Christmas Menu

Happy almost Christmas!   Sorry we've been inconsistent bloggers lately...'tis the season for being way too busy, I suppose.

I'm not sure if we'll have time to write between now and Christmas, so I wanted to just say thanks to everyone for swinging by our blog the past 1+ year.  We love your comments!

What are you doing for Christmas dinner this year?  I'll be making dinner for the whole family Christmas night.  I'm serving Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon with a nice salad and plenty of crusty bread.  For dessert, I'm making profiteroles with either Peppermint or French Vanilla ice cream (and a healthy glop of hot fudge sauce for good measure).  I'll report back with photos and reviews after the holiday.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.  We hope you get everything you want!

A Success Story: Shredded Beef Tacos

Well last week I told you about my dinner failure - and thank you Andrea for pointing out that if Aidan was happy that it really wasn't a dinner fail (I still think that if you can't eat your food, it is a fail). Today I want to share a success - those are always way more fun!

A few weeks ago, I shared my experience with a recipe from America's Test Kitchen for Carnitas. The pork was moist and fork tender and the flavors were amazing. I thought to myself, you could use this recipe for other meats - beef or chicken so I headed to the grocery store and picked up a Chuck Roast (it was on sale and would be enough to easily feed the family). I also asked my sister to whip up some of her yummy guacamole.


I followed the recipe for Carnitas fairly closely. My roast was about 3-3.5 pounds and when I cut and trimmed it, I cut out a little more of the fat. I also added some fresh squeezed lime juice, the lime rind and some whole chili peppers to the cooking liquid. I did end up needing to cook the meat a bit longer to really make sure it was tender and could be pulled apart with forks.

The results were amazing! I actually like the beef cooked this was more than the pork. Lydia went back for seconds, maybe even thirds and even my son liked the meal! It was really easy to do, it just required extra cooking time. So if you were going to make this, make sure you give yourself a 3-4 hours to fully cook the roast. Most importantly, don't forget the fresh lime to squeeze on the beef when you eat it - it really brings out the flavors and adds freshness to the meal!

A Morning At The Farm

We live north of Seattle above the Snohomish Valley - that is filled with farms. On one of my recent trips in to Snohomish, I noticed a large ad for Mountain View Blueberry Farms - U Pick Blueberries and was reminded of the fun I had last year taking my son picking (and eating). I checked out their website, found their hours and asked Aidan if he would be up to blueberry picking with Mom - he gave me a big YES!

Aidan and I got up around 08:30, had a good breakfast, covered ourselves in suntan lotion and then headed out to pick some berries! We were there for a little over an hour and picked about 3 pounds of berries (about $6.00 worth). We both had fun together and the weather was perfect for picking berries! The blueberry season will continue to the mid-to-end of August, so we will probably get the opportunity to go again!

Tips for picking fruit: Check the farm's website before you go! Lots of places only take cash and can be open at off days/times. Make sure you wear sunscreen and hats - my kid complains about being sticky, but a sunburn is not fun or safe. If you are going for a long time, make sure that you take water with you and some wet wipes for your hands. Picking the fruit right at the farm is a really nice outing for the family and the results are fresh fruits that you can all enjoy!

Here is a recipe for Fresh Blueberry Coffee Cake (from my trusted Southern Living Cookbook):
1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) carton sour cream
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Glaze (3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon warm water, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract; combine all ingredients, stirring well)

• Combine blueberries, 1/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring constantly. Set aside.

• Cream butter; gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

• Combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in almond extract.

• Spoon half the batter inot a greased 10-inch Bundt or tube pan; spoon on half the berry sauce, swirling partially through batter with a knife. Repeat with remaining batter and berry sauce. Sprinkle with pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until done. Let stand 5 minutes before removing from pan. Invert onto serving plate, and drizzle with glaze.

To Market, To Market...

This past Sunday we got up early, had some chocolate chip scones, plums and coffee and then headed out to our local Farmer's Market! This was our first trip to the market this season and I am very much looking forward to going weekly as the summer goes on. I love the fresh fruit (especially nectarines, peaches and berries), kettle corn and people watching. Our Farmer's Market is in Everett and is along the marina, so the scenery is also beautiful!

