Volume 6 Special Edition

Special Edition

Arrow presents...

Renton High School 400 South 2nd Street Renton, WA 98057 4.25.14 A forum for student expression

Make something this good? Page 11.

The Menu

Letter From the Ch[i]ef

What We’re Cooking Up

This cookbook is not an old Betty Crocker book in a red and white plaid picnic table pattern, torn on the edges. Nor is it some fast-food drive-thru menu.

Combining favorite family recipes and popular dishes from local restaurants, this cookbook is a greasy index card sandwiched in the pages of that Betty Crocker compendium, as well as a special night out at your favorite local eatery.

We have extreme respect for the many ways one can cook a veggie, mold some tofu, and sear some meat, and we’re betting at least a few of these recipes will make you salivate. We’re betting at least a few of the voices behind these recipes will make you think and feel.

Cook what you want and practice what you preach in your own kitchen, but as a warning: these recipes are sinfully delicious.

Cook at your own risk.

Sincerely,

**Fried Rice...........................................................................PAGE 3 **Pad Thai...............................................................................PAGE 4 Fried Shrimp..........................................................................PAGE 5 Toborgee..........................................................................PAGE 6-7 **Adobo.............................................................................PAGE 8-9 Blueberry Pie....................................................................PAGE 10 Chicken and Shrimp/Baked Chicken.................... page 11 Prosciutto and Provolone Panini..................PAGE 12 *Macaroni............................................................................PAGE 13 **Stir Fry................................................................................page 14 Yogurt.....................................................................................page 15

Rafael Agas is seriously starving.................................................................................................................................Head Reporter

Vincent Hong wakes up early to make breakfast for Annie.....................................................................Staff Reporter

Naje Bryant just wants to eat chicken and watch tv in bed...............................................................Executive Editor

Annie Kwan only wakes up in the morning for breakfast.................................................................Systems Manager

Abigail Cetino is thinking about how she wants to eat potatoes...............................Ads & Business Manager

Joseph Kraus is getting hungry writing about food; fixin to eat the words soon............................................Intern

Aidan Chaloupka is thinking where is the food ...............................................................................................Copy Editor

Vanessa Leon-Villagomez stays up to cook at night...........................................................................Staff Reporter

Mikayla Cheney is craving homemade taters...................................................................................Social Media Editor

Hunter Mcavan is anticipating a chicken overdose....................................................................................Photo Assisant

Emma Collier thinks food is freakin serious business....................................................................................Photo Editor

D Angelo Miller loves sushi....................................................................................................Story Development Associate

Amanda Dyer is sorry she burnt the cookies.........................................................................Communications Specialist

Christina Nguyen can t cook so makes cereal instead.......................................Story Development Associate

Evelyn Fitz is a marshmallow girl...........................................................................................................................................Art Editor

Alicia Quarles doesn t like sweets.........................................................................................................................Chief Storyteller

Khamren Gulley wants something shrimply delicious .........................................................................Staff Reporter

Derek Smith sharpens the cutlery and cleans the cutting board......................................................................Adviser

Devon Henderson wants garlic bread..................................................................................................................Staff Reporter

Dominique Viray is slurrping up some chowder........................................................................................Staff Reporter

Joseph Hoang learned how to work an oven........................................................................................................Staff Reporter

Jordan Doan says buy your yearbook................................................................................................Illahee ManagingEditor

FINE PRINT ARROW is an open forum produced by muffin-hugging, cookie-burning, macaronimixing, potato-frying high school students who aren t afraid throw the first French fry. They put all their effort into one crazy and beautiful place, a public high school named Renton High School at 400 S. 2nd St., Renton, WA, 98057. The Editorin-Chief is senior Naje Bryant.

You can contact her at naje04@ gmail.com with compliments, suggestions, questions, sassy asides, semi-hilarious jokes,

logical fallacies, discarded SLAM poems, heated political rants, valid criticisms and faculty applications.

ARROW is printed seven times a year by Pacific Publishing Company in Seattle, Washington.

Word processing, graphics and layouts are created on Microsoft Office 2010 and Adobe Creative Suite 5 programs. ARROW has a press run of 2,000.

The staff welcomes letters to the editor and will publish letters which meet our standards of good taste (as

**Chicken can be replaced with other meat or meat substitute such as tofu

space permits). Letters must be signed. ARROW reserves the right to edit letters, though every attempt will be made to preserve original content.

Editorials, commentaries, and other opinionated content pieces represent the view of our fabulous writers and artists, and do not represent the views of the Renton School District, RHS, or the ARROW editorial board.

ARROW is financed by advertising based on sizedetermined rates. These range from $35-$80.

THE BITE · 2

William Ngo’s

Ramen FRIED RICE

Fried rice with pork meatballs, fish sauce and oranges are just a peek into the ingenious creations that sophomore William Ngo made with some plain rice and a few items available at your local Asian market. Ngo is a student of Vietnamese and African descent.

“My grandparents on my Dad’s side met during the Vietnam war,” Ngo said.

