by Krista | Oct 25, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
Good morning, dear ones! How was your weekend? Are you feeling rested and ready for a new week?
My weekend was just what I needed. It started with a delicious sleep-in Saturday morning, followed by cranberry orange scones and coffee with Mums, and a long walk in the country. There were so many beautiful things to see: storm clouds billowing over the mountains, leaves drifting on a lake smooth as glass, and these lovely berries. I’m delighted by the bright orange against those red leaves! 🙂
I was able to go to Seattle to meet up with a fabulous little group of food bloggers (Val, Sandy, Janelle, Sarah, and Don) for a great visit and delicious dinner at Poppy. I’ve never had a meal quite like it! They serve thalis-style, which is like a tasting menu all on one platter. You choose a list of 7 items or 10, and each item is only large enough to provide 2-3 bites, that’s it. I loved it!! I always wished that I could find a restaurant like this that would let me have a taste of everything instead of making me stick to one entree. 🙂 My favorite tastes were the Blue Cheese, Cherry and Sage Tart, exquisitely savory Pork Belly, and either the Nutter Butter bars or Salted Caramel Truffle for dessert.
While the food was great, it was the company that made the night beautiful for me. I loved our good visits and drove home that night smiling and feeling inspired and enriched.
I also cooked like a mad woman this weekend. 🙂 My fridge is now full of all sorts of yummy things, but I think my favorites are the slow-roasted garlicky tomatoes. Oh. My. The flavor of these beauties is like a soft, warm sun-dried tomato, absolutely packed with flavor. I confess I eat them like candy, popping them in my mouth right off the baking sheet.
They can be used in so many ways, but they’re so rich I like to keep my combinations simple. I add them to whole grain pasta and don’t even need sauce, or tuck them into a sandwich, layer in a tart, or toss into a salad.
What is your favorite taste from this weekend?
This is my contribution to Chaya’s Meatless Mondays.
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients:
8-10 Roma tomatoes, washed, hulled and halved
olive oil
1/2 to 1 bulb garlic, peeled and minced
sea salt
ground black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Place tomatoes in medium size bowl and add olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat.
- Arrange on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Sprinkle with minced garlic and drizzle with a bit more olive oil.
- Roast 2-2 1/2 hours until tomatoes are half their size and garlic is nicely browned.
- Serve warm.
by Krista | Oct 18, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
Mornin’ dear ones! 🙂 How was your weekend? Were you relaxing your heart out or dashing about doing fun things? I did a bit of both and it was just what I needed.
I was able to take that new trail in the woods when Mums and I went hiking at Berthusen Park. It was gorgeous!! The forest is old growth and wonderfully dark and cool. Back in 1883 Hans Berthusen single-handedly cleared 100 acres of dense forest for farmland, but kept 20 acres of it as virgin timber so he would remember what the land originally looked like. In 1944 he left it to the City of Lynden so future generations could also remember. I love that.
We’ve had perfect fall weather all weekend with brilliant sunshine and gently breezes sending crisp leaves skittering over the pavement and tumbling across the lawn. Saturday was spent in town running errands and stocking up on groceries. It was one of those months where nearly all my basics were depleted and needed to be replenished. I confess grocery shopping is one of my favorite chores. It’s so fun to wander the aisles and choose delectable things to concoct even more delectable things. 🙂
A while back I picked up an enormous slab of Belgian bittersweet chocolate at Trader Joe’s, and yesterday I used half of it to make these decadent pots de creme with Southern Comfort. Oh my. Best eaten in small portions, these desserts are outrageously rich and delicious, and keep the house smelling heavenly for hours. I made mine with coconut milk and sweetened them with agave so I feel utterly guilt-free indulging. 🙂
Speaking of agave, a couple of months ago, BetterBody Foods & Nutrition sent me a sample of Xagave to try and I keep forgetting to tell you about it. 🙂 Sweeter than sugar with a very low glycemic index, agave has been my non-sugar sweetener for a while now. I love that the Xagave brand is completely organic and that they sell a cookbook full of ideas for using agave in every day cooking. I use it in everything from sweetening my tea and whipping cream to tossing with fruit for pies and tarts and substituting for sugar in much of my baking. For more information on agave in general and the Xagave brand, visit their website here: http://www.xagave.com/
What are some ways that you make your cooking healthier?
PS – My new article on Cancun is up at The Travel Belles today! Click here if you’d like to see it. 🙂
Southern Comfort Pots de Creme
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
7 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, cut in pieces
1 cup coconut milk
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp Xagave (more if you like your dessert sweet)
2 Tbsp Southern Comfort (or rum)
Pinch of black salt (or any other kind :-))
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add chocolate and coconut milk to saucepan and melt over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth.
- Set aside.
- Beat together eggs, agave, Southern Comfort and salt. Pour into chocolate mixture stirring constantly.
- Pour into ramekins, custard cups or any small oven-proof vessel.
- Place in baking pan and pour boiling water to within 1/2 inch of the tops of ramekins. Bake 20 minutes.
- Cool a few minutes, then cover and refrigerate.
by Krista | Oct 11, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
I’ve now been sick for a week with a ghastly cold/flu combo that’s hanging on for dear life. Grrr. 🙂
So I’m taking a deep breath, sipping umpteen cups of tea, and dreaming of happier moments in sun-drenched Mexico. Care to join me? I’ll get the fruity drinks, you grab the towels and I’ll meet you on the beach. 🙂
Perhaps mid-afternoon we could dust the sand off our feet, don a fetching cover-up of some sort, and pop into the beach side cafe for dessert. Would you rather have the Mango Strawberry Tart or the Chocolate Brownie?
Thanks for taking a little vicarious trip with me. I feel better already! 🙂
If you could be whisked off on vacation anywhere today, where would you go?
(If you’d like to know more about this lovely spot in Cancun, it is the Cancun Caribe Park Royal Grand. I spent four days there last month courtesy of Royal Holiday.)
by Krista | Oct 4, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
Good morning, dear ones!! 🙂 It’s SO good to be back home, back to sleep in my own cozy bed, cooking in my little kitchen, tucked up in my armchair writing to you.
After feeling right as rain for my entire trip to Cancun, I arrived home in time to get a whopping cold, start losing my voice, and generally feel like death. 🙂 Isn’t life funny like that?
Just before my trip I went on a marvelous hike to the beach at Point Defiance, Washington with my friend Stacey. It was a gently overcast day, bits of rain now and then, but mostly mild and peaceful. We meandered through the almost tropical rain forest before clambering down a staircase of tree roots onto a deserted beach.
We happily wandered the shore admiring unique bits of driftwood, a beached jellyfish in vivid russet, and a snakey tangle of kelp and seaweed. We read messages carved into the clay walls of a cliff, listened to the gulls shriek and collected smooth white stones.
It was a wonderfully rejuvenating day with my dear Texan friend.
That week I also made delicious Maple Ginger Roasted Broccoli. It’s simple as can be, simply toss broccoli florets with the marinade below, roast 10-20 minutes until edges begin to brown and serve. Mmm. 🙂
How was your weekend, dear friends? What is your favorite memory?
This is my contribution to Chaya’s Meatless Mondays. Click here to see more delicious vegetarian dishes.
Maple Ginger Roasted Broccoli
Ingredients:
2 heads broccoli, cut into florets
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
4″ piece ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1-2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
1-2 Tbsp Maple syrup
ground pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Place broccoli in bowl, set aside.
- In blender add remaining ingredients. Puree until smooth.
- Pour over broccoli and toss to coat (Add a bit at a time, you don’t want it too wet or the marinade will be too strong.)
- Spread broccoli in baking pan and roast for 10-20 minutes, stirring once, until tender and tips are browned.
by Krista | Sep 27, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
Good morning, dear ones! 🙂 How was your weekend? What lovely things did you discover or create?
I had a great weekend, but a chock-full, crazy-busy, now-I’m-so-tired-I-can’t-think-but-it-was-worth-it one. 🙂
I was able to go hiking with my friend Stacey, stay up much too late talking up a storm with her and our pal Trish, grill fresh salmon and all sorts of veggies with my bro and sis-in-law and a whole slew of dear friends, cheer on my sibs and friends in a marathon they ran today, and meet up with more family and friends for ice cream at Mallard, a splendid ice cream parlor in Bellingham.
Now I’m cozy in my armchair, sipping tea and luxuriating in the stillness and quiet, smiling at lovely memories and planning a new week.
This week is an exciting one for me because I’m heading to Cancun, Mexico for a writing assignment!! I still can’t quite believe it. 🙂 I’ve never been to this part of Mexico before, and cannot wait to explore, meet interesting people, and park myself on the beach for a few hours and do absolutely nothing but soak up sunshine, read a good novel, and rest, rest, rest. This will be my first vacation this year and although it’s a working one and only for a few days, I’m absolutely thrilled to pieces. I promise to take all sorts of pictures and share my adventures with you. 🙂
What is your favorite sort of a vacation? Are you a “happy to turn off the phone and stay home” sort of person, or do you like to head out to new places?
I wish you all a beautiful week!
by Krista | Sep 20, 2010 | Bootstrap Monday
Good morning, dear ones! How was your weekend? Mine was beautiful, albeit not quite what I had anticipated.
Friday evening I had grand plans of sorting clothes, unpacking boxes, revamping my whole apartment, but then I awoke Saturday with sore throat, aches and a fever, and all those bustling plans went straight out the window. They were replaced by cozy hours spent wrapped in a blanket in my armchair, sipping cup after cup of tea and hot lemon water as I read books, napped, and worked on updating my blog and other areas of my online life.
You may notice a few changes along the right side of my blog, including links where you can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and LinkedIn. If you’re a travel blogger or would like to be one, you might be interested in joining Travel Bloggers Unite – a great place to meet other travel bloggers and learn all kinds of tips and ideas for business, marketing and travel blogging.
I’ve also created two new albums on Rambling Tart’s Facebook page just for you! The albums are Friend Travel and Friend Food. They are the places where you can share YOUR travel or food photos. I’d love to see your scrumptious creations and your favorite spots from your jaunts. 🙂 Let me know if you have any trouble uploading your photos and descriptions. 🙂
I’ve been eating very healthy this weekend trying to get better. Well, except for the brownie I had tonight, but we won’t think about that. My favorite dish of the weekend was an experiment that thankfully turned out well. I chopped up a head of bok choy and sauteed it in sesame oil with a whole lot of garlic and fresh ginger, then added a couple tablespoons of soy sauce and topped it off with pine nuts toasted in sesame oil. Mmm, mmm!! Packed with flavor yet so healthy, this is one dish I devoured.
What is your favorite food memory from this weekend?
This is my contribution to Chaya’s Meatless Mondays. Click here to view a whole slew of delicious vegetarian recipes.
Bok Choy with Sesame Toasted Pine Nuts
(Serves 4 as side dish, 2 as main dish)
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 Tbsp sesame oil
3-4″ piece ginger, peeled and minced
5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 head bok choy, chopped in 1″ pieces
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Directions:
- Heat first portion of sesame oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring often, until toasted. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Heat second portion of sesame oil in skillet and add ginger and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat 1-2 minutes.
- Add bok choy and cook until soft, stirring often, 4-6 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in soy sauce, pour into serving dish and top with toasted pine nuts.
