Summer Giveaways: Get your trigger finger ready!

July 23, 2010 by siirisampson

Hello Kitchen kittens!

As you may remember from a few recent posts, I have a TON of stuff to giveaway on the blog, thanks to the fantastic folks at The Meyer Corporation and Amazon.com.

The first giveaway is coming up on Monday to celebrate the Munch’s 2nd birthday. (I basically can find any reason to give something away…) He is very aware that he’s going to be two. It’s pretty awesome.

Making sure the belly button is still there...

I haven’t decided what to giveaway first, but it’s going to be good, trust.

Come back on Monday for the details of how to enter. You’ll have  a week to put your name in the hat, and then of course there will be many more giveaways this summer, so if you don’t win, just keep trying!!!!

What are you doing this weekend?  I have a date with Curious George, the Munch and some cupcakes.  Stay tuned  for pictures next week. It’s gonna be fantastic!

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Summer Sun: Let mother nature inspire you!

July 22, 2010 by siirisampson

Something amazing happens during the summer months in Seattle. Amongst all the hustle to get outside and enjoy the weather, every now and again you find yourself just for a few hours, doing nothing in particular.  It’s a really wonderful opportunity to remember how lucky we are to see the sunsets, hear friends and family laugh around the table, and smell, taste and touch the endless fruits (and veggies and meats) that nature has to offer.

For the 4th of July this year, I was in Bellingham, a city/town north of Seattle by about 80 miles, just South of the Canadian border. I went to see my sister, Kate, her husband, Nathan, and my nephew, Riley (aka The Munch). 

For fireworks viewing, we went to Nathan’s mom’s place out at Birch Bay. It really is incredible.

After a lazy afternoon walking the beach on agate patrol (I only found like 1 or 2, but as a team, we probably got 10!),  we had grilled cheeseburgers for dinner with deviled eggs and bruschetta (homemade by yours truly, including the soda bread which I’ll share in another post this week).

Then we watched the sun go down, and the fireworks begin. It was just spectacular!  Riley got to stay up WAYYYYY past his bed time, but we had to let him see the fireworks that everyone around the bay was setting off (including us – we were on the reservation after all)!

The next morning, I was feeling inspired and made a tasty apricot coffee cake. Not my best ever, by far, but the Munch didn’t seem to mind, did he?

So, next time you have a few minutes to relax and take it all in, do! You’ll be surprised what it might lead to…

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Inspiration: If you need some, open your eyes!

July 21, 2010 by siirisampson

Last night I was at the grocery store after a pretty long day. I was tired, hungry, tired and hungry (uh, wait….okay I already said that….that’s how tired and hungry I was).

I needed to buy something for dinner last night as well as something for dinner tonight, as I’m having a couple of friends over and one is a vegetarian.  I headed over to the cold case where I knew they kept the tofu (just wait to see what I’m making with it! I’ll post the full method tomorrow, after I’ve made it).  As I walked over there, I saw a little “turn style” (not sure what it’s really called), on top of this podium thingy (real specific, Siir’, thanks!)…..

I thought to myself, I wonder why they are selling seed packets next to the tofu?  Right.  That makes sense. So I looked again and realized it was a rotating kiosk full of recipe cards!  And the podium had a reference guide-book on it with divider tabs that showed how to cook every kind of meat and vegetable! I could NOT believe my eyes. Here are some free resources for EVERYONE to use, just sitting there in this little corner. I have been in that store at least 100 times and have NEVER seen it sitting there.

So, of course I took full advantage of what I saw.

Here’s a list of recipe cards I picked up to try:

Grilled Halibut Raspberry Vinaigrette
Chive and Rosemary Filet Mignon
Roasted Cauliflower Gratin
Baba Ghanoush
Minty Watermelon Salad
Brussels Sprouts Vinaigrette
Sweet Ginger Carrots

Tonight I’m making the Sweet Ginger Carrots to go with the tofu and then I’m doing a Kale pesto pasta salad. Can you say YUM?

For the tofu, I’m going to bake it like it’s my crispy baked chicken (the same recipe that I used for my Food Network YouTube Challenge Video) and just sub out the chicken for tofu, and reduce the amount of yogurt so it doesn’t get soggy (I drained it last night).

I’ll show you how I did it tomorrow!

Next time you’re at the grocery store, keep your eyes peeled for these cool, free resources.  Most stores have something of this nature, whether in the deli, butcher counter or produce department.  When you are short on inspiration, borrow some!