Ngo plays Magic the Gathering with his friend Akash Mandeer almost every day. “The game is exhausting. You really need to outsmart your opponent and anticipate what their next move is,” Ngo said. “War is deception, a game best played in the shadows.”

One Monday the two friends were distraught to find Luther’s Table closed. So they took the fight to Ngo’s house.

“I was so excited to crush him with my new deck,” Mandeer said. “At this point food was out of the question.”

The war raged on for hours as the two shouted in rage and mirth from the agony of defeat and the thrill of victory.

Then the room grew silent.

“I decided to break the awkward silence... ‘Dude, I’m really hungry right now,’ so we both ran to the kitchen,” Mandeer said.

Ngo and Mandeer scavenged the kitchen for whatever they could find to eat, a Top Ramen packet, rice and some leftover teriyaki chicken.

“Neither of us have ever smoked weed before in our lives,” Ngo said, “but I bet that this is what the ‘munchies’ feel like.”

Ngo fried the ramen seasoning along with the rice. Mandeer poured in the crunchy noodles with the rice. Lastly Ngo chopped up the chicken and set them on top of the mixture.

“We argued for a bit about how many times I should mix it,” Ngo said.

The two men sat down at the table together, glaring at the food. Ngo and Mandeer dug into the sweet rice. Within minutes they ravaged the plates.

“Ever since then I always made my own,” Ngo said. “I’m the mad scientist of fried rice.”

After the meal, both of them were tired and longed for bed. Prior to leaving, Mandeer had three glasses of milk.

“I could literally feel it sloshing around in my gut when I went down the stairs,” Mandeer said.

Ngo closed the door and made his way toward his bedroom. Upon entering his room, he fell face down into his bed.

“I work hard at school all day and all I look forward to is returning to my comfortable bed,” Ngo said. “Body indent and all, my bed is my best friend. And my rice.”

NGO

INGREDIENTS Rice (amount of your choice) 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil 1 pound Chicken Breast (Boneless) ½ cup of Teriyaki Sauce Top Ramen Packet (Beef flavored) PREP Duration: 20-45 minutes Serves: 2 1. Chop the chicken breast thinly into long pieces vertically from the top of the breast to the bottom 2. Take the Top Ramen and open the packet and take out the seasoning packet.

Leaving the noodles in, break the noodles into pieces while they are still in the bag 3. Cook two cups of rice in a rice cooker (If you don’t have any cooked already) 4. Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil to a pan and set the heat to high 5. Pour the chopped chicken breasts into the pan and begin to mix the chicken breast slowly

THE BITE · 3

6. Reduce the heat of the burner down to medium and add in the teriyaki sauce 7. Leave the chicken to simmer and cook slowly 8. On another pan add the remaining vegetable oil and add your rice (Which should already be finished at this point) and turn the heat up to high 9. The teriyaki chicken should be cooked at this point turn the heat off and let the remaining heat keep it warm 10. Take the seasoning pack and add about 3 pinches of it to the rice along with the crushed up noodles.

11. Mix them well to make sure that all the seasoning is spread out evenly.

12. Put the teriyaki chicken on top off the rice and mix them all together.

13. Take out desired amount and put it on top of a plate (Eat while it is hot for maximum crunchiness)

Photos and Text by Dii Miller

Thai Gold Triangle’s

Pad Thai

Opened on Jan. 20, 2013 and recently celebrating their first year, Thai Gold Triangle serves authentic Thai food and treats every customer as family.

Though the owners asked for the sign to say “Thai Golden Triangle,” the print shop sent them back saying “Thai Gold Triangle.” The owners thought it added a modern twist to a traditional name. This restaurant will stay golden and true to the homemade comfort of Thai food.

“I feel like if there is no Pad Thai in a Thai restaurant, it’s not a Thai restaurant,” owner Linda Sailee said.

Thai Gold Triangle modifies the sweet yet tart recipe for Americans’ taste and makes Pad Thai a bit sweeter and even more savory.

“I love coming here to eat the lunch special,” customer Steve Campau said. “They always give great service and yummy food.”

Peter, the cook, holds an industrial, metal wok over an incandescent open flame.

The cook at TGT is as strong and passionate as the spices he uses. Peter, who once lived in Thailand, went to cooking school for three months. In the 15 years since, he has been practicing his craft and volunteering to train the owner.

“More sour and spice is added to Pad Thai in Thailand,” Saelee said, “but here in America it is made sweeter for the Americans’ accustomed taste.”

He cracked an egg into the wok and it sizzled and popped as he stirred. He added chicken and blanketed the mixture over thinly sliced rice noodles from King’s Oriental Foods Store. The noodles were soaked with ambrosial tomato sauce and soy sauce/fish sauce.

The cook flicked his wrist and the noodles jumped alive and fell in the pot, as if rolling and landing a somersault.

Peter sprinkled a pinch of imported red pepper flakes, home grown from California, available on a one to three star spectrum. He added beansprouts to the mix for crunch and freshness.

