oddfellows and ice cream

I haven’t spent much time in Capitol Hill in Seattle yet, but after my brief visit there on Sunday I think I’ll definitely be frequenting the area much more often. After stopping by Fleet Feet for a new pair of running shoes for Mr. Husband (expert knowledge and service at this store, btw, highly recommend!), we went to Oddfellows for a Sunday afternoon martini and snack.

 

And what goes better after vodka than a summer ice cream cone from Maggie Moos while sitting in the Cal Anderson Park?

Salted Caramel and Theo Chocolate. Mmmmmmmm.

 

Weekend Smorgasbord

Last weekend was a dining smorgasbord. Family was visiting and we had a lot of eating and celebrating to do.

We started out at Friday night at a launch party for Dry Fly Bourbon. This is the best stuff I've ever tasted come out of a bottle. Seriously.

After that, we dined at Steelhead Brewery. No photos of the food, but let me assure you that I ate a burger that was larger than my face and received absolutely no teasing about that fact.

Photo: Juliette Cook, from steelheaddiner.com

The next day we took my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and baby niece to eat Homegrown sandwiches at Green Lake.

Then we dined at Salty's on Alki.

Arguably the best view in the city (here is said view across the parking lot), the interior and decor haven't been updated since the late 80s and the menu is woefully overpriced.

But, it was a great place for a celebration and the Dry Fly Whiskey Manhattans were delicious.

And if that wasn't enough, we started Sunday off with brunch at Portage Bay in South Lake Union. Don't let this photo deceive you. Weekend mornings it's swarming with people and requires at least an hour wait for a table.

Photo: urbanspoon.com

 Needless to say, this week it's been all salads all the time.

More Fourth Feasting

If there is one thing I do well, and only one thing, it's eat. And eat we did all weekend long. Here's a recap of the gourmet menu.

This corn.



Turned into Grilled Corn Pablano Salad with Chipotle Vinaigrette.
 

This steak.

And these onions.


Transformed into Grilled Carne Asada Tacos with Fresh Homemade Salsa.

These shish kabobs.

Created one of my favorite things to eat on the boat. Cous Cous, Yogurt and Cilantro, and grilled chicken shish kabobs.

And no Fourth of July would be complete without a real American picnic of hot dogs and coleslaw and corn on the cob.

And since boating is kind of like camping but better. We topped off the weekend with barbecued s'mores.



And now I'm off to do a thousand situps.

Seriously.

Garlic Basil Grilled Chicken with Caprese Salad

The other night we (and by we, I mean my husband, who is much calmer in the kitchen) made the Garlic Basil Grilled Chicken with Caprese Salad recipe from this month's Sunset magazine. Trust me, this recipe is a keeper. It was so easy, fresh and contains many ingredients you may have on hand or in your garden. Note to self: buy a basil plant!

Here's how we adjusted the recipe slightly for two. Click here for the original recipe.

Chicken

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 small boneless chicken breast halves 

Mince basil and garlic and mix with other ingredients in small bowl. Coat chicken breasts. Grill chicken until cooked through on outside grill or, in our case as we are apartment dwellers, the George Forman. :)

 It's not often that raw chicken looks so good I want to photograph it!



 

Caprese Salad

• A few handfuls of heirloom and grape tomatoes
• 6 slices slices of fresh, hand stretched mozzarella
• 1 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
•  A few dashes of fig balsamic vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Halve grape tomatoes and slice larger tomatoes into bite size pieces. Mix tomatoes and other ingredients, except for cheese and let stand. Serve over mozzarella slices.

The perfect addition to the meal, a local olive bread dipped in olive oil and fig balsamic vinegar.

The finished product! Such a refreshing flavor and a great change for a summer meal.

baseball, brats, and beer

What better way to celebrate Dad's Day than with baseball, brats, and beer? And that's exactly what we did on Sunday at Safeco field.

It was cloudy, but it didn't rain. So the roof of the stadium was open.

We snacked on hot dogs, garlic fries, and beer.

And to top off a great day, the Mariners won! Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there (including mine!).

OMG, Arugula Patch

Can we talk about pizza? It's probably my most favorite food. No, wait, yes, it IS my most favorite food. And I regularly rotate through phases of My. Favorite. Pizza. Ever. My current fave is the Arugula Patch from Zaw Artisan Bake at Home Pizza.

The people who work at the Queen Anne Zaw are SO NICE and they make an amazing pizza that comes with a handwritten note and instructions about how to bake it. (Thanks for the great pizza Austin!)



The Arugula Patch comes covered in Parmesan, cherry tomatoes, basil, a very light tomato sauce, and delicate, thinly-sliced Prosciutto. Look how beautiful! Mmmmm. But wait! It gets better.



After the pizza has been in a 425 degree oven for 14—OMG, I'm so hungry and can't wait to eat—minutes, you garnish with a handful of crisp, green arugula and freshly squeezed lemon juice. I mean it is called the Arugula Patch, after all.

I enjoyed mine with a Granville Island English Bay Pale Ale to toast the Canucks in their loss of the Stanley Cup and watch the subsequent rioting in the streets of Vancouver on tv. Poor Vancouver.

But, OMG, the Arugula Patch is so good.

Now you tell me, what is your current favorite pizza?

