WorldSavour

Aunty Alyssa!

2011-12-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

I have been neglecting this blog and I apologize to the 1 or 2 people who ever even read it (if it is even that many). I could make up a bunch of excuses but I'll spare you the bullshit. Since I have not posted since May (dear god!) I will try to catch you up to speed on my life, because a shit-ton (yes that is an actual term of measurement) has happened since May, most notable of which is that...

I AM GOING TO BE AN AUNT!!!
Yep, my brother and his girlfriend are expecting. I will admit that when my brother spilled the beans back in June I freaked out. Imagining my baby brother, who had been in and out of rehab for a good portion of his teenage years, as a father sort of scared me shitless. But since June I have seen this crazy transformation take place in him. He has slowly transformed from the dirtbag selfish teenage kid who snuck out in the middle of the night to get loaded with friends, stealing money from the family to pay for drugs, and taking my car out for joyrides before he even had a license, to the kind of guy that buys baby books and goes to parenting classes to learn how to change diapers and has conversations with me about getting a job that will allow him to take time off to see his future child's hypothetical soccer games. I fully expected my parents's brains to explode when they heard the news, but after the initial shock, they took the news surprisingly well. And really, no matter how unplanned this pregnancy was, there's no point in staying angry and upset about it because it is happening, and there is going to be a pooping, crying little human in the world pretty soon whether you like it not. So Brayden Curtis Goldberg is due in February and I can't wait to hold that newborn bundle of joy in my arms and spoil that kid rotten, but he better not be expecting cousins anytime soon.

Thats all for now. Sorry to those of you expecting a food post. I have been cooking a lot and will try to get some recipes and pictures up soon, And will make an effort to post more regularly.. I promise :)

Baby Eggplant

2011-05-31T22:26:00.000-07:00

Aren't these cute? I found them at the market and just had to get them. The guy at the veggie stand at Pike Place said to cut them in half and grill them, but I don't have a grill so I took a bit more of a creative approach.

Baby Eggplant Topped with Tomato Olives and Basil

Ingredients:

5 baby eggplants

one cup tomato sauce

one medium tomato

one small can of pitted black olives

fresh basil

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice eggplants in half lengthwise. Arrange on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes or until just starting to caramelize.

2. While eggplants are baking heat one cup of tomato sauce in a sauce pan over low heat. Dice the tomato and olives and mix into sauce along with a pinch of salt and pepper.

3. Remove eggplant slices and top each slice with a spoonful of the tomato olive mixture.

4. Top with chopped basil a sprinkle of sea salt and serve.

8 Hours in Rome

2011-05-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

I have been back in the US now for about two weeks, but I am just getting around to finally posting my pictures and updating WorldSavour. The second half of my trip was a whirlwind

starting with my 8 hour layover in Rome.

The day I flew to Barcelona, I woke up in Minsk, Belarus around 5am and had a quick breakfast of toast and tea before heading to the airport. I flew into Rome, where, because of how my flights worked out, I had an 8 hour layover. I had never been to Italy before and 8 hours is certainly not enough to even begin to explore, but I was determined to take advantage of what little time I did have.

I took the train into Rome, and with my huge backpack in tow I stepped onto the streets of Rome-without a map or any idea where I was! I just started roaming with the goal of finding lunch. There was no way I was going to spend an afternoon in Rome without eating some Italian pasta.

I eventually came across a cute lunch spot. I won't lie and say the pasta was mind blowing. Unlike Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love, I was not "having a relationship" with my pasta... but it was pretty darn good. After lunch I set off to explore, finding the Basilica di San Giovanni in Lateran and the Coliseum. I finished off my afternoon with pistachio gelato before heading back to the airport. Exploring a city completely by myself was such an amazing exhilarating feeling.

Not knowing the language or where I was, was an exciting challenge and I would love to do some more traveling by myself.

I landed in Barcelona around 9:00pm where my friend Michelle greeted me with some Pan con Tomate for dinner. Breakfast in Minsk, lunch in Rome and dinner in Barcelona- one of the best days I have ever had.

Scenes from Minsk

2011-04-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

Huge outdoor market in Minsk where hundreds of people were shopping and Belorussian babushki were selling produce from their gardens.

Decorative flags in honor of May Day.

Wedding lock attached to a gate in Minsk. When a couple gets married they engrave a lock with their names and toss the key in the river, sealing their love forever.

The oldest neighborhood in Minsk spared the destruction of war.

Memorial to commemorate the soldiers lost during war.

The Red Church and the Rigged Election

2011-04-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

For years I had heard about the poor economic and political situation in Bealrus, but it was not until I arrived in Minsk on Monday night that I fully understood. Upon checking into our flat, the owner of the apartment specifically told us to not open the door for anyone - even police. Not even 2 hours had passed before we heard a loud knock on the door and sure enough it was two police men inspecting the building for guns and accounting for residents. We tried to ignore them, and after a while they stopped knocking, but as were were leaving the building for dinner later that night they caught up with us. After hearing so many stories about the corrupt Belorussian police and KGB we were all a bit scared but after writing down all of the information on our passports they let us go. So now the Belorussian government has my information... hey maybe the KGB could send me a present on my birthday!

Belarus KGB Building located just a few minutes from our apartment in Minsk

One of the girls in our group who goes to school in Minsk showed us around the city. It is a beautiful city with many parks, gorgeous theaters, statues and monuments. Yesterday she took us to the Red Church, which has a very interesting history but is most recently known as the site where about ten thousand people gathered on Dec. 19 to protest the outcome of the 2010 presidential election in Belarus. Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1996, won 80 percent of the vote, while his closest competitor, Andrei Sannikov, received just 2.5 percent. Those protesting claimed that the vote was rigged. Shortly after the election, the Belorussian government shut down the European Organization for Security and Cooperation that monitors the fairness of the elections. Five candidates who ran against Lukashenko were arrested for "helping organize the mass disturbances" and 19 others who attended the protests were arrested and are now serving extended jail sentences. Flowers, candles and photographs had been placed at a monument at the Red Church to commemorate these events and those who are still being held by the government.

Read more about the election and protests and view photographs of the actual protest.

Chernobyl- 25 Years Later

2011-04-26T00:31:00.000-07:00

25 years ago today the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine exploded, spewing clouds of radiation into the atmosphere which was quickly spread by strong winds throughout Western Russia, Belarus and Europe. It was (and still is, even after Fukushima) considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. Over 500,000 workers ultimately helped contain the contamination, many of which were not told the full extent of the dangers of working at the disaster site. Some were told it was simply a fire they had to help put out and others were sent in with little or no protection. The general population on the Soviet Union was not informed of the disaster until days later and even those living in the direct contamination zone were told very little about what was going on, continuing to play outside and eat contaminated food because they did not understand the risks. Some citizens were told to wear a scarf over their head for protection, which we now know is absolutely meaningless to protect against radiation poisoning. Only those directly working for the government were immediately told the full effects of the disaster and soon buses full of children in school uniforms, mostly from upper class families were being evacuated to the South.

From 1986 to 2000, 350,400 were evacuated and resettled from the most contaminated areas of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. At first citizens were told the evacuation would only last three days and to only bring what was necessary. Most had no idea they would never return home.

Abandoned Ferris wheel at an amusement park in the deserted city of Pripyat. The park was scheduled to open on May 1, 1986, but the city's 47,000 residents were evacuated shortly after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor explosion on April 26.

I arrived in Belarus on Sunday night and am living in the capital city of Minsk for the next 4 days. Minsk appears to be a fairly affluent city and the effects of Chernobyl and nearly invisible, but once you start talking to the local people, you hear story after story about how the disaster effected them personally. Twenty-five years later, contaminated soil and waterways have contributed to poor nutrition and weakened immune systems in people living in the areas around Chernobyl, especially the children. One of the most predominant physical effects of the Chernobyl radiation on children is the profound increase (over 100%) in Thyroid Cancer, a disease rarely found amongst children elsewhere in the world.

Abandoned classroom.

A nuclear safety poster from a classroom near the Chernobyl region.

Commemorative services and events are being held in many parts of the world and the importance of this anniversary holds special significance after the Fukushima melt down last month. Because of strict laws and political restrictions limiting the number of people that can gather together on the street in Belarus, it is difficult to hold any sort of protests or commemorative gatherings for the event but here, but we are trying to find something to participate in and honor those who died. Later this week we will be visiting an orphanage in a town outside Minsk where many children are living whose parents died due to the fallout of the disaster and radiation.

Ukranian's Hidden Holocuast

2011-04-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

I have been learning so much about the history of Eastern Europe over the past few days. I vividly remember learning about this history of Western Europe in history class- the rise of Rome, the French Revolution, The Protestant Reformation, and Nazi Germany, but other than a few brief lessons on Soviet Russia, I really don't remember studying the history of Eastern Europe at all. The Soviet influence is still very prevalent in the architecture and culture in both Ukraine and Belarus and there are many monuments to commemorate their history.

In Ukraine we ran across a gorgeous monument located in a park overlooking the entire city that was build to commemorate the millions of citizens of Ukraine who died of starvation between 1932 and 1933.

Here is an excerpt from our travel guide describing the horrible conditions and political situation at that time that lead to these deaths:

" Between 1932 and 1933, some three to five million citizens of Ukraine died of starvation while surrounded by fields of wheat and locked government storehouses full of food. Stalin had collectivized Soviet farms and ordered the production of unrealistic quotas of grain, which was then confiscated and stored under protection of the government."

"As Soviet collectivization began in the 1930s, combining individual farms into huge state-run communes, those who resisted were deported or starved into submission. By 1932, Communist Party activists were seizing grain and produce and erecting watchtowers above the fields. anyone caught stealing was executed or deported. As entire villages starved, people committed suicide and even resorted to cannibalism."

"Many historians believe this famine was part of the Soviet leadership's wider plan to solve the 'nationality problem' within several republics. Ukrainians were especially hard-hit and documents released recently suggest the Ukrainians were deliberately targeted. for example, Ukraine's borders were reportedly shut to prevent its people leaving. At the time Soviet authorities denied the famines existence, but it is now recognized by the Ukrainian government as genocide"

"A total of seven to ten million people died throughout the USSR. Russia remains firmly opposed to any 'genocide' description and the true scale of the disaster has rarely been appreciated in the West."

Hearing this story and seeing this monument was really moving. We are now in Belarus, where the history and politics is even more interesting (our flat is only a few blocks away from the KGB building), but I will have to write about that later.

Paska- Ukranian Easter Bread

2011-04-24T01:29:00.001-07:00

This weekend while we were walking around Kiev I kept seeing people on the street selling little cakes. We later learned that these small round cakes are called Paska and are a traditional Ukrainian food prepared during Easter. The cakes are prepared differently depending on family tradition and what part of the country you live in. The dough is sometimes filled with little raisins or candied fruit and topped with frosting or dough twisted into decorative braids and crosses and coated with an egg glaze. In the little flat we were renting we decided it would be best to just buy one of the cakes rather than bake it ourselves, but here is the recipe.

Ukrainian Paska
(This recipe is from SuburbanGrandma.com and makes two large round loaves or several small ones)

Ingredients:

1 tsp. sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
1 package dry granular yeast
3 cups scalded whole milk, lukewarm
5 cups of flour
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
½ cup melted butter
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. orange zest
1 tsp. lemon zest
6 cups of sifted all purpose flour

Directions:

Dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm water and sprinkle the yeast over it.
Let it stand for 10 minutes.
Combine the softened yeast with the lukewarm milk and 5 cups of flour.
Beat well until smooth.
Cover and let the batter rise in a warm place until light and bubbly (I place it on a heating pad, and cover it with plastic wrap, then with towels, to keep it warm).
Add the beaten eggs, sugar, melted butter, salt, and orange and lemon zest.
Mix thoroughly.
Stir in enough flour to make dough that is neither too soft nor too stiff.
Knead until the dough no longer sticks to the hand.
Turn the dough on a floured board, or other work surface, and knead until smooth and satiny.
Place in a bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place until double in bulk.
Punch down and let it rise again.
Prepare your loaf pans by thoroughly greasing them with shortening.
Divide the dough into 3 parts, if you have large enough pans to make only two loaves, and leave the third part for ornamental decorations.
If you wish to make several small breads, then fill your greased pans 1/3 full with the dough, still leaving some dough for decorations.
To make ornaments, one of them being the cross, you roll out some dough into a rope like shape and form it into an ornamental cross to place in the middle of the top of the bread.

You can also make other ornamental decorations for your Paska, such as a braids, rosettes, twisted swirls, cones, etc.

Now that your loaves are decorated, dip a pastry brush in whole milk, and gently brush the bread tops, and ornaments, to give them a nice golden color once baked. For a darker shade, you may use a wash made out of one egg beaten with 2 Tbs. of water.
Set the loaves in a warm place, once more, until almost double in bulk.
Do not let the loaves rise longer than necessary, because the ornaments will lose their shape.
Preheat you oven to 400 degrees, and bake the bread for 10 minutes.
Lower the temperature to 350 degrees, and bake for 30 minutes longer, or until done.
For smaller loaves your baking time should be shorter, so you need to use your judgment.
To prevent over browning of the tops, you may cover them with loose pieces of aluminum foil, once the Paska is lightly browned.
Remove the loves from the pans, and cool completely.
You may wrap cooled loaves in aluminum foil, and plastic bag, and freeze until ready to use, to keep them fresh.
To thaw, keep covered, to prevent from drying out.

Tip: If you like raisins in your bread, you may add 1-2 cups of golden raisins to your dough, and you need to make sure to push them deeper into the dough before baking, or they will burn if sticking out of the bread.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

Kiev is considered somewhat of a center for orthodox Catholicism in Eastern Europe. There are elaborate beautiful churches on nearly every corner. As I oooed and ahhhed over yet another church, our local friend and guide sarcastically commented "welcome to Kiev." We have been walking all over the city since we got here but yesterday was really interesting since it was the day before Easter and Easter is a pretty big deal here. As we entered each church people were gathered with baskets of eggs and traditional Easter cakes waiting for their holiday treats to be blessed by the priest. The priest would walk through the crowd covering them with droplets of holy water.

We must have seen a total of five churches yesterday, one of which was a monestary and housed priests' tombs in a dark underground cave. I am not a very religious person, but the Ukrainian's devotion to the Catholic Church was stunning as they dove to kiss the glass tombs holding the priests' remains. At each church we entered women were expected to cover their head in respect, thankfully I happened to bring a scarf from home that worked perfectly.

Last night, as the exhausted adults headed back to the flat, Kristina (a 19 year old from Belarus, who is a part of the Children of Chernobyl group) and I stayed out. It was a Saturday night and the city center was packed with people. We could have gone to a bar or a club, but instead we went on a little adventure to buy some Easter presents of our own. At a local grocery store we purchased the traditional Easter cakes, one for us and two as gifts. We looked around for the closest church, which wasn't very hard to find, and waited with hundreds of other people who were attending the all-night Easter service. The crowd was spilling onto the street. I couldn't see much or understand any of the languages that the service was in (Polish, Ukrainian, Russian and French) but as the priest walked through the crowd sprinkling holy water, we made sure our Easter treats got in on the action. We later came home and colored some Easter eggs of our own. Kristina told me about the Easter traditions in her family-on Easter morning the family washes their face by rubbing the colored eggs on their skin (I am not really clear on the significance) and then the children then play this game where each person holds an egg and knocks them together until one breaks. The person holding the broken eggs is the looser.