He slid the noodles onto a plate and sprinkled them with minced green onions, placed a lime wedge for color and a pile of crushed peanuts near the edge for crunch.

And with that, the customer’s heart turned to gold.

INGREDIENTS 1 egg 5 ounces of cut chicken 3 pounds of rice noodle Spices: tomato sauce, soy sauce, salt, fish sauce, sugar Vegetables: beansprout, carrot, lime, green onion

PREP Duration: 25 minutes Serves: 1 1.Get wok ready and hot.

2.Crack egg into wok and stir until egg is cooked.

3.Add 5 ounces chicken (amount as desired) and stir until chicken is cooked.

4.Add 3 pounds noodle into wok and stir all ingredients together.

5.Flick wrist so that noodle is evenly cooked throughout wok.

6.Keep flicking wok up and down for about 3 minutes.

7.Add beansprout and stir wok more so beansprout are evenly cooked 8.Add spices (tomato/ketchup, soy sauce, salt, fish sauce) and stir.

9.Make sure ingredients are evenly stirred throughout wok.

10.Flick wok consistently.

11.Place noodles on dish and garnish with green onion, beansprout, and thinly sliced carrots.

12.Add lime to side if desired.

THE BITE · 4

Photos and Text by Christina Nguyen

Brent Ballestero’s

sHRIMP tEMPURA Senior Brent Ballesteros tied on a dark blue apron covered in old stains. He washed his hands and gathered the materials needed for the dish: a bowl of shrimp in a little pool of water made grey from rinsing, salt, flour, baking soda and sugar.

“This wasn’t the first time I made [shrimp tempura],” Ballesteros said. “I... made it sophomore year, but it turned out salty.”

Ballesteros has been a member of Essence of Renton, our culinary club, since his freshman year.

“I took a break sophomore year, but I still attended some activities to help out,” Ballesteros said. “At first I just wanted to eat, but as time went by I just got close to the class and I just wanted to be in it.”

The first step in the process was de-veining the shrimp.

“You gotta get used to the smell,” Ballesteros said.

Ballesteros mixed his ingredients in a small white bowl until a yellow mixture arose. One by one he took the shrimp by the tails and drag them around in the mixture.

He dropped the shrimp into the pan of grease. Ballesteros watched carefully to make sure they were cooked to perfection. He flipped the shrimp over and over until the breading was a golden brown.

The final outcome: a little cloud with a little tail poking out of the top, each about the size of a quarter.

“Since the last time, I learned how to mix all the ingredients and how long it should be fried,” Ballesteros said.

After he finished he disposed of the grease and batter. He made a sink of water and soap and scrubbed the dishes.

ballestros

INGREDIENTS 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/3 cup water 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon white sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 egg yolk 2 quarts oil for deep frying

PREP Duration: 15 minutes Serves 8 1. Heat oil in deepfryer or large pot to 375 degrees F 2. In a medium bowl, mix together allpurpose flour, water, cornstarch, egg yolk, salt, white sugar, salt and baking powder

3. One at a time, dip shrimp into the flour mixture to coat 4. Carefully place a few shrimp at a time in the hot oil 5. Deep fry until golden brown on all sides, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to remove from oil 6. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm

Photos and Text by Khamren Gulley

Emmanuel Tarr’s

Chicken Gravy Two small children bounced a soccer ball around sophomore Emmanuel Tarr’s apartment knowing they would be scolded by their aunt, Josephine. Liberian English echoed across the room.

In the kitchen two voices were heard.

“Not so much spice. Are you trying to kill your friend or something?” Josephine said, as Emmanuel added spice to the pot.

“A good way to start the meal,” Emmanuel joked.

Homemade raisin bread sat warm in the oven.

Emmanuel and Josephine said sharing all they had was their culture’s way of showing generosity. Even if it that means they may not eat tomorrow.

“I would rather have nothing and feel good than have everything and feel bad,” Emmanuel said.

Emmanuel has deep roots to his home country.

“I miss the connection to everything, climbing a tree to get my own fruit or working in a field and bringing that to the market,” Emmanuel said. “It’s fun and you get some money out of it.”

In Liberia, money is a concern, and although the country uses both U.S. and Liberian currency, the values are different.

“A banana only costs fifty cents at the market, but that is in U.S. money,” Emmanuel said. “In my country’s money, that is a twenty five dollar banana.”

American currency is worth much more than Liberian currency.

“Many people work really hard in America and save up lots of money to go back and live rich lives,” Emmanuel said.

With the support of the American government, Liberia was founded by freed slaves from the southern U.S. in 1821.

Even the flag resembles America. Liberia has

tarr

INGREDIENTS 3 pounds of chicken thighs (or other preferred part) Salt 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper 1 1/4 cups of cooking oil 1 medium onion (thinly sliced) 2 tablespoon of seasoned salt 3 tablespoon of flour 2 teaspoon of tomato paste 2 1/2 cups of water 1/2 pod hot pepper (chopped, optional)

PREP Duration: 1 hour Serves 4 Chicken: 1. Wash chicken 2. Coat chicken in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and teaspoon of seasoned salt.

