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. lavienouveau | October 10, 2009 at 5:39 pm
these sound delicious! I loooove your blog!
2. Tamm Van Volkinburgh | October 10, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Vancouver, WA (but reading today from Chandler, AZ!)
3. Margarita | October 10, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Yummy!!!!!!!! The biscuits look so comforting. I can almost feel the flakiness and taste the saltiness. Yum, yum, yum. I’ve enjoyed reading your stories. I’m in Yakima. I am so impressed with your writing and vocabulary. Keep the stories and pictures coming. I’m hooked.:)
4. Laura | October 10, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Seattle, WA
I have never met you and in fact just read this blog today but have read several articles and think it’s great. I am loving the recipes especially the one from this post. I am making them for tomorrow morning.
5. Amy | October 10, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Vancouver, WA
6. maggie | October 10, 2009 at 7:40 pm
I found your blog through Tastespotting and thought I would say hello from Yale!
7. Carolyn Ell | October 10, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Hello from Springfield Mass!
I found your blog through ErinCooks.com. Love your blog and your photography! :)
8. Lauren | October 10, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Yum! They look so good!
Canberra, Australia (:
9. Caren | October 10, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Las Cruces, New Mexico
10. Samantha | October 10, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Las Vegas, NV
I just found your blog today and am amazed!! Your Fathers post made me cry!!! You are amazing thats for sure!
11. Sarah D. | October 10, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Atlanta, GA
I’m a doctor with a love for cooking and found your blog through the beautiful picture on Tastespotting.
12. Happy C | October 10, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Sydney, Australia
I found a link to your blog about 2 months ago and I subscribed to it on googlereader. Since then, I haven’t been able to stop reading your blog! You write beautifully and capture moments so wonderfully!
13. yun | October 10, 2009 at 10:32 pm
student at MIT. great blog!
14. Emma | October 11, 2009 at 1:51 am
Oxford, England.
Definitely one of my favourite blogs!
15. Alicia | October 11, 2009 at 5:14 am
I just found your blog – and wow! The food, the photography, the writing – so wonderful. You are an inspiration!
16. Megan | October 11, 2009 at 7:17 am
Bexhill, England
Your rainbow cake was so amazing and now i always like to check up on your blog :)
Love everything you do!
17. Jessica | October 11, 2009 at 7:40 am
Taipei, Taiwan!
18. Kara | October 11, 2009 at 7:52 am
Chicago, IL!
I’ve been enjoying your blogs for a few months now. The recipes sound amazing and the pictures certainly make me want to cook things right away! I haven’t had a chance to make anything yet since I just started back in school after working for three years. Good luck with your college apps! I still remember those…
19. Evelyn | October 11, 2009 at 8:22 am
I live moving back and forth between St. Louis, MO and Myrtle Beach, SC several times over the last 6 years or so…currently in ST Louis though :)
20. Kate | October 11, 2009 at 10:00 am
Upstate NY :) love your blog!
21. Beryl | October 11, 2009 at 10:59 am
Wish I would have started in the kitchen in my teens istead of my 30’s. Keep it up.
Redondo Beach, CA
22. gretta | October 11, 2009 at 11:04 am
Astoria NY here- soon to be Northampton, MA! Love your blog- have been reading since July or so. I hope you wrote about it in your college essay! You should get a counter/ tracker on your blog or install google analytics so you can see where people are reading your blog and for how long they stay on it, how many hits a day, etc. Oh by the way- I dont know if you have seen Twilight- but imagine that where you live is like “The Forks” and you are the Bella of Food blogs at your school (as opposed to being the Bella of vampires)…
23. Krista S. | October 11, 2009 at 12:10 pm
I’ve stopped by your blog several times, usually through Foodgawker. Your photos are always amazing and I just love the way you write.
I’m in Redmond, WA…just a hop, skip, and a jump across the lake from Seattle.
24. Vanessa | October 11, 2009 at 12:10 pm
I love your site and your recipes!
-From PA
25. Darcey | October 11, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Mexico Beach, Florida
Just found your blog last week through another blog – I’m sure you will go far in your baking, especially since you’re starting so young. Keep it up!
