Seattle Day 2

Breakfast

Saturday morning found us sauntering downhill only a few blocks from the apartment to Skillet, a food truck gone restaurant.  We sat in the morning sun drinking our coffee, elbow to elbow with our neighbors.  Our food came (delicious!) and went, and again we were on our way.  (Not that it wasn't worth more mention, but there is nothing more to say!)  We stopped at Trader Joes, an american grocery store, for the sole purpose of cookie butter, or specculas spread as many of us know it.  The stuff is amazing! Just like crack on a spoon.  Oh wait...nevermind. And so we left with a jar, jogged across a school yard and back home, up the stairs and right back down.  Down all the way to the waterfront, to the market we walked.

Our order of the day was a chocolate tour.  I borrowed the stores/bakeries from the local chocolate tour website ($55/per person) and we found our own way.  It took two days to slowly eat our way through the list, but every bite of it was amazing! (and a heck of a lot cheaper.)  We shopped and walked our way around town (hi anthropologie! nice to see ya the gap!  banana rebuplic it's been so long!) stopping for treats along the way.

Coconut Cream Pie from Dahlia Bakery

Chocolate Truffle Cookie, also from Dahlia Bakery

In our travels we stumbled upon one spectacular find, Penzeys Spices.  I've done no reading about this shop pre or post visit but from our experience we thought this shop was fantastic.  Each spice had an open jar to smell, (you can smell quality) there were multiple package price points and finally: 6. six. SIX. types of cinnamon.  I was a happy girl.

Cream cheese brownie and Chocolate Explosion Cupcake from the Chocolate Box.

With our hands full and fuller still Shane and I strolled to Pioneer Square.  We raised eyebrows at trees with scarves, avoided the panhandler's gaze and batted flattered lashes when another made us laugh, twice!  We glanced quickly about the square and started our long uphill walk home.  When we finally made it there Shane rested his tired eyelids and we prepared for a night at the pub.


I've no pictures to show but here's what we did:  first we drove across town to Slim's Last Chance for some of the best chili money can buy.  Our bartender/server had me downing a shot on the house in celebration of my birthday.  Shane drove home and we started on foot.  Our second stop was Six Arms where we first encountered "The Santas"  The Santas were a huge group of people, most young and some old, dressed up as Santa and working their way from pub to pub.  The entire pub was filled to the rafters with red and fluff.  We found a small table amongst them all and ordered our tater tots and beer.  Clearly I wasn't drunk enough to appreciate their state, but we'd see many more of them this night.  I would place their numbers in the multiple hundreds!

Santas.

We made a quick side trip to Barnes and Noble where we felt up the books for quite some time before walking a far ways back, heading for Elysian Brewing Company.  This place was rad!  We had a few beers and a plate of wings, enjoyed each other and tried to avoid the Santas rowdy conversations.  The last stop of our night was Quinn's Pub.  From what I remember the room was noisy and the bacon bourbon popcorn was delicious.  I capped the night off with a glass of hard apple cider and you know what they say "Liquor before beer and you're in the clear, beer before liquor never been sicker"...

Very happy, about?

Seattle Day 1

Seattle21 can best be summed up in three words, TomDouglas, bookshops and research.

Bagel Sandwiches

Friday morning was dark and early, but any time before 830 is dark around these parts.  We hulled our suitcase, accompanying bag, two additional pairs of shoes (each) and winter jackets (yes, we are so those people who take an entire wardrobe for three nights away.  I'm also the person who think she didn't have enough options and wished to pack more) into the car.  The car puttered around the corner of our street and we waved goodbye to our little house.  Seattle21 had now commenced.  Our brief road trip started at Tim Horton's with bagels and coffee and continued on as we drove for two hours until we reached Frost Doughnuts in Mill Creek, near Seattle.