Even though I am not very religious at all, it has been so interesting learning the traditions of Easter in Ukraine. Today we are leaving Ukraine and flying to Belarus where we will be meeting up with the rest of our group and will finally get to visit the Rudensk Orphanage and complete the charity work we came all this way for. Hope everyone is having a very happy Easter back in the States.

Kiev Ukraine!

2011-04-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

After a long uneventful flight we landed in Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine, last night at the Boryspil International Airport. By the time we got here it was midnight so we collected our things and settled into the apartment which we have rented for the weekend. The electricity to half of the apartment isn't working at the moment, but other than that it is really spacious and nice. I slept for the majority of the plane ride and with the time difference, we all stayed up chatting and drinking tea, finally going to bed at around 4 am.

A little bit about Kiev:

Kiev is the largest city in Ukraine and the one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe dating back to the 5th century.
Most people speak Ukrainian or Russian and all of the signs are all in Cyrillic.
The official currency is called Grivna but the economy is so bad and the US dollar is in such high demand that most people prefer US dollars.

Its nearly 2pm here and everyone in my group is still asleep because of the time difference, but I am wide awake and so anxious to start exploring the city that I spent the last half hour researching places to go and things to see in Kiev. I am slowly picking up some Russian and Ukrainian, but my head is going to be spinning with all of the different languages by the time I make it to Barcelona.

Peace Out USA!

2011-04-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

I leave today on my 2 week journey! I will be meeting up with my dad in San Francisco where we will catch a flight to Kiev (the capital of Ukraine) with a layover in Munich. And in a few days we will be heading to Belarus. Total flying time today... about 19 hours! I have lots of drugs to help me sleep and an ipod full of music and podcasts to keep me entertained.

I've read up a little bit on Ukraine and Belarus, but I really have no clue what to expect when we arrive. Besides the general safety and cultural information, I have been looking into what sort of food I will be eating for the next week or so. Here is a little excerpt from the Belarus Wikitravel Guide:

"Modern Belarusian cookery is based on old national traditions, which have undergone a long historical evolution. Common in Belarusian cuisine were dishes from potato which is called among people "the second bread". There are special potato cafes in the country where you can try various potato dishes. Potato is included into many salads and it is served together with mushrooms and/or meat; different pirazhki (patties) and baked puddings are made from it. The most popular among the Belarusians is traditional draniki (known as "latkes" to North Americans, but eaten with sour cream, not apple sauce), thick pancakes prepared from shredded potatoes. A wide spread of potato dishes in Belarusian cuisine can be explained by natural climatic conditions of Belarus which are propitious for growing highly starched and tasty sorts of potatoes."

Sooo.. looks like I'll be eating a lot of potatoes!

On that note, До свидания or "Da svidaniya" which means "goodbye" or "see you later" in Russian. Ill post pictures when I can!

Revisiting Chernobyl After 25 Years

2011-04-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

April 26th will mark the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl explosion, the worst environmental disaster in history and in exactly one week I will be leaving Seattle and heading to Ukraine and Belarus to commemorate the event and participate in charity work with an organization called the Children of Chernobyl Foundation, San Diego. We will be working with an orphanage in Rudensk, a small town outside of Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, where many of those evacuated from the most contaminated areas eventually resettled.
The Children of Chernobyl Foundation along with the help of tennis star Maria Sharapova will hand deliver supplies, toys and other necessities to the children who live at the orphanage, many of whose parents have passed away due to health problems resulting from the radiation contamination.
I am so excited to be a part of such an amazing trip, which has even more importance with the recent Japanese Fukushima nuclear plant disaster.

My involvement in the Children of Chernobyl Foundation began when I was very young. Each summer the organization sponsors a group of children who have been particularly affected by the disaster. Most children come from poor family backgrounds, incidences of cancer, malnutrition, alcoholism and drug abuse. But during their trip kids are given access to medical care, clean food and a unique cultural experience. My family decided to volunteer as a host family when I was still in middle school, and Olya entered our lives. Olya's family lives in the city of Mozyr with her mother and older brother. When she first visited the US, Olya spent the first few weeks in a daze taking in the beach, which she had never seen before and the gigantic supermarkets, unlike anything her family had shopped in.

Our family sort of fell in love with Olya. she became like a sister to me and a third child to my parents. We brought her back summer after summer. She taught me Russian while I taught her English. I taught her how to swim, play Monopoly and the lyrics to the N'Sync album while she taught me all about Russian food and music.

This is turning out to be a pretty long post, but the main point I am trying to make is that I can't wait to embark on this amazing trip. Rather than posting about food, for a few weeks I will be posting about my travels.

Oh.. and after a week in Belarus and Ukraine, I will be heading to Barcelona to visit my dear friend Michelle. But more on that later.

I have 10 flights planned for 17 days, my passport is ready to be stamped and my camera is ready to capture it all. Here we go!

For more on my trip with the Children of Chernobyl Foundation, check out my page on Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Chernobyl.

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch

2011-03-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

I have lived is Seattle for nearly five years, but out of all of those years I have never felt so bitter about the horrible rainy weather. There were 28 days of rain in March....28!!!! This past weekend I was just about ready to strangle my roommate's cat when the sun peaked out, but only long enough to tease me into venturing outside and then it dumped hail! Seriously Seattle I have had about enough of you and your crappy whether.

Photo Credit: Beauty in Everything

As a former California beach bum, I feel bad complaining. I did choose to move here, and with my new residence accepted the consequences. I have traded in my surfboard and flip flops for waterproof boots and a bus pass. This past year I dyed my beach blonde hair brunette, changed my residency and even traded in my California license plates. I am as pale as I have ever been in my entire life, and there is no turning back now.

The past few weeks I have found myself more often than not in the kitchen trying to cook up something cozy to pull me out of my seasonal blues. So while Gus (the roommate's cat) is probably terrified of me, the rain has made me crack open my cook books in search of some perfect rainy day meals.

One particularly gross day this month resulted in this baked pasta dish I came across in Bon Appetit. The bf is convinced it is one of the best meals we have made together and I couldn't agree more.

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch- From Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 unpeeled large eggplant (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch squares
2 cups grape tomatoes
3 large garlic cloves, divided
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cups (firmly packed) fresh basil leaves, divided
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound whole-milk mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray; add eggplant and peppers. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise; add to sheet. Using garlic press, squeeze 1 garlic clove onto vegetables. Drizzle vegetables with oil; toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until tender, stirring often, 35 to 45 minutes.

Combine 2/3 cup basil, 1/2 cup Parmesan, pine nuts, and 1 garlic clove in mini processor. Blend until crumbly. Season topping with salt.

Blend tomatoes with juice, cream, 1 1/3 cups basil, and 1 garlic clove in processor until smooth. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally; drain. Return to pot. Toss with vegetables, sauce, and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Transfer to 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella and pine nut topping.

Bake pasta until heated through, 25 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

Scenes from Portland

2011-03-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

I had a great trip to Portland this weekend. I surprised the bf, who didn't know I was coming, and nearly killed me thinking I was a burglar. I guess I shouldn't surprise him by creeping in his house without his knowledge next time. As per our usual routine we cooked (separate post and recipe to come), we drank, we watched movies (saw Fargo for the first time) and we complained about the rain. Anyway here are some pictures from the weekend.

Cruz Room on Alberta.

Really Portland? Cocktails and knitting? This should be incorporated into the next season of Portlandia somehow.

House-made roasted pineapple vodka with soda. Amazing and dangerous.

Met Abby for a coffee before she heads of to Australia and New Zealand for 6 weeks.

Cappuccino Cremes: coffee flavored shortbread with cinnamon cream filling.

Chocolate-Black Pepper Cookies

2011-02-27T12:28:00.000-08:00

I really did not know whether I would like this recipe or not. Chocolate and black pepper is an odd combination, but the rich chocolate and bite of pepper is great together.

It has been snowing off and on all week. Its nearly March and its just as cold and disgusting as it was in November. I have lived in Seattle now for 4 years and i still cant stand the winters that never seem to end. Filling the house with the smell of baking cookies and warmth from the oven helps a bit, but I keep daydreaming about spring. Come on already mother nature!!!

Find the full recipe at MarthaStewart.com

Sweets for Your Sweetie

2011-02-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

This year sadly I will not be spending Valentines Day with my sweetie. The boyfriend is working at a monster truck show in Portland. Seriously! I can't think of anything less romantic than that. As much as I would love to not care a bit, and be one of those people that thinks Valentines Day is all some sort of ploy by the greeting card and candy industries, I like Valentines Day and gushy gag-inducing romance. So for all of you hopeless romantics who want to treat their significant other with something sweet, or single people of the world that like to eat your feelings.. Happy Valentines Day!

1. Valentine Whoopi Pie, Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company, Seattle, WA :: 2. Deathcake, Cupcake Royale, Seattle, WA :: 3. Chocolate Covered Carmel with Chipotle Salt, Lesley's Gourmet, Bellevue, WA :: 4. Midnight Chocolate Edible Body Icing, Victoria Secret, Anywhere USA :: 5. Aphrodisiac Collection, Theo Chocolate, Seattle, WA::

Ginger and Honey Tea

2011-01-22T23:49:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend. My Friday night was a bit raucous and I spent all day Saturday morning paying for it with a killer headache. So Saturday night I stayed in, made dinner with one of my roommates and curled up on the couch with my iPad watching Netflix. It was around 10:30 when my roommate was heading out with some friends that I kept thinking, "How lame is it that I am home doing absolutely nothing on a Saturday night?" "Shouldn't people be calling me to go out, drink too much and dance the night away like every other 20-something year old in Seattle?" After a moment of self pity I quickly remembered how awful my hangover was this morning and was grateful for a relaxing night and an empty house. It was just me and my iPad...

Flipping through some of my favorite blogs I found a recipe for a ginger cold fighting tea. I have been drinking a lot of tea lately. A few weeks ago I was really really sick, like hacking up my lungs and suffocating in my own snot {sorry I know that's gross}. I got over the worst of it and I don't want it coming back. The medicinal benefits in this tea apparently help fight colds and the flu, and it tastes a lot damn better than Emercen-C or Airborne. The following recipe is from the always inspiring blog Design Sponge.

Ginger & Honey Cold-Fighting Tea
Yields 32 ounces (2-4 servings)

Ingredients

4 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2–4 tablespoons honey, to taste
pinch of cayenne
1–2 cloves fresh garlic, minced (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a ceramic teapot.

2. Stir and allow to steep for about 10 minutes. For a dose of added medicinal value, add fresh garlic to the tea. Strain off the liquid through a fine mesh sieve before use. Compost the solids.

3. Pour tea into mugs and enjoy.

Seriously could I be more of a grandma?

Leftovers Reincarnated: Mashed Potato Pierogies

2011-01-18T21:55:00.000-08:00

Last week I made a lot of mashed potatoes- like a Thanksgiving sized amount of mashed potatoes. I had greatly misjudged just how much mashed potatoes I could eat, so I packed the rest in a Tupperware and placed it in the back of the refrigerator, banishing the potatoes to leftover purgatory...but, my mashed potatoes found a new life in the form of pierogies!

Quick Mashed Potato Pierogies
Recipe from Sam the Cooking Guy's Awesome Recipes & Kitchen Shortcuts

Ingredients:
1 cup leftover mashed potatoes
2 tbsps grated chedder cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
18 won ton wrappers
butter
sour cream, green onions and hot sauce for serving

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. In a bowl combine mashed potatoes, cheese and salt. Mix well.
2. Put about a tablespoon of the potato mixture in the middle of each wrapper. Dip you finger in a little water and lightly wet the edge all the way around. Fold over (trying to push the air out) and seal the edge.

3. Boil for about 2 minutes, or until they float.
4. Heat a little butter in a nonstick skillet, remove the pierogi from the water shake dry and pan fry until light brown and crispy.

5. Serve with sour cream, green onions, hot sauce.. whatever you want

Tastes just like a polish grandmother spent hours in a kitchen. Just don't tell anyone its actually only leftovers.

P.S. I got a brand spanking new camera. A Canon PowerShot SX210. It's not my dream SLR, but it is an awesome compact camera and I am looking forward to bringing you all great pictures to accompany my posts.

Starbucks Announces New Size: Trenta

2011-01-17T21:39:00.000-08:00

Way to live up to stereotypes America. Starbucks announced yesterday that stores will be adding a new drink size "Trenta". The 31-ounce behemoth holds more liquid than the entire human stomach! Starbucks says that the new size is in response to customer demand, but honestly is this necessary? The Trenta size will debut in 14 states, including Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Hawaii and Arizona, on Jan. 18 and in California on Feb. 1. All Starbucks stores nationwide will be carrying the new size by May 3, 2011.

Updated: Image of actual Starbucks Trenta next to a Tall

Photo: JOE RAEDLE / GETTY IMAGE

Wishing I had a personal chef

2011-01-11T12:25:00.000-08:00

Or maybe one of those nice gourmet cafeterias like the ones at Google.

I have been doing research on food publications all day. This is what I have been staring and drooling over for the last 3 hours.

And this is what I had for lunch.....

Is it Real Food?

2011-01-10T22:12:00.000-08:00

I love flowcharts. Don't they just make everything so easy?

Why 2010 Was Phenomenal and Why 2011 Could Be Even Better

2011-01-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

2010 has come and gone and looking back over all that has happened this eventful year, it sure was one to remember.

5 reasons why 2010 will be hard to beat:
1. Vegas blew my socks off (or should i say 4 inch heels)!
For what might of been the most ridiculous weekend ever, six of my closest girlfriends and I made the pilgrimage to sin city during March Madness. We danced, we drank for free, we met Chinggy (yes the rapper) and were treated to a performance by some extremely attractive Australian dancers at a little show called Thunder from Down Under. I even won $150 betting on basketball games (with a little help from my boyfriend).
2. I graduated college.
I am now a University of Washington graduate with the degree to prove it. Goodbye homework. Hello real world.
3. I moved to a home I love in a great new neighborhood.
In August a beautiful 100 year old house in Capitol Hill, Seattle became my home. Safeway is only one block away and I can walk to nearly anything I could ever need including my office.
4. I landed an amazing job.
While most recent graduates are struggling to find work, I managed to land an amazing job. No longer a starving student, I'm a working woman now!
5. I became a Washingtonian.
After a few frustrating afternoons in the DMV my license plate and ID now show that I am a Washington resident. I have registered to vote in Washington state and I even said goodbye to my California blond hair.

And what is in store for 2011 you ask?
1. A trip to Belarus and Spain
Late March I will be taking two weeks to visit a dear family friend and volunteer with an organization dear to my heart in Belarus and then flying to Spain to spend time with a former roommate who is now teaching English and basically on a permanent vacation in Barcelona.
2. Some homegrown veggies
I am hoping that my backyard garden experiment will pay off with some fresh produce to look forward to this Spring.
3. A new camera and better blog posts.
A brand new camera is en route to my house which means that my posts will finally have some photographs and my resolution for 2011 is to be a better blogger- no more 2 month breaks between posts.
4. More dance parties, more delicious dinners and more glasses of wine and great conversation with friends.
In 2011 I will make the most of life. I resolve not to dwell too much on the future but appreciate the amazing experiences and the loving friends and boyfriend I am grateful to share them with everyday.

CHEERS to 2011!

Baby Onions!

