Why American Women DO Get Fat

For Bastille Day (French national holiday), I talked Amanda into whipping up a lovely French feast! I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I’m actually a rookie when it comes to French fare… but luckily this dinner was meant to be. First of all, the only reason I knew of the upcoming Bastille Day was because a new restaurant, Bastille, opened up in Ballard. I did a little digging around on the ol’ internet to figure out what the heck Bastille was all about, and it just so happened that my web search revealed that Bastille Day was upon us. To top it off, Amanda had just received the latest issue of Bon Appétit, with a huge article about Julia Child, featuring a bunch of tasty looking French recipes (see article link for recipes). And it’s a good thing, because otherwise we wouldn’t know the first thing about French cooking (don’t worry, I’m not going to go all ‘Julie/Julia’ on you and try to cook every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking… although I AM stoked for the movie!)

I took care of the Hor d’Oeurves, and Amanda got to work on our Bastille feast:

Green Salad with Sauce Vinaigrette
Poulet Saute aux Herbs de Provence (chicken sautéed with Herbs de Provence)
Ratatouille (not Emil the rat's recipe though)
Reine de Saba (chocolate almond cake with chocolate butter icing)

To start, we had 3 kinds of brie- a basic every day brie, goat cheese brie, and triple cream VERY STINKY brie. Amanda’s fridge will never smell the same again. It was, however, delicious! We paired the cheese with a few bottles of French wine, two kinds of baguette, dark French chocolate, and my new favorite French snack: radishes with butter and fleur de sel. I think eating these radishes is my destiny, I’ve been seeing it everywhere lately! I just finished reading “A Homemade Life” by fellow food blogger Molly Wizenburg of Orangette. In it, she shares a ‘recipe’ for raw radishes with salt and butter. I thought it sounded interesting, but not 'fancy' by any means (I mean, it’s just radishes…with butter and sea salt…right!?) Then my latest issue of Gourmet also mentioned the combo as a popular French snack. Let me tell ya, those French people know a thing or two about food. Some of their cuisine is so simple, yet so fantastic. Case in point: Radishes sprinkled with sea salt, dipped in butter. Done.

On to the feast. The salad was…funny. Don’t get me wrong, the Sauce Vinaigrette was delish, but the recipe called for the homemade dressing to be poured over a salad of… lettuce. That’s it. Lettuce. It was good, simple, light. I suppose I’m just used to our salads, which often represent every food group and can have more calories than a Big Mac.

No offense Sauce Vinaigrette, but the chicken and ratatouille were the show stoppers of the dinner. Poulet Saute aux Herbs de Provence consisted of expertly sautéed chicken, covered in Herbs de Provence (dried herbs, usually a mix of savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and the kicker: lavender flowers), and doused with white wine.

Pretty much anything that’s cooked in butter, covered with a generous handful of flavorful herbs, and topped off with wine is going to be good. The ratatouille didn’t look like the stuff that the rat Emil served in the movie (don't pretend you didn't see it...), but I’m sure it tasted better. It was an oily, hearty, saucy stew of eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, onions, bell peppers, and zucchini. Sopped up with a thick chunk of French bread, it was exactly how I picture an autumn evening in France. I ate it too fast to take a photo. So here's one more of the chicken... with the simple salad.

With fantasies of France swirling in my head, and flavors of France swirling in my belly, I was full and content. That is, until Amanda brought out the Reine de Saba. Chocolate almond cake with chocolate butter icing. Remember what I said about French food be so simple and easy? Well, you can just forget about that if you want Reine de Saba, according to Amanda’s description of the process (though she tends to exaggerate a bit…I sometimes call it lying… she calls it exaggerating…which is yet another lie…). Anyway, she said that Julia’s recipe was about 30 steps of mixing, then mixing again, then sifting, then sifting again, then sifting 38 more times, and mixing a few more times… and that’s just for the first half of the ingredients. I think it was worth it. Thanks Julia! This cake was amazing.

It was chocolaty with subtle notes of almond flavor. The cake was moist and fudgy, with a slight crunch from the ground almonds. The frosting was out of control delicious. I ended up eating about 3 pieces, and was definitely still full but no longer content…(this was one of those unbutton your jeans or put on sweatpants kind of meals). The crazy part is… I would eat 3 more pieces right now, if I had the opportunity. It was that good.

