Evolving Sweetie

Pioneer Woman in Seattle

This week has been jammed packed with activity. Entertainment galore. Updates forthcoming.

Last night, Ree Drummond aka the Pioneer Woman was in town promoting her new cookbook. Promise she is as charming, gracious and funny in person. Very sweet and lovely after signing books for nearly 3 hours. 

My friend Catherine & I braved standing in line 2 hours to get 7 books signs (bless her heart!). Plenty of great time to catch up. We made a few women's day by upgrading their group ticket from "H" to "E" as we had 2 extra tickets due to no shows. Mercy, we left at 10:15 and they were just starting signing group F. My feet finally recovered after a good ol' epson bath soak and few zzzs.

Wonderful night!

 

Postcards from Third Place Books in Seattle: 

Standing in line - almost there

Yahoo!

My stack! Not all for me.

 

Sunday Picnics

The condo is too quiet. No signs of life beyond my own rustlings. Fluxuating between relief that Ross's suffering is past and abundant sadness. Missing them all, my loving and blessed little family. Left behind by husband and kitties. Clinging to the belief that more love, happiness and lavish joy is around the next corner. Overdue.

Spent most of this gorgeous day puttering in the condo. In the midst of turning over winter to spring and dusting the cobwebs away (figuratively). By dinner time I was ready to relax and take in a few rays. After trekking to half priced books to secure my tickets for the Pioneer Woman book signing next week, I indulged in take out from my neighborhood BBQ joint, Raining Ribs. I ♥ 'em!

Spread out a blanket at Matthew Beach and enjoyed the view. And tried to ignore the tribe of kids having screaming contests. We are all just trying to shake the grey out of our hearts and minds. Ribs, hush puppies, root-beer and diving into a new cookbook acquistion Joy the Baker turned out to be a grand ending to the weekend. Maybe this will be a new spring/summer tradition...

 

Postcards from a Picnic @ Matthew's Beach

hello dinner

sexy rib shot

view

my new dinner companions

 

Gobbled up Gobs

Everyone has those nostaglic little mementoes from childhood. Smells and tastes that take you back to a specific place in time. Gobs are it for me. Tasty little chocolate cake, vanilla iced cookie sandwiches that are a little slice of heaven whipped up in Western PA. Looks like a whoopie pie, only so much better.  Yum!

Gobs are a little souvenir from family picnics and summers days. A piece of my history and elders that I've been searching to preserve. All the recipes I found focused on marshmellow fluffed out icings which are so wrong. However, recently I hit the jackpot when Gobba Gobba Hey came out last month. Not only does it contain the original coveted recipe, there are 50+ imaginative flavor combinations to try out.

Last week my parents were in town and we embarked on making a batch. Little more time consuming than a traditional cake or cookie recipe, but so worth the effort. We were all tickled to have a little piece of our youth back. Flooded with memories in Grandma & Aunt Kittie's kitchen. Fun, fun times.

Happy to have that treasured little morsel back.

 

POSTCARD from my Kitchen

Trek to Lola

Planning the itinerary home for my cousin's wedding, a daytrip to Cleveland was on the top of my list to check out one of Iron Chef Michael Symon's restaurants. Love to watch the sheer joy and passion he cooks with. Michael Symon's enthusiasm reminds me of the abundance, details and love that my Chuck put into his own creations. And don't get me started on the love of the Pig they share in common. Anyone else remember the 100 lb wedding pig on a spit in our postage stamp of a backyard? This was my opportunity to experience the essence of Symon's cooking first hand. So what's a little 2.5 hour drive for lunch?

Apparently, Seattle weather followed me as it was spitting rain the entire trip. Melting the blue collar, working town landscapes of my childhood with the moody greys of my present felt timeless and perfect. Navi did a reliable job of delivering my Dad & I to Lola's doorstep 15 minutes prior to our reservation.