Left to right: Top: Bourbon Pecan, Gingerbread, Sour Cream Glazed
Bottom: Andes Mint, White Chocolate Raspberry, Orange Cranberry

Having done my research, the theme of the trip was food, I came across Frost as top rated in Washington state.  It quickly became our first stop.  And thank goodness! The doughnuts were fantastic.  We ordered four (I know! what! were! we! thinking?!) and for only a dollar more got an additional two!  So when we sat down at our table we were two people eating six doughnuts.  We put a serious dent into that box.  Before we knew it we were both sick to our stomachs.

The place we stayed was a rented apartment.  I used the site Airbnb to find something close enough to everything and cheap enough to be worth our while.  Raf had his apartment listed on the site, I emailed him and as it happened he was heading away for the holidays at the same time.  We found the location of the apartment without any trouble, shook hands with the owner, gathered keys and he left, we were alone.  The apartment was gorgeous, decorated with an artist's touch, Raf is a photographer after all.  Minutes after he had left we had left, headed to downtown Seattle and the Pike Place Market.

Favourite!

We spent the better part of the afternoon eating ourselves silly.  I had found numerous food places that required our attention, and we were all to happy to attend.  We had the chowder sampler at Pike Place Chowder (the classic was our favourite), the world's best mac and cheese (self-proclaimed) at Beecher's Cheese which was fantastic as well.  We ate a beef and cheese piroshky at Piroshky Piroshky, which wasn't our favourite.  We wandered the market, had chocolate gelato from Bottega Italiana and folded ourselves into whatever tiny pockets of space we could find at Sur la Table.  With no stomach left to fill we drove back to the apartment.

Very delicious Beecher's mac and cheese

We walked over to Elliot Bay Book Company and cruised the isles for deals, took a nap and got dressed up for a night out.  Our event of the evening was Handel's Messiah preformed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.  It was a fine night for listening and people watching.  The music was splendid and the patrons animated.  When things at the music hall were over around 11pm we nabbed a table for dinner at Lola.

Benaroya Hall

Lola was our first experience with a Tom Douglas restaurant.  Though there are no pictures I'll not soon forget the gyros and kebabs we ate alongside glasses of frothy beer or the delicious smooth ice creams which capped off our night.  Too soon after dinner we found ourselves in bed, zonked out from the day's wonderful activities.

Happy twenty-first?

Lets start back at the beginning, the beginning of when I started to ignore my dear blog.  Good golly, well it all began when I turned 21.  Seven long days ago, on December fourteenth to be precise, I decided I no longer wanted to be a year older.  In my youth I was always very excited for my birthday, a day where I felt special, not only for my day of birth, but for the amount I'd accomplished within said years.  For the younger I am, the more special I seem.  But twenty-one is an adult, in everyone's eyes.  Twenty-one is someone who needs to be responsible for themselves, twenty-one is someone who pays bills.  Twenty-one is a late-to-the-party student and a little to old to be great at anything "for your age."  Twenty-one makes me like everyone else, I really am no longer a child.  I feel suffocated already, let down by my own expectations.  I didn't make a cake.  I didn't light a candle.  I tried to make it no big deal.

But they spoiled me anyway!  They brought me adulthood by storm!  I was wined and dined, fed sugar and champagne.  There was baking and coffee, wine and pedicures, they didn't let me feel down.  After all of the 14th's festivities my husband brought me to Seattle for three glorious and wonderful nights, where I was stuffed and spoiled for three solid days.  I'll show you more of that later, for now: my birthday.

I baked cinnamon buns first thing that morning, a whole dozen that five people devoured along with a few glasses of cranberry mimosas.  Natasha and I baked gingerbread cupcakes, had tea with Grandma and following that enjoyed pedicures.  I opened gifts, drank wine and indulged in said cupcakes.  Shane and I had dinner with Dad and when we finally got home hours later, we drank this eleven year old bottle of red wine.  A fine day indeed.

December 10-11

So how was your weekend?  Huh? You what?!  Darn, I know that feeling, I'm always working too.  It's rare that my days off fall on Saturday-Sunday.  I don't know why it matters, what is so special about those certain days anyway?  It's because everyone else is doing it, everyone with a normal, consistent schedule.  They talk about it on the radio, the countdown to the weekend. The news anchors and weatherman are always fixated on the weekend.  Everyone I meet asks me how my weekend is going.  It's going swell, I'm working again.

