Afternoon Project
01-Sep-2005
This was yesterday afternoon’s project – stacking a cord of wood. What does a cord of wood have to do with a food blog?
The smell of fresh cut fir reminds me of fresh cut Christmas treesChristmas trees remind me of the holidaysThe holidays remind me of baking and my annual partyToday is September 1. By October 1 I’ll start taking stock of supplies and by November 1 I’ll be starting with the early items.That’s how my mind wanders when I’m in the Zen mode of wood stacking…
Helping Out
01-Sep-2005
In case you’ve been thinking of donating to Katrina’s victims, today is the day to more than think about it. Here are some sites to get you started:
or donate with 1-Click through Amazon.
$40 a Day Summary
29-Aug-2005
As always Sam of Becks & Posh does a great job summarizing all the Dine and Dish entries! check out her worldwide whirlwind tour of 33 entries! I’m going to check them all out for tips for future travels – I mean these are the real experts giving you the benefit of their knowledge and experience.
Dine and Dish #4: $40 a Day
23-Aug-2005
This month Sam, of Becks and Posh is hosting the 4th Dine and Dish – Be Rachel Ray for a Day. Now I love these events in any case, but was compelled to join this one as, some time ago (I’m almost afraid to mention it…) I had (to some) the audacity to say that I didn’t want to see any more Rachel Ray shows (not that they had to cancel any of the current shows!) and I thought that some of her methods/recommendations were – ummmm – not that sensible, maybe?
And one of my pet peeves was that on her travel show, $40 a Day, she is penny-wise and pound foolish, often traveling rather far (and thereby increasing her transportation costs) just to save a buck or two on dinner. Additionally, she’s a lousy tipper (brought up by several commenters from the food industry on the post – not just me!) and in my opinion, if you can’t afford the tip, you can’t afford the meal. I actually quit dating a guy once because he was such a bad tipper! Well, that and the fact that I didn’t like him that much anyway – but the tipping was a big part of that! I think it says a lot about a person. And being a former cocktailer, server, bartender myself I have a soft spot for servers – especially those who treat me well or overcome negative circumstances (too many tables, slow kitchen, etc) to do their best to make my time delightful.
Another thing that I thought was a little unrealistic was that Rachael usually doesn’t include alcohol in her budget, or she may sneak in one drink here or there. Now, alcohol is not necessary but I think that most people, while on vacation, on likely to include it as part of the relaxation/celebration that a vacation brings.
Anyway, when I saw this theme I thought it was high time I put my money where my mouth is (or fingers are) and show that I could eat easily and well, on $40 without sacrificing another part of my travel budget! Sam has given us the rule that since tipping habits vary worldwide that we did not have to include tips. I’ll tally my expenses without tips first, so that the post is comparable to others but then I’ll tell you where I would have included tips, how much and why because I think it’s very important. Especially if you are trying to learn about tipping.
Okay, here goes!
I’m basing this on the premise that I’m staying in downtown Seattle – a pretty likely scenario if you are traveling to the area. And, in fact, there are times I just check myself into a hotel and play tourist in my own town – I love that! I actually see things that I miss in my everyday wandering around.
A couple of other notes. I’m going to add tax to all purchases, even though sometimes the tax is already included in the price. It just makes it easier for me to be consistent. I’m going to use a flat 9% (I know, it’s robbery!) even though rates around Seattle vary from about 8.7% to 9.3%. I think anyway, I don’t really pay attention to it anymore, as it drives me crazy. As mentioned earlier I’ll make notes about tip and add them in at the end but to be consistent with other entries I won’t include them in the ongoing tally.
So what would a tourist do? One of the nice things about Seattle is that many of the tourist attractions are places that those of us who live here use or enjoy, too. Since I want to spend a little time exploring Pike Place Market, I’m going to head there and see what I can find for breakfast. The locals tell me there’s a great little French bakery right on the main street. Not only do they have wonderful bread and pastries but they have casse-croutes, a typical sandwich you’d find in boulangeries and féuilletes, a pastry filled with various items – sort of a meal in a puff pastry shell.
