Quick, Easy & Delicious Bolognese (from Ina of course!)

. .Photo courtesy of Mama Makes it Best

I've not been able to eat beef since I was pregnant with my son. It wasn't by choice. I just lost the taste for it. I thought the desire would return but he's 15 months old now and I can still barely eat it. Well my friend Amy brought me some ground beef from a cow her brother raised on his land in Bellingham. She knew I was on a beef strike but wanted me to try it because of the quality of the meat and because she's obsessed with Ina's recipe for Weeknight Bolognese from her new cookbook How Easy is That?. Amy brought me a little holiday bag with the recipe, the meat, San Marzano tomatoes and organic whole wheat shells. How cute is that for a holiday gift bag?

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I gave it a shot last night and wow, this recipe was easy and delicious. The meat seemed so fresh and I gobbled it up with no problem. I had two servings last night and a bowl for "lunch" today at 9:30am. I couldn't wait any longer to have more. I've never used whole wheat pasta but you couldn't even tell in this recipe. I loved how the shells captured sauce and little pieces of meat. This recipe was fantastic. Now, how do I get my hands on more of that beef??????

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If you don't have the cookbook you can get the recipe courtesy of Mama Makes it Best blog.

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I hear of more and more people buying a whole cow these days and raving about the quality. Here's what Amy has to say:

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"My brother gets two cows every spring and just lets them graze in his pasture (they have a barn and horses, too). They are just grass-fed and treated really well. My nephew names them every year... I think their names were "Meatloaf" and "Sloppy Joe" this year. They are slaughtered every October and then the meat hangs at the meat company for a couple of weeks. I call the meat company and tell them how I want my 1/4 prepared. I only take to best parts of the meat and have most of it made into "hamburger." It's the only ground beef I eat. It doesn't have any gross parts in it and is basically just ground New York steak. I like how crumbly it gets. It also makes great taco meat."

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Christmas Gift Idea #14

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I love having big containers of cooking utensils and tools right next to my stove. If there's someone in your life who loves to cook, consider getting them a large ceramic container (or something like this ... Le Creuset Stoneware Breakfast Jug) and fill it with all your favorite kitchen tools. (Note: not a good gift for the minimalist in your life who prefers a bare counter.)

Some great options:

• Olive wood wooden spoon
• Silicone spatulas & spoonulas
• Great whisk
• Long mini whisk
• Microplane grater & zester
• Le Creuset silicone basting brushes
• Fish spatula
• Locking thongs
• Zeroll ice cream scoop
• Stainless steel straining ladle

And while you're at it you could get my other two favorite things to have next to my stove-top for easy access while cooking... a cute dish to hold my garlic and a container for kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. I couldn't live without these either.

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Guest Blogger Post: Michelle Shares a Great Quick Dinner

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My friend Michelle works full time, has three children and continues to impress me with the dinners she puts out night after night. She started a blog called Conrad Family Weekly Dinners to post their weekly meal plans, share recipes, and inspire others to cook delicious dinners for their families. Managing full time work, three kids, a household and homemade dinners is not an easy task. She says the trick to managing meals is planning ahead (agreed). She told me about this dinner she made and I said it looked so good it had to do a guest blogger post. So here it is...

(Thanks Michelle!)

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Over the past couple years our family has fallen in love with roast chicken dinners. We adore several things about this meal – it’s delicious, inexpensive, easy to prepare, usually always provides leftovers and it makes your house smell great.

As a full time working mom of three, I search out recipes that I can prep the night or morning prior that use some of my favorite ingredients which we always have on hand – fresh herbs, garlic, olive oil and lemon or lime juice. I came across this recipe and video for Quick Roast Chicken & Potatoes from Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP newsletter (sign up if you haven’t already). I knew I needed to prepare this ASAP along with a recipe for Garlic butter roasted mushrooms that I recently saw on Smitten Kitchen.

Here is the menu I served up for our Monday night dinner:

Quick oven roast chicken and potatoes (with carrots added) and Garlic butter roasted mushrooms

Sunday afternoon while the kids were napping, I prepared the chicken and cut out the back (never had done that before and it was super easy with a good pair of kitchen scissors). I tucked herbs in the chicken that were still alive (barely) in the backyard – thyme and rosemary springs, set it in the pan, covered with foil and placed in the fridge until the next day. (this took all about 10 minutes) When I arrived home on Monday at 5:15pm, I tossed in the whole garlic cloves (Trader Joe’s has these already peeled for you in the fridge section), sliced the potatoes really quick (I deviated from the recipe a bit as I didn’t have time or energy to peel and poach potatoes so I just sliced up fingerling potatoes lengthwise and left the skins on). I also threw in some carrots as I knew the kids wouldn’t be too fond of the mushrooms), squirted some lemon juice and olive oil over everything and tossed it in the oven following the recipe instructions.