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Sit back, relax and enjoy: a summer spritzer

July 20, 2010 by siirisampson

When we celebrate the 5 days of summer in Seattle, it’s nice to have a cold spritzer of some sort to relax after a long day.

Yesterday I came up with just the thing!  It’s a vodka and organic lime spritzer.  It was super easy to throw together because I had done a bit of prep last week.  See, I came into a LOAD of lemons and limes and they were pretty ripe.  When a couple went bad without me noticing (and after drinking as much lime water as I could handle), I decided to make some lime infuse simple syrup.

Simple syrup is just that: simple.  For me, it’s equal parts liquid and sugar.  I used organic, raw sugar so it was a little dark, not white. I had a cup of fresh squeezed lime juice and I added a cup of the organic sugar, mixed together and simmered on low until it started to form a foam at the surface.

Now, I could have let it go longer, which would have condensed the syrup, making it thicker. But since I was thinking I’d use it for refreshing cocktails when my friends came over, I decided to keep it pretty thin.  The thickness definitely makes a difference on how easily it combines into other liquids.

I let it cool in the pan, then transferred it to a squeeze bottle and stuck it in the fridge.  I let it sit for a couple of days before giving it a try. It’s subtle, tangy and sweet. Just perfect for a spritzer.

Here’s what I used in the spritzer:

Siiri’s Vodka Lime Summer Spritzer

1 shot (so 1 fluid ounce) vodka
1 shot lime syrup
ice cubes
sparkling water (you could also use club soda, tonic water, 7Up, sprite, etc. just watch the sweetness)

Now, what I did realize is that it could use a little something extra…I’m not sure if it will be a cucumber slice, maybe a bit of cucumber juice (from Paul’s AWESOME Jack LeLane juicer that’s in my kitchen) or maybe some muddled basil. I think any of the above would be good.

This went down scary smooth, kids. It’s light and doesn’t leave your mouth feeling puckered or coated at all!  Just remember, one is enough – enough sugar, enough alcohol, enough to cool you down! Then back to the water….we Seattleites have to hydrate, afterall, it’s hot here!

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Summer Treats: it’s the little things…

July 19, 2010 by siirisampson

I’ve got some fun shenanigans up my sleeve for the rest of the summer now that we’re in full swing (can you say MAJOR GIVEAWAYS ALL SUMMER LONG?!??!?!?!?!)  but I have a bit of organizing to do before I launch the first giveaway.

So, for now, I wanted to share two fun things I made over the past week that made my days just a little brighter. Afterall, with all the crazy weather (unpredictable at best) here in Seattle these past few weeks, I need something to pull me through!

First up is this tasty, mid-afternoon treat that pulled me through the remainder of the work day:

This is an iced latte that I made in my office with nothing more than a packet of Iced Starbucks VIA, a frother and a bit of milk (and cold water of course).  Seriously, I love coffee all day long, and on a hot afternoon, an iced latte is right up my alley.  But we don’t have an espresso machine here, or a cart anywhere nearby. So I just made it myself.  I have a cheap frother I keep at the office. This took me less than 3 minutes total. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and it gave me a little pick-me-up that lasted till dinner time! YUM.

That was last Thursday or so…..

Then this weekend, I was running around like a wild turkey for various wedding errands for some friends of mine, and I had just enough time between errands and the ceremony to go home, flip on the Food Network for 30 minutes and relax. Of course I got hungry when I was watching whatever was being made (can’t recall what was on, Nigella I think), so I jumped into action and made a 2 minute guac and devoured it with the basic tortilla strip chip:

You can see I left it pretty chunky. I like it this way, and it’s much faster, less intense prep.  Yes, there’s the chips in the background.  Here’s a better picture:

Here’s how I made it:

Siiri’s 2 Minute Guac 

2 avocados (pretty ripe, almost lost ‘em!)
1 Roma tomato (also really ripe, I’ve been struggling to eat all my produce myself in time)
1 lemon (squeeze the juice right into the bowl before mixing things up)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of smoked paprika
Two pinches of garlic powder (this is quicker than actually chopping the garlic, and this way you don’t get the bitter edge of fresh garlic)
Pinch of either black pepper or cayenne pepper

I used a spoon to scoop out the avocado and mash everything together. A fork may have been easier, but right now I’m all about dish consolidation.  So this was easier for me. I used a knife to chop up the tomato and slice the lemon.

