seattle, washington

top row from left: shopping in ballard; pike's market (downtown); gelato at d'ambrosia gelato (ballard);
space needle on a rainy day; macrina bakery (belltown);
 bottom row from left: red velvet cupcake from trophy cupcakes (u village); produce at pike's market;
hot chocolate creme brulee at etta's (downtown)

a few weeks ago, i took a quick weekend trip to visit friends in seattle. it rained almost the entire time i was there. despite the weather, i enjoyed the company of great people and ate some tasty food.
oh how i miss this city! a weekend was too short to see everyone and everything i wanted to see and eat everywhere i wanted to eat. i must plan a return trip soon!

potato salad with proscuitto and dijon vinaigrette

i love potato salad. growing up, that meant potatoes with some combination of macaroni, egg, grated carrots, pickles, onions, and peas, always held together with creamy mayonnaise. 

as much as i love potato salad, i was a bit surprised when a friend of mine said he and his fiancée had decided to serve potato salad as the salad course for the wedding reception they were planning at an upscale resort. he said it would be something different, and it was.

football grub: pulled pork tacos (eastern north carolina barbecue)

prior to moving to nc, the only barbecue sauce i knew was the thick, ketchupy, sometimes mesquite/smoky variety... like what comes in those kc masterpiece bottles. upon moving here, i learned that eastern north carolina barbecue is:
    -a thin, liquidy sauce, not a thick sauce (more like a marinade than a basting sauce)
    -vinegar-based, with no tomato or ketchup whatsoever
    -tangy, sweet and hot, not smoky or molassesy
    -not the same as western north carolina barbecue sauce
    -especially delicious with coleslaw.


last sunday, we fired up the crock-pot and made some pulled pork. it was easy-peasy to make and turned out deliciously moist and tender. we opted to do an eastern north carolina barbecue sauce and topped it with a quick and easy coleslaw. we offered both hamburger buns for folks who wanted a more traditional pulled pork sandwich, and taco shells for those who wanted some extra crunch.

asian noodle soup

i love noodle soups. i especially love easy to make noodle soups with lots of vegetables, because they manage to be light and filling at the same time. when the geek sees this bowl full of brothy, noodley, garnished goodness, he describes it as an 'aquarium in a bowl.' even when i point out that this contains chicken and not seafood, he still thinks that it looks like a bowl full of aquarium plant life where a fish could live. how do you argue with that?

luckily, this lovely and descriptive nickname does not deter him from slurping it up. except for the vegetables; he begrudgingly eats those.

easy cheesy chicken casserole

the casserole in the picture still needs to be baked, so imagine that the cheese is melty and bubbly, and that's what it would look like if it had just come out of the oven.

i'm traveling for work this week, so i made the geek this casserole to heat and eat later. it's simple to assemble and makes for a comforting, tasty and filling meal. 'assemble' is actually a very fitting word, since the actual cooking involved here is minimal.

a classmate in high school shared a variation of this recipe with me, and it's been my go to 'simple-yet-satisfying' dish ever since.

maybe if the geek is nice, he'll take a picture of the finished product. :)

eton mess

strawberries and cream are delicious together. add in crushed meringue, and it gets even sweeter. for sweet tooths like me, sweeter = better. eton mess is a  cool, creamy, and rich dessert. it's simple to make and a treat to eat.

on several occasions, the geek has announced that he does not like meringue. we'll see how he likes this; if he doesn't, it just means there is more for me!

adapted from nigella lawson's eton mess recipe (and reader comments) on foodnetwork.com. for more information on the history of this dessert and it's name, see this wikipedia article.

my oh my, it's shepherd's pie!

the best shepherd's pie i ever ate was in british airways' club world business class on a flight from london to boston. ever since that flight i've been in love with shepherd's pie. once i found a recipe and started making this at home, the geek fell in love with it too.

this isn't the prettiest of dishes (at least it isn't when i make it), but it's oh so tasty and filling. as an added bonus, it's budget friendly too.

traditionally shepherd's pie is made with lamb and cottage pie is made with minced beef, so i guess this technically should be called a cottage pie recipe or 'americanized shepherd's pie.' as folks always tell me when i'm in england, we're two countries separated by a common language.

parmesan chicken tenders

the geek loves pizza, hot dogs, bean burritos, and chicken fingers. someone once commented that he has the taste preferences of a 6 year-old, to which he responded, "i stick with what i like!" :)

fortunately, he'll still try new things. he won't necessarily like the new things, but he will at least try them. sometimes it's totally new, like when he tried steamed barbeque pork buns from the asian market (he liked them!) or vichyssoise (didn't like it all that much). other times, it's a new variation on something familiar, like these parmesan chicken tenders (he liked these too!)

