Easter Fixings

My Easter weekend was filled with many blessings. I spent the weekend with my Father and Grandparents. And of course, we ate very well. Over the course of Lent, I gave up meat entirely. Well, except for fish. During this time, I acted as a Catholic vegetarian or a Pacific Northwest vegetarian. It is very hard to eliminate fish too! I would find it very difficult to be a vegetarian full time. Much respect to vegetarians. And just because I can eat meat again, I still plan on limiting my meat consumption to a few times a week.

With that said, it was with great excitement to return meat to my diet on Sunday! I started off the morning with bacon. I made a simple egg frittata with spinach, tomatoes, chives, cheddar and sliced avocado. For dinner we had barbecued top sirloin steak. I sauteed mushrooms, garlic, and shallots and served the mix atop each piece of steak with crumbled blue cheese. My sides included an herb salad with marinated red onions, bacon bits, and sliced avocado tossed in a simple red wine vinaigrette. I also roasted red potatoes and mixed in roasted garlic and rosemary. I learned a valuable lesson watching TV recently that I must share on how to roast potatoes to perfection. First, cut up the potatoes and boil them in water. Cook them until they are just barely cooked through then strain. When the potatoes have dried enough with their own steam, toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary and lay them on a sheet pan. Place in the oven at 375 degrees for about a half hour to 45 minutes. When finished, the potatoes will not be dried out and they will still have that brown, crusty shell we all love.

Our dinner was followed by a scrumptious strawberry, apple, rhubarb crisp topped with cinnamon honey ice cream. The rhubarb came straight from the garden. So did the chives mentioned earlier. Spring is here. The sun was shining on Saturday to prove it. Even though we are back to rainy whether, the plants are growing. There will be more bounty to share in no time. Happy Easter!

Learn more about homesteading every Monday. I'm participating in a weekly homestead blog barn hop aimed at getting those of us interested in the topic well connected to one another. Learn more about getting back to the basics by clicking on the barn hop logo!

Reflections of my Mother

Even as a little girl I remember my Mother teaching me in the kitchen. I don't think I really knew how much I would like cooking someday back then. All I knew, was that I loved helping her and being at her side. I would watch her carefully measure out flour. She would plunge the flour cup into the bag and emerge with a heaping pile but then would delicately take a butter knife and tap and scrape off the overflowing mound until it was perfectly flush with the measuring cup. I still do that! It was because of watching my Mother.

Our family had many favorite recipes. Of course, one of my favorites were her ranger cookies! They were crunchy, sweet and full of chocolate. They barely had the chance to cool down we got to them so fast. I love the way food conjures up memories. Growing up my family would go hiking and when we went we would always take with us picnic logs. Picnic logs are a baked buttery pastry filled with crumbled bacon, green onions, sharp cheddar cheese, and chopped chicken. They fit perfectly into a backpack or picnic basket. When I go hiking today, there's almost an expectation in my heart that there should be picnic logs! I have such fond memories every time I eat one. I instantly go back to being outside in nature with my family.

I also remember making big servings of lasagna with my Mom. Usually when we did this, I knew we were having friends over! It would be a feast! And I got to be part of it. I helped her prepare the many layers. We would mix cottage cheese and fresh parsley. We would saute sausage and beef with onions and garlic . We would grate fresh Parmesan. Then we would carefully lay out the cooked lasagna noodles so not as to tear a one.

I have so many recipes that are so dear to my heart because of her. Whether it is her fresh guacamole, fruit pizza, or gumdrop cookie recipe, I can make it even now and go instantly back to those special moments we had in the kitchen. Today marks the fifth year anniversary of my Mother's death, or as I like to say, her celebration of everlasting life. I miss her dearly. Her big smile and enthusiasm for life and faith, however, is not lost to me. She continues to be an inspiration in my life. I can see her in myself, in my Sisters, in my Aunts and Uncles, in my Grandmother, in my Father, and in our friends. What a blessing and gift.

Today, I reflect on the many memories she's given me and I smile. I'd imagine she would be reading this blog and getting excited about what she's planted in her own garden and how it's growing. I love this picture of her and I. This happiness is eternal and is exactly the way I remember us. I am so thankful for my Mother. Even in the gentlest breeze, she is still teaching me.

Seven Course Birthday Meal

This weekend I had the fantastic fortune of sharing it with my family. Particularly, with my Aunt and Uncle, Father, and Grandparents. Why the gathering? We were celebrating my Dad's 58th birthday. I love my Dad and I love celebrations. My Aunt Kathleen and I make a great team in the kitchen and together we created a culinary feast serving up a seven course dinner. We collaborated for a week, throwing out suggestions for favorite recipes. Below you will find a sample of our wonderful meal together!