2011-01-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

The first signs of what will become the reason for my bad breath all Spring. A few months ago a planted a few bulbs of garlic and onions in my backyard garden. I finally have a backyard big enough to plant some produce of my own. I may have absolutely no idea what I am doing, but by golly I better have something out there that is remotely edible by Springtime. Grow little sproutlings grow!

UW Graduate and Seattle Local Gets a Shot at Stardom and 52 Weeks of Paid Vacation!

2010-12-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

Paradise Hunter's hugely successful worldwide search for a Travel Show host has started its second phase, and recent University of Washington graduate Abby Fujioka, who just happens to be one of my best friends, is in the running to land the job of her dreams. Of nearly 700 video applications submitted from more than 20 countries, Abby was chosen as one of 40 contestants to advance to the next round of voting.

The job, which pays $60,000 USD, will have the host traveling the world learning about the life, culture and sights of each country. Along the way, they'll meet locals and expatriates as they explore the world in search of their paradise.

After graduating in June with a degree in Communication, Abby like many other recent graduates had a tough time finding companies that were hiring. “This is an amazing opportunity Paradise Hunter has provided, especially for those of us that don't have years of experience and would only dream of a job like this,” says Abby, who’s passion for travel has led her around the world to places such as Paris and Australia to Guatemala and Jamaica.

The overwhelming response from applicants and the more than 500,000 votes cast in the first round alone made it extremely difficult to narrow it down to a Top-40. "The passion people have for travel and this opportunity is truly inspiring to us,” says Dennis Kambeitz, the President and Founder of ParadiseHunter.com.

With the rallying support of Abby’s friends, family and the Seattle community, she hopes to accumulate enough votes to advance to the finals. "It is such an honor to have been selected as one of forty. I'm overwhelmed by the support I've received from friends and family," says Abby. “It’s a long shot but this is my dream and I know I just had to go for it.” Let's just say I have been voting for her everyday on every computer I can find.

The public is able to vote once every day until voting closes on December 15, 2010. To view Abby’s application video and vote go to http://www.paradisehunter.com/vote/Anfujioka.html

Fall Desserts You Will CRAVE

2010-10-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

Fall television is back, and while Top Chef is over, my foodie TV fix has been satisfied with the newest addition to the Top Chef lineup- Top Chef Just Desserts. By the end of a meal I am usually too full to even think about eating dessert but the sweet concoctions featured on Top Chef Just Desserts have me drooling. Fall is also a prime time for desserts. With crunchy apples, sweet pears and pumpkins all in season, now is the time to test out dessert recipes to impress your guests at Thanksgiving and holiday feasts. Here are a few dessert recipes that feature classic fall flavors and will have your guests, no matter how full they are, begging for more.

Game Day Grub

2010-09-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

Fall is here, students are heading back to school, bikinis are going back in the closet until next summer, and football season is in full swing. I will admit that I am not the biggest football fan, but the tailgate and game day parties never fail to coax me into attending or watching a few games every year. While many of my friends have been busy drafting the best picks for their fantasy football leagues, I have been busy bringing you some awesome recipes and tips perfect for a tailgate or your next football party.

Game Day party tips:
1. Consider a potluck style party to keep costs low, just coordinate with guests so you don’t end up with multiple versions of the same dish.
2. Keeps dips and chips on the table close to the couch for easy access during the game. Set up everything else buffet style allowing guests to serve themselves during commercial and halftime breaks.
3. Keep food simple. Finger food that won’t require any utensils is best. This way guests can focus on the game, and with minimal prep you will be able to enjoy the game as well.
4. Incorporate some team spirit and decorate your table with team colored plates, bowls, napkins and tablecloth.
5. Have plenty of beverages on hand for thirsty guests. If you do not want to bother with individual cans or bottles, consider buying a 5-liter mini keg that serves just enough for a small gathering of friends.

There are two guests that should always be invited to every football celebration: chicken wings and beer. There is something inherently satisfying about getting back to one's cavewoman’s roots by watching grown men hit each other and tearing perfectly marinated meat off the bone. Chicken wings are great for football parties because they're versatile. You can appease every guest's flavor preference just by altering the marinade: honey BBQ, teriyaki, and even lemon garlic. However, there is nothing like the classic buffalo flavors to make a win feel complete. For exceptional meats, go over to www.localharvest.org, a website dedicated to locating farm fresh groceries in your area.

Chipotle Buffalo Wings with Blow-Your-Mind Blue Cheese Dip (Reprinted with permission from High Flavor Low Labor © J.M. Hirsch)
5 pounds chicken wings and drummettes (20-25 pieces)
½ cup chipotle hot sauce
2 tablespoons agave syrup, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
6 cups canola oil
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Use paper towels to pat the chicken pieces dry. Use many towels and try to absorb as much moisture as possible. Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the hot sauce, agave, butter, soy sauce and cilantro. Taste to check the heat level. If the sauce is too spicy, add agave. Set aside.

Place the oil in a large Dutch oven. Heat over medium until it reaches 275° F.

Divide the chicken into four batches. Working one batch at a time, fry for 8 minutes, transferring each to a clean plate or baking sheet when done.

Once the first round of frying is done, increase the heat to medium-high and heat the oil to 375° F.

Fry the chicken, again in batches, for 2 minutes, then transfer it to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. The skin should be brown and crunchy. As each batch finishes, season it with salt and pepper. When all the chicken pieces have been fried, transfer them to the bowl of prepared sauce. Toss to coat well, then transfer the buffalo wings to a serving platter.

Blow- Your- Mind Blue Cheese Dip

2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 shallots, minced
½ teaspoon mustard powder
1 ½ cups sour cream
½ cup plain whole-milk Greek style yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 ¾ cups crumbled blue cheese
1 pinch smoked paprika

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, combine the oil, garlic, shallots and mustard powder. Sauté until the shallots are lightly browned and very tender, 4-5 minutes

Remove the skillet from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.

Stir in the sour cream, yogurt, mayonnaise, and blue cheese. Transfer to a serving bowl. Then refrigerate until chilled, at least 45 minutes.

When ready to serve sprinkle with paprika.

Just a note about the recipes:
This amazing recipe was reprinted, with permission from the newly released cookbook High Flavor Low Labor: Reinventing Weeknight Cooking by J.M. Hirsh, the national food editor for the Associated Press. I am not getting paid to promote the book or anything, but it is a great cookbook that I think my foodie readers (if you are in fact out there) would enjoy. I don't know which I like more, Hirsh's recipes that are practical but bursting with flavor, or the cute anecdotes and pictures of his son. Get a copy for yourself on Amazon.

This post was created with help from blogger and fellow foodie Samantha Schuh. You can read more about her adventures at The Schuh Fits.

View this post on the CRAVE Company Blog

Rosh Hashanah: A Sweet New Year

2010-09-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins tonight at sundown. This holiday, like all in the Jewish religion, has its own food traditions. One of the best things about growing up in a mixed faith household, apart from getting double the gifts during the holidays, was learning the traditions particularly revolving around food. My Jewish grandmother would be proud to see the dishes she took all day to prepare during the holidays live on with her foodie granddaughter.

Bread appears a lot throughout Judaism, such as the breaking of bread before a meal, but Challah takes on a significant role during Rosh Hashanah. This soft doughy bread is shaped into braids and baked with an egg wash to create a gorgeous shiny loaf that is usually served with honey and sometimes baked with raisins. Honestly challah is so good that I could probably eat an entire loaf in one sitting. While it is easy enough to pick up a loaf at any Jewish market or deli, there is a great step by step guide from Epicurious to make it yourself.

Honey is often served with challah during Rosh Hashanah, but is also eaten with apples. It is a central ingredient in any Rosh Hashanah meal because it is a symbol of the sweet year to come. Honey comes in a wide variety of flavors and colors which are dependent on the flowers from which the bees collected nectar. Bee Raw is an awesome company that sources raw, unfiltered honeys that come in flavors ranging from sage and buckwheat to orange blossom and wild raspberry. Try some of these drizzled over your homemade challah!

Snoqualmie Falls & Winery Tour

2010-08-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

As much as I hate the tourists in Seattle during the summer, the annoying Duck Tours and throngs of people downtown, this weekend I played a Seattle tourist for the day. A few months ago I bought a Groupon for a Snoqualmie Falls and Winery Tour. Groupon is a website and daily email that features a daily deal for great places to eat and fun things to for a number of cities across the US. This tour which normally is more than $80 was featured on Groupon for $40. I have never been wine tasting before and love many of the Washington wines from wineries that i know are close by, so I jumped at the deal. My boyfriend and I are in no way wine connoisseurs. We are Two Buck Chuck aficionados and the extent of our wine knowledge is from the movie Sideways, so I knew at the very least on this tour we would learn a little more about wine and hopefully get a little tipsy.

On Saturday morning the tour bus picked my boyfriend and I up at 10:00 am, which was great because we didn't have to worry about driving, but it was a bit early in the morning to think about drinking wine. Korey (our tour guide) greeted us and welcomed us on the bus. I took a look around at the other couples we would be spending the next 6 hours with and laughed. We were definitely the youngest people by about 10 years. Korey drove the bus through downtown Seattle and into Woodinville pointing out landmarks and dropping funny facts about Microsoft and floating bridges along the way. He also informed us that all of these wineries we were about to visit were basically a marketing ploy to get yuppie tourists and Seattlietes to drive 30 minutes and feel like they are at a winery, when in fact none of the grapes are grown or processed in Woodinville. Even the vines planted around the "wineries" in Woodinville are just for show, the grapes eaten by the birds. We had fallen for it, but we would enjoy our fake wine country tour nonetheless.

The first stop was Novelty Hill: Januik a very modern feeling building complete with a bocce ball court. We tried 4 wines each and out of the 8 varieties we tasted our hands down favorite (which turned out to be our favorite of the whole day) was the Novelty Hill Cabernet Sauvignon.

Second stop was Columbia Winery which was started by a group of University of Washington professors. The winery was more traditional looking than Januik and instead of just pouring us wine, the "wine educators" at Columbia took the time to teach us a bit about the wine and the history of Columbia winery. We learned why people swirl their wine, what to look for in the color of red wines and why different wines smell and taste different. Our wine educator showed us that you can taste the wine and then dump the rest of it out in jars on the side of the tasting bar. While the older couples politely dumped their wine, my boyfriend and I drank every last drop :)

Chateau Ste. Michelle was the last stop on our wine tour. I have always enjoyed Chateau Ste. Michelle wines and I was pretty excited to see the winery for myself. The grounds are huge and absolutely gorgeous. Throughout the summer the winery hosts concerts with artists including Crosby, Stills and Nash, Pink Martini and more. We bought a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon on our way out which we promptly enjoyed later that night.

After all the wine tasting we drove to Snoqualmie Falls and took in the gorgeous views. Truly an amazing weekend.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. It might have been the last one with decent weather for a while.

Egg PR Cleanup on Aisle 5!

2010-08-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Apparently yesterday USA Today and The New York Times ran a full-page ad from "America's Egg Farmers" to try and clean up the mess from the egg recalls and salmonella outbreaks. As expected the ad tries to reassure consumers that eggs are safe to eat. I have not been able to find a copy of the ad myself online anywhere, so if anyone can find a copy send it my way, but The Atlantic has a copy of the text and an amusing interpretation of what the Egg Industry is really thinking.
Check out The Egg Industry's Full-Page Ad, Translated

Top 5 Things No Kitchen Should Be Without

2010-08-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

The past 4 years I have spent in a modest college house with anywhere from 4-6 roommates at a time. We all combined resources to pull together somewhat of a kitchen. One person would bring a microwave from home and another would shop the shelves of Goodwill for coffee mugs. We even clean out and recycle old jars to use as cups. In no way do we have a lavish or fancy kitchen, but we have always managed to get by with the basics and make some great food.
Whether you are in your first apartment or creating a kitchen fit for a master chef, there are some things that are absolute essentials when it comes to stocking a kitchen. I have pulled together a guide for "must have" kitchen items that can help you navigate your way through the world of kitchen supplies.

Read more....

The Real Price of Food

2010-08-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

Unless you live in a cave you have probably heard about the massive egg recall of over a half-billion eggs due to salmonella that has made more than a thousand Americans sick. This week also welcomed another recall from Tyson Foods Inc. of 380,000 pounds of deli meat from Wall-Mart because of a possible contamination from a deadly bacteria. I hope this week has made people think twice about the food they eat and feed their families and the way that this country treats the production of food.

Americans love cheap food, but what is the real cost of the industrialization of our food system?

In case you were wondering:

Salmonella poisoning from the tainted eggs can cause diarrhea, fever, nausea, and can lead to complications such as typhoid fever, meningitis, sepsis (infection in the bloodstream), and Reiter's syndrome.

Listeria from the bacteria infested meat can cause listeriosis which will cause you to experience fever, headache, neck stiffness and nausea, and can even result in death.

While salmonella and listeria sound like loads of fun, I think I would rather spend a little more on food every week and buy from local producers that I trust to sell a quality product that won't land me in the hospital.

The recent recalls have brought up a lot of discussion around an overhaul of the food safety system in this country. Currently the FDA does not have the power to force a recall, they can only request that a company recalls a contaminated product. While the company decides whether or not it is worth the money, time, and PR cleanup needed to carry out the recall, consumers get sick. The government is concerned about protecting businesses and supporting the economy, but consumers are paying the price with unsafe food and an FDA that lacks the authority to track the source of contamination, enforce recalls or shut down factories that have been repeat offenders.

Maybe I will just be that crazy lady that has her own chicken coop in her backyard. Then again I don't think my roommates or neighbors would really appreciate that.

If you are worried about your eggs, then you are buying the wrong kind of eggs. Check out my post on eggs from a while back. For a full list of the egg brands being recalled visit World Correspondents and to learn more about the meat recall visit and Tyson

The Girl's Guide to Beer

2010-07-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

On a sweltering summer day at the ballpark or a friend's BBQ nothing is more refreshing that an ice-cold brew. A lot of girls in particular are not huge fans of beer but this my attempt to convert a few women into beer lovers. This summer ditch that priss pink cocktail and back away from the Budweiser. With a little beer savvy you can discover some great brews that will satisfy your taste buds and impress even the guys

CSA Challenge Day 3: Fava Beans & Chard

2010-07-17T09:47:00.001-07:00

With graduation over a month behind us, many of my friends are getting jobs, moving from Seattle, going to grad school or teaching abroad. The reality is hitting home that my core group of roommates, who I adore and have lived with for a solid 3 years, will be moving on to do grown up things. Day 3 of the CSA challenge was dedicated to my roomies some of whom are just as foodielicious as I am. Making food for others always makes me feel really great. Whether it is baking cupcakes for a friends birthday or making a whole meal for my roommates, food for me is like a big hug that you can eat. Here are my recipes of love that I prepared for my roommates with the chard and fava beans in our bag of CSA produce....

