Recipes - a call for help

I vividly remember sitting down with my Grandma Cronk one afternoon and thumbed through her collection of cookbooks. We are talking COLLECTION! At the time I had no idea the wealth of knowledge - concerning nothing but cooking - that occupied shelves and shelves in her house. This one particular afternoon, she guided me through some of them, I wasn't that impressed at the time - until now. If I could snap my fingers right now, I would be in my Grandma's kitchen, sitting at the table, reading random old cookbooks right now. It was a history lesson, a lesson on the real roles that we embark on everyday - how to feed ourselves and the ones we love.
The single cookbook that I wish I could get my hands on was one that was from The Great Depression - I think - or was it just a really SIMPLE cookbook. I am talking how to cook anything and use it all. I won't  go into the bits and pieces that are slipping my mind, I just would love to get my hands on it. Grandma - that afternoon left a big warm spot in my heart for cookbooks.
I have my very own shelve devoted to cookbooks. I do pour over the Internet daily to find new recipes, ideas and inspiration but it will never - EVER - replace a hard bound cookbook in my house. I am one of those geeks that might be know to read cookbooks before I go to bed..... 
I am running into a fatal flaw in my cooking adventures in the kitchen. I love to have dinner parties, I am saying that people come over ever weekend for food and drinks. I want to keep it this way and have a life outside my kitchen and potlucks get kind of old after a while. So, I try recipes here and there, new exciting things, out of cookbooks (I seem to trust my blogs more because they usually are a bit more honest when critiquing a recipe and it is such a community that no one that I follow would throw out for everyone to see *gasp* something that tastes really really... lame!) and they are horrible. Guests have been faced to "enjoy" a new baked chicken recipe and really bland appetizers. BLAH! I don't waste my time, money and energy making something that tastes like nothing or something that needs a cup of ketchup or any condiment to hide the flavor and I want people to come back.
I want quick time tested recipes that I know are crowd pleasers. Is this too much to ask?
So - what do I do? I need some way of archiving my recipes - a recipe box! If I could just get my hands on my Carol's (my fault for never being there as her last belongings were being divided up among family and friends - but if someone has a few cookbooks of hers that they  have no interest in, I know of a great home for them!) recipe box - that would save me all the work.
I am making my own recipe box. A collection of my favorite recipes, handwritten on paper, in the kitchen and the go-to for mid week dinners and the BBQ that needs a few sides, not to mention the perfect chocolate chop cookie and toffee recipe for the moments of weakness.
What do you do to keep up on all your favorite recipes? I need some ideas!

Playing in the mud!

I did it! I DID IT!

I went mt. biking for the first time since my surgery - count it - that equates to over four months - ages since I have hit the trails and ventured in the woods!

What a perfect day for it, come to think about it, it was sunny and cool, that was as perfect as I needed, I never minded the extreme mud factor to begin with.

Galbi - CHECK!

Oh and need I forget to mention the sweet new ride that made the day that much sweeter.... oh it is PERFECT! I can't wait to share it with you all. It is down right beautiful! It is John's "work of art." He has gone above and beyond anything I could ever dream of and has made me a feather weight, fast rolling, beauty just for me (well I actually think that he really wants it). Did I mention this bike is perfect. I can hardly stand to wait until the next time I get to ride it. Too bad it is the awesome "shoulder season " here in the "ham bone and it is going to rain all week. 

So the ride was great and then we had the people that we biked with over for a BBQ - the second BBQ of the weekend - that is. I love our new deck and it is getting use. What is better than feeding friends, chatting, enjoying the sunset, and every single one of us were whooped from biking that day - all 10 of us.

Life just got so much better - summer - here I come!

Explosion of global groceries

I usually never take the time to stray from my self-inflicted routine. My weekends are usually filled with friends and I find myself devoting most of the days to being active. I rarely take the time to do other things, like go shopping for an entire day. My sweet, dear friend Az broke me loose of the same old - same old and took me to Seattle for a day of Asian food, girl time and window shopping. A well needed break for me and my tender knee.

Az has been raving about "H Mart" a Asian/Global market north of Seattle for some time now and my interest in adding new things into the bland routine made me jump at the opportunity to have someone just as passionate and have similar tastes (besides the greasy beef) give me the grand tour. She gave me the Asian 101 experience and I didn't even have to leave the country. She explained simple cooking techniques, what she likes, what makes your lips tingle.... and a true interest in walking down every isle with me.