Other than my self-induced over indulgence, the meal was très magnifique! I can’t wait until the next time I can coax Amanda into slaving over a hot stove and mixing cake batter 386 times for her lil’ sis!

Au revoir!

Sunday Part 1: Your Own Personal Taco Trailer

Amanda and I had such an eventful, food-filled Sunday that I have to split our adventures into two posts... and I have to wait for photos off of Robb's camera before indulging you in Part 2.

As you know from previous posts, my friend LeAnn is moving away and leaving us. To assist with the big move, LeAnn’s parents drove from South Dakota to Seattle, to help LeAnn and Brian move to Colorado. On Sunday, day before the big day, they were exhausted from traveling, the kitchen was all packed up, and there was a lot more packing and U-Haul loading to go. Amanda and I came to the rescue with a homemade lunch, to give the busy movers a burst of energy. We’re your own personal taco trailer.

LeAnn and Brian are vegetarians, but her parents are Mid-Westerners through and through, and were missing meat after only a few days in Seattle. Parent-pleasing-brown-nosers that we are, Amanda and I whipped up tacos, half with ground beef, half with black beans, all with our delicious guaco de gallo… or pico de guaco… a mix of avocados and our famous pico... (ok, so maybe it’s not famous, but Mel, Amanda, and I have all been making it for years, and we get rave reviews wherever we take it… and people sometimes say it’s the best pico they’ve EVER had…) To make guaco de gallo, mix together avocado, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalepeno, olive oil, white or cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and cumin to taste... the secret is to make it primarily cabbage based, rather than tomato based.

Armed with trays of tacos, a bag of chips, and a bowl of pico de guaco, we walked over to LeAnn’s (right across the street from my apartment) and served up lunch to the moving crew. Once again, the pico was a HUGE hit, and the tacos were delicious and much appreciated (not to mention the mass kudos we got from LeAnn’s parents for bringing meat). Amanda and I enjoyed helping out a friend, and I’m so used to trying to up-level the taco that I forgot how satisfying a simple ground beef taco can be!

Following the tacos, we brought out the dessert… my second batch of homemade ice cream! Amanda and I made Espresso Caramel Swirl, a creamy coffee flavored ice cream with swirls of gooey butterscotch caramel. It was delicious, even better than the first batch!

After serving up a tasty lunch and dessert, Amanda and I said our goodbyes. Our plan was to spend the afternoon shopping, then head back to her place for dinner- grilled chicken salads- and season 2, disc 2 of Sex and the City...

The Cake that Keeps on Giving

Even though I love cooking, I've never been crazy about baking. I find baking to be too regimented... my cooking style is more organic- it evolves naturally, without strict recipes or instructions. I'm more of a little-of-this, little-of-that, taste-as-I-go-then-adjust kind of gal, using recipes as basic guidelines for over-arching flavor and technique ideas, rather than as step-by-step directions. Baking will go terribly, terribly wrong if certain ingredients are omitted, or if too much of this, or too little of that is added... This I learned when I was about 10 years old and Amanda and I tried to make brownies following a recipe in a 'cookbook program' on our fancy new computer. She mixed ingredients in the kitchen while I'll called out measurements from where the computer was perched in the living room. Math was never my forte, and apparently I had not learned fractions yet, because for every 1 and 1/2 cup, I called out to Amanda to add 1/2 cup, for every 1 and 3/4 cup, I instructed her to add 1/4... and so on. Needless to say, the brownies were flavorless balls of dense dough, and the cookbook program on the computer was never used again, replaced with the Spider-Man Cartoon Maker program and the game "You Don't Know Jack."


While I've overcome my fraction-dyslexia, I never did regain the desire to be the next oven mitt wielding, goodie-baking-Betty Crocker. Because of the strict rules of baking, I'm more of an occasion baker, only baking when a special event calls, or when I'm feeling particularly patient (which isn't often). Recently, however, I decided to try to expand my baking horizons.

A few months ago, I put on my apron, pulled out my measuring cups, and I baked a cake. Following directions VERY closely, I made a lovely Orange Polenta Cake, from Gourmet Magazine. With ground almonds and polenta in the batter, the cake had a crumbly yet moist texture, and a buttery delicious flavor. With a dash of orange flower water and a handful of orange zest adding a special zing, and an upside-down style sliced orange caramelized topping, I knew this cake was a winner.

