I Heart

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Can't get your hands on a bottle? Check out Cafe Makeup for some similar shades. I love the look.

Farmers Market Goods & Weekly Meal Plan

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This week's meal plan...

Saturday
Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter
Kale Chips
Salad w/ Grapefruit & Blue Cheese
Broccoli (with butter & bouillon)

And for dessert...
Popcorn
Milkshakes

Sunday
Roast Chicken
Mashed Potatoes
Sauteed Kale
Salad w/ Grapefruit & Blue Cheese

Monday
Mexican Chicken Soup

Tuesday
Ribollita (referencing recipes from Ina, Giada, and 101 Cookbooks)
Kale Chips

Wednesday
Chicken Noodle Soup (making homemade stock with Sunday's chicken)
Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Lemon and Pistachios
Salad w/ Grapefruit & Blue Cheese

Thursday
Leftovers?

Friday
Mama's night off - eating out.

Movie Popcorn's Dark Secret

I just came across this article in The New York Time's Health section called "Popcorn's Dark Side" about movie popcorn. Read it and weep. All the more reason to make it at home and maybe even try this recipe for our favorite popcorn that I'm enjoying as I type. Growing up we always brought home-popped popcorn to the movies. My mom would pack everyone their own plastic bag and we'd sneak it in. I've continued the custom as an adult since my husband's popcorn is better, and healthier, than movie popcorn. All is takes is a big purse and you're golden!

Prawns with Spicy Black Bean Sauce

My uncle always says that what makes a really flavorful and complex sauce is the process of layering flavors and slowly adding and reducing stock - veal, lobster, prawn, you name it - whatever goes with your dish and preferably homemade. And of course - there must be butter.

This recipe for Prawns with Spicy Black Bean Sauce involves that very process. First you make a prawn stock, then you continue to add it to the pan, slowly adding and reducing until you have yourself one damn good sauce. This is clearly more involved than most things I make, but worth the extra effort. I make it every few months and my husband and I eat seconds, then thirds and maybe one last little nibble while doing the dishes. Even my daughter demands "more pwans!".

I bought wild Louisiana prawns from Mutual Fish. I always go there for prawns and they never disappoint. I serve over white rice and with a side of Orangette's Cabbage with Hot Sauce.

Prawns with Spicy Black Bean Sauce

1.5 - 2 lb prawns
4 T garlic, minced
½ c shallots, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
½ cube butter
3 T olive oil
4-6 T black bean sauce
3 T chili garlic sauce
1/3 c white wine
1-2 t Sriracha
¼ cup cilantro
5-7 cups prawn stock (recipe below)

Shell prawns and set aside for stock. De-vein prawns, rinse and set aside. Saute yellow onion in olive oil and 3T butter over medium high heat, making sure not to brown (all that oil and butter should prevent that). Add garlic and shallot. Saute for a few minutes. Add white wine and allow to come to a quick simmer. Add 2 cups stock, black bean sauce, chili garlic sauce, and a touch of Sriracha. Let sauce come to a simmer again and then reduce. Add prawn stock gradually, one to two cups at a time, and allow to reduce before adding additional stock. Add more black bean sauce, chili sauce, or Srirachi if you like. After adding your last bit of stock, reduce until it’s a good amount of sauce but not too liquidy, stir in 1T butter. Then add prawns and cook for a few minutes on each side. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve over white rice with lots of sauce.

Prawn Stock

Prawn shells
½ cup white wine
1 garlic bulb, cut in half cross-wise
1 large shallot or yellow onion, quartered
2 or 3 carrots
2 celery stalks
Parsley
1 t whole black peppercorns
Water to cover

Throw everything in a big pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours. Strain out liquids. Store in refrigerator for a few days or put in glass jars in the freezer until needed.

Food 101

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My crush for the last three years, Michael Pollan, is on Oprah today. Tune in to learn more about the food you're eating and where it really comes from.

Weekly Meal Plan x 2

Here's last week's meals and the plan for this week. Still haven't used those Jerusalem Artichokes from 2 weeks ago. Any ideas???