The bakery is called Le Panier. It is right on Pike Place directly across from the main market. I enter the bustling shop, go to the counter to survey my options – there must be at least 10 varieties! – and choose a Pate de Campagne. The price for any of the sandwiches is just $5 and these are very generous sizes! I order a cup of tea to accompany the sandwich, make my way to the counter in the front window and spend the next hour, munching on my sandwich, sipping my tea watching the procession of locals and tourists drifting by the window and occasionally glance at one of the free papers I picked up on my walk from the hotel. I also set a loose itinerary for the day – spend the morning in the market; then check out the waterfront and have dinner somewhere close to the hotel.
Cost for sandwich and tea with tax: $7.05 ($32.95 remaining)
Tip note: Since this was a walk-up counter and I carried my own meal to the table this doesn’t necessarily warrant a tip. However, they did have a tip box near the register and the staff will bus my dishes so I toss my change in the tip box.
Other alternatives: If I’d chosen a féuillete instead of the casse-croute my bill would have been less than $5. And, actually, this sandwich is too large for me to eat in one sitting so I’d probably split it with a traveling companion or save 1/2 for lunch. I also may have chosen to eat at Le Pichet (another French place!) on First Avenue just up the block from the main market. One of my favorites there is the brioche. When they have it, it’s about $3. With a cup of tea or some sort of coffee and you have an ample meal! Le Pichet has sit-down service so a tip would be required here, but at 15% – 20% we are only talking a $1, although I’d probably leave $2. If I wanted more of a bacon and eggs breakfast, I’d probably visit the Athenian Inn in the main market. The food is not great but it’s certainly good. Plus it’s reasonable and this is the Sleepless in Seattle place where Tom Hanks is trying to figure out how dating works again. Also, I may have picked up my coffee or tea at the Starbucks here in the market. It’s the original store. It was here before Howard Schultz was even thinking about coffee. If nothing else I need to swing by to take a look at the original (slightly risqué!) logo! And there’s always some sort of busker in front playing some sort of music – many of them are amazingly good!
I spend the next several hours wandering in and out of places in the market. It’s a fascinating place! Even though it’s a big tourist draw this is a real working market! I see lots of locals doing their shopping, talking with the stall owners and making their way with purpose through the crowd. As for me, I’ve heard about a couple places here that I really want to check out. The Spanish Table located on Western Avenue on the backside of the market carries all kinds of Spanish and Portuguese foods and culinary tools. You should see the size of some of the paella pans they have! And the wall of Spanish wines and Ports – amazing!! They say it’s the largest selection of Spanish and Portuguese wines in the US. Just down the street is the World Spice Market. They have a huge selection and they prefer to sell you whole spices to grind at home, but will grind them and vacuum seal them if you really need them to. Back in the main market is DeLaurenti’s – not necessarily a bargain shoppers paradise but they certainly have a huge selection crammed into a little space. And the cheeses are wonderful! Walking through the stands of local farmers and their goods is quite an education, too! I see all kinds of things brought to this area by various ethnic groups who have moved here over the years. I could go on and on, but you get the idea – the market is not just tourist fluff, it’s a real market. No wonder it’s the heart and soul of Seattle!
Well, I’ve been wandering around, looking at all this food and although I’m still pretty full from my breakfast, it’s time to take a break and rest a bit – maybe have something refreshing, something Seattle. What says Seattle more than something from the sea? I had noticed a seafood shop that also had a little lunch bar on the back side. It was in the Sanitary Market – on the east side of Pike Place. They have a little bar where I can sit but it’s such a nice day, I’m going to get my meal to go. I make my way to Jack’s Fish Spot and queue up for something from the counter. I decide to go with a shrimp cocktail – an extremely generous serving of baby shrimp, fresh crispy celery and Jack’s homemade cocktail sauce. When I see what they hand me I can hardly believe it’s only $3!! If I had been a little more hungry I might have gone for the clam chowder at just $4 for the bowl. I take my seafood treasure and walk up the street towards the park overlooking the water. On the way I stop into the little grocery market to pick up a bottle of water. I choose a bench in the park and take in the view of the Olympic Mountains and the ferries criss-crossing Puget Sound. The water sparkles, the sun is warm. This is life!
Cost for shrimp cocktail and water with tax: $4.51
Total spent on breakfast and lunch: $11.56 ($28.44 remaining)
Tip note: Again this was a walk up place and I took my meal to go. I’d probably throw some change into the tip jar if they had one. The water was purchased at a grocery store so no tip required.