With my confidence renewed, I decided to try the cake again, but this time I would make it my own. For the first time ever (chocolate chip cookies aside), I would improvise on a baked good. Excited and scared, I went forth on my baking experiment, fully prepared for any outcome. I followed the basic instructions for the batter. You know... the flour, eggs, butter, polenta, baking soda... all of the essentials. Then, things got crazy. Instead of orange flower water, I added dark rum and Mexican vanilla. In place of orange zest, I added shredded coconut and lime zest. I replaced the original orange caramel topping with a pineapple-caramel-macadamia nut topping. I popped my creation in the oven, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.

I shared the finished product with some girl friends. I topped the beautiful cake with flaked coconut and a curl of lime zest. I nervously awaited the first bite... hoping it would taste as wonderful at is looked.

It must have... because five girls and less than five minutes later, the cake was demolished. Every last crumb. It was buttery and rummy, gooey on top, moist and crumbly in the middle.

Although delicious, the flavor was not as tropical as I had hoped, I think it needed more coconut, possibly even a splash of coconut milk. I have a feeling that I'll be making this cake again... and again and again. Maybe next time I'll add that extra coconut and throw in some ginger... or maybe I'll improvise with figs and brandy, or lemon and lavender? I learned that with this cake, the possibilities are endless, and that with a really good base recipe (and a little bit of patience), baking doesn't have to be tedious or disastrous.

Wait...There was a Dessert Course?

For Father's Day (and a late Mother's Day) my parents came up to Seattle for the weekend, and Amanda and I took them to Elemental @ Gasworks, an "eclectic culinary endeavor.' As a family of self-proclaimed gastronomes and wine lovers, we were excited for an evening of elegant yet simple cuisine, perfectly paired wine, and each other's company. However, as I sit down to write about our fantastic dining experience at Elemental, I realize that I can barely recall the beef course, the cheese course was a blur, and the dessert course was... wait... there was a dessert course? What caused this food amnesia and ensuing short term memory loss? It all started at 5 pm, Saturday night, at the end of Wallingford St, overlooking Gasworks Park...

We sat down in the dining room of Elemental, enamoured with the crisp white linens, simple decor, and bottles of wine stuffed in every nook and cranny. Phred, who owns and operates Elemental with his wife, head chef Laurie, delivered four filled shot glasses to our table, along with a carafe of fragrant cucumber water. Unsure of the contents of the glass, or the 'rules' of the restaurant, we gingerly sipped and nonchalantly looked around at the two other tables for guidance. Advised by Phred to 'try before we ask,' we finished our shot glass of...something like port... and ordered cocktails. In the mood for something new, we all asked Phred to surprise us- something bitter for John and myself, something fruity for Amanda and Mel. My cocktail was a deliciously bitter, slightly breathtaking concoction of white rum, dry vermouth, and Aperol-a bitter orange Italian aperitif. We sipped our cocktails, slower at first, and then faster once we saw Phred taking half full glasses away from other tables in order to deliver the first glass of wine. Waste not, want not.

Our first course, with a perfectly paired glass of white wine, was... popcorn! Flavored with truffle oil and a hint of garlic, this was certainly the fanciest (and most fantastic) popcorn any of us had ever experienced. Truffle is the richest, most distinct flavor I've ever encountered... more of a feeling than a taste, and combined with a simple bowl of popcorn it was pure heaven. We literally licked our bowls clean (when Phred wasn't looking, of course). Next, with another glass of wine, Phred brought out beet, pineapple, and goat cheese salad with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of chopped pistachios. While I generally never meet a food (especially a cheese) I don't like, I've never enjoyed goat cheese. Until now. The combination of flavors was so perfect, that I can't imagine eating the beet and pineapple salad with anything other than goat cheese. And beets and pineapple together... genius! Amanda and I can't wait to try to recreate this dish at home!

One 'shot,' one cocktail, one hour, and two glasses of wine down, our next course was delivered... with another glass of white wine. Shrimp in garlicky butter with peppered focaccia bread sticks. So simple, yet so elegant when paired with a perfectly matched glass of wine... which we knocked back with gusto so that Phred wouldn't take them away still full.

