SRC Reveal (shhhh, it's a secret!)...

Trick or Treat everybody!!! (see treat below...not the cat - the next bit)...

halloween cat at my favorite breakfast location...

You know, I'm really enjoying all this connecting and collaborating with other bloggers.. It's such a crazy adventure! I've met so many wonderful people that I never would have had I not started the blog, I am so grateful. Typically the ways I have come to know them have been quite direct - usually myself or the other person emailing each other or commenting on each other's posts, exchanging information - usually with lots of encouragement and support. This month though, I'm trying something new...

I'm trying... the Secret Recipe Club! The idea is that you get another participant's blog assigned to you (it's a secret though - the person doesn't know you have their blog) and you have to create something that they've listed in their recipe index. Not only does this push you to look at blogs and get to "know" someone you might not have before, but it also stretches your cooking creativity. This month is my first time and my assigned blog was Baking and Creating with Avril.

I have to admit, her blog was a bit of a challenge for me at first. There's a whole lot of baking - and we all know I don't bake. So instead, I selected a recipe as close to a year from our posting date (today) as possible. Her post was originally done on November 3rd and it just so happened that it was the first of her installment titled "A Week Night Meal" - where no meal takes longer than an hour to create.

First of all, I love that she designated an hour to a week night meal. Most of my friends won't cook that long on a weekend let alone a week night. Such designation still allows for real food to be cooked, enjoyed, and savored while accounting for the business of all our lives. Slow food meets real life. Love it!

Second of all, I also love mushrooms. Oh how I love mushrooms! That was really the deciding factor for me. So, without further ado, here is Chicken with Balsamic Mushroom Sauce!

Wait, one more ado... I'm supposed to mention if I changed anything. I did. A few things. I added a couple things and took away one or two. In essence, it's the same dish as Avril created only with more alcohol and less cheese. You can click the link above to see her original recipe.

Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Wild Mushroom Sauce 

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts, skin attached & dabbed with paper towel to remove excess moisture.

1 Lb Wild Assorted Mushrooms (i.e. crimini, oyster, porcini, etc..).

2 Shallots, finely sliced.

2 Cloves of Garlic, minced.
2 Preserved Lemons, pulp removed, rinsed and thinly chopped.

1/2 C Chicken Broth.

1/4 C Dry White Wine.

Splash of Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar.
1/2 Lemon for juice.

1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme, stemmed & chopped.
1 Small Handful Flat-Leaf Italian Parsley, roughly chopped.

1-2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.

While that heats, season chicken well with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat oil and 1 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to sizzle. Add the chicken, skin side down, and crisp up the skin for about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn, brown the other side and transfer chicken to a baking dish, skin side up and place in the oven to bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until the breasts have reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. (haha, those are some hot breasts!)... Remove from the oven cover with tin foil and let rest about 5 to 10 minutes.

Now, while the breasts are in the oven, turn down the heat on the stove to medium and in the same skillet, add another dash of oil and 1 Tbsp of butter. Toss in the shallots, garlic, and preserved lemons, stir well, and cook until they're a light golden color, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add mushrooms & balsamic and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

Turn heat to high and pour in the wine, lemon juice, and chicken stock, scraping the brown bits from bottom of pan - hello flavor! Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and reduce until liquid is half that of which you started. 

Remove from the heat, and season well with salt, pepper & herbs & serve with Gourmet Smashed Potatoes and maybe even a few Blackened Brussel Sprouts.

Eat.

P.S. You can check out my featured recipe(s!) by going over to Chocolate & Dreams and clicking here.

Film Friday: A New Perspective

Permaculture.

Permaculture is an ecological design system for sustainability in all aspects of human activity. Using specific design elements and zone structures, every aspect supports another (i.e. the cows rely on the grass which helps the chickens, which aids the soil, which encourages new plant life, which protects water basins, which are homes to frogs, which aid in pest control, etc...). Permaculture works with the land - not against it. It teaches us how to build natural homes, grow our own food, restore diminished landscapes and ecosystems, catch rainwater, build communities and essentially, how to look at nature in new ways that encourage it's growth as well as our own.

