Sunday Picnics

...are a blessing.

When tragedy strikes, it really does make you think annoyingly deep for a little while. Since my post yesterday I have been thinking about all the ways that food (and things relating to food) is a blessing that we should not forget.

Today reminded me how food brings people together. Although I'm no sociologist (I hated that course in college), I would venture to say that there is not one culture in this world where people commonly eat by themselves. Eating is a great excuse to gather and be the social beings we were made to be.

Amazingly the weather here is still going strong (and by strong I mean beautiful, warm and sunny). My husband and I had a lovely, lazy Sunday, when it suddenly got lovlier and lazier. Our friends called us up and invited us to picnic with them for dinner. We kept it simple- a couple of blankets by the lake in Seward Park.



We brought the last picks of summer fruit:



While they brought fantastic roasted vegetable and feta sandwiches:



And veggie chips and hummus.

We ate and talked, talked and ate. When our main course was done, I got out some cookies I had bought from Macrina Bakery:



And we talked and munched some more until the sun went behind the hill. Then we ate some more...



...until we were pleasantly satisfied, then we talked some more.




Today's homework assignment is this: on some lazy Sunday afternoon (or any afternoon that works for you) call up some dear friends.

Go to a park.



Keep it simple, but remember to also keep it delicious and thoughtful. And remember to feel thankful.

Getting Introspective

So here we are watching the news and worrying about the war and hurricanes when all of a sudden a train crashes in LA. That's Los Angeles- not some third world country with a bad government, but a single city that probably generates more money and technology than all third world countries put together. I still can't believe it.

Because I knew someone on that train who didn't make it, today has made me a bit shakey. However, I knew I was due for a blog no matter how trivial food may seem today. And then I realized- food is not trivial. That's one of the main reasons I love food so much.

Food has power to change moods, to make people feel comforted, feel special, feel giddy or even excited. This, by the way, is why I get so angry when people pay no attention to what they eat. Food has the power to be something special each time we put it in our bodies, but instead we mindlessly consume crap that we don't even like that much.

Anyway, one of the reasons I love being a baker so much is because it's for people. Sweets have not always been something that almost everyone (dietary restrictions excluded) can have. I consider it a blessing to treasure- among all the other blessings in our lives. I know some people can't have sweets or don't like sugar that much, but I am in awe of people (usually women) who just never treat themselves ever. It's just so worth it to me to be maybe a pound heavier than I want to be if it means rejoicing over the gift of having taste buds! I am thankful for it!

Of course, when tragedy strikes it is important to pray for those who are hurting. All the while, we need to remember the gifts that we are thankful for and that bring us joy.

Whether it's eating this:



Or walking into my bedroom and seeing this:



Or better yet, walking into your house and seeing this:

Only a Little too Soon

I know for all two of you that read this blog that summer is still going strong. I am happy to report from here also that my lament is my last blog was a bit premature. Sure, the shadows are longer and the sun isn't baking hot, but I would venture to say the past week or so has been the best weather we've had all year. I have heard an analogy that compares Seattle to a fabulous but moody woman- most of the time she's awful, but when she's good to you nothing else in the world compares.

All the rain leads up to days like these. The temperature is perfect- I feel as comfortable outside in jeans and a long sleeve top as I do in a sun dress. Because everything is so heavily watered by nature, it truly becomes the Emerald City. So if you wonder why I haven't been so up to date on my blog writing, it's because I have been soaking up every minute of this before the inevitable happens.

And when the inevitable happens, even for you SoCal desert dwellers, thanks to me we will all be ready. You see, I know it's not quite the season, but once I've opened up the pandora's box of comfort food it's hard to go back. It all started when I made pumpkin bread. I had that ever consistent half a can of leftover pumpkin and I needed to find a way to get rid of it. I needed something fast, so I went to allrecipes.com and searched for pumpkin cookies. This website has a recipe for everything, but most of the time they are average at best. Being that this was kind of a "throw away" recipe, I didn't give it much thought.

First of all, the recipe is incredibly easy. It's a total no-brainer, and really I don't think it can be botched. Even the frosting (which MUST me made to complete it) took me all of two minutes.

Second of all, holy cow! I couldn't believe how shockingly good these were. So good, in fact, that I made them two days in a row.

So I'm telling you, people: Don't throw away that last cup of pumpkin puree. Even if you have made an entire holiday spread and are so tired you want to collapse. I'm telling you, they are E-A-S-Y and fast and freakin' fantastic! What more could you ask for? Perhaps they are even worth opening up a new can of pumpkin for (especially for a party or potluck). Don't worry about what to do with the second half of it, since I'm sure you will be making these over and over again...