One shot, one cocktail, a long time, and 3 glasses of wine down, we started to take video of us describing the food- for historical records, of course. We also started to reminisce, giggle, and talk in a higher octave. Up next was one of John's favorite courses. With a glass of wine (of course), Phred brought out squid stuffed with a sausage and rice mixture (according to the video, we thought it was either chorizo or linguica). The squid was firm and slightly chewy, and added a briny, fresh sea flavor to the spicy stuffing. It was served over a garlicky Swiss chard. Mel wasn't crazy about the squid, but the rest of us loved this course, for it's unique flavor and fun presentation.

The next course, paired with another glass of wine, was spinach balls in a tangy tomato sauce with a slice of baguette and sweet, rich butter. Following the spinach balls, after one shot, one cocktail, 3.5 hours, and too many glasses of wine to count, we were served one of my favorite courses. Gougères (the savory equivalent of a profiterole...or cream puff) filled with chicken liver mousse and drizzled with a balsamic reduction, accompanied by red wine. I love liver. Mel, John, and I devoured the gougères and reminisced about when I was a kid and would beg them to make BBQ'd chicken livers, one of my favorite things to eat. Amanda didn't care for the liver cream puff, but she was never a fan of liver. I think I raved to Phred about the liver... I might have even told him that I was the liver-eatin'est-kid-around... but I'm not sure because this is about the time that my memory started become spotty.

With our next glass of wine, we were served ravioli in a cream sauce filled with a tapenade that we thought had olives and mushrooms. The pictures were starting to get a little blurry at this point. As were my taste buds. I sort of recall liking this dish.

For the next course, we were served a hearty red wine. And Phred started to make jokes about our tables' frequent trips to the restroom (I believe the exact statement was that John has the bladder of a 13 year old girl). Oh yeah, we were also served the beef course. I wish I could describe the the flavor of the tender, rare slices of beef, or the side of green beans and mushrooms. I would love to tell you, reader, of the way the wine and the beef were perfectly paired, or to examine each individual flavor in the vegetable side... yet I cannot. It's not that I didn't enjoy the beef course. According to historical video records of said course, I loved the beef. Unfortunately, my only memories of the beef course reside in wine induced, giggly, fragmented videos, and blurry photos.

I think that the cheese course came with two more glasses of wine. Rumor has it that we were served a dessert course, which was accompanied by more wine. Amanda tells me that Phred joked about not wanting to lose his liquor license...shortly before John took me outside for fresh air, and before I reportedly bear crawled up the sidewalk. The rest of the night is lost, living only in the minds of my dear parents and sister. From what I can remember, our evening at Elemental was amazing. Filled with 5 hours of amazing conversation and laughs with my family, inventive and delicious food that we are still raving about, and, of course... glass upon glass upon glass of perfectly paired wine.

Thank you Elemental for a wonderful culinary experience. I hope to be back soon so that I can tell my readers about the vast selection of cheeses and the fantastic desserts that I'm sure you serve. Next time, I'll let you take away my glass after each course, with wine still in it.

The End of an Era

This post is both tasty and tearful, all at once. A dear friend, LeAnn, is packing up and moving far away.

Sinfully Delicious

Last weekend I went to LAS VEGAS BABY for my birthday! A group of 15 friends and I headed down to sin city for a crazy weekend of gambling, booze, sun, fun, and of course…good food! While most of what happens in Vegas should stay in Vegas, I’m going to broadcast the juiciest of our sin city indulgences to the world…the deadly sins of the stomach.

Lust
Two words. Bobby. Flay. After a few nearly fatal whispered death-threats and fists-fights between Amanda and Jessica, we finally came to the consensus that we can ALL have a little bit of the lusciously delicious Bobby Flay…at his restaurant Mesa! The group headed to Mesa for brunch to get a little taste of the Iron Chef himself… or at least of his legendary food. We knew we were in for a treat when the bloody marys and the bread baskets arrived! Spicy, cheesy little jalapeño biscuits, Bobby’s famous blue corn muffins, and the best spicy bloody mary I’ve ever ingested. And then the food came…and the inappropriate, lustful moanings of delight that followed each bite… Iron Chef, indeed!

I ordered the Grilled Asparagus Salad with toasted pecans, maytag blue cheese, wild roasted mushrooms, and red chile-mustard vinaigrette. Not only was it beautifully plated, but the flavor combinations were just right.

V ordered the lamb salad. Until I tried Bobby Flay’s lamb, I thought I wasn’t a lamb eater. I’ve been converted. It was tender, juicy, and flavorful-without being overly gamey. Bree and Jessica ordered the tartar plate. The presentation was amazing, and the steak and salmon tartar served on spicy but sweet plantain chips lived up to its looks. Tasha ordered an amazing egg-tostada-plate-of-delight. I don’t even know what was on it, but it looked like Mexico, tasted like molé, and made us all very happy.