Mix seasoning to spread evenly. Let chicken stand for 30 minutes to allow seasonings to penetrate 3. Add cup of cooking oil to large skillet.

Heat oil to medium high heat, and then fry

THE BITE · 7

red and white stripes and one white star on a blue background in the top left corner.

“White like the baking powder that makes the chicken gravy orange and bubble, blue like the sky because God gives us what we need,” Josephine said.

“Red like the spices we put into our foods, and soon your cheeks will be red too.”

The family of eight sat at the table, waiting.

Discussions of school started and the connection that each family member had with one another showed.

“If you do not go to school you will never leave this house,” Josephine said.

She got up to tend the boiling pot of gravy.

This food is a mix of traditional and new ingredients from Liberia. Every district of Liberia has its own plants and foods, making each dish unique to each family’s home.

“We ate a lot of palm butter,” Emmanuel said, “but I always wanted pepper silk.”

Chicken gravy is an everyday dish for Emmanuel and his family.

“It’s a routine,” Emmanuel said. “I have been cooking ever since I can remember.”

In Liberian culture men do not expect women to cook.

“If you ask your wife to cook and she says no, you get off your butt and go make your food yourself,” Emmanuel said.

As laughter rose and fell, Emmanuel’s uncle emerged from the back room to get a piece of cake.

“He cooks better than my aunt and mom combined,” Emmanuel said.

Emmanuel got meat out of the freezer he had forgotten to thaw.

“I will learn from every mistake I make, so that the next time I try something it will be better,” Emmanuel said.

“Let’s eat, it’s spicy,” Josephine called across the home.

Bowls were empty and bellies were full. As the cake slowly disappeared from the oven, the family members felt as though this one night eating a traditional meal was a night back in their home of Liberia. chicken until sides are brown.

Reduce heat if your chicken is cooking faster than you are comfortable with.

Gravy: 1. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in large skillet on medium high. Then add 3 tablespoons of flour oil.

Stir until well mixed 2. Add sliced onions.

Continue stirring until onions and flour are golden brown.

Reduce heat to medium.

Add tomato paste and mix

3. Add 2 ½ cups water.

Add ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and hot pepper.

Stir 4. Add more salt and seasoned salt if desired.

Add fried chicken to gravy 5. Bring mix to boil.

Reduce heat to medium / low. Simmer until gravy has thickened as desired 6. Serve with checked rice and fried plantains, rice and split peas or rice and kidney beans

Photos and Text by Hunter McAvan

Nicole Santos’

pork Adobo Red lanterns illuminated the walls of sophomore Nicole Santos’ home.

Nicole took the hunk of pork from its package and cut it into chunks.

“I love making food for people,” Nicole said. “I once had four people over for dinner but ended up making enough to feed 10 people with enough for seconds.”

She used the side of a knife to pound the garlic.

“This makes it easier to get the skins off,” Nicole said.

Once all the ingredients had been added to the pot, she set the burner on high.

“I’ve never used the pressure cooker before,” Nicole said, “but mom told me ‘use it for tonight’.”

The pot was left to simmer as junior Logan Schaeffer and her younger brother, Nathan Santos, came inside to sit at the kitchen table.

The pressure cooker overflowed with the thick tar of soy sauce. Smoke clouded over the stew.

She cut the green onions into small rings without ever picking up her wrist.

“It’s the Asian power,” Nathan said.

Nicole dropped the onions into a pie pan and dispensed rice into a separate bowl.

“I hate when other people make rice,” Nicole said. “I wash my rice to get all the starch out. Starch makes it too sticky and mushy.”

She measured the water.

“The water should come up to the first line of your finger,” Nicole said. “My mom never measured anything, she just told me what she knew. There really is no exact recipe.”

Nicole set the cooker for automatic.

“This is my dad’s recipe,” Nicole said.

“My mom says mine is sweeter because I use onions. We all have a different taste.”

She turned to the quail eggs at the counter.

“I love these,” Nicole said. “They’re a childhood thing I guess. My dad only made quail eggs for special occasions, parties.”

Nicole pounded more garlic.

“I’ll show you a trick of mine. My dad does it,” Nicole said. “He thickens the sauce and reduces the heat.”

Soon enough, the rice cooker beeped, announcing itself. Nicole stirred the pork adobo to make sure no ingredients had been left cold.

“Is it almost done?” Schaeffer said.

Nicole nodded and sent him to gather paper plates.

“You use your fingers like this,” mother Mary-Ann Libed said, explaining Filipino tradition. “Make a little ball with the rice and just pop it in your mouth.”

The sauce was thick, just as Nicole had planned, and the pork tasted of green onion and garlic.