You may notice the lack of nuts, raisins, etc. I suppose you could add them if you wished. I chose to make this recipe per request of having no nuts, and I actually like the simplicity of it. Especially with a glass of cold milk.













Iced Pumpkin Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

I'm not crazy!

A couple of years ago I was in Japan walking around a market place and I stumbled across a strange little food. It was like a pine cone, but pink with green tips- and we're talking neon. I was told it was called a "dragonfruit." When I came home I had many stories to tell, one of which was about this odd fruit. I tried, at least, to tell people about it and everyone looked at me like I was absolutely nutters! I tried to google it, but nothing came up. I was beginning to feel like I had some "Lost in Translation" experience, and had dreamed up a fake memory while travelling in a foreign country. I imagine that's how many legends are created.

This is not a legend, and I can prove it! The other night I went on a "go out for a couple of things and end up spending $150" kind of grocery shopping trip. I went to Madison Market, which is kind of an organic/specialty/gourmet/hard to find foods place, so it's fun to go slow and look at everything. It was about 9:00 at night and I was meandering up and down the aisles, putting whatever I fancied at the time into my cart when, what?
















Oooh, yes! I was so excited! I was going to prove the world that I was, indeed, not crazy! I put three into my cart, realized they were $5 each, and put two back. But I was definitely taking one home to photograph and try.

Well, apparently the dragonfruit has gotten more famous over the years, because again I googled it, and found many sites about it, including Wikipedia, which told me the official name for the fruit is a pitaya.

I was terribly curious (and so was my dog, who I think because the fruit was so bright thought it was a new chew toy), so I cut into in. Imagine my surprise! The center is even brighter than the outside. The picture doesn't do it justice. It's a very bright magenta color.



It reminded me of a kiwi, so I began to eat the center with a spoon like one would with a kiwi. Indeed, the flesh had a very similar texture (with a lot more seeds), with a comparable taste as well- just a little more mellow and less tart. Now that I think about it, paired with a kiwi the pitaya would make a beautiful and tasty fruit salad. I think that trendy places like to put it in smoothies (maybe it's the next acai), but I wonder what other fun I could have with it....


It was pretty good on it's own, too.

The Most Important Thing I Learned in Pastry School

Martha Stewart may be pretty messed up in real life, but everyone has to admit she (and by she I mean her staff) has done wonderful things for home care. I used to have hopes of being like this also (the home part, not the messed up part), but I know now it would never happen because I kill plants. Today is not about plants. It's about something else very important that I learned in Pastry School (it's not about cooking either).

Chefs have a little mantra they use called "mis en place" (meeze-on-ploss), which is French for "put in place." It refers to having everything ready and measured out before you ever start cooking or baking, and also has to do with having a well-organized kitchen. I've been GREAT with the first part, but the second I'm just starting....

It all started when part of my countertop looked like this:


Go on, click on that bad boy, so you can see in full size every single detail of the mess!
(That's where I keep all my tea stuff, by the way.)

I found these adorable tins at Ikea for $5 (God bless Ikea!):



And now my counter looks like this!



Well, anyone knows that with organizing once you pop you can't stop. So now I bought more new shelves for my cabinet, and I have lots of space to figure out how to mis en place all my stuff. I went to the best, Martha and Real Simple, for a couple of good articles.

My pantry is going to be the biggest project- I am going to try to get everything in jars, which I have never done before. It will be hard, but the thing is that it makes me want to cook just so I can open my cabinets and see how nice everything looks! And inevitably it will make me happier and then my food will taste better. And then I will start doing other rooms in my house, and then I will have a magazine and be more famous than Martha ever was! Oh wait, I kill plants.

Giving In

Something I've been working on a lot in my life is acceptance of things that I cannot change.  What clearly stands out to me here in Seattle as something I can't change is the weather.  As I type this, some people are sweating out the hottest parts of the year in their regions.  Here it's 64 degrees, I am wearing sweats, and the trees outside my kitchen window are turning red.  Dare I say it? It's fall.  

I did not have fall as a child.  It's a season that was foreign to me until I went away to college. I have to admit, there is something a little enchanting about this time of year.  The air changes and the trees really are beautiful.  Here are a few more things that make me excited about fall:

- Sweaters

- Fireplaces

- Blankets

- My birthday

- FOOD

Yes, fall food is definitely my favorite, and as I try to hang on to anything that can keep me from wallowing in the fact that summer was roughly 3 weeks long I must think of food!  I have more recipes stashed in the fall food category than any other.  