I have really come to enjoy the Farmer's Market and love meeting the people that are selling, growing and making the items that are for sale. In some way, it makes me feel more connected to the community and also gives me the opportunity to try things that I might not be able to find at the grocery store. At today's market, I was able to try some fresh, homemade apple butter - it was delicious and still had little chunks of apple it (Aidan even liked it) so I bought some (it will be great in the apple butter cake)! We also got some kettle corn (for a certain little boy) and some pastries from the Snohomish Bakery. There was not much yet in the way of fruit, except in jams, dips and butters, but that should change as the weather gets nicer here. I definitely would like to get some of the fresh made cheese and Aidan found the Hawaiian shave ice stand, so we will probably have some of that too.

Another nice thing about the market is that there are not just foods for sale. There are also flowers, clothes, soaps, lotions, crafts, bird feeders, etc. It is really fun to see what everyone is selling (and buying).

soaps for sale

One of my favorites to look at are all the flower sellers. There are probably 5-6 booths that only sell fresh cut flowers!

If you have never been to a Farmer's Market, try and find one near you - you will hopefully not be disappointed! Remember to bring cash and bags to put all your goodies in. Also, go back - every week will bring something new and yummy!

Cravings

Food seems to be tied to our emotional states. We use it as a way to celebrate - like birthday cakes, Christmas cookies, chocolate hearts & bunnies. We use it to define us - everyone has at least one dish that they are "famous" for, if you are lucky you might have more. We use food to bring back memories and to help us through hard times or to just come together. It is funny, there are times when I can close my eyes and taste a food - for me that is a craving.

When I am stressed, I tend to want greasy burgers and fries (with lots of sauce to dip in). When I am cranky, it's chocolate and when I am happy, I love to cook and be creative in the kitchen. Lately, I have been wanting those burgers and fries!

I am about to embark on a new phase of my life; I am leaving my job of 13 years and don't have any other plans for the future, yet. The funny part is that I am mostly at peace with the decision and that in leaving, I am looking to share the last few days with my coworkers and also to have some of the food that I have come to love and even crave. So now in my last days, I have been indulging in spicy chicken, chicken katsu with tempura & California rolls and my very favorite - gyros from First Hill Bar and Grill. I am even looking forward to my goodbye cake!

So on to the next chapter of my life and hopefully I can make some new favorite places with new friends and coworkers! Wish me luck!

Maryland Memories

Photo by Greta - Ocean City Boardwalk, MD

I have lived on the West Coast since 1994 and I love it - the weather, the Puget Sound, the food and yes, the coffee too! I have acclimated very well and am happy to be where I am. There are times though that I long for walks on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland, Utz chips, blue crabs and Taylor's pork roll sandwiches. Well thanks to the internet, I can have some of those tastes and memories again.


Utz Potato Chips
The first internet order I placed was for Grandma Utz potato chips. These are a thick cut chip that is cooked in lard and salted. They are my favorite chips ever and are quite addictive too. Utz potato chips can only be found around the mid-Atlantic. Every once-in-awhile I can find Utz pretzels at Cost Plus World Market or CostCo, but not my Grandma Utz chips. So I went to www.Utz.com and ordered up some of my lard soaked, salted goodies and shared some with my Sis. They were fresh and delicious and tasted wonderful with a micro brew!

Maryland Blue Crabs
Next up was an order of a half bushel of Maryland blue crabs for an end of the summer party with the family. I went to Phillips Seafood for my delicious blues and I was not disappointed. They came in a large cooler packed in rows and well insulated. I quickly steamed them in some vinegar and water and then added Phillips spice to them (Old Bay works well too and can be found at the grocery store). We added some corn on the cob and some bread for a true feast!