I didn’t get a good look at everyone else’s plates once Evan’s meal was served… I was in love. After a few too many Vegas indulgences the previous night, Evan was taking it easy, and ordered only a bowl of soup. The soup that gods eat, I think. Green Pea and Green Chile Soup with crispy serrano ham and mint cumin crema, to be exact. Sinner that I am, I coveted Evan’s soup through the entire meal… stealing glances and spoon licks at every possible moment. Had Evan not been the one with the heavenly soup in his possession, I may have left him then and there for Bobby Flay.

Gluttony
After a weekend of over indulging ourselves, Robb, Amanda, Mat and I headed to the most excessive of Vegas excesses… the buffet. How could we possibly say no when Robb was prancing about giddy like a five year old girl on Christmas morning? For a mere $25, we were led into the jaws of delicious hell… rows upon rows of food, food, and more food! Orange chicken, peppery beef, fried rice, dim sum, sushi, crab legs with drawn butter, prawns with cocktail sauce, crispy bacon and potatoes, prime rib with fresh, raw spicy horseradish, pizza, salad with a thousand toppings, egg flour and miso soup, hot-out-of-the-fryer-donuts, pastries, pulled pork, muscles in a spicy tomato sauce… and the list goes on. Oh, by the way… that’s just the list of the food on my first plate! After three plates (and several sweet, delicious, buttery, FRESH crab legs too many), I retired my fork. Robb, however, went for about 6 plates, 3 bowls, and a pitcher of mimosas. I generally detest buffets, but my final verdict on the gluttonous Vegas buffet… EXCELLENT! The selection was amazing, the food fresh and delicious, and the refills unlimited… if only they let you take in a few to-go containers…

Sloth
As every Vegas visitor and Washington resident knows, In-N-Out is a must visit ‘restaurant’ whilst in the state of Nevada. The night of the Burlesque Hall of Fame show (we attended as patrons, not performers, of course), V, Tasha, and Bree decided to hoof it to In-N-Out, all the way at the other end of the strip, and across a freeway. However…being the sloths that we are, and classing it up Vegas style, the rest of took a limo. That’s right, we took a limo to a fast food joint. The most luxurious and classy way to eat an animal burger with cheese (the messiest burger around), is in a limo. Knowing this, the limo driver made us eat inside while he waited. Oh well, the greasy, saucy, melty animal style burger was well worth the minimal effort and extra cash we put in to getting there.

Envy
I was envious of others’ culinary delights several times through out the trip. In addition to my envious glances at Evan’s soup, across the table at Mesa, I experienced waves of jealousy at two other occasions during the Vegas trip. First: drinks at Rhumbar. I ordered a Pineapple Chipotle Margarita…clearly I’ve been on a chipotle kick. It was spicy and delicious…but compared to Bree’s drink…her drink was heaven. And I was envious. It was something orange, with muddled mandarins, mint leaves, and of course topped off with a tropical flower. My drink was topped off with a dried chipotle pepper that looked like... well, it looked like this:


I also experienced orderers-envy at BLT Burger, where I ordered a plain ol’ cheeseburger, and Amanda ordered THE BEST VEGGIE BURGER I’VE EVER TASTED. No joke. It was a falafel patty so full of spices and flavor that I instantly regretted my ordering decision. Damnit. However, I DID get to eat the deep fried pickles, which were everything I had hoped for… dilly, greasy, and tasting like deep fried…pickles.

While we surly committed the sins of wrath, pride, and most certainly greed during our culinary tour of Vegas, I’ll leave a little to the imagination… some things you have to just experience yourself…Viva Las Vegas!

One Fish, Two Fish...

If there's one thing I love but am not willing to pay insane prices for... it's salmon. I grew up in the Columbia River Gorge (not to be confused with the Gorge Amphitheater in George), and John and Mel have always been avid fishermen. Growing up, we never had a shortage of salmon. What we couldn't eat fresh off the grill (awww...not BBQ salmon AGAIN) went into salmon dip and jars and jars and jars of John's can't-be-beat smoked salmon. We were spoiled. When I moved to Seattle 6 years ago, I was amazed at the price of salmon... What!? People actually pay that much money for such tiny little pieces? We used to catch a full summer's worth for the price of a few fishing licenses! And the price was the least of my concerns... you should see how people up here cook salmon! Baby sized salmon steaks!? Boiled, baked and broiled!? Drenched in fancy sauces, frilly dressings, and other oddities covering up the fantastic flavor of the salmon itself!? I had never experienced such blasphemy. No one knows how to do salmon like John and Mel.