We were busy this weekend!  I baked until cookies came out of my ears.  I made two types of jam and dinner for friends.  We wrapped presents and did laundry.  Shopping was done and bathrooms were cleaned.  We ran, we walked, we slided over snow (and ate some too.)  All and all very productive and very enjoyable.

not my christmas craziness!

cranberry apple crumble pie

christmas cookie platter

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2011

I'd like to start off saying how much fun I had with this cookie swap.  It was a blast!  How better to get in the spirit of Christmas than by giving?  Okay, there was a receiving end too, but there is nothing wrong with that!  I nervously signed myself up for the cookie swap near the end of November.  Being that it's my first time involved with the blog world at large I think my hesitancy was well warranted.  Have you ever sent your food through the mail to be received by someone you don't know and then tasted not knowing a person's personal preferences?  By the time they were sent though, I was very confident the receivers would enjoy my cookies.

 To start I tested a few recipes.  I picked four I thought would be possible candidates.  I baked, tasted, tweaked and placed one cookie from each recipe in a plastic bag to be left for a week.  I shared the remaining cookies with everyone who lives within driving distance of myself!  When one week was up we tasted again to see how the cookies held up.  While they were all acceptable there was one clear winner.  A cookie who's flavour and texture were not compromised with the wait, if anything they were enhanced.  Not only were the cookies the best for taste and texture, they were also the most seasonal.  Can they be any more perfect?

The cookies had to be sent by Monday December 5th.  Since I had that day off, and because the packages wouldn't be waiting in a storage center over the weekend I decided to bake them that day. There is nothing like getting down to the wire!  The cookies baked up beautifully, crisp and chewy, sweet and spicy.  I cooled them quickly, threw them in three separate tins and wrapped them in brown paper.  I wrote a little note explaining what the cookies were and stuffed them in the bottom of the packages (because I forgot to put them inside!) and raced out the door to the post office.  I do believe, thinking back on it now, that I didn't even put my blog name down.  I hope they didn't really like them, because they'll never find the recipe now!

When I got back home I reread the email I had received regarding the rules and realized in my haste I had forgotten to take pictures of the cookies, even with the kind reminder included.  I had one measly cookie left.  I brought the cookie around my house and placed it in front, on top of and behind some inanimate objects (and one living one.)  Sad but true.  I wasn't about to make another batch, I was cookie-d out.  For the day of course, no longer!

A few days later the mailman knocked on my door, he handed me two packages and ran off down the driveway.  Realizing what they were I squealed, did a happy dance and ran off to tell everyone about my gifts!  I slashed open the packages nearly impaling the beautifully wrapped boxes inside.  I took a quick picture and stuffed one of each cookie in my mouth.  Each cookie, while both very different, were fan-freakin-tastic!  I want to thank the two ladies who sent me these cookies profusely.  They were perfect, I've been eating them all week.  To the third gifter who's cookies have yet to come, I thank you in advance, I'm sure yours will be great too.

Sugar Swirl Cookies

Toasted Sesame Tahini Cookies

Gingerbread Chocolate Cookies


Chocolate and gingerbread.  I'll bet you didn't know they'd go so well together.  Did ya?  Did ya?  Every time I eat one they kinda blow my mind and I've been eating them for a few Christmases now!  They're a teeny bit crunchy from the sugar coating, super chewy and uniquely complex with the ginger and chocolate totally coming out together.  My favourite Christmas cookie this year.

1 cup dark chocolate (or semi-sweet in necessary) chunks, chopped
180 g (1 1/2 cup) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
100 g (1/2 cup packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp boiling water
white sugar, for rolling

In a medium bowl sift flour, spices, cocoa and salt.  Set some water on the stove to boil.

In a mixing bowl cream butter on medium-high speed for three minutes until it is white and very creamy.  Add brown sugar, mixing until combined.  Pour in molasses and mix again until combined, scraping bowl as required.