Red Chard and Caramelized Onion

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion chopped
1 bunch of red chard rinsed and chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup kalamata olives
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
pepper to taste
lemon juiced

Preparation:

1. Head olive oil in skilled and cook onions over medium high heat until they begin to brown.

2. Add brown sugar and continue to cook until the onions are brown and tender

3. Stir in chard and olives and cook until chard is slightly wilted

4. Sprinkle with salt and cook another 3 minutes or until chard is completely wilted

5. Season with pepper, squeeze a lemon over the top and serve

Shrimp and Fava Beans with Thyme

But first, word about preparing fava beans-

Fava beans are a bitch to prepare, but drinking a glass of wine or shucking the beans with a friend makes the time pass. You will find it is worth the effort. First open the floppy pod and remove the beans inside. This step is not too bad and it is pretty easy to peal apart the sides of the pod to reveal the beans. However, once the beans are removed there will still be a waxy top coating on the beans. Removing this waxy coating is the tedious part but by the end of this process you will have a pile of beautiful fresh green fava beans.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/4 teaspoon of minced garlic
3/4 lb shrimp shelled
1 lb fresh unshelled fava beans
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. In a skillet cook minced garlic in olive oil and butter for a minute

2. Add shrimp, fava beans and thyme and toss until shrimp is pink

3. Sprinkle with pepper and salt. Cover the pan and let simmer on the lowest heat for about 2 minutes.

5. When the shrimp are thoroughly cooked through you could add some drained cooked spaghetti to turn this dish into a sort of scampi or you can serve the beans and shrimp as they are.

Next up is turnips...

As always... Best Dishes!

- Alyssa

CSA Challenge Day 2: Kale

2010-07-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

Last night I tackled the kale in our CSA box with this easy recipe and my talented roommate took on the rhubarb with a strawberry rhubarb cobbler for dessert.

Garlic Kale Bruschetta

Ingredients:
1 lb Russian Kale
5 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup dried cranberries
salt and pepper to taste
baguette of french bread

Directions:
1. Boil water in a large pot
2. Strip kale leaves from stalks and tear coarsely
3. Immerse kale in boiling water uncovered and let cook for 5 minutes
4. Once tender and dark green strain kale and immediately dunk in ice water to stop from cooking
5. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and saute garlic until fragrant
6. Add kale and toss. Add in cranberries, pecans and pepper/salt, tossing until well mixed and kale is thoroughly cooked.
7. While kale is cooking thinly slice the baguette at a diagonal so there is plenty of surface space to place the kale mixture. Brush olive oil on both side of the sliced bread and toast in oven for 5 minutes.
8. Use tongs to place a small amount of the kale mixture onto each piece of toasted bread and enjoy.

CSA Challenge Day 1: Endive

2010-07-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine has a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) membership and receives a whole array of fresh produce from Dog Mountain Farm every week. He is traveling out of the country, so for the next two weeks these veggies are going to my roommates and me! As I unpacked the bag of produce, I realized that I didn't know what half of the items were and only had experience cooking with 2 of them. After an hour of searching Google, we finally determined what all of our mystery produce products were.

1 lb fava beans
1 lb shelling or snap peas
1 head lettuce
1 head curly endive
1 head leaf chicory
1 bunch chard
1 bunch kale
1 bunch beets
1 lb rhubarb
1 bunch summer savory
1 bunch parsley

My foodie friend and roommate Sam and I decided to turn this week's CSA delivery into a little challenge to try cooking with entirely new ingredients and use all the of produce before it goes bad. I took the first dish with Endive and made a super simple salad that was perfect for a summer night.

Day 1: Curly Endive and Grape Salad

Ingredients:

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons water

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 cups loosely packed torn curly endive

1/2 cup seedless red grapes -- halved

4 teaspoons crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Combine endive and grapes in a medium bowl. Add vinegar mixture, and toss gently to coat.

Sprinkle with blue cheese

World Cup Celebration: Global Treats

2010-07-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

For weeks we have been huddled around the television, sometimes at ungodly hours of the morning, to watch beautiful men from around the world kick around a soccer ball and compete for the coveted World Cup. Whether you have followed the sport for years or just recently discovered what terms like “off-sides” or “stoppage time” mean, it is truly amazing how soccer can bring entire nations together for a common goal.

Keeping the Foodie Train Going

2010-06-28T13:14:00.001-07:00

Playing along with my lovely and brilliant roommates Sam and Abby who discovered this adorable foodie quiz. Play or pass along if you so wish. I am currently working on some great blog posts so check back soon to see the fruits of my labor. Until then...

1. If I could choose my last meal it would be:

Wow start with the hardest question ever why don't ya? Well it would probably be something a little spicy, there would have to be some cheese involved perhaps brie or gouda, some soft warm bread and finish it all off with a warm pumpkin pie and homemade whipped cream for dessert

2. My favorite person to share a meal with...:

Depends on my mood. I absolutely love cooking and eating with my boyfriend, but eating with my best girl friends is a whole other experience entirely. We can devour an entire funfetti cake like ravenous children that have been starved for days, or sit on the kitchen floor with a bag of chips and guacamole and giggle and gossip for hours until the entire bag is gone.

3. The best meal I've ever had was:

An amazing 5 course meal at Elemental in Seattle. From the first to the last bite of this meal I was in a state of food delirium. This meal was life changing-seriously. I could not stop squealing after each new dish was served and exclaiming "this is so good" over and over again as I tasted bite after bite. I honestly can't even remember the actual dishes that made up this meal due to my state of transcendental food bliss and the wine paring, which probably amounted to a full bottle per person.

4. The one food that makes me feel instantly better when I'm having a bad day:

Chocolate or Pho (especially if I am feeling down from the dreary gray Seattle weather)

5. My absolute specialty in the kitchen is:

Mexican food and vegetarian versions of classic dishes. I make some mean vegetarian enchiladas and guacamole.

6. The city that has the best food:

I have definitely not traveled enough to answer this question definitively yet. I would love to have the opportunity to do some research and eat my way through foreign countries.

7. My favorite healthy snack:

Yogurt, berries, granola and a drizzle of honey. Healthy but tastes like desert yum!

8. In my opinion the nationality which has the best food is:

Love me some Thai food. Greek food is also pretty high on my list too.

9. If I could learn to cook anything in the world (and be really good at it!) I'd choose:

Curry

10. The most outrageous dessert I've ever had was:

A truffle from Pix Patisserie in Portland with flakes of real gold. Seriously just look at these things!

Pesto and Dreams of Italy

2010-06-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

My mother knows me so well. Instead of a bouquet of flowers for graduation she bought me a gorgeous basil plant that is now sitting in my windowsill and soaking up the Seattle summer sunshine. After spending the whole weekend with my parents who were visiting for my graduation, the bf and I decided to spend the night in, cook a nice meal and take a break from the parentals, who are great, but exhausting at times. So with my beautiful new basil plant we took a stab and making our first batch of homemade pesto.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup EVOO
salt and pepper

Method: (Before you begin you should really open a bottle of wine and put on some great Italian music to put you in the mood)
1. Combine the basil and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add garlic and pulse again
2.Slowly add EVOO while the food processor is on and make sure to scrape the sides of the food processor to make sure everything is mixed up.
3. Add grated cheese, a pinch of salt and pepper and pulse again until it is all blended.
Serve with pasta. I added some sundried tomatoes and leftover pine nuts to the pasta with some freshly grated parmesan on top and it was molto deliziosa.

I have been reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I am only probably a third of the way through but I am dying to travel to Italy, eat my way through the country and learn to speak Italian. The author travels to Italy (don't worry if you have not read the book- no spoilers) and she goes to Napels for some of the best pizza in the world. I just loved the way she described her experience eating this food and wanted to share it with my readers, if you are in fact out there somewhere.

"The pies we have just ordered are making us lose our minds. I love my pizza so much, in fact, that I have come to believe in my delirium that my pizza might actually love me, in return. I am having a relationship with my pizza, almost an affair. Meanwhile, Sofie is practically in tears over hers, she is having a metaphysical crisis about it."

I remember quite vividly the first time I felt this way about something I was eating. I think it was a turning point in my relationship with food and a certain boy who I will be celebrating a 2 year anniversary with in a few short weeks. Anyway I am seriously planning my trip to Italy, trying to ignore the cold hard facts that I do not have a job and in no way have the money to travel right now, but a girl can dream.

A short history of pesto:
Pesto originated in Liguria a small region in the northwest of Italy, which has now been added to my dream travel itinerary. Liguria is known for its beautiful landscapes and it's cuisine which differs from other regions such as Rome where cheeses and meat are the star of most dishes. Ligurian cuisine centers on herbs, vegetables, olive oil, fruit, nuts and garlic. With this diet, it is not surprising that Ligurians have one of the longest life expectancies in the world. It is thought that pesto gets its name from the way it is traditionally prepared – with a mortar and pestle (mortaio e pestello).

Best Dishes,

Alyssa

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

To my dad, the wonderful, loving, sometimes quirky to the point of embarrassment father who has always been there for me, who fostered my love of music and always encourages me to follow my heart, happy Father's Day! Thanks for everything!

Eggs

2010-05-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

Scrambled, fried or sunny side up, I am not picky when it comes to how my eggs are cooked, but I am when it comes to where they are from. I try to buy organic eggs at my local farmers market from pasture raised hens whenever possible. They are not only better for the environment and the hens, but they taste better and are more nutritious. Studies show that hens raised on a pasture rather than confined to cages their whole life produce eggs with:

1⁄3 less cholesterol
1⁄4 less saturated fat
2⁄3 more vitamin A
2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
3 times more vitamin E
7 times more beta carotene

The packaging and marketing labels used for eggs can be very misleading and if you are looking to buy eggs that are nutritious and good for the environment don't be fooled.

Here is the basic breakdown:

Conventional/ No Special Labeling: The hens that produced these eggs are typically given about a half a square foot to live in their entire life, not even enough room to spread their wings. These chickens are fed a mostly corn and soy diet with rendered animal byproduct but are also added drugs in their feed to kill microbes and fatten birds faster. One such drug is Roxarsone 3-Nirto which contains... Arsenic. This drug is approved by the FDA and in a form that is less toxic to human but disturbing nonetheless.

Cage Free: This term can be misleading. Yes, the chickens are not physically confined to cages but "cage free" does not necessarily mean the chickens roam free. Chickens are sometimes tied to the ground so that they cannot walk around freely and often the beaks are burned or cut to prevent pecking.

Free Range: Because there is no USDA standard for "free range" egg production, this term essentially means the same thing as cage free. "Free Range" implies lush green pastures and happy healthy chickens but this is not always true. There is no third party auditing, so if you really want to be sure talk to your farmer or visit the farm and see for yourself.

Vegetarian Fed: The birds feed contain no animal byproducts, however this label has no significance to the animal's living conditions.

Certified Organic: These chickens are uncaged and are required to have access to an outdoor area, however the quality and duration of outdoor activity can vary. As required by the USDA National Organic Program the birds feed does not contain any animal byproducts and is entirely organic without any pesticides or antibiotics. In order to be certified organic the farm must be audited by a third party.

For more on egg labeling visit the Humane Society's website on Egg Carton Labels

The Great Asparagus Debate

2010-05-06T15:54:00.001-07:00

Apart from making your pee smell funky, asparagus is pretty great. I picked some up at the farmers market this week and hunted around for some recipes. I had never cooked with asparagus before this. While it may seem like I know what I am talking about on this blog (or at least I try to make it seem that way), half the time I have no idea what I am doing. What I found in the cooking blogosphere about asparagus could not have been more confusing. There are many ways to prepare asparagus, steam, stir-fry, grill, broil, and the preparation of asparagus seems to be a topic of some heated debate. Some websites instruct cooks to cut off the bottom 2 inches, which is the woody fibrous part of the asparagus and not so pleasant to eat. Others claim that rather than use a knife, cooks should bend asparagus in half until the fibrous part snaps off at the natural breaking point, leaving only the tender part for cooking. Some foodies reject cutting or snapping all together, calling it a sin to throw this perfectly edible part into the trash. Instead, you can simply use a peeler to peel away the fibrous outside leaving the tender inside to enjoy.

Ok so I know this "debate" about asparagus preparation is not particularly a pressing issue. CNN is not inviting guests to discuss the pros and cons of cutting the ends of asparagus, but really there is not much to write about asparagus. They are delicious and nutritious! So I will leave you with a few recipes on how I actually did end up preparing my asparagus. I cooked my batch of asparagus two different ways because I wanted to experiment and also because I am extremely indecisive. Also, If you know anything about asparagus or have an opinion one way or the other, feel free to leave your two cents on the best ways to prep asparagus. To cut or not to cut?

Method One: Snap and Broil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Wash and dry asparagus
Snap off fibrous ends as discussed above
Spread out on a cooking sheet
Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt
Cook in oven for 20 minutes (or so)

Results: Simple, crunchy and delicious. These asparagus came out tasting like asparagus flavored fries. The tips were crunchy and the sea salt added just the bit of seasoning they needed. I did however encounter some of the woody part of the asparagus that was not disposed of by snapping.

Method Two: Cut and Blanch

Cut asparagus about 1.5 inches from bottom and discard ends
Find a stovetop pan with high sides
Fill with enough water to cover you asparagus if they are lying flat in the pan
Put pan filled with water over medium heat until the water starts to simmer
Place asparagus in water just long enough for them to turn bright green (a couple minutes is all they need)
Remove asparagus from pan and dunk into a bowl of ice water. This will help preserve the texture, flavor and bright green color.
Dry asparagus, cut into bite sizes and add to your favorite dish (I chose mac & cheese, which worked surprisingly well but a stir fry would be great as well)

Results: Tender, flavorful. The asparagus added some great flavor to my mac and cheese. I still found a few fibrous parts, but my conclusion is that the cutting generally works better than the snapping. I might have also just been really bad at snapping.

Best Dishes,

Alyssa

Tamalada

2010-05-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow! I grew up in San Diego about 20 minutes from the border and was basically raised on Mexican food. I miss those hole in the wall places "Rodrigo's" "Roberto's" "Jose's" that were the sketchiest looking restaurants but served some of the best food around. Seattle has deprived me of the sun but I will not let Seattle deprive me of good Mexican food, even if I have to make it myself. In preparation for tomorrows festivities I am looking up some yummy Mexican cuisine to cook up for my roommates. I have always wanted to make Tamales and I found this adorable foodie video blog Working Class Foodies explaining just how to make them. There is even a vegan version.

And what goes better with a tamale than homemade horchata? This delicious cinnamon rice milk is like a churro in liquid form.

Horchata de Arroz Recipe from Texas Cooking

1 cup uncooked white rice
1/4 cup ground, blanched almonds or almond meal
1 cinnamon stick
6 cups water, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar

Put the rice in a blender and grind to a powder (about 2-3 minutes). You can also use a spice grinder or coffee grinder for this. Grind the mixture as smooth as possible. Combine the pulverized rice, ground almonds and cinnamon stick. Cover tightly and allow to set overnight or at least 6 hours.
Remove the cinnamon stick and place the rice mixture in the blender. Blend for 4 or 5 minutes until the mixture is smooth, powdery and no longer has a gritty texture. Add 2 cups of water, and blend again for about 15 seconds.
Strain into a pitcher through several layers of dampened cheesecloth (or a coffee filter). Do not skip this step or the drink will have a chalky taste.
Add 4 more cups water and the vanilla and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. If the mixture is too thick, add some additional water. Horchata should have the consistency of milk. The drink is supposed to be sweet, so taste and add more sugar, if desired.
Cover and refrigerate. Horchata will keep several days, refrigerated. Serve it chilled in tall glasses over ice. Makes 1-1/2 quarts.

Both of these recipes sound amazing but are pretty complicated. On the second thought, maybe I will just make some nachos and margaritas.

What does everyone else have planned for Cinco de Mayo this year?

