School, Seattle, The Northwest… The World?
October 9, 2009 at 10:40 am 1,595 comments
I think the first time it happened was near the end of April last year.
I was standing in line for lunch, feeling bored and hungry and a little irritated, when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and faced a girl I didn’t recognize, whom I’d never met before. She looked a little nervous and said, “Sorry, I just had to ask – are you the girl with the food blog? My mom and I really like your photography.”
It was such a strange feeling and such an unexpected moment, to be recognized. It didn’t feel like fame, but I had no idea how else to put it. I thanked her, gave a real smile because I was grateful and honored, and went on with my day in a much better mood. But it’s happened over and over again since then.
On Facebook, I have an album called “Food Photography.” It has around 250 comments and is “liked” by 40 people, many of whom I never talked to until they complimented me on my baking. I’ll be sitting in environmental science when someone will quietly complain, “I’m so hungry!” and give me a meaningful look. The sophomores who ride my bus smile at me and ask if I’ve made anything neat recently. And teachers stop me in the hallway to say they’ve heard about my blog, and could I please write down the address for them?
Even though I’m a senior and my high school is relatively small, I’m not well known. I have classes with the same people over and over, and I’ve never been much of a social butterfly. And I know I’ve said this before, but it’s true – when I first created 17 and Baking I didn’t tell anyone about it because I thought it was embarrassing. I didn’t think it would be cool to have a food blog. I thought people would think I was weird. So I kept it to myself and tried to hide it from the world.
I only showed it to one of my friends when I’d written about him, and I thought he would get a kick out of seeing it. To my surprise he ended up making a blog of his own (suited to his own interests) and linked to mine. Unlike me, though, he wasn’t shy about sharing, and soon many of my classmates had seen his blog – and through it, mine. (If you are interested, he has a great economics blog called the Marginalist.)
To my surprise, people didn’t think it was uncool or strange. Food is universal. Food brings people together. Because really, when it comes down to it, who can resist anything warm and fresh from the oven, whether a sweet chocolatey cookie or a soft chive-studded cream cheese biscuit?
As I began to write this post this morning, I received a message on Facebook from an old friend I haven’t talked to in four years, N-. “Hi Elissa,” she wrote. “I don’t know if I’ve told you this before, but my big sister goes to Berkeley and she loves to bake, and she likes your blog.” N- continued on to tell me that her sister decided to have a bake off with her new roommates. One of them suggested a certain cookie recipe from “this blog… seventeen something…” to which N-‘s sister (whom I’ve never met) exclaimed, “That’s Elissa!”
It was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever heard, to have spread not only through school and the food blogging world but to college students in California simply having a bake-off. It lifts me off my feet and makes the sun shine out of my heart. Thank you for reading my blog – thank you, thank you, thank you!
Normally I wouldn’t, but I’ve got to ask – if you’re reading this, please leave a comment! Whether it’s your first time visiting or I’m welcoming you back, I’d really appreciate it if you left your location. I’m just curious to know where my readers are. I’ll start… Seattle, WA!
I don’t often opt for savory over sweet, but breakfast is one of those things where I crave salt over sugar. I’d had my eye on these Chive Biscuits for a while when I decided to make them. Part of the appeal was the inclusion of buttermilk and cream cheese. More than anything, that made me think of soft, flaky, and savory biscuits. They didn’t get as tall as I expected, but with chives from our own backyard and a squiggle of clover honey, they felt like home.
Cream Cheese and Chive Biscuits
From Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook
Makes 12 biscuits
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
4 ounces cream cheese, cold, cut into small pieces
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and chives. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter and cream cheese until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining.
Pour in the buttermilk; using a fork, mix in buttermilk until incorporated and the dough just comes together. The dough will be slightly sticky; do not overmix.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured fingers, gently knead about four times, until all the crumbs are incorporated and the dough is smooth. With a lightly floured rolling pin, gently roll the dough to a 8-b-11-inch rectangle, about 1 inch thick. Using a bench scraper or long offset spatula to lift the ends of the dough, fold the rectangle into thirds (like a business letter). Give the dough a quarter turn. Roll out the dough again (to the same dimensions), and repeat the folding process. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Return the dough to the work surface. Roll out as before, and repeat the folding process. Give the dough another quarter turn; roll out dough one more time, again into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, divide the rectangle into 12 equal squares or rectangles. Place on prepared sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the biscuits are golden and flecked with brown spots, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool.
