Back to the Market in Seattle

Nothing more delicious!

I took this for my friend, Leslie,who lives for and adores, pink.

Fresh, Baby Bokchoy

Spring Rhubarb

Gorgeous, gorgeous flowers from the tulip fields, north of Seattle.

You always find a happy fish!

Fresh Oysters for a quick snack.

The picture says it all!

Sweet Ricotta with Lemon and Cookie

Ricotta Dolce Al Limone Con Biscottini

Ricotta Dolce

Ricotta Dolce with Biscotti

For Cookies
2 T. Sugar
1 Lg. egg white, room temperature
3 T. King Author's Flour, unbleached
Pinch of sea salt


Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix butter and sugar until combined and add the egg white. Whisk for one minute or until blended. Add in the flour and salt. Put the batter into a small plastic bag. Now, with the tip cut off, with at least a 1/3 opening, pipe the batter onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and make the cookie strips about three inches long. Keep the strips of batter at least two inches apart. The first batch I made did not get large( fat) enough, so be generous with the amount you are piping out. Bake until the edges are light brown, about 12 minutes. That's all there is to the cookies!


The Ricotta
One lemon
3 T. sugar
4 T. water
1 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
plastic bag or pastry bag with 1/3 tip


Cut very thin strips of lemon zest from one lemon and boil these strips in water for one minute. Remove from stove  and drain the water. Now, return the pan to the burner and add the strips plus 3 T. of sugar and 4 T. of water to  the lemon peels in the pan.  Cook until all the sugar is dissolved and the liquid  is now like syrup.This takes about 5 minutes. The liquid should be translucent. Reserving this syrup, strain out the lemon peels and let the liquid cool down. Chop 1/2 t. of peel and add 2 T. of the cooled syrup  to the cheese. Stir well. Spoon into small dessert dishes. Place the rest of the peel on top of cheese mixture. Drizzle with extra syrup. Chill, now add the cookie into the mixture before serving. Make 6 small servings. Recipe adapted from La Cucina Italiana Magazine.

Old Fashion Goodness- High 5 Pie

High 5 Pie at its best!

 Founder Dani Cone is using her Grandma Molly's favorite butter crust to create innovative pies  and desserts in her Seattle shop.
 If I had time for a single dessert, I would head straight for 1400 12th Ave, Seattle, to experience her extraordinary and creative varieties of pies. Key Lime, Peach Ginger, Cherry Almond, Mixed Berry, Curry Veggie, Apple-Cherry Rosemary are just a few of her classic favorites. One bite reminds you  this is what pie should taste like: buttery, flaky and down right earthy! A passion for quality and goodness is the only explanation I can come up with as to why her pies are so popular in the area.
 It is a modern shop on the corner of a busy street, but don't give up trying to locate it! For those of you on the go, portability is an option!
See High 5 Pie on The Food Channel this evening at 10:30!

Roasted Asparagus with Garlic-perfect with lamb!

A very easy and delicious way to dress up that wonderful bundle of green....

3T. of olive oil
2 pounds of fresh asparagus, rinsed and dried
1 to 1/2 t. of fresh minced garlic
sea salt
2 t. of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the asparagus with oil and garlic in a large plastic bag for about thirty seconds.
Arrange on flat baking pan and sprinkle with the sea salt.  Add pepper to your liking. Bake the asparagus until tender and the tips are starting to turn brown. (You will have to flip the spears around a few times when cooking.)This takes about 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Have a wonderful Easter celebration!

Celebrating "Salad As A Meal" with Patricia Wells

          
Yesterday, a refreshing and colorful lunch was prepared at the Walrus and the Carpenter, located in Ballard,Washington. Attending the event was author and James Beard award winning chef, Patricia Wells. What a delight it was to meet her and taste several of the recipes from her latest cookbook, Salad As A Meal, now on sale.

                                                                    Patricia Wells

                                                                  Smoked Trout, tarragon and cucumber salad with a tangy horseradish cream sauce. It was as delicious as it looked!

A wonderful light dessert with Yarmuth Farms Chevre  and Ballard Bee Company Honey served with walnuts and crusty French bread.

