Life's a Banquet
'...and most poor fools are starvin to death!' ~Mame

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

I awoke to the smell of sweet peas. Last night I put a lovely bunch, which I got from Pheasant Fields Farm at the Bremerton Farmers Market, into a small vase high atop the baker's rack in our kitchen so the cats will not tear them apart. When I woke up this morning I could smell them and it made me smile. I LOVE the smell of sweet peas and the season is so short that I cannot help but be thrilled by it each year. As I lay there enjoying the smell I remembered what today is. The official 5th anniversary of us owning the cafe. Five years ago today we were up early and in there getting ready for a couple dozen of our closest friends and family to come help us clean and organize everything. We painted inside and decorated the upstairs. Pulled every single thing out of the kitchen and cleaned it-passers by thought we were having a sale! The deck was power washed and every inch of the inside was scrubbed. The bathroom was painted and decorated, and at the end of a VERY long day we all sat together eating pizza and enjoying the tired company of so many who love us. What a miracle this journey has been. From the first idea of it, to the day of cleaning with our friends, and every day to today, and beyond.

Tomorrow is the big party where we will share food, wine, music and laughter with everyone who comes by. I know that family and friends will be dropping by to wish us well and customers both new and old will be bearing congratulations. I know that, much like at our wedding reception, we will not get nearly enough time with each person who comes in. We will miss those few who cannot be with us tomorrow to celebrate, though we know (or at least we hope) that they are with us in spirit. I am really excited and I will be cooking all day so that we have lots of food to share. Mark and I have reflected back more than usual over the past month. Like on Monday when there was confusion as to who was supposed to get in for the early bake and the new girl (poor Elizabeth!) arrived for her first solo open and was truly alone! When she called to tell me no one was there I though 'oh crap' and then rallied. I got Mark heading in and called Ivy to ask her to come in early and help if she could. She was so good to us, she beat Mark in! When I spoke to both of them before they headed out I told them this is ok, this is no big deal, they would be fine and not to panic. I knew there was no need to start their day out with a rush and chaos, and it really was fine. They worked together beautifully and the food got made. I don't know if anyone was disappointed by the lateness of any particular item or not, though I would hope that they could forgive us our misstep if they were.

Later Mark joked with me that 5 years ago we would have been so stressed by that event! We both laugh at the memory of when, on our third day of business, the hot water tank broke upstairs and what must have looked like an episode of the Three Stooges ensued. It was NOT funny then! It is SO funny now! Last week we put out 800 boxed lunches in one day for the senior expo at the fairgrounds! When I say 'we' I mean every single one of our team helped with this huge project, and it was a great success! We are exploring new ideas and we feel like we have really made our mark on this place. It is truly ours and we love every bit of it, every customer, every team member, every day that this is our life. FIVE YEARS! When I was 35 (only 8 years ago!) I had no idea what life would look like in 5 years. Heck, I didn't know it 6 years ago! I quit my last career on July 11, 2005 and never looked back. This restaurant, this dream, has given me vision that I did not know I had. And Mark is a miracle! He not only supported and joined me, he made this dream his own and has carved out his own vision for it as well!

Are there bad moments? Of course! Every time we disappoint a team member or a customer, I hate it. Every time a customer cannot forgive us for a mistake, or does not tell us about one, I hate it. Every time I miss an opportunity to show my love to someone who needs to see it, I hate it. We are growing every day and the good moments, the great moments, far exceed the bad ones. And the bad ones serve us well, as we seem to learn from them whenever we can. I have been so scared at times from financial stress, staff stress, fear of not knowing anything, fear of thinking I know anything, and so much more! Today I feel great! Today I am celebrating, and tomorrow as well. I really hope you can stop by and say hello. I would love to thank you in person, even if I only get a minute to do so. Every single person I love, and every person who loves me has played a role in this adventure. Lots of people who don't love me played a role, too, and I thank them as well! Every customer we have ever had deserves a thank you, and every person who has worked for us. All of you. Thank you.

And can you believe the weather! How perfect is this! I will love it if we can bring the party out onto the deck tomorrow, that will be fantastic. I am so proud of all of us and I can't wait for the party!

I have been seeing lovely radishes at the farmers markets and I have discovered a great way to cook them! I want to love radishes so much, I remember my parents ate them raw and loved them, and radishes are just so beautiful. I like them pickeled, though raw they are just a bit too, I don't know, radishy for me. I don't hate them, I just don't love them, and I really want to! So the other day I bought some, as I am wont to do every Spring when I see the beautiful radishes out on the farm stands. I also got some baby Bok Choy, which I love to eat cooked or raw. (It's the new celery, don't you know! Try it in a slaw... I digress...) so I looked at a bunch of recipes and came up with this really neat trick of cookery. The cooking mellowed the radishes to a thing that I really loved, and the Bok Choy was stunning in this preparation. I basically braised them all together and when I took the lid off to let the liquids reduce, Mark grilled up a steak for him, some lamb for me and some potatoes as well. Pasta would go nicely with this as well, since it could pick up some of the sauce and by so yummy! So if you want to love radishes, or already do, and usually eat them raw as I think most people do, try this. Try cooking them and tell me what you think!

Butter Braised Radishes and Baby Bok Choy

1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 onion, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch (about a 1/2 lb) fresh Radishes, stems trimmed, big ones quartered, medium ones halved, little ones whole (use the leaves for stock)
3 heads Baby Bok Choy, rinsed and dried, cut in half lengthwise. Use a wet cloth to get the dirt out of the inside if there is any.
Salt and Pepper
1-ish cup Sake, off dry white wine, broth or just water (see below for more sake notes)

In a deep sided pan (I use a 12 inch deep saute pan with lid) melt the butter and oil together. Toss in the red pepper flakes, onion and garlic and saute on medium heat. Once the onions are sweating and translucent, place in the Bok Choy, cut side down, and toss in the radishes. Stir it up so that everything is coated with the butter and oil, season with salt and pepper.

Pour in the sake, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer, cover and let go on low. Once the bok choy is cooked through, about 10 minutes, take the lid off and let it reduce. It went another 10+ minutes until the sauce was very thick and coated everything. There was still some crunch to the bok choy, the radishes were tender and sweet, and everything was lighly pink from them.

As for the sake: this is the good stuff, not the hot crap that you get at every Chinese restaurant around here! They sell it at Fred Meyer so probably at other stores as well. I get the Momokawa, Diamond (I enjoy the Pearl as well) which is a Junmai Ginjo sake. It is lightly sweet and pairs beautifully with spicy foods, sushi, and is nice on its own as well. I began learning that there was a real art to good sake several years ago, and last July when Mark and I toured the Artisan Sake Brewery in Vancouver, BC, we really got to experience what great sake is. Good sake is always served cold, heating it muddles and hides the flavors so is done only for lesser quality sakes, much like serving a regular wine cold. Like a grape wine, sake can last a couple of days in the fridge, especially if you pump the air out. Unlike grape wine, sake is made more like a beer, and there are several styles that you can enjoy, including sparkling! If you go to Granville Island, you must do a tasting at the craft sake store, and see if you love it like I do! I still have the bottle of the Junami Nama that I so enjoyed from there (it's empty now) and you can bring me another back if you want to! I love the unfiltered and the sparkling as well!

Ciao for now!

Link: http://www.WaterfrontBakery.com

Wow what a weather week we had! Yes it's back to colder (though warmer than it was) and rainy, but I cannot help but be so very grateful for the gorgeous week we had last week. The Seattle Times article came out on Thursday and we noticed increased traffic and more 'foreigners' both Thursday and Friday. People mentioned they were coming from Seattle and Tacoma due to the article and we thought that was pretty cool! Then Saturday came. It was SO beautiful, the nicest day so far this year. The morning started out quietly, as Saturdays can do, and then around 10 am it started. They came from Mercer Island, Graham, Muckilteo and more! It was very exciting and best of all, we had lots of new folks find out about us who live right here in Kitsap! While of course we love the visitors, the locals who can become our regulars are the ones we especially want to find out about us. That is why we rely so heavily on loyalty rewards and we do not offer one-time coupons to bring in new customers. Word of mouth is our BEST form of advertising, and we recognize that loyal, returning customers are the backbone of our cafe.