Then came the mushrooms which I was pretty giddy about preparing. I placed the mushrooms in the pan right after the chicken went into the oven. Drizzled the oil over them along with some chopped garlic, lemon juice and butter before throwing it in the oven. OMG – these were delicious!

We all sat down at 6:00pm to a yummy meal that took 45 minutes to prepare and that cost me $14.00. What could be better than that?


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Race to Nowhere

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I can't wait to see the documentary Race to Nowhere. Sounds very interesting and definitely in line with the types of stories I'm hearing or reading about these days. Just this weekend I heard a story about my friend's 12 year old niece who was absolutely heart broken for getting a B+ and then there's all the crazy stories about the pressure surrounding kids sports (yeah that's you MI, and all the little league madness!). Remember the article For Girls, It’s Be Yourself, and Be Perfect, Too. Oh the pressure for these kids. I feel for them.

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A Romance of Great Proportions

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I loved my friend Jen's wedding so much. As I've said before, the details were so artistic and stylized. I've been dying to share the photos once she got them. They've finally arrived. I love.

A big shout out to Ben Blood who was their photographer. He does amazing work.
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Cocktails, Merriment, Dining, Dancing & Revelry to follow...

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Christmas Gift Idea #13

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If you want to get something special for the man in your life, consider a gift or gift certificate from Seattle's Gian DeCaro Sartoria. Gian DeCaro is a custom tailor and shirtmaker whose selection of fabrics and attention to fit and detail creates beautifully tailored pieces. He also carries beautiful clothing of other brands including cashmere sweaters, cashmere ties and great winter coats.

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Christmas Gift Idea #12

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Eight months later I finally got around to making this Chocolate Caramel Crack. They weren't kidding around with the name. This is about as addictive as crack. I would have never guessed such a quick and easy treat could be so insanely good.

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A friend of a friend makes it and calls it Matzo Roca because it kind of tastes like Almond Roca. Also a great name. Whatever you want to call it, just make lots of it!
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Christmas Gift Idea #11

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Ah, the beloved American holiday snack... Chex Mix. Who doesn't love sitting down with a big bowl of Chex Mix and some trashy reality TV, I mean a classic novel. I love me a big bowl of Chex Mix and I also love making it for friends every year (especially you Lynnie!).

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Do you make holiday treats for friends? I'd love to hear what you do... recipes, packaging, gift tags - please share!

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Hilarious...

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Great article about Seattle's new Din Tai Fung from The Stranger: Please Calm Down

Christmas Gift Idea #10

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If your man is a golf fanatic like mine, consider some of these golf gifts for Christmas. Some of the ideas come straight from the fanatic himself...

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Golf lessons, swing evaluation, or a personal club fitting at GolfTec

A new driver, putter or bag

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A rangefinder - my husband likes the Bushnell Pro 1600 Series but says people like the smaller ones too (full list here)

Golf balls - my husband's favorite are Titleist Pro V1x

Golf clothes by J. Lindeberg, Travis Mathew or Puma

Comfortable golf shoes:

Adidas Tech Response 3.0
Nike Air Anthem
ECCO Golf Street Premiere (really cool shoes and comfortable – Freddy Couples wears them!)

A gift certificate to a great golf course or a golf weekend with the guys.

Chambers Bay is an amazing course for those in Washington. A surprise weekend at Bandon Dunes with his friends was the most loved gift I've ever given my husband.

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Be Happy, Make Pie!

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I would never consider baking a pie. It is so far out of my comfort zone in the kitchen. I wouldn't even know the first thing about it. Until tonight...

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I just graduated from The Art of the Pie cooking class!

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With the thoughtful instruction from master pie baker and teacher, Kate McDermott, I baked a pie all by myself, from scratch. It was one of the best cooking classes I've ever done. Kate was such a joy to learn from. She is beyond knowledgeable about baking pies, she loves to teach and exudes excitement for baking pies. First you learn the process, then you put it into action making your very own pie. And she doesn't just teach you the measurements and methods, she makes it fun and demands that you give your pie lots of good energy and love --- nothing but positive energy toward those tricky little crusts. I learned so much, had a blast, ate good food and great pie, and came home with a beautiful and delicious apple pie that I made. (I'm still in shock that I successfully made one.)