As time went on, and trips to John and Mel's became shorter and less frequent throughout the years, I started realizing how lucky we were with all that fresh, delicious salmon we had growing up. Now, with the ridiculous price of salmon, the small, sickly portions available at stores, and my lack of a charcoal grill, I'm salmon deprived. Amanda and I were both feeling a lack of salmon in our lives, so we gave the 'rents a call and said to pull a fish outta the freezer, because we were comin' home!

We headed down to the country last weekend, for a few days with John and Mel. Not only was it nice to get out of the city, but we also knew what we were in store for. BBQ salmon, done the way salmon should be done, prepared how we've had it our entire lives. Mel and John always grill up a whole fish. One side, 'for the grown ups' is rubbed down with spicy Jamaican jerk seasoning. The other side is slathered with an unlikely combo of mayo, seasoning salt, and lemon juice. John throws them on the old charcoal Weber (grilled with skin on, of course), and the results are pure magic.

Salmony, spicey, smokey, fresh, and delicious. Combined with a salad picked straight from Mel and John's garden, followed with homemade (hand picked) huckleberry ice cream and four-layer lemon cake, all consumed out on the deck with family and friends, fresh country air, and a killer view of the Columbia River and Mt. Hood. Heaven. With eats like this, Mel and John never have to worry about us not coming home to visit.

One Hot Cookie

I've been trying to come up with creative ways to use a jar of chipotles in adobo before they go bad. I notoriously will open up a jar, use 1 little pepper, and then throw out the rest several months later when I discover them in the back of my fridge. Not this time! First I whipped up some chipotle mayo for my sliders, and then...

Chocolate chip..otle? That's right. I said it. And I did it. I made chipotle chocolate chip cookies. I'm a big fan of mixing sweet with spicy and savory, and decided to give it a go with the all-American chocolate chip cookie. I've seen chipotle and chocolate together in desserts before, so I went for it. I mixed up a batch of basic chocolate chip cookies (from my old school Fanny Farmer cookbook...which Mel and Amanda both have as well...which is the one and only cookbook you need to survive... especially Mel's, which has notes in the margins). I scooped half the cookie dough out of my mixer, to save just in case things went awry. Then... hold on to your hats... I added 2 chopped up chipotles plus a little bit of the adobo sauce to the bowl and turned up the speed. The dough became stickier than the original, and also took on a red tint (with festive little specs of chopped up pepper). Into the oven my Frankenstein cookies went. The chipotle cookies spread out quite a bit during the baking process, and came out much flatter than their un-peppered half... but they still had a great chewy texture... and the flavor?

Not bad! They tasted just like a regular delicious chocolate chip cookie, but with a kick so hot it nearly knocked me off my feet! Wow! I was really surprised that they didn't have a weird peppery, savory flavor, but instead tasted sweet and chocolaty and delish. Unfortunately, the hot peppery kick really was so intense that some people couldn't hang... I won't name names that start with an 'A' and end with a 'manda'. Evan, on the other hand, loved them. As a self-proclaimed dessert-hater (I know... it pains me to even think such awful thoughts), Evan doesn't usually eat the cookies I give him (I'll find them hiding months later), but with these hot little ditties he ate them right up, and even went back for more!

The experiment was fun, and with positive results, but I don't know if I'll be whipping up another batch of chipotle chip cookies anytime in the near future. I have, however, been dreaming up a chocolate-raspberry-chipotle sauce...

The Sun and the Moon

Amanda and I took advantage of the sunny hot Memorial weekend with an all-day Seattle leather-tramping (hoofin' it on foot) adventure. We first hit up the Ballard farmer's market, where we filled up on delicious samples of local goodies, including goat in mole and cow's-milk feta... both delish! From there we walked along the Burke-Gilman to Fremont, where we had a few more tasty samplings at the Fremont Sunday market, and a light lunch at the Nickerson St. Saloon. Our journey then took us to the ultimate in sunny day Seattle culinary destinations- Molly Moon's Ice Cream in Wallingford.