INGREDIENTS 2 pounds pork 1 tablespoon vinegar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 cup water Garlic 2 cups rice Green onions 10 quail eggs

PREP Duration: 2 hours Serves 6 1. Cut pork into chunks 2. Put pork chunks into medium sized pot 3. Pour in soy sauce, vinegar, and seasonings 4. Put pot on stove at high, once boiling reduce to medium heat 5. Chop garlic and put in pot, stir

THE BITE · 8

6. Dispense rice into separate bowl 7. Wash rice 8. Leave an inch of water in pot of rice 9. Transfer rice into rice cooker 10. Add seasonings, green onions, and quail eggs to pork pot 11. Reduce heat, let simmer 12. Serve over rice

Photos and Text by Mikayla Cheney

Josie Dumlao’s

Chicken Adobo In the home of the Estonilos’ and Dumlaos’, children watched T.V. and played games. Four-year-old Macki showed off Sega Superstar Tennis on the Xbox. The house is home to eleven people.

The house boasted a huge altar of crosses and pictures of Jesus in the living room. In the kitchen, the white four burner oven sat on the right hand side.

The sink sat kitty-corner from the sink under a shelf filled with figurines that featured underwater motifs, with a water filled vodka bottle in front.

“We have two because the kids eat a lot,” cousin Josie Dumlao said. “One is for them and the other is for the adults.”

The recipe, originating in the Philippines, has been passed down for generations.

“I learned it from my mom,” Dumlao said, “and she learned from her mom, and so forth.”

The process of learning the perfect adobo is not by cooking or listening or Googling.

“They learned because they eat it,” grandma Leonila Benito said with a slight chuckle. “They always ask if it’s ready.

They just eat.”

Everybody learned the ways of the kitchen through their grandma, the person Dumlao and cousins John and Jesse Estonilo herald as the master chef.

“I tried it once,” Jesse said, “and it was bad. I put too much of stuff. It’s like, five out of ten.”

When created by the master it is a family favorite, appearing on the dinner table at a weekly rate.

“It’s just good,” John said. “It immediately melts in your mouth.”

“That is our food,” Benito said, “chicken adobo and pork adobo.”

The mixture of salty, sweet and spicy is in every spoonful.

“I would add tomatoes,” John said.

“It brings back flashbacks of back then [in the Philippines] because my grandma used to put tomato in it.”

The family favorite is a staple of Filipino culture. Each family has their own version.

“It makes you want to keep eating more until you’re full,” John said.

Achieving the perfect taste is kept in the family as tradition. Each one of them knows how the taste will turn out by smelling it.

“Cooking the perfect adobo is physically knowing the taste,” Benito said.

Each family has their own little secret ingredient to make it stand out. In the case of the Estonilos’ and Dumlaos’, it could be anything from pineapples to sweet and spicy sauce.

INGREDIENTS 2 pounds chicken (thighs or breasts) 2 Onions 2 Cloves of Garlic 1 cup Water 1 cup Soy Sauce 1 cup Vinegar 3 or 4 pieces Dry Bay Leaves 1 Ginger Salt Pepper Oil 3 tablespoons Sweet and Chili sauce PREP Duration: 2-4 hours Serves 4-6 1. Defrost the chicken until it’s completely thawed 2. Wash the chicken and trim off the excess skin and fat off the chicken

THE BITE · 9

3. Drain the chicken and wash it once more with some salt, a process known as brining 4. Then quarter or cut the chicken into smaller pieces 5. Dice the onion and garlic 6. Add oil onto a wok 7. Brown the onions and the garlic 8. Add the chicken with a cup of water 9. Cover it up and let it boil until the water has lowered or boiled off 10. Once it’s almost dry, add the cup of soy sauce and let it boil more. Do not cover it. Let the mixing be done by the boiling 11. Once the chicken has fully cooked, add the vinegar 12. Let it simmer until the chicken has fully cooked 13. Add the sweet and spicy sauce and mix thoroughly once more 14. Taste is changed according to the chef’s preference. Soy sauce counteracts the vinegar.

Photos and Text by Rafael Agas

Ashley Ponce’s

BLACKberry Pie “I like baking pies, mainly blackberry pies,” junior Ashley Ponce said. “I mainly cook it during the summer, since I go to Lake Sammamish. While everyone just plays around I pick the berries there and take them home to bake.”

Ponce’s favorite part of baking pie is creating the crust.

Layering one strip of crust at a time, she can easily picture the puzzle pattern with berries peaking through the holes at the end.

“It’s fun to do that decorating thing with the crust,” Ponce said.

“You can’t do that with most pies.”

Ponce wasn’t just introduced to cooking, she grew up with it.

“My mom and older sister cook,” Ponce said. “I only started cooking when I was in middle school. My sister turned it into a life and my mom turned it into something worth teaching.”

Ponce has also learned a lot from the internet, especially since her mom is

distracted with two young children.

Ponce’s older sister turned baking into a lifestyle. She went to culinary school and now works at Piccolino’s Bakery up by Queen Ann’s Hill “I probably don’t see myself baking with my sister in the future. It’s fun but it’s not very economical or reasonable,” Ponce said.

