Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies taste just like Tate’s Bakeshop Cookies from the bright green bag! It's all about baking your cookies low and slow.

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Community and Cinnamon Rolls: What Is an Alaskan Roadhouse?

The road tripper’s Alaska seems more like a different planet than merely a different landscape from that which might be experienced by the majority of travelers who visit via cruise. In place of technicolor icebergs, breaching sea life, and lively port cities, one might experience endless stretches of lonely highway flanked by jagged peaks and sooty inland glaciers, the occasional moose encounter, and a smattering of relics recounting Alaska’s storied past: chief among them, the roadhouse.

In case it doesn’t seem like I am making a case for by road rather than by sea here, let me be explicit: I wouldn’t trade a single roadhouse for dozens of the most dramatic floating ice cubes. Why? What Alaska’s remaining roadhouses may lack in cinematic scenery, they more than make up for in local color and baked goods. At least in the ones I was lucky to visit.

Roadhouses in Alaska sprung up mainly during the gold rush of the early 1900s, out of necessity to provide amenities for the prospectors and trappers who were flooding the area in search of fortune. Spaced about a day’s journey apart, roadhouses became all-purpose oases for these travelers, serving not only as an opportunity for food and lodging, but also for trade and community. A legacy that the few that remain standing continue to this day.

The Talkeetna Roadhouse, situated just a couple of hours south of Denali National Park, has everything that the weary mountaineer might need: beds, showers, laundry, a quirky/cozy living room for recounting hiking stories, and complex carbohydrates, specifically in the form of epic baked goods.

A Cozy Kitchen

“You don’t close a roadhouse,” says Trisha Costello, owner of the Talkeetna Roadhouse. Talkeetna is a bohemian community with a downtown about a block long, where the roadhouse is situated at the far end. The charming cafe and bakery at Talkeetna Roadhouse serves as a beacon for both travelers and locals alike, and indeed the connection to both the community and to history is a “huge responsibility,” as described by Costello, who has owned and operated the 1917 Roadhouse since 1995. Staying there indeed feels like slipping into the past, replete with creaky stairs, footed tub, and community breakfast tables. But then you quickly slip back into the present with the promise of Instagram photos of cinnamon rolls bigger than your head. Whether you are planning on scaling Denali by foot or merely seeking photo ops closer to sea level, you’ll want to stock up on any of the homemade pies, rolls, and breads that are offered daily by Costello and her staff.

If you’re a really intrepid traveler who finds herself just outside a less popular, but no less staggering national park, you might find yourself passing through Gakona, Alaska. And indeed, the detour is a worthy one for another taste not only of Alaska’s past, but of a genuine experience in Alaska’s present.

Gakona is a small town of about 200 people situated between Fairbanks and Valdez, just on the precipice of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Clif Potter, who, with his wife Rebecca, currently own the Gakona Lodge and Trading Post, a site that used to be known at the Doyle Roadhouse, built in 1904. According to Clif Potter, the key to the ongoing success at Gakona Lodge is “adaptability,” especially since “so many (of the former roadhouses) have gone by the wayside.” In their case, the Potters have created a space that is an anchor of community life, where local events and products mirror the very community it serves. (Author’s note: Any town with a population of 200 people where one of those 200 people brews beer commercially is alright by me.) Even a NYC interloper can be treated as family during a local music festival where everyone else there entirely knew each other. Evidence enough that the spirit of the Roadhouse lives on in Gakona.

Alaska’s geography is seismic, literally, and of the hundreds of roadhouses that once existed, only a small handful remain, most of them casualties of earthquakes and fire. Those who would be their modern caretakers then are all the more committed to their on-going. For a true experience of Alaska both past and present, get off the boat, and get thee to a Roadhouse.

Related Video: How to Make a Jumbo Cinnamon Roll

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Upgrade Your Maple Syrup with These Infused Varieties

There’s a new contender in the craft food world. Forget cinnamon and pumpkin spice as your fall essentials, I predict craft maple syrup will be the season’s falliest ingredient.

With its warm taste and incredible versatility, infused maple syrups can range from sweet and savory to spicy and herby. Pure maple syrup, which is relatively unprocessed, is light and just slightly sweet, and a natural alternative to processed sugar (hooray!).

Infusing them with your favorite ingredients is the fun part—and it’s incredibly easy to do!

How to Infuse Your Own Maple Syrup

• Grab your favorite pure maple syrup (check the label to make sure it’s pure and not processed)  and heat one cup of it in a saucepan on medium heat. You don’t want it to boil—just simmer.
• Add your favorite ingredients and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. You can simmer it longer if you use low heat.
• Let the syrup steep for about 10 more minutes and then strain it into a jar and let it cool before serving. That’s it!

Just think of the endless possibilities! Want bacon-flavored syrup? Add pieces of cooked bacon to the pan. Want something delicate and floral? Think dried lavender buds and a splash of vanilla essence.

I made a rosemary and orange peel infusion that was absolutely divine. It has a soft herbal spiciness with a fruity sweetness, that’s ever-so-balanced in the syrup. I used two fresh sprigs of rosemary and orange peel from a whole orange in the mixture.

So far, I’ve used my concoction on chicken ‘n’ waffles (duh!), a baked sweet potato with butter, a cocktail, and as part of a marinade for salmon. Check out the video below for the cocktail and salad dressing recipe!

