Have a ball!

'Tis the season for creating delicious sweet treats to share with friends and neighbors! For some reason, cookies weren't appealing to me last week. Instead, I made balls--two varieties of festive chocolate balls! (And neither required me to turn on the oven)

The first variety was a maple-sweetened truffle. Simple and healthy (enough). The second variety was a treat that reminds me of a block party that my neighborhood used to throw every fall when I was growing up. It was called "The Buckeye Festival", which was really an excuse for all of the kids to run around like crazy while the adults played some sort of wacky golf through everyone's yards while drinking beer. I have a deep fondness for the festival's namesake candy--the buckeye. Essentially, they are peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate with lots of sugar added for good measure.

Have a ball!

Coconut Cashew Truffles

1/4 c. maple syrup
1 c. cashews
3 TBS. coconut oil
3-5 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Blend all of these ingredients in a food processor. Add more maple syrup if its too dry or more cashews and cocoa powder if its to wet. It should be sticky, but dry enough that you can shape it into balls.
2. Roll spoonfuls of it into bite-size balls.
3. Roll the balls in a little extra cocoa powder to coat them.
4. Chill and enjoy.

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

1.5 c. of natural peanut butter (I used a little bit of sesame butter)
1/4 c. butter
2 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. chocolate chips

1. Blend nut butter and real butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and continue to blend until creamy.
2. While your peanut butter mix is chilling in the refrigerator, begin to melt your chocolate chips using a double boiler.
3. Roll spoonfuls of the peanut butter into balls and drop them into the melted chocolate. Roll them around to coat--making sure to leave a little peanut butter exposed to give it the look of a buckeye (aka horse chestnut). Scoop them out of the chocolate using a fork and place on a cookie sheet. Chill in the freezer or fridge and enjoy.

A spoonful of sugar...

Upon mailing my finished thesis to Evergreen to be bound, I decided that I wanted to do something 100% light and enjoyable. Being that daylight and sunshine are at a minimum this time of year, I have decided that "thing" is to read the entire Harry Potter series. I read a few of the books years ago and they were entertaining, but I never got around to finishing them. Recently, NPR did a story about Harry Potter--that station makes everything sound so interesting.

People love the story! There is something universally satisfying about it. It is simple, yet it draws you in. Apparently, something referenced in the opening chapter of the first book resurfaces in the last book; so its well thought out too. Anyway, I have been curled up on our couch with my nose in these books for almost a week (aside from our snowshoeing and Thanksgiving adventures).

Wouldn't you know it, my most recent break from the adventures of Harry was to make an elixir with my friend J. She has an inspiring knowledge of medicinal herbs and foods. So, we have decided to, over time, try to build/make our own herbal medicine chests: tinctures, salves, balms, elixirs....

We actually thought this up before I started reading Harry Potter, but I have to say, the scent of herbs and honey cooking in boiling water have a magical quality about them. We started the process by making an Herbal Cough Elixir. We were a bit concerned about the final result as wafts of brandy and thyme burned our nose hairs, but upon sampling it, the flavor was sweet and rich. I guess a spoonful of sugar (or a few cups of honey) does help the medicine go down in the most delightful way. Cheers!

Herbal Cough Elixir
*take 1 tsp 2-3 times per day when you've got that winter cough*

2 qts of water
3 cups of honey
4 oz. of dried licorice root

4 oz. of dried wild cherry bark
2 oz. dried of fennel
2 oz. of dried thyme
4 oz. dried blue elderberries
2 handfuls of fresh or frozen raspberries
1 qt. of brandy

1. Bring water to boil and add honey.
2. Add licorice root, cherry bark, and fennel and simmer for 15min.
3. Add thyme and elderberries and simmer for 15 minutes more.
4. Turn off heat. Add raspberries and let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Strain mixture through cheesecloth.
6. Add brandy to mixture and transfer to jars or bottles.

It makes a little less than 3 quarts.