This literally took two minutes to make.

It was actually much better the next day, (okay, so it was last night at like midnight, don’t judge, I walked 5 miles yesterday and got hungry. I know I’m not supposed to eat late at night!) after the flavors had time to meld.

What’s your family or favorite guac recipe?

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One small step for Siiri, one large leap of faith for the Food Network?

July 15, 2010 by siirisampson

There’s been an obvious lull in activity on the blog over the past few weeks, and for that I do apologize!  I was made aware of a challenge that had been issued by the Food Network through their YouTube channel by my good friend, Kim (of DoIhaveLipstickonmyTeeth.com and KimWhiteMakeUp.com fame) who insisted that I throw my hat in the ring!  Little did Kim know, I have been working for months on some short video ideas I wanted to put together into a food video portfolio.  This was the perfect opportunity to actually develop a NEW video idea and attempt to make something happen!

I approached my talented group of friends to volunteer their time, energy and resources to help me produce what I feel is a pretty good “first stab” at how I might approach a cooking show. (this is the first of a handful of still shots I grabbed from the video. Not sure this “Freeze-frame” look on my face is the best, but it is real – and funny).

Mmmm, yam fries! *Don't get me started on yams vs. sweet potatoes. I feel like no one knows the difference!

My overarching plans for where I’d like to go with food are much more far-reaching than a cooking show alone, but of course there’s a huge market there as well.  Whether it’s through the Food Network, my blog, local events and grass-roots efforts (shout out to the Delridge Co-op effort!), or continuing to troubleshoot and teach in my friends and families’ kitchens, I will continue to pursue this love of mine!

Prepping the BEST crispy baked chicken (I swear people think I fried it when they bite in!)

While I continue to plot my multi-media approach to ensuring parents, professionals, students and everyone else has accessible tools to get back in their kitchens and cook to their heart’s delight, please enjoy my video! (I am really bummed there was a time limit, as I had to cut out the part where I make this awesome summer salad. But I’ll highlight that in a future post, so don’t worry, I’ll still share my secret!

 

So, you’re asking, “Siir’, the video’s great and all, but what does this all mean? Why are you doing this?”  Here’s the breakdown:  the submission window closes Friday morning and the “judges panel” will choose up to 15 finalists who will then be turned back to the public for final voting. From there it’s a basic voting process: the person with the most votes after two weeks wins.

What do they win? A one on one meeting with the Food Network Executives.

The summer salad, which sadly didn't make the video due to time constraints.

For a home cook/ food enthusiast/foodie/former industry work horse like myself, who wants to share their cooking and joy of food with the world, this is a fantastic (once in a lifetime) opportunity.

If I am blessed enough to make it as a finalist, I’ll be sure to scream from the rooftops to let you know! Of course you can’t hear me from up there and you can see my smoke signals from the blogosphere, so I’ll make sure I tell you here as well, so (if you like my video) you can vote for me!

The ultimate test! (trying your own cooking, that is...)

In the meantime, feel free to let me know what you think, I welcome all feedback, after all, cooking for others, especially on TV and video is all about how well my work serves others!  Let me know how I can be better for you all!

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Lunch Bites: Best use of $8.67 this week.

July 1, 2010 by siirisampson

It’s Thursday.  It’s July 1st. It’s Seattle. It’s raining.

So, what to do?  Pretty much only one answer: Go to Sushi Yama for lunch.

If you live in the Seattle/Bellevue area of Washington, I highly recommend hitting this place up for lunch one day. But they get really busy, so go early, or like me, late (I arrived at 1:40pm and there were maybe 5 people. PERFECT!)

I wasn’t sure how they’d feel about me snapping pictures, so I pretended I was texting and snapped these pics with my ever-crappy cell phone camera:

Here's some various goodies coming down the sushi train towards me. Yes, I said sushi train. (I LOVE THIS PLACE!)

This is a blue plate which is $2.50, WAY to rich for my blood. But I do wonder what the haystack tastes like...it's a roll with crab, avocado, something else - cucumber maybe - and tobiko all over, topped with a haystack of fried who knows what (and who cares, it's fried people)

Festive fruit cup complete with self-contained shade mechanism.

There goes the haystack again! Taunting me and my cheapness...

This is the best dessert ever created by all of Japan. Sorry if you don't agree, but you won't be sorry when you taste a warm sesame ball that's been deep fried with red bean paste inside. YUM. The plate is pink, which means $1.00 and it comes with 3 balls. I ate two before I remembered to take a picture.