Printer Friendly Version – Cream Cheese and Chive Biscuits
Entry filed under: Breakfast/Brunch. Tags: breakfast, chives, cream cheese, herbs, savory.
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17 and Baking 
1. Heather Conroy | February 28, 2010 at 11:24 pm
Perth, Western Australia
Follow your bliss!
2. Andrea C | March 1, 2010 at 4:02 am
East Bentleigh, Melbourne, Australia – congrats on your Bloggies win!!
3. Kate G. | March 1, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Congrats on the Bloggies win! I’m from the small town of Blair, NE : )
4. Samantha | March 1, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Congrats on the win! :)
5. Samantha | March 1, 2010 at 5:44 pm
I’m from Victoria, BC – not too far from Seattle.
Congrats on the win! :)
6. Karine | March 1, 2010 at 7:20 pm
Hi ! Just find your blog and I love it. I’m from Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Good luck in all your project.
7. Connie | March 1, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Stanwood, Washington – love your blog!
8. Shannon@Brownsugarandhoney | March 2, 2010 at 4:59 am
Hiii from Singapore. Love this space!
9. Annie | March 2, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Madison, Wisconsin.
As a fellow lover of bakery and the written word, your blog is very inspiring! I just found it today and have gotten sucked in :) And the food looks unbelievably delicious. Congratulations on your success, I hope to start my own blog one day soon and it’s always inspiring to find young people like myself who write so eloquently about subjects they are passionate about. :) Take Care.
-Annie
10. Fran | March 2, 2010 at 4:51 pm
I’m from Chile and I recently discovered your blog, it’s really inspiring. Please don’t stop! :)
11. Hillary Laga | March 2, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Grand Junction, CO
but living in Utah (only two more years!)
12. Laura | March 3, 2010 at 2:55 pm
NE Seattle (Roosevelt, to be exact)
Congratulations, Elissa. From your writing, to your exquisite photography, to your baking, you are amazing at any age. When will you put out a book?
13. PlumGaga | March 3, 2010 at 4:48 pm
West Linn Oregon
14. Kari | March 3, 2010 at 8:52 pm
San Antonio, TEXAS
15. Tracie | March 5, 2010 at 7:12 am
Prospect, KY
Love your blog!
16. Pogen1 | March 5, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Long Beach, CA
17. kat | March 5, 2010 at 9:00 pm
philadelphia, pa
elissa, thanks for your blog! i followed a link on smitten kitchen.
you tell a good story, and the tone of your blog first put me in mind of another one, out of the seattle area, orangette: http://orangette.blogspot.com/
but your writing is no question your own, and it is so lovely. keep it up!
18. Elisa | March 5, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Love your recipes ! Great blog ! I wish you all the best.
19. Elisa | March 5, 2010 at 10:21 pm
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Your Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are perfect. Thanks !
20. Jocelyn | March 6, 2010 at 12:44 am
Melbourne Australia! Loving the designs :-)
21. Amy | March 6, 2010 at 8:56 am
Warwick, Rhode Island
22. Izzuddin | March 6, 2010 at 9:51 am
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Love the blog. You’ve inspired me to get into the kitchen and start baking. Thank you.
23. Juliana Oliveto | March 6, 2010 at 11:33 am
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Loving all the shoots an recipes *-*
24. Anna | March 6, 2010 at 6:48 pm
New York City ~ You are so inspirational! Keep up the good work.
25. Vonny | March 6, 2010 at 11:44 pm
Gold Coast, Australia.
Much like you, I’m a 17 year old baking fanatic… except I would never come close to matching your skills! Your recipes and photography are all amazing <3 Thankyou!
26. Zita | March 7, 2010 at 6:56 am
Hi,
I found your blog couple of weeks ago. Congratulations! Amazing! I’m Zita by the way, from Budapest, Hungary, Europe! :)
Keep up the good work,
Zita
27. Samantha | March 7, 2010 at 4:03 pm
I found your blog due to your ginger snap recipe. I have been looking for one to make great ginger snap cookies for my boyfriend and was sold on yours. Then I skimmed the rest of your site and thought, “wow, she’s really talented!” I will definitely be following your blog. You might want to check mine out! I’m a college sophomore from Houston, Texas and I go to school in Nacogdoches, Tx. Keep up the great work
my blog is: samanthaandwill.blogspot.com
28. Kristine | March 7, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Melbourne (Vic), Australia.
I love your blog so much. I heard about it from one of my friends who found your url in Girlfriend magazine.