Dirt Candy

2010-04-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

I have been researching food blogs and magazines for a project at work. It is pretty awesome since reading food blogs is something I love to do anyway. But there are a few problems. First of all, it is giving me major food blog envy. I am finding all of these amazing food blogs that have gorgeous pictures and awesome recipes, and then I look at my little work in progress and feel utterly defeated. There are soooo many food blogs out there. Why would anyone read mine? The second problem with reading food blogs all day is that it makes me so hungry. I ran across a website for this amazing restaurant in NY called Dirt Candy. The "dirt candy" being vegetables because "when you eat a vegetable you’re eating little more than dirt that’s been transformed by plenty of sunshine and rain into something that’s full of flavor". Brilliant! The menu looks amazing. If only there was a restaurant like this in the Northwest! Does anyone know of one? Next time I am in New York I am definitely stopping by for some Jalepeno Hush Puppies or Parsnip Gnocchi.

PoDog

2010-04-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

University Way, better known to those who reside in the Seattle U-District as "The Ave", has seen better days. Businesses are closing left and right. The building where Rite Aid was has been empty for months and serves as a constant reminder of the dismal state of the economy. Other than the Hurricane Spud "pornado" place, which I am betting will not last, there is not much moving in. So, I was excited when Po Dog Hot Dogs took up residence on the Ave a few weeks ago.

PoDogs is a one of a kind hot dog place with hot dog concoctions that will blow you away. Just take a look at their menu. There is the PB Dog with peanut butter, bannanas and chopped peanuts on top, or the Wasabi Egg Roll Dog wrapped in wonton paper and deep fried to a crispy perfection and served with homemade wasabi aioli. If you like your dogs super hot there is even the Deep Fried Danger Dog, wrapped in peper bacon and topped homemade spicy chili sauce. In additon to their specials there is a laundry list of ingredients of a build yourself the dog of your dreams. Weekly specials include Mac&Cheese Mondays and Chilli Dog Wednesdays and Sunday is all day happy hour.
Rejoice hot dog lovers becuase these weinners are bomb dot com. PoDog serves 100% kosher beef dogs, sausage and VEGGIE DOGS, and good ones at that! I am kinda picky when it comes to fake meat and I have had some nasty fake hot dogs in my day, but these faux dogs are D-lish! While the prices run a little high for hot dogs, this is no normal hot dog. There is no skimping on the toppings and they are served on a grilled brioche bun which is almost as good as the hot dog itself. These dogs are a full meal, or two. The new U-district location is a perfect location and prime spot for the drunken, college-age crowd. They are open until 2:30am serving beer on tap. If only they had a full bar....Fajita dog and a margarita? Yes please! A-Pizza-Mart has been awfully crowded lately and PoDog might just be my new late night spot to stop after Earls and before I crawl into bed.

Follow them on Twitter http://twitter.com/podog Or check PoDog out for yourself HERE

A Secret Worth Sharing

2010-04-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Found this secret on PostSecret this week....

.......I absolutely feel this way.

Spring has Sprung

2010-04-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how much difference a little sun makes. I moved to Seattle from San Diego, the land of 75 degrees and sunny, gorgeous beaches, and year round tans that do not require a tanning bed. I now realize how much I took that for granted. In the Northwest there is this syndrome called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) which happens when it is rainy and gross outside and people get depressed. Some people make this "disorder" out to be a serious thing, but honestly who wouldn't get depressed after 6 straight months of agonizing drizzle and grey skies. Spring is finally here and those who question why the hell I would ever move from San Diego to Seattle can eat my shorts (that I can finally wear), because there is nothing better than the Northwest in the Spring and Summer.

Overall things are looking up. I graduated in March and for the past month I have been experiencing life in the real world. While it is exciting to be done and not worry about homework and midterms, I find myself missing academia. I feel like I am getting stupider by the day, rotting my brain and wasting my $30,000 a year education on senseless reality TV and mindless jobs. I am glad I have graduated but I am so BORED!!! I am trying to keep busy, running at Greenlake, cooking, reading (for fun for once), taking a dance class, and applying for jobs. I am in desperate need of money and more specifically a job with a decent livable salary. I don't need a 100k/yr job or anything, just a job that will pay the rent and will not bore me to tears. It would be awesome if I could find a job that would somehow make me feel like my degree is not going to waste, but that might be too much to ask. With this economy I will be happy to find anything. I have an interview on Tuesday... wish me luck!

Speaking of jobs, I recently left my job that I held all four years while going to school at UW. It was not a glamorous job, I was basically a tele-marketer raising money for the University, but what made it so amazing was the people I worked with. I left the position somewhat abruptly and wanted to do something to thank the managers who I worked with for years and formed friendships both inside and outside of the office. Where words of thanks fall short, homemade food speak volumes. So, I made muffins to bring into the office and pay respects to the job that helped me pay my over priced U-District rent and cover my tabs at Earls and A-Pizza Mart. Thank you OAG!

Cranberry Orange Muffins (Recipe from Food Network)

Ingredients

1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for preparing the muffin tin
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus up to 1 tablespoon for topping the muffins, if desired
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Put the cranberries and orange juice in a small saucepan, and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Remove berries from the heat, and set aside to cool and plump. Drain off any excess liquid and set aside.

Lightly brush a 12-muffin tin with butter. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand-held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, orange zest, and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Fold the flour in 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Fold in the cranberries. Do not over mix. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack. Serve warm.

Happy Earth Day

2010-04-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

The way we eat has a huge impact on the environment, more than most people realize.

There are many easy changes that you can make to be "greener" without buying a hybrid car or growing all of your own food.

But first lets put this all in perspective:

Livestock accounts for around 20 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emission.
Americans currently eat about 500 calories of meat daily.
A pound of beef requires around 12,000 gallons of water to produce, compared to 60 gallons for a pound of potatoes.
Food on average travels 1,500 miles before it reaches your dinner table.
The average US meal comes from 5 different countries
Each year over 100 million pounds of toxic pesticides are released into the environment in California alone.

Ways to Eat "Green"

1. Eat Less Meat- This does not mean you have to cut out meat entirely. Even reducing your meat intake by a little makes a big difference. If every American has one meat-free meal a week, it would be equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road.

2. Eat Local- Eating local not only reduces the greenhouse gasses associated with transportation, but it supports local businesses and gives you the freshest produce available. Now is the time when local farmers markets start to come alive, brimming with amazing fruit, vegetables meat and more. There is nothing like knowing where your food is from and being able to talk one-on-one with the farmer that grew it. Search for your closest Seattle Farmers Market or some great CSA's

3. Eat Seasonally- By eating seasonally you can reduce your use of food that has to be shipped from far away. Seasonal food just tastes better and can transform the way you think about food

To find Pacific Northwest seasonal ingredients visit Seasonal Cornucopia.

4. Eat Organic- Yes it can be expensive, but your body and the environment is worth it. Organic farms that do not consume or release pesticides into the environment help to sustain healthy ecosystems that would otherwise be destroyed by the run off of pesticides and synthetic waste. Workers who handle the food are also safe from harmful chemicals.

Making small changes can help keep you healthy and improve the health of the environment. What we eat matters. This Earth Day stop and think while you are eating lunch or dinner about how you can help reduce your footprint in some tasty new ways.

Find out more at:

Environmental Defense Fund

Planet Green

Jamie Oliver is Having a Panic Attack, but Dr. Atkins Would Be Proud

2010-04-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

New KFC sandwich: 2 chicken patties instead of buns.

Has anyone tried this? I cringe every time I see the commercial.

Happy Tax Day! Food Deals and More

2010-04-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Tax Day and restaurants and sex shops alike are joining in on the festivities. Check out the Seattle and national deals below. Happy Tax Day everyone!!!

Free coffee from Starbucks with a reusable mug.

On April 15, McCormick and Schmick's offers a $10.40 menu of entrees. Also get a coupon for a future discounted entree.

Free Del Mar Tacos

Free Classic Bites from Cinnabon from 5 pm to 8pm

15% off PF Changs

Free Chick-fil-a snacks

Free Fry Day at Jack in the Box (April 16th)

Buy one Smoothie, Get One Free at Jamba Juice (through the 25th)

Free Babeland Vibrators, 707 E. Pike St.

15% off Kidd Valley, Queen Anne, University District

15% off Boom Noodle, 1121 E Pike St.

15% off Blue C Sushi Bill, University Village & Fremont

TGI Fridays discount cards $5 with a purchase of $15-25, $10 with a purchase over $25

Seattle Veg Fest 2010

2010-04-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in over a month! While I have been busy applying for jobs now that I have officially graduated (YAY!), there is no excuse for neglecting my blog for this long. The truth is I have sat down many times within the past month, willing myself to write, but nothing came.

I recently went to Las Vegas with a group of my best friends for a post-graduation celebration. I had a blast, but all the partying proved to be too much for my camera and its life was sadly cut short by a watery death at the pool in the XS nightclub at Encore. My lack of a camera makes it difficult to take any pictures of my latest culinary creations. A food post without pictures is no fun, but today was Seattle Veg Fest and I found some inspiration.

Seattle Veg Fest is the annual vegetarian festival in Seattle that is organized by Vegetarians of Washington. There were hundreds of free food samples to try and I came prepared hungry and ready to eat. I knew to expect all sorts of product samples at this event but some of these vegetarian health food products were ridiculous and frankly gross. My food philosophy is that I like fresh natural foods. People should enjoy the experience of eating their food, and there is nothing tastier than the fresh food from nature. So why do people feel the need to ingest horribly tasting powder supplements and energy bars? To my disappointment hese were the kind of products sampled at Veg Fest. Maybe Vegetarians of Washington has not received the memo, but just because someone is vegetarian does not mean they lack taste buds.

The Seventh Day Adventist Church even had a booth. Why? I have absolutely no idea, but they were sampling a particularly interesting product: a meat free hot dog that comes from a can. Yummy (GAG!) I was standing at the booth and staring at the product probably with a look of absolute disgust and confusion on my face. Seventh Day Adventists and fake hot dogs? The connection is lost on me. The man behind the both said “Don’t be scared. It didn’t have a face on it”. This pissed me off and I walked away. Just because something did not have a face on it does not mean that it is healthy, tasty or is anything I want to eat. The fact that their food did not “have a face” may be the only thing that some vegetarians care about, but if I am going to eat vegetarian I want to eat well. I want to eat food that tastes good! I want to eat food that does not make up for the fact that it is meat-free by having an ingredient list that is a mile long and filled with words I cannot pronounce.

Vegetarian or not, these health food products are so unnecessary. Why eat a gag-inducing energy bar that touts all sorts of vitamins and nutrients when you could simply eat some fresh fruits and vegetables and get these same nutrients from food that actually tastes good. I know I risk offending some fellow vegetarians, but I personally believe that in many ways eating these shitty processed food products is no better than eating a mystery meat chicken nugget made from antibiotic filled chicken in a factory farm.

There is my rant for the day. Hope everyone had a good weekend J

Best Dishes,

Alyssa

Inhaleable Chocolate and Coffee

2010-03-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

Biggest food breakthrough of the 21st century or sad outcome of our 21st century lives?

We Americans love our fast food. You can drive through McDonald's and purchase an entire meal for few dollars that is ready to eat in minutes without taking a step outside of the car.

We Americans are also obsessed with health foods (ironic since we are quite possibly the most unhealthy country on the planet). Every new product in the market boasts claims of being a "low fat", "multi-grain", "antioxidant" superfood. Americans go from one fad diet to another every week, whether it be the Cabbage Soup Diet, Cookie Diet or Atkins.

However, here is something truly remarkable: Breathable Food with Zero Calories?!?!

This might be the weirdest thing I have ever seen: a contraption resembling a cigarette that allows people to inhale their chocolate or coffee.

What, are we too lazy to even eat actual food anymore? We have to breathe it?

The product called Le Whif (clever) claims that people can have "the taste of chocolate without the calories" or "the kick of coffee without the cup". "Ideal for a busy work day treat , to accompany a coffee, or to share with family and friends after a lunch or a dinner." Both products come in a breathable powder form. My first question is, what does this stuff do to your lungs? I can't imagine it would be healthy to be breathing in powdered caffeine all day. This is a coffee addict or chocoholic's dream come true. Now people can carry this little inhaler around wherever they go and huff their drug of choice whenever they get a craving. Not to mention, the thought of a family out to dinner or a group of business partners at a lunch meeting passing this around after their meal is pretty entertaining.

Any thoughts? Yay or nay? I wonder if they are planning on coming out with any other breathable food products- breathable cheese, breathable pizza, breathable hamburgers, breathable beer or wine? The options are endless.

Fremont Market

2010-01-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

I live two blocks from the University District Farmer’s Market which is open year round on Saturday and located at the corner of University Way and 50^th. Living so close to this market, I go fairly often, so this weekend I decided to venture out of my neighborhood and check out the market in Fremont. The first thing I noticed about the Fremont market is that it is a lot more like a flea market than a farmer’s market. There were only a handful of booths representing local farms. Most of the booths sold jewelry, clothes, soap and art. I was more interested in the food than the trinkets, so I headed straight to the farmer’s booths.

The first booth I stopped at was from a farm near Snohomish that was selling the widest variety of garlic I have ever seen. The seller mentioned that besides the 6 varieties represented at the market, his farm grew something like 20 kinds of garlic and other produce as well. We chatted a bit about the differences between the kinds of garlic, the number of cloves in each bulb and the color. There were not any samples but each variety had a great description. I finally decided on 3 beautiful bulbs at the price of $12 per pound. I hope to bake them later this week.

The second both offered organic maple syrup and maple candies from Stannard Farm in Vermont. The vendor was a student at the University of Washington. His family owns the farm in Vermont but on the weekends he sells the syrup at the Fremont market. There is a strict rule in most of the farmer’s markets in Seattle that restrict the booths to local farmers, thereby promoting eating local and supporting the local economy. The Fremont market is the only market that allows non-local farmers. I tried a sample of a maple candy that was excellent and moved on to my last booth.

Full Circle Farms was the final booth I explored. The farm located in Carnation Washington is completely organic and was selling a variety of winter produce including carrots, arugula, sunchokes, leeks, potatoes, turnips and beets. No samples, but beautiful produce. All of the produce looked like it came straight from the ground, some still dirty and with all the imperfections of naturally grown food. I know most consumers prefer unnaturally large, perfectly shaped fruits and vegetables that are shiny and covered in wax. I personally don’t mind the dirt. I think it brings you a little closer to your food and reminds you that what you are eating does not come from a factory,

While the Fremont markets does not offer the variety of the U-District Market, I did enjoy chatting with the few farmers there and I am sure come spring there will be even more produce available.

Cyber Snacks

2010-01-28T23:51:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while but I keep finding fun little foodie things online so here is a new little section i am adding to my blog to tie my readers over until my next post.

Panda Bread!

Recipe sounds complicated and intimidates me but this is pretty freaking cute!