The restaurant combines elegance, intimacy, hip modernism and a splash of nostalgia into an inviting atmosphere. The open kitchen was enchanting and kept catching my eye. Everyone we encountered was very friendly and looked geniunely happy to be there. A delight to see.

As always a bittersweet tinge surrounds my foodie ventures as I imagine how Chuck would have enjoyed them. My memories of Chuck are so interlaced with food that the two can never be separated. Especially when it's an experience that I know he would have immersed himself in. And oh, how he would have loved Lola.

Dad & I took our time perusing the menu. Pierogies with Beef Cheeks as the appetizer to share was a no brainer. Been curious to try them since I first saw them in Symon's cookbook last Dec. After vacillating between the Scallops and the Duck Confit, I ordered the Duck as it was just added to the menu and a starter Mixed Greens Salad. Dad chose the Hanger Steak with fingerling potatoes.  

When our apps delivered I was a bit disoriented as the salad before me contained a bouquet of fresh, lovely looking...beets. Beets are one of the few foods that I'll go out of my way to avoid, so I couldn't image having overlooked that detail while reading the menu. Just as I was about to ask our waitress if I had ordered the wrong salad, a memory flooded over me and my laughter bubbled over. The first year and a half after Chuck passed away, each time I dined out beets were the featured vegetable. I couldn't get away from them. Beets were everywhere, always arriving un-announced. And each time in Chuck's honor I'd diligently give beets another chance. Inevitably with a slight glance upward I'd whisper "I still don't like them Chuck, nice try." Finally, it became so common that I comically shouted out loud in the middle of a downtown Seattle restaurant "Enough with the Beets Already!" Immediately beets stopped coming across my path.

Which brings me back to Lola and the salad filled with them artfully crafted in front of me. I recognized it as a little wink from Chuck. That he really wanted me to try the beet salad. Truth of the matter is I was delivered a Spinach Salad and not the Mixed Greens, but I'm sticking to my story. And I'll be damned, but that salad and the beets were absolutely delicious. Hats off to you Iron Chef for making something I previously detested extremely enjoyable. And Chuck, you've finally won the beet battle.

In conversations, we explained that I was visiting from Seattle and was uber excited to try the restaurant. The manager came over to talk to us about our journey and fuss a little. It was sweet and so much fun.

And then came our gorgeous, scrumptous main courses. Dad throughly enjoyed the hanger steak. The duck confit was absolutely heavenly. The crunch and salty skin, the crispy lettuce, sweetness of the apple,the tang of the mustard, hint of pancetta and richness of the duck. The balance of flavors was subtle and perfection. My compliments to the chef, you made my soul sigh!

Oh and the pierogies were purely divine. Overall a lovely meal and adventure shared with my wonderful and indulgent Dad. Definitely ranks within my top 10 meals.

Next time you find yourself in Cleveland check out Lola. It rocks! My only regret is that I don't live closer.

 

POSTCARDS FROM LOLA

 
Dad & I

 

Weekend Update

Hi Everyone! Sorry I've been absent more than usual. Work's keeping me hopping. Lots of extra Aunt duties this month too. And I don't mind one bit. Spending time with my nieces makes my soul sing loudest. 

Being that it's mid-Dec, serious time with the Kitchen-Aide was in order to prep multiple cookie dough batters for gift production. The girls were a BIG help.  Loved explaining all the steps to them. And seeing them soooo excited to watch the various stages. Of course I sounded like a broken record the majority of the time. "No we can't eat it yet, it's not ready." "Please don't put that in your mouth." No it's not ready yet." You get the picture. 

They loved it so much in fact that I wasn't in the door more than 2 minutes on Sunday morning before they brought me out my apron to make cookies again. And the following minute paraded out with their aprons on. Very sweet and cute! It was always one of my dreams when thinking of my own family to share baking with little girls. So blessed that I get to share that experience with my lovely nieces. 

Pictures will be forth coming later this week once I get them downloaded from my sister. We were very productive. The three of us made 2 batches of sugar cookies, 1 batch of chocolate chips and 1 snickerdoodle batch. During their "rest" times, I banged out 2 batches each of gingersnaps and peanut butter cookie dough. Gives me a good start on the cookie tins. 