Above. Our lovely table setting. We were going for an elegant, casual look. Despite the snowy landscape outside, we were able to find a simple winter bouquet for the table.

Above. Printed menus that Kathy created add a special touch to each place setting.

Above. We grilled artichokes and dipped them in homemade aioli. This was seriously one of my favorite courses of the evening! The salt and garlic drizzled on the artichokes during grilling paired wonderfully with the smokiness of the artichokes dipped in the creamy, garlic aioli.

Above. Does this look unfamiliar to you? To me it looks oddly like a gooey duck, but it is in fact horseradish! It was grown in my Uncle's backyard. He made a delicious sauce from it for our steak.

Above. Who needs coffee, when you can grate horseradish! If anything, it will wake you up in the morning. It's fresh and spicy and pairs well with sour cream and chives.

Above. We made a lovely caramelized apple bread pudding with a loaf of brioche. Our caramel sauce topping failed, but it was delicious without it!

Above. One more nod to my delicious artichoke. I peeled off each leaf one at a time, dipped them in the sauce, and stripped the flesh off the ends with my teeth. It is a process but it is worth it. And what is left at the end? The artichoke heart!

Above. This soup was amazing. It's a tomato soup pureed with chickpeas with some added spice. It has substance and a lot of flavor. I used the chickpeas I bought from the Palouse last fall, a can of tomatoes, chicken broth, and some crushed red pepper flakes.

Above. I bought red and golden beets at Pike Place Market and created this delicious salad with fresh greens, goat cheese, bacon bits, and a bacon vinaigrette dressing.

Above. I guess I'm not as sophisticated as I thought! To cleanse our palate, Kathy made us mint lime sorbet. To me it tasted like a mojito and I wished I would have had a couple more bites!

Above. And finally, the grand finale, our main course. We had grilled filet mignon with Michael's homemade horseradish sauce, steamed green beans with a balsamic cherry dressing, grilled pears with feta sprinkled on top, and roasted potatoes.

As I mentioned above, we finished the evening with bread pudding (no picture unfortunately) and some great conversation. We also passed around a bottle of wine Michael made himself. I couldn't of asked for a better day! And my Dad had a fantastic time. Happy Birthday, Papa!

Why I'll Never Buy Yogurt Again

You know that trick that adults play on babies? The one where they cover their faces and then suddenly appear again? The babies must think, how did something amazingly appear out of nothing. Well, that was me after making yogurt. I know the yogurt making process isn't really that complicated, it is actually really simple, but it will surprise you if you are use to buying yogurt in 6 oz containers week after week after week. I am here to tell you today, that making yogurt is so darn easy you should try it yourself.

I think yogurt has gone array in recent times. What happened to a pure and delicious product? I've seen yogurt in many shapes and forms including go-gurt (not technically a food), high-sugar yogurts (including those made with corn syrup), and now yogurt that is so sophisticated I'd call it fancy (organic, added priobiotics and fiber, and rich greek styles) that they (although delicious) are a pretty penny to buy! Yogurt doesn't need to be complicated, loaded with sugar, or expensive. By making it yourself, you are placing one less item in your grocery cart, keeping another Abe Lincoln in your pocket, and giving your body a super nutritious boost.

Here's what you need to make yogurt. Do you have an old cooler stored in your garage somewhere from all those summer picnics or beach parties? Grab that. Do you have a meat or candy thermometer in a drawer that you hopefully use on more occasions than Christmas and Thanksgiving? Grab that. Buy milk (preferably whole and if you can from a local milk producer). I bought mine from a dairy in Lynden, WA (Twin Brook Creamery). It was $2.69 for 2 quarts at Metropolitan Market. Lastly, take one last trip to the store and buy (for hopefully the last time) your favorite plain yogurt (to use as a starter for your homemade batch). You will also need a quart sized mason jar.