Sunday
Delancey

Monday
Chicken Rice
Bok Choy
Cabbage with Hot Sauce
White rice

Tuesday
Pasta with Hashed Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts
Kale Chips
Broccoli with butter and chicken bouillon

Wednesday
Dinner with the ladies - El Camino

Thursday
Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter
Kale Chips
Salad w/ Grapefruit & Blue Cheese

Friday
Roasted Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup with Kale & Cannellini Beans (recipe coming soon)
Kale Chips
Salad w/ Grapefruit & Blue Cheese

Saturday
Take out from Volunteer Park Cafe (yum!)

Sunday
Pasta with Hashed Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts
Kale Chips
Salad w/ Grapefruit & Blue Cheese

Monday
Tomato Sauce w/ Onion & Butter
Chicken Dijon
Kale Chips
Salad w/ Grapefruit & Blue Cheese

Tuesday
Friend's Birthday Dinner - Cafe Lago

Wednesday
Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli (new recipe)
White rice

Thursday
Black Bean Prawns (recipe coming one day)
White rice
Cabbage with Hot Sauce

Friday
Date night - La Medusa

Salad w/ Grapefruit & Blue Cheese

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My friend Michelle sends out an email every Sunday with her weekly meal plan. I recently got on her distribution list and have learned of some new recipes I'm eager to try. Last week she mentioned a salad with grapefruit which caught my eye since I've been getting such juicy grapefruits at the grocery store lately. I used blue cheese per her suggestion and a quick vinaigrette I learned from my friend Tara. Loved it.

Salad w/ Grapefruit & Blue Cheese

Bibb or Butter lettuce
Grapefruit
Crumbled Blue Cheese (preferably a great blue from the Estrella Family Creamery or something of that caliber)

Vinaigrette:

1 t maple syrup
2 T white balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
pinch of salt & pepper

Put dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake vigorously to combine.

Slice the peel off the grapefruits, making sure to remove all the white pith. Cut grapefruit segments free from membranes.

Toss everything together and enjoy!

Dinner for One

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When my husband has a work dinner or a fun guys night planned, I always try to think of something easy to make for myself and my little munchkin (assuming there aren't leftovers in the fridge). I've also had a few conversations lately with people who live alone and don't want complex dishes or too much food but crave a home-cooked meal more often than they're doing it. This inspired me to think of easy dinners for one (or one and a half). Here are some favorites. Some are more seasonal in my opinion, like the halibut and salmon recipes, so tuck those away for later. I'd love to hear about your favorite dinners for one as well. Please share!


Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter, Smitten Kitchen

Pasta with Fried Prosciutto, Parmesan, and Butter, Orangette

Pasta with Hashed Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts, Orangette

Chicken Rice, Over Cocktails

Halibut with Pesto, Epicurious

Healthy Lettuce Wraps, Redbook Magazine (circa 2004)

Pork with Apples & Onions, Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys

Beans & Rice, Robb Abrams

Pesto Pasta w/ a Twist, Over Cocktails

Pasta with Breadcrumbs & Capers, Over Cocktails

Grilled Salmon with Lemon-Yogurt Herb Sauce, Over Cocktails

Broiled Salmon with Herb Mustard Glaze, Giada De Laurentiis

And a new one to try:

Sesame-Garlic Soba Noodles with Fried Egg, The Kitchn

Kale Chips

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Photo courtesy of The Kitchn

My friend Marly emailed me a healthy snack recipe for Kale Chips that she read about in Seattle Metropolitan magazine. I had some on hand so I made them that night. They were shockingly good. So good that I've been making them daily and can eat an entire batch by myself. I've used both regular Kale and Lacinato Kale and both kosher salt and sea salt. I've baked them for different lengths (10-15 minutes) for varied crispness and love them all ways. What a great way to eat a healthy, leafy green that's sometimes hard to sneak into your diet. Perfect time of year too since kale is strewn throughout the farmers markets. Yummy!