I've been fortunate enough to see some of this action in real life. If you get the chance, pay a visit to Madrona Farm - some of the most interesting permaculture methods are being implemented right here in our own back yard! And while you're there, get your hands on some of their incredible garlic! Holy moly you wouldn't believe the difference between it and the store bought stuff!

c/o Madrona Farm

This week's Film Friday is about permaculture in the sense that our relationship with the land is a complex one. And thinking of it as so is necessary to saving our planet and our place on it. Michael Pollan is making yet another appearance here on Film Friday. Honestly, I was going to put up a different video but I was so seduced by his character, personality, and the way he termed a bee as either he or she, and the fact that he utilizes the term "culture" rather than "society", I couldn't help but post this.* 

I hope you enjoy this little clip and that it makes you think about your relationship to the planet and by extension, the food you eat.

*One of the very first things I learned in Women's Studies was how the term "society" is so mis-used. Society refers to an entire population in a given space geographically (provincially, nationally, globally, etc...). However, "culture" refers to specific groups of people with specific belief systems, attitudes, goals, values, etc... and the differences that set them apart. The reason that using the term "culture" is so important is because of the mass globalized movement of people. We can't generalize very easily so many different groups of people under the term "society" - it doesn't account for the important and valuable differences that should be acknowledged. And there ya go - Women's Studies 101!

Mission Dinner Party: Success!

Every once in a while, things just seem to work out.Even when so many bits of your life are falling to pieces (or at least you feel like they are in any given moment), some things just. work. out. Sunday was one of those things. 

I decided to throw my friends an I-love-you-and-am-glad-that-we're-friends party under the guise of a belated birthday dinner for me. It was 14 people, 5 courses, and a ton of wine. And by a ton, I literally mean a TON! I counted the bottles after (including those that originally contained beer) and I am too embarrassed to name the final total. Let's just say, everyone ate well and they sure as heck drank well! Thanks for that everybody.

I spent all day Saturday prepping for the party and all day Sunday cooking for it. It was intense. I rented tables, borrowed chairs (if you want to see the lovely lady that was oh so generous enough to lend me them, click here), bought linens, made decorations, assembled menus, planned music, and relied on two very wonderful friends to help with the last minute prep (thank you Dea & Kendra!)...

...While John & Jon ever so diligently washed the plates and dishes between each course and also helped me send out the dishes. Thank you John and Jon for your support! Heart you!! (my John, not Jon).

The entire night was phenomenal! People actually arrived on time - and in most cases, early! That never happens. Ever. I had planned on having time to finish prepping the food until at least 7:10pm, but most people showed up by about 6:50! Except Kyle. Kyle showed up about 7:30. Leave it to him. (Just teasing, Kyle).

Upon arrival, lovelies got a glass of sparkling with raspberries. Who doesn't want fizzy liquor with delicious fruit?? Then I herded them all into the living room while I finished getting things ready. I had planned on breaking from the kitchen and being able to sit with them right away but the little fuckers were early! Early! Luckily Stage platters and crackers* were there to occupy them in the meantime. By 7:45pm, we were at the table....

One thing I didn't factor into my set up - how the ef were people gonna get up from the table to take potty breaks?? The banquet tables were wide enough for an elegant and gorgeous setting, but I didn't think about letting people get up from their seats! But it became a joke and actually, a bit of a game. Poor Christine - she got stuck in front of the fridge which wasn't so bad after we all got settled but before that happened she had everything sucked in and smushed against the table while we raided the fridge for bottles of vino, bottles of beer, and who knows what else. Good thing she's got a rockin' thin bod! 

poor christine... sorry honey.

And then we ate. OH! How we ate!! We started with Cazuelitas de Bacalao on a Firm Parmesan Polenta. Heaven! 

Then moved on to the salad course - Grilled Fennel Salad with Stage Bacon, Apple & Blue Cheese Slaw. Um, more please! 

Next, we dined on probably the best Polpette I've ever made, sauced up with some Homemade Italian Tomato Sauce on a bed of paparadelle noodles. These were so good, we chowed the leftovers with our bare fingers by the end of the night. Mind you, the wine might have had something to do with that too.

For the entree we chowed down on some (very expensive) Panko Crusted Halibut Cheeks on a Leek & Onion Ragout. That is, unless you weren't a fish eater - in which case you savored some seriously tender oven roasted chicken. So tender, so juicy!

Lastly, we finished with Wine & Spice Poached Pears with Lemon and Udder Guy's Vanilla Bean ice cream. A nice, light, refreshing, and tasty way to finish off the meal. 

And the weird part is, everything worked out. So perfectly. See? Some things just come together.

