BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizzas with Cherries and Corn

I was kind of dreading Father’s Day this year. All of the first holidays and events without him are hard. But the impending punch in the gut of Father’s Day—all of the gift guides in my inbox, the grilling recipes for dad online, the Father’s Day golf/BBQ/fishing/woodworking/drinking themed everything everywhere—it had me in a major funk these last few weeks. Luckily we celebrated in the most amazing way possible, which really helped me (and my sister and mom) get through the day. Rather than having a somber memorial last summer, which he would have hated, we waited until last weekend, and had a big blow-out celebration of life. He loved being a dad, and he loved summer solstice, so there was no better time to raise a glass and toast an awesome man, who lived life to the fullest.

Wordless Wednesday: Another Pie

Another week, another pie. A lot like this one, but with apricots. And bing cherries. 

And one lucky Rainier cherry that somehow found its way into the pie. Kinda like the baby in a king cake.

Amanda found the lucky cherry. Does that mean she has to make the next pie? 

Sgt. Clafoutis

Our hero has returned!

My dear friend (and Evan's past roommate), Mike, has returned to Seattle... from over a year on tour with the US Army in Iraq. We missed Mike like crazy during his time abroad, and have been waiting impatiently for him to come home. Leading up to Mike's return, we were informed that he had a few requests: fried chicken at Ezell's and a 12 egg omelet at Beth's Cafe... not to mention he had been reading Loves Food, Loves to Eat, and was expecting something delicious from my oven. Instead of going out on the town with the guys on Mike's first night back, I took off my heels, put on an apron, and hit the kitchen.

What does one make for a returning soldier, someone who was without homemade treats for so long, someone who hasn't hugged his mom or kissed a girl for a year, someone who's been living off of nothing but bland military rations and crude male humor since 2007? A clafoutis, of course!

Not only is clafoutis fun to say, it also represents all the things Mike has been living without...fruity, chocolaty, custardy, and feminine- a perfect welcome home treat! I had never actually made a clafoutis, and turned to my trusty Gourmet magazine for inspiration. Tweaking a Chocolate Raspberry Clafoutis recipe to make use of the bag of cherries on my counter, I got to work making a very 'girly' sounding dessert for a very manly man- chocolate cherry clafoutis.

Having never even tasted clafoutis before, I decided there was absolutely no way I was serving this new dessert to friends without first tasting it myself. I thought Mike wouldn't mind if I ate one little sliver of the custardy cake. On my first slice, I was pleasantly surprised by the creamy custard center, and in love with the crispy chocolaty edges. On my second slice, I savored the sweet, juicy cherries. On my fifth slice, I marveled at how the chocolate chunks on top melted into a perfect rich glaze. By my eighth slice, some of the chocolate topping had hardened, creating a not-to-sweet chocolaty crunch that contrasted amazingly with the silky smooth custard... Before I knew it, I had devoured half of Mike's welcome home clafoutis.

The next morning, after the boys had their big night out, the wait at Beth's Cafe was too long, and Ezell's was too far away. Lucky for Mike, he had (less than) half a clafoutis waiting for him, chocolaty and rich, gooey and fruity, the perfect dessert for a great friend. Next time, I'll try to make Mike a full clafoutis... but we'll see how far that gets me.

Chocolate Cherry Clafoutis

(Adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

2-3 cups pitted & halved dark cherries
1 T sugar
1 cup whole milk
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
1/2-3/4 cup coarsely chopped dark or bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 400°F
Butter a shallow baking dish or tart pan
Toss berries with granulated sugar and let stand 15 minutes.
Blend milk, butter, eggs, brown sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt in a blender until smooth.

Scatter berries (with juices) evenly in baking dish, then pour batter over top.
Bake on center rack until slightly puffed and firm to the touch, about 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with chopped chocolate. Cool to warm, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature... with a friend... or by yourself.

26 Miles for a Bowl of Ice Cream...

Did I ever mention how amazing my friends are? Yesterday Evan and I went to a BBQ at V & Tasha's place, to celebrate V running (and finishing) her first marathon! That's 26 miles... just so you know. How incredible is that!? Not only did she run and finish... she got 1st place in her division (18-24 yr old females), and 111th overall... did I mention that there were over 5,000 people in the full marathon!? Wow! Congrats V! While she was out performing an amazing feat of athletic and mental strength, I was at home preparing something to take to the BBQ... in my new ice cream maker!

What better to take to a BBQ celebrating running than fattening, sweet, creamy and delicious homemade ice cream? Mel & John got me the ice cream maker for my birthday, and I couldn't be happier! I've been coveting ice cream makers lately, and gazing longingly at all of the homemade ice cream recipes in my magazines. And thanks to V's amazing accomplishment, I had the perfect occasion to make my first batch!

with a bowl of fresh cherries in the fridge (also from the parents), there was no question as to what flavor I would experiment with first. Cherry dark chocolate chip, of course! I made a cherry puree (after hand pitting all of the cherries...), and a separate dish of chopped cherries... both of which I cooked down with a little sugar and threw in the fridge to cool overnight. Following the recipe for basic vanilla ice cream (from the manual that came with my ice cream maker), I mixed together 2 cups half n' half, 1 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup sugar, and a splash of vanilla. I poured the mix into the maker and started churning. After it churned for about 15 minutes and started to freeze, I added the puree. Another 5 minutes, and I tossed in the cherry pieces and chopped dark chocolate chips. After a short 30 minutes, my ice cream was ready! I packed it up and headed out the door...


It was the perfect day for a marathon, a BBQ, and homemade cherry dark chocolate chip ice cream! The sun was shining, for the first day in a week the clouds had lifted, and some of my favorite people got together to celebrate. We congratulated, hugged, and high-fived over burgers, fresh chunky homemade salsa, Bree's Asian inspired salad, lemonade, cupcakes, beer, fresh fruit and veggies, and of course, my homemade ice cream. It was soft, creamy, and sweet, with just a hint of cherry flavor, and delish little bites of chewy cherries and dark chocolate. It was so creamy and smooth that it tasted almost like frozen whipped cream. My first attempt at ice cream was a big hit at V's marathon BBQ, and I can't wait until another one of my awesome, talented friends gives me a reason to share my delicious frozen treats (because until then, Evan and I will be eating a lot of ice cream on our own...)