Gratitude

Vashon Kiwi Meringue Pie!

I am so very thankful...

I am often reminded re-reminded of the support and nourishment that I feel from my family each day. I feel that support all the way from Illinois, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Florida, and beyond. I feel that support and comfort right here in Washington.

On Thanksgiving, Justin and I ventured to our friends' farm on the great island of Vashon to fill our bellies and our hearts with our Washington family--and what a spirited, ridiculous, creative, grounding family it is. We cooked all day. We laughed most of the day. We had snowball fights in the dark. We took time to share the traditions of all of our individual families. And we ate! The 3-day event was delicious. I am so very thankful.

Harvesting kale for our meal.

Dinner prep in kitchen 1 (of 3).

Rob and Alice prepared copious amounts of oyster stuffing--just like my grandma makes.

Justin's 2nd year in charge of the turkey: He added brining to process this year, which was an excellent improvement.

Winner, winner, turkey dinner!


We circled up to give thanks before mashed potatoes heaps with gravy ponds were constructed.



Amidst all of the farm fresh food, we enjoyed a delicious traditional Midwestern tater tot casserole!



One hot (tasty) mess.

Before the snow...

We made a trip out to the coast to try our hand at digging razor clams. The moment we arrived, the rain began to come sideways and our lantern blew out. No luck with the clams, so we ended up drinking wine and playing uno in our little tent--not a bad alternative. The next morning, the beach was calm and beautiful and we got to stop at the Hoh to visit with the elk and see some of Justin's recent trail work.

The calm after the storm.

Mr. Big. (We were in the car and he was lying along the road)

The Misses. (She was just a few feet further up the road)

Also, we had some late-harvest treats from our garden...

Sunchokes: they have a nutty flavor just like sunflower seeds (same family, after all). They are good grated into hash browns or quartered and enjoyed raw in salads.

Our first attempt at growing celery from seed.

Perfect little imperfections, lined up in a row.

and then there was silence...

Hello, hello. I've missed you so.
But seriously. I've missed writing for pleasure..about food, especially this time of year!

Last Monday, I presented my thesis down in Olympia. The moment I finished, I felt a lightness that I haven't felt in years. I felt an internal silence--a mind without the constant nagging of pages to write and edit, power point presentations to prepare, and 45 minutes of talking to worry about...silence.

Friday was my last day of work at the Park until the new year. More silence and stillness. So, its almost fitting that from Sunday to Monday afternoon, Port Angeles got 8 inches of snow! More silence and stillness. Its begs one to curl up in front of the fire and chill. Yesterday, Justin and I walked around town--counting the snowmobiles and jumping into drifts--then, curled up in front of the fire. What goes better with snow than chocolate chip cookies and soy nog? Very little.

Justin is off to work today--shoveling snow, is my guess. I will be dreaming of our impending celebration of rich food and rich company on Vashon Island. We've got the turkey, so I hope the roads clear a bit. I picked up a few lbs. of brussel sprouts at the Port Angeles Farmer's Market on Saturday--I've set my sights on a brussel sprout casserole, of course. So, yestereday, I pulled out the vital wheat gluten once again and made pretty good batch of no-knead bread that will soon be cubed, toasted, and married to the brussel sprouts with copious amounts of egg and Willapa Hills Big Boy Blue Cheese.

No-knead Bread

Kale that crunches...

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things about fall is the sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet on runs through town or on hikes in the woods. So simple, so satisfying.

Do you know what else is incredibly simple and oh, so satisfying?

KALE CHIPS! On the fence about whether or not you like kale? Already decided that you hate kale? Love, love, love kale?
Kale chips are for YOU. Quick, healthy, delicious...as enjoyable as the sound of crunching leaves in the fall.

KALE CHIPS!