Check out the original website: Cookpad

Here is a translation from Do What I Like:

Ingredients: ＜600g loaf (206 x 108 x100h)
230g bread flour
70g cake flour
30g sugar
milk + 1 yolk = 210g (I used skim milk)
4.5g salt
18g unsalted butter (I used 20g)
4g yeast
8g green tea powder dissolved in 10g boiling hot water
8g cocoa powder dissolved in 8g boiling water

Method:
1. Heat up milk and yolk to temperature of 38℃. (I beat the yolk lightly with milk and send it to the microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds).
2. Put everything in bread machine and set to dough cycle. Let it knead for 20 minutes. Stop the cycle and restart the dough cycle and let it knead for another 15 minutes.
3. Divide dough (about 560g) into 3 parts: 75g for the chocolate, 210g plain and the rest of the dough which is less than 280g for the green tea.
4. Add chocolate to the 75g dough and knead till the colour is even. Add green tea mixture to the 280g dough and knead till colour is even. (I did this step manually).
5. Prove all 3 pieces of doughs on separate greased plates covered loosely with oiled cling wrap for 30 - 40 minutes.
6. Punch air out of dough and prove for another 20 - 30 minutes.
7. Use 90g plain dough for the face and 2 pieces of 27g chocolate dough for the eyes. (Refer to photo guide in Step (7) in TARO's site).
8. Fill the hollow of the eyes with 30g plain dough. (Refer to photo guide in Step (8) in TARO's site).
9. Roll remaining plain dough over the patterned dough. (Refer to photo guide in Step (9) in TARO's site).
10. Divide the remaining chocolate dough into 2 pieces (17.5g each) for the ears. (Refer to photo guide in Step (10) in TARO's site).
11. Use 70g of the green tea dough to fill up the hollow between the ears. (Refer to photo guide in Step (11) in TARO's site).
12. Wrap the rest of the green tea dough all around the patterned dough. (Refer to photo guide in Step (12) in TARO's site)
13. Place dough into a well-greased loaf pan and cover it with a lid and prove for 50 - 60 minutes in an enclosed area eg. microwave oven.
14. Bake at 200℃ for 25 – 30 minutes.

Notes:
1. This is not an exact translation of TARO's recipe because I used the bread machine to help me so the first few steps might be different from TARO's.
2. For Step (12), I did not wrap the green tea dough all around the patterned dough. Compare my finished product to that of TARO's, you can see the difference.
3. My first prove is 60 minutes, 2nd prove is 30 minutes and final prove is 60 minutes.
4. I bake at 185℃ for 25 - 30 minutes.

A Prayer to Saint Vivian the Patron Saint of Hangovers

2010-01-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

I found this posted in the window of a taco truck. Appropriate placing I thought. Who knew there was a patron saint of hangovers. Those Catholics think of everything.

The Best of Seattle Street Food

2010-01-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

Every year Seattle Magazine holds an event called Seattle Mobile Chow Down. The best mobile food trucks in the city congregate so that attendees can have there pick of the best street food Seattle has to offer. This year was my first year attending and I took my fellow foodie roommate Sam along for company. The event was held in Interbay in an empty lot and in attendance were Here and There Grill, Gert's BBQ, Veraci Pizza, Marination Mobile, Anita's Crepes, Kaosamai Thai, El Camion, Top Pot Doughnuts and Dante's Inferno Dogs. After a quick look around Sam and I settle on Mexican food. The El Camion truck had a ridiculously long line but from the looks of the food coming out of the truck, the wait would be worth it. About 45 minutes in line to order and another 20 minutes waiting for our order to be called we finally got our food. We both got tacos, mine were fish tacos, and they were delicious. It might have been the homemade salsa, sweet horchata I was sipping on, or the amazing band singing in Spanish, but this was quite possibly the best Mexican food I have had in Seattle.

Next i ventured over to Dantes Inferno Dogs to see if they had a veggie dog available and they did. Two varieties in fact, apple flavored or spicy chipotle. I ordered the spicy chipotle with deli mustard, grilled onions and peppers, and the woman at the cart convinced me to order cream cheese on it. I know I know cream cheese on a hot dog sounds repulsive but it was surprisingly good. As much as I loved their huge selections of toppings the hot dog itself was mediocre and probably better saved for those drunken nights stumbling home from a bar on Capitol Hill.

After all that food I was uncomfortably full but I really wanted a Top Pot Doughnut as dessert. Unfortunately by 2:00 they had ran out of doughnuts :( but I did get a kick out of this kid on a leash. Parents!: Just say no to child leashes.

First Post of the New Year

2010-01-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

To my readers, if any of you are in fact out there in cyberspace, I am terribly sorry I have not posted in a while. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Winter Solstice, I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season and happy new year.

This New Years Eve I made reservations for my boyfriend and I at Paragon. This restaurant and bar in Queen Anne had great food, fun atmosphere and best of all live music. We ordered fried green tomatoes as an appetizer. My boyfriend ate butternut squash ravioli with an amazing walnut butter sauce and truffle oil, while I ordered scallops served with a banana puree. The meal was amazing and the live jazz music made the whole experience very fun and festive. For the first time since moving to Seattle I spent New Years watching the fireworks at the Space Needle. 2010 is bound to be an interesting year but here are some of my resolutions (lets hope I can stick to them):

1. Stress less

2. Get more sleep

3. Find time to cook a fun new dish once a week

For Christmas I received 2 brand new beautiful cookbooks. This week I returned home sweet home to Seattle after 2 weeks in San Diego visiting family. New Years day I woke up, surprisingly not hungover and picked a recipe out of one of my new cookbooks. I enjoyed the first day of 2010 doing one of my favorite things, cooking with my boyfriend.

Italian Grilled Cheese (Recipe from Canyon Ranch Nourish Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup minced roasted red peppers

1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives

2 tbsps chiffonade of arugula

1 tbsp red wine vinigar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

8 slices of baguette

8 fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup mozzarella

Directions:

1. combine red peppers and olives in a small bowl. Fold in the arugula, vinegar, salt and pepper.

2. lightly toast bread slices in toaster oven. Top each slice with 1 basil leaf and 1 slice of mozzarella. Place in oven again until cheese melts on top of basil leaf.

3. Top each slice with a spoonful of the red pepper relish and drizzle a little balsamic vinegar on top of everything.

* to increase flavor, brush the bread slices with extra virgin olive oil after toasting.

Homemade Mac & Cheese

2009-12-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

Finals week sucks! Every year I find myself so stressed, worried about completing papers and finding the time to study for exams. This past week I took a break from my frantic studying to cook some homemade mac & cheese. Mac and cheese has always been a great comfort food for me. I am embarrassed to admit it, but I think I have eaten more mac and cheese in college than I even ate as a kid. Easy Mac was my go-to dinner freshman year in the dorms when the "kitchen" consisted of only a sink and microwave. But I have graduated from the days of those blue boxes and dinosaur shaped noodles. This grown up version of the classic kids favorite is so much better than the boxed Kraft version and does not involve any powdered cheese. It is way creamier and almost as fast as the boxed kind.

Stove-top Mac & Cheese Serves 4-6 adapted from Cooks Illustrated

8oz macaroni, or any smallish tube shaped pasta
1 tablespoon butter
6 oz evaporated milk
6 oz freshly grated cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
Hot sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper

Boil the pasta according to package directions, but reduce the cooking time by one minute. Drain and pour back into the cooking pot.

Over medium-low heat, add the butter and stir until melted.

Mix the egg, milk, and spices and pour over the pasta. Stir until it begins to thicken, about three to five minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat then add the cheese in four installments, making sure the first is melted completely before adding the next.

Food as My Comfort

2009-12-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

Food usually has a a lot more meaning to people than simply its nutritional value. Sometimes food has important religious or cultural significance. Sometimes a particular recipe passed down from generation to generation can bring back memories of cooking with grandmothers who have since passed away. For me, food is so much more than something I ingest to sustain myself through the day. Food is comfort. I do not mean that when I am sad I curl up in bed with a pint of ice cream and bags of chips to make me feel better. I find that cooking food, especially for other people that you care about is therapeutic. It takes your mind off of whatever other crummy things are going on and in the end you have a wonderful meal that you can share with the people you love.

The last few weeks have been difficult for me academically and personally. Normally I would channel my frustrations into whipping up meals for my roommates, but that is difficult when all I have in my house is some pasta, leftover chili and a jar of pickles. I am literally the poorest I have ever been in my life. I guess this is just what happens when parents of 20-somethings decide to let their child free from their financial support. I am sure my parents are ecstatic, I on the other hand just want to buy some fresh produce and food to cook. So for the next few weeks, or at least until I fly back home for Winter break, I am going to have to be very creative about my posts because the majority of what I am cooking these days is ramen noodles and tomato soup.

Giving Thanks

2009-11-30T14:31:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for many things this holiday season, but one of them is my boyfriend's amazing family who welcomed me into their home and fed me an amazing vegetarian Thanksgiving feast this past Thursday. Aside from the biscuits that the twin 2-year olds attempted to make and came out of the oven tasting like cardboard, the meal was outstanding. My ultimate favorite foods on Thanksgiving are stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. I have this odd obsession with the jellied cranberry sauce straight from the can. The kind that comes out of the can and is plopped on a dish while still retaining the exact mold of its can container. It is kind of gross, and I am embarrassed to admit it, but I love it. Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me?

I am proud to report that I tried my first Tofurkey! I never really enjoyed turkey at Thanksgiving dinners growing up. It always came out dry and the only purpose it served me was as a vehicle for eating the gravy. As disappointed as I have been in the past with real turkey, I was excited to try Tofurkey. I half expected it to be disgusting considering tofu is often pretty bland and tasteless. The shape of Tofurkey is also an odd perfectly shaped round mound that does not really evoke the essence of a turkey. It proved to be delicious. Not quite the texture of turkey but the flavor was turkeyesque.

I hope everyone else had an amazing Thanksgiving and break from work/school. I needed the break desperately, but now I am entering the homestretch. I have 2 more weeks of class and finals and then heading home to sunny San Diego for winter break.

Dessert Poppers

2009-11-23T22:53:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do as a kid was help my mother bake. She would let me mix together cookie dough or brownie batter and after we were done I would beg her to let me lick the bowl or spoon. Despite my pleading, she rarely gave in, and instead lectured me about the health hazards of eating raw eggs. "You can't eat that. You might get SALMONELLA!" she warned. When I was really young I was very confused by this word "salmon-ella." Was it some sort of disease that was spread by salmon? And if so, how could I possibly catch it from eating sweet delicious cookie dough? There is not any salmon in cookie dough! I was convinced that my mom must have been misinformed and always snuck a few finger-fulls while she was not looking. Today I can eat all the raw cookie dough I want and lick as many cake and brownie batter coated bowls as I please. My mother would be horrified, but I have not contracted salmonella yet.

This weekend I was invited to a pre-Thanksgiving dinner party with some of my friends. In addition to a few bottles of 2-Buck Chuck, I wanted to make something to contribute. In order to satisfy my sweet tooth and find an excuse to eat some raw dough, I searched for something to bake for desert. I found a fun recipe in one of the blogs I follow for "cake balls." I personally think the name cake balls sounds disgusting so I am officially changing the name to "dessert poppers" which seems much more appetizing. They are basically balls of cake covered in chocolate so once you bite into the hard chocolate shell there is soft sweet cake inside. They are fairly easy. I attempted experimenting with food coloring, which added an extra level of complication to the recipe, but they still turned out great.

Dessert Poppers

Ingredients:

1 box of cake mix (white cake if you are planning on adding color, but otherwise it does not matter)

-->note you also need the stuff that goes with the cake mix like eggs, oil, water etc

1 tub of cream cheese frosting

2 packs of chocolate chips (again white chips if you want to add color, otherwise it is up to you)

food coloring if you want to add some color

1. Mix ingredients of cake mix. (add color if you want the inside of your poppers to be colorful)

2. Spread cake batter in pan and cook as directed on box just as if you were baking a cake.

3. When cake is baked let cool for 10 minutes and crumble the cake bits into a large bowl.

4. Mix in the frosting with the crumbled cake bits until you achieve a thick sticky texture all the way through.

5. Form cake and frosting mixture into small balls and place on a cookie sheet.

6. Let balls cool in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

7. While balls are cooling, fill a small sauce pan with water and bring to a simmer.

8. Fill a bowl with chocolate chips and place bowl on the top of the pan so that the bottom of the bowl is being heated from the steam of the boiling water underneath. It is important in this step to not get the chocolate too hot or else it will burn! Continuously stir the chocolate until it is smooth. You can add some vegetable oil to keep the chocolate from clumping together.

9. Take each ball which should now be pretty solid and drop in melted chocolate, coating the entire ball using a spoon.

10. Place each chocolate coated ball back on the cookie sheet and place in freezer to harden for 5 minutes or until you are ready to eat them.

11. Most importantly, feel free to lick the bowls when you are done!

I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving. I will actually be in Portland for the long weekend with my boyfriend's family. It is not really worth flying all the way home to California (sorry mom and dad). My boyfriend's family is entirely vegetarian and I am actually pretty excited to try my very first Tofurkey! I will report back with my findings.

Tofu "Meat"balls

2009-11-16T12:49:00.000-08:00

When I gave up meat about 2 and a half years ago it was a pretty easy transition for me. I never really ate that much meat growing up, but the one thing that I really missed, and still crave every so often, are meatballs. My boyfriend's mom was the first one to show me this recipe. Last night I made a truckload of meatballs and spaghetti to eat for dinner the rest of the week. Normally I find tofu pretty bland, but it is amazing how delicious these tofu meat balls are, and they certainly satisfy my occasional cravings. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Here is the recipe. You do not need to stick to exact measurements. I just threw together the ingredients and they turned out great, so feel free to experiment:

Ingredients:

I pack of firm or extra firm tofu

1 half of an onion diced

1 clove of garlic diced

2 eggs

1/2 cup of oats

1/2 cup of bread crumbs

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon oregano

salt/pepper to taste

1. mash up tofu with a fork until all is evenly ground and crumbly

2. drain any excess water from tofu

3. mix in the rest of the ingredients (except flour) until the mixture sticks together but is not too watery

4. form mixture with your hands into small balls and roll each ball in flour until the outside of each ball is completely covered.

5. Heat about 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan

6. drop each ball into the oil and fry evenly on all sides, turning every few minutes (I personally think they taste better fried, but you can bake them instead if you are trying to be healthy)

7. Serve with spaghetti and tomato sauce

Stuffed Portabellas

2009-11-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

After an excellent Veterans day sleeping in and catching up with chores and homework, I made some time to cook a real dinner for the rest of the week. My days are so busy lately that I do not find time to cook as much as I would like. I found some beautiful mushrooms at the local supermarket and whipped up some stuffed mushrooms.

After washing the mushrooms I broke off the stems and chopped them up along with about half an onion and some shredded mozzarella cheese. Mix in with a few scoops of sour cream and marinara sauce until everything sticks together. I added some minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Brush the top and gills of the mushrooms with extra virgin olive oil and set them in an oven safe dish with some sauce in the bottom. I scooped the stuffing mixture into each mushroom and broiled them at around 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Voila!

A Night Out in Portland

2009-11-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend lives in Portland and I live in Seattle, so every few weeks I take the train or greyhound south to spend a weekend with him. Long distance is hard but we manage to make it work. Almost every time we see each other we make a point of cooking together or trying a new restaurant. I did not get into Portland until around 1:00 am Saturday morning and the rest of the weekend seemed to fly by so fast. We didn't have time to cook together, as we have done in the past, but we did check out a new restaurant. I heard about Toro Bravo in a magazine that said it was a great mid-price range place for dinner that served Spanish style tapas. It sounded excellent and most of the reviews online were great as well so we planned a date for Saturday night. Toro Bravo does not take reservations so we arrived around 6:30. I figured that would be early enough to be seated without a ridiculous wait, but the place was packed! The hostess informed us that there would be a 90 minute wait. Luckily there was a bar upstairs, so we made our way up to The Secret Society Bar and ordered a few drinks. The bar was packed as well. I blame myself for picking such a trendy restaurant. We ended up snagging the last two chairs in the entire place that were located a little secluded corner of the bar. Two hours, a few drinks and some mediocre service later the hostess finally called us to be seated.