It was the busiest Saturday of our history. There was a different vibe that came with it, and while everyone was in a generally good mood, some of the visitors were noticeably more business-like than our usual Saturday crowd. Saturdays are different for us at the cafe, no matter how busy we are the atmosphere is generally more relaxed and casual, which I know sounds odd for me to say since we are a relaxed and casual place! During the week folks are busier and working and have a list of Things That Must Get Done. On Saturdays I think they have to-do lists, and errands have more personal meaning. Saturdays are more fun and people are out to have a good time, which shows in their attitudes. The air was perhaps mildly brusque at times, and I think that we were still able to live up to our usual warmth and service in spite of those uncomfortable few... Maybe it was just because it was so constantly busy, or maybe because some people find it unsettling to try a new place out, I don't know what it was, and I hope that we did not reflect it back. I don't think that we did, and sometimes it can be difficult to tell when you are in the midst of the (controlled) chaos.

It was indeed so busy that while we close at 4 pm, none of us could get to the door to shut it! It was so fantastic to see all these new people excited about a new place and we just kept on going until about 4:30. A few folks finished up their meals until a little past that and when they all went away we were left standing there grinning at each other. We were all exhausted and euphoric off of the busy day and sunshine! Thank goodness I have a strong crew, those gals worked their butts off!

This week it is back to a slow down and hopefully it won't be as dreary as they are predicting. I always love the sight of a group of 'Easy-Up' canopies. It makes me giddy with delight and hope because it usually means there is a farmers market, and I love those! Silverdale's first day was Tuesday, it was sunny and clear and chilly. Newcomer Amy's Decadent Chocolates is there this year and several old friends as well. Mark will be there nearly every Tuesday (except July 5th)and he will have bread and cookies to make everyone's day a little brighter, no matter what the sun is doing.

My favorite meal in the past few weeks happened on Sunday the 17th at Bay Street Bistro. when Charles and Rose Ann Finkel visited from the famed Pike Brewing Company in Seattle. The Bistro's chef and owner, John, used to work for the Finkels and he knows their brews well, so each pairing was really perfect. He was nice enough to seat us with the Finkels, whom we have gotten to know a little bit over the past few years, and rarely get a chance to sit down and talk with them for any amount of time, so that was fabulous. Charlie introduced each beer as the staff poured our tasters and served the matching course, and it was truly fantastic all around! The menu:

John's house cured King Salmon "Gravlax" with Pike Dry Wit Belgian style Ale
 
Roasted Asparagus with Salumi Coppa and Shaved Parmagiano-Reggiano with Naughty Nellie Golden Ale
 
Bitter Greens with Red-Curried Gulf Prawns (I am stealing that idea) with Pike India Pale Ale
 
Roasted Garlic-Hazelnut Tortellini with Pike Tadem Double Ale
 
House Smoked, ale-brined Pork Loin, with Double-ale Cream with Pike British-style Pale Ale
 
Chocolate Stout Truffle Cake from Carter's Chocolates with Pike XXXXX Stout

We. Were. Stuffed. Matt from Carter's Chocolates also worked for the Finkels and he knew how great that last pairing would be. It may sound odd, though it sure did not taste odd! I do not usually go for dessert, and I ate it up. I then walked on the hilliest part of the Cushman Trail all week so I think I made up for it!

On Saturday I made Easter Dinner for some customers and it was a nice meal of boneless Lamb Roast, and I made an English Mint Sauce to go with it, from Farmer Paul's fresh mint leaves. I used Possum Run Farm's fresh horseradish root to make a Whipped Horseradish Cream to go with it as well; roasted asparagus that was picked that morning in Yakima and I made them a bechemel sauce to go with it. We tasted it all and for ourselves added roasted Port Townsend potatoes that I had bought at the Poulsbo Farmer's Market a week ago, and they were starting to soften up, so I brought them to work and roasted them. I must say it was all quite delicious and I hope they enjoyed their meal!

This week is sort of the beginning of the lead up to our 5 year anniversary. Five years ago tomorrow was Mark's last day at the Chevron. It does not seem that long ago that I boxed up several dozen cookies and drove to Bellevue to surprise him and say goodbye to the Old Bellevue Chevron. Gilbert's Deli is across the street and the owner took me by the hand and led me through his restaurant, teaching me as much as he could in 10 minutes. Our house recipe Iced Tea is based on his own delicious tea blend, and I think of him fondly every time I taste it! That was a Friday and Mark started learning the morning bake the following Monday. He only did it every day for 3 weeks with the previous owner before it was just the two of us! I will reminisce more in a later post, but that is a sweet memory. He quit his job of 16 years to help me with a dream which I had no idea what the true impact would be. That's love!

Now we are embarking on our 4th year of Dining Out For Life. We were the only place the first year and 4 years later there are several, with Kitsap County HIV AIDS involved and benefiting directly from the event. So exciting!

For the recipe this week I have decided that you should know how to make bread. Wait, don't go! It is SO easy with this recipe that is actually Mark Bittman's. It is in his fantastic cook book 'How to Cook Everything' and I am going to add in my own twist for you. Don't worry! Going to the grocery store is more strenuous than this recipe is! If you do not have a stand mixer, use a food processor to make this, it works just fine.

Fast French Bread

Makes: 3-4 baguettes, 1 larger loaf, or 12-16 rolls
Time: About 2 hours, largely unattended

3 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Meanwhile if it is going to be needed warm the oven proofer up. (warm the oven to the lowest setting)
Put the flour, yeast & salt in mixer; whisk together. Then, with the machine running, pour in about a cup of water.

Process until the dough forms a ball, adding a tablespoon more water at a time until it becomes smooth; You’re looking for a moist, slightly shaggy but well-defined ball. The whole process should take about a minute at most. If it is too wet and sticky, just add a tsp of flour at a time until it is fixed, don't sweat it at all.

Remove the dough to a bowl sprayed with nonstick (like Pam) and put in the oven, but turn the oven off. Or, if it's warmer weather, cover with saran wrap and let sit at room temp. Either way let rise at least an hour, 2 is even better.

Dust a little flour on your work surface. Dump the dough out and shape it as you like, sprinkling with flour as necessary but keeping the flour to a minimum. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F with your baking sheet inside. You will want to spray it with nonstick unless you use parchment. If you have a pizza stone or bricks, place that inside as it preheats instead of a baking sheet. Also place a pan filled with water on the bottom. Let the dough rest on the stove, at least 20 minutes while the oven pre heats.

When you are ready to bake, slash the top of each loaf or roll once or twice with a sharp knife and slide the bread directly onto the hot (oiled or parchment lined) pan or pizza stone. Turn the heat down to 375°F.(Every time you open the oven splash the water so it steams it up.)

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature of the bread is at least 210°F or the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. The time will vary depending on bread size, for the larger loaves it will be close to 30 minutes. Turn the loaves 180 degrees half way through, then rotate front to back as well if you are turning the loaves themselves and not the pan.

Remove the loaves, spray with a bit of water if you would like a shinier crust, and cool on a wire rack.

Trust me. You can do this and you will thank me!
NOTE: I don't use instant yeast, and if you happen to have regular yeast only here is what you do:
add 25% (about a 1/3 tsp) more and bloom it in a 1/3 cup of warm (100 degees) water with a pinch of sugar or honey. Let it bloom for 10-15 minutes, and it will be frothy. Turn on the machine and dump that in, reducing the amount of other water that you put in... all the water should be luke warm.

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

The sunshine is bringing folks out to the park these past few days. It's still quite nippy out, but we true Western Washingtonians know to take advantage of a day with sun (breaks) no matter what the temperature is! People are sitting outside and actually have been for several days over the past month, in spite of the fact that 'they' say it has been raining more than usual this Spring. I think that the rain is coming down harder when it rains, more than the fact that it is raining every day, though I bet you disagree with me. The sun feels good, though, and I am happy for that! You may remember my friend Alison who wrote an article about us for West Sound Home & Garden Magazine. That was about a year ago and we still get people talking about what a great article that was, which is in large part due to Alison's great writing. She and I have been friends since the day we met and a couple of weeks ago she called to ask me to help her research an article with her. This article will be all about finding unusual, or unique chocolates on the Kitsap Peninsula, so of course I said YES! I won't spoil the article for you, and I cannot wait until it comes out to read her take on our adventure, though I am going to mention a few things that stood out for me. I knew I was going to enjoy tasting the creations of my food business peers out there, what I did not realize is how much I would enjoy getting to know the wonderful people behind the food.