1 bunch of kale --any variety will do
olive oil
salt
pepper

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Chop kale into bite-size pieces-- 3 in. squares, perhaps.
2. Put in a bowl and toss with a liberal amount of olive oil to fully coat it. Add salt and pepper and toss some more.
3. Spread chopped and seasoned kale on a baking sheet. Try not to pile it up; give it room to crisp up.
4. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until crispy, but keep a watchful eye so it doesn't burn.
5. Enjoy as a snack or crumble it up and sprinkle it on soup or pasta.
* Next time, get creative and try some additional spices.

Chanterelle me about it...

Fall, she is a fickle time of year. Warm and sunny during the day, crisp to downright chilly at night, windy windy windy, unanticipated storms followed by double rainbows, mornings muted by fog, and explosions of fiery crunchy leaves...

Over the past few years, I have come to realize that I tend to emulate the seasons as they change. Fall, although my favorite time of year, is often a tough one for me; as daylight fades and the moon shines brightly, I begin take more time to reflect. All this reflection, albeit insightful, makes for somewhat of a fickle and frenzied mind. I like to think the fury of reflection is my way of preparing for the quiet, comforting, and indulgent winter.

That said, I find myself spending lots of time in my kitchen--a place that often quiets the chatter in my mind and stimulates my other senses in a slow and intentional way. I take my time to chop, measure, and stir. I like to mix chunks of butter into a bowl of flour with my fingertips. I like to take fruits, vegetables, and fungi from the world outside and pay homage to the time and energy that they've taken to grow and ripen.

Last night, I pulled out the bag of chanterelles that I collected with my friend, Andy, last weekend and set my intentions on cream of mushroom soup. But, one can't have a bowl of creamy soup without a hunk of bread.

I have to say, bread and I have been battling lately...I just want to bake a loaf using solely Nash's wheat that doesn't end up weighing more than a newborn child. I grind it fresh. I give the yeast time to procreate. I try to follow recipes word for word. But I always end up with a brick. Arg!

For some time, I've heard murmurs about incorporating "vital wheat gluten" into such loaves to help retain some of the gas necessary to make them light and fluffy. I've shrugged it off and stuck to wanting to do it the traditional way. Well, yesterday, I tried it. Guess, what? We had hunks of soft, fluffy, warm bread to go with our soup. You know what else, it was easy. I'm getting my bread confidence back--I just might attempt a loaf of sourdough in the near future. Thank you, vital wheat gluten. I guess you are pretty vital.

Honey-Wheat Bread a la vital wheat gluten

aren't they the color of fall?

Cream of Chanterelle Soup
adapted from smittenkitchen.com

small bundle of fresh sage and rosemary sprigs
3 leeks, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt
2-3 lbs. of chanterelles, sliced
8 c. vegetable stock
1/2 c. cream

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil to medium and add herb bundle to infuse for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add leeks, onion, and garlic; saute until leeks are transparent.
3. Turn heat to high and add salt, pepper, and mushrooms. Cook for about 10 minutes until mushrooms have lost their moisture and gotten much smaller.
4. Add veggie stock and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Turn of heat, add cream, and puree the soup in a blender in small batches.
6. Return soup to its pot and simmer on low until you serve it up. Enjoy--I promise you will.

Other Recent Kitchen Therapy

Apple-Cheddar Biscuits

Pumpkin Tart from our own sugar pie squash

Beignet - delicious fried dough mix all the way from New Orleans, complements of Justin's parents!

Justin and Andy enjoying beignet during sunday morning football -- Go Steelers!

Playing Catsup...

Tell me what to do with all of these green to semi-ripe tomatoes. Please!

So, you may have noticed my absence in the interweb world lately... Okay, perhaps I'm being a bit proud to expect that you faithfully check my little ol' blog for food inspired puns and up close shots of my dinner--but a girl can dream!

Anyway, I am in the final (!) stages of completing my thesis and being a full fledged master--according to the Evergreen State College. As a result, I've been quite absent from here and as a friend in the real world. My sincere apologies to all affected parties. After November 15th, I promise to make up for it in puns, posts, letters, phone calls, baked goods, crafts, hugs, and fiddle lessons (but that's more for me). I can taste the freedom!