these chicken tenders are a great, hearty appetizer. they offer a nice alternative to the fast-food chicken fingers that the geek loves. they are crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. i love them with the balsamic vinaigrette dipping sauce, the geek loves them with ketchup. they are simple to make and can be easily turned into an entree.

football grub: taco lettuce cups

we have the nfl sunday ticket package, so during football season, the geek's forty-niner loving family comes over to watch the niners play. since i'm not as invested in the game (or in a fantasy league or pool), i'm in charge of preparing the grub.

this week we decided to do an assemble-your-own-taco bar. i love tacos, but lately my pants have been fitting a little tighter than usual. i wanted to lighten up the meal without turning it into diet food (because apparently, diet food is not football food). so, borrowing the idea from the asian lettuce cup appetizer, i decided to offer lettuce leaves as an alternative to tortillas. notice i said alternative, since the geek loves tortillas (and his pants are fitting just fine).

oahu and the big island, hawaii

top row from left: tidepool in front of the keahou beach resort, red ti-leaf plant, vanda orchids, pahoehoe lava, 
center: hawaiian sea turtle
bottom row from left: coconut grove at pu'uhonua o honaunau, flowers and ferns, gecko shadow

westchester renaissance: west harrison, new york

my usual hotel in white plains, ny was completely booked, so i stayed at the renaissance hotel instead. the reviews on line were mixed, but for a business traveler, it was just fine.

the hotel is large with an enclosed walkway connecting the main area with the guest rooms. i'm glad i didn't take my luggage with me when i checked in since i ended up driving around to the back of the property to park. it's also a little tricky to find if you haven't been there before. i missed the quick right turn after exiting I-287 despite a very large street sign.

linguine with lemon zest, creme fraiche & parmesan cheese

the first time i read this simple recipe, i knew i had to try it. i love pasta. i love lemon. i love creme fraiche. everything sounded perfect to me...except the arugula. i don't love arugula; in fact i'm still trying to like arugula. so instead, i substituted milder-tasting baby spinach here.

this dish is quick to make and tastes divine. the flavors meld to create a tart, sweet, and savory sauce that silkily coats the pasta. use meyer lemons when they are in season for a slightly sweeter and more subtle sauce. avoid using pre-grated cheese...i used it once in a pinch and the flavors didn't meld as well. 

eat more salad! abc salad

as a general rule, the geek hates salad. hates it! that being said, there's one salad that he likes (almost loves). he calls it "the best salad ever!" it's based on an apple-bacon-cheddar sandwich served at one of our local restaurants. the sweet, crunchy apple, salty-savory bacon, and sharp cheese all work well together in taste and in texture. 

this is not so much a recipe as it is a recommendation.

the dog's many looks

when the dog goes to the groomer, she comes home looking like a new dog. a new and different dog. i'm still getting used to the phenomenon. growing up, we had brittanys. they never went to the groomer, they never got a hair cut, they always looked the same. sure they'd get regular baths, but they'd always come out looking like cleaner versions of themselves. that is not the case with this dog.

when we drop her off, she looks like a puffy bear cub. short and stout. hardy.

when we pick her up, she's a fraction of the size, looking very dainty and tiny. and her ears look gigantic. once when the geek and i took her for a post-grooming walk, some rowdy neighbors pointed and said, "look at that dawg's big ears!" sadly, those big ears seem to be losing their hearing with age.

after awhile, she starts to look more like a bear cub and less like a cat.

until it's time to go back to the groomer again. 

this year is half way finished!

amazingly, it's already july. where has this year gone? the geek and i have become delinquent blog updaters. we'll have to get back in the habit of updating this, even though we're the only people who see it! :) 

now seems a good time to see how i'm doing on my 2010 list of things to do.