After two hours of waiting I fully expected the food I was about to eat to be amazing. The whole experience however missed the mark. Despite having many vegetarian options, the chef would not prepare a vegetarian tasting menu. The serving staff seemed extremely rushed, which they probably were considering that the house was packed, but in turn I felt rushed and uncomfortable. The food was pretty good, but not what I expected. It was probably the poor way in which the night started off, but by the time we were seated and eating, my boyfriend and I just couldn't help but be critical. Above the chatter of the customers we could hear the background music of Biggie and Jay-Z. I will admit that I love Jay-Z, but I was a little taken aback hearing "Can I getta f*** you" emanating from the speakers at this particular restaurant. All-in-all I left confused. Who exactly was the restaurant catering to? We were the youngest people there, and I am guessing the 40 and 50 somethings are not exactly the demographic that would enjoy listening to Jay-Z while dining on tapas.

Despite our disappointing dinner, my boyfriend and I ended the night

on an excellent note. We made our way over to a desert and pastry shop called Pix Patisserie. There were so many exquisite little deserts to choose from that it took me about 15 minutes just to decide. We finally decided on a pumpkin brulee tart which we took to-go since there were no seats available inside Pix either. Every once in a while I will eat something so amazingly delicious that it will just about make me drop to my knees. This sensation could be accurately described as a "foodgasm". One bite of this pastry and my taste-buds screamed out in ecstasy. I am almost certain that whatever reactions go off in your brain while having sex or doing drugs were the exact reactions that happened as this desert touched my tongue. This description is a little over the top, I know, but entirely true. Honestly, the only thing I could do in reaction to the overwhelming amazingness of this tart was to laugh. I almost spit out my food I was laughing so hard. When I was finally done with my fit of laughter, I turned to my boyfriend who was probably wondering what could possibly be so funny and just said "It is sooooo good!"

Pomegranate

2009-11-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

It is pomegranate season! Pomegranates are one of those foods that are almost more work than they are worth. I say almost because once you finally get those little gems of seeds outside of the rind, they are one of the most delicious and healthy things you could eat. If you love pomegranates but hate the stains that the juice leaves on clothes and carpet check out this site. The trick is to separate the seeds from the rind underwater. The rind will float and the seeds will sink, making it easy to separate all the seeds and save your clothes.

It is truly amazing the significance that pomegranates have around the world.

Pomegranates have been cultivated in Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and the Mediterranean for several millenia. Remains have been dated back to 1000 BC.

760 different local varieties of pomegranates are recognized in Iran.

Every year there is a Pomegranate festival in Azerbaijan during the month of October to celebrate their well-known pomegranate cuisine.

The pomegranate is the symbol of Andalusia, Spain as well as many cities in Turkey.

The symbol on the coins of the ancient city of Side, Pamphylia is a pomegranate.

Pomegranates are refrenced many times in the Qur'an. In Christianity, pomegranates are symbols of Jesus' suffereing and resurection and are featured in many religious pantings.

I have had one heck of a week. It is midterm time again. I started the week with a spanish test, had a paper due on Wednesday, and finished up the week with a midterm in International Political Economy (groan). I attempted to register this morning for my classes next quarter. It was an utter failure. I was not able to register for a single class that I was hoping to take. Thank goodness it is the last time I will ever have to wake up at 6 am and race against 20,000 other students to register for classes.

This weekend I am heading to Portland with one of my best friends who lives in Vancouver and I rarely get to see. I am looking forward to a very relaxing weekend. I found a recipe for a pomegranate martini. It sound like a delicious way to unwind and reward myself after this crazy week.

Pomegranate Martini

Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice

2 ounces Absolute Citron vodka

1 ounce Cointreau liquor

cup of ice

splash of sparkling water

squeeze of lemon

Shake ingredients in a shaker and pour in chilled martini glass. Garnish with pomegranate fruit.

What Happens to Pumpkins When Halloween is Over

2009-11-02T22:37:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

Not only had my roommate Michelle never tried pumpkin pie, she had also never carved a pumpkin. Blasphemy! So this Wednesday all of my closest friends came over. We carved pumpkins, drank apple cider, ate carmel apples and roasted pumpkin seeds. My pumpkin was carved into a cute monster and Michelle's was a heart, simple but pretty darn good for her first pumpkin ever. Here are some cute pictures from our pumpkin carving party. Have an awesome Halloween everyone!!!

Love at First Bite

2009-10-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Pie is my favorite food, hands down. My room mates and I have been known to go on 2:00 in the morning runs to the grocery store to buy a whole pumpkin pie. We all gather round, dig in like ravenous cave women and are soon left with an empty pie tin and 7 used forks. This month I was appalled to learn that one of my room mates Michelle has never tasted pumpkin pie in her whole life! I do not know how some one can grow up in America and live to the age of 21 without ever eating a bite of pumpkin pie, but somehow she has done it.My other room mate Sam (sorry there are a lot to keep track of) is a fellow food blogger. We decided to make a pumpkin pie.... from scratch. I have never made a pumpkin pie, let alone from an actual pumpkin. I figured I would take on the challenge so that Michelle's first bite of pumpkin pie would be the real, homemade stuff and not the store bought kind.

Saturday morning I went to the local farmers market down the street and picked out a beautiful little 5 lb sugar pumpkin. You do not want to make pumpkin pie with the pumpkins they sell at the store for carving. Choose a pie or sugar pumpkin for the best flavor and calculate that each pound of the pumpkin will produce about 1 cup of pumpkin puree.Making pumpkin pie was an all day event that left me covered in orange mush and flour. So here is how we did it: (most of this comes directly from a food blog Bread and Honey that I love)

Pumpkin Puree:

1. Cut out stem of pumpkin and discard

2. Cut the rest of pumpkin in half and scoop out seeds and guts (set seeds aside if you want to roast them later)

3. Set both halves on a roasting pan, flesh side up

4. Brush inside of pumpkin with melted butter wash.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour or until flesh is soft and you can easily stick a fork through.

6. When done baking let cool for 10 min, peel off skin from flesh and blend flesh into smooth orange puree using a blender or food processor.

Crust:

Check out THIS site for a great pie crust. Keep in mind that it is a double recipe. It will make 1 double-crust or 2 single crust 9-inch pies. Make sure to use REAL butter- none of that fake margarine junk.

A bottle of wine, especially some Two-Buck-Chuck, doubles nicely as a rolling pin.

Filling:

Ingredients

2 cups pumpkin pulp puree from a sugar pumpkin

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream or 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs plus the yolk of a 3rd egg

1 1/2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice (or just make it yourself: 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together sugars, salt and spices. Beat eggs and add to the bowl. Stir in pumpkin puree. Stir in cream. Whisk all together until well incorporated.

Pour into pie crust and bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a knife comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack for at least 2 hours, until fully set. Serve with whipped cream (homemade whipped cream is always better than the store bought stuff). Sam and I made some whipped cream and added sugar, cinnamon and a little vanilla extract while whipping it. PERFECTION!

After tasting her first bite Michelle smiled and exclaimed "it tastes just like Starbucks pumpkin spice late, but without the coffee". All in all, pie turned out excellent. Our pumpkin seeds didn't fair very well though. :(

Quick Oriental Ginger Dressing

2009-10-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Ginger is a food that I hated up until a few years ago. Its flavor reminds me of a song on the radio that you hate at first, but if you listen to it over and over again you begin to love it. Ginger has grown on me. I think the spicy root is one of the most interesting and tasty flavors around. Today I was so excited to find some fresh ginger at the farmers market. I had never seen fresh ginger before. It is beautiful but pretty weird looking. I was planning on using a little of it for a pumpkin pie I am making tomorrow but there would be a lot left so I decided to make something else with the rest of it.

I found this recipe for an Oriental Ginger Dressing. I had all the ingredients handy, so I mixed some together and made a quick salad for dinner.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons peeled and minced ginger root

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

salt and pepper to taste

6 Tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

1/4 cup Oriental Sesame oil

1 clove minced garlic

Directions

In a bowl combine vinegar, ginger, lemon juice, soy sauce, mustard and salt and pepper. Add the oils in a stream, whisking, and whisk the dressing until emulsified. Whisk in the garlic and pour over dressing.

Candy Corn

2009-10-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Around this time of the year I always get excited for candy corn. I am not quite sure why. Candy corn is quite possibly one of the weirdest candies around. It's candy that supposed to look like corn. The concept itself is kind of revolting and to add to that, the texture of candy corn is like wax or maybe really stale lucky charms marshmallows. Despite this, I have always loved candy corn. My boyfriend makes fun of me, but apparently I am not alone in my fondness for this odd candy concoction. According to Wikipedia, 20 million pounds of candy corn are sold every year and Americans eat enough candy corn annually that if laid end to end they would circle the earth 4.5 times! Oh and don't forget to mark your calendars people, there is a National Candy Corn Day and it is coming up on October 30th!

So I am sitting here writing this blog and eating from the bag of candy corn that I just bought at the store and sort of rethinking my whole position on candy corn. After years of looking forward to this annual halloween treat, I have come to the conclusion that candy corn really is not that great. It might be the Autumn Mix version that I bought, which comes with a mix of regular candy corn, candy corn pumpkins and "indian corn" with brown tops, but candy corn has lost its appeal this year. And now I have an entire bag that will most likely go uneaten.

Tomorrow my roommate Sam and I are going to the farmers market to buy a pumpkin to make a pumpkin pie... from scratch! I am so excited. I promise to take lots of pictures and and post about it later.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2009-10-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

It is October, one of my favorite times of the year! Haloween is coming up, it is pumkin spice latte season at Starbucks, the leaves are turning colors and bags of candy corn once again line the shelves of supermarkets. I have had some great halloween costumes over the years, some more rediculous than others. As a kid I remember dressing up with my brother. My grandmother would sew us matching costumes. I would be Jasmine and he would be Aladdin. Another year we did Beauty and the Beast. One of my favorite costumes as a kid was a witch outfit i designed myself complete with bright red fake eyelashes, long black hair and a shruken head i carried around while trick-or-treating door to door. Yep thats me next to my alien brother.

As I have grown older, Halloween has seemed to have transformed from an innocent holiday filled with candy corn, carved pumpkins and princess costumes, into another excuse for girls to dress in the most scandalous outfits imaginable and drink ungodly amounts of alcohol. I am pretty sure by now it is possible to find a sexy costume version of just about anything. As much as I love the parties, I miss the halloweens when i would return home from trick-or-treating, dump out my pillowcase full of candy, and barter with my brother. I'll give you three packs of M&Ms for that Carmel Apple Pop.

This year my roommates and I are dressing up as the stages of Britney Spears. There is innocent virgin Britney still pure and wholesome, sexy Britney wearing next to nothing, slighly crazy Britney flashing her vajayjay to the paparazzi, batshit crazy Britney that is bald and preggers, and full circle to the current Britney who is slowly working her way back to

the Britney we all know and love. Its bound to be a great halloween. My last one in college and quite possibly the last one where i will get away with such shannanigans before i enter the real world.

Later in the month my roommates and I will be carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds (pictures to come). Since i am anxious for some fall food I decided to make some Pumpkin Pancakes. I LOVE the flavor of pumpkin in just about anything and these pancakes are super easy!

2 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin
3 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 oz. chopped pecans (optional)
Preparation:

Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Using a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir until blended; stir in pecans just before ready to cook.
A hot greased griddle is best for cooking pancakes. Pur 1/4 cup batter onto griddle and cook until bubbles form and bottom is brown. Turn and brown the other side. Serve with warm pure Maple syrup. If preferred, omit the pecans from the batter and add to the syrup. Heat and pour over pumpkin pancakes.

Some Food for Thought

2009-10-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

I am not a die hard vegetarian, in fact I am not even a true vegetarian since I still eat seafood. I am also certainly not one to lecture others on why they should be vegetarian. It is a really personal decision. My reasons vary from reducing global warming to my disgust at the way agricultural and food production is handled in the US. This article from the New York Times this past weekend addresses one more reason why I will not eat hamburgers. I guarantee it will make you think twice before you order your next burger. Here is the video too.

The food safety in this country is appalling. Unfortunately a lot of the lack of oversight is caused by huge corporations that control a huge percentage of the food we eat and would rather cut costs than protect consumers. "Many big slaughterhouses will sell only to grinders who agree not to test their shipments for E. coli." Sick!

If you want to eat burgers, go right ahead. But if you want to avoid slipping into a coma and ending up paralyzed, consider purchasing your meat from a local farmer or butcher who is more likely to have relationships with their customers and care when one dies because of bad meat.

Papas a la Huancaina

2009-10-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

This is supposed to be a blog about cooking and traveling however, the traveling part will most likely be lacking for a while. I thought it would be interesting to try some recipes from parts of the world i wish i was traveling to instead of being stuck here in Seattle.

So this week I am traveling to Peru.. in my kitchen at least.

I am normally opposed to revisiting past relationships but for this recipe it had to be done. One of my ex-boyfriends was Peruvian and born in Lima. While we were dating his mom would make some amazing Peruvian dishes and gave me a great Peruvian cookbook so i could cook the dishes myself. Unfortunately the relationship didn't last long enough for me to ever travel to Peru with his family. Someday in the future i will see Machu Picchu with my own eyes.

Peru is known for its food which is really diverse and different depending on what part of the country you are in. Along the Peruvian coast alone there are over 2,000 different types of soups! Beef heart or "antichucos" are a common component of meals, alpacas and guinea pigs are eaten in the Andes Mountians and dishes with

turtle meat are common in the jungle regions. I found a great traditional recipe that was a little more feasible than fried guinea pig, called Papas a la Huancaina. It is basically potatoes with spicy cheese sauce on top and comes straight from Lima. The Safeway down the street didn't have some of the ingredients in the recipe, so today i ventured downtown to a great Latin Market across from Pike Place. The market was amazing and filled with all sorts of spices, candies and drinks that can only be found in South America and Mexico. The food was a little pricey but worth it.

Here is the recipe straight from my Peruvian cookbook:

Papas a la Huancaina

Sauce:

5 hot yellow peppers (ajies)

1 medium onion

1/4 cup oil

salt and pepper

1/2 cup evaporated milk

2 cups of queso fresco (feta cheese works as well)

4 soda crackers

Cut the peppers into thick slices. If you want a very hot sauce, the seeds and membranes can be left in. Otherwise, remove all the seeds and membranes. Chop the onion and fry in the hot oil, adding the aji, salt and pepper. Fry until all is wilted and the oil is absorbed. Let cool a short time and then put all in blender with the evaporated milk. Blend until you have a thick sauce. Add cheese and soda crackers a little at a time. Add water if the sauce is too think.

Boil potatoes. Arrange sliced potatoes over lettuce and cover with sauce. Garnish with black olives and hard-boiled eggs.

*note: I found a few other recipes online that added garlic, turmeric and a little lime juice to the sauce, which I did.

I also left a very small number of seeds in the peppers and my sauce was HOT! I love spicy foods so i was fine with it but if you do not like really spicy food make sure you clean out all of the seeds.