Baking is also much more fun in the cooler months.  We don't have air conditioning, and when I turn on my oven in the summer it gets HOT!  Did I mention my kitchen was 90 degrees when I made those flower cupcakes a couple of weeks ago?  Anyway, my oven basically acts as a heater in my house, and that's actually really nice when I want a heater.

I think that if it weren't for food I would probably spend 10 months out of the year yelling at the cloud layer that is perpetually covering this city.  Thankfully, I always have something to look forward to (namely, cooking) and think positive about (namely, eating).

Ok, God, I've learned acceptance.  Now can you please make it hot again?

Why I Love...Cottage Cheese

I forgot about cottage cheese for a while, but then the other day I was reading an article in a magazine about how cottage cheese is a great diet food. I was all, "What??" I have never in my life been on a diet- the closest thing to it would be trying to go a day without eating sugar (I failed)- but I do love cottage cheese.

In this case, "diet food" means "something you should be eating anyway." The thing about cottage cheese is that it's packed with a ton of protein for only a few calories. This is great for me when I realize sometimes around the afternoon that all I've had to eat all day is different forms of bread. Throw a 1/4 cup of cottage cheese in a bowl with a few baby carrots, and voila! I feel much better about myself.

Cottage cheese also goes great with many other foods. My favorite things to pair it with are bagels, peaches, or grapes. I also know that it's common to eat cottage cheese with pineapple, but I am a little scarred from that because when I went to college, it was served in the cafeteria every single day. Oh! Also, put some cottage cheese and some good quality strawberry jam in a crepe, dust with powdered sugar, and you have a quick, easy, and healthy cheese blintz!

My favorite cottage cheese brand is Knudsen's, but very sadly I cannot find it anywhere here in Seattle. Other good brands are Organic Valley and Trader Joe's. I'd stay away from Nancy's unless you like that odd, tangy, cultured flavor (fine for yogurt, but no thanks in my cottage cheese). If you're the lucky enough to live in the right area, you may be able to find a local farm that produces their own and sells it at a farmer's market.

Cottage cheese is also used quite a bit in baking- it's a great way to add moisture and protein. And funny enough, just as I was about to write this post my Grammy gave me a recipe for cottage cheese pancakes, which I'm sharing with you today. I highly recommend it with some sort of fruit (preferably peach) topping, rather than the normal maple syrup. Also, I think it would be a great idea to add to this recipe some lemon zest, or cinnamon, or vanilla- or all three!

These pancakes are great for a lazy Saturday, but with none of the guilt that comes with regular, sugary pancakes that are loaded with nothing but carbs. Well, some guilt, but definitely less.

Churchill House Cottage Cheese Pancakes:

4 eggs
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup AP flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the skillet

1. Preheat oven to 2oo degrees. Lightly grease an ovenproof platter.

2. Beat eggs in a medium bowl; stir in cottage cheese. Add flour and mix until just blended but still lumpy. Add melted butter and stir gently to combine.

3. Melt butter on skillet over medium heat, and pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the skillet. Cook like regular pancakes, though they should be crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

One Week Too Late

Yesterday I went shopping with my mom to one of my favorite home decorating stores called Home Goods. I always go putter around this store when I am visiting California, because we don't have them in the Seattle area. Sad. I always want to buy something when I go, but usually it's something that I can't fit in a suitcase- like an armchair or floor lamp or something. While I was there yesterday i was perusing through the cookbooks and found a great little baking book all about cupcakes.

I know, I know. This cupcake trend has gone so far that many of you want to scream. Too many of these stupid books have these "make this cupcake from a box mix, then add frosting and sprinkles" instructions and they are always in the "bargain books" section at Borders, and you wonder how they were ever published in the first place. Like this one (promise me you'll stay away):

The book I found was different- great actually. It's called Little Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse and has a lot of fantastic ideas, but what caught my eye was the section on flower cupcakes that I really wish I had a week ago. What I really wanted to do for the baby shower last weekend was dahlia cupcakes, but I didn't know how so I just made a generic kind of unidentifiable flower-like decoration. I still think they were adorable, but had I found this book before I could have been able to do exactly what I wanted. Or hydrangea, or pansies, or sunflowers, or daisies- all of which I am waiting for another baby shower to try out.