 

Going.......

Goiiiiiiiiing.......

GONE! Ah, how I love you, sesame balls.

And here's the damage: 4 pink=$4.00, 2 green=$3.00. Total with tip: $8.67

I hope you have a place near you that makes you feel as good as Sushi Yama makes me feel!  In case you are curious, Sushi Yama means Sushi Mountain, or Mountain of Sushi (at least that’s what they say).  They should call it Sushi YUMMA!

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Welcome to Seattle Summer: still cloudy with a chance of Thai Tom

June 28, 2010 by siirisampson
This weekend was VERY eventful – that is to say it was literally full of events.

On Friday night, I met up with some of my all time favorite girlfriends from my days at Reed. We hit up Smith on Cap Hill, a restaurant and bar with a taxidermy complex that isn’t for the faint of heart. I heard from the group that the drinks were good, and I had water since I was partaking in the Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon the next morning.

Lame cell phone camera, I know. Sorry...left my camera at work.

I did however order the Mac n Cheese, which was nothing to write home about, and actually a little disappointing.  There was very little cheese involved and although it had a nice spice to it, that was the only nice thing about it. A waste of $9, although the dishes other people got at the table next to us smelled and looked really good! I would go back. I would not order the Mac n Cheese.

We also had a local celebrity citing (or would that be ‘sighting’? I dunno!), as Dan Savage was sitting at the table behind us. Cool!  Good eye, Bandy!

Then on Saturday, I woke up at 3:30am (no, that’s not a mis-type) and made myself a piping hot bowl of energy-packed oatmeal complete with raisins, walnuts, flax seed, wheat germ and a touch of cream to get my body ready for the 1/2 marathon.  What an experience!  I’m too cheap to buy the pictures that the race company took, so just use your imagination.  It was a great experience, I won’t soon forget. I’m still hobbling around but recovering for sure.

Saturday night was a wash, I was totally down for the count, and on Paul’s brilliant recommendation, I indulged in my dirty secret food pleasure: Pizza Hut deep dish pizza. I know, I know, it’s awful and REALLY bad for you. But I haven’t had it in years, and they deliver, and I couldn’t walk. And I jogged/walked 13.1 miles that day, so I don’t really feel bad about it.

So, fast forward to Sunday afternoon, where I met up with my girlfriends again (plus two of their super nice boyfriends – well done, ladies!) for a stroll around Gas Works park and a late lunch.

We hit up Thai Tom in the University District. It was JUST what the doctor ordered! (Well, to be fair, probably not, but it was what I ordered…..so basically the same thing, right? RIGHT!)

I wanted noodles, so I went with the standard: Phad Thai.

 

So glad I did, because the 2 stars was just enough to get my eyes watering a bit, and the Thai Iced Tea was the perfect cooling combo.  Those guys know their Thai. The music was good, the food was great and the company was irreplaceable!

Here's the crew, Hester in front, then Kat, Bandy, Zigs (can't see her) and Scott.

So filling and wonderful!  Then we moved on to get a refreshing dessert, and wanted something in walking distance, so of course I suggested Paul and my favorite Bubble Tea joint, Pochi!

Everyone got really different things which was great because we all got to sample the various treats.  Here you see the spoils:

Let me break this down for you:

Front right: Scott and Zigs shared a taro fro yo (aka Frozen Yogurt) with Banana and Mango (fresh).

Back right: Hester got Hong Kong style milk tea with traditional tapioca Bobas (she’s so cool….that’s very hard core for Bubble Tea!)

Back left: Kat and Bandy shared a Red Bean milk tea with Rainbow jellies (Bandy didn’t like the consistency of the Jellies so much, but loved the red bean flavor of the milk tea. I agree it was tasty!)

Front and center: I went with a Pina Colada milk smoothie with Strawberry jellies. So good, but I forgot how filling it is and how cold. Next time, I’ll switch back to milk tea, and mayyyyyyyyyybe a fro yo. WHAT?!

More food adventures to come later this week, and thanks to the suggestion from my friend, Kim, I will be posting more videos and pictures where I’m in the shot, rather than just the food! Thanks for the idea, Kim, and Happy Monday everyone!