                                               Jann chatting away with Ms.Wells

Another recipe from her cookbook, Chilled Pea and Buttermilk Soup with herbs.

Probably the best salad many of us have had in ages, using the iceberg lettuce this time, Iceberg Lettuce Salad with Bacon and Roquefort.

The new cookbook ~endless ways to serve salads!

Molbaks,Woodinville,Washington-a must to stop and shop!

Cassoulet -style turkey sausages with white beans

One of my dear friends from Seattle mailed me this recipe. It is adapted from a cookbook titled, All You Need To Know for Easy Get-Togethers, P. Anderson. I still have not picked up the book~this one would be great for those quick dinners I like to prepare. I call this my perfect Sunday meal....throw in a salad and freshly bread and there you have it!

Serves 8

2 pounds of turkey sausage or Italian sausage links

3 pints of cherry tomatoes or one large can of diced tomatoes

4 large cloves of garlic, sliced

1 medium onion, cut into chunks

3 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 1/2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

2 Teaspoons of dried thyme

3 Bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

3 cans of undrained white beans

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Mix the sausages, tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil,vinegar,thyme, bay leaves salt and pepper into heavy roasting pan. Roast in oven until the sausages are brown and tomatoes have reduced to thick sauce, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in beans and continue to cook until casserole has heated through, about ten minutes later.

Store leftovers in refrigerator and warm on stovetop for instant dinner the next night! My hubby suggested I throw in some mushrooms~sounds good to me! He loved this meal! Thank you Carrie for sending this along!

Focaccia with Caramelized Onions,pears and blue cheese

Food and Wine Magazine gives us one of their best! Other than the time it takes for the dough to rise,this doesn't take long at all to prepare. I could hardly wait to bite into the first slice!

Makes at least one 9x13 inch focaccia.

Ingredients

1 c. warm water

1 pkg.active dry yeast

1/2 t. honey

2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil plus 1 T.

1 t. kosher salt or sea salt

1 lg. onion

1 t. light br. sugar

1 lg. pear, Bosc, cored and sliced very thin

1/2 c. blue cheese

In large bowl, combine water, yeast and honey and let it stand for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the flour and 1/4 cup of the oil. Let that stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining flour and salt and knead until smooth. Transfer to oiled bowl, cover with plastic and let stand for 1 hour.

In a skillet, heat 1 T. of oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, cover and cook, stirring occasionally,until brown. 1o minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Oil a 9x13 baking sheet. Place dough on sheet and press it down to fit. Drizzle with the 2 T. of olive oil. Let the dough rise until puffed, about 20 minutes.

Scatter the onions over the dough. Arrange the pear and sprinkle with the cheese. Drizzle dough with rest of oil and bake for 20 minutes, until golden. Cool and serve.

Butternut Squash Frittata with Risotto and Blue Cheese

From La Cucina Italiana~a superbly welcomed addition to my files! A risotto frittata embellished with butternut squash and a few dollops of blue cheese to top things off! Served warm with a salad, glass of wine and there is your dinner.

Ingredients

1 T. butter to grease your 8-9 inch spring form pan.

3 T. plain breadcrumbs

2 C. water

2 C. of vegetable broth. I used chicken -that's what I had on hand.

1 T. of olive oil

1 Sm. onion,thinly chopped

3 C. 1/4 inch cubes of butternut squash.

1 C. Arborio rice, fresh ground pepper

6 eggs, beaten with whisk

Sea salt for flavoring and fresh ground pepper

3 oz. of blue cheese-that equals to 3/4 cup

Oven 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of spring form pan. Coat with crumbs,tapping out excess.

In medium pan, combine the water and broth . Simmer and remove from heat.

In medium pan, heat the oil over medium heat;add onions. Cook until softened. Add the squash and salt. Cover, stirring occasionally until the squash is tender.

Add the rice to same pan. Cook,uncovered until the rice is lightly toasted. Add pepper and 1 1/2 cups of the warmed broth. Cook, stirring frequently until the broth is absorbed then continue to add all the broth, 1/2 a cup at a time until both is gone. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese. Completely cool the risotto mixture. Stir in beaten eggs and add salt.Pour the mixture into the prepared buttered baking pan. Bake until set, about 1 hour.