1. learn how to make sukiyaki no progress here.
2. read the chronicles of narnia (loved by the geek and most of the world; i must be the only person who could not get through 'the magician's nephew') so much to read, so little time. whenever i reach for a book, it never seems to be this one. so no progress here either.
3. find the perfect meatloaf recipe totally forgot i was going to do this. 
4. get the geek to try kimchi no success here. i'm such a procrastinator. i'll probably save this one for december.
5. go on a vacation finally! something i've done! we went to asheville, nc for a weekend. will head to hawaii in sept too. 
6. see wicked yay! another one done! wicked came to the dpac in may...it was fantastic! i'm on a roll....
7. teach the dog to pose for pictures and the roll is over. still working on this one. the dog still actively avoids looking at the camera. darn.
8. revive the container garden maybe i should cross this off the list. the geek, who is the primary gardener, has officially given up on the container garden. *moment of silence*
9. finish my dissertation (i have a feeling this will be the hardest one to get done) slow progress here. maybe i should have said finish my dissertation draft...then i could give myself a 'done!'
10. learn how to make a shepard's pie done! found an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy recipe. will include the recipe in another post.
11. learn to cast off and finish the scarf i started 3 years ago wow. i was so ambitious and optimistic in january. i don't even know where the scarf is....
12. cook 2 recipes from the 'ultimate slow cooker' magazine that i just got in the checkout line (maybe i should add 'not buy anything i find while standing in the checkout line?' i am such a sucker.) *sigh* no progress here.
13. find a recipe for british flapjacks grrrr
14. learn how to make a banoffee pie done! and the toffee didn't explode! recipe posted here.
15. make a polish porcupine ball ornament that is actually spherical saving this one for christmas
16. see the panda at the national zoo before he's deported returned to china missed him! :( he left before we had a chance to go to dc.
17. volunteer somewhere (i am such a lazy slacker lately) kinda done. the geek and i volunteered once. we never made it back. we are delinquent slackers.
18. make something with the galangal i bought on a whim nope.
19. improve my thumb coordination so that i can run and jump my way through the new mario game with the geek (i currently spazz out and hit the wrong button all the stinking time) still not coordinated enough to play new super mario bros. wii; luckily in the new super mario galaxy, thumb coordination was not required for player 2.

wow. overall, i give myself a c minus on progress. better get a move on or some of these will be carried over to next year. maybe it would help to print this out since i'd forgotten about half the items i wrote down! 

emerald isle, north carolina

for the past few year, we've spent the 4th of july with the geek's family. we all head out to emerald island for a holiday weekend at the beach. we go for walks, look for shells, read books, watch sports, rock in rocking chairs, and enjoy time with his family.

banoffi or banoffee, delicious no matter how you spell it

i can still remember the first slice of banoffi pie i ever ate. a co-worker had brought the pie to an office potluck and when i took i slice, i was expecting banana cream pie. instead, i tasted something a bit more sublime. it was sweet, creamy and heavenly. the crust was more subtle than a graham cracker crust. the toffee was rich and more complex than pudding. the banana kept it from being too sweet and added texture. the whipped cream kept it light. everything melded together perfectly. after that first bite, i had found my new favorite dessert.

the original banoffi pie had a homemade crust. i've also seen recipes with a graham crust. the version i ate had a crust made out of digestives (a type of english wheat cookie), so i've used them here as well. i made the pie pictured here to take to an event, so i used some extra ingredient to build individual banoffi parfaits for myself and the geek to enjoy.

asheville, north carolina

i've always wanted to visit asheville, north carolina. i'd heard so many things about both the city and the biltmore estate, that i had high expectations when the geek and i visited for a weekend.

geek grub: pigs in a blanket

the geek is a picky eater. he's not picky because he's a food snob or a gourmet; he's picky because he likes what he likes and in many cases, these are things that he's liked for years. when i'm out of town, he will happily exist on pizza, hotdogs, burritos, chicken fingers and sandwiches.

when we were planning our wedding, we decided to each pick two appetizers to offer during the cocktail hour. i chose sushi and vegetarian spring rolls with plum and peanut sauces. the geek selected crackers and cheese with fruit and pigs in a blanket with ketchup and mustard. he was very excited about the pigs in a blanket (in fact, he just declared that they are the only appetizer he can remember from our wedding).

they are a cinch to make, so we'll have them as a snack when we have folks over to watch football. the geek will also eat them as a meal. right out of the oven, they're tasty and satisfying.

not your typical doggie snacks

in the past few months, the dog has eaten our...

• books (she does not discriminate...so far she's eaten bits and pieces of a mystery novel, a cookbook, a couple Marian Keyes novels, the Holy Bible, a sudoku book, a baseball book, an entertainment guide with discounts and coupons, and an spss guide)
• post-it notes (some still in the shrink-wrap)
• magnets (well, it was more like gnawing them into little pieces than actually eating them)
• coasters
• tissue paper
• kleenex
• receipts
• the registration for my car
• greeting cards
• candy wrappers
• wedding favor boxes
• a presentation i made for my boss' retirement

now, you may be thinking we sound like irresponsible pet people...you're probably right. we try not to leave things on the coffee table, we put trash cans up on stools, we barricade things we don't want eaten, but she still finds things to eat. she's been known to nose her way into the geek's backpack to pull out kleenex. i keep finding half-eaten receipts on the floor. occasionally, there'll be a blast from the past like a receipt from a trip i took a few years ago or a ticket stub from a past event. yes, i realize that also means i need to to purge my stuff. for years, things on shelves were safe. but lately, even those are potential snacks. 