From friends and a recent shout-out in Bon Appetit magazine, I had heard amazing things about Molly Moon's homemade creations. Molly Moon's combines "creamy dairy from happy, healthy, hormone-free Western Washington cows with sweet and savory local ingredients. Attention is focused on seasonal fruits and herbs in combinations that are both familiar and surprising producing all kinds of flavors from childhood favorites to avant-garde adult-only fare." Familiar and surprising, indeed!

The line, while long, was well worth the wait, and gave us a chance to admire the fully sustainable decor and agonize over what flavor we wanted to fill our bellies with (how can one possibly choose when faced with such options!?). When the moment of truth finally arrived, Amanda and I sampled Honey-Lavender, Salted Caramel, Balsamic Strawberry, and Birthday Cake ice cream flavors. I chose Balsamic Strawberry, Amanda chose the Honey-Lavender...both scooped into sweet, sugary, crunchy and chewy homemade waffle cones. My ice cream was the perfect strawberry treat... sweet and fruity, but tangy and 'grown-up' with swirls of vinegary balsamic. Amanda's was herbal, summery, and floral, with a strong hints of lavender and the occasional surprise swirl of sweet, delicious honey. Both were creamy and cold and exactly what we needed in the mid-afternoon heat.

Cones in hand and ice cream dripping down our chins, we continued on our trek. From Wallingford we headed to Greenlake, where we caught a Little League game, strolled around the lake (which provided us the pleasure of duckling, turtle, and bunny sightings), and hiked up the 'big hill' through Phinney and back to Ballard. Hopefully our trails will lead us back to Molly Moon's in the near future, where our new favorites and unknown temptations await.

Thank you for a delicious Memorial weekend, Molly Moon!

My Signature Sundae

Amanda and I always get a good laugh out of people who claim to have a "signature dish." Especially when said signature dish is something simple and, quite frankly, ordinary... ie, a recent favorite quote "7-layer bean dip is my signature dish." Either that individual is at every party and potluck I've ever been to, or 7-layer dip is everyone's signature dish.

In the spirit of making fun of myself, I recently created an ice cream sundae that was basic and simple but so damned good I deemed it my 'signature sundae.' To follow Evan's Thai Steak Salad birthday dinner, I made a tropical sundae full of absolute awesomeness. "Happy Birthday Evan, I'm going to eat all of the dessert I made you!" It was that good. I licked my bowl and his bowl clean.

The sundae was simple, quick, and easy. I piled the bowl high with vanilla ice cream, mango petals (I used an ice cream scoop on the mango, creating petal-like slices), Amanda's Coconut Dulce de Leche, chopped macadamia nuts, flaked coconut, and... the big finish... lime zest! So easy, so quick, so effing delicious. I wish i was eating it right this moment. Who knew my 'signature dish' would be an every-day ice cream sundae!? Maybe I'll start making 7-layer bean dips...

Amanda's Coconut Dulce de Leche

Whisk together in heavy large skillet over medium heat :
1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

3/4ths cup brown sugar
1/4th teaspoon salt

Heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil until thick and creamy, stirring occasionally, (about 10-15 minutes).

Taginery

For Christmas last year, I got Amanda a Tagine, a tagine cookbook, couscous, and preserved lemons. The tagine, a Moroccan cooking vessel, is one bad-ass, must-have kitchen accessory! Not only does it just look awesome, but it works like a charm... in the oven and on the stove top!

Upon return to Seattle from Christmas in Lyle, we quickly got to work creating delicious dishes, named after their cooking vessel...tagines! The flavor sensation that ensued was unbelievable. Our first chicken tagine, served over buttery lemon couscous, included dates, orange flower water, and almonds, among other fantastic ingredients. The tagine was the perfect mixture of sweet and savory, with a floral aftertaste from the orange flower water.


The different flavors in the tagine melded perfectly to create an intense, completely unique dish. The chicken was tender and moist, with just the right amount of browning on the skin. Who thought chicken could taste this good!? Our second tagine (made by Amanda for a visit from Mel) was also chicken, and was filled with apricots, tomatoes, and fresh basil. This one was really spicy and savory, completely different from the first, but just as juicy and delish.


These were made a few months ago, but we'll surely be involved in some serious taginery in the near future...stay tuned! My mouth is watering just imagining what tagine recipe we'll try next!