“My sister took [cooking] as an easy way out since it’s cheaper and easier, but I don’t want to go that way.

I see baking more as a fun activity.”

Ponce’s two younger brothers have yet to start practicing the family tradition of baking but they can still eat.

“My brothers don’t like most of what I bake other than my pumpkin pies but it isn’t my favorite to make.

“When I grow up and have grandkids, I’ll teach them how to bake if they want to,” Ponce said. “There will probably be machines to do it for them then anyway, but I don’t mind.”

PONCE

INGREDIENTS PIE: 4 cups blackberries 3/4 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon butter CRUST: (can be purchased) 1 1/2 cups white flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 7 teaspoons ice water PREP Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes Serves 6 1. Place 4 cups of frozen berries in a bowl and add 1/2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of sugar 2. Toss berries with the flour and sugar so that they are all coated 3. Stir occasionally as berries thaw. (It may be slightly mushy) 4. As berries thaw preheat oven to 425 5. Put berry mixture into bottum crust. Lay top crust over. (For the top layer tear large pieces of crust and lay them over the mixture in a puzzle style with some overlapping parts covering any holes to make the finished part look better) 6. Brush top crust with 2 teaspoons of milk and butter 7. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup remaining flour over the milky top crust 8. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then 375 for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown

Photo by Ashley Ponce Text by Joseph Hoang

THE BITE · 10

Nina Kieu Nguyen’s

Chicken & Shrimp An elderly woman walked into the kitchen and scolded her granddaughter in Vietnamese.

“She’s normally the one who makes this. She always tends to be cautious about it,” granddaughter Nina Nguyen said.

Her grandma mumbled until leaving the kitchen, leaving Nina to cook. Nina boiled the shrimp in a pot over medium heat. Simultaneously, she drizzled sesame oil onto a pan and added chicken.

“It seems kinda silly how people only have the breast or the wing parts,” Nina said. “We like to slice up the whole entire chicken.”

“There’s no exact measurement with anything. It’s just a taste test all throughout the process,” Nina added as she shook the bottle of pepper onto the meat.

“We’ll just leave the chicken to roast for a little while... Now we can add the coconut and pork blood to the meats,” Nina said as she brought out mountains of shredded coconut.

“We tend to make this dish 15 dinners out of a month. It’s a family favorite.”

INGREDIENTS: Shrimp Chicken Sesame Oil

Soy Sauce Pepper Pork Blood Coconut

PREP Duration: 35 mintutes Serves 5 people 1. Boil shrimp individually 2. Cut whole chicken into chunks 3. In one pan place the chicken, sesame oil and soy sauce

Photos and Text by Vanessa Leon-Villagomez

4. Gradually mix the chicken with oils and pepper 5. Place the lid and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes 6. Add coconut shavings and pork blood 7. Mix in all ingredients well

Annie Love’s

Photo and Text by Naje Bryant

Baked Chicken

Sophomore Annie Love took the frozen chicken breasts out of the freezer and placed them into a deep silver sink.

After about an hour in hot water she snatched the cold chunks of chicken, placed them in a large Tupperware, grabbed a bottle of Lawry’s Marinade and emptied it.

“I let the marinade get sucked into the meat,” Annie said, checking the Tupperware. “I want you to be able to taste more than what you see.”

Annie’s older brothers, Aaron and Matt, walked in and threw a new alphabet puzzle toy at their littlest sister, Tori.

“Have you gotten started on that din din yet, Annie?” Matt asked, turning back.

Annie set the oven to pre-heat and slid the chicken from the bottom shelf of the fridge.

“Ten or so more minutes,” Annie answered.

As the cheese bubbled over the yellow circular veggies, the juice from the chicken dripped and Annie pulled it out.

She distributed plates. The first bite explained it all: the herbs, the marinade, the vinegar.

THE BITE · 11

INGREDIENTS 1 bottle Lawry’s Marinade Balsamic Herb Marinade with Italian Herbs and Balsamic Vinegar 1 bag frozen boneless chicken breast 1 box of scalloped potatoes (your choice or make your own side) PREP Duration: 10 hours Serves 8 1. Thaw frozen chicken 2. Once thawed, place in container and pour marinade in and shake to spread around and put in fridge for at least 5 hours (time depends on size and desired flavor) 3. After marinated meat is ready to your liking place on a tin foiled covered cookie sheet and place in oven for 45 mins. to an hour at 425 degrees

Liberty Cafe’s

Panini

Despite her wide smile, barista Madison Hillard doesn’t necessarily enjoy making Liberty Cafe’s prosciutto and provolone paninis.

“The gloves we wear are too big for my hands,” Hillard said, “but a triple shot raspberry black and white cappuccino with cinnamon foam makes me feel like an alchemist.”

Hillard began working at Liberty in June of 2013. One of her favorite things about working at Liberty is the open mic nights, and the people who visit and sometimes re-visit the store.

“I’ve been shocked by the caliber of some of the local talent,” Hillard said, “and we have a really large local crowd.