Even Better

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Right after blogging about it, I lost my favorite lip gloss. I headed back to L'Occitane to replace it and was pleasantly surprised to find a mini version that attaches to your key chain. This is perfect for me since I'm always misplacing my lip gloss but never misplacing my keys. Let's hope I didn't just jinx myself.

"It is butter"

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I made Smitten Kitchen's Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter for dinner tonight and could not believe how insanely good it was.

What makes it so insanely good when it is so insanely simple????

As Smitten Kitchen says, "It is butter."

Read her post about the sauce (or any/all of the ones she references) and you too will be running to your kitchen to gather the short list of ingredients and get it simmering on the stove - because who doesn't have a can of whole peeled tomatoes, an onion, butter and noodles in their house? And who doesn't love butter?

You will be shocked at how creamy and delicious this sauce is. I'm amazed and can't wait for more.

A Nautical Shower for Baby Oliver

I joined forces with three friends to host a baby shower for our dear friend Lynne and baby on the way, Oliver. It was a treat to co-host with such a creative bunch.

My friend Jen kicked off our nautical theme with homemade invitations. They turned out so cute. Even the envelope had a great nautical detail with a stamped image that was personalized and read "Baby Shutt" (their last name).

We had planned to send "message in a bottle" invitations but it got too tricky so we used the corked bottles for the place cards. We stamped out the names of each guest on beautiful card stock, placed them in the bottle with some sand, and then tied twine around the neck of the bottle to finish it off. They were too cute for words.

We also used the bottles to label the food. Our menu included:

• Three types of quiche from Volunteer Park Cafe (delicious)


• Pastries from Volunteer Park Cafe


• Raisin Brioche Twist from Macrina Bakery (toasted with butter - so good)


• Fruit salad


• Mixed greens with Orange Dijon Vinaigrette


• Mimosas, coffee, white wine


• Cupcakes from Trophy for dessert

For favors we filled navy boxes with salt water taffy and tied them with a traditional nautical knot (that our friend Lauren assembled on her plane ride to Seattle, bless her heart) and topped with an anchor detail. We put them out on an old map with starfish "crawling" all over them. It looked great.

We had a guest book for everyone to sign with a word or two of advice for the new mom. We will attach a photo of each guest near their message and give it to Lynne when the baby arrives. A wonderful keepsake filled with notes from all her guests and photos from the party.

We found these adorable garland centerpieces by googling key words for a nautical themed party. We copied the idea with our own color/pattern choices, using the sand filled vases with rods on each end of the table to hang the garland. We used small wooden boats for the centerpieces under the garland and gave the table a little light and texture with tea lights placed in sprinkled sand on each side of the boats. The napkins were wrapped around silverware and then twine was tied around it in the same nautical knot. We used the same twine to tie little brass nautical charms around each of the wine glasses.

The event was a hit and we all enjoyed celebrating with the glowing mom-to-be. Now we just can't wait to meet little Baby Oliver.

Quote of the Day

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“Why don't we pay more attention to who our farmers are? We would never be as careless choosing an auto mechanic or a babysitter as we are about who grows our food.” — Michael Pollan

My Heaven

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I always joke that Heaven is different for everyone. When my husband dies, his Heaven might be an endless golf course (where he gets to play Tiger and beats him round after round). When I die, I hope to find an endless buffet of the most incredible food, and I never get full. So I laughed when I saw this photo on Sunday Suppers because it's what an endless buffet in Heaven should look like. And of course there would be a table devoted to cheese!

Warhol Tour

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If you have a few minutes to burn, take a little tour of how the uber chic display their Warhols, courtesy of Habitually Chic.

A Very Thoughtful Gift

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My friend Lynne bought me some of these lovely personalized letterpress note cards from Dingbat Press as a hostess gift for co-hosting her baby shower. She knows me so well because they are something I would love to have but wouldn't splurge on for myself.

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These custom cards are available on Etsy (have I mentioned that I love Etsy?!) and you can specify the name, the Dingbat, font type, font color and envelope color of your choice. What a perfect gift. (Thanks again Lynnie!)