Yesterday friend Haydn asked me what I would do differently. Two things.

A: I would have taken more time to plate the food nicely so it looked prettier. If you're gonna do something you ought to do it right. That being said, no one really cared. They were just stoked on food. And wine.

And B: I'd have made the speech that I had intended on saying but didn't due to a fair bit of wine and a little shyness.

I have the very best friends in the world. The meal itself was great - obviously. But it would have been meaningless without my besties. They are what holds me up and give me strength when I need it. I don't know what I'd do without them. And while this dinner was a little selfish - um, anyone need a personal chef/caterer for an upcoming dinner party? ....it was mostly my way of showing those closest to me how much they mean to me and how very, very much I love them. They're my life. So thanks, everybody. Seriously. You make my life a success.

And as a result... Mission dinner party..... Success!

XO! 

* In order to be responsible I guess I ought to mention - since Stage has made it into a few posts now - that I work there. It's a phenomenal restaurant with a staff that really cares about good, whole, amazing food and wine and service and everything else that you could hope for in a quality restaurant. I'm proud to serve there, which is why I've been giving them a little how's your father in the last couple posts or so. They honestly deserve it. And while they aren't paying me to mention them in my posts, they are paying me. So responsibly, Ive declared that. Now, go there and eat. OR hire me to cater for your next get together. Seriously. (Not related to my Stage disclaimer but I thought I'd throw that out there).

Blogger's Choice Award Nomination

Hey sugar faces!! Guess what?! I've been nominated for the Blogger's Choice Awards in the Best Food Blog category! But I need votes!

...And because you're all such excellent and attentive and loyal and clever and amazing followers, I just know you'll click here to go vote for me... Please? (I asked nicely).

And now, I'm going to go read and study my homework like the crazy University committed student that I need to be today - even though all I wanna do right now is share my amazing dinner party experience with you that I hosted on Sunday.... Tune in tomorrow!

XO!

Guest Post @ Seattle Seedling: Apple Sage & Walnut Stuffing with Blue Cheese Tucked in a Pig with Butternut Squash & Carrot Ginger Puree

Good morning my sweet-peas!

Today I'm forfeiting my post here and making the trek over to Seattle Seedling for my seasonal guest post. Come say hi to Stacy (she runs the place) and see my Autumnal post:

Apple Sage & Walnut Stuffing with Blue Cheese Tucked in a Pig with butternut Squash & Carrot Ginger Puree! Check it out by clicking here!

P.S.... Coming soon: Accidentally Fem Themed Dinner party, 5 courses, 13 friends, and whole lot of stressed out me! Antics ensue! 

Grilled Fennel Salad with Stage Bacon, Apple & Blue Cheese Slaw.

There are some things that just tickle your fancy - like the Autumn sunshine glowing on your face through the dancing leaves of the trees as they gracefully drift from branch to pavement... Or the comfortable silence that inevitably befalls you just before you drift off to sleep in a big cozy mound of blankets after lunch... Or the first sight of Christmas lights in the 6pm darkness of October (yes, someone has their Christmas lights up already)... Or...

Or this: Grilled Fennel Salad with Stage Bacon, Saanich Organics Apple & Blue Cheese Slaw.

Fennel is one of those vegetables that pays a visit every once in a while to our house and I never really know what to do with it. It's anise/licorice flavor and crunchy texture usually results in a raw julienne and toss with lemon, eventually rendezvousing with some goat cheese, mint, balsamic vinegar, and beets on a plate.

This time however, I had an epiphany: grill that sucker! I knew that if you roasted fennel, the aniseed flavor mellowed significantly - so why not do the same on the grill, while at the same time adding a little charcol/smoky flavor to it? The rest that followed (the bacon, the apple, the blue cheese), was just inevitable.

This delightful and playful Fall salad gives your mouth a polite yet surprising little how's-your-father and served as a starter to a larger meal, leaves your taste-buds begging for more.

Grilled Fennel Salad with Stage Bacon, Apple & Blue Cheese Slaw

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

2 Bulbs of Fennel, tops removed, cut in half & then half each side again, delicately rinsed & dried.*

6 Strips of Bacon (I used Stage bacon, but any high quality bacon will do).

2 Small Apples (mine came from Saanich Organics).

1/3 C Blue Cheese, crumbled.

