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!

So in case you haven’t heard, or don’t live in Seattle (which would suck if you’re reading this and live in, like, Florida….but sorry, you get lots of sun – give us SOMETHING, okay?!), you’ll want to know the following piece of RAD information:

(and I quote): Every Friday from May 21 to June 18, stop by a participating Seattle-area Starbucks after 2 p.m. and get free tickets to a special event while supplies last. There’s no purchase necessary! (Though we hope that won’t stop you from picking up a favorite drink.)

a tasty latte I recently had at a local coffee shop

Now, I’ll be serious for a minute and say I don’t care what the event is, it’s going to be good, so just GO to Starbucks on Fridays at 2pm and get WHATEVER they’re giving you, but in case you’re picky, here’s a list as it stands now:

May 28 – Seattle International Film Festival

June 4 – Seattle Art Museum

June 11 – Seattle Aquarium

June 18 – BURN THE FLOOR at The Paramount

So, GO, DRINK (coffee), and ENJOY the Seattle summer!

I decided we (by we I mean my co-workers) could use a little pick-me-up towards the end of last week. I wanted to do something fun on Friday, but it turned out more people were available on Thursday, so even though I’m calling this Sangria Fridays, it was on a Thursday.  Don’t get confused.

I wanted a really easy recipe, so I searched for “quick Sangria recipe.”  Of course I found what I wanted on allrecipes.com, love that site!  I thought about Sangria after my mom mentioned it the other day. She had seen Rachael Ray do a recipe and was asking me about a spirit ingredient that started with a “C”, I couldn’t think of what it was, but it did made me want to have some!

Here’s what I ended up using:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Game-Day-Sangria/Detail.aspx

Not exactly sure what “game” this is referring to, and furthermore, not sure what men would be caught dead drinking sangria on game day….doesn’t matter. It was great, and super easy! (you could totally memorize this and therefore, skip using a recipe for future game days!)

In case you don’t want to click through, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients
2 cups lemon juice
2 cups orange juice
2 cups white sugar
2 cups brandy
4 cups red wine
4 cups club soda
ice cubes, for serving

Directions
1.Combine the lemon juice, orange juice, and sugar in a pitcher.
Stir until sugar has dissolved completely.
Add the brandy, red wine, and club soda.
Serve in glasses with ice.

I sugared the rim and added a white peach slice to the edge. I also floated orange slices in the large bowl but they were too large to fit in our slender glasses.

Enjoy!  Or should I say “ole!”

Since I had such ‘great success’ (Borat voice) with the Mr. Bandy Udon post yesterday, I thought I’d through you all one more Bandy Bone this week. (I like that, and I’ll continue to use that little quip, thankyouverymuch!)

Jeff had created a great post a few months back I had wanted to post, but never got around to it.

It’s about biscotti, which I think is the undercover cassarole of the baking world. You can literally put anything you want into a biscotti and it’s still good. You can make them sweet or savory, dipped or ‘virgin’.  I have a good, versatile recipe somewhere that has like 5 or less ingredients in it. When I get my cookbooks unpacked at the new place, I’ll find it and share with you! I know it’s a recipe, but honestly it’s only a few ingredients and once you make it a couple times, you can do it from memory!

So without further ado, here’s Jeff’s post on Honey-Lavender Biscotti

This was my first attempt at biscotti, so I of course turned to my Baking Illustrated cookbook. Turns out I really like big chunks of almonds/hazelnuts/etc. in my biscotti, so these guys weren’t my favorite. Interesting to be sure, but the flavor is very subtle. I think that they would have been much more interesting with a more assertive honey, like a spicy clover honey. The run-of-the-mill honey I used just faded into the background. I have to say, however, that the aroma that filled my apartment while these were baking was out of this world — creamy, buttery tones with heady citrus and lavender notes floating overhead. Words don’t suffice.

I used the lessons I learned in making these for the chocolate almond biscotti below, specifically the tricks with the wax paper and keeping my hands good and floured. The “cylinders” I was able to form with this dough were hideous. Still, a good learning experience, and like I said, the aroma. Wow.