Everyone knows each other’s names.”

Liberty is not only visited by local regulars, but by strangers who potentially become regulars.

“The locals of Renton are a funky and accepting crowd of people,” Hillard said. “Of course we still get commuters off of 405 and tourists who stop in because it was along their way.”

The cafe also provides a supportive work environment. Owner Mike Moskowitz is a laid back and friendly boss who gets to know his customers through across-counter conversation.

“I rarely feel overwhelmed, and there is always somebody willing to help you out,” Hillard said. “Mike understands that life happens to everybody and has shown me nothing but kindness.”

Liberty Cafe is a comfortable and family oriented coffee shop. Located at the end of the block on South 3rd Street, this small but cozy shop finds it home between a modern furniture store and a tattoo parlor.

Local artwork hangs on the walls.

Underneath the worn wooden benches lay piles of old magazines and card decks, frayed and bent with use.

Nestled in a corner near several plants bearing the sign “do not water” sits a shelf of vintage comics. The coat rack behind the door bears the coats of many a weary traveler who has stopped in to enjoy Liberty.

Moskowitz hosts Halo night every Thursday on the second floor, and from the first floor, the back of an Xbox can be seen through a cutout in the wall. Below is the kitchen, dominated by an espresso machine, floors worn down from the fast paced movements of feet.

Liberty Cafe is a mecca for teenagers after hours at the arcade, to stop and have coffee and reflect on their day when the sun has set. Visiting Liberty after a long, tiring day allows the release of tension and acceptance of art, joy, and coffee.

INGREDIENTS Prosciutto & Provolone Panini Sourdough bread Prosciutto (cured meat) Provolone cheese (Optional) Dijon mustard PREP DURATION: 10 minutes SERVES 1 Gather the ingredients for the sandwich.

Cut the bread. Take the prosciutto out of the package and lay it on the bread. Cut or take the cheese out of the package, then lay it on the bread. Add dijon mustard to taste.

The sandwich is best served with “The SG,” a drink made with a mixture of Squirt soda and grape juice.

THE BITE · 12

Photos and Text by Emma Collier

Alicia Quarles’

*Mac n’ Cheese “My grandma has dementia and when she cooks, she sometimes forgets to turn the oven off, so we just keep it turned off,” senior Alicia Quarles said.

The cabinets of her kitchen were painted different colors, some really dark green, almost gray. Some had splotches of white on the doors, like someone had been remodeling.

“She almost burned down our kitchen once,” Quarles said. “I had to pat the fire out myself.”

Quarles demonstrated how she went about extinguishing the fire with the oven mitt in her hand.

“I’m a picky eater, but when Alicia makes her macaroni and cheese I eat it,” her 91 year old grandma, Ana Martinez said.

Quarles opened the cabinet to her left; she bent over to find the perfect pot. The two pots were now sitting on the stove; one was a lot bigger than the other. Walking over to the sink (it had about six dishes in it), she lifted the sink faucet and hot water poured out into the big pot. Placing it on the right eye she got all of the ingredients out of the fridge for the other pot. Leaving the refrigerator door open she went back and forth to the counter top.

No one else makes macaroni and cheese in Alicia’s house; they all love hers.

“She makes it for every holiday,” mother Gina Jaiman said.

In the pot where she poured the water, she soon poured all of it back into the sink, starting the process over.

“I don’t like how this water looks,” Quarles said.

Four minutes into boiling, Alicia sprinkled salt before dumping in the penne pasta. She then added sour cream and butter to the smaller pot, whisking as they started to melt.

“I usually buy the block and shred it myself,” Quarles said.

After the white sauce had melted for the most part, she added a bag of cheese to the pot.

“Soon it’ll be a cheesy soup,” Quarles said.

After seasoning the sauce, she continued whisking. Finally, after 13 minutes, she picked a noodle from the pot and tasted it. The noodles were finally ready. She slowly poured them into a

*Cover story

strainer to drain, as steam rose to the ceiling. Finally, she placed the noodles gradually into a clear casserole pan and poured the cheese.

“I pour as much as I can until it literally is about to fall out,” Quarles said. “You can never have too much cheese.”

Even though it is ready to eat at this point, she is not done. Quarles puts the pan in the oven, not because it needs to cook more, but to put her thumbprint on it.

“It gets all pretty in the oven, that is why I put it in,” Quarles said.

Though the wait might be longer than your typical box of noodles and powdered cheese, some things are just worth waiting for.