And The Quarter Begins

2009-10-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

The school year has officially begun and I am busier than ever. Between taking 16 credits and working 20 hours a week, I am taking a Hip Hop dance class at the UW gym and barely have time to grab a bite to eat let alone cook a full meal. It is weird to think that this is essentially my last first week of school, at least in undergrad. I graduate in March and the reality of finding a job is slowly setting in. For the first time in my life I am financially independent from my parents. It was not by choice but it actually kind of feels good. Unfortunately it also means not spending money on anything. No meals out, and no Starbucks. I am determined to be a financially responsible person, something that I can't say most Americans are very good at. So far I feel like i am doing pretty well.

My room mates and I were extremely excited to welcome the newest member of our household on Wednesday. He is a beautiful orange kitten named Gus. The kitten we tried to raise last year ate some ibuprofen that was left on the ground and died. RIP Slevin. So lets hope that this kitten fares better.

This weekend I am hoping to find some time to cook a meal. Any ideas or requests?

The Great Outdoors

2009-09-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

Flip-flop season is sadly coming to an end. My tan lines will slowly fade to a pasty white and Seattle will turn to a gloomy city coved in a constant blanket of clouds.

School starts tomorrow :( But for the last weekend of the summer and before our hectic lives of school and work start, my friends and I decided to go camping. I was in Girl Scouts for like 13 years of my life (kind of embarrassing to admit) so I love camping but I haven't been in years. This weekend fourteen of my best girl and guy friends piled into cars and drove about 90 minutes south of Seattle to a campsite called Ike Kinswa.

The park was gorgeous and right on a huge lake. The whole weekend

was amazing. The girls suntanned in the last bit of summer sun while the boys tossed around a football. Our cooler was packed full of Miller Lights and about 500 hotdogs. There is something so primal about cooking food over a campfire, popping squats in the woods and entertaining each other with stories and acoustic guitar rather than TV shows and facebook. I cant remember the last time I had dirt under my fingernails and felt so grimy, but it felt sooo good.

Campfire cooking is so fun and over the years I have learned tons of fun recipes such as monkey bread (which i have written about before) and campfire eclairs. This weekend I pretty much survived off of s'mores and potatoes that we baked in the fire and slathered with chili, cheese and sour cream. Simple but so satisfying.

After an amazing weekend, it's back to reality. I am hoping with my busy schedule i will still have time to post pretty regularly.

Piece-a-Pizza

2009-09-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

Baking intimidates me. In the past i have always made pizza on those pre-made Boboli pizza crusts but this week I decided to try baking a pizza from scratch. I won't lie and say it turned out amazing. The crust was a bit hard. Some of the proportions were a bit off i think, but the amazing toppings made up for the mediocre crust.

Here is the recipe for the basic crust i made. I also added a tablespoon of honey which i had heard from multiple people makes the crust amazing.

My toppings were:

shredded mozzarella cheese

crumbled feta cheese

artichoke hearts

sliced tomatoes

fear conquered. pizza accomplished. practice will make perfect.

Oktoberfest

2009-09-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

Ben Franklin once said "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy". I enjoy beer a lot. Not in a "lets get do beer bongs in the front yard at noon!!!" kinda way, but I love drinking a cold beer on a hot day or sharing a pitcher with my boyfriend. When i was really young my dad would always let me have a sip of his beer. My mom would yell in protest that he was conditioning me to become an alcoholic but i ignored her and eagerly would grab the beer can with both hands and bring it towards my lips. Every time i would take a sip expecting something amazing but would end up sticking my tounge out in disgust, left very confused at why adults got so worked up and excited about a drink that tasted so horrible. (hope i don't get in trouble for that picture)

Now as a legal 21 year old I enjoy the taste of beer and was excited to attend my very first Oktoberfest event yesterday in Portland. This mini beer fest featured 60+ beers on tap from over 30 different breweries located all over Oregon state. I can proudly say that I am past the stage in my life where Carona is my favorite beer. I have moved on to better things. Both my boyfriend and I had 5 tastes of various beers. I tend to lean towards lighter citrusy beers, while my boyfriend goes straight for the hoppiest beer he can find. After we had all 5 tasters we decided on our favorite and ordered a full cup. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for some outdoor drinking and by the end of our beer tasting adventure i was feeling excelent.

As we were leaving the beer festival we both noticed a sign for a distillery around the corner offering spirit tasting. We entered the back of a wherehouse and was greeted by a worker who proceeded to pour us each samples of their products. I find it so interesting how spirits are made with different herbs and flavors. The wherehouse had a huge shelf filled with bags of all sorts of ingredients that the distillery uses while making the alcohols including hazlenuts for a hazulnut vodka and wormwood and anise for absinthe.

Before 2007 absinthe was outlawed in the United States. Since the ban was

lifted, absinthe has been gaining popularity. Historically this drink has been protrayed as dangerously psychoactive and strong enough to induce hallucinations. It's often refered to as the 'green fairy' but many of these claims have been proven overly exaggerated. Drinking absinthe is fun if not just becuase of the way that it is prepared for the drinker. A shot of absinthe is poured into a glass. Then a sugar cube is placed on a specially designed slotted spoon which is set on top of the glass. While it is debated which is truely the correct way to prepare absinthe, the sugar cube is often set on fire and then set underneath as slowly dripping water fountian. The water melts the sugar into the absinthe and dilutes the strong alcohol into a cloudy light green mixture (hence the name green fairy).

Needless to say, my boyfriend and I returned home drunk as skunks and took a nice long nap.

Shana Tova

2009-09-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year! Its Rosh Hashanah the Jewish New Year. While my father is Jewish and I probably have one of the most Jewy last names imaginable, I myself am a horrible Jew. My version of Judaism is eating latkas and chocolate coins, listening to my grandmother yelling in yiddish and waiting anxiously to open presents every night of hanukkah. I was never taught hebrew and had stepped into a temple a total of 2 times in my whole life prior to tonight. When i was younger Jewish holidays meant huge family gatherings but now that I am not living with my family and my grandparents have passed away, I spend Jewish holidays with my roommates who are also Jewish, or wish they were. Today we made a Jewish feast fit for even the Jewiest of Jews.Around Rosh H

ashanah challah bread and apples are eaten with honey to signify a sweet new year. In addition, my roommates and I cooked matzo ball soup and chocolate toffee matzo for dessert. After dinner I went to temple with my roommate and although I am not a very religious

person who has any sort of relationship with G-d, I enjoyed the service a lot.

Now i am spending a lazy night on the couch with my roomies watching Dirty Dancing. RIP Patrick Swayze! You will be missed.

Flavors of Iran

2009-09-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

It is an absolutely GORGEOUS day in Seattle. Days like these are few and far between in this city of clouds and rain so i decided to go on a run. To be honest I haven't done any substantial physical activity in months so I was struggling a bit but by the time I came home i felt amazing, accomplished and hungry so i searched for something to make for lunch.

I really enjoy trying new food and dishes from around the world. One of my favorite things about traveling is trying the cuisine. There are a few things i wont touch such as the chicken hearts they had in Brazil but for the most part I love experimenting both eating and cooking with ingredients i am unfamiliar with. I found a recipe in the New York Times for a vegetarian dish from Iran and decided to give it a try. The turmeric and dill spices make the dish super flavorful and it turned out great.

Brazil Pictures

2009-09-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

My new room is all set up but my white walls are so bare and staring back at me begging to be decorated. I decided to get large prints of some of my favorite pics from Brazil to frame and cover my walls. Here there are- enjoy!

What Don Draper has to teach us about produce

2009-09-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

With a new season of Mad Men starting, I couldn't help but post this article. Don Draper might have no soul but he is still damn sexy.

Portland/Moving Madness

2009-09-08T18:08:00.001-07:00

I am finally moved in to my new place! There are still boxes of stuff and an explosion of clothes all over my room, but my furniture is in and built, and my internet and cable are set up thanks to my strong and intelligent boyfriend. I really could not have done it without him.

Since i haven't written in a while i will try and recap the last week:

The lease on my old house was up 4 days before the lease on my new place started so essentially i was hom

eless for that

time. I took the train to Portland and spent th

ose days at my boyfriend's house. As with every time i visit him, everyday we slept in until 12, got up, cooked a huge grand slam breakfast, and lounged around all day until we went out to the bars at night. He even snuggled up and watched Top Chef with me. Can you say best boyfriend ever? I think so.

One of the nights that I was there we decided to cook together. Its one of my favorite things to do with him and not to brag but we make some pretty amazing meals. We searched around for a good vegetarian recipe and found one for veggie "Unsloppy Joes." We followed the recipe but added a pack of ground tofu to the mix with some melted cheddar cheese and cilantro on top.

We also made some drinks to go along with the meal, Raspberry Gin and Tonics! I used to not like gin- it seriously tastes like you are drinking a Christmas tree but this drink is delish! Its really easy, just a basic gin and tonic with Chambord which is raspberry liquor.

Now I am settling in, unpacking boxes and surviving off of ramen until i have time to do a decent grocery shopping.

Pictures from Victoria

2009-09-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't developed actual film in years but yesterday I finally developed the film that i took pictures with in Canada. The camera is a really old but amazing Nikon that was my dads. I used it while taking photo classes in high school and this trip was the first time i had picked it up since then. I love photography and wish i had more time to persue it more seriously. Anyway here are some of my favorite pics from the trip.

Protest outside government building.
Market front in China Town.
Restaurant that my mom and I had Dim Sum.
Narrowest street in all of Canada called Fan Tam Alley.

Totem pole in front of government building.

Hold The Presses!!!

2009-08-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

OBAMA HAS A FOOD BLOG!!!!

complete with recipes, agricultural policy info, and restaurants the first couple eat at!

Canada Mommy and Me Vacation

2009-08-25T23:28:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Canada a few hours ago. Despite my impatience with my mother, the trip was fun. Day 1: After a 3 hour ferry ride we docked in Victoria and filed into a line to go through customs. I hate going through customs. I am way too impatient to stand in any sort of long line especially one in which intimidating police men ask you a bunch of questions about fruit and amounts or cash over $100,000 (i wish i had that kind of cash on me). Side Note: did you know that if you have a DUI you cant get into Canada? That kinda surprised me. Anyway when my mom and I finally got to the front of the line they asked us a bunch of questions, the last one being "do you have any pepper spray or mase on you?". I paused for a moment remembering the tiny pepper spray that i keep on my keychain for self defense while walking around late in Seattle. I would normally have lied and said no but for some reason i felt inclined to say yes. They made this huge deal about how pepper spray is not allowed in Canada and confiscated it!! Psh! So that whole ordeal took about 30 minutes more than it should have and we barely made our tour bus that we had scheduled. The rest of that day we rode a bus around the city and visited some famous gardens. Nice flowers- nothing spectacular.

Day 2 was better: My mom and I walked around downtown. Victoria has a really cool China Town so we made a point of checking it out. We walked down the narrowest street in all of Canada called Fan Tam Ally and got

Dim Sum for lunch. For those who don't know, Dim Sum is a typical Chinese style of cuisine. Translated Dim Sum literally means

"a piece of heart". Waiters walk around the restaurant with a variety of different dishes, everything from shrimp balls and sticky rice, to chicken feet. You can look and take whatever you want and sip tea while sampling each dish. After lunch we passed the rest of the day walking around and caught a ferry back to Seattle.

It was a short trip but fun. Took a ton of cool pictures on my film camera that i will have to scan and post once they are developed.

Oh Mother of Mercy!

2009-08-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

My mother is in Seattle. We flew back together on Saturday on the cheapest flight that she could possibly find- Southwest Airlines with a layover in Oakland AND the 2nd leg of our flight was delayed.. basically hell. We arrived at my college house that i share with 6 other girls. Needless to say its a disaster area and I felt horrible when my mom immediately started looking around for cleaning supplies and clearing the piles of empty beer bottles off of our counter. My mom has taken over my bed so I am posted up on the living room couch for the next week while she is here.

I have to move out of my house in exactly a week and have been pretty stressed out about it. I literally had an anxiety nightmare that it was the day our lease was up and we had forgot to move anything out. But, today I made good headway, packed up a good amount of my room, and am feeling a little less anxious about it. I found someone giving away free moving boxes on Craigslist. I don't have a car to pick them up so my only option was the bus. My mom is not so city savvy but i was so proud of her today. She tagged along with me on the bus and helped be carry about 30 broken down boxes back on the bus and shlep them all the way back home. What a trooper! As much as I nag her for a multitude of things from taking too long drinking her coffee to not knowing where to put the money when getting on the bus, she is amazing and I really don't give her enough credit.

Tomorrow we are catching a ferry at the god-awful hour of 8am (my mother's decision) and heading to Victoria B.C. to have a mother daughter getaway. AWWW how cute!

I better head to bed so I can wake up on time. I will be sure to take lots of pictures and add lots of "'aboot's and 'eh's" to my vocabulary.

My Love For Costco

2009-08-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

One of the many wonderful things about California is that hard alcohol is sold in grocery stores. This is not so in Washington. One of my missions while I was in California was to pick up a nice big bottle of vodka at Costco for about half the price at other stores. It would serve as a nice housewarming gift for my roommates and myself once we finally move into our new house in September. I did errands all day with my dad and our last stop was Costco. I cannot express my love for Costco. I have fond memories as a kid of running around the store with my brother eating as many samples as we could and sometimes coming back for seconds hoping they didn't notice. I will fully admit that I still do that. Today not only did Costco have a ridiculously cheap huge bottle of Absolute that will make my roommates very happy, but they also had an amazing deal on scallops as well. My dad and I decided to buy a pound. Neither of us had ever actually cooked scallops but I for one love them and was up for the challenge. The aisle samples were not bad either :)

I found a recipe in a Sam The Cooking Guy’s Cookbook for Ginger Scallops that looked pretty simple and delicious. The trick to cooking scallops is using high heat and not cooking them for too long. You only cook about 2 minutes on each side until the outside is browned. Also do not let them sit and get cold. It will ruin all the hard work you did. Eat right away (even if you are the kind of person who is polite and waits until everyone is served). You will be glad you did.

Anyway the scallops turned out great.

Top Chef is back with the season premiere tonight! Its being DVRed since I have to leave for a party, but I cant wait to watch it. Tomorrow I am heading up to LA to visit my roommate who I haven’t seen in ages. Post again soon!

Starving College Student

2009-08-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

I flew into San Diego yesterday to visit my family for a week. The first thing my parents did after they picked me up from the airport was take me to a great restaurant in Little Italy. As a poor college student I cant afford to eat out much. As much as my parents drive me crazy sometimes visiting them is a nice little break from my poor college life and they can feel good about themselves for spoiling their favorite daughter that only gets to visit a few times a year. I miss the good old days when my mom would take me back to school shopping and buy me a bunch of new clothes and shiny new pens and notebooks for the school year. Sadly those days are over. Having just come home from Brazil and moving into a new house in September that is almost $100 more in rent, I am dirt broke! Since I have been back in the US as a 21 year old I have also spent way too much on going out to bars with friends.

Basically I just need to crack down on spending money. The economy sucks and I am graduating in March with fingers crossed that i actually find a job. Ive decided the solution to my problems is RAMEN and this great website i found has 50 different recipes that you can make with the wonderful 25 cent package of noodles and seasoning.

Check it out: 50 Ramen Recipes for Starving College Students

Flashback!

2009-08-09T01:33:00.000-07:00

Julie & Julia: And Why Cooking Is Important

2009-08-09T00:30:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to see this movie! Is anyone else?

Michael Pollan is also a genius! -----> Check out his brilliant article for NYT Magazine

i know its long but it is sooo worth it.