Ingredients
2 1/4 c (11 1/4 oz) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 c (4 2/3 oz) sugar
3 large eggs
3 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp minced zest from 1 orange
1 Tbsp dried lavender blossoms

Directions
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl, set aside.

Whisk the sugar and eggs in a large bowl to a light lemon color; stir in the honey, vanilla, orange zest, and lavender. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the egg mixture, then fold in until just combined.

Divide the dough in half and place one portion on a work surface covered with floured wax paper or parchment paper. With floured hands, pat it into a cylinder about 2 inches in diameter and 12 to 15 inches long. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Cut the parchment paper and, using the paper as a sling, roll the dough into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Place in the oven and bake about 35 minutes, rotating halfway through, until firm to the touch. Transfer to a cutting board, let cool for 5 minutes, then cut on an angle into slices one-half-inch thick. Return the slices to the baking sheet, laying them on their cut sides, and return them to the oven. Bake another 15 minutes, turning over each cookie halfway through, until they are crisp and golden brown on each side. Allow to cool completely before storing or serving.

Thanks again Jeff, for a fantastic share!

I’m just getting over being sick for a full month, and when I’m sick I crave Japanese food. I wish I had found this recipe when I was just coming down with the plague. It’s cheap, comforting, easy, and incredibly satisfying. It’s also arguably the healthiest thing I’ve ever made in the kitchen.

This recipe comes from the venerable Veganomicon and features red miso, which magically enhances any broth-y entree.

Since I live alone, I bought all the ingredients, prepped the onions and mushrooms, set half of them aside, and cooked a half recipe two days in a row. Fresh udon noodles should be available at any halfway-fancy grocery store – in fact, I’ve never seen dried udon noodles, so fresh noodles may be easier to find. I also at least doubled the amount of fresh ginger in this recipe, but your ginger threshold may not be as high as mine.

Ingredients

1/2 lb fresh or dried udon noodles
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium red onion, sliced into thin half-moons
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, rinsed, stems trimmed, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced
2 Tbsp mirin (optional)
2 cups water
3 Tbsp miso (preferably red, if using light add another Tbsp)
4 c chopped kale
2 tsp soy sauce

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the udon per the directions. Fresh udon will take about 2 min. Drain, rinse with cool water, and set aside.
2. Saute the onion and mushrooms in the oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another minute.
   Add the mirin, water, soy sauce, and miso, and bring to a gentle boil.
4. Reduce the heat and add the kale.
5. Toss with tongs until kale has wilted, about a minute.
6. Add the noodles, toss again, and serve.

Do you have one of those foods that you absolutely refuse to eat because of it’s gag-enducing qualities? I do. It’s cottage cheese. Won’t eat it. Don’t even bother making my try. First of all, it looks like it’s already been eaten and rejected by someone else, and second, the texture is like vomit. Whatever, I said it. It’s true.  And to the people that put fruit in it. STOP. That’s only making it more nasty. Seriously.

Okay I have a new item to add to that list: Tofu Pudding.

What?! I know right. When I saw it at my favorite Asian market in the ID (International District), here in Seattle, I was excited, intrigued even.  So I asked the shop owner (who has become a wonderful food resource for exotic items) what it tasted like and how to eat it, she made it sound really nice.

I didn’t buy it at first, I just put it in the back of my brain that I would try it some day when I was feeling adventurous. So, right before Paul came back to the states, I decided to buy it. If I didn’t like it, he could try it and see what he thought.  If I did like it, I could share it with him!

I followed the directions the shop owner gave me, and she said she’s been eating her whole life (!) (poor thing!)

Here’s what I did:

 It comes in two containers, one that is all pudding (which, BTW, is not even remotely pudding-like in consistency), and the second is a brown syrup with some crap floating in it like you see above. (YUM, I love crap!)

I slopped some out into a bowl (I should have known right here that something odd was about to go down, or not, for that matter).

But then, it was all globjule-like (that’s a technical term, look it up), so I thought “break it up into smaller chunks” (GAG).

Then I was told to pour some of the brown syrup on it, and heat it up in the microwave (WHAT THE %&#$**).