While I knew OF all of the businesses we visited, I only knew a few of the owners. Having been on the Chocolate Tour in Seattle last year I knew how to pace myself and only had tastes... Alison enjoyed the experience a bit more, shall we say, full on. We started out in the morning in Kingston and made our way back home (she lives further south than I do, so it worked out nicely) stopping at various places on the way. It took all day long and we did not even get to everyone on her list! It was such fun to visit Thormod and Asta at their new place in Poulsbo, and he showed us the entire process! We got to peek inside Chocomo to see the status of the remodel, and I loved hearing Peter's story. In fact all the stories we were told that day were like a gift from each person we spoke with. They were interesting and inspiring, and getting involved in each one is partly what took us so long.

We stopped at the cafe part way through the day so we could get some soup and I could let Alison try out our goat cheese-chocolate truffles. They are always a surprise because they are not sweet, made with dark chocolate, chevre and cream, they are rich and tangy and creamy and could even be an appetizer, though I love them for dessert. The last stop of the day (at 5:30 I begged for mercy and asked her to take me home and postpone what was left!) was at Global Bean where Joel talked to us about his sipping chocolates and I had a Chai Latte. It was a real chai, not the mixes that so many of us use out there, and he told me that it sold well and invited me back to learn how to do it. Mark and I went in to take him up on that last night and I am really excited to make this at the cafe. I have always wanted to do it and thought it was too work-intensive, though I think I have found a way to simplify it. I researched traditional methods for making it and I will combine those with his method, and add in a twist or two of my own, and offer it up to folks to see what they think. It's always risk free at our place, if you don't like what we made you we will make you something else, so I think folks will be willing to give it a try, and I know many of them will love it. It's real tea and spices, and I will not sweeten it much so that those who like it sweeter can add their own, and those who do not can have it spicier. We shall see how it goes after I get the tea blend I have my eye on.

Since Alison agreed to postpone a couple of places Mark and I met her at Carter's in Port Orchard on Friday evening. Matt is moving his store in the near future, down bethel towards town to a free-standing building, and I know that will be good for his business. From there we went to Cosmo's and Barb, the best bartender around, made Alison three chocolate cocktails to taste. The best part was that Alison let me taste them, too! I tell you, sometimes this job is really tough! From there Mark and I were lucky to be invited out to Rodstol for an impromptu dinner party, and we had such a wonderful time! There were 6 couples all together and it was a lovely dinner with great conversation and lots of laughter, which was completely fabulous. They welcomed us into their group and we felt like we had been there all along.

Farmer's market season is beginning on the Peninsula and I got to hit Poulsbo on opening day last Saturday. It was like 'Old Home Week', seeing our farmers and other friends all together at the market. I love making contacts and seeing what everyone has growing and I really miss it on the weeks I can't get to a market. Mark will do the Silverdale market again this year, which starts on Tuesday the 19th, so I will usually be able to hit that one at least. I always announce when I am going with "Meet Me At The Market" posts on Twitter, Facebook and our web site, and whoever finds me first (I almost always remember to wear my blue apron for easy identification) wins a prize! I haven't been found very often, and I hope that it catches on more this year so I can meet more of you out there.

This Friday is our 'Taxes Suck! Cookies Don't!" promotion where you can 'double your return' (aren't I clever) so if you buy a cookie, you get one free. Something to sweeten up tax day and I am keeping it on Friday even though, technically, the deadline is Monday the 18th this year. We have a busy Saturday including our new monthly Story Time at 2 pm. This month we are featuring Spring! Bring your kids to be read to by a Master Gardener and a Frog! (Yes, a frog that reads to kids.. Stephanie was the Star Bellied Sneech at the Dr Seuss party and the kids LOVE her!)It's a fun time for sure.

Funny, when I started writing this there were sun breaks, then it poured rain, and now it is sunny again! I love this place! I will end with a recipe for you. It is from the Cooking with Italian Grandmothers book that my sister got me for Christmas and I have made this recipe (or a version of it; I just cannot leave things alone) twice now, and loved it both times. It's not difficult and you can exchange the dried garbanzo beans for canned ones, just drain and rinse them really well, and then the recipe is even easier and faster.

Vincenzi's Pasta e Ceci (Creamy Chickpeas with broken pasta)

1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas
1/2 tsp baking soda

Cover the chickpeas by 3 inches with water, sprinkle in the baking soda and give it a stir. Soak it for 12-24 hours (I add a couple of bay leaves to this step, as well as salt so the brine will help tenderize them)

OR 2 14 oz cans chick peas
8-10 cups water or broth
1 medium yellow potato, finely diced
3 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic (no need to peel)
2 tsp salt

2 TBS olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup tiny pasta (like orzo or stars), or well broken angel hair or cappellini

After soaking, (or opening the can and rinsing well) drain the chickpeas and place them in a soup pot with the water, potato, bay leaves and garlic. Put the lid on slightly ajar, and bring to a a strong simmer. Scrape off and remove any bean scum that rises to the surface of the pot. Simmer until the chickpeas are tender but not mushy, about an hour. Salt the pot at the end of simmering.

While the beans are cooking peel and finely mince 4 cloves of garlic. In a small saute pan, cook the garlic in theolive oil until light golden brown. You do not want it to get too dark, or it will become bitter. Add the garlic and oil to the simmering beans, which you can do at any time during the cooking. I follow the author and do so half way through the cooking time.

Remove the bay leaves and discard; remove the whole, unpeeled garlic cloves and squeeze the garlic from the skin, back into the pot.

Strain 1 shy cup of the cooked chickpeas from the water and set aside. Puree the rest in a blender or food mill, then return everything to the pot. Bring to a simmer and add the pasta.

Cook for the amount of time recommended on the pasta package, stirring frequently throughout the cooking, or the pasta will stick to the bottom of the pan. Taste for salt and adjust.

Serve garnished with chopped flat leaf parsley, black pepper, grated parmesan or pecorino, and a generous drizzle of excellent olive oil.

This can be a side dish or stand alone, it is so delicious!

Buon apetito!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

You may remember that last August my gals pooled together with a few family members and friends, and they gave me a Canlis gift certificate for my birthday. They all know I have a long list of restaurants in Seattle that I call my 'wish list'; places I really want to go to eat. The list changes and reorders, with only one constant since I was 16 years old: Canlis has always been my number one wish. Canlis is legendary for their food and service, and when I was 16 years old several friends went there for dinner before Junior Prom. I did not, though I looked into the place and learned about it. Since then I have built it up in my mind and somehow it became too big and unattainable, so I didn't even try to go there.

I think Lori was the first one to find this out, or maybe it was Leslie. At any rate they began to plot and they banded together to give me the most incredible gift: a $280 gift certificate! It was so unbelievable, and yet so like them, I still feel overwhelmed when I think about it. Time flies in the restaurant world, and our weekends were booked constantly. Mark and I knew that we needed a full evening for this, and we did not want it to be rushed. Christmas came and my parents gave me an overnight stay at the Inn at the Harbor Steps in downtown Seattle. I knew it had to be combined with our trip to Canlis! I was keeping an eye on the calendar, watching for the perfect time to go, and it kept slipping out of my reach. In mid-January I found out when the Chef's Collaborative annual Farmer, Fisher, Chef Connection day was and decided that we should try to plan our Canlis/Harbor Steps experience around that. After all, it is a rare treat to already be in Seattle when we have an all-day event to attend. I made the reservations at the Inn and hoped I would not have to take advantage of their generous cancellation policy.

It was still too early to make a reservation for Canlis (I was using OpenTable.com) so I waited until it was a month out. I was shocked to see that the only times available were 5 pm and 8:30 or later! I took the 5, and then kept checking. I found a 5:30 and changed it, and never found a later time after that, so we went with it. One friend pointed out that at least we would be able to enjoy the view in daylight and the dark, which was really great. We knew we would have a leisurely meal, though we had no idea just how slow and enjoyable it would be, so we weren't worried about the early dinner time. I did not request the famous 'Table 1', as I felt it would be too...I don't know... too something I am not comfortable with. As the day approached Mark began reading the web site and learning more about this famous institution that I was in awe of, and he was getting excited to go, as well. Lori & Leslie made sure I had a lovely outfit to wear (I wore the purple blouse, girls!) and it seemed that they were as excited for me as I was! That morning one of our favorite customers/friend came in and I knew she had been to Canlis on many occasions, so I was excited to share the news with her that we were going that evening. She gave me a couple of tips for when we were there (be sure to grab a handful of their candies on the way in, and another on the way out! They are carmelly and delicious!) and wished us well.