That said, I have been taking a little time to enjoy the onset of fall. I spent the first weekend of October at home in the breadbasket of Illinois visiting with my lovely lovely family. It actually turned from summer to fall while I was there.

Last weekend, Justin and I grabbed our bikes and passports and caught the ferry to the great city Victoria in the exotic country of Canada. On the ferry, we even won free passes to the Royal BC Natural History Museum. So, we spent the weekend as tourists--well-fed tourists. And on Sunday, I ran the city's marathon. Justin was a great support staff; he biked to various points along the route and offered shouts of encouragement. It was a beautiful course and I felt quite strong. Good weekend.

We had mammoth of a time, but Justin was too afraid to turn his back to creature to pose for a photo.

Not a bad view to enjoy while trying to ignore leg cramps.

And now for the real CATSUP!

A few weeks ago, I had an inspiring new friend over to process 30 lbs of tomatoes from a local farm. I've had visions of trying to make my Grandma Arlene's catsup for some time now...its happened. 15 hours of a house scented in mysterious spices and hot boiling tomatoes later, we had 4 whole pints of Arlene's finest. Her recipe called for "mixed spices", which I assumed was code for her secret blend, so I threw in a combo of cumin, paprika, and turmeric. After a conversation with Grandma, it turns out, "mixed spices" is an actual blend sold in most grocery stores. Oh, well. The hardest/messiest/most fun part was smooshing the hot mess through a sieve. The result is a tangy delight!

CATSUP
inspired by Grandma Arlene from The P Family Reunion Cookbook

4 quarts of quartered tomatoes
2 c. vinegar
3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. red pepper
2.5 TBS salt
2 TBS "mixed spices"
1 TBS ground mustard seed
1 TBS cinnamon
2 large chopped onions
3 TBS cornstarch or arrowroot powder

Combine above ingredients (except cornstarch) in a large pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 hour. Sieve. Boil one hour longer. Thicken with cornstarch. Seal in jars.

Getting aHEAD....

Cabbage time. Cabbage time!

You know what that means...
Yup, our kitchen, again, smells mildly of rot--err, fermentation.

We tasted some delicious kimchi soup (Korean sauerkraut) at a potluck a few weeks ago, and that taste reminded me of the potential in a head of cabbage. So, after a trip to Port Townsend to pick up my new bike, we stopped at Nash's for a some cabbage. We came home with both traditional and Chinese varieties.

First, with the crinklier and more delicate Chinese variety, I set out to make my own kimchi. Along with cabbage, carrots, radishes, jalapenos, garlic, and ginger soaked for a week in a salty brine.

I had intended, all along, to make sauerkraut with the remaining traditional cabbage. However, on a particularly fall-ish Friday evening, Justin and I were craving soup. So, I stole one of the 5 betrothed heads for some Soupe aux choux - garbure (aka Cabbage Soup a la Julia). After all, there were still 4 remaining heads for kraut (which is scenting and fermenting right now) and, boy was it worth it. Savory, warming, yum.

So, if you have a head to spare...

Main-course Cabbage Soup
adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

3.5 qts. of water
3 cups potatoes, cubed
3 slices of bacon, chopped
3 qts. of roughly sliced cabbage
a handful of parsley
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. thyme
3 leeks chopped
4 cloves of crushed garlic
4 celery stalks, sliced
4 carrots, sliced
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

1. Add water, potatoes, and bacon to a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add everything else and simmer for 1-2 hrs.
Serve with crusty bread with melted Swiss cheese.

Grand Pass, indeed it is!

Grand Lake.

As the light and warmth of summer begin to fade, I have a constant urge to dash into the mountains without delay. Soon, the peaks will be gorgeous and snowcapped, but a lot more challenging to climb. So, this Saturday, Justin and I took advantage of what we thought was calm sunny day to hike up to Grand Pass. The hike is especially striking because you start in the sub-alpine, which looks like mars compared to the dense lush forests of Western Washington. The trees that do grow up there are tangled and dr. suessical.