Your photography is great and i love the way you write.
29. Beam | March 8, 2010 at 8:12 pm
Hello I’m Beam. I live in Bangkok, Thailand. I totally LOVE your blog. All of your recipes look so yummy. I also love baking myself.
30. Lacrema | March 8, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Hailey, Idaho! Just found your blog this last week through smittenkitchen. Your photography is wonderful, and I’m looking forward to trying some of your recipes.
31. Kamille | March 9, 2010 at 12:23 am
I’m from Bellingham, WA. like I said in a previous comment, came via smitten kitchen.
32. Maria João | March 10, 2010 at 1:18 am
Hello I´m Maria João, and I´m from Portugal. 17 and baking like this?! Congratulations and good luck.
33. Olivia | March 11, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Hi! I’m from Los Angeles, CA. :) I love your blog!
34. Sophia | March 11, 2010 at 5:18 pm
MIAMI, FL :D
35. Cailin Marie | March 11, 2010 at 8:17 pm
Hey there, I’m from Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada!
I found your blog through the Rainbow Pride cake, and my girlfriend did everything short of demanding that I make it for her.
: D
I love 17 and Baking, you’re incredible.
36. Andrea | March 12, 2010 at 10:45 am
What a fun idea! I love your blog, but didn’t start reading until a couple of months ago. I just stumbled upon this post in your archives, and love that people are still contributing their locations to the comments. So, here’s mine!
Charlottesville, VA!
And my little spot in the internet is http://www.bellaeats.com. :)
37. The Fox Foodie | March 12, 2010 at 11:17 am
I’m a college student in Newberg, OR (near Portland). I love going to Seattle, have you ever done/thought of doing a post about your favorite bakeries to visit in Seattle??
38. Elissa | March 12, 2010 at 9:22 pm
The Fox Foodie – No, but it’s a great idea that I might look into before I have to leave Seattle :( I feel like there is so much great food here that I haven’t tried yet, and then I’ll be gone… Gah! I get sad if I think about it too long.
39. Autumn | March 13, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Tucson, AZ
I love reading about your delicious baking adventures!!
Wish I could join you with a big glass of milk just about any afternoon :)
40. Kris | March 14, 2010 at 3:54 am
Hey! I’m from Malaysia! Literally halfway around the world! :D I love your blog!
41. Carlene | March 14, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Pensacola, FL, soon to be Cape Cod, MA.
I’ve been getting into baking lately and have been using your pictures as inspiration!
42. Heather | March 14, 2010 at 6:00 pm
I don’t know how I found your blog- probably through foodgawker. I have been reading it for quite some time, but never noticed this post for some reason! I read this and was inspired by the huge amounts of people still commenting.
So, about me: I’m born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. Currently studying in London in my first year of university. I used to be a baking/cooking fiend– sadly, residence has no kitchen where I can pour out my stress and make beautiful things. Your blog is a sunny highlight of my fridays!
43. Ashley | March 15, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Long Island, New York!
Elissa you are such an inspiration! I’m 14 years old and am an aspiring baking/pastry art major in college and I can’t wait to start trying out some of your recipes for practice!
44. Alexa | March 16, 2010 at 2:10 am
Nelson, New Zealand!
I used to live in South Dakota.
Your blog is bringing the world together with inspiration, beauty, and the joys of baking! It is so great that although people live over 20 hours apart overseas, we can all connect as we enjoy the same charming antecdotes, the same beautiful photographs, and the same wonderful food!
45. Erin | March 16, 2010 at 3:05 am
sydney, australia!
46. Heidi | March 16, 2010 at 8:04 am
Geneva, Switzerland
47. julė | March 16, 2010 at 10:53 am
currently: Nantes, France, but i still consider myself from Vilnius, Lithuania.
48. Tina | March 16, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Arkansas
49. Caroline | March 16, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Hello Elissa!!!
I’m Caroline from Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. I loved you recepies of Brigadeiros!!!!
rsrsrs who teached you this recipe?
50. Denise Rambo | March 16, 2010 at 2:16 pm
I’m Denise from Bridgeport, PA. About 15 miles northeast of Philadelphia – 10 minutes from historical Valley Forge Park – and I drive right past the King of Prussia Mall on my way to and from work everyday (I could walk there from my house if was more ambitious!).
51. Lookit me | March 16, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Frankfurt, Germany!!! Even though I have only a marginal interest in cooking, your site really inspires me. Keep it up!