Saturday was busy at the cafe and Mark and I barely made it out to the 1:45 ferry in time... we arrived as they were boarding and only just got on. We checked in to the hotel and our huge room with fireplace, king bed and soaking tub!! We showered and dressed, then went down to the hotel's afternoon wine reception. The desk called a taxi for us and we were off. The moment I reached for the beautiful door handle on Canlis' front door I knew that my hopelessly high expectations were going to be met. We walked in and I saw the candy dish that Casey told me about, and quickly grabbed a few to put in my purse. (Oh did I mention, I picked my handmade feathered handbag up at a street market in New York City.. oo la la! How chic I am!) For a second it seemed that no one was there, and then suddenly we were amid a whirlwind of activity: someone took my coat, someone took the special bottle of wine we brought, someone else had menus in her hand and was ushering us to our table. Mark told them our name once as we arrived (I was admiring the fireplace) and they used it, with proper pronunciation, for the entire rest of the evening!

We were escorted past the only kitchen station that is visible from the dining room: the grill station. It is entirely ensconced in warm copper all over the walls, ceiling, and counters. We turned and walked the length of the upper dining room and she pulled a table out for us to slide into the booth. We were seated side by side, looking out at the dining room, and to our left were the wide windows from which we could see the lake and city views. As I was sliding onto the booth she said 'This is table one...' and I gasped! What?? Really?? Mark and I looked at each other in shock... THIS IS TABLE ONE??? (I was only shouting in my head, but I was so shocked! It is the most requested table at Canlis!) "Yes" she replied, "This was Peter Canlis' private table, and the telephone is right there." And it was! An old, black, rotary dial telephone sat unobtrusively on the sideboard next to me. My mouth was agape-THIS IS TABLE ONE! I mean holy crap! Mark looked at me after she left and asked "who did this for us? Someone we know had to have planned this!" There was no one I could think of who would have known about it, and anyway Canlis would not guarantee this table even if someone did try to arrange it. We looked around and were grinning like dopes "Yes, we ARE table one, and you are wondering who we are, aren't you!"... I giggled.

John W. was our server and I have to say I sort of thought service would be a bit standoff-ish, or formal and stuffy. It was absolutely not. I think if that is what you want they would read you and provide that service, but it is not how we are. John read us perfectly and he was very approachable and friendly while offering perfect service, along with the rest of the team. Canlis eschews formal 'captain' or French style service, and the entire front of the house works as a team. It was remarkable to experience and delightful to watch. We had a wonderful view of the entire restaurant (Peter Canlis would watch service and if he saw something that bothered him, or that he felt he needed to comment upon, he would pick up the phone and call the front desk) and we enjoyed watching service all night long. We were there for 3 hours and 15 minutes, so we got to see many tables come and go. It was nothing short of a great show!

John gave us the cocktail and wine menu first (I had already studied it online and I knew what I was going to order) and asked if we knew were at Table One. Yes we knew, and we wondered if he knew how we got this table. He smiled and said we were just lucky, that they always tried to give it to someone special and they knew we were... Mark was still suspicious that it was somehow planned, but I knew it could not have been. I was sure that not even my mom knew about Table One, and no one knew when our reservation was for, anyway. John asked us what type of water we would prefer, and we said just tap water, no ice, and he brought it to us and left a little pitcher on our table, which I never had to touch because every time my water glass got down to half, someone filled it for me. He then brought my glass of Veuve Clicquot Rose Brut Champagne and another server brought Mark's glass of syrah. They were placed on the table at the same moment. We toasted and drank... oh my it was delicious. I informed my husband that from now on I wanted our well filled with this champagne so I never had to drink boring old water again! He said he would be sure to get right on that for me. As we perused the menu (how to decide!) I kept looking over to see if the view was still there. It was, every time I looked.

After we ordered someone came out with the bread service "Would you like our honey butter bread roll, or our salted olive bread roll?" We replied in unison "One of each, please!" so he placed one on my plate and the other on Mark's, assuring us he would be back to offer us more bread later. The butter was a large round that had been cut out with a cookie cutter, and I used only a tiny smidge, and then we realized that the bread was so good it did not need any butter.

Next they brought out the amuse bouche: Sweet Onion Puree in a tiny little cup, placed jauntily on one end of a rectangular plate. It was a delicious opener and I may have clapped a little in my joy. We started by sharing the Canlis Salad: Romaine, Romano cheese, bacon, mint, oregano, and a dressing of lemon, olive oil and coddled egg. They brought us each our own dish of salad, and we could not imagine each ordering our own, they were very large portions. Their croutons were house made and very crisp and of course every detail within the salad was perfectly balanced. They offered us freshly ground pepper, and I said "no thank you, I am certain it is already perfectly seasoned", and it was.

We then shared a plate of Peter Canlis Prawns: Sauteéd in dry vermouth, garlic, red chilies and lime. And yet, that description does nothing to prepare you for the level of deliciousness that is the sauce. I moaned with pleasure and I heard Mark do the same-it was absolutely phenomenal in flavor. Thank goodness the bread guy came back around because Mark was going to be embarrassed when I licked that plate clean...or perhaps he was going to fight me for it. Instead we used our bread to sop up the remainder of the sauce and did not feel the least bit shy about it!

The meal was timed and spaced out nicely and I was paying close attention to being able to taste every morsel. I put my fork down after each bite and really took my time with my enjoyment. I kept making sure that I stayed as much in the present moment as possible, trying to remember every detail to share with you. We watched a table celebrate a gentleman's 90th birthday. He was joined by what appeared to be his wife, grandchild and spouse, and 3 great grandchildren. You may think that Canlis is not the place to take children, and you would be surprised at how wonderfully accommodating and respectful they were of those very well behaved kids. They were probably 8, 10 and 12 years old, or close to it. They had 'cocktails' and enjoyed every course as the adults did. The servers engaged them and made them feel fully a part of the meal, which was fun to watch. They even got a tour of the kitchen (I tried to follow them in but Mark stopped me) and some sort of party favors at the end.

As I was mourning the end of the prawns John asked if he should send our bottle of wine out to be decanted. "Yes, please" and so the wine captain came over with our bottle of 2001 Kirralaa Shiraz (thank you, Manny! We love this gift!) and asked us about it as he opened and decanted it for us. We told him about Robert Mondavi going to Australia and 'trading' wineries with the wine-maker from Kirralaa. We asked if he would taste it with us and he seemed to enjoy it, noting that he thinks it will go another 10 years or so. Luckily we have another bottle at home to see how that goes! That wine is so good, and as the meal progressed it really smoothed and mellowed in the decanter.

We watched all kinds of people enjoying their time at Canlis, and every single one of us was treated as if we were the most important guest of the evening. Even including the person we overheard ordering a fillet mignon (easily the most common dish we saw served) "Well done and butterflied". I understand wanting your meat well done, but why pay for Wagyu tenderloin if you are going to do that? It did not matter to the staff at Canlis, they simply smiled and treated her as well as everyone else who walked in that night. And let me tell you, I have seen restaurant staff treat people very poorly for ordering catsup with a fillet mignon, so I was impressed with the level of class throughout.

My main course was Mushroom Ravioli with Black Truffles and Mark had a NY steak, cooked perfectly and oh so tender. The fresh pasta was so perfect I cannot say I have had better in Italy! We also ordered all three accoutrements (this was a once in a lifetime event, after all! Never again would it be our first time, and we would probably never again have this amazing gift certificate, either) which included: Truffle Fries (mmmmmmmm, so perfectly salty and crisp-tender), Forest Mushrooms sauteed in sherry, garlic & thyme, and their famous Twice Baked Potato. We shared everything and slowly enjoyed every single bite. We brought some of the steak, mushrooms, fries and potato back with us to reminisce over later.

The tables were padded under the cloths, which added a layer of comfort, to be sure. We watched a couple of tables turn and when the server assistant changed the cloth it was amazing to watch. He never exposed more than a few inches of the table, and that was only in the very beginning of the ritual. He lifted up the cloth and folded about 1/4th of it back. He then laid the new cloth on the table and as he removed the old cloth, he somehow laid out the new cloth in it's place almost seamlessly. (It reminded me of when a girl will remove her bra from under her shirt, never exposing herself for a second.. it's a trick we can all do!) He placed the old cloth under his arm, then folded part of the cloth that drapes over the front of the table, back up onto the table, and disappeared for a minute. When he returned he had a cordless steam iron and he proceeded to iron the cloth right on the table. It was clearly a well-practiced, choreographed ritual that you could easily overlook if you were not inclined to watch the service on the floor. In fact every move they made, from the synchronized placement of plates on tables, to how they walked through the dining room, was well practiced, graceful and intentionally graceful and subtle.