1 Lemon for Juice.

1 Batch of Balsamic Reduction

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

 

Pre-heat your grill to medium heat. 

 

Meanwhile, toss the fennel with a bit of olive oil, salt & pepper.

Once hot, place the fennel on the grill and close the lid. Let grill about 5 minutes per side or until lightly blackened and tender. Carefully remove from the heat and set aside.

As the fennel grills, core and dice the apples and immediately toss with the lemon juice and a bit of water to prevent browning. 

Next, heat a medium sized frying pan over medium-high heat. As it heats, line up the bacon on a cutting board lengthwise. Now slice relatively thin slices across the girth of the bacon. Once hot, toss in the bacon pieces and fry until crispy. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and place on paper towels to drain. 

Now that it's cooled, throw the bacon in a bowl and combine well with the diced apples, blue cheese and a little pepper.

Assemble!: Place one piece of fennel on a plate. Top with a small handful of the slaw mixture and drizzle with a couple Tbsp of the balsamic vinegar. Gently season with salt and pepper if necessary - though it probably won't be because the cheese and bacon should provide all the salt you need. 

Serve either hot or at room temperature.

Eat.

*If your fennel is not especially young there will be a tough piece in the center. I recommend leaving this tough piece in for ease of grilling. It's edible, but not overly pleasant. Just remove it or leave it on the plate as you eat. If your fennel is younger, you won't have to worry about it.

This post is linked up & can be found on/with This Chick Cooks

Use-What-Ya-Got Vegetable Bake

Sometimes you just gotta use what your momma gave ya! Or, in this case, what the CSA gave ya. Especially as we get into the colder months and the vegetables start resembling a foreign species of alien more than the bright, friendly fruits of Summer.

Speaking of foreign species of alien - which is kind of related but not really at all: Did anyone else watch The Walking Dead Premiere on Sunday?? SO good! Man! That show stresses. me. out.

Okay, back to food. Yes, the aliens of Winter. All of a sudden we start getting multiple variations of green leafy things, veggies with strange off shoots in every direction, and heavy lumps of unidentifiable root veg. What to do with them? If you aren't sure, tossing them all in a solid baking dish topped with delicious herbs and canned tomatoes works well.

Trying to use up the last of the veg in the house (CSA delivery day is tomorrow!), I threw together this gorgeous veggie bake. It's Spanish in it's inspiration and local in it's veggie application. Use whatever you have in the house - though I'd highly recommend the potato base to up the texture and heartiness quotient. If you're using a vegetable with a high water ratio (i.e. zucchini, spinach, etc...), pan fry/steam them off before adding to the dish like I did with the chard and eggplant so as to ensure you don't end up with a dish full of more liquid than veg.

Use-What-Ya-Got Vegetable Bake

(printable recipe)

Ingredients for Veggie Bake:

1 Lb New Potatoes, washed & well dried, cut into 1/4" rounds (a mandolin is useful).

1 Lb New Eggplant, cut into 1/4" rounds (same here).

1/2 Large Spanish Onion, finely diced.

Big Handful of Fresh Swiss Chard, roughly chopped into 1" strips.

3 Cloves of Garlic, minced.

Small Handful Fresh Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley, roughly chopped.

1 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

Ingredients for Sauce:

2 Lb Ripe Tomatoes (or same weight in diced canned tomatoes, most of the juice strained away).

1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme, stemmed & chopped.

1/2 Spanish Onion, finely diced.

2 Garlic Cloves, minced. 

Splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a heavy-based sauce pan over medium-low heat and cook the onion for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant and softened. 

Increase the heat to medium and add the tomatoes and thyme, stir well to combine, and cook about 20 to 30 minutes, or until thickened. Season well to taste. 

Meanwhile, as your sauce cooks, heat half the bake oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Once hot, gently drop the potatoes in batches and cook until tender but not brown, turning half way through if necessary.

Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and transfer to a medium to large sized casserole dish. Don't worry about a bit of oiliness in the dish, olive oil is a healthy fat and all the veg in here is just gonna sop it right up! Season lightly.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the eggplant. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden, adding a little more oil as necessary. Drain the slices on paper towel and then arrange on top of the potatoes. Season lightly.

Lastly, remove the pan from the heat and toss in the chard. Add a little water to the pan, cover with a lid, and return to the heat. Steam for about 5 minutes, remove the lid, and allow excess moisture to cook away. Throw the chard on a cutting board and allow to cool slightly. Chop roughly and spread over top of the eggplant in the baking dish. Season lightly.