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Lunch Bites: Goldbergs’ in Bellevue

June 16, 2010 by siirisampson

Steve and Bill Goldberg

My wonderful co-wokers took me out for lunch last Friday because June 12th was my 4th anniversay of working at Extra Mile Marketing! I am so blessed to work with a team of smart, funny, hard working and compassionate people.  I know how rare it is to work in a small office that you truly love. Every day I wake up and am excited to see what the day brings. And Friday was no exception!

My co-worker, Melina, had been telling me about Goldbergs’, this awesome Jewish Deli/Diner in Bellevue that she always goes to for the famous lunch combo of Matzo Ball Soup and a half a corn beef sandwich.  So, they all surprised me by taking me there for my anniversary lunch.

Of course I took pictures (on my crap cell phone camera) to share with you all!

So here we go, in order!

Goldbergs_Pickles Upon Arrival

When you sit down at your table, there's a tray of pickles waiting for you!

These were good pickles, kids. Just snappy enough with the right amount of salt and tang. MMMMMMMMMMM. Never met a kosher dill I didn’t like!

Goldbergs_Dr Brown Soda Black Cherry

Dr. Browns Black Cherry Soda

If you’ve ever had Dr. Browns, are from the East Coast or Jewish, chances are you know the awesomeness that I learned today. This line of natural sodas was surprisingly good! I had the Black Cherry on recommendation of Lori, and was not disappointed! Next time: Cream Soda! (I haven’t had a cream soda in SO LONG, but it sounds delightful!)

Goldbergs_Matzo Ball Soup

Melina's coveted Matzo Ball Soup

Melina’s lunch special came with a cup of Matzo Ball soup. It was JUST the right amount and she let me try a spoonful, which was so light and fluffy! The ball was just eggy enough and the broth was super flavorful!  This pictures does it no justice.

Goldbergs_Smoked Salmon Bagel plate

Smoked Salmon and Bagel extravaganza plate!

Lori and Kris both got the plate above. Kris doesn’t like things that are too salty so she took Lori’s recommendation of this plate with fresh produce to build your own bagel sammy. She said she’d get it again, and Lori said for sure the food was the best she’d had there.

Goldbergs_Corned Beef Sandwich and Slaw

Mike's Full Corned Beef Sandwich with Slaw

Mike opted for a classic: corned beef and slaw. He said it was pretty good, and I could tell he liked it because he ate the whole thing!

Goldbergs_Bacon Cheddar Burger Steakfries and Slaw

My baseline tester: Bacon Cheddar Burger Medium rare

I wanted a burger for days before this so it was my chance to fulfill the desire. And also, it gave me the chance to test their baseline. Granted, burgers at a Jewish deli, not really classic, but whatever. When have you guys ever known me to go with the grain, right?

It was GREAT, even though there wasn’t any mayo on it, which I usually request. I thought I’d it a try with just ketchup and mustard. Even though it was a little more done than medium rare, it was still juicy, and the cheese was perfectly melted. The bacon was REALLY good, I could tell they had cooked it recently and it was still a little greasyyyyyyyyyyy.  Even the slaw was good, and I don’t like slaw. And the steakfries were perfect, they matched the burger, substanial, perfectly salted and crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside.

Job well done, Goldberg’s. I’ll be coming back soon and often to try out the million things on your menu, what with your all day breakfast (“the only way it should be served.”  I couldn’t agree more!)

The staff was attentive and super nice, and the bartender was sure to great us on our way in and out. The place was pretty big and fairly busy for a weekday lunch.

All in all, I was happily surprised!

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Onion Dip: when I dip, you dip, we dip!

June 14, 2010 by siirisampson

If you’re too old or young for the reference in the title, then here. That is very 1998, and reminds me of high school whenever I hear it.

And it makes me want to dance, and I love to dance in the kitchen, while I cook. And so, naturally (right?) I want to make this aromatic and rich onion dip that Baking Banter posted. (I CAN’T get enough of them lately, I know!!!!!)

Image credit to King Arthur Flour Company

Here is how they made their version of the onion dip.

I would say my only switch up would be a healthy swap out of the mayo and cream cheese (sorry fatty dairy products….I love you, but the seams on my bikini and everyone at the beach in Bali that will have to see my fat, white thighs? not so much!)

I would, instead, keep the non-fat sour cream, because it’s really not that bad, and that zip it adds is unmistakable, and I would make the rest from (you guessed it) my lady in waiting, non-fat plain yogurt. Strained or not, it keeps it creamy and filling, without a million extra calories that I won’t have time to run off before August.

I may just have to make this over this weekend…and try it out on my subjects, er, friends.

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