For dessert we decided to share the Chocolate Covered Chocolate: molten chocolate cake, cocoa nib shortbread and chocolate-covered salted caramel ice cream. Yes, it was amazing! They took what could be 'so 10 years ago', a molten chocolate cake, and raised it to a new level. The top was bruleed and the dark chocolate was perfect. I enjoyed it with a glass of vintage Port (hooray for the port tasting we put on! I was able to know what I was ordering!) and Mark had Sauternes. The presentation of every dish was perfect and not too fru-fru (I don't like fru-fru) by any means. The portions were perfect, not too little and silly and not ridiculously large. Every dish we had was worth every penny they charged.

At one point John asked us if we were there celebrating a special occasion, and I told him the story of how I had spent 26 years wanting to come there, and our gift certificate, and he also picked up that we were in the trade. He passed our story on to Brian Canlis, the grandson of Peter, who now runs the show along with his brother as the third generation of the restaurant. Brian came over and introduced himself and I tried to keep my composure. Are you kidding me? This was Brian Canlis, at our table, chatting us up like we were old friends! Making me feel as comfortable as I could be, except that my brain was screaming "HOLY CRAP" and I was trying not to make a fool of myself. He stopped by a few of times throughout the evening, we got our picture taken with him, and he even called the telephone from the maitre d's stand up front! The phone started ringing and I realized I should answer it, and when I did he asked how everything was going! I cracked up when he said he thought it was fun to call the table from the podium! As the evening progressed we watched him perform every job at the front of the house in unison with the rest of the team, including clearing and resetting tables, serving food, and chatting with the customers.

As the night darkened, so did the room, and I noticed the bar as I was looking around for the piano player that I could hear. You can walk in and sit at the bar to enjoy appetizers or even the full menu. The piano player is in that area, though the entire place is so open that you can enjoy the music throughout the restaurant. The noise level was perfect, we could hear the murmur of conversations all around, though generally nothing stood out or called attention to itself. The music was in the background, loud enough to enjoy and subtle enough to not interfere. The service was silent and no noise came from the kitchen at all. I did not see the upstairs area, though I did see a bride walking up the stairs in her gown, so I know there was a private party up there. Can you imagine? Booking a private party for your (or your daughter's) wedding at the Canlis? What a cool customer.

As we were nearing the end of our meal, with coffee and tea (they brought out a box of tea leaves for me to sniff and choose from), Mark enjoyed one last liqueur and John brought out their parting gift. A sort of amuse bouche to end with, or perhaps I should call it an au revoir bouche. For each of us a little hazelnut cookie, with a kiss of chocolate custard on top. We asked John to have them call for a taxi as we took it all in one last time. As we made our way to the front door: Brian shook our hands and said goodbye, then John did, another service smiled and wished us well, a valet told us our taxi would be here momentarily, the maitre d' got my coat (no claim ticket, he just knew which one it was) and murmured goodbye as he held it for me to put on, we waded through the line of people waiting (it was 8:45 and they were waiting to be seated) and I did remember to grab a few more candies on the way out. The cab was there and we were off. I was on top of the world and so was Mark. We had such a thoroughly enjoyable time, we are hoping to make it an annual event. Dining at Canlis is an amazing experience and it should definitely be enjoyed by everyone.

I will post pictures on facebook in the next few days (or rather, Mark will) and fill you in on the rest of our weekend as well. We are on our way to the Chef's Collaborative event this morning and that will be a great post, too! Have a wonderful day everyone!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Do you love cookbooks? I do! I love to read them cover to cover, like I am reading a novel. I don't necessarily read every single detail of every single recipe, though I do for many of them. I love to know what the author uses for salt, and the good ones include stories or background on at least the author, if not many of the recipes as well. I have lots of favorites, though there are a few that I always come back to both at home and at the cafe. One of my favorite places to get cookbooks is an antique store. I have found several unusual, fun and well-loved cookbooks at various 'junk' stores, especially up on Vancouver Island, in Sidney, BC. That tiny town has tons of old book stores and I have picked up some treasures in them.

I also enjoy watching certain cooking shows, too, and I get lots of inspiration from Ina Garten, Sara Moulton, Jacques & Julia, and others. For Valentine's day my dad bought me a cookbook that I have wanted for a couple of years. I had not purchased it for myself because it was over $40 and I was not able to find a way to 'need' it for that much money. The book is 'The Gourmet Cookbook' which is edited by Ruth Reichl, whom you all may know I love and admire! I have read all of her books and her writing style shines through in this cookbook. The book was on sale for $10 and now I see that it is only $7.22! I just bought some for gifts because... and hear this: I! LOVE! THIS! COOKBOOK! I just about slept with it the first night, as I fell asleep with it in my lap. Ms. Reichl adds so much to it, and the fact that many of the recipes are as old as Gourmet is, well it is just special. The stories are good, the food is fabulous, and I think it is an essential for any kitchen. (ps Linda, If you don't have this one, I have you covered, no need to buy it!)

I can sing the praises of many cookbooks, and if you are interested I will share with you some of my favorites, though I most certainly have not read them all. In fact my cookbook wishlist on Amazon has 106 items on it and grows all the time. I have about 6 shelves worth between home and the cafe, and that is pared down... Hi, my name is Monica, and I am addicted to cookbooks. The good news is that I don't purchase them if I don't think I will absolutely love and use them, and if it turns out that I don't use them, I pass them on to someone who will. And then there are the books about food... I shouldn't even get started there. I just had to share with you how much I love this cookbook so that you can pick one up while they are this fabulous price. I imagine they are getting rid of it, since it is a couple of years old. It was totally worth the wait! It makes me smile every time I see it sitting on the table, waiting for me to read some more.

Last Saturday after a long day of catering, one of our gals (Lori!) bough Mark and me each a shot of Patron tequila. We had never had it before and I must say: SMOOTH. It was indeed the nicest tequila I have ever sipped, and that was just the silver, so someday I will try the repisado, since that is my favorite style. I don't drink enough tequila to warrant rushing out and buying a bottle, but I will put it on my Christmas list! If you haven't had it, and you enjoy sipping tequila (this is not a party shot!) I highly recommend tasting it.

On Sunday Mark and I went to the Ballard Farmer's Market with Erin and a couple of friends. I have been wanting to go there for so long and it is truly amazing! With nearly 100 stalls (I think they said 97?) it is very much like the European markets that we see in Italy. A wonderful variety of locally grown and produced food items, along with art and crafts, and other household necessities. It was pure pleasure checking it out, and of course it was a sunny, albeit chilly day, which made it even better. We all had a great time and I must say if you haven't been, go. They take EBT at the market booth, and many vendors can take credit cards as well.

After we were done wandering the market we went into Bastille for cocktails and a little something to eat. My favorite cocktail, especially for brunch, is a Bloody Caesar, which is really difficult to find around here, unfortunately... (They are prolific in BC.) Another favorite is a Kir Royale, which is just sparkling wine with a splash of Creme de Cassis, a currant liqueur. I was about to order that when I saw they had a special cocktail called 'La Muse': Vodka, grapefruit & Cassis with a splash of Crémant, served on the rocks. Oh yes! It was so yummy! It went nicely with the best fries I have ever had! Unfortunately we were there at the tail end and they were out of several dishes, but the food that came was delicious and well-prepared. The interior of the place is remarkable and I loved looking around in there. It felt a little like a New York restaurant, which I consider a compliment... maybe it was the subway tiles on the walls. (Such a comedian, I know!)