The first step to making yogurt is to make sure your working space stays clean. This includes the jar you are using. Heat up boiling water on the stove and pour it into the empty mason jar. Keep the hot water in the mason jar until you are ready to pour the milk into it. Also put hot water (just from the tap) into the cooler and close the lid to heat the inside. Now heat up 1 quart of whole milk slowly on the stove until it reaches 180 degrees F. Make sure to stir! You don't want the milk to burn. Once it reaches temp, turn the burner off and let the milk cool back down to 110 degrees. At this point, mix in 1 tablespoon yogurt into the milk then transfer the milk to the warm and empty mason jar. Put the lid on the jar. Empty the cooler of any water and place the mason jar in the cooler. If there is extra space add towels or extra mason jars filled with hot tap water. Close the lid and do not disturb or jostle for 10-12 hours. When you open the lid after this amount of time, (wahla!) look at your yogurt. Taste it. Do not stir it. I stirred it at this point before I tasted it and wished I hadn't. It still turned out great but I would of left mine in for another couple of hours to thicken even more. Once it is agitated it is more difficult for the yogurt cultures to do their thing. The longer the yogurt stays in the warm cooler the more tangy it will get. When you are satisfied with the taste, remove and place in the fridge. It will keep in the fridge for several weeks. Just before you eat your entire batch make another so you can continue making yogurt again and again from your own homemade batch! At this point, you can add vanilla extract, honey, or fruit if you are use to eating sweet yogurt or you can leave it plain. Either way it's delicious!

After making my first batch of yogurt, I realized just how simple it is. And it was fun! I can't tell you how many people I've talked to who've told me that back in the day when they were growing up making homemade yogurt was par for course. It was just something that happened at home. I want to eat more foods that are healthy for me and that I can make on my own. It is easy to have the attitude that making things from scratch is burdensome or time consuming, but yogurt is not one of those things. No more store bought yogurt for me! Plus, I'm excited to take my yogurt a step or two further by making yogurt cheese or yogurt based sauces like Tzatsiki (if you are interested in learning more about how to make yogurt or other fermented foods, take a look at this website). I'd love to hear from you, do you think you'll give it a try!?

My Easter Dinner

Eating locally is really rewarding but it can be challenging. That is, only as challenging as you want to make it. And such is life. My biggest lesson, while trying to make an Easter dinner made entirely from ingredients locally grown or caught was, if you can grow your own herbs and vegetables in a garden space (it can be small!) do it! You can save yourself a lot of money and when you grocery shop all you have to do is walk out to your garden. And who wouldn't want to do that!? My other big lesson was, be flexible, often times you can buy what it is you have on your grocery list but, more than not, if you visit your grocery store you will have trouble finding Washington grown carrots or fresh herbs at the local farmers market in early April. Therefore, you might have to improvise.

Everything I bought for our meal was grown in Washington with a few exceptions. I'll take you through each menu item. First, I bought leeks at the farmer's market grown in a community garden in Tacoma. The leeks were used to make a creamy leek sauce that paired very well with the salmon. In the sauce I used chives grown in my Dad's garden in Gig Harbor. The leeks were simmered in butter then dry white wine. Some cream was mixed in then I added the fresh chives. I pureed the mixture in a food processor until smooth, added chicken broth to thin it out and salt and pepper to taste. For the main course, I bought fresh King Salmon at a fish stand in Pike Place Market caught in the Columbia River. It was grilled on the BBQ to perfection and was rich and fall apart tender. My sides included roasted potatoes bought at Metro Market in Tacoma, a mixed herb salad with a red wine vinaigrette, and sauteed parsnips with raw local honey.

The potatoes were grown in Washington. I tossed them with finely chopped lemon thyme from my Dad's garden and garlic from Scappoose, Oregon, before roasting. The herbs for the salad were also purchased at Metro Market and were grown in Duvall, Washington. I mixed basil, watercress (the only item purchased from California!), italian flat leaf parsley, and tarragon to make the salad. I thinly sliced a red onion (grown in Tacoma and bought at the farmers market) and tossed it with the herbs. The vinaigrette was very simple; red wine vinegar, honey, salt, cracked pepper and olive oil. The salad was amazing. I highly recommend trying a fresh herb salad, it is packed full of flavor and it very much compliments the fish and cleanses the palette after each bite. The parsnips were also purchased at the Tacoma farmers market (an improvisation from my original plan- carrots), sauteed in olive oil and butter, some chicken broth and honey. When the liquid evaporated and the parsnips were tender, the sugars left over caramelized around each parsnip leaving them buttery, sweet, and delicious!

This meal was a fun challenge to plan and put together. It was a pleasure to eat and everyone at the table loved hearing the individual stories about each of the ingredients, where they grew and where I bought them. Preparing this meal has inspired me not only to continually challenge myself to eat this way, but to do it in a way that is sustainable to my budget (thus my emphasis to start growing my own food! Especially herbs as I use herbs in just about everything).