I figured out that the brown crap floating in the syrup was actually slivered ginger.  Nice try, Tofu Pudding. You’re not fooling anyone with your sweet and spicy syrup….you’re still grossy gross gross.

Guess what? IT WAS GROSS. Do not bother going to buy this. The tofu pudding tasted like NOTHING, but luckily had a sickly vom texture to make up for what it lacked in taste. YAY! not.

I have no more pictures to share with you on that one, because about 10 seconds after it entered my mouth, it exited my mouth and went promptly into the garbage disposial.

Although for you benefit I wish someone was there to take a picture of the face I was making when I tried it. That would have been priceless for sure!

Never underestimate the power of a strategically placed Oyster Cracker, friends.  Not only do they bring back great childhood memories (speaking of which, now I’m seriously craving a grilled cheese sandwich on 12 grain bread), they add a little “umph!” to your soup.

Enjoy!

(every day seems like this lately)

Seriously, guys, how is it already the week of Easter? I dunno. I just. I’m at a loss here.

In my family these days, Easter is mostly a time for us to attempt to get together and catch up. This has varying levels of success because of course I’m an adult child of a divorced, remarried, combined and significant other’s family type of family. (did you get that?!)

This year is no exception to the rule of us running around. We’ve almost got it down to a science now, so I am not as frazzled as I used to be when these dates would come up.

(this is us on holidays)

We’ll be visiting Bellingham, Lynnwood and Issaquah to visit my sister and her family, my mom and step dad and finally Paul’s parents.  By no means covering the whole of our family, but a substantial dent for sure!

So, I have already put in a request for dinner. It’s breakfast! Don’t be confused, we’re having breakfast for dinner.  Paul’s dad totally jumped on board with this idea.

We are having Nalesniki (Polish crepes), Marija’s (Paul’s mom) eggs with sausage (seriously, my mouth is drooling), and although I offered home made Belgian Waffles, we agreed that might be a little much.  We’ll have mimosas (that’s a DEFINITE MUST, right?!), fruits, and the essential Polish accompanyments of condiments and meats (or as we refer to them, “sausages!”)

If you are lucky enough to be spending Easter (or if you don’t celebrate Easter but love a good recipe anyway), I wanted to pass on a couple of irresistable dishes I saw in the most recent BHG email I received today.

First stop, Carrot Cheesecake.

(credit Better Homes and Gardens)

Seriously guys, this canNOT be good for you. At. All. But you know what, you don’t eat it every day (at least you shouldn’t eat it every day), so go ahead! SPLURGE! I’m not even going to give you substitution ideas! (but if you want them, you know all you have to do is post a comment or send me an email!)

Second, the Bagel, Eggs and Lox Strata (something I’ll never get to make because of Paul’s allergies).

This looks so good, it makes me sad. I don’t even know. If you don’t want this, you’re crazy, and you should get checked out by a licensed physician (or just do something daring and try it anyway).

Does anyone out there have any awesome, funny or unusual traditions for Easter or Spring they’d care to share with the group? Or maybe some fun plans or destination they’re headed to or planning to attend?

Don’t be shy……..

Our landlord is selling our house, so we have to move. I found an apartment that has a much better kitchen than my current stupid one (you know my fridge is in the DINING ROOM, right? I can’t take that anymore) I even get a dishwasher.

So, I promise, PROMISE, there’s TONS to come. I actually have about 10 posts ready to write up. ugh. so much to do to move. But this is the beginning of a NEW chapter in my life, not to be cheesy but it’s true. With that comes a rededication to my efforts, my craft, my art and my blog!

In the mean time, I don’t want to leave you high and dry (which reminds me, note to self: find all old radiohead albums and upload to iPod for moving music).

I am going to take some smoking hot pics of the new place, before I move in, and also, for your viewing pleasure today, here’s a little Seattle Coffee Love:

I can barely believe I took this picture. And to top it off (ba dum bum) it was taken with an iPhone. WHAT?! I know, right?

We, and by we I mean myself and Adam:

(poodle, please don’t shoot me for putting this photo up, you’re looking good here brother!)

We had a little cafe latte at the Cowen Park Cafe and Grocery by his condo in Ravenna. It was as good as it looks.

Stay with me here, people, I’m making the switch!