she knows she shouldn't do it; if you catch her in the act, she runs away. if you show her evidence of her mischief, she hangs her head and goes to her bed. we're not quite sure what to do about this, so we just make sure to keep all the important documents out of her reach. we don't always succeed, as evidence by the fact that she ate my car registration.

i googled this behavior and found that it's called pica. it's sometimes a result of boredom. so we tried taking her for extra walks and getting her to chase her toys more, hoping that an active dog was a non-pica dog. at the same time, she's 14 years old so we didn't want to over-exert her. that hasn't stopped her occasional paper capers.  she has a pile of toys to chew on and lick, a rawhide bone to gnaw on, but i bet she'd trade all of that for some tasty post-it notes or greeting cards.

despite all of this, it's hard to be mad at this face...

...even if it's covered with flour from going through a trash bag of pantry items being tossed out during spring cleaning.

white bean & kale soup

a few weeks ago, the geek and i visited the biltmore estate in asheville, north carolina. mid-january is not a busy time there, so it wasn't too crowded and lines were almost non-existent. by lunch time, we had toured the house and parts of the frozen garden. we were starving and freezing, so we headed over to the stable cafe to eat and defrost. when i ordered their white bean and kale soup, i wasn't sure what to expect. i was cold, it sounded warm, and i just hoped it would taste good too. 

it did taste good.

it also tasted very familiar. i had expected to try something new, something i hoped i would like. i did indeed like it; it tasted just like a soup my mom makes, a soup a lot of moms, dads, hungry people and restaurants in hawaii make. we call it portuguese bean soup. instead of white beans and kale it has kidney beans and cabbage. it also has portuguese sausage and elbow macaroni, but the shreds of pork and slightly salty, super delicious tomato broth are the same. 

somen salad

it's january. we're in the midst of winter. the average high for this time of year is 49 degrees F/9.5 degrees C. it's the least likely time to crave the cool deliciousness that is a somen salad.

i blame the recent emergence of spring-like weather for my somen salad craving. it's been sunny and warm, the perfect weather for a cool noodley salad. surely the cold weather will return, but for now, i think i'll put away my winter coat and enjoy me some somen salad.

if you're not familiar with somen salad, let me take a moment to introduce you. somen salad is made up of cold somen noodles, a variety of vegetables, usually one or more types of protein, and a sweet-soy-sesame dressing. in hawaii, it's popular as a side dish (especially at potlucks) or light meal but it can easily be elevated to entree status with the addition of more protein or vegetables.

ginger molasses cookies

the geek loves molasses cookies. he also loves the triple gingersnaps we get from trader joes. these ginger molasses cookies are a little bit of both. the recipe is a mish-mash of molasses cookie recipes from around the web (with the primary influence being the pioneer woman's recipe for spicy molasses cookies).

banana bread with personality: banana bread with chocolate and ginger

banana bread...comforting.

chocolate...bliss.
crystallized ginger...zingy.
bake them together...mmmm...genius!
 
the house smells amazing while it bakes, and the bread itself tastes even better. it's moist but not mushy, sweet but not too sweet and just when you're about to be lulled into calm contentment, the crystallized ginger adds a snappy twist; it's delicious.

meet the dog

we are lucky to have a part-time pet. she's actually the geek's family's dog, but she lives with us most of the time. she's around 14 years old and may be some mix of chow and schipperke, but we're not sure. 

you see, she's a rescued dog, so there's a lot we don't know about her. for example, why does she bark like an aggressive maniac at the doorbell/mailman/other dogs when she's normally so sweet? [maybe she's part dingo?] why does she whine when she sees young children and elderly folks? [maybe she thinks they're hiding snacks?] and when no one is looking, why does she eat random things and then look remorseful when we find them? [maybe it's a dingo trait and she's part dingo?] the geek does not really support my dingo theory, but i googled "dingo puppies" and i think i may be on to something. dingo or not, she's entertaining (to us at least, but then again, we don't get out much) and we are happy to have her as our part-time pet.

this year

instead of making my typical new year resolutions to exercise more and eat healthier, i've decided to make a list of things i hope to accomplish this year. this is actually the geek's idea. i think he knows that the exercise-eat healthy thing never lasts very long. resolutions just aren't as motivating for me as, say, needing to fit into a bridesmaid dress or a bathing suit. since i have neither a wedding or a trip to the beach in my near future, there's nothing compelling me to change my habits. the geek's exact recommendation was, "how about stuff you want to eat or cook this year?" i figured i could broaden the list beyond food; afterall, there is more to life than just eating...or so i'm told.