Now, spread your tomato sauce over the top and bake for 30 minutes uncovered, or until hot and bubbling. 

Serve warm, sprinkled with parsley and on the side of some panko crusted snapper or halibut (sans sauce), or dish up as a main all by itself!

Eat.

This post is linked up with The Hearth and Soul Bloghop via  The 21st Century Housewife, This Chick Cooks, and Love Cookery Blogs.

Guest Post - Stacy @ Seattle Seedling: The Joys of a Skills Trade

Hello again, friends! It's me, Stacy, from Seattle Seedling. We meet again! Originally, I had planned to write a post along the lines of "fun with pumpkin." But I sat down at my computer, the following narrative came out, and I couldn't stop thinking about Kristy. Because while this post doesn't come complete with a recipe, it embodies the spirit of community that we both promote so enthusiastically on our blogs. It seemed to give a nod to our self-awareness as humans, who try on a daily basis to cook and create amazing things, but who mess up every once and awhile and sometimes struggle along the way. I think we've both learned that the connections we've made and continue to develop make living that intentional lifestyle just a little easier.

Because if you've read my blog at all, you've heard me say it before - I don't do well with failure. I have a tendency to set crazy high expectations for myself and get a little frustrated when I don't meet them. When I started learning to play the fiddle, the biggest thing my teacher wanted me to practice was having a better poker face. To not have that grimace on my face that says to everyone, I just messed up. Because that grimace would lead to tense muscles, which would make it almost impossible for me to play. Just try and relax and feel the music, he'd say. I never was able to make that happen.

I brought that attitude with me to the kitchen when I started to really cook again. I was inflexible and rigid, following all my recipes verbatim. And I'd get so frustrated with myself if after all the effort I put into a dish, it didn't turn out. My guests were always the understanding ones. The ones that'd say, it's not that bad. And they'd eat it anyway, while I'd grimace with every bite.

I'm happy to report though that I've come a long way. Probably because of my connection to all the homegrown ingredients I cook with, I've found a new rhythm in my kitchen. A fluidity and ability to problem solve and improvise when things seem like they might not work out. Don't get me wrong, I have to work hard to keep that scowl at bay when something fails beyond repair, but that scenario happens less and less.

This new found culinary flexibility and lightheartedness comes from many sources. It comes from the experience I've gained from the hours and hours I've spent laboring over my stove. It comes from the countless blogs I follow and the recipes I try from those that tried (and photographed) them before me. It comes from subscribing to foodie magazines that inspire and teach me on a regular basis. It comes from setting aside one day a week to challenge myself with something new I've never cooked before. And it comes from the knowledge I've gained from the people around me.

I recently had one of those grimace-inducing moments when I checked in on an apricot pie, only to find it looking like a greasy, gooey mess. The all-butter crust that in the past, I've made with success, seemed to sink into the pie. The fluted edges I made with care seemed to melt into one continuous, lackluster edge. I needed help.

So, like any savvy urban homesteader® would do, I reached out to someone in my community that could help. I emailed Kate, friend and writer of the pie blog, pie-scream.com. I asked her if I could sit in her kitchen while she baked a pie so I could learn her ways. And she responded with the most delightful reply, not only agreeing to my request, but also proposing a skills trade. I would help her transplant some rhubarb and put some raised beds "to bed" in exchange for a one-on-one pie making workshop in the kitchen of a friend.

While I would normally consult a cookbook, look on the internet for help, or pay to take a class, the mutually beneficial nature of a skills trade seemed to offer so much more. It's an opportunity to solve problems and get assistance while also building community, strengthening friendships, and helping others. So, next time you use Google and your own devices to learn or fix something on your own, consider also the friends, family, and community members you know who might love to lend you a hand. And think of all the skills you have to offer others in return. Because those skills and the knowledge you have that you might sometimes take for granted, might be just what someone is looking for.

Before I go, I'll leave you with some of the insights I learned from my afternoon of pie:

Take your time and put yourself into it. An impatient pie will taste like one.

Make your crust with your best tools - your hands. The food processor may be faster, but it will leave you with a very uniform dough rather than some larger chunks of butter that will ultimately become delicious flakes in your crust.

Making crust is like mixing grout - you add water a little at a time until it comes together just perfectly.