Crazy for...

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I made Tomato Soup w/ Poached Eggs & Croutons last night. I took some very pathetic photos of the process. It was so good that we all gobbled it up and went back for seconds, even my 2 year old! I don't know that I will ever eat tomato soup again without a poached egg in it. It's just too yummy to skip. And the croutons are like crack. Even after dinner we couldn't stop munching on those.

Soupaholic

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Today my friend Melissa mentioned that she's on the hunt for some good soup recipes so I thought I'd post my favorites (in no particular order). These are all worth giving a try. And if you have any favorite soups that I should add to my repertoire, please share!

On another note, one of these days I will figure out how to do a recipe index so you can easily find recipes on the blog. For now, if you're looking for something you can use the search box in the upper left corner.

Mexican Chicken Soup, Ina Garner

Tomato Soup with Pancetta, Giada de Laurentiis

Parker's Split Pea Soup, Ina Garner

Chicken Noodle Soup, Tyler Florence

Rustic Cabbage Soup, 101 Cookbooks

Escarole and Orzo Soup with Turkey Parmesan Meatballs, Epicurious

Curried Butternut Squash Soup w/ Coconut Milk, Over Cocktails

Lentil Soup with Chorizo & Spinach, Whitney

Lentil Soup, Over Cocktails

Tomato Soup w/ Poached Eggs & Croutons, Over Cocktails

Avgolemono Soup, Over Cocktails

Tomato Soup, Over Cocktails

Tomato Soup, Mixed Greens

Cheese Tortellini Soup w/ Veggies, Over Cocktails

Posole, Martha Stewart

Chunky Chicken Chili, Rachael Ray

Slice of Heaven

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I enjoy a slice of cake from time to time, but I never get that excited about cake. Even though I love sweet things, I'm not a big fan of frosting. Well for the first time in my life, I've gone bananas for a cake, and the frosting. I went to dinner with friends at Volunteer Park Cafe and tried the Brownstone Front Cake for dessert. It was the most delicious cake I have ever tasted. It's a chocolate caramel cake with brown sugar frosting. I was so eager to have it again that I ordered one for New Year's Eve and enjoyed it for days. I ate it with coffee for breakfast, as a snack in the afternoon and for dessert every night. It was such a huge cake that I shared it with our neighbors and they loved it so much they came calling for more!

The baker/co-owner of Volunteer Park Cafe says that growing up in the South, her family ate a Brownstone Front Cake for every gathering... birthdays, showers, celebrations, even funerals. I think I might have to start that ritual so I have an excuse to order it a few times a year.

You can read more about this decadent dessert (and get a recipe for one) from another Brownstone Front cake fan on the Wise Craft blog. She says it's a "once a year cake" though and I disagree. I'm trying to think of any excuse to order another one.

A Favorite Product

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My friend Sarah got me this L'Occitane Honey & Lemon Tartlet Gloss. I couldn't love it more. It's the perfect everyday gloss when you need a little shine but don't want color. This gloss lasts longer than department store makeup brands and isn't as goopy or sticky as glosses I've tried in the past. Check it out!

About: Enriched with Shea Butter and pure Honey, this pearlescent lip gloss is as sweet as a honey dessert. leaves lips looking glossy and sweet while nourishing and protecting. Does not contain mineral oil or lanolin.

Kate's Bakery

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My friend Jennie (who threw the adorable backyard BBQ) hosted THE CUTEST birthday party for her daughter Kate. The theme was Kate's Bakery. When the girls arrived, they all received little pink aprons with their names embroidered on them. The girls got to wear the aprons while baking at "Kate's Bakery" and also got to take them home as their party favor. Such a cute idea.

For lunch they got to make and bake their own little pizzas. After that they all sat down to design their very own gingerbread house with a plethora of candy decorations. She also had sugar cookies for them to decorate and then everything was packaged up in little bakery boxes and favor bags. The girls were all so excited to go home with their little creations.