26. Malin | October 11, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Linköping, Sweden!
You have a lovely blog. :)
27. sweetpea212 | October 11, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Brooklyn, NY.
Love your blog, love your recipes, love your photography! Keep blogging and baking!!
sp
28. Top Posts « WordPress.com | October 11, 2009 at 5:21 pm
[…] School, Seattle, The Northwest… The World? I think the first time it happened was near the end of April last year. I was standing in line for lunch, feeling […] […]
29. Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction | October 11, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Love your blog! I’m from Hershey, PA (yes, the chocolate town)… So glad I found your blog last week. Featured you in my Friday Favorites post!
30. Shilpa | October 11, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Hong Kong.
I love your blog! So far I have only tried the lemon chiffon cake (which, by the way, was awesome) but am itching to try many of your other recipes. Keep up the great work :)
31. Olivia McDowell | October 12, 2009 at 1:12 am
Love your food, your photography, and your writing – and am constantly amazed by the maturity of all three! You’ll go far, young one!
Cuisinely Inept, 22.
Sydney, Australia
32. Steve | October 12, 2009 at 3:37 am
I’ve been viewing your blog for 6 months or so… I’m from Ft. Lauderdale, FL
33. Marian (sweetopia) | October 12, 2009 at 3:49 am
Congrats Elissa! Not only is your blog great eye candy, your writing is captivating too! I’ve been visiting for about 6 months now. :)
Marian
Toronto, Canada
34. Jessica | October 12, 2009 at 5:00 am
Dungannon, Northern Ireland! :)
35. Hilary | October 12, 2009 at 6:22 am
Word of mouth is very powerful in the blogging world!
I’m in London, England but originally from Ottawa, Canada.
36. Eliana | October 12, 2009 at 7:05 am
You should be very proud of your blog because it is outstanding.
37. Dolce | October 12, 2009 at 7:17 am
You deserve the fame :)
Dolce, New York, NY (originally from France)
38. Becky | October 12, 2009 at 7:41 am
I enjoy your lovely blog from Lawrence, KS (or Kansas City, KS where I am at work right now!)
39. Anne | October 12, 2009 at 7:53 am
I absolutely love your blog! I don’t really remember how I found it but I’m glad I did :)
I’m an 18-year-old student from the Netherlands.
40. mjl | October 12, 2009 at 9:49 am
Lowell, MA. A foodie friend turned me on to your blog a few months back and I’ve been following it ever since. I’m a high school guidance counselor so your stories always interest me! The Double Chocolate Cherry Truffle Cookies are absolutely to die for…I could sit on the couch and eat the whole bowl of batter!
41. meghan | October 12, 2009 at 11:30 am
Dublin, CA (San Francisco Bay Area)
42. Tina Rhodes | October 12, 2009 at 11:34 am
Love your blog!! You write beautifully and if I didn’t know I would never believe you were a high school senior! Great Job!!! Oh and I am from Auburn, Indiana.
43. Nicole | October 12, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I’ve been watching your blog since before the 4th of July. It’s actually in my favorites. Someone linked your site on a message board showing your 4th of July cake.
I made it this 4th. It didn’t come out quite as pretty as yours but it was a huge hit.
I love seeing your updates. You are truly talented. And I will be making those gorgeous biscuits!
44. Charisse | October 12, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Atlanta, GA
Hey there. I have commented several times on your blog. And I have had you on my blogroll for some time. I believe that you have even commented on my blog once. I do not remember when I first found your blog. But it does seem that you have followers from everywhere. :-) Congratulations!!!
45. Beth | October 12, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Cleveland, Ohio!
46. Catherine | October 12, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Camas, WA (Near Portland)
Mouth watering scrumptious :)
Thank you!
47. Ana | October 12, 2009 at 3:01 pm
First time here and loving it.
Lisbon, Portugal
48. Johanna | October 12, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Ghent, Belgium
I don’t remember how I found your blog, but I’ve been reading it for a while. I love the way you write!
Greetings from a fellow baker
49. Shannalee | October 12, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Subscriber and fan in Chicago suburbs!
50. Amber | October 12, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Eugene, OR
Beautiful work!