It was sunny alright, but crazy windy. It was so windy, I literally thought I was going to be lifted and flown like a kite. I realized that wasn't the case when I saw quite a few marmots standing their ground. Wind aside, it was a beautiful day for a hike. High mountain blueberry bushes were turning fiery red and the lakes we passed glowed brilliant blues. Did i mention the marmots? I love marmots! (Too bad I was too busy trying to hug them to get any photos)

The hills are alive...


The view that nearly blew me away (seriously).

Windblown.

I'm falling for you, fall.

Okay, its taken me a few weeks to get into the spirit of fall. I've been clinging to those long summer nights and those bushes of berries--wild and cultivated. But, I've begun to remember why fall is my favorite season (do I say that at the beginning of every season?):

The frequent appearance of the color orange and its other fiery relatives. The crispness in the morning air. Evening fires in our wood burning stove. Homemade chai. Apples drooping from the tree. Sunday morning steeler's games accompanied by pancakes. Wild mushrooms! The desire to bake and to add spices to said baked goods.

I have to thank Justin for truly getting me psyched on the coming season. He has made it a goal this year to make use of every apple from our two loaded trees. Whoa! He began a few weeks ago with apple sauce. I countered his sauce with an apple pie. He responded with breaking out the food dehydrator and producing a mound of apple rings. I made an apple crisp. Then, came apple-ginger juice....

But the piece de resistance has defiantly been his apple dutch baby. He threw it together on a lazy saturday morning when i was going back and forth about what to eat for breakfast. That's one thing I love about him; when I can't decide what to eat or am too lazy to make something, he often produces something special.

Justin will tell you that an apple dutch baby is simple and not deserving of an entire blog post; I totally disagree. It comes together quickly with ingredients that are almost always on hand, but the result is quite decadent.

Apple Dutch Baby
recipe adapted from justin's head

1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 TBS. butter (melted)
1 apple, sliced into rings
powdered sugar for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Whisk eggs together while melting butter on the stove top.
3. Whisk milk and flour into eggs, then melted butter.
4. Pour mixture into a cast iron skillet and drop apple rings on top.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until puffy. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (and walnuts or pecans) and enjoy.

family is...

Family is the root system that keeps me grounded, nourished, and reaching for the clouds.
Family is a giant UPS box full of individually wrapped gifts so that turning 28 feels like turning 8.
Family is going for a run together from different states.
Family is the deliciously comforting taste of a tomato and cheese sandwich.
Family is putzing around town.
Family is cocktail hour with laughter and stories from years past.
Family is stopping to pick wild blueberries.
Family is filling the kitchen with voices and good smells.
Family is accepting occasional grumpiness.

A few weeks ago, Justin's parents visited. My family has grown a lot in the past few years; we now span from the breadbasket of Illinois to the steel city of Pittsburgh (not to mention our less defined, but no less valuable washington family). Lucky, lucky, lucky.

A hike to Mink Lake with many pauses for wild blueberries.

Many hours spent around our kitchen table.

One evening, we enjoyed a crepe tower filled with tomatoes, basil, mushrooms, and love. (thanks, julia)

I finally got to make use of the tart cherries from the tree in our back yard.

One year.

One year ago, Justin and I got married in front of the people that we love. Awesome.
I love this person more today that I did one year ago and I don't see this trend changing much.

To celebrate, we spent the day in Port Townsend...eating and putzing.

We came home and made awesome shrimp tacos. We got the shrimp on the way home from PT from the Hull Family, who fish not 20 miles from here. The veggies were all from our garden. The soft goat chevre was from some Nash farm friends. And the wine was Harbinger's Dynamo Red. We are so lucky to live in such an abundant place; may we continue to nurture our love so that it grows as bountifully as this land. The only thing missing from the day were our families and loved ones that we got to celebrate with last year.