Happy Birthday,JoAnne

If today is your birthday also, "Happy Birthday!"Friends are so very special!

Ricotta, spinach and sweet potato pie

I had this recipe in the back of my mind for quite some time now and decided this was the day. Comfort food for a very cold day, way down here in Florida. It certainly does not require numerous ingredients and most(well actually all) I had on hand. I love it when that happens and a trip to the grocery store is not needed.....besides, it's too darn cold to go outside!!!

Finished dish.
Before baking and veggies are mixed with cheese.

I left some of the veggies unmixed on the bottom of the pastry before pouring the cream mixture.

Ingredients:

1 half of the box of puff pastry, I used Pepper ridge Farms.

1T. butter,used to grease baking dish.

1/2 bag of baby spinach,uncooked.

1 large sweet potato,peeled and grated or sliced very thin.

2 C. whipping cream, not the heavy.

4 eggs.

1/2 t. salt.

3 T.chopped fresh dill.

1 14oz. container of ricotta cheese.

1/2 clove of minced garlic.

Butter baking dish. Add the pastry according to the size of your dish. I had to roll mine a bit longer and wider to cover the baking dish. I filled the pastry with a handful of spinach and potato slices, just to make it more solid of a dish for cutting and then mixed the remaining spinach and potato with the ricotta cheese and the dill. Lightly whisk the cream, salt and eggs together and pour over the mixture. Crimp edges of pastry if needed. Cook for 35-40 minutes until light brown on the top. Temperature set at 350 degrees.

Balsamic Sea Salt

I am ending the year with a bang~sprinkling a tad on fresh tomatoes with Mozzarella and fresh basil for a side salad. Wishing all of you a very Happy New Year...........

Taboo after dinner?

A day without at least two cappuccinos while traveling out the country, for me, is a day without sunshine! I do order the short cups~still counting the calories. Look at how rich and creamy this cup is! This is a meal in itself!! Let me get to the point .....having a cappuccino after dinner was/is a major violation I have experienced for a long time when traveling to Italy. I considered this my dessert at times until someone close to me pointed out very quietly that drinking this type of coffee was never done after dinner. My heart shattered! This is incredulous! I was from Washington where Starbucks was created and had any selection of coffee drinks at any time of the day. So for a few days, I started to take notice and pay more attention to when people were ordering or drinking cappuccinos and really, I never observed anyone caught in the act after dinner or even late in the day-except, the tourist, like me. Whatever is the logic behind this taboo? To that question my friend just replied," it's just not what we do here in Italy." As an American visitor to foreign places, I make an extra effort to comply and conform and not make up my own rules as I go. I never wear tennis shoes and always have a scarf around my neck. I certainly do not wish to challenge the logic behind having a cappuccino after dinner, but I would like to know what it is! If you know, please do share!

Welcoming signs of Fall

I am crazy about pumpkins, any size or shape. And, if I can bake it or make soup, I am a happy camper! As a matter of fact, I found a few wartie looking pumpkins on a visit to Pennsylvania and had them shipped back to Florida. Of all things we don't grow here, it's pumpkins! It is great fun to decorate or experiment and tuck the little boos all around the house, even among the dishes in the kitchen hutch. This year I experimented with tiny little beads that Martha Stewart sells, available at JoAnne's Fabric Stores. I brushed glue on the top of the gourd and then just sprinkled the beads all around. Did all the work in a flat box so I could gather and save the unused beads that didn't stick to the glue.

"Honey, we need more honey!"

Not too far from my home is a gal that sits in her car and sells honey. Actually, she has a table set up along the side of the road loaded with quarts of local honey. My husband was the first to notice her and purchased one of the smaller containers she was selling. I detected a hint of citrus~perfect for this little dessert!

Ingredients:

wholewheat pecan bread, cut into small bite size pieces, actually three bites works well!

fresh Pecorino cheese, room temperature, sliced and served on top of bread.

one orange, sliced.

a piece of a honeycomb, if available to put on the top~talk about freshness!

freshly grated nutmeg.

honey, 2-3 tablespoons drizzled on top and on orange slice.

That's about it.Take the bread between your fingers, trying not to let ingredients slide off and wait for your taste buds to cry!