What is your favorite holiday cookie?

Recipe Monday - Sept 28th

Best laid plans of mice and men...I'm a few Monday's shy on this venture. And unfortunately, I also don't have pictures of the last 2 recipes as I made them to be served elsewhere.

Both recipes are from my latest go to baking book The Art & Soul of Baking by Sur La Table which was ranked as a top 2009 ICAP cookbook. It's written by Cindy Mushet a pastry chef & baking instructor. It is fascinating. Until I win the lotto and can sign up for pastry classes this will do beautifully.  The first recipe I tried was peanut-butter brownies to share with my colleagues. While it didn't WOW me over, a lot of my male coworkers really enjoyed it as its not a very sugary treat. There is a subtle balance between salty and sweet. The brownies are cake-like texture, rather than the gooey melt in your mouth goodness. But it definitely was a hit. Only crumbs were left by lunchtime. 

The second venture was to try my hand at Flan for our gourmet dinner club. The theme was Spain/Argentina with Paella as the main course. This was a real skill builder exercise for me as I had never made a custard dessert or carmel. Enjoyed reading through the lessons on custards and how to make each version. It's the amount of egg included that gives each type of custard it's consistency and nuance. Flan is the only version that is unmolded and contains the highest egg ratio. 

My friend M & I decided to do a practice run of our dishes since we were both trying completely new skills. For the initial attempt I ran the recipe to the letter. We all agreed that the citrus did not fit. And blamed a bitterness to the carmel on the lime. But the addition of the white chocolate created a smooth and velvety custard. 

For the actual dinner I borrowed the spicing from Tyler Florence's Flan recipe and infused the milk with a vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. It produced a lovely dimensional flan. Unfortunately, the carmel sauce turned out burnt tasting again. B was able to diagnose the problem - my pan. The better pans with thick heat distributing bases take too long to heat to the right temperature and can't be cooled down fast enough. It took 5-7 minutes longer to get the sugar and water to the point where the syrup changes from clear to colored. At least we solved the problem. Just need to pick up a cheaper pan for making candy. Who knew!

I'm throughly enjoying reading and baking my way through this cookbook. It's a great resource that I'd highly recommend.

Recipe Monday - Aug 31st

Watched Cat Cora on Iron Chef America this week. I love her style - fun, with unexpected twists on the classics. Although this tends to often favor her competition, it's great to see what she comes up with. After watching her during Battle Maple I decided to look through her cookbook Cooking from the Hip for inspiration. 

The cook book is broken into 4 sections depending on the recipe level of intensity: Fast, Easy, Fun and Phenomenal. My choices came from the Fast section - for Sweet Potato & Scallion Latkes and Saffron Honey-Roasted Chicken.  Both dishes have minimal ingredients. I really enjoyed the latkes - the sweetness mixed with the scallion gives the pancake a lovely complexity. They would also be a great base for an appetizer with our smoked salmon. I'm planning on mixing some of the leftover cakes into a frittata for breakfast this week. 

The Saffron Honey-Roasted Chicken had a wonderful saffron taste. I was disappointed following her cooking instructions to the T that my chicken skin didn't all brown up. Next time all fall back on doing some pre-browning as is my usual method. I'd also have liked the honey mixture to be a bit thicker. Her instructions indicated the amounts were approximate, so I'll err on the side of a thicker base next time. 

While reading through the Fast section I solved the mystery to why my Tzatziki never is a thick and lush as my restaurant favorite at Vios Cafe. Her suggestion is to strain out the extra water from the cucumber by letting it drain through a thin mesh strain or cheese cloth for 30 minutes. I'm stoked to try that next time. 