Over Ambitious Homemade Indian Food

Good god, what was I thinking making two Indian dishes from scratch for a surprise dinner for hubs? I was clearly in over my head. Yet, somehow I produced two delicious vegan Indian dishes and the only thing I ruined was the rice.

To understand how intimidating this meal was for me to make, look how many ingredients I needed for just one of the dishes: Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry

When B arrived home and I told him what I was making and that maybe I should have just ordered in, he gave me a concerned look that said, yes, ordering in is a much better option because we're both hungry and you look on the verge of a breakdown.

But first, let me tell you about the first item on the menu, Baingan Bharta. When I was traveling in India last year I was so excited to try my favorite dish to order at Indian restaurants back in the US, Baingan Bharta. I searched every menu for my Indian food staple to no avail. What gives? Was it called something different in India? Was it out of season? I asked my Indian coworkers and they laughed at me! "That's home food," they said. "No one would ever order that in a restaurant. Only mothers and home cooks make that." I garnered it was the Indian equivalent to a casserole. One day, my coworker surprised me with a sample. She had her cook make me a special Baingan Bharta. "I told her to not make it too spicy," she said, as I picked up a small bite with my right hand and a piece of homemade chappati. It was like nothing I'd ever had in the US, whole chunks of soft eggplant and tomato that tasted smokey and rich and spicy. I kept my eye out, but even though I was in India for six weeks, I never did see it on a menu.

So last week when Jenna over at Eat, Live, Run, made homemade Baingan Bharta, I was inspired to try it myself. I followed her recipe almost exactly. Somehow mine looks nothing like hers. Probably because she is a trained chef and I'm a stressed out wreck in the kitchen. But anyhow. The only step I skipped was the blender/food processor step at the end. By skipping this step,  my version looked and tasted just like the authentic Indian Baingan Bharta I tasted last year.

Item number two on the menu, Chickpea Cauliflower Curry, was a recipe I half invented and half adapted from Almost Vegetarian by Diana Shaw.

Chickpea Cauliflower Curry
1-2 inch chunk of ginger peeled, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 yellow or white onion, diced
1 granny smith apple, cored diced
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small head of cauliflower, cored and separated into bite-sized florets
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tabelspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons turmeric
Dash of cayenne pepper
Handful of raisins

Saute ginger, garlic, onion, cilantro, and spices in butter  over medium-low heat until onion is translucent.
Stir in apple, chickpeas, and cauliflower and cook over medium-low heat until cauliflower is fork tender. Add the handful of raisins.

The actual cooking of both of these dishes was not complicated. But the prep work took forever. Chopping, chopping, chopping. And I am not the most swift or skilled slicer in the kitchen. I really need someone to teach me the right way to dice an onion. My approach is more like the Swedish Chef with pieces flying every which way rather than anything efficient.

Three hours later, I had miraculously created two spicy vegan Indian dishes (and a gelatinous basmati glob). Paired with some store bought naan (thankfully I didn't try to make that from scratch!), it was pretty delicious, even if I was exhausted.



Next time, remind me that I can just order in.

Now you tell me (using the new improved comment form below!), what's the most surprising or interesting thing you've ever eaten while traveling?

Urban Adventure

Days with no plans are the best, don't you think? You never know what spontaneous adventures you will encounter. On Saturday we were walking down the street and spur of the moment hopped on a bus downtown.

We ended up at the Virginia Inn. Where we sat an outdoor table.

And consumed frosty beverages and delectable salmon snacks.

Then we wandered around the farmers market, listened to Buskers, watched the Fish Throwers, and complained that my feet hurt because the flats I donned that morning were not appropriate for a day of spontaneity.

 

So I found a shady spot where I could put my feet up and admire the urban landscape.  

Then moved to a sunny spot where I could lie down on the grass and admire the human and natural landscape. 

 

And snack on cookies. 

It was a nice day.

Yum...Cauliflower?

 
I am a recent cauliflower convert. Lumpy, white and pasty, I've never been quick to reach for it. In other words, I've sniffed my nose and avoided it in distaste. But I've begun to recognize it's merits and they have these adorable wee organic cauliflowers  (read: normal sized) at the market, so yesterday I thought I'd give a new recipe a try.

Roasted Cauliflower with Raisins and Vinaigrette, from this book:

1 head cauliflower, cored, trimmed, and cut into florets (you may want to use 2 heads if you're using an organic one)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to taste

1/2 cup of raisins (I used golden raisins)

1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Put the cauliflower on a roasting pan and drizzle with oil and salt and pepper.

Roast for 15 minutes.

Combine the oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper.

Remove the pan from the oven after fifteen minutes, and drizzle with some of the vinaigrette. 

Put the pan back in the oven for about 15 more minutes.

Combine the remaining vinaigrette, raisins and parsley in a bowl.

Remove cauliflower from oven and toss with raisin mixture. 

Can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature. 

It's so simple, nutty, and sweet! I served it as a side with baked Copper River Salmon and Sauteed Baby Bok Choy (a not so successful experiment, and hence, not pictured), but it would pair well with pretty much anything.

Never mind that this 8 ounce bottle of The Girl and the Fig balsamic vinegar cost more than the bottle of Argentine malbec I bought to go with dinner—it was totally worth it. I actually wanted to lick the bowl.

 

Said bowl pictured here. Not my finest photography. But, then again, maybe cauliflower isn't the most photogenic of vegetables?