Taylor's Pork Roll

Lastly, in talking with my family about what to serve on Christmas morning, I was reminded of Taylor's pork roll. If you live in the mid-Atlantic, you are fortunate enough to go to the grocery store and buy this yummy treat! Since I am in Seattle, I must look on-line and luckily I found www.jerseyporkroll.com. I ordered 4 packs of sliced pork roll and received it 2 days later. I cooked up some and made pork roll sandwiches with mustard - I used to get these on the boardwalk as a kid. My son (who hates most food) even loved them and wanted me to order more! I pan fried some up to go with my eggnog french toast on Christmas, a cup of coffee made it all perfect!

Please check out these websites for some delicious treats! I would love to hear about any of your food memories too!

Matha Stewart Would Not Approve

I own tons of cookbooks and have mounds of recipes. Because I have so many places to search for recipes, I often get overwhelmed by it all. And then stuff like this happens: I'll find a kick-ass recipe on the Internet, print it off, cook it, then promptly lose the hard copy while simultaneously forgetting where in the worldwide web I found it in the first place. It's exhausting, really.

I can't believe that I am the only one this happens to. And to combat this, I really, really need to get my recipes and cookbooks organized.

Our mother has all of her recipes organized in overfilled yet neat envelopes, sorted by category and housed in plastic storage bins. She also makes notes on her recipes, indicating any changes she made, who she served it to, and how it was received. Martha Stewart would love to compare notes with Mom.

I am not like my mother. I have piles stashed away, clippings here, there, and everywhere, and print offs folded up and stuck inside cookbooks, etc. It's complete and utter chaos.

I don't like the idea of putting everything on index cards. Binders seem intimidating. Scanning every recipe I own into the computer appeals to me, but seems like a major undertaking.

So I am going to ask you--our readers (all three of you!)--how you organize your recipes. Does your current system work? How long did it take for you to get set up? Also, do you make notes in your cookbooks? (I do, sometimes!) Please leave a comment and let me know what you do. I'm hoping one of your suggestions will be my ah-ha moment and will get me going with my goal of organizing my damned recipes once and for all. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have!

My New Year's Resolution

As I have gotten older and exposed to different cuisines, I have found that the sauces, meats, spices and breads at Indian restaurants to be craveable and extremely delicious. So when it came time to make my birthday and Christmas lists, I found that Indian cookbooks were at the top. I also thought that focusing on one type of cuisine might also give me focus and motivation for the blog.

So my friends and family came through with the cookbooks and I got 2 different Indian cookbooks: Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey and Complete Indian Cooking by Meena Pathak. After looking through both, I got inspired to learn how to cook these meals at home.


The first thing I did was to raid my spices and make a list of everything that I would need. I then headed out to Cost Plus Word Market and stocked up on cardamom pods & powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and anything else that sounded good - I even found Kadhai to serve my creations in!

Then the hard part, what to make first? I decided to go with something relatively easy and not super spicy. The winner was Mughlai Chicken with Almonds and Raisins (page 96 of Madhur Jaffrey's book) and Jeer pulav, rice flavored with cumin seeds (page 97 of Meena Pathak's book). I did cheat and buy already prepared naan (which was so-so) - I will attempt homemade naan in the future.

The sauce in the chicken was creamy and had a slight smokey flavor from the almonds and spices and the rice was extremely easy to make and very forgiving too. I did a lot of the prep work ahead of time - chopping the chicken and onions, measuring the spices and making an almond paste. Both dishes were complete successes! They were restaurant quality and super yummy!! I would definitely make these again and serve them for guests.

So here is my New Year's resolution: "To make at least 3 dishes a month and blog about them".

Here is to a new flavor adventure in the new year!

About This Week...

Well, it's finally here: the week kids and kids at heart wait for all year long. It's Christmas week! Yay!

Since it's time for friends and family, we're all going to be busy eating. Greta has a cookie swap party set for today, Christmas Eve means dinner out and dessert at Lydia's, and Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a big breakfast and an elaborate dinner.

We're going to be so busy cooking and eating that our writing may be a bit spotty over the coming days. We'll do our best to get posts up because we'll have plenty of holiday cooking comments and recipes to share.

In the meantime, we hope you're taking time to enjoy food, friends, and family no matter how you celebrate during the holidays!