QUARLES

THE BITE · 13

Text by Devon Henderson

INGREDIENTS Penne pasta 2 pounds of sharp cheddar cheese 16 ouces of sour cream Extra virgin olive oil Spoon full of butter Seasonings garlic, salt, black pepper PREP Duration: 1 hour Serves 10 1. Get two pots one big, one small one 2. Fill the bigger pot with water half way 3. Turn stove on medium 4. After water is done boiling add pasta 5. Add extra virgin oil to noodles 6. In the second pot add sour cream, butter, and

Photos by Amanda Dyer

shredded cheese 7. Turn on stove between high and medium 8. Whisk melted cheese sauce until smooth 9. Add garlic, salt and black pepper seasoning to cheese sauce 10. Drain the pasta after 13-15 minutes of cooking 11. Get a casserole pan and place the noodles in pan 12. Turn off cheese sauce after all is melted 13. Pour cheese on noodles 14. Season to taste 15. Sprinkle cheese onto the pasta 16. Set oven to 325 degrees 17. Place pan in oven for 25-30 minutes

Ellyse Dallas’

Columbian Stir Fry The house was quiet even with the two younger cousins.

“We have to be quiet,” cousin Jayden Dallas whispered. “Daddy works late and gets off around midnight then gets home at five and sleeps until he has to leave again.”

In a small kitchen with a bag of Cheerios and napkins on top of the fridge, sophomore Ellyse Dallas prepared the ingredients.

“We try to cook [the stir fry] frozen,” Ellyse said.

Her six-year-old cousin Cadence assisted her.

Heating up the pan to medium high, Ellyse placed an orange measuring cup into the giant bag of stir fry vegetables and threw two cups into the pan.

“Usually we serve six people and we use about four or five cups of vegetables,” Ellyse said.

She grabbed a chicken breast brought to her from Cadence and a metal knife with a wooden handle.

Ellyse then began chunking the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

“We always cut off the fat [from the chicken] because the fat absorbs all of the juices,” Ellyse said.

Ellyse grabbed the chicken chunks from the plate and placed them into the frying pan using a small plastic bag as a glove.

“Because we love meat in this family, we put about two chicken breasts,” Ellyse said.

As the stir fry steamed, Ellyse asked Cadence to open the back door.

“If it starts to get overheated, we turn the stove to medium low,” Ellyse said.

Adding half a teaspoon of Mr. Yoshida and Kikkoman soy sauce, Ellyse finished the dish.

“At the end, use a small tablespoon of Yoshida and throw in a little red pepper,” Ellyse said.

Ellyse put the finished product into a plastic container to cool. She asked Jayden if he wanted some also, but declined.

Sitting at the table with the dish, the first bite was taken.

“We usually eat it the way it is. Some of the time, we could add paprika for more spice. Or if we’re bored, we add extra carrots,” Ellyse said as she got the small bag of baby carrots from the fridge to give to Cadence. “We even marinate the baby carrots in the Yoshida.”

INGREDIENTS Broccoli Carrots Corn Green Beans Carrots Red Peppers Chicken Breast Mr. Yoshida’s marinade & cooking sauce Soy sauce Crushed Red Pepper

PREP Duration: 20 minutes Serves 4-6 1. Heat pan to medium high to high and add 2 cups of frozen vegetables to pan 2. Allow vegetables to sit and cut chicken breast into small chunks 3. When the pan starts to smoke, add chicken chunks into the mixture 4. Add in half a teaspoon of Yoshida 5. Add in half a teaspoon of soy sauce then allow to fry 6. Turn heat to medium low 7. Add a small tablespoon of Yoshida 8. Throw in some red pepper 9. Serve into bowls or plates Photos and Text by Dominique Viray

THE BITE · 14

Chelsea Robinson’s

Yogurt parfait A party in your mouth Light reflected off the china cups on the dining table in junior Chelsea Robinson’s home.

“After I eat fattening foods, I eat yogurt to make myself think that I have a well balanced diet,” Robinson said.

The Robinson’s love to grow their own berries during the summer and spring.

“I remember Chels always eating yogurt as a child, after her cousin told her about a ‘healthier snack,’” step dad Mike Bowers said.

Robinson kept things as original as possible given the circumstances, mixing Lucerne vanilla with Yoplait.

“I tend to make the dessert with home grown berries, but seasons are the downside, so I have to result in using Safeway berries,” Robinson said.

The smell of the berries perked the attentions of Robinson’s parents.

“Hey Chels, you should make me some...

The least you could do is make your mommy

ROBINSON

some yogurt,” mother Jackie Bowers said.

As Robinson ate she described its taste.

“Colorful is how I would describe it. It’s a kind of tarty feeling from the yogurt, but it also has a wide range of sweetness from the fruits that are used,” Robinson said. “It can be really sweet from the raspberries and bananas but tangy from the strawberries.”

When asked if she would rather have homemade yogurt or on-the-go yogurt, Robinson confidently gave her answer.

“Homemade always tastes the best,” Robinson said. “Plus, I know for a fact that my fruits are fresh.”

INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons of both Lucerne and Yoplait vanilla yogurt 4 strawberries 10 blueberries and raspberries 1 banana 1 Handful granola PREP Duration: 5 minutes Serves 1 1. Scoops of Lucerne and Yoplait Vanilla flavored yogurt 2. Mix the yogurts together 3. Cut up strawberries and banana 4. Estimated amount of blueberries and raspberries 5. Handful of any type of granola

Photos and Text by Vincent Hong

We hope you enjoyed.