For the marinade, I mixed some of the infused syrup with olive oil and ground mustard, and baked the fish once it was marinated. The syrup, with its natural viscosity and sweetness, caramelized and crisped up the filet’s edges perfectly. It was SO delicious! It would also work well on a festive baked chicken.

Laura Sorkin, co-founder of craft maple syrups, Runamok Maple, says the trick to making your infusions is finding the right balance and the best quality ingredients. “We have found [maple syrup] blends beautifully with everything from fiery ginger to floral jasmine tea,” she said. “You don’t want the spice to overwhelm the maple and, in some cases, make it bitter.”

I’ve been using Runamok’s ginger, lavender, bourbon barrel aged, and Merquen infusions. The Merquen, a smoked chili pepper, in the syrup is deliciously sweet and spicy and goes well on glazed pork. I used the ginger-infused syrup in black tea—the maple gave it a warm sweetness that doesn’t require any additional sugar.

Explore your possibilities. From cocktails and dips to pastries and marinades, there are some awesome ways you can use maple syrup beyond the basic brunch this fall.

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Meal Plan for September Week 4

Here's your meal plan for the last week of September! You can look forward to Angel Hair Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes, Skirt Steak Skewers, Skillet Pork Chops and Cabbage, and more!

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Bagel Breakfast Casserole with Sausage, Egg, and Cheese

Take your favorite egg and cheese bagel sandwich and turn it into a make-ahead breakfast casserole instead! This breakfast bake is an easy crowd-pleaser.

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What Is the Difference Between Pancake Syrup and Maple Syrup?

I grew up in a pancakes-and-syrup household; not a pancakes-and-syrup-and-butter household, nor a pancakes-and-butter one. Even though a Clipart plate of pancakes always includes a pat of butter, I was happy with my syrup-only stacks. I had no idea, however, that not all syrups were the same. Syrup was syrup—nothing more to investigate! But, if you grew up in a pancake syrup household, as I later learned I did, then you might remember that earth-shattering first taste of maple syrup.

Because, it’s true: Pancake syrup is not the same as maple syrup! Or, rather, maple syrup is a syrup for pancakes, but labeling a product as “pancake syrup” means it is not made of the same stuff as its maple counterpart. That first time I tried maple syrup, it was sweet, of course, but it had a lot more going on! The maple flavor is a little toasty, maybe floral, and is truly best described by its own name, “maple,” since it’s so unique. After that initial taste of maple syrup, I couldn’t go back—it was too delicious, and too natural!

I’m a sucker for natural, whether or not it’s actually better according to science. I just like the folksy feeling of things coming from nature. So, when I learned about the maple syrup-making process, I was hooked. Deep Mountain Maple describes how sap is tapped from their Vermont maple trees and then boiled to make maple syrup. Maple syrup comes straight from trees! This is verified by reading the ingredients labels for maple syrup. Take a look at this 365 Organic Maple Syrup, or this Butternut Mountain Farm Maple Syrup, and notice what the ingredients say: “Organic Maple Syrup” and “Pure Maple Syrup.” There is literally nothing else in that bottle.

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For pancake syrup, however, the number one ingredient is usually corn syrup, followed by high fructose corn syrup. This is true for both Hungry Jack and Aunt Jemima, with the order of ingredients switched for Mrs. Butterworth’s. Log Cabin touts that they are “the only national brand of table syrup” made without high fructose corn syrup—though the first ingredient listed in the original variety is still, in fact, regular corn syrup, with sugar following soon after.

Nutrition-wise (and specifically, nutritional label-wise), you might be surprised to learn that maple syrup is objectively “sweeter,” at least in terms of grams of sugar. Below is the labeled amount of sugar for 60 milliliters of each type of syrup:

• Butternut Mountain Farm, Grade A Maple Syrup, Amber Color – 53 grams
• 365 Everyday Value, Organic Grade A Maple Syrup, Dark Color – 53 grams
• Mrs. Butterworth’s Original – 47 grams
• Hungry Jack Original – 40 grams
• Aunt Jemima Original – 32 grams
• Log Cabin Original – 26 grams

Log Cabin Original contains the least amount of sugar, with water listed as its second ingredient; conversely, the undiluted maple syrups have the most sugar content.

Finally, while pancake syrup comes in varieties like “Original,” “Lite,” “Sugar-free,” or labeled as butter-flavored or fruit-flavored, maple syrup is meticulously graded, using a newer grading system (so no more “Grade B”). According to Butternut Mountain Farm, this new method of categorizing maple syrup went into effect in 2014 for Vermont, and 2015 for the rest of the U.S. Based on color and flavor, they are:

• Grade A Golden, Delicate
• Grade A Amber, Rich
• Grade A Dark, Robust
• Grade A Very Dark, Strong
• Processing Grade (for food products, not retail)

Maple Source has a guide for how the old grade system translates to the new, in case mapping historical maple syrup types to current-day grades is your thing.

It’s all sweet, it’s all syrup, and it’s generally all some type of golden brown. Really, it comes down to taste preference, and perhaps some folksy or scientific beliefs about nature and/or corn-derived sugars. As for me, I’ll stick to my newfound love of maple syrup, because I want to feel like both a fancy lady and a hippie lady, and this is the syrup that helps me achieve these personas.

Related Video: 5 Ways to Hack Your Maple Syrup

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A Guide to Using Eggs in Cocktails