The produce section blew the socks off of anything I have ever seen. The variety was a little overwhelming. Choice in the produce section - that is nothing I usually see at the local markets. Banana flowers? Who knew! A bazillion different types of noodles, fresh, frozen, and dried. Sauces and pastes.... endless varieties.  Seaweed, salads, fresh, died (yummy!). Then the real mind opener - the meat section. The cuts of beef were nothing like I am accustomed to seeing, very thin, interesting cuts. From the meat section comes the seafood section. This is where Az and I share very similar interests. I could live on seafood and the variety that was to be found was a bit overwhelming. Fish in ALL forms - dried, salted, raw, frozen, fresh, and just mysterious. I LOVE pickled fish, and dried fish so I picked out a few gems that looked of good quality and sure to gross out a handful of people if they were to look through my cupboard - or as Joe would refer to a certain type of seaweed, "it tastes like low tide!"

Lunch at the food court is not to be missed - something that we just can't get close to in Bellingham - well unless Az is cooking.

A new do

Before making any life changing decisions in the name of "something has to change!!!" a good haircut and color does the trick for me. I have been burnt out on "things" lately and I needed to be pampered = personal day! I did it, something I highly recomend to most people, words of advice: take a day off in the week and have it to yourself; no work, ignore chores, turn a blind eye to the messy house and just enjoy the day by pampering yourself.

A couple of weeks ago I ran into an old coworker from my days working in the floral shop. Since rocking the counter at Starbucks and putting herself through school, Amy has became a hair styling guru at the new Honey Salon. This salon has reputable and well known stylists in Bellingham. The girls there rock. Amy has style worth coveting including a gorgeous personality and irristable charm - and mad styling skills.

I went in for a cut and color, something that until now I was cheap and indescrimnate about. My hair will never be subject to such torture again. Each time I experiance the talent and true passion for hair at Honey, I leave feeling like a million dollars.

This time I let Amy finally striaghten my hair ( I have wild curly long hair...).

Unbelievable.

Thanks Susie for getting some documentaion!

Eating with a passion

J and I flew the coop this weekend, dashing to Seattle for a short bit to check in on our long lost online-ordained minister and former Bellinghamite.


The mission was simple: eat in the big city.

Mission accomplished (and then some).

"D.lux" needed some prep from his long lost Texan friend for his week in the Fort Worth area. We offically readied his palate for all the Mexican, BBQ, and burgers that one can stomach in the great lone star state.

While in Seattle I tend to get overwhelmed with the plethora of food options, every corner there is a resteraunt or bar, oh the big city! We started with Italian for dinner, followed by a dessert of martinis at Julia's.

The real treat of our food adventure was Sunday morning as we noshed at a top notch cafe and new favorite dinning spot: Portage Bay Cafe. As most of you know I have a slight obsession with fruit, I - can't - get - enough - ever - period. As we walked in the first thing I spotted was a topping bar that consisted of fresh (as fresh as one could get this time of year. My heart fluttered with excitment. I left with a stomache ache.

As if this caloric intake wasn't enough by noon my hunger was rearing its head again and was going to be satisfied by Dick's. A burger and french fries did me in. TKO.

Mmmmm........ Several fantastic meals at establishments that are socially aware. I can get behind that.

Tales of my knee

I think I may be close to 75% with my "new" knee.
So close, so close!
The surgery worked or so it seems. I visit with my surgon this afternoon at which point he will give me a timeline for the next couple of monthes, smile and tell me that everything looks good and then send the bill. Gripping!
After spending the weekend tangling (litterlally getting attacked), whacking, chopping, cursing, pulling, cursing, and then digging out the roots and hauling away two truck loads of blackberry brambles. I HATE BLACKBERRIES! Non-native blackberry bushes are a waste of land and take an extream amount of effort to erradicate. The berries (left) look so tasty, why spend a weekend getting rid of them? Don't even get me started..... just plant natives and save the heartache when they need to go, just like ivy. Just don't do it.
J was a huge help this weekend providing motavation, lots of time and grunt work. Every bit of effort will help with our overall satisfaction and resale value. One project at a time. Next: roof, landscaping, maybe a pump track for J....
Pulling blackberries, digging up roots and carrying wheel barrel loads of gravel is right up my alley on a good day but with a lack of strength in my knee and overall weakened body, this task was a serious undertaking, especially just eight weeks out of surgery. I made it through the project with no mishaps, just extreamly tired. After talking to the doctor, explaining how excited I was to get back in the swing of things he told me to hold on doing these sorts of tasks until about July. Whew, more waiting; looks like J has to dig, mow, and landscape the rest of the season.

A week made sweeter with crepes

I have been dreaming of one of an ipod tpouch for some time now. When I finally broke down and purchased one, I felt as if I needed to cut out some other part of my budget inorder to compensate for the rather extravagant purchase. So I did, and I saved money, ate better, drank less and spent more time at home. I decided that I would cut out eating at resteraunts for a week to offset the needless electronic purchase.