It will go up on my cookbook shelf right next to my other favorite "decorating small things" cookbook called Cookie Craft that I first found in a little book store in Pasadena. This one has some amazing step-by-step instructions for baking and decorating cookies for quite literally any holiday you could possibly think of. I'm not kidding, I think they have Secretaries' Day cookies.

The greatest thing about these books is that you don't have to be a professional pastry chef to make the things they contain. The instructions in both actually make the crafts pretty easy. PLEASE NOTE that I did not say quick. Some of this stuff takes a ridiculous amount of time to complete. Maybe one day when I'm retired and have nothing to do but make cookies for my grandkids I can do them. The rest, like the flower cupcakes, take a good half a Saturday, and I could definitely do that- and so can you!

Rediscovering Nutella

I have always loved Nutella, but had a lack of knowledge of what to do with it besides eat it with Strawberries, so for a while I just kinda forgot about it. Recently, while craving a bite of something sweet, but not too sweet, I remembered. Really, nothing compares to the perfect mix of chocolate and hazelnut that is Nutella.

Then little while ago, while having dinner with some friends, they brought out a bunch of little clementines and some lightly heated Nutella to dip in for dessert. How perfect! This made me start thinking of the other many, many things to do with Nutella. For starters, Europeans use it just like we use peanut butter, so that's a lot.

Of course me being me, I went out and bought an organic version, but honestly it didn't do it for me. I think it's the lack of corn syrup that makes the flavor just not quite right (and you thought I was a purist). Anyway, I would just recommend going for the real deal.

So last week I copied one of my favorite brunch spots and made grilled Nutella and strawberry sandwiches. It would have been better if I had a panini maker, but I just did it on the griddle and it was still freakin' fantastic.

Other good uses fo Nutella:

- Drops in the center of thumbprint cookies

- Of course, dip any fruit or cookie or pound cake or graham crackers

- Use on cakes or brownies instead of frosting

- Add to hot milk to make Nutella hot cocoa or ice cream and milk for milkshakes

- Put on crepes

- Eat by the spoonful

- Put on pancakes and/or waffles

- Also, while searching for images of Nutella, I found this blog with an awesome sounding Nutella bread pudding.

- Lastly, the Italians have had it around for so long that they do things like this with it:

Enjoy it however you want to! (so long as it's in the privacy of your own home, I guess...)

They Got Me...

I don't like coffee. Therefore, it has never been difficult for me to avoid the $4 drink trap at Starbucks. I have always been proud that I, unlike so many others, do not throw hundreds of dollars away each year on drinks that shouldn't cost near that much. Recently, I haven't been the only one not drinking at Starbucks. I don't know if this news travels outside of Seattle, but because of the recession fewer people are spending money there. Actually, I've heard that it's the pastries people have stopped spending on, to be exact, but think about it- instead of 7 or 8 dollars people are spending 3 or 4. That's half of their revenue, and exactly why half the company has been cut back or laid off.

Enter new ideas to hook new people. People like me. So Starbucks has come out with these very non-coffee drinks (of course, espresso can be added for 55 cents) called Vivannos, and I CAN'T STOP!!! I am totally addicted! The drink in question is the Banana Chocolate Vivanno, and yes, it costs $4.11 with tax. The big marketing campaign is that they are healthy, and although that's questionable, they are still waaay way better than, say, a Frappuccino.

Let's compare:

The Banana Chocolate Vivanno has 270 calories, 5 grams of fat, 6 grams of fiber, 28 grams of sugar, and 21 grams of protein.

The Grande Mint Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino blended creme with Chocolate Whipped Cream (which is the other drink I like but can live without) has 530 calories, 19 grams of fat, 68 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 13 grams of protein. Hmmmmm.....

I also think that the Vivannos have not listed in the ingredients the fact that they put crack or nicotine or some other addictive narcotic in this drink, because seriously, I want one all the time now. And after I have my happy little milk-shake-smoothie-like thingy I feel much better.

Anyway, I don't know what to do. Either I try to figure out how to make them on my own minus the drugs or I'm going to end up spending our mortgage on these little chocolatey drinks....Try one at your own risk.

McWhat?!?!

Since last week I have been thoroughly enjoying watching the world come together over the Olympics. According to the ads surrounding the games there is only one other thing that also brings the world together: McDonald's. I have been increasingly irritated by the commercials advertising this company.

One that stands out in my mind has a good handful of US athletes standing and each holding a chicken sandwich.... Really?!?? Are we supposed to believe that these world class athletes in peak physical condition are fueling their bodies with fried sorta-chicken on a "home made tasting" biscuit? It's hard for me not to judge these champions for selling out in endorsements, but then I realize how many gazillion dollars that McDonalds must be shelling out to pay these guys and I am just in awe that the company still makes that kind of money.