Saffron Honey-Roasted Chicken:

Dinner - Saffron Honey-Roasted Chicken, Sweet Potato Latkes & Green beans:

Inspiration

A dear friend said to me at dinner the other day, where is the fun in your life? Unfortunately, I need to think long and hard about that. With her question still ringing in my ear on thursday evening after work, I made the last minute decision to forgo dinner and take in a movie instead. After giving it the old college try to drum up a companion, I headed out myself. Every once in a while movie popcorn makes the perfect dinner. 

Julie & Julia was my choice. It was absolutely delightful. This was a rare occasion when I enjoyed the film version much more than the book. I laughed, was touched and inspired. By the late 20s writer finding an outlet for her passion everyday, rising to the challenges and relearning the value of her marriage...maybe. But most of my admiration went to Julia Child so beautifully and sparklingly portrayed by Meryl Streep. The joy of life that her Julia embodied was awe-inspiring, especially in the face of adversary. It definitely has that feel good vibe to it.

Julie says at one point that Julia is the voice in her head guiding her along as she cooked. It got me thinking of my own mind. I realized for me that as I cook that voice is Chuck. I feel closer to him when I am cooking. Being a chef himself, he instilled a ton of confidence in my own ability and infused me with his love of cooking. While I'll never be able to reach the levels of complexity his food beautifully contained, I'm happy to be pretty-damn-good. When I am learning something new, I envision Chuck smiling away and whispering in my ear. It's a sweet little homage. 

While baking, I am in my own world. I've always loved to bake. Which is funny because the exact science of baking is so out of sync with my personality. Love is always an ingredient when I bake for it is here as I'm whipping up sweet concoctions that I've always daydreamed about family and loves. Making favorites, creating magic. It's wistful and beautiful. 

At the very least the movie helped me define what makes my kitchen time --- FUN.

Lazy Days

Today is my friday off. Yahoo!!! Love having a carefree summer day to play with. So nice to lazily wake up sans alarm and dreamily read a few chapters with kitties draped hither and yon. 

Just set up an impromptu lunch with a good friend. The rest of the afternoon will be scoping out a cheese and wine shop for tomorrow's gourmet dinner with the gang. My challenge is setting up a cheese course for a Middle-eastern themed dinner. And hoping to find some figs along the way. NPR had a story yesterday on fig season that sent my heart a twitter for fig delicacies. Sometimes its all about enjoying the small things.

Happy friday.

 

Brunch Success

Last weekend was a very active weekend. I held a very successful summer brunch - as is now my tradition. Of course I made WAY too much food. But that is part of my deal. My whole table was filled with food. And I got the opportunity to bake which is my favorite. Made the Almond Meal Coffee Cake from Tartine with Raspberries. It turned out scrumptious as always.

And yes, I did try Bacon cookies. The recipe I linked to last week for Bacon Pecan lace cookies and Bacon Shortbread. The Bacon lace cookies were pretty easy to prepare and delightful, although mostly tasted like pecan buttery toffee cookies. I liked the bourbon twist. The bacon neither made or broke the recipe. 

The Bacon Shortbreads didn't make it to the table. They were made from whipping the bacon fat and adding baking ingredients. Frankly, they tasted like eating unflavored bacon grease - YUCK! And the fat in the cookie got so hot baking that they were scalding to touch test. Lost a finger print there. Immediately tossed the whole batch.

My last baking venture for the brunch was trying a new banana bread recipe. It was heavenly with or without walnuts. Definitely a keeper - replacing all my other bb recipes. I love breakfast bread recipes with buttermilk. It produced a very dense and moist breakfast treat.

Also had an array of brunch meats. More bacon that should be legally allowed - my whole condo and hall smelled of cooked bacon! Wonderful chicken and gruyere sausages - my favorite from Costco. And a trio of salami's from Salumi. The most unusual and biggest hit was their Mole salumi.

Add some fruit salad, mango, cheeses/crackers and herbed scrambled eggs and call it brunch. Of course you can't forget mimosas, good coffee and juice-boxes for the kids. 

Lovely to open my home and spend some leisure time with family and friends. A beautiful morning!