This party theme works especially well during the holidays, thanks to the gingerbread houses, but you could come up with another way to make it work - decorating cupcakes, cakes, and cookies for example.

The bakery boxes are part of Martha Stewart's "Box Kit" sold at Michael's. The aprons are sold online at Growing Cooks.
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Now check out all details at Kate's Bakery, including those darling hosts!

Life Changing

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I cannot believe I just recently discovered the greatest gadget of my cooking career that, get this, has literally been in a box in my pantry for over five years. I got the Cuisinart immersion blender for a wedding gift and every so often when I'm pureeing soup I think about how it would come in real handy, but oh yeah - it's packed away and the battery has never been charged.

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Well I finally got it out from the depths of the pantry and charged it up so it would be ready to roll when I needed it. And oh how happy am I!

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I could not believe that it could puree an entire pot of soup in the blink of an eye. No more transferring hot soup, just a few cups at a time, to a blender and having to be so careful that the steam doesn't blow the lid off and get hot soup everywhere. No more having to dirty another bowl for the blended portion before returning it all to the pot. And no more soup drippings everywhere since I always work so quickly and end up with a huge mess. Just throw the sucker in, hit "on", give it a few whirls and voila, pureed soup. I am so crazy about this little gadget.

The Best Popcorn

. Photo courtesy of 101 Cookbooks

My husband makes the best popcorn ever and just when I thought it couldn't get any better, he took it to a whole new level. He had flipped through a popcorn cookbook and next thing I knew he was on a popcorn kick, mixing it up and making multiple batches with different seasoning combinations in a single night. I am loving the parm and pepper popcorn that he made recently. Best I've ever had, hands down. Here's the gist...

In a small bowl, combine 3 T parmesan cheese and 1/4 teaspoon each of red pepper flakes, kosher salt, pepper, and paprika. Pop organic (corn is one the most genetically modified foods) popcorn in a large pan on stove top with canola oil. Transfer popcorn to a paper bag. Drizzle with 3 T olive oil and shake the bag. Sprinkle with the seasoning mixture and shake again. Serve with a tasty cold beverage and enjoy.

Farmers Market Goods & Weekly Meal Plan

Here's the plan for the week....

Sunday
Delancey

Monday
Chicken Casserole

Tuesday
Puttanesca
Garlic crostinis
Broccoli with (butter & bouillon)

Wednesday
Tomato Soup w/ Poached Eggs & Croutons (using leftover baguette for croutons)

Thursday
Pork Chops (any favorite recipes?)

Friday
Chicken Tostados

Sides for Monday-Thursday (preparation undecided)
Cabbage
Carrots
Jerusalem Artichokes
Sweet Potatoes

New Items from the Market (can't wait to try!)
Milk
Butter
Sage & garlic sausage patties
White coffee ice cream bars

Thank You!

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Thank you for the thoughtful comments on my recent post. It's rare that people comment on my blog so it was such an unexpected surprise to get all those and totally made my day!

Love at First Site

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Just noticed this bag on Who What Wear and my heart went pitter patter. It's gorgeous. Turns out it's the Sofia Coppola for Louis Vuitton Suede Asphalt Bag, weighing it at a small fortune. And what do you know, upon googling it I find out that my two fave style icons also carry the bag (Sienna Miller and Kate Moss). Too bad I never will.

Oh, to be such an amazing and creative host

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Check out this Winter Holiday Soiree on Snippet & Ink.

We're Crazy for Kombucha

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I blogged about Kombucha back in the day when I was rambling on about probiotics. Well a year and a half later I'm still gulping the stuff down. It's a tart, thirst-quenching beverage that I love and carry around with me all day. I'm currently hooked on GT's Guava Goddess.

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My husband is even more addicted to Kombucha than I am. He prefers the Communi-Tea Kombucha that we buy at the Ballard or University District farmer's market. We bring our used bottles every week to refill or turn in for a discount on our next purchase.

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In addition to being a refreshing drink, Kombucha is said to have numerous health benefits.