Easter Menu Planning

I know it is Good Friday and I am planning a lavish feast! I should say a couple extra prayers tonight at mass. But in preparation for the feast of Easter, I better start planning the meal early. Two days early should be good enough ;) After all, I shop at too many different places, so I have to gather things along the way. First order of business is the menu planning. I am making every possible effort to eat with the season, buy my supplies as locally as possible, and if no other possibility exists- buy organic or from California! Do you think I can do it?

Here is what I am planning. Grilled salmon with a creamy leek sauce. Leeks are in season. Have you tried one before? They are like giant green onions but their flavor and fragrance are more subtle. The sauce for the salmon will be prepared by sautéing the leeks in dry white wine, then adding heavy cream, fresh chives, and chicken broth. These ingredients will be pureed until smooth and set aside for serving with the salmon. My sides will include a salad and potatoes. The salad I am choosing to make is a fresh herb salad with sliced red onion, and then tossed in a red wine vinaigrette. The potatoes will be roasted with garlic and salt and pepper, and then at the last minute, tossed with finely chopped lemon balm (which I am hoping has already started growing in the herb garden)!

I've already purchased the fish from a vendor in Pike Place Market. I bought fillets of fresh Columbia River King Salmon, caught yesterday. Then I walked around the vegetable stands throughout the market to purchase the herbs and potatoes but was disappointed to find that all of it was being shipped from California. My goal is to find produce from Washington State, preferably grown on the west side of the mountains. As local and seasonal and delicious as possible. I will be visiting the Proctor farmer's market in North Tacoma tomorrow. We will see what I can find. Stay tuned!...

A One Pot Meal

This past weekend, a friend of mine invited me out to her beach cabin to enjoy a relaxing time with friends. A group of people, you know what that means!? I get to cook! Of course, I cook all the time for myself, but it is far more fun when I get to cook for people. Especially when they are my friends and we get to sit around a table and share something together. I decided to make a big pot of chili.

Since I was not cooking in my own kitchen, I thought some about clean up, the amount of pots I would be using, and also how many ingredients I would need. Chili seemed an obvious choice. Since, I always tend to take things up a notch, I incorporated some special ingredients; chipotle peppers, beer, and honey.

First, my wonderful and talented sous Chef and boyfriend Ben seared pieces of beef in a very hot pan with oil. Don't be afraid to get it really hot. The goal is to quickly sear the edges of the meat and then remove from heat so when the beef slow cooks it absorbs the moisture in the chili and traps the juices inside. Once the meat was removed, we sauteed onions and garlic in the little brown bits left over from the meat, which is called fond, which adds big flavor to the dish. Then, to add even more flavor, because it's all about flavor, I added one bottle of Deschutes Black Butte Porter then simmered it with the onions until the beer completely evaporated. The onions were sweet and tasted as if they were roasted with chocolate. In the steps ahead, after adding the beans, diced tomatoes and some chicken broth, we seasoned the chili with chili powder, cumin, chipotle peppers (in an adobe sauce) and a tablespoon of honey to add sweetness. The chili simmered for another couple of hours until the meat was fall apart tender and all the flavors melded together. The result, a delicious, savory meal that was sweet, smokey, and spicy all at the same time. To cool our mouths we topped the chili with cumin sour cream, crumbled cotija cheese, and a delicious avocado relish. On the side, we served red pepper and cheddar cheese cornbread. I wont be forgetting this meal for awhile!

Dinner Tonight

Last week I spent a whole evening, literally from 7 pm until almost eleven, making gnocchi (pronounced, nyo- kee) for the first time by myself. For those of you who have never heard of or tried gnocchi it is an Italian name for a thick, soft noodle or small dumpling. It can be made from ordinary flour, semolina, potato, or a similar ingredient. I've made gnocchi in the past from ricotta but in tonight's dinner I chose to use gnocchi made from a seasonal ingredient, butternut squash. The process was straight forward. I halved the squash and roasted it in the oven until it was soft and the flesh easily scraped out of the skin. I let it cool, added some flour, nutmeg, salt, pepper, sage, and oregano. I formed the dough into a ball and quartered it into sections. Each section was then rolled into a long snake like a kid playing with play dough! Small pieces were cut from the long roll and formed with a fork into gnocchi. I chose to freeze all of the gnocchi to cook at a later time. Which brings me to tonight. In my freezer, I now have five 2 serving-sized bags of gnocchi. So, I decided I would try a different sauce each time I cook it. Sauces can be difficult but I was quite pleased with the result of this one, a pumpkin sage and cider cream sauce. I first finely chopped some shallots and garlic and sauteed them in some olive oil. I then added heavy cream and mixed in pumpkin puree, added a splash of chicken stock and apple cider, and seasoned it with freshly ground nutmeg, sage, white pepper, and salt to taste. The end result was a rich and creamy sauce with sweet notes of pumpkin and cider followed by the savory taste of sage. It was a nice compliment to the butternut gnocchi. For a side dish, I sauteed some green beans with shallots, garlic, and lemon zest and then tossed the beans with some roasted pumpkin seeds. Overall, this was a festive fall meal made with ingredients that remind me of Halloween and Thanksgiving. One can truly eat wonderfully while eating with the season. I will write about the sauces I make for the rest of my gnocchi so stay tuned! In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed reading about my dinner tonight. Gnocchi does take some time in making, but it only took three minutes to cook from frozen. It is a wonderful thing to make ahead and freeze so in the dark nights ahead, after you've returned home from work, you can sit back and enjoy a comforting, fast, and delicious meal!