It is finally snowing after threatening to all day. I am working really late because I was feeling really behind, and then I got the urge to check in with you to say hello. This weekend we are in for a huge treat (actually many treats) that I will share with you next week. Meanwhile, I hope we all survive the 'asnowcalypse', no one loses power and everyone still comes to the cafe for lunch! Would you like a recipe? How about Ina Garten's mustard-roasted fish. It is so easy and delicous, and it uses things that I always have in my pantry. When I go to buy the fish I would get the creme fraiche and be good to go:

4 8-ounce fish fillets (snapper, tilapia, etc...)
salt and pepper
8 ounces creme fraiche or sour cream
3 TBS dijon mustard
1 TBS whole grain mustard
2 TBS minced shallots (or onion if no shallots)
2 tsp drained capers (or caper berries)

Preheat the oven to 425 and line a sheet pan or baking dish with parchment (or cooking spray)

Place the fish fillets skin side down and sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl, along with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish, making sure each fillet is completely covered.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it is barely done. The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it is done. It is easy to over cook, so be careful or it will dry out.

Serve it hot, right away, with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.

I would serve this with roasted potatoes and green beans, both of which will be great if the sauce gets on them!

Ciao for now!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Hi there! I know it's been awhile and I thank you for being patient with my break from the blog. I did not stay away because I was avoiding you, honest! January was an emotional month, with the loss of an old friend and the usual January Business Anxiety, though I must admit that this was our best January yet for the cafe. I missed talking with you and I do have some things to report, but today is Valentine's Day and I think it is a good time for a love story. I don't mind telling you that I love the movie An Affair to Remember, and still get teary when Terry McKay (Debra Kerr) says to a bewildered Nicky (Cary Grant) "It was my own fault, I was looking up. You were there... it was the nearest thing to heaven!" I think that the greatest love story in movie form (ever to exist in the universe!) is Robert Bernigni's 'La Vita e Bella' and I still smile each time I am in Cortona Italy and see the theater from the movie.

Led Zeppelin's 'Thank You' and The Beatles 'In My Life' are my top two picks for love songs, and I find it appropriate that they were both written by famous couples, even if they were not romantic couples. I do not have a favorite love story in book form (too many! I love them all!) though right now I am reading Elizabeth Edwards' book 'Resilience' and I am falling in love with it! So many forms of love, so few ways to express them... Love is the answer. Love opens all doors. Love, love, love. And we all have many love stories throughout our lives, romantic love, familial, love of friends, work, food, travel; love of fun, nature; spiritual love, physical love, emotional love... we can go on all day. I am going to tell you a love story and it is my love story with Mark, and there is not a happy ending, or rather I should tell you there is no ending at all, because we are still living our story. I have been told it is a good story and I certainly think so, though perhaps mainly because I seem to benefit more than anyone else from it. Mark may disagree with me there, though I think he is the only one who could challenge that statement.

I was 14 years old when I was a freshman in high school. It was a new school, new neighborhood, new everything and of course it was all very confusing. I made a few friends and this one boy, Chris, had the CUTEST older brother who was a senior. He had a curly red afro and even though he didn't really know who I was, my stomach fluttered when he looked at me. At the age of 16 I was a junior and ready for my first job. I worked at the Renton Sheraton after school and on weekends, in the restaurant as a 'bus girl' and in room service. Chris' older brother Mark was my trainer and so here I was, 2 years later, working with this cute guy! He was quiet and not interested in a high school junior, after all he was 20 years old, but he was very nice and taught me how to do a good job. This was in 1984 and long before caller ID, and as young goofy girls we would get together and call boys. When they came to the phone we would giggle and hang up and then scream with nervous laughter at each other for not having the nerve to talk to him. Mark got his share of giggly hang up calls, to be sure.

I don't remember who left the Sheraton first. We each went on our way, I went to college and Mark eventually joined the Marine Corps. When I was a senior in high school I had a boyfriend for 8 months whom I loved as much as any 17 year old girl loves her first boyfriend. One of my college jobs was at the Maple Valley Golf Course, at Charlie's Bar & Grill, where I learned the ropes in the kitchen. My first chef was an ex prison chef and while he was a mean SOB, I learned a ton from him about making everything from scratch. This restaurant was not fine dining, though we had the best food around because we even cut and breaded our own cheese sticks; everything tasted great there because we made it ourselves. The other chef that I worked under at Charlie's was Greg Rooter and he introduced me to the world of catering (from the kitchen perspective, I had done lots of catering as a server) and BBQ. Greg built a BBQ pit in the back of our kitchen so we could smoke all kinds of meats... sorry, I am digressing to a different love story: the love of cooking great food! So while I was at Charlie's we hired my old high school friend Chris and I was working with him. I counted Chris as a good friend and one day he invited me to a big party down at his house for his brother who was coming home from boot camp.

I went to the party where I saw lots of old friends from High School and there was Mark. He was fresh out of boot camp and looking really good! My insides did that floppy thing again and I tried to hang out near him that evening. I didn't see him again until December, when he came 'home' on leave. I began hanging out at Chris' house with all the guys, hoping he would notice that I was a fun gal to be around. I let him borrow my car to go visit friends and I took him places when I needed my car. I worked at a different restaurant kitchen then and brought food from work when I could. Finally, when it seemed he would never get the clues and there were only a couple of days left before he went back to California, I asked him out. I was pretty excited when he said yes! I don't remember everything we did on that date, though we visited some friends and he taught me to play pool, which is a very good first date thing to do! We were together until very late because he was leaving the next day and I did not know when I would see him again. My mom tells me (and I truly have no recollection of this event) that when I got home from that date I told her that "I was with the man I am going to marry" and she about fainted.

You see, I was never a girly girl and I did not fall in love easily. I never dreamed about my wedding day, or wished for a prince charming and I did not page through bridal magazines fantasizing of the dress I would one day wear. That was never me, and in fact I had written essays about why marriage was not for me. I had well researched, intellectual arguments against marriage as a result of our culture and societal refusal to evolve our thinking around the marital institution. So when I told her that I was with the man I was going to marry, my mom was aghast. I did not say things like this lightly, and I still do not remember saying it at all, though I know she did not make it up. I went 3 weeks without hearing from Mark and then one day Chris says to me in passing 'oh by the way, Mark has been asking for your address and phone number, and I keep forgetting to tell you'. Oh by the way, I almost killed Chris that day, but I was so relieved and excited that I forgot to! I had to call his mom for Mark's address because Chris didn't have it and that was nerve-wracking! I am sure she just rolled her eyes at the little twit calling to get her son's mailing address, but she gave it to me anyway.

Mark and I began a correspondence and telephonic relationship, and then he came home for an entire month in May. We spent every moment possible together and if I had any doubts prior to that, by the end of the month I was very confident in my love for him. He took a little convincing, but I was not worried because I knew we would have the rest of our lives together. He called my from Japan on my 21st birthday and every Sunday after that. On one of those calls he told me he loved me. I remember the feeling that came over me as we hung up the phone and I began squealing with excitement and jumping up and down on my bed. My roommate ran in to see what was going on and I exclaimed "HE SAID 'I LOVE YOU'! HE LOVES ME! HE LOVES ME!"... I visited him in California twice and he came home a couple of times to see me when he saw his family. In 1990 he decided against renewing his enlistment and came home for good, just 2 months before I graduated with my BA in Criminal Justice. He moved in to my little studio apartment and then we got a 1 bedroom together after that. He got a job at his godfather's auto service station and over 16 years became manager. I became a police dispatcher (among other things) and we rented a house, and bought our first house. We got married in 1991 with a few family & friends around us at Lake Tahoe, then came back and had a big party/reception.

That first year of marriage was really difficult; Mark was laid off while upgrades were made to the station and we bickered a lot. My grandmother died within days of his, and the funerals were on the same day, which is what snapped us back into sync since we needed to really support one another. We worked different shifts with different days off and took 2-week and month-long vacations together. Just like everyone does, we had our ups and downs and ins and outs, all with the calm knowledge in the back of our minds that nothing really matters in the end because we have our whole lives to figure it out.

In 1997 I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and began a 2 year education to become a Certified Nutritional Herbalist and Reiki Master, and Mark said 'ok honey, whatever you need to do for you I support'. I dabbled in that as a business, but it wasn't right for me. I still use the skills and knowledge that I gained for my own health management, as well as for family and friends, and I owe it to Mark for supporting me when I needed it. That same year we were on SR 16 through Gig Harbor, driving home from Hood Canal after scattering the ashes of my great-grandmother. Mark sighed and said 'I wish we could live in a place like this' and I said 'WHY CAN'T WE??' If that is both what we want, then we should move here! Mark balked for a moment and then slowly said 'ok honey, if you think we can do it then we can! We will both be happier over here so let's move'. We eventually bought some property, lived with my parents, rented an apartment, and then bought another house, and we love it here. Mark commuted to Bellevue 4 days a week and I went to Seattle, then Renton, 5 days a week on swing shift.

