Bite Me Baltimore: Ekiben

Hi there, Baltimore—and beyond! I’m Ivy Buchowski, and yes, I’ve officially taken over Minxeats for a little while. Kathy Patterson, aka Kat LaGue,, the brilliant mind behind the Good Scents cozy mysteries, was kind enough to let me hijack her blog so I can talk about one of my favorite things in the world: food. You might know me from the pages of her book Killer Sillage, poking around her fictional perfume shop, solving mysteries, and occasionally stirring up trouble. Here, though, it’s all about snacks, crumbs, and honest opinions (the sassier, the better). Whether it’s a pastry, a seafood delight, or a fried chicken that makes you weep with joy, I’ll be tasting, testing, and sometimes trash-talking with full disclosure. Welcome to my takeover. Grab a fork, sit tight, and let’s see what Baltimore has to offer.

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Hand me my megaphone, because I have something to say. One word: Ekiben. If you’ve been sleeping on this little slice of Fells Point/Hampden/South Baltimore foodie heaven, consider this your official wake-up call.

First off, the buns. Steamed to perfection, soft but not floppy, holding all the flavor without collapsing into a sad, soggy mess. And the fillings? Don’t even get me started. Spicy ancho chile pork that melts against your taste buds, fried chicken that’s crisped to golden glory, tofu for the herbivores among us…basically, they make everyone happy. Don't want a bun? Get it in a bowl with rice, instead. Less messy, just as delicious.

What I love most? The balance. Crunch, tenderness, spice, tang. Every bite has a story, and my mouth is the eager audience. Pro tip: get the tempura broccoli, with Chinese sausage. You won't regret it.

Pro tip: come hungry, bring a friend (or don’t, more for you), and pace yourself. One bun is good. Two? Ambitious. Three? Call me, and I'll help you eat.

So yeah. Ekiben. Go. Now. And don’t blame me when you can’t stop thinking about that tofu brah bun three hours later.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Ivy Talks Maryland Fried Chicken: Crispy, Juicy, Legendary

Okay, listen up, chicken fans. Maryland fried chicken is not your average, slap-it-in-the-fryer bird. This is crispy, golden perfection with juicy meat that practically sings when you bite into it. And the gravy? Creamy, dreamy, soul-hugging goodness. Look, some cooks swear by shallow frying, others by frying-then-steaming, and honestly? I’m here for the science. Fry first for that crunch, then steam to get the meat cooked all the way through without drying it out. That’s the secret handshake of Maryland fried chicken.

Seasoning? Simple is best. Salt, pepper, maybe a sprinkle of Old Bay if you’re feeling fancy. That’s it. Don’t go adding a million herbs and calling it Maryland. It’s humble, it’s straightforward, and it’s perfect.

Now, history nerds, brace yourselves: this bird is famous. Like, world-famous. The French culinary legend Auguste Escoffier put it in his 1903 Le Guide Culinaire—breaded, pan-fried, served with bacon, corn cakes, and fried bananas. Yes, bananas. Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it. And get this: it even made it onto the Titanic’s first-class luncheon menu on April 14, 1912. Talk about dining in style…before the iceberg, anyway.

So here’s the Ivy seal of approval: shallow fry, steam a bit, serve with a cream gravy that coats your spoon like a hug, maybe toss some biscuits on the side, and you’re golden. Crispy, juicy, legendary—Maryland fried chicken is basically a cultural icon, and if you don’t believe me, your taste buds will set you straight.

Maryland Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Fat for frying (lard, vegetable oil, or both)

Unsalted butter

1 cup milk

Method (aka how to make magic happen):

Toss the chicken in seasoned flour in a zip-top bag. Shake it like you mean it. Save 2 tablespoons of flour for later.

Heat ¼ inch of fat in a heavy skillet (cast iron if you have it). Fry chicken skin-side down for 5 minutes, then turn and cook for 3 more. Cover and steam for 8–10 minutes. Internal temp should hit at least 165°F. Brown more if needed. Crispy skin is king.

Remove chicken, leaving 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan. Add butter if there doesn't seem to be enough fat. Whisk in reserved flour until smooth. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly, until thick enough to coat a spoon. Salt and pepper to taste.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Something Brewing at Minxeats

Hey friends,

I’ve got a little secret to share. Starting soon, my very own food blog, Minxeats, is going to get a tiny bit… possessed. By a fictional character. Yes, you read that right.

Meet Ivy Buchowski, my sharp-tongued, pastry-obsessed cousin from my Good Scents cozy mystery series. Ivy’s about to take over Minxeats for a while, sharing her culinary adventures, Baltimore-style eats, and maybe a few scandalous opinions on the best sticky buns in town. Think of it as a blog takeover. She’ll be writing, I’ll be watching (mostly), and you’ll get to peek behind the scenes of my cozy mystery world… one delicious bite at a time.

Why am I doing this? Well, Ivy’s voice is too much fun to keep locked in the pages of my books, and what better way to celebrate her than with her own corner of the internet? Plus, it’ll give fans of Killer Sillage a taste of her quirky perspective before the next book drops.

So buckle up, folks. Minxeats is about to get a little sassier, a lot more foodie, and totally Ivy-approved. Watch this space. You’ll want to be here when the first post goes live.

—Kathy

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

I Wrote a Book and Lived to Tell the Tale

the cover of my first work of fiction

Some people impulse-buy shoes; I impulse-wrote a murder mystery.

In early June, I got a bee in my bonnet and decided out of nowhere to write a cozy mystery. And it just poured out of me. Like it had been bottled up forever, even though I’d never really given fiction much thought before. That’s my husband’s department. Fiction is his thing.

I guess I wanted a change. A challenge. And, well, I found one. Turns out, it was fun. The kind of fun that makes you want to do it again and again. And so, without further ado, I present my first work of fiction: Killer Sillage. And as some of you may have inferred from the title, perfume is involved. In fact, the lead character, Clare, owns a perfume shop in her (and my) hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. What I didn’t realize—rookie mistake—is that after you finish writing a book, there’s a lot of other stuff to do. I’ve written three other books with my husband, Neal (aka Mr. Minx), all non-fiction and food-related. They were professionally published, so even though Globe Pequot was hardly a marketing powerhouse, at least they handled things like getting the books into stores.

Self-publishing? Whole different animal. Suddenly, I’m not just the writer, I’m the editor, formatter, cover designer, production manager, and distribution department. Right now, Killer Sillage exists as a Kindle e-book, but a paperback will be released in mid-November.

Oh, and apparently I also needed a mailing list and a website. So, in true “let’s-build-the-plane-while-flying-it” fashion, I’ve started both: a Substack for my pen name, Kat LaGue, and a brand-new website.

If you’d like to follow along as I launch Killer Sillage into the world (and get sneak peeks at my next cozy mystery, Savage Gourmand), you can: 

Subscribe to my Substack: LaGue’s Clues, part behind-the-scenes, part fragrance chat. All New Subscribers will receive a FREE bonus origin story. 

Visit my new website: katlague.com, where all the book news will live.

And, of course, buy and read Killer Sillage! 

Come for the murder, stay for the perfume.

P.S. If you know anyone who loves cozy mysteries, perfume, or just a good story with a twist, please send them my way! Sharing this post is the best way to help a new author like me find her readers. Thanks a million!

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.