains, the Tongass is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world and is home to a majestic array of islands, mountains, forests, glaciers, salmon streams, fjords, and bays.
Travel Alaska
I’ve never been, but these pictures sure make it appealing. We can work through some of the foods.
Weekly Menu 10.16.22
What are we having for eats in addition to the fabulous Tongass Cookies? We’re trying a new to us recipe as an appetizer – they are technically Air Fried, but we don’t have an air fryer. Although if I was going to get one, this one has been recommended. Do you use one? Please leave any recommendations in the comments. (Affiliate links precede and follow. See Disclaimer Page for details.)
We do have a convection oven, so I’m hoping for the best. This appetizer? Three ingredients. Canned chicken, shredded cheese and an egg. So it’s low carb, crispy, and super easy. We’re trying it as an appetizer to see if we can make it into a tasty dinner. We shall see.
We were away a few weeks ago and haven’t caught back up yet. Easy meals are the way to go.
Cheesy Chicken, Pork Salsa Verde Tacos and Naan Pizza are easy additions that everyone loves. They also keep me out of the kitchen, which I’m all for.
We’re doing a mini-birthday-celebration for one of my favorite goddaughters on Thursday. I’ve been making the Pasta Fazool for years, but I’ve never written down the recipe. I’m planning on fixing that this week. Keep an eye out for a very non-traditional, super easy way to make this Italian classic. (The secret? Thick cut homemade pasta that takes it to the next level.) I’ll even take pictures. I’m so glad it’s soup season again. I’ll make a big vat so she can take a quart home with her.
The Birthday Cake Martinis were specifically requested – we’ve had them before and they are just that good. Plus they’re a super easy dessert.
WEEKLY MENU 10.16.22