After 15 years I decided that I needed a career change and I quit my job with no real plans as to what I would do. Mark said 'ok honey, you not working makes me nervous, but I trust you to do what is best for us.' Can you believe that? And then when I decided not only that I wanted to have a restaurant, and then figured out that I wanted this restaurant that was also a bakery, and also that in order for it to work he would have to quit his job and work it with me, he only hesitated for one minute. One minute! Then he said 'ok honey, this scares the crap out of me, but I trust that we will do the best for us and that you are planning this out as best you can'. So we both took that leap of faith and we haven't landed yet! 5 years ago today I did not know what was going to happen. The previous owner had been afraid to commit so I had stepped away and told her to call me when she was ready. I was running errands when I ran into my dad and his friend Mort as they were going to lunch at a Chinese restuarant in Gig Harbor, and they invited me to join them, so I did. I still have the fortune that came out of my cookie. It reads: "Don't lose sight of what you want" and I look at it almost every day. I never do lose sight.

So that is the reader's digest version of our love story. Every time I have a new idea for the cafe, or our lives, no matter how nervous it makes him, Mark always supports me. He expresses his fears and concerns and when I confidently say 'I don't know the answers, let's just try it!' he always supports me. I would not be here without him and I wouldn't know where to go if he were not here with me. Our love story continues to unfold and even these days when we are too tired and broke to go out on dates, I know he is here for me. When we say 'I love you more' it is not a contest with one another, it means more than yesterday and more than ever and more than anyone else. And I do, Mark. I love you more.

A recipe? After all that? Ok, I will tell you how to make Spaghetti Carbonara, which after being in Rome I found out I make pretty darn well.

1 lb dried spaghetti and a huge pot of boiling water to cook it in.
salt

olive oil
1 lb pancetta or bacon, diced
5 eggs, well beaten and set aside
1 or more cups grated parmesan, or pecorino romano, or asiago, or a combo
1 or more TBS ground black pepper

In a large saute pan render and crisp up the pancetta or bacon in the olive oil. Meanwhile bring the water to boil and salt it well; salty like the sea is a good rule for cooking pasta.

Cook the pasta 1-2 minutes less than what the package recommends, then drain it but reserve 2 cups of the liquid.

Toss the pasta in with the pancetta, pour the eggs and cheese and pepper over it and stir it, off the heat, until it is all incorporated and a creamy sauce has formed. If it seems a bit dry or stiff, add in some of the pasta water and keep stirring.

The residual heat will cook the eggs all the way through, and there should be a very good amount of black pepper throughout the dish. Stir it up well and toss it until it is all incorporated, then serve it up! Top with more cheese and pepper if you like it! This is the perfect dish to make for someone you love. It will feed them well and it is comforting to boot!

I will admit that I also saute onions and garlic with the pancetta, though that is not traditional and not necessary, I just can't help it!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas? I got many books, which is good because one of the things I am bringing back to my life more this year is reading for fun. I read a lot of trade magazines and books, and often that IS fun and that's ok, but I miss reading just for the sake of reading. I got several cookbooks and food books and I have spent the last 3 evenings happily devouring my favorite so far: 'Cooking With Italian Grandmothers' by Jessica Theroux. My sister got this one for me and I love it so much I am going to marry it! There are stories followed by recipes and more stories and more recipes. It was a lovely book to read and I have marked many recipes, and I already made one of them because I just couldn't stand it! It was a chickpea recipe and it sounded so good and soothing, that I got up out of bed and went to the kitchen to soak some of the garbanzo beans I got from Alvarez Farms at the last Port Orchard Farmer's Market. (I stocked up on their many varieties of dried beans to get us through the winter and we have been thoroughly enjoying them!) The next morning I made the recipe, which starts out very soupy, and then when it has cooled is a very thick puree. I only changed one thing in the recipe, which is a big deal for me since I usually change everything, and I loved it! The next time I make it I will add more things in, but they way it is written is so simple and good that I had to make it right away. I will be having it for breakfast this morning!

It has been longer than I realized since I last wrote anything here and I am sorry to be gone so long! We were wonderfully busy at the cafe up through Christmas and I felt like I had no time. We did get to my BFF's house for a dinner party with 8 other couples and that was FUN! The food was fabulous and the company was the best part of all. We went to the Downen extended family gift exchange, where all the cousins w/spouses and kids get together with food and visiting for an afternoon. Cousin-in-law Rob made some Barley Wine (it is more like a beer) that was really good and interesting to taste. I really liked it and will not hesitate to try others because of it, which I have avoided in the past.

Christmas was a whirlwind of fun starting with Christmas Eve at the cafe, baking lots of pies and other goodies for folks. We closed at 3 and went to mom and dad's, where we always do lots of appetizer style foods (so delicious and it's fun to graze all night) and friends and family stop by open-house style. My family downsized our gift giving over the past several years and we are very happy to donate to charity rather than do tons of gifts, though we still do some, and we take the entire evening to slowly open them between and after guest visits. Mark and I got home late (for us! around 10 or 11) and the next morning we dug into our stockings. Santa always visits us and I turn on the tv to the yule log channel so we can have a fire, and we stay snuggled in the bed cuz the heat isn't on yet, and the kitties come play with the wrapping papers (Santa only wraps my presents, not Mark's) and we have a lovely morning.

Then we head to his parents' and have the traditional breakfast (this year it was with his parents and brother Don). Whoever was not there for breakfast shows up around noon for gift opening, and this year there was a BIG EVENT. Travis, the Best Nephew in the World, is finishing out his high school years by going to Bellevue Community College to earn his AA. He is the smartest, most responsible, worthwhile kid in the world and his parents wanted him to have safe and reliable transportation to get to school and back. They wrapped the keys in a box, which was inside 8 other wrapped boxes with clues and gag gifts along the way. Finally he opened the last one and the look on his face was pure amazement. The car was in the garage and even had a giant bow on it! It was really fun to watch and we are happy for him. Afterwards we enjoyed a casual dinner and got home by 7, which was good because we were very tired.

The next day we got together with our lovely friends from Rodstol Lane Farm to go to a new place in Georgetown called Urban Enoteca. It's a wine tasting room like no other and we found out about from one of our favorite wineries, McCrea Cellars. They are one of seven Washington wineries with a tasting counter there, and the space is gorgeous. There is parking, which is fantastic in that area, and the venue has several rentable areas for parties. Even the restrooms are beautifully done, and the restaurant that is across the hall has fantastic food. We shared many tastes of wine at all the counters and then went across and shared several dishes from the menu. It was all delicious and what a great way to spend an afternoon with friends!

I took it easy for the week between holidays. It was sort of a forced slow down, where I didn't set my alarm and I stopped working at 5 (2 hours early) most days. On Wednesday Travis drove out and spent the night with us. I made meatballs, marinara and pasta, which we ate while playing video games and watching movies. The next day we took him to see Harry Potter at the AMC in Silverdale and have lunch at the cafe. The girls were amazed to see how tall he is (taller than Mark now) and we had a great time with him. Whenever we get to spend quality time with him like that I forgive myself just a little for all the time I spent working rather than spending time with him when he was little... silly I know. The best part is I think he likes spending time with us, too! That week I also went out to dinner with my friend Kat and we totally derailed our New Year's Eve plans but we had fun.

We went to Water to Wine in Gig Harbor with Erin for the Friday wine tasting (it was bubbles! I love bubbles!) and then next door to their wine bar for a couple of appetizers. Mark and I had originally planned to go out to eat and then realized we needed to not afford that. So we got some good stuff at Ray's Meat Market in Purdy with the intention of grilling it up. We got home too late for that so just had a snack and then we cooked it up on Sunday. I had pork and he had steak, with roasted potatoes and carrots and a bottle of wine that we got from one of our wine-makers in Italy. It was a great first supper! We didn't get it done on Saturday because we played instead! We went to the Olalla Polar Bear Plunge, where hundreds of fools, I mean people, jump off the overpass into the Puget Sound. Kat came over to watch it with us and we were all bundled up, shivering from just watching them jump in there! Granted, the 50 degree water was 20 degrees warmer than the air, but I don't think that was much comfort, gauging from all the whoops and screams. They do this every year and it is a HUGE event! With Al's closed now they took over the parking lot and grilled up hot dogs and offered soups and hot drinks, all for free, though they did ask for donations to the food bank, so that was nice. We found out that there is a weekly Saturday market in Olalla at the Community Center, and there is an egg supplier there so I am very happy about that! Later we went to a friend's party and enjoyed a wonderful Spanish style seafood soup and some great conversation with lots of new people. I fear we overstayed our welcome and talked our hosts' ears off, and I feel bad about that, though we did have a great time. I had no idea of the time when we left! They were very gracious and I am sure they would have rather been cleaning up and relaxing, so we owe them an evening and I hope we get together again soon because I really enjoyed them.