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I highly recommend this class for seasoned bakers and scaredy cats alike. Act fast though because the classes fill up lickety split.

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(Thank you to Kate for the class and to Allison for signing me up!)

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Just a few of the many testimonials...

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“I’ve been baking pies my entire life, but making them with Kate was a liberating experience. With pioneer spirit she throws the textbook out the window and comes up with absolutely perfect crust filled with fruit that actually sings to you telling you when it’s ready to be removed from the oven. Great fun and great food.”

---Ruth Reichl, Editor in Chief, Gourmet Magazine

"I can't get over the crust--it's certainly the best one we've ever tested in the kitchen. It will also be the one I use at home from now on!"

---Liz Pearson, Kitchen Director, Saveur Magazine

My Favorite Event of The Year - Hoiday Brunch with My Besties!

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Every year I host a Christmas brunch for my college friends. Instead of a gift exchange we sponsor a family so everyone brings gifts for them. We eat a great meal, catch up, laugh a lot and play Santa's little elves wrapping gifts for the family. It's my favorite event of the holiday season. Read about my brunch from two years ago here.

I like to do something different with my tree every year. One year it was all silver and gold. Last year it was colorful with lots of colored balls. This year I didn't use any solid balls and did all bright and sparkly ornaments. I wrapped all my packages in shiny white paper and used jewel tone ribbons. Turned out pretty cute if I must say so.

After all that decorating and wrapping, I lost a little steam when it came to cooking. I decided to buy a few things, make a few new salads, and enlist the help of a friend for a fruit dish. Everything was delicious and quickly gobbled up.

The Menu:

Leek & Goat Cheese Quiche from Cafe Besalu
Pastries from Cafe Besalu (plain, chocolate and almond croissants, pear danish, orange brioche)
Ali's Spinach Salad with Apples & Fennel (recipe below)
Jen's Mixed Greens Salad with Pear, Pomegranates & Blue Cheese (recipe below)
Tropical Fruit Kebabs with Lime Cream (thank you Marly!)
Mimosas
Eggnog from Golden Glen Creamery (get your hands on this if you can!)
Coffee (everyone ended up putting the eggnog in their coffee which was amazing)

Recipes...

Ali's Spinach Salad with Apples & Fennel

Baby spinach
Fuji apples, thinly sliced
Fennel, thinly sliced

Dressing (I didn't have exact measurements so do this, then adjust to taste)

1 T honey
1 T + 1 t Dijon
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 good olive oil
salt & pepper

Jen's Mixed Greens Salad with Pear, Pomegranates & Blue Cheese

Mixed greens
Pear, thinly sliced
Pomegranates
Blue cheese, crumbled (get a good one from a local farmers market if possible)

Dressing (I didn't have exact measurements so do this, then adjust to taste)

2 parts balsamic vinegar
2 parts olive oil
1 part freshly squeezed orange juice
salt and pepper
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A huge thank you to all my little elves. I love you and appreciate you so much!
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Family Meals

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I liked all the reasons to cook posted on Food52. Here are some more good reasons to inspire you...
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The Magic of the Family Meal

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Rejoice! Alvin Ailey Returns to Seattle 2011

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The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is my most favorite show on earth. My sister introduced me to the dance company when I was in college and I don't know if I've missed a Seattle show since. The company doesn't come to Seattle every year so it's a huge treat when they do. I just got the news that they're coming in March to the 5th Avenue Theater. I'm giddy.

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If you enjoy modern dance and great music like gospel and jazz, you will love the Alvin Ailey performances.

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Seattle's Japanese Garden

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I took my kids to Seattle's Japanese Garden to feed the koi this summer and it was so pretty that I went back this fall to see it in a whole new light once the seasons changed. I'm a sucker for Seattle on a crisp fall day, and enjoying it from inside the Japanese Garden was a great way to spend an hour with the kids.

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You can't feed the koi in the winter so my little lady was quite disappointed. We'll be back to see how the gardens look in the spring. See ya soon big guy...