It makes me want to take a poll.  The information is there- I think that people know and understand that McDondalds slowly kills you.  So, who is McDonalds getting its money from? Personally, I don't even think of McDonald's as food. You may as well ask me if I want to get lunch from a book store. I wonder how many people grab McDonalds as a last resort, as a treat, or for a meal very frequently. Do these people not know it's bad for them or do they not care or do they just have no choice? Comments are welcome! Please help me... I really want to know!

Now, if you did eat McDonalds today, allow me to help you throw it up:

I wonder if the government forced these people to smile just like the dudes in the opening ceremony.

Michael Phelps, why? WHY?  Actually, I might believe that he does eat McDonalds, because he supposedly eats 10,000 calories a day and can get that in a single hamburger!

I Want a Garage Freezer

The reason: beef.

Beef has a bad reputation as something to be eaten often...and rightfully so. Just look at what has happened to this country (and you all know the major regions this occurs in) due largely to the consumption of nothing but roast beef and potatoes every day. Believe it or not, beef, in its original form, is actually really good for you. It's a great source of iron, protein, and those ever popular omega 3's. The problem is that beef has been horribly changed.

The industrial revolution- bless its heart- brought a lot of good with it, and we all know it brought a lot of not so good as well. When we have a piece of cow sitting in front of us at dinner time we all like to imagine that cow was once happily grazing on healthy green grass at a big sunny farm and taken care of by Pa from Little House on the Prairie. The ugly reality is this: that cow probably lived in a huge building crammed so close to other cows that it could barely turn around, standing in its own waste. Since these cows get sick very easily, they are injected with anitbiotics. Oh yeah, and now any of these cows may have come from a lovely cloned mother.

In this profit-driven day and age, the best way to make money is to make these cows grow large as fast as they can. They are fed a mixture of mostly corn, hormones, a little grain and sometimes ground up other cows in order to make them get big and fat as fast as possible (this fat is not good fat). Many of them don't need to be slaughtered because they die of ulcers. So what does this have to do with you? Well, these cows are not healthy when they die, and truly, you are what you eat. There is more corn in the beef than there is protein.

I am not a vegetarian or even an animal activist. I believe in the food chain, but I also believe that animals have a consciousness and pain receptors and should live healthy, happy lives before they give that life so that I can eat. I also want to eat healthy food. The only FDA way to guarantee that you are getting this is to buy %100 grass fed beef (note that I did not say organic beef). There is so much information to digest about this issue, and if you want more you can read about it here.

Anyway, back to my freezer. Of course, since grass fed beef doesn't produce as many cows as fast as factory farms do, there is a higher price tag. Usually $7-$9 a pound. Well, there are lots of local farms up here in the PNW, and one man raises and sells grass fed beef for $2.50 per pound. The catch is that I have to buy a quarter steer, and that is a lot of beef. Where would I put it? In a garage freezer, of course!

I went to Lowe's today thinking they'd cost, I don't know, a million dollars for a freezer or something, but they were actually quite reasonable. The one I wanted was only $188- a lot less than the quarter steer would cost me. I think this is a good option that would pay for itself in many ways.

Now, I will leave you with one of my favorite movies:

Why I'm Glad I Went to Pastry School

I graduated from pastry school about two and a half years ago. Since then I have dabbled with a couple different areas in the field, puttering from this job to that and trying to find my niche. I never did, however, find it working in a commercial bakery. I do still consider myself a pastry chef, although my current "day" job has nearly nothing to do with baking.

I recently started pondering: since I am not baking full time was it worth it to spend all the time and money and effort sending me to pastry school? The answer came quickly and easily: absolutely! I love baking, and I love the knowledge I have. I love that my husband or even my boss can ask me, "Hey, could you make [insert something sweet and tasty]?" and I can say, "Sure!" Baking is something that can always be used to make people happy- regardless of whether or not I'm getting paid for it. More than anything, I love that I can read a recipe or see a photo like this:


And know exactly how to do it! As a matter of fact, I am totally going to make that cake this fall.

I do think I have found my correct place in the baking world, for now at least. I am finally making a name for myself; getting calls and referrals. Just enough to keep me busy, learning, and expanding my creativity while working full time and a different job. This makes me much happier than when I baked full time and always had to worry about numbers and mass quantities.