Don't over handle the dough. Show it who's boss then leave it already.

Honey makes the most lovely sweetener. When it comes to filling, it comes down to five things: fruit, lemon juice, sweetener, salt, and thickener.

When rolling out the dough, start in the middle, then show it where you want it to go. Use kitchen sheers to cut off the excess.

A little creativity with the vent holes goes a long way.

And even though you're tempted, don't cut into that pie for a few hours! Let is set first. You'll be so glad you did.

Learning from a friend, or in my case, my own pie mentor, is more meaningful and fun than solitary trial and error will ever be.

But don't just take my word for it. You can learn from my pie mentor too. Check out pie-scream.com to learn more about the amazing crust we made.

And be well, my friends. Happy fall!

-Stacy, Seattle Seedling

Film Friday: Working Hands Farm

Right! So most of you know I'm taking part in Gentri Lee's project, Package Pals. I don't have much to say about this today - except that it's awesome and super fun and amazing to connect with someone I'd otherwise never have "met" - and as a little teaser... here it comes....

Something else I've been talking about lately? CSAs, or "community supported agriculture". For this week's Film Friday we're gonna take a little peek into a Portland based CSA farm via their twitter campaign. They're called Working Hands Farm and they started in 2010 with the goal of bringing new perspectives to urban farming. You can learn more about them by clicking here.

For this project they put together 50 mini-CSA boxes to deliver to local Portland businesses. While I'm sure the video glamorizes farming a little bit - it's hard work, I'm sure! My 3 little plots in the front yard are a handful! - it does a great job of showing how CSAs work. Farm to table, my friends.

And, just as a side note, is it just me or does everyone that works at Working Hands Farm seem extremely good looking??

“When the community is connected to its soil the plants are not the only things to grow roots.”

 -Brian D. Martin (owner of working hands farm).

Farm to Table from Juliet Zulu on Vimeo.

P.S. I wanna work on a farm. I want my own farm. Anyone have land they need tending?? 

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

You know, sometimes I just don't get the hype. You see these trends that emerge, right? On blogs and websites and such and then you think - oh dear lord, I need to make that! 

It happens with the seasons or particular holidays or for no real apparent reason at all. But trends emerge. I'm talking about food trends, obviously. And you see a post one day on one blog, and then all of a sudden, it seems everyone is doing something with that particular dish or food item. It happened with dips and deep fried delicious morsels of all kinds of stuff for the Superbowl. It happened with panzanella salad during the Summer. It's happening with pumpkin right now. And it's not a bad thing - not one bit! 

The thing I do have a problem with though, is when the hype just doesn't live up to the end results. This post isn't so much to brag about my culinary genius - because let's be honest, I am a culinary genius - but to share a recipe that I think needs a little help. And I'm not too sure what to do with it.

Honestly, I was so excited for this dish after seeing it on multiple websites - but I was rather disappointed when I took my first bite and it was just "meh". Why is everyone making it?? What's the big deal? And if they've actually eaten it, why do they rave about the results? I mean they're pretty but that's not going to delight my mouth. So - in an effort to fix this issue (and to show Dad that yes, sometimes things don't work out so well), here are crispy roasted potatoes. That, for all intents and purposes, kind of sucked. 

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

4 lb Russet Potatoes, peeled, rinsed & well dried.

3 Tbsp Butter, unsalted & melted.

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

4 Shallots, thickly sliced lengthwise.

Small Handful of Fresh Thyme, most of which stemmed and roughly chopped.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F. 

In a small bowl, combine the butter and olive oil. Lightly grease a medium sized baking dish with some of the mixture. Set aside.

Using a mandoline, thinly slice the potatoes into uniform disks. Place sliced potatoes in a big bowl and toss well with the shallots, a good helping of salt & pepper, and the chopped rosemary.

Line the potatoes vertically in the baking dish and brush the tops with the remaining butter/oil mixture (this is good and healthy).

Bake in the oven for 1 1/4 hours. Add a few sprigs of thyme to the dish after this initial cooking time and then continue to cook for a further 30 minutes, or until tops of the potatoes are golden and crisp.

Remove from oven and serve.

Eat. 

And then get back to me and tell me what you'd do differently. Bacon? Cheese? Herbs?