Memorial Weekend Dinner

This Memorial Day weekend I was fortunate to have a household of people to cook for! As with any fun family gathering, food is always central to the festivities. I wanted to make a northwest inspired meal for our east coast visitors that had a diversity of flavors but was simple enough to pull together in the midst of visiting. 

Now I'll set the scene. Cooking at my Dad's house in Gig Harbor is always great. I had sharp, professional knives to work with, a gas stove, convection oven, plenty of pots and pans, and a beautiful view of the Olympic mountains from the kitchen window to gaze out of. On my shopping list I had wild Copper River Salmon (right now fresh at Costco!), a bag of red potatoes, and idea for a salad. 

Since Saturday was an amazingly sunny day, we decided it would be best to optimize our deck time and cook the salmon outside. Our faithful Webber would once again be put to the test. My Dad grilled the salmon while I stayed inside to make a simple lemon caper sauce to finish the salmon with and garnish it with chives from the garden just before serving. What to do with the bag of red potatoes? Inspired from my recent visit to Astoria, OR, I decided to roast the potatoes in lemon juice and rosemary in the oven slowly until they developed a crispy outer shell and a soft middle. In the food processor, I made a green goddess dressing, for dipping the potatoes in. Green goddess dressing, if you haven't had it, is a wonderful creamy dressing made with tarragon, parsley, and garlic. For the salad, I took goat cheese which was then sliced into medallions. Each piece was coated with a bread crumb walnut mixture and sauteed in olive oil. Once both sides were crispy they were placed in the oven to keep warm. Salad greens were tossed with a raspberry vinaigrette, sliced strawberries, and then served with the warm goat cheese. For dessert we had a strawberry tart.

This light, springtime meal was a delicious way to end a wonderful day, to celebrate the company of family, and to honor the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom. Happy Memorial Day!

What's in Your Pantry?

I find that I am a better cook when I can pick from the ingredients I have available to me rather than have any number of ingredients to choose from.  Now this may change with time and experience but being able to make a meal with a handful of ingredients in my kitchen has saved me money, made for healthier meals than eating out, and can be a lot of fun too. So, what's in your pantry?

There is a growing global SLOW FOOD movement happening before us. Have you heard of it? People all around are taking the time to actually cook a meal at home, yes that is what I said. And by doing so, are creating a new way of living and eating for themselves.  The idea is to move beyond a food system that has become complex and industrialized.  It is a mission to reconnect all people, especially Americans, with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food.  By having a greater understanding of the many elements that contribute to the meals on our table, we can collectively make informed decisions about what we buy, where we buy it from, and what exactly it is we are consuming. Making meals at home, is a great way to get started.  

I've made a list of several ingredients that I have in my pantry that make it possible for me to come home from work, open up the door to my pantry, and create something delicious from scratch. Even if you depend on recipes to pull together meals, these key basic ingredients are staples for any home chef.  Add a few fresh, seasonal/local ingredients to any combination of items on this list and you are in for a classy meal!

Olive Oil, Salt (kosher), Pepper, Herbs/Spices (Rosemary, Parsley, Bay Leaf, Dill, Cumin, Paprika, Ancho, Cinnamon), Chicken Broth, Onions, Pastas/Beans/Lentils, Garlic, Canned Diced Tomatoes, Vinegar (Balsamic, Rice, Red Wine, or Apple Cider), Brown Sugar, Cooking Wine (Vermouth), Honey, Tomato Paste, Rice/Grains, Nuts (slivered almonds, pecans, walnuts), and Flour/Cornstarch.