I was forced to cook for myself and J. It is all too easy for us to come home tired and a little hungry, looking for comfort to go sit down at a local resteraunt and have a glass of wine/beer and a plate of food. Don't misunderstand this as if I don't totally enjoy this and look forward to it but it adds up in the bankroll and my waist.

I made a yummy pot of split pea soup to start off the week, which fed us for a couple of days and I am happy to say that I polished off every green smudgen of this wonderful dish. I knew that I loved split pea soup, but I didn't know I would go so far as to licking most of the dishes clean and still wanting more.

In typical fashion I went overboard when I decided to make crepes for the oncle monthly ladies night. I made crepes and the gals all brought a filling which included mushrooms, spinach, ricotta cheese, a creamy mixture of chicken and asperagus, and for dessert we swooned over fresh fruit chocolate and whipped cream.

I came home inspired by the novelity of crepes and made a couple more batches to share with coworkers at a staff meeting. For this I prefilled crepes with a mixture of equal parts cream cheese and cottage cheese, a dash of sugar, vanilla and salt that was whipped up in a food processor. The next morning as I started the day at the crack of dawn I popped these in the oven to warm up and totted them to work with a jar of fruit preserves to garnish the top.

J went climbing in Squamish on Friday, what a great way to bring in Spring and take advantage of this great weather in early March. Knowing that they got stuck in hanous traffic on a Friday afternoon in Vancouver only to get to the border and wait a few more HOURS without dinner and I had gone on a bike ride, we were in need of some animal protien. I rarely cook meat, I leave it up to J and the bbq, but I can handle cooking meat in the crock pot so in the early afternoon I put a pork roast in the crockpot with bay leaves, garlic and red wine. In a couple hours it comes out anf just falls apart at the sight of a fork. Perfect! I took the pork and the savory broth that was produced in the crockpot and miced it with chopped onion, cabbage, soy sauce, and sesame oil, fried it in a cast iron skillet and then added some udon noodles. Perfect dinner and tasty leftovers.

To top off this week of eating in, we (including me!) made hamburgers! I can't remeber the last time that I ate a hamburger so needles to say it tasted increadible. Saturady was a perfect day in Bellingham, a perfect day to sit on a patio. We brainstormed the resteraunts in Bellingham to go sit on a patio and then realized why we spent thousands of dollars on our desck, there is no place in Bellingham to sit on a patio and have a bite, it was an unanimous decision that we had to cook on the grill and enjoy our deck. By the time that dinner was done, it was to chilly to eat on the deck so we watched the sunset in the comfort of our house through the windows. Back to the burgers and the red meat uphoria.... covered in blue cheese, avacado, lettuce and tomatoe smooshed between an english muffin. Ahhh.... summer here we come!

There I did it, no eating out all week which lead to a happy bank account and a new toy!!

Crepes
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking
SERVES 12

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

clear stars

Write a Review! (optional)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 pinch salt

Directions

1. 
   

   Pour the batter into a pitcher or other container with a pouring lip.

2. 
   

   Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes or in refrigerate for up to 2 days. (This allows the flour to thoroughly absorb the liquid and gives the gluten in the flour a chance to relax.).

3. 
   

   Place a nonstick or seasoned crepe pan over medium heat. Coat the pan with a little unsalted butter.

4. 
   

   Stir the batter and pour about 2 tablespoons into the pan, lifting the pan off the heat and tilting and rotating it so that the batter forms an even, very thin layer. Cook until the top is set and the underside is golden. Turn the crepe over, using a spatula or your fingers (fingers work best here) and cook until the second side is lightly browned. Remove the crepe to a piece of wax paper. Continue cooking the rest of the crepes, buttering the pan and stirring the batter before starting each one.

5. 
   

   Stack the finished crepes between sheets of wax paper.

6. 
   

   Use immediately or let cool, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 1 month.

Cheese Straws

I admit, I am a snack-a-holic. By the time dinner rolls around I have munched my way through any hunger that I might of had for a real meal.  Appitizers, chips, crackers are rank high in my book.

I also really love dinner parties and cooking or a big group of friends, my favorite part of course is coming up with sensational finer foods.

When I first came across the recipe for cheese straws it was over at Smitten Kitchen and it was around the holidays. Holidays and parties go hand and hand. The first time that I shared them was at friends birthday party in which they were gone in an a matter of minutes (a double batch mind you) but anything with cheese would have been inhaled by this group of friends that had just spent the day at the mountain.

These really are ultra easy and you most likely have the ingredients on hand. Feel free to tweak the cheese to what ever you have at the time. I have substituted parmesan and even a dill havarti.

