Ashley and Maggie cleaning the kitchen..headed to Justine and Ryan’s at 7pm.
A 9pm to 11pm Seattle cooking blog
Will let you all know how this one goes. To read about our Chopped Dinner Party series click here. This weekend’s dinner party is being hosted by Justine and Ryan.
Here are the ingredients of which we have to choose three… any suggestions for appetizer, dessert or salad?
– coconut milk
– goat cheese
– sweet potato
– cocoa
– corn husks
– eggplant
– ceylon
– serranos
Will follow up with results on Monday. Dinner party is this Saturday.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Did you know caramel was spelled like that? Not carmel?
We went to sushi last night at our favorite spot- Hana– in Capitol Hill but when we got home, I was really craving something sweet! I had bought a jar of Dulce de Leche (milk caramel) from Cost Plus (World Market) a day prior so I thought I would try making Sipping Carmel. The recipe is inspired by a similar treat made at Walrus and the Carpenter in Ballard– yum!
What you need…
12-16 oz of milk (I used 2%)
2 heaping tbsp of milk caramel (as I was researching, you could also use caramel syrup but it will turn out thinner)
3-4 pinches of sea salt
Cheyenne pepper, to taste
Black pepper, to taste (can be a bit more liberal than the Cheyenne pepper)
Don't boil!
On medium heat in a sauce pan, heat the milk while stirring (don’t boil!)
Add the caramel and allow to melt while stirring continuously
Add the salt and black pepper, to taste
Add the Cheyenne pepper (for an extra kick)
When the milk steams, let it sit for a couple more minutes on the heat while stirring. Pour into a mug and enjoy!
sipping caramel. done!
Tagged: seattle food blog
Judging...
Oh man. Last night when I walked into our loft, there where no words to describe the balmy fishy smell that was lingering in the air…and then Mark…standing, staring at me wondering what I was going to say, pretty priceless :0) I was actually preparing myself for the worse when I was coming up the elevator because I had already detected a hint of fish in the garage (later I found out that Mark had taken out the trash a couple minutes prior).
SO- we opened up the windows and headed for Marcela’s Creole Cookery on James between 1st & 2nd in Pioneer Square. It was actually our first time and I have to say that I have been thinking about their Famous New Orleans Barbecued Shrimp all day…it was awesome. I even got to have a Original Pat O’Briens Hurricane (and I drank Mark’s too)…delish and can’t wait to go back!
Anyway, back to why the food of an angel blessed our home last night :0) When we got back, we desperately needed to rid of the stench and the only thing I could think of doing (after drinking two Hurricanes) was baking the last cake mix in the cupboard. Just happened to be Betty Crocker’s Angel Food Cake…just add water, easy enough!
I used two loaf pans and followed the directions on the box- pretty simple! About 20 minutes after I popped the pans in the oven, the house smelled wonderful again…mmmmm.
Mark had purchased strawberries at Whole Foods a couple night prior so I cut them up. We also happened to have ReddiWhip in the fridge so I sliced the Angel Food, plated it and topped with whip-cream and strawberries. YUM! Angel food is a low fat and low cal treat too…but….the ReddiWhip, is everything but.
As you can see, Jack was the official taste tester…sneaky guy! He loves his sweets!
We got his approval! Thank god 😎
Today I made a sardine. The loft stinks…I washed the dishes, threw out the trash and wiped down the counters (before ash got home)…then we left the house.
Here’s how it started….I watched this Gordon Ramsay video. Of course I did not have all the ingredients in the clip but here is what I had:
– 1 sardine Whole Foods Westlake
– 1 Sourdough Baguette from Ralphs Belltown
– pinch of salt, pepper
– tablespoon horse radish
– tablespoon ground mustard seeds
– 2 tablespoons sour cream
– 2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
Honestly…Im still not feeling right…the place still stinks and I rather not talk about it.
My awesome plating...probably not going to make sardines for awhile 8-(
Tagged: seattle food blog
Mark’s mom typically makes homemade chicken soup on Mondays but this Monday his parents were in California…SO, I decided to make the classic- Minestrone.
I have to say that this recipe was very light, yummy and full of tasty vegetables, beans and pasta shells. We did all our shopping at the Whole Foods in South Lake Union…they offer the most beautiful produce available- after Pike Place hours, of course :0)
I did use a couple techniques adopted from the Pioneer Woman’s minestrone recipe … BUT I am the Pioneer SQUARE Woman so here is my take.