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Christmas Gift Idea #9

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Not a year goes by that I don't stop by Oh! Chocolate in Madison Park and load up on boxes of all my favorite truffles, nuts and chews. I always buy a box for the grandparents, the mailman, my dad, and a few extra for last minute gifts, hostess gifts, and one that I can break into every morning. Oh how I love an Oh! Chocolate or two with my coffee first thing in the morning. The Pacific Northwest and Nutty Irishman truffles are heaven on earth.
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P.S. If you don't live in Seattle, don't fret. They will ship them out for you!
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A Good Reminder

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Read this quick article from the NYTs Magazine, Drinking, Driving and Paying, before you head out to your next holiday party. It makes a round-trip cab fare a no-brainer.

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Reposting: Wedding Montage

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The link to the wedding montage didn't work before so I'm reposting along with this amazing photo of the bride and groom...




My friend Jen is so creative and artistic that her wedding belongs in a Martha Stewart magazine. The details were endless, flawless, and unique. So what better way to memorialize an artistic wedding than with the coolest wedding video ever. It fully captures the style and spirit of their uber romantic union.

One of these days I'll post (or better yet, have Jen post) about all the details of her wedding. Stay tuned for that, but for now, enjoy this amazing video.

And a big shout out to Mitch Mattraw at Cabfare Productions who did the video. Very impressive!!!!

Simple App

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I went to a wedding Sunday night and one of the passed appetizers was a date stuffed with Garlic & Fine Herbs Boursin and topped with a marcona almond. It was so easy that I made it tonight for a quick app to tide myself over until dinner. Pretty darn good. It won't be the best three-ingredient appetizer you've ever had, but it's sure to be the fastest. Something great to throw together if you're entertaining a large group and need some easy appetizers.

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Tragedy of War

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The HBO documentary Wartorn 1861-2010 is one of the most powerful and unsettling documentaries I have ever seen. It's not easy to watch, but I think everyone should.

Christmas Gift Idea #8

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My friend Jennie who is doing a pink and gold Christmas is also using some gorgeous passementerie place mats like these from Neiman Marcus and Barneys. I'm drooooooling over them. They would be so perfect with my Chinoiserie inspired table settings. I'm demanding that Jennie photograph her table so we can see how it all comes together.

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Croissant, Danish, Brioche - Oh My!

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My friend Ali (who also happens to be the food editor for Seattle Magazine so you gotta trust her!) was raving about the "best croissants", delicious pastries and amazing quiche at Cafe Besalu in Ballard. She had me at "best croissants" and I was there in a jiffy.

On our first visit we went for it and between my daughter, husband and I, we took down a croissant, a chocolate croissant (or should I say "pain au chocolat"), a raspberry danish, and an orange brioche. It was a bit too much, but irresistible. We left with over-stuffed bellies and a new favorite place. We've been every week since and have made it part of our Sunday morning ritual on our way to the farmers market. We've tried all the goods and they never disappoint. My husband and daughter have a soft spot for the ham and cheese pastry. My new obsession is the plum danish with frangipane. I've never, ever, ever tasted a pastry so good. I just called to place an order for a brunch I'm hosting and they said Sunday was the last day for the plum danish because they don't have any more plums for the season. I'll be crying my eyes out until next winter. Seriously.

Next time you head to the Ballard, make a morning pit-stop for a coffee and pastry at Cafe Besalu. Dress warm because the line is always out the door!

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Advent Calendars

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Growing up we used an advent calendars every year to count the days until Christmas. I've been searching for just the right one for my kids. My sister-in-law found this Felt Christmas Tree Advent Calendar which I couldn't love more. I have to say it is even cuter in person and the little felt ornaments are so detailed and adorable. My daughter is in heaven with her new little project.

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Have you found any great advent calendars? Would love to share more cute ones.

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Christmas Gift Idea #7

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My husband and I are dying to get the new Dance Central game for XBOX 360 Kinect. Check out this Dance Central Poison Trailer. Oh the fun to be had! Now bring on the Lady Gaga.

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Christmas Gift Idea #6

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My siblings and I grew up loving big wheels. We spent countless hours riding them around the back patio. I can't wait for the day my little guy is old enough for one like this Radio Flyer 79S Big Flyer.
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Christmas Gift Idea #5

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I love buying coffee table books as gifts because they're fun to have but not something a lot of people buy for themselves. We have some friends who are building a new home so when I came across the book American Fashion Designers at Home at Mario's in Seattle I thought it would make a fun and inspiring gift for their new home. .

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Style Icon: Alexa Chung

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NYT's article on Alexa Chung: The Making of Fashion’s Latest ‘It’ Girl