In a small bowl mix together baking soda and boiling water.  Into the butter/sugar mixture beat in half of the flour, then all of the baking soda/water and finally the remainder of the flour.  Mix in the chocolate chunks, (the batter will be very stiff) and proceed to dump out the contents of the bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap.  Pat into a one inch thick rectangle, wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least two hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 F.  Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.  Cut the dough into 24 pieces.  In the palms of your hands roll each piece into a ball and coat with sugar.  Place 8 cookies per sheet, no more as they spread a bit and smoosh down slightly with your hand.  Place the extra dough back in the fridge while it waits it's turn to bake.  Bake cookies 14-16 minutes, until the tops crack slightly.  Rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then move to a cooling rack.

Dutch Spice Cake

I made this unusual spice cake yesterday morning, in a pre-7am baking frenzy.  This happens more than you'd think.  I made a gluten and dairy free oat bread for my mom and slapped this together while the food processor was out, since it's darn heavy and I store it above my head...yeah, not so smart.  While I did think it was extremely tasty, it was missing two spices. (Both of which I had, but couldn't find until I wasn't looking for it this morning, doesn't that always happen?)  The original recipe is called a Dutch spice cake, the Dutch spice being speculaas spice.  It's a very addictive mixture of all your favourite holiday spices, plus a few you weren't expecting, like mace and aniseed.

When I took the cake to work I merely labeled it spice cake with almonds which is really not very special sounding, if you ask me.  But everyone loved it, I had a few requests for a recipe, which to me is the biggest compliment of all.  It's one thing to try something once, it's another to like it enough to try making it yourself.  I copied out the recipe onto a few index cards to hand out to those requested and I thought I'd share it here.  It's a very fragrant cake, crunchy along the edges, with little bits of toothsome almonds.  It's sturdy and dense, in the best way.  It's sweet and complex, truly a delicious cake.

To save yourself a few steps (or if you have to buy more than two spices) stop at your local Dutch food store and look for speculaas spice, it would be something they'd carry.  Just take out all the other spice and dump in 3 Tbsp speculaas.  If you buy pre-ground almond you may need add more beaten egg to make the paste malleable, just take a look, you don't want it runny either.

Dutch Spice Cake


Almond Filling:
150 g almonds
150 g (3/4 cup) white sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 medium egg, beaten

Cake:
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp aniseed (the seeds inside the star anise, pulverized in a mortar and pestle will do)
1/4 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp mace
250 g (2 cups) white flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
200 g (1 cup) brown sugar
175 g (3/4 cup) chilled butter
1 egg beaten

Almond Filling:
Place the almonds in a food processor to blitz them until they are just crumbs, it takes a few minutes.  Dump out into a bowl.  Stir in sugar and lemon zest.  Mix in enough beaten egg to make mixture malleable.  Shape into disk and wrap with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until needed.

Cake:
Sift spices, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl.  Cut in the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.  Add the egg and knead for a minutes or so, the dough will be quite soft.  Form into a disk, wrap with plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 340 F and grease a 9 inch circle pan.  Cut the dough into two parts, one making 2/3 of the dough and 1/3 in the other.  Between two pieces of plastic wrap roll out the larger dough into an 11 inch circle.  Transfer the dough to the pan pressing in at sides but leaving the extra hang over the edge.

Spread the almond filling evenly over the bottom later and fold the excess dough over top of the filling.  Roll out the smaller piece of dough into a small 9 inch circle and press the dough on top of the almond filling, into the over lapping dough to create a seam.  Prick the top all over with a fork and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top doesn't look very wet at all. 

It's all frozen!

We woke up (as we do most days) to a thick layer of frost, crystal clear skies and a weak morning sun.  My favourite days of winter (aside from waking to fresh snow.)  The cat followed me around the garden as I snapped pictures, pressing for attention when I stopped, demanding attention when I stooped.  With frosty fingers I ran back into the house and with a sigh wrapped them around a hot mug of coffee.  Good morning indeed.