Presenting the Deal of the Week (in my humble opinion):
On Friday, Dec. 7, Whole Foods Market is hosting a one-day sale on wild-caught Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified sockeye salmon for $7.99/lb. – a savings of nearly 50 percent!
Courtesy Whole Foods Market
And if it sounds amazing, but you’re not sure how to cook it besides grilling (and let’s be honest, there’s like MAYBE 5% of us who want to bother grilling in December in Seattle) here’s three crazy amazing ideas from Whole Foods:
Our fave is the spice-crusted roasted salmon, for obvious reasons: salmon? YUM. roasting? DUH. spice-crusted? TASTY!
If you want a way to give back this season, then rest assured, you’re helping Mother Earth with this purchase! Your salmon purchase supports healthy oceans, too, because Whole Foods’ sockeye is certified sustainable by the MSC, meaning salmon populations are relatively abundant, fishing methods have minimal impact on the ecosystem and the fishery is managed effectively to maintain sustainability.
So if you want a no-brainer way to (inexpesively) impress at dinner on Friday night:
This deal is good on Friday, Dec. 7 only. Stock up on this rich, full-flavored fish for a lighter holiday meal option – for your guests, or just for you!
If you live in Seattle and are looking for cool homemade or home grown goods, and you want to hit up some pie and jam, then you should meet me here! Yours truly may be a judge and may also be going home with WAY too many new sweet goodies.
Don’t literally fall into your food please, that’s just messy. But I always have this sense that I’m giving into the warmth of the season….when I’m finally able to let go of the fleeting warm days of early Fall – when the sun hits my face on Sunday morning. At some point, I embrace the change and fire up my back stock of memorized recipes and improvised scratch dishes that fill up my fridge even if there’s no one to eat it all.
Poached red pears awaiting their marching orders.
I have been busy busy with some large things lately – some fun, some challenging and some just plain old life. I’m sure you can relate, no? But I wanted to share some Fall food pictures I’ve taken when I had the whim, so here goes:
Home made chicken and wild rice soup
This fun little treat used up ALL the leftovers from a roasted chicken I had done earlier in the week (see below). I removed all the extra meat that hadn’t been devoured in the original meal, and set it aside. Then when I had time, I boiled the carcass – skin bits and all – to make a luscious chicken stock that I let sit over night before adding three kinds of wild rice, the leftover chicken and some veggies to last me 6 meals (including two other mouths). This was hands down the best soup I’ve made in at least a year. It was definitely the stock that made it so….homemade is the only way to go, and if you can, let yourself have the fat in the stock.
Whole roasted chicken with lemon and onions
Could this have been photographed better? Hell yes. Could it have tasted better? Hell no.
I know you can see all the lame, nasty, kitchen behind the scenes aspects of this dish, but honestly, this is how it comes out, and it still looks freaking delicious. I think this was about 7.5lbs or so. It is one of the easiest things to cook because you just throw it in the oven. And yes, I used tin foil to hold the legs together instead of twine. And I even HAD twine in the house, but I didn’t want to get the step ladder out to reach it – it was above the fridge in the way back cabinet, behind the Moscow Mule mugs and I wasn’t into it. So I improvised. It tasted just as good with my ghetto technique.
Filet Mignon with Caramelized Jack Mushrooms and haricot vert with dill vinaigrette.
Can you say YUM!? You should have seen the inside – bright pink, tender, with dripping compound herb butter I made myself. INCREDIBLE! You wanna know why I made this dish? Stick around for a full post on it!
What will you make for dinner tonight? Have you busted out the slow cooker yet? Do tell!
This summer, fruit is in. And I don’t mean “in” like “neon and neutrals”, I mean “in” EVERYTHING. Literally. Especially with cherries being in abundance as we speak, fruit is going in every meal at my house. But how to switch it up? I mean, you can always eat a piece of fruit by itself, but there’s got to be more ways to incorporate it while celebrating the versatility of the flavors.
When I caught word that Whole Foods had both Bing and Rainier cherries in stock, I knew this summer would be full of inspired combinations, such as this beauty below:
This is a side salad I made for dinner Sunday night that was oh, so delicious. Wanna know what’s in it? (I thought you’d never ask!)
Bing Cherry Summer Salad
2 doz. Bing cherries, washed halved and pitted
2 oz. Chevre (any goat cheese will do great!)