Other alternatives: Pike Place Market is full of little places that are great for picking up a little something to take to the park. I might have chosen Hum Bow from Mee Sum Pastry ($2.06 – 2.76 before tax) or one of the many varieties of Piroshky at Piroshky Piroshky ($2.75 – $3.75) or maybe a little treat from the Greek Delicatessen. If I wanted more of a sit-down lunch I would have stopped by El Puerco Lloran on the Hillclimb steps. This is a GREAT Mexican restaurant and a very generous meal will run you about $6 or $7 plus tax and tip.
For information about many of the fun little places in the Pike Place Market, check out this article from the Seattle P-I. It’s a couple years old but still accurate.
A note about the park – it’s called Victor Steinbreck Park and can be a little scary looking your first time there. This is one of the areas of the city where a lot of homeless people congregate. While I wouldn’t wander around in the park on my own late at night, I’ve never been bothered there at any time during the day – even the early morning – or into the evening. If you look closely you’ll see that people on the benches and walking through the park are from all walks of life. You may be more comfortable choosing a bench or area filled with business people or tourists to start with but you’ll soon see you have little to worry about at all. In fact, many of the homeless will greet you and wish you a good day – too bad the "normal" people are too reserved to be as friendly!
After finishing my lunch and resting my feet for a bit, I find one of the skybridges that cross over to the waterfront or I make my way down the steps of the Hillclimb from Western Avenue to the Waterfront. Again this is a tourist area but there is much here that is of real value. Right across the street from the Hillclimb is the Seattle Aquarium. This is a beautiful and educational aquarium featuring mostly local sea creatures but you can also find the unusual here. One of my favorite parts of the aquarium is the underwater dome. You can sit in this area and watch the native species swim and interact as they do in nature. Technically they are in a tank of sorts – while the dome is under the Sound the fish are kept in the area by a net that you can’t see. This is a huge exhibit and you’ll see octopi, small sharks, bottom feeders, and all manner of fish behaving exactly as they do in the wild – because technically that’s where they are! This is a really peaceful and beautiful place to spend a little time – the longer you stay the more you see, as the fish that at first blended in to the surroundings become easier to spot.
There is also an interesting Maritime Museum on the waterfront; you can sit and watch Parasailers; walk along the water to Myrtle Edwards Park; hop on one of the trolley cars to get from one of the waterfront to the other; visit Ye Olde Curiosity Shop to see the mummies (okay this is pure tourist…); or maybe the best thing – pick one of the many options to get out on the water. Besides the aforementioned parasailing, you can take an Argosy Cruise around the working waterfront or through the locks into the fresh water lakes and back again; you can jump on a 70′ sailboat for an afternoon or sunset cruise; you can take one of the Washington State Ferries across the sound (30 – 45 minutes depending on which route you take) and then take the ferry back on the return trip; during the summer months there is a water taxi that departs for West Seattle where, once you land, you can take the 15 minute walk west to Alki Beach and see one of the best views of the Seattle skyline. Lots of possibilities and all of them give your weary feet a rest while giving you some of the best views of Seattle.
Around 3:00 I’m getting ready to wind down for the afternoon. I’m thinking, I’m on vacation and it’s time for a cocktail! Since I’m on the water I head to a place that I’ve been told as a great Happy Hour – Elliott’s Oyster House.
Although Elliott’s is on the Waterfront, in the midst of what many consider pure tourist area, it is actually part of a great local chain of restaurants. Known for events such as the "Oyster Olympics" it has a noble history as a fine seafood establishment. One of the best things I like about it is the "Progressive Happy Hour"!
Happy Hour starts at 3:00 pm. There are a few drink specials – most notably some decent martinis for just $3; some bar type snacks at reduced prices; and finally specials on oysters on the 1/2 shell. Now this is where the "progressive" part comes in! From 3:00 – 3:30 they are 50¢ per oyster. From 3:30 – 4:00 they are 70¢ per oyster. At 4:00 they go up another 20¢ and so on until Happy Hour ends at 6:30.
Now this is a perfect deal for a woman on a budget! I enter Elliott’s at 3:00 and slide on up to the bar. I ask what the oyster of the day is – this is just for curiosity’s sake as I’ll order them whatever they are since Elliott’s only serves luscious oysters. I order a 1/2 dozen of them and they are served with their frozen champagne mignonette – oh my! To accompany my oysters I request a vodka martini with a twist. Sitting back I take in the sights and sounds of the surrounding area. I sip and slurp my way through my afternoon snack. Completely satiated I return to my hotel to freshen up for the evening activities. A little dinner and then a visit to a local jazz club are on the list for the evening.
Cost for oysters and a martini with tax: $6.54
Total spent on breakfast, lunch and snack: $18.10 ($21.90 remaining)
Tip Note: This is defintely a tipping situation. While 15% is often considered standard, I think 20% should be considered at all times. And, in a case like this, where the food and/or drinks are substantially discounted I always consider what the tab would have been if it wasn’t Happy Hour – it still takes just as much effort to serve it at 1/2 price as it does at full price! In this case I would at least tip $2 but more likely even more. Remember – you got a great deal on the food, so you can afford to be a bit generous if your service was good.
Other Alternatives: Ivar’s on Pier 54 also has a good Happy Hour and it is a Seattle institution. The first time I ate there I was 12 years old and I had baby prawns and chips – a huge plate and they were great! Anthony’s on Pier 66 also has a Happy Hour upstairs. The food is great but the Happy Hour specials are not as good a value.
I’ve been back to my room; I’m feeling refreshed and now I’m ready to head out for the evening activities. First stop Brasa, which is a short walk from my hotel.
Brasa has a great Happy Hour menu. All food on the bar menu is 1/2 price and the bar menu is extensive, the food substantial. I decided to order a lamb burger with frites and a glass of wine. The Happy Hour price for the burger is $6 and the wine is full price at $8. ($8 is actually a median price – you’d be able to get many of their specialty drinks or a glass of wine for this price.
Cost for a lamb burger and a glass of win with tax: $15.26
Total spent on breakfast, lunch and snack: $33.36 ($6.64 remaining)
Tip Note: This is defintely a tipping place. Since 1/2 my meal was at Happy Hour prices and 1/2 was at full price. I’d make sure I left a generous tip, probably $4.
Other Alternatives: If I wanted to see a little different part of Seattle, I might have taken a taxi to south Lake Union to one of the restaurants there. Taxi fare to this area is going to be maybe $8. Daniel’s Broiler has a great Happy Hour. Similarly everything on the bar menu is 1/2 off and house wine (which is a decent brand) is $3.50. Chandlers, also on Lake Union has a similar deal. McCormick and Schmick’s has a $1.99 Happy Hour food menu, which includes a 1/3 pound burger and fries, among other things! They have a location downtown and on Lake Union. If I wanted to stay downtown I may have gone to Cascadia. Their Happy Hour menu is limited but the mini-burgers at $1 a piece are great! A couple of them and an order of Happy Hour Calamari and a Happy Hour cocktail and you’re set!
The amount of food I "ate" in this day is more than I actually could/would eat in a day but I wanted to make sure that all meals were covered. In real life my total for this day probably would have been closer to $30 and I’d take my "leftover" $10 – maybe from a couple of days – and one night have a big fancy dinner but my average spend for the vacation would still have been under $40.
For "today" my remaining $6.64 would just about have covered my tips if I’d included them. Since, for this exercise, we didn’t have to I’m going to take my remaining money and head to The Triple Door, where I can sit in the lounge and enjoy the music being piped in from the showroom below (or even attend the show) and have one final nightcap. Then I’ll return to my hotel happily tired and ready to sleep well.
Two Seattle Happy Hour Guides
21-Aug-2005
You may have heard about the little Happy Hour spreadsheet created by a bunch of friends that suddenly gained infamy via the ease of passing files via email. For some time now it has been available online. I’ve watched it over the months and have been impressed with the maintenance on it.
It’s still basically a spreadsheet broken out by area. The authors have coded it to reflect their favorites. It has a lot of good information. Seattle Happy Hour Guide
This morning I came across a new site also documenting Seattle Happy Hours. It is set up more as a search service. Basic search gets you basic information and then each entry has a "more" link that gives you additional detail about the location. SevenNites.com
I like the feel of the first site better – more like friends giving you good tips – but I suspect that neither site will be able to keep up with everything in Seattle. For instance they both still show Axis, which I’ve heard (but not confirmed) has been closed and sold. By checking out both sites you can probably get a pretty good idea of what’s available.
Update August 24: The guy behind SevenNites contacted me and his site is just a labor of love, like so many of these things – check it out and add a review or let him know if you have updated information – I mean one guy can only drink in so many places! I know that far too well! :-)
Concerts (and Dinner) on the Green
20-Aug-2005
One of my favorite summer activities is attending concerts at Ste. Michelle Winery. The winery is in Woodinville, WA, a little less than 15 miles from my house. Throughout the summer they have a variety of acts who perform on an outdoor stage beside the winery buildings. The stage is situated at the lower end of a slightly sloping field, so that all seats have a pretty good view. There are reserved seats up front but I only sit there when I have to (I’ve been lucky enough to be comped a few times and then it’s sort of obligatory to use your seat…) Most often you’ll find me spreading my blanket in the open field.
After several years of attending summertime concerts at the winery (held rain or shine!) I have my set up down to a science. The gates always open two hours before the concert. Shortly before the gates open you’ll find me parking and getting in the queue. When the gates open I head to one of several areas that I’ve found offer the best viewing and easy access to the restrooms (always important!). :-) We spread a tarp and then a blanket, set up the chairs (only low, sand chairs allowed), a little collapsible, canvas table and position the rolling cooler and picnic basket on the corners of the blanket to stake our area out. This set up is actually the envy of many concert goers (I always get comments on both the gear and the food…) and, although there are others who really out do my set up – real glasses, tablecloths, flowers and candles on their table, etc – I have to say I’m normally in the top 5% or higher of great setups! Plus, I have it down to such a science, if need be I can handle it all on my own and with two people it’s easy as pie to haul it in and out.
Once all that is in place, we head into the tasting room to purchase wine. They actually sell wine and all manner of food within concert grounds but the types of wine are limited and the lines are pretty long. I prefer selecting from the entire range of varietals in the tasting room. In addition, it’s always nice to use the inside restroom prior to the building closing when you are forced to use the porta-potties. :-( Although, they are kept in very good shape. And, generally, I think it’s a lot more fun to bring your own food rather than purchasing, although the selection and quality of the food available is pretty good.
Having purchased our beverages for the evening we head back to our little blanket, set up the Wineglass Steady Sticks (these are the best invention), pull out the acrylic wineglasses, fill them and sip a glass of wine while enjoying a few nuts or crunchy snacks and just enjoy the glorious sun and scenery. (Okay, I have been to several concerts in the rain and I’ve developed a pretty good method for coping with that but we’re not going to focus on that!) About an hour before concert time, we open the cooler and picnic basket and pull out the full feast. We spend the next hour or so munching through the treats. If there are two acts dessert normally comes out during the break.
My profile picture was taken at the winery a few summers ago. I was going to update that photo on Friday night but while they were checking the cooler and the picnic basket at the gate for contraband alcohol, they asked about cameras and for some reason I told them I had one! I have no idea what came over me since I know that technically they aren’t allowed. But I also knew that where I had it they wouldn’t check, and once inside as long as your aren’t blatantly taking photos of the band, they aren’t overly zealous about enforcing the rule. I have no idea what came over me but it meant I had to take the camera back to the car, leaving M with all the gear but I did get back to the line prior to the gates actually opening. Phew!
As for my photo, I don’t think you would have seen much difference between that one and the one I would have taken. My hair is still pretty much the same, the chairs are better now, the wineglass is probably the same so it wasn’t going to be a big update. However, it also meant that I couldn’t take pictures of my little feast that night! :-( Dang it.
Luckily I did have leftovers of the main attraction and I had those for lunch today and snapped a few photos to share. Here is the actual menu:
Dinner at Ste. Michelle Winery
Mixed salted nuts
Cucumber and Avocado Soup with Fresh Crab (recipe below)
Spinach Salad (with bacon, red onion & blue cheese)
Smoked Salmon with Herbed Cream Cheese
Crusty Country Bread
Fruit
Fran’s Chocolate Coated Almonds
The Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc is one of my all-time favorite warm weather wines. Crisp and clean with lots of melon, a little citrus and a bit of grass, it goes with a wide variety of foods or is lovely on its own. It comes chilled from the cooler inside the tasting room and stays at a perfect refreshing temperature in your cooler. Horse Heaven has fairly recently been approved as an American Viticultural Area (AVA). You will also see it called Ciel du Cheval or, if you are drinking a Mark Ryan wine, Dead Horse! Which is a very beautiful wine despite the name. But back to Friday night… It was very warm on Friday night – 88°F/31°C – when we arrived at the winery at 5:00 pm. I wanted something that would be refreshing and yet very tasty, so I decided to make a cucumber soup. I had also purchased a fresh Dungeness crab for the picnic and thought it might go well with the cucumber. The recipes I found all seemed a bit boring. I love cucumber but they don’t have lots of zing on their own. So I started with a basic recipe and then added several elements for a bit more pizazz!
The soup was really good, although I would make a few changes next time around. I thought there was a bit too much salt, although M disagreed with me, and I think instead of the Rice Wine Vinegar I might use a white balsamic. I’ll have to think about that a bit.
Here’s the recipe that I used.
Cucumber and Avocado Soup with Fresh Crab
4 servings
Cucumbers (3 1/2 pound total), peeled, sliced and seeded (I used a combination of "regular" & pickling cukes)
1/2 cup cold water
2 to 3 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt, (reduce to 1 tsp?)
1/2 cup cold water
2 to 3 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt, (reduce to 1 tsp?)
1 ripe California avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 (8-ounce) container plain yogurt
1 tablespoon Lemon-Wasabi Sauce
1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 (8-ounce) container plain yogurt
1 tablespoon Lemon-Wasabi Sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
Freshly ground white pepper
Freshly ground white pepper
Hot sauce
1 1/2 cups ice cubes
Garnish: 1 pound of crab meat – set aside whole leg pieces
Finely diced red onion
Puree cucumbers with water, vinegar, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in batches in a blender until smooth.
Mash together avocado and lime juice until smooth. Whisk in yogurt, Lemon Wasabi Sauce, chives, several drops of hot sauce and pepper, to taste.
Just before serving, blend soup with ice in batches until smooth. (I actually did this about 3 hours prior to serving and it was fine. Just whisk before serving as the soup tends to separate a bit. )
Divide soup between four bowls. Place a heaping tablespoon of avocado cream in the center of each bowl. Sprinkle the red onion over the avocado cream and the soup. Place a generous portion of the crab meat over the avocado cream in each bowl. Add a couple pieces of leg meat to each portion. Garnish with chives, if desired.
Soup (before blending with ice) and avocado cream can be made 1 day ahead and kept, separately, chilled and covered.
Friday night’s concert was really wonderful. The opening act was Children of the Revolution, a locally-based band showcasing world music and Salsa and Flamenco dance! They were followed by the marvelous and entertaining Pink Martini, a band I fell in love with a year or so ago.
The weather was great, the bands had high-energy, the food and wine were perfect for a summer night. All in all it was a pretty wonderful night!
Dinner at 8
19-Aug-2005
It’s another opportunity to check out new places or return to old favorites and get a bargain while doing so! Seattle Weekly has announced a September event – Dinner at 8, featuring 26 restaurants. This event differs slightly from the 25 for $25 in that most of the focus is on neighborhood joints instead of the downtown area. And, obviously, the price is $20 instead of $25. :-)
The event runs September 1st – 29th, Sunday though Thursday. Check out the site and start making your plans now!
Virtual 40s – 70s Party: Rumaki
19-Aug-2005
You may have noticed there has been a low level of activity on this blog lately. About 2 weeks ago, I came down with what I thought was going to be a little bothersome summer cold. I hadn’t been sick for over two years (basically since I pulled myself from the workforce) and apparently I had also lost whatever level of resistance that I normally have to the erstwhile bug floating around the typical office. Well, this one wiped me out. I’m just finally able to make it through the day without a nap or two!
This little bug happened to hit during an extremely busy work week. One of my contracts is winding down and I was trying to make sure I had everything in order for a good hand off. On the other hand my other contract was really cranking up and I was preparing for a major milestone this week. In addition, it just happened to be a busy week socially – two concerts, one baseball game and two parties! Needless to say, I had to cut back since I only had a few productive hours a day.
The blog suffered, however since i was only eating the occasional soft-boiled egg or bowl of cereal it wasn’t like there was tons to write about! :-) I did rally myself for the 40s – 70s party hosted by Megan of IHeartBacon, however. And I was really glad I did – we had so much fun!
My offering for the party was Rumaki and "Stuffed Celery", as seen in the photo above. At the party, Orangette asked me where the name Rumaki originated and my guess was that it was something to do with the marinade, which is basically soy sauce and ginger – sort of a take-off on teriyaki. I decided to do a bit of research and while I didn’t find an exact answer I was surprised to see that this was actually a topic of discussion on the Chowhound Boards!
The original Rumaki is chicken liver and water chestnuts, wrapped in bacon and broiled. You often see a poor excuse of a version with just water chestnuts and bacon since so many people think they don’t like liver. (I say "think" because I’ve seen people who "hate" liver gobble these down until they realize what’s in them…)
Closely related to Rumaki are Angels on Horseback or Devils on Horseback. Angels on Horseback uses oysters in place of liver and water chestnuts, although sometimes scallops are substituted. Devils on Horseback can be two different things depending on where you hang you hat. Around here it normally is Angels on Horseback but spiced up with hot sauce. In the UK most often Devils on Horseback uses prunes as the center ingredient. Sometimes the prunes are stuffed with almonds or mango chutney.
No matter what center item is used, the one thing that seems to carry across all recipes is the bacon – I guess it is loved by just about all. It’s even part of the "campers" version which uses hotdogs! What will they think of next!?!
I love the original version, although even it has several marinade variations. The combination of the rich, soft liver with crunchy, clean water chestnut all surrounded by the salty bacon is really great.
Here is the recipe I used for the party:
Rumaki
12 slices bacon, halved crosswise
12 ounces chicken livers, halved (I actually cut some in thirds. You want them bite-size, although they will shrink a bit when cooked.)
12 whole water chestnuts, halved (Use canned.)
12 ounces chicken livers, halved (I actually cut some in thirds. You want them bite-size, although they will shrink a bit when cooked.)
12 whole water chestnuts, halved (Use canned.)
Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
Combine soy sauce, ginger, sherry and sugar in a small bowl. Add the chicken livers and marinate them in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
Place 1 chicken liver piece and 1 chestnut piece in the center of each bacon-half, wrap, and secure with a toothpick. (It’s a good idea to soak your toothpicks in water for about 1/2 hour before using them.) Place the Rumaki on a broiler pan or shallow baking pan and broil, about 5 or 6 inches from the heat, until the bacon is crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Or, you may bake the appetizers in a 375° oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
Serve hot. (These can also be served at room temperature. In fact, I had a couple of leftovers for breakfast the next day and they were right out of the fridge!) Makes 24 appetizers.
An Incredible Feast – Farmers’ Market Event
14-Aug-2005
Coming up on Sunday September 11th at the location of the West Seattle Farmers’ Market is "An Incredible Feast" a food tasting that pairs local farmers and local chefs. The event runs from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm.
During the event the chefs will be cooking with a designated farmer’s offerings and you’ll have an opportunity to talk with both farmers and chefs! The event is a fundraiser for the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance.
Tickets are $35 for adults, $5 for those 12 and under. The event will include access to 20 or more fresh and unique dishes. Beer and wine will also be available for purchase.
For more information about the event, including some of the chefs who will be making an appearance, see this news item.
To purchase tickets call Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance at 206.362.5234.
Ticket sales will be limited and may not be available on the day of the event.
M & M Locater
14-Aug-2005
As I reported a few days ago M & Ms now come in a "Mega" version. I found a bag at my local Bartells Drugtore and munched ’em down. They were pretty good! I mean they are still M & Ms but somehow with this newer, more substantial size they seem a bit more satisfying! :-)
And there has been quite a hubbub over the new "adult colors". I guess because they are more subdued that makes them more adult – I don’t know but I did like them for a change. Of course, if you read my last post, you’ll have noticed I’m driven to buy all the various holiday and seasonal colors so obviously I like variety or maybe I’m just fickle or probably both.
Anyway, in the comments, CookChile mentioned there are also Dark Chocolate M & Ms! I had no idea. Anyway, I found a handy tool for locating all these new varieties! Check out "Where to Buy M & M Chocolate Candies". You enter what type of M & M you are looking for, your zip code and a distance range and then search. You’ll get a list of locations in your area!
Okay, I know it’s a marketing tool but I love it!
Culinary Fool 