In conclusion, going to pastry school was a decision I will always be glad I made, and I will always be able to use the skills I learned.

Whether it's baking the awesomest chocolate ship cookies.....



Or a Las Vegas themed birthday cake.....



Or a birthday cake for a friend.....


Or some petit fours for a fancy catered party....

Cupcakes....and more cupcakes...

For some time after the year of making thousands of cupcakes a night I couldn't even look at a cupcake without shuddering. Sometimes during that job I would wonder aloud, "Who is eating all these cupcakes and why does everyone want them?!?" Well, this weekend in particular turned out to require cupcakes as perfect special occasion treat, so I rolled up my sleeves and pulled from the back of my brain everything I had tried to supress from my year of cupcakery.

I mentioned before that I had two baby showers to make cupcakes for this weekend. One was kinda Hawaiian themed (ahi tuna on the menu and such), so for that I opted for coconut cupcakes. They were not super fancy looking- no sugar flours or intricate icings- but sometimes the rustic looking cakes can be the most mouth watering. I made a basic vanilla cake and topped them with a mixture of vanilla pastry cream, whipped cream, and toasted coconut. I think I have said this before: mmmmmm. They were pretty perfect, and again I proudly pleased the most particular of palettes. (how's that for aliteration?)

Today was a shower for a baby girl. I topped these cupcakes with adorable flowers. The display was the cutest thing you've ever seen until I bumped the table and half of the cupcakes hit the floor. Oops. Luckily, I was able to get some photos before the "incident." Also luckily, the atmosphere was casual and everyone was good natured about it all. Anyway, I learned my lesson not to perch cupcakes so precariously on cake boards.




The past couple of weeks have been such a sugar high! I think this week I will try to think of things that are healthier. Eh, I'll try, anyway.

An Amazing Culinary Career

Seattle has an unarguably great food scene. So many people in this city are into eating out that many chefs have become celebrities. One of the most famous is Tom Douglas, who I am so tired of hearing about that there's no way I'd write about him. But if Tom Douglas was a big time movie actor, there would be a very noteworthy indie-film star lurking in the underground.

Tomorrow is the opening for the long-awaited Cascina Spinasse, the new restaurant by Justin Neidermeyer. His culinary career has had him cooking at restaurants around the city like Sitka & Spruce and the late Pian Pianino. I haven't eaten at either of these places, but from what I've heard, Neidermeyer is somewhat of a "noodle genius." He has made this culinary career by hand making all of his pastas, and cutting and cooking them to order (the definition of artisan). To give you an idea of just how good this fresh pasta can be, the Stranger (which is not a periodical I normally use) quotes Bethany Jean Clement, saying, "Until you eat some of Neidermeyer’s noodles, you can’t know how encouraging this development is for the neighborhood and the city. Picture that scene in Lady and the Tramp, with you at one end of the noodle and, I don’t know, God at the other."

Spinasse sets itself of right in the middle of trend central on 14th in Capitol Hill. The location used to be a vegan dive called the Globe Cafe. Apparently tastes in that neighborhood are becoming more sophisticated.

I can't wait to try this place, though I might wait a couple of weeks until the hype has died down and the wait's not so long. Until then I will look forward to my plate of tajarin in beef ragu!

Spinasse
1531 14th Ave E
Seattle, Wa 98112
206-251-7673

Hours:
Sunday & Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 5pm-11pm
Closed Tuesday
Friday & Saturday 5pm-12am

Mission: Complete!

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Saturday finally came and I was ready! Things went pretty well, so thankfully no more of my time consisted of me redoing anything (though a couple hours were spent clearing room in my fridge to store the cakes as I was making them).  Perhaps the good juju from the Olympics being on TV in the background helped as I imagined myself taking the gold in the cake making games...

Before...

Of course, even after the cakes were finished and ready to go, the most difficult part lied in actually transporting them to the wedding site.  It was the first time in my life, I think, that I didn't get mad at the traffic, because I actually wanted to drive 8 miles an hour.

Anyway, on to the wedding: The venue was at the Stimson-Green mansion in First Hill. Lucky for me it was so beautiful that I could have piled of bunch of Hostess cupcakes on the table and it probably still would have looked good.  Fortunately, once my cakes were set up they looked pretty darn nice if I do say so myself, and the setting made it look even better.  I was pleased, but still quite nervous for the wedding couple to see my creation....

...After

My butterflies faded when I got huge smiles, raving reviews, and many many compliments for everyone in attendance. And no one threw up!  I am happy with the end result, and for me that's saying a lot.