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
5 leaves of fresh mint
5 leaves of fresh basil
1 tsp. Finn River port (reduced over medium heat till a thick glaze. This is optional and I had it on hand)
Kosher Sea Salt for garnish
Directions:
Start by washing and drying your cherries, pulling the stems off, and then run a small pairing knife around the seam, just like you would to core a peach or other stone fruit. Twist the two sides and then pluck the pit out. Toss all your cherry halves into a salad bowl.
Next, take your washed and dried basil and mint leaves, stack them up and cut into small slivers (also called “Chiffonade”). Sprinkle over cherries in the bowl.
Take 2 oz of goat cheese and crumble or dice and add to your bowl.
Drizzle the salad with the balsamic (a little goes a long way here) and the port reduction if you have it (if not, no worries, it will still be delicious!)
Lightly sprinkle with sea salt (I have kosher on hand, but if you have another kind feel free to substitute – just be careful of using table salt – it’ll get too salty REAL quick).
Toss the salad gently and sparingly, plate up and top with a little more basil and mint.
This salad (made with essentially 5 ingredients or so) is an easy (as in “pull together at the very last second”) dish because it requires NO cooking, little effort (about 5 minutes total) and packs a distinct, flavorful punch. Just because it’s fruit doesn’t mean it can’t be for dinner! We had this along side steamed purple and red potatoes, french green beans and baked true cod with a spiced Greek yogurt crust (equal parts ginger powder, cayenne pepper and paprika dusted over nonfat plain Greek yogurt and finished with corn flake crumbs. Baked at 400F for 13 minutes). Light, healthy and pretty tasty.
What else? Well, that was Sunday night….but Sunday afternoon, we checked out the International District Food Walk, as you can see from my trusty assistant here (Harrison):
That’s him holding his Phillapeno BBQ pork skewer and Taro bubble tea with lychee jelly (very adventurous!).
And Friday I made a run up to Bellingham to help out my sister with some last minute floral needs for a wedding she had on Saturday, so I got to see the ankle biters…and you know I can’t resist sharing a picture of them!
Later this week I’ll be experimenting with Rainier cherries, baking and roasting them, so keep your eyes peeled, and tell me, what’s your favorite dish or recipe for fresh, in season cherries????
With all the rain, wind and general nastiness we’ve been handed this past (and still lingering winter) season (the snow was pretty but just as awful to deal with), sometimes you need a little escape to a warmer, more welcoming place.
All the colors of the season, perfectly plated for the eating...just what you need during holiday shopping!
If you’re on a Mr. Scrooge budget, but still want a Sugarplum getaway, opt for the food version, rather than the pack-your-bags version and head to Andiamo. Nestled just north of the hustle and bustle of Bellevue Square, Andiamo Ristorante Italiano (938 110th Ave NE, Suite 1) is a little slice of Italy on the Eastside.
What do you do when you eat something delicious and you really want to say great things about it, but the service at the restaurant is SO AWFUL that you can’t help but have a negative reaction?
Curry so yummy! Getting what you ask for with this spot on, medium spicy red curry and fried egg noodles.
I’ll tell you what you do: share the highlights of the food first, and then explain what happened and let people draw their own conclusions.
Ba-cock! This spicy chicken dish with saffron rice and whipped hummus is a home run smothered in heavenly yogurt sauce. Yes please!
Remember how in college you were turned on to something really, really bad for you, like deep-fried Oreos or midnight drunk fries (that’d be fries dipped in a vanilla shake at a drive through after closing time)? You would gorge yourself on this tasty treat until your face started to resemble it, much the same way dogs and their owners do after year ten? And then some other hot new craze (Four Loko anyone?) would come along and replace the old addiction. We should bring that back, and start with garlic. If you’re on board, as you should be, then stop off for a healthy hit at Mediterranean Kitchen in Bellevue (103 Bellevue Way N.E.). Continue reading →
If I don’t talk about how long it’s been since I last blogged (over a month), and just pretend no one noticed (since there are literally only 5 readers which includes family members and myself) would anyone really care?
I was entering this fun little contest today, for a chance to Host the Ultimate Chef Party with Celebrity chef George Duran and after I didn’t win, they gave me a fun little recipe. I was actually pretty impressed, because even though I didn’t win, the recipe they gave me (above, for Pizza Pockets) is super easy!
Not only did this remind me that I LOVE pita pockets, it also reminded me of when my mom would make me tuna pockets for lunch (not gross, even though it probably sounds like it).
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!