The best part about these is the amazing smell that comes from the oven while baking these.

Simply irristable!



Cheese Straws
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen & The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces
3/4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon half-and-half (I used cream, because I had it on hand; suspect milk would work just as well)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a food processor, combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and red pepper in five 5-second pulses until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the half-and-half and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.

3. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife (or a pizza or pastry wheel; both worked great), cut the dough into thin 8-inch strips, each 1/4- to 1/3-inch wide (dipping the knife in flour after every few inches ensures a clean cut). Gently transfer the strips to an ungreased cookie sheet (though I lined mine with parchment), leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. The dough may sag or may break occasionally in the transfer, but don’t be concerned — just do your best. The straws can be any length, from 2 to 10 inches.

4. Bake the straws on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.

5. Serve at room temperature. Cheese straws will keep in the refrigerator, in a sealed container, for two days. They will not last an hour at a party.

Alive and catching up

Good morning!
I have been dreaming of a lazy Saturday morning all week. I need some time to catch up - on everything. Taxes, bills, books, physical therapy workouts, and WRITING! I have changed positions at work, I now run frantically here and there anwsering questions, asking questions and being increadibly confused about almost everything for the time being. A challenge is always near to my heart and has been what I needed but it has left me physically exhausted at the end of the day. I feel like we have ate out all week, which I really enjoy doing, but is expensive and leaves me craving a home cooked meal. So today I plan to root through the kitchen, make a healthy and hearty dinner, get some bread dough going and cheerish being at home.

 And dream of the summer, good weather, biking, and adventures!

Tres Anos

As of today, it has been about three years since we were on the road, living out of a van, traveling through Mexico, meeting crazy wonerful people and following our bliss. Three years ago today, Febuary 13, 2008 J and I got hitched, tied the knot, made the plunge, we got married on a beach surrounded by family and a friend.
I would love to post some of the fantastic pictures that we have from the trip but we are in Bend, OR spending the weekend with friends, skis, climbing and a little R&R.
So here is to the day three years ago that I made one of the best choices of my life.
I have the best husband, like some of the finest foods, he just gets better with age.
Thanks for being so wonderful J, I love you!

For the love of bitters!

Oh my, a life with out Manhattans or pink gin, tell me it is not true.
I am sure glad I have a fresh bottle at home that will last me forever!
For the love of Bitters!

no need to knead

I have done it.

My house smels exactly as my Grandma's did.

J and I came home from watching the Super Bowl and there was a very particular aroma to the house. He thinks it smells musty, it took me awhile to put my finger to it but I know exactly what it smells like, my Dad's mother, my grandma. Her house smelt of bread rising, that yeasty, fermenting smell, almost too pungent to stand. Now my house smells of the same aroma, it is odd but I just want to take it in, I don't want to go to bed, I don't want this memory to escape me.

The memory of her may com and go from day to day but the lasting impression that she has had on my life will forever be part of me. Like the fact that I can take the time to enjoy baking bread. I remember when she got one of those automatic bread machines, it was probably like when the first vacuum was introduced to the house wife. The women no longer had to drag those heavy wool carpets outside and beat them with a stick, they just ran this machine over the fibers and removed the dirt. The bread machine took the kneading, the raising and the guess work out of bread making but still produced the perfect loaf every time. Grandma always had fresh baked bread. 
We had better get used to it because as soon as I made a "no knead bread" **yes, it is true** I don't think that buying a $4 - $6 loaf is worth it. I am talking about four of the most basic of ingredients that are mixed together and sit in the fridge over night. whal - la! Bread! Baguette to be exact. I didn't even lay a finger, nor once ounce of kneading effort on this loaf. Thank God! Over at Bakers Banter, the brainchild of King Authors Flour, they have a whole slew of no knead recipes, and even more recipes for the astute bread maker, which I aspire to be.Yes I made a perfect baguette for the first time and will never turn back, we all can make bread. Really, if I can do this you can too! With some high quality flour, warm water, salt, and yeast.... some time (little effort) I folded together a bread that will rival any bread that I can find in Bellingham (mind you we live in a small town with one artisan bakery). No chemicals, no additives, four ingredients, some time and some love.

There is always some more room in my life for some carbohydrates. Really!?! Why deprive ourselves of fresh homemade bread. My Grandma was on to something, she was so damn happy for a reason. So here is to making my own bread at the fraction of the cost of what it costs to buy, far less "stuff" in the ingredients and for doing what makes us happy. I will eat fresh baked bread by goll!
SSSSSSoon I will mow down of fresh bread after a long bike ride! Today I lost the ugly brace that has wrapped my leg for seven weeks. I will break bread to that!