And here we are in the new year, a new week, lots to do and I feel like I am behind on everything. I know it's ok and I will get caught up, even though I have little moments of panicky feelings, like I should really be doing more.. I don't think that will ever fully go away so I will continue to breathe through it. We have some new ideas and things going on at the cafe, and I am planning the Winter Party on the 22nd and off we go! I hope you enjoyed your holidays, whether or not you celebrate those particular ones, and that you are also looking forward to what's to come. The ebb and flow of life continues... as my dad is doing better with his health issues another important papa in my life seems to be declining away. It will always be so and the best we can do is focus on love and let the rest take care of itself...adapt to the change and other sayings: go with the flow, stop and smell the roses, go out on a limb, live like there's no tomorrow, etc, etc, etc.

What sort of recipe would you like to make? How about a Lemony Lentil dish. This stew is great one pot cooking, quick and easy, satisfying and healthy, with a brightness that makes you think of sunny days. GI made chicken stock on Sunday, so my recipe calls for that, and I will offer a conversion to keep it vegetarian in case you would rather.

2 TBS olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1-2 ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 C lentils, sorted and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth, or even water)
1 TBS fresh ginger, minced, or 1/2 tsp dried
grated peel from 1 lemon (no pith)
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Fresh parsley (or cilantro), chopped

Heat the oil in a large and deep sided saute pan or a 3 quart pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery and garlic, saute 4-5 minutes more, until it is all beginning to soften.

Add in the lentils and saute for about 2 minutes, then add the broth. Simmer, covered, until lentils are cooked through but not mushy, around 20-30 minutes.

Take off the heat, stir in the rest of the ingredients and let sit with the lid on but slightly askew, for 5 minutes or more. It will start to thicken and the flavors will melt together a bit more for serving.

You can always serve this as a side dish, but I think it's a perfect meal with a salad of bitter greens. Ciao!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

The rainy season is upon us. I know it seems like an understatement after the past few days, but that is only because it really didn't start until then. Every single day last week had at least an hour of sunshine and blue skies, which served as a lovely reprieve from the otherwise constant rain. The only exception was Saturday & Sunday, and boy oh boy was that an exception! We were really lucky last week in that we had at least one catering job almost every day and we love that. It is a bit unusual that we only have a couple of catering jobs in the next 2 weeks, but there is still time for it to fill in, and the special orders (where people order a cake, or 2 dozen Christmas cookies, etc) are filling up the board nicely. We really need this month to carry us through next, because so many folks hibernate in January, and it is always a little scary during that extra quiet month. We have given away 1000 prize envelopes (red envelopes) already! This is the earliest that we have ever run out, which is a great sign, and next year I believe I will have to increase the number of prizes that we give away. That's good for everyone!

Being that busy means that we did not get out much last week, though last night we were treated to a wonderful dinner with friends and we had a great time. We went to Bay Street Bistro in Port Orchard, which is the newest place in town, and it was fabulous. We were there for the Terre Madre Sunday Supper, which celebrated local foods as they do in Italy. Bay Street Bistro always has Sunday Supper, this one was extra special. The chef/owner is John Strasinger, partner of Matt Carter of Carter's Chocolates fame. In fact the bistro serves Carter's creations for dessert. Our menu last night was as follows:
The meal is generally served 'family style' and the starter platters included Roasted Garlic from Gary’s Gourmet Garlic in Bremerton, Oil-Cured Organic Eggplant from Alvarez Farms, and toasted baguettes to enjoy them on. Then we moved on to soup, a light consomme with Oregon mushrooms bobbing about, which was a wonderful palate cleanser after the sweet garlic. Next up was a fabulous Seafood Cannelloni with Oregon Bay Shrimp, Alaskan Scallops and Washington Sole. The flavors were so delicious and the sauce was as good as the filling. The main course was Line-caught Neah Bay Red Rockfish, pan-seared with ginger and garlic, served with the pan sauce. The fish was perfectly cooked, which is a real treat in this region of chronically over-cooked fish. The sauce set it apart with a tang of lemon and the ginger and garlic working subtly to add flavor without overpowering anything. The portions were perfect, nothing was too filling and yet it was a real meal and not little plates of foo-foo tastes. The last course was an Apple Torte from Carter’s Chocolates, served with Mt Townsend Trailhead cheese, which I adore. The torte was light and airy, tangy and sweet, and rounded beautifully by the slice of cheese.

Our friends poured wine with every course and the last one was Bainbridge Island's Siegerrebe and it was delicious with the dessert! There were 8 of us at our table and the conversations were fun and interesting, and we lingered over dinner for almost 3 hours, which really reminded me of Italy. We are so lucky to have such generous friends, especially as they introduce us to other interesting people. I can't wait to go back to Bay Street Bistro, which is now serving lunch as well as dinner Wednesday through Saturday, and Sunday Supper every week.

Today is a 'catch-up' day and I got an email from Saturday's catering customer that sure sets a nice tone for the week! She had a cocktail party for 70 so Erin and Vicki served for her, and she loved them at least as much as she loved our food, which makes me so proud! She has had many parties catered and she told me that our gals provided her the best service she has ever had; how awesome is that! We are always proud of our team and that is just one of the reasons why. I have been busy finalizing their Christmas gifts: for the second year we are exchanging gift cards with other businesses in the area, which allows us to give them better gifts than we could if we had to buy them outright. Some of them are general trades for things we hope they all can use or will enjoy, and some of them are staff-specific, and it is especially fun to set those up. Now I just have to go get their stockings to stuff and manage to wait until the 24th when they get them! Super Fun!

Story time with Mrs Claus is next Saturday and filling up fast. It is one of my favorite events because the kids love it so much. It is really special to witness their reverence for Mrs Claus-after all, she has a direct line to the Big Man! Plus all the little surprises we shower on them and the delight in their faces is just too good to miss. If your in the area on Saturday around 1:40, look up on our roof top and you just may see Santa's sleigh dropping her off!

It's time for me to put a couple chickens in the oven so we have something to eat this week. I will put up a recipe for you and I hope you are in the mood for soup. This is one of my favorite soups and last week I was craving it so I made it just for the 2 of us and figured out how to scale it down for you. I just cleaned out the pantry and crisper so I am going to give you the actual recipe, and along side I will show you what I changed, so you can see how easy it is.

Chickpea Quinoa Soup

olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1-2 celery stalks, diced
(I also added 1 large carrot, peeled and diced, plus some parsnip, but that is not how we do it at the cafe. I just needed to use them up)
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 quart broth (we use vegetable at work. I had turkey stock left over so I used that)
1 cup quinoa (which I changed in the original recipe from farro, so you could use that instead, or even brown rice or pasta)
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

heat the olive oil and saute the onion, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, marjoram and nutmeg until the veg are sweating, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile puree the chickpeas with the broth in a blender or food processor.

Pour in the chickpeas and remaining broth, bring to boil, add in quinoa, reduce to simmer.

Cook 20-30 minutes, until quinoa is opened (or whatever grain you used is cooked). The soup will be think and creamy and delicious!

Adjust the seasonings to your palate and top each serving with a swirl of premium olive oil.

YUM!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Last Wednesday was the 5th annual Cookbook Social that Tom Douglas puts on at his Palace Ballroom. Chef Douglas invites several local cookbook authors, who all bring books to sign & sell and samples of their food, and we get to go see the authors up close and personal, as well as try their samples and peruse and purchase their cookbooks. I love cookbooks! I have wanted to go since he started this holiday tradition and this is the first year that I have been able to go. I was going to play it by ear to see if I could go or if we would get some catering or special orders in that I would need to be at work for. Therefore I was going to go alone because it is just not cool to invite someone to go out and tell them that you may have to cancel at any time. Then I got an email from Cynthia (aka Farmