by Krista | Jul 29, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
I’m pretty sure I have some of the very best aunts in the whole world. They are hilarious and brave and strong and have weathered so many trials and crazy things and emerged as these fabulous women that I admire so much.
This week I got to hang out with my Mums and her two sisters and tonight they left the menfolk at home and came to my place for dinner.
I had every intention of making vegetarian spring rolls with peanut sauce and a good salad (one of my aunts is vegetarian), but for some reason not a single grocery store in my oh-so-Dutch town carry spring roll wrappers. They know not what they’re missing!!
So I had to get creative and decided to do a spring roll salad instead.
I started with a layer of Napa cabbage followed by cucumber, cilantro, basil, and mint sprinkled with juicy chunks of Champagne Mango. I piled silvery cold mung bean noodles in the center and drizzled them with a citrus champagne vinaigrette, then topped everything with lime shrimp, spicy peanut sauce, and toasted almonds.
Mmm, mmm! It turned out even better than spring rolls and we were happy girls.
We sipped Sweet Orange iced tea while we ate dinner, then dug our spoons into glasses of frothy Limoncello Syllabub – heavy whipped cream beaten with homemade limoncello, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Delish! The zingy lemon balanced the cream beautifully and the limoncello warmed our bones and mellowed our spirits as the evening grew cool.
It was a lovely evening. We had such a jolly time talking about their kids, laughing over memory lapses and mixed up stories. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. One of my Dad’s sisters had heard there was a party and she popped over to join in! So fun!
We ended our Girl’s Night with a stroll to the creek as the sun set, and giggled our way through multiple attempts at a self-portrait. This is as good as it gets.
Sure love those girls!
Limoncello Syllabub
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
1/2 cup limoncello, cold
juice of one lemon
zest of one lemon
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients and beat until soft peaks form.
- Spoon into glasses and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Garnish with berries and mint leaves if desired.
Spicy Peanut Sauce
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups creamy natural peanut butter
1 can coconut milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp fish sauce
3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
3 gloves garlic, minced
Directions:
- Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Taste. Add more hoisin sauce if not sweet enough.
Citrus Champagne Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1/4 cup citrus champagne vinegar
1/4 olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
1/8 tsp salt
Directions:
Whisk all ingredients together until emulsified.
by Krista | Jul 22, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
It’s a dark, cloudy morning. The sort of morning where I want cozy things like:
Hot spearmint tea…
Glowing lanterns…
…and a rather scrumptious breakfast.
Scrambled eggs “with all the fixins” are one of my favorite rainy day breakfasts. I love them with scallions, tomato, salmon and chunks of melty goat cheese drizzled with green Tabasco sauce. A side of toasted prosciutto is never amiss.
This morning I get to have breakfast with friends from Germany and am so excited to see them. I love starting my day with great people, good conversation and something delicious and hearty.
What’s your favorite breakfast?
by Krista | Jul 15, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
Good morning, dear ones! Well, I’ve been in such a frazzled state the last few days, my mind a-whirl with projects and ideas and plans that I simply forgot to cook. Anything. At all. Thank goodness for leftovers and yogurt!
So as I sat in my armchair and realized I don’t have any recipes or food photos to share with you, I decided that today will be the day I share some photos from where I live.
Several of you have asked to see around my place, so here it is, in all its humble homeyness.
This is my backyard:
This is my cracked patio, my chimney, random black cords that go to I know not what, my rickety bench, and my bright pink, muddy Wellies.
This is my little container garden, various gardening bits and bobs, and a pot of basil I forgot on top of the chimney. My beloved creek is just over that tangle of blackberry bushes on the left.
These are the forget-me-nots that grow by my back door. Aren’t they cheerful?
And this is the sunset from my bedroom window.
I hope you have a beautiful day today, dear folks, wherever you live. 🙂
by Krista | Jul 8, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
Few things feel more summery to me than eating ripe cherries warmed by the sun. My absolutely favorite variety is Rainier, a cross between Bing and Van cultivars, developed at Washington State University in 1952 by a chap named Harold Fogle. They are shiny, juicy and so doggone pretty, I’m absolutely smitten.
Summer also brings out other lovely things, like icy glasses of limoncello, so beautifully yellow and lip-puckeringly lemony. I do love a glass on a hot summer’s eve clustered around the grill with friends, which is where I was last night, visiting with my folks and dear friends Art and Donna, watching Art work his magic on the grill.
Although the original plan was for Kansas-style ribs, Art surprised us with Tuscan-Rubbed Salmon instead. There was nary a complaint in the house as we saw the spice-crusted fillets sizzle and smoke deliciously on the grill. Served with Donna’s fabulous grilled zucchini and buttered carrots, the salmon was tender, flavorful and smooth as silk on the tongue.
Art and Donna warned us to save room for dessert and boy, were we glad we did! Bright blue plates arrived bearing peach pie topped with vanilla ice cream and a sprinkling of fresh berries. Fantastic! It was a beautiful way to celebrate our fashionably late summer.
What is your favorite summer dessert?
Art’s Tuscan-Rubbed Salmon
(From Relish Mag)
Ingredients:
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground fennel
1 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 6-ounce salmon fillets
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
- Prepare grill.
- Combine all ingredients except salmon and olive oil in a bowl.
- Brush each salmon fillet with about 1 tsp olive oil
- Press spice mixture on skinless side of salmon. Let stand 15 minutes.
- Place salmon skin side up on grill grate. Cover grill. Cook over high heat about 3 minutes. Flip and cook, skin side down, 5 more minutes or until done but still red in center.
by Krista | May 6, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
Good morning, dear folks! Today I’m delighted to host my first guest post from my friend Kat. 🙂 I hope you will enjoy her jaunt to Orcas Island as much as I did! 🙂
————————————–
Sometimes I have to wonder at all the splendour that surrounds me here in the Pacific Northwest. Where else in the continental states can you find sun, mountains, sea, and an abundance of luscious organic gourmet food?
A short ferry ride from the seaside town of Anacortes brings you to Orcas Island in the San Juans, home of many friendly folks, lots of sheep,
and more importantly, the best sorbet I have ever tasted.
Nestled amongst the quiet trees and waters of Doe Bay on Orcas Island, the Doe Bay Cafe caters to those who love local organic food at its finest. I had the pleasure of dining at this delightful spot with a friend who had done his online research well. We were on the island for a Leon Redbone concert, and wanted somewhere to eat that had organic, island-grown and above all, delicious food. We found an exact match in Chef Abigael Birrell. This lady knows her audience wants and delivers above and beyond. Talented, experienced, and creative, Chef Birrell has built an excellent and well-deserved reputation for herself.
The restaurant itself is unassuming from the outside, hidden away at the back of the Doe Bay Resort’s front office. Walking down the lovely path marked by colorful hexagonal tiles, my friend and I joked that we might be overdressed for our surroundings, but we soon found that our attire was well suited to the open and rustically elegant atmosphere. Plenty of cedar, many paned windows with beautiful views of the bay, fresh-cut flowers and a knowledgeable staff made us feel right at home.
A very friendly, efficient young woman named Kelly showed us to our table overlooking a lovely little cove and left us to peruse the menu. She returned quickly to bring us an amuse bouche (indeed, for two) of a Mediterranean ajvar with rosemary crackers,
and to recommend her favorite wine, a 2007 Penner Ash Viognier. I’m not generally a fan of white wines unless they’re dessert wines, but we requested a second bottle of this one to take home with us. This viognier was smooth, a good balance between sweet and dry, and went perfectly with our cheese plate. Oh, the cheesiness!
I must confess, I’m a fairly brand loyal cheese fanatic. Show me a good gouda or brie and I’m likely to remain devoted to that creamery for life. However, I am always eager to discover a new dairy, so I was joyous that our appetizer cheese plate arrived with nothing that I recognized. There was a sterling (locally made) herbed chevre, which paired delightfully with the thinly sliced apples, a PortTownsend Seastack, from Mt. Townsend Creamery, a buttery flavoured cheese which complimented the homemade quince paste and crostini. There was also a very good soft-ripened cheese which I unfortunately cannot find the name of, but it matched what I am guessed to be some kind of balsamic reduction as well as the very tasty Marconi almonds. Seeing the attention they paid to their cheese plate got me even more excited for the main course, and we were not disappointed.
My friend had ordered a dish of sea scallops with local vegetables and capellini pasta. We were curious to see what kind of herbs they would pair with scallops. It turns out that fresh basil from the restaurant’s garden and succulent arrugula make a consummate pairing. Topped with the delicately browned scallops, roasted red pepper and button mushrooms, paper thin radishes, and a light creamy sauce, the proportions of flavour with the capellini were well-balanced and amazing.
I fared as well or better with my Island Harvest Bowl. I chose udon noodles with a sesame ginger sauce to customize my dish, and was quite pleased with my selection. The sheer variety of vegetables made the dish, with perfectly steamed carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, green beans, and celery. It has been a long time since I have had vegetables that well prepared. They were not too crunchy, not too soft, just the right resistance to the bite. (I daresay they were al dente!) Completing the dish was a tuft of fresh and springy pea vines and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds.
We pushed our full plates to the side to take some home for later, (the café gives generous portions), and requested the dessert menu. Kelly animatedly informed us that the chef had prepared a special dessert for our evening, a baklava with Lopez Island vanilla bean ice cream and lemon-scented honey. I think perhaps the lemon scent was overpowered by the warm cinnamon and walnuts and crisp phyllo, but it wasn’t much missed in wealth of the overall flavour.
I did manage to save the best for last. I would willingly part with my last bottle of my aunt’s homebrewed root beer to have a lifetime supply of the Café’s Blackberry Cabernet sorbet. I lingered over the perfect ripe taste of blackberries mellowed by the rich body of the wine, and jealously guarded my glass from my dining partner, allowing him only one bite and pointedly ignoring all his hints that we trade dishes. Alas, the tiny bites could not last, and I all but licked the glass clean, dignity at this point lost to the exclamations of rapture.
By the time we left, the previously deserted restaurant was full, the staff were moving quickly and efficiently from table to table, and everything looked to be running like clockwork. A light drizzle fell as we left the cozy cove and hurried to our car, but I took one last look back and raised a mental glass to Chef Abigael Birrell and her excellent staff at the Doe Bay Café. I hope to return soon.
by Krista | Apr 29, 2010 | Plucky Thursday
Hello, dear folks. 🙂 I’m so sleepy that I’m quite terrified to write anything here lest it turn out to be complete gibberish! 🙂
It’s been an intense week but a good one, much heartache in the beginning but now I’m basking in the glow of unexpected, but most welcome, resolution and peace. I’m gonna sleep like a rock tonight. 🙂
Until then, I’m mulling over little things that have brought me joy lately:
My “nest” I made on this oh-so-rickety bench outside my door.
This gorgeous view from the bench!! How I love to lay here and look up at the trees, watching the setting sun turn everything all glowy and wonderful. 🙂
My hardy lavender plant that has somehow survived moving, pot breaking, drowning, and my utter lack of a green thumb. 🙂
I’m also grateful for roasted broccoli topped with toasted Parmesan cheese. I usually make a big batch, fully intending to eek it out over several days, but I never manage it. It’s just too yummy! Especially all those toasty, salty, scrumptious bits of cheese that stick to the pan. 🙂
What “little things” are making you happy this week?
Roasted Broccoli with Toasted Parmesan
Ingredients:
1 large head broccoli, washed and cut into florets
olive oil
good salt and freshly ground pepper
4-6 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese (pre-grated won’t melt properly)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Toss broccoli liberally with glugs of olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Spread on baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes or until tips begin to brown.
- Remove from oven and nestle broccoli close together. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and return to oven. Roast for another 5-10 minutes until Parmesan is browned and toasted.