CSA Week #2

Morning Sunshines! I say "sunshine" because today is anything but sunny and I need some sun. I had planned on uprooting whatever was left in the garden today and cleaning it up for winter but it's pouring and cold outside so instead I'm in here talking to you. Not that I mind talking to you - I love talking to you, in fact. 

And while I'm at it, here's our goodies from this past week's CSA delivery. If you aren't up to speed on CSA (community supported agriculture), check out this post for a quick run down. 

I can't tell you how excited I was to see a pumpkin in our box! A pumpkin! That means pumpkin pie! Or does it....? I've been finding all sorts of creative and inventive ideas for pumpkin usage around blog-land over the past couple weeks which I want to put to good use. Like this one, or this one, or THIS one! Regardless, I'm in pumpkin heaven!

Side note: Speaking of pumpkins - John gets rather excited at the prospect of Halloween because, being from England, he's never celebrated the holiday. Two years ago we carved pumpkins which was a new and exciting thing for him. Last year was the first year he'd even handed out candy. And by handed out, I mean he practically threw the candy at the poor little kids in their tiny little costumes. This year, he's already stocked up on decorations for the house, candy for the kids (the Nestle "Favorites" pack so that if the candy per child ratio is too much I can eat them - they're my favorite), and two massive pumpkins for carving. Demonstrated below is a photo of the pumpkin we got from Saanich Organics (CSA provider) and the ones John bought for carving, just so you have an idea...

See what I mean?? Okay, back on topic! Other goodies we got this week were:

 

 

• A whack ton of apples.
• Collard greens.
• 2 Medium Sized Eggplant.
• Fennel.
• Curly Parsley (have I mentioned my unadulterated hatred for curly parsley?).
• 2 Nice Big Tomatoes (hello spaghetti sauce!).
• Bunch of Gorgeous & Spicy Watermelon Radish.

What did you get in your CSA box this week? Are you involved with a CSA? Where do you ordinarily get most of your produce?

Ground Cherry & Apple "Salsa"

They cut down our tree last week. The city did. Fuckers. I know, it was diseased and not healthy and I guess it was becoming something of an eye-sore but now our yard is just a big open space with 3 very sad looking garden beds. 

Yes. They are sad. I've kind of jumped off the growing my own food train. For the Winter, anyway. The herbs are flourishing but everything else has just about had it. The tomato plants are dying off (even though there's still lots of fruit on them), while one of the tiny pepper plants is actually fruiting one single pepper! But the lettuce is gone, the cucumbers never really came to fruition (haha, get it? "fruit"-ition), radishes have been eaten, beets sucked this year as did my carrots - not sure what happened there. The cauliflower was yummy and so were the peas. My squash plants bursted all over the place with flowers but no fruit as of yet - despite the fact that I used a cue-tip to sex them up. The strawberries have bottomed out. The potatoes are still being eaten. The basil is gone. The cilantro is finished. And the nasturtiums were mowed down by aphids ages ago.

That being said, there's still plenty of local happy food available at the Moss Street Market and random farms around town like Madrona, Haliburton, and Saanich Organics (to name a few). In fact, there's lots of food just coming into season like squash, cabbage, many root veg, chard, braising greens, apples, watermelon radishes, and all kinds of things! Yay for Fall food! 

via moss st market

Speaking of Fall food - apples in particular - watch for my up coming seasonal guest post @ Seattle Seedling, coming soon! In the meantime, however, here's the apple and ground cherry "salsa" recipe I promised you to top off the Jerk Tilapia, though I'm sure you will be able to find a ton of other uses for this little gem as well - hello halibut, snack cake, duck breasts, or even, dare I say, crepes with dark chocolate and creamy ricotta cheese??

Ground Cherry & Apple "Salsa"

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

1 Small Handful Ground Cherries, shucked, rinsed and well dried.

1 Small to Medium Sized Apple, cored and diced into 1/2" pieces.

Juice of Half a Lemon.

1 Tbsp Butter, unsalted.

1 Tbsp Fresh Local Honey.

Splash of Raspberry Vinegar.

What to Do:

First, toss the cut apple pieces in the lemon juice to prevent browning.

Next, heat a medium sized non-stick frying pan with the butter over medium-low heat.

Once the butter starts to sizzle toss in the fruit. Sautee for about 2 minutes or until they begin to soften.

Add the honey and stir well to coat. Cook for 1 minute.

Toss in the vinegar, stir, and remove from the heat.

Allow to cool slightly.

Eat.