Start with…
– 2 zucchinis, cubed
– 2-3 butternut squash, cubed
– 8 oz white mushrooms, quartered
– 2 tbsp olive oil
– sea salt to taste
Then…
– 2 additional tbsp of olive oil
– 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
– 2 carrots, sliced (no need to peel)
– 1/2 mayan sweet onion & 1/2 yellow onion (OK to use 1 whole onion…I just happened to have two kinds ready to use)
– 8-9 cups of low sodium chicken broth
– 1 can cannelini beans, rinsed
– 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
– 1 cup green beans, cut
– 1-1/2 small pasta shells, uncooked
– 2 cans diced tomatoes with juice (I had a half of tomato diced and ready so I also threw that in)
– salt and pepper to taste
– dash of curry (BE CAREFUL- I let Mark to this because I often over do it)
– oregano, to taste
– parmesan cheese, to serve
Roasting veggies:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees
Mix zucchini, squash and mushrooms in a bowl with the olive oil and salt
Spread amount two sheet pans and roast in the oven for 5-10 min (until brown)
Remove from oven and set aside
The fun part:
In a large pot, heat olive oil/garlic and add carrots, onions and celery- stir/cook for 3 minutes
Pour in broth and bring to a boil
Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes
Add cannelini, garbanzo beans and green beans- cook for 5 minutes
Add pasta- cook for an additional 5 minutes
Add canned tomatoes- stir/cook for an additional 5 minutes on low
Add salt/pepper/curry/oregano to taste
Add the roasted veggies last- stir/simmer/season before serving and feel free to add more broth if needed!
I garnished with fresh parmesan and parmesan crostini!
Note...Jack has been awfully lazy lately. When I was plating, he managed to position himself in the picture along with his mouse friend...as if he had been assisting the entire time. Sneaky guy!
Tagged: seattle food blog
Chickpeas raw
I have to get this off my chest…when I was buying ingredients to make this savory snack, I walked the aisles of lower Queen Anne’s Safeway for 10 minutes before I realized that garbanzo beans where indeed, chickpeas!! Sheesh… The same feeling I had when I was scratching my head in front of the herb section trying to find “coriander” for my chopped dish- duh…Cilantro!!
Anyway, these guys were super easy to make and you can add whatever spices you prefer.
You just need:
– 2 cans garbanzo beans/chickpeas
– about 2 tbsp olive oil
– and about 2-3 tsp of your own spice mix…
baking the chickpeas
I used the following:
– 1 tsp ground cumin (which I would consider using less next time)
– 1 tsp paprika
– 1.5 tsp garlic powder (I love garlic)
– 1 tsp onion powder
– 1 tsp cayenne powder
– 1.5 tsp sea salt
– 2 tsp sugar (a little SWEET and savory never hurts)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Drain and wash the chickpeas- it is VERY important that the chickpeas are as dry as possible. I was a little unsure on how dry they should be so I used a hairdryer (cool setting, of course) to make sure the were perfect :0). When washing, some of the skins will peel away…you can either remove them or leave them in the bunch for baking.
Place the chickpeas in a bowl and toss them with the olive oil…then add the spice mixture.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and evenly distribute the chickpeas.
Bake them in the oven for 50-60 minutes, stirring them around at the 20 minute mark.
Chickpeas can easily burn so you want to make sure to monitor them during the last 10 minutes. Let them cool and enjoy!
They do taste like a corn-nut…I am going to play around with the spices next time- ranch or parmesan garlic!
Mark eating chickpeas
Tagged: seattle food blog
star of dinner was the barrel roasted chicken.
Categories: Seattle weekends
Homemade Honey I Shrunk the Kids cookie (left) from the movie (right)
Mark’s favorite cookie (other than the classic chocolate chip) is an Oreo…which he has perfected the process and technique of milk absorption and timely consumption to a T ! :0) So I thought I would try to make homemade Oreos…the easy way.
For the cookies you just need:
– one devils food cake mix
– 2 eggs
– 1/2 cup oil, butter or shortening…I did happen to have shortening, so I used it!
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Blend the cake mix, eggs and oil/butter/shortening in a bowl…the dough is really heavy and oily (it is OK…). Roll the dough into little balls about 1″-1.5″ and place them on a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper. I am obsessed with parchment paper– BEST INVENTION EVER! Bake them for about 8-9 minutes (until they crack on top) and then let them cool.
While the cookies are baking, you can start in on the cream cheese filling!
For the filling you will need:
– 1 stick of butter
– 8 oz of philly cream cheese
– 3 or 4 cups of powdered sugar (to taste)
– 1 or 2 tsp vanilla (to taste)
– 1/3 cup melted white chocolate chips
Cream the butter and then add the cream cheese. Add the sugar, vanilla and white chocolate until everything has been creamed together. I put my filling in the fridge so that it could firm up a bit before I filled the cookies.
When the cookies have cooled completely, place about a tablespoon of filling on the back of one cookie and top it with another cookie…wha-la!
Just a side note…When we were at Saveway buying the cream cheese, Mark picked up a small pack of Oreos so that we could do a taste test BUT when I brought the homemade cookies into the living room for him to try, the blue Oreo wrapper was on the floor- EMPTY! :0)
Homemade Honey I Shrunk the Kids Cookies
Categories: Seattle Desserts and Sweets, Seattle Late Night eats
he’s gonna gonna ask for a martini glass of milk!
Categories: Jack the Cat in Seattle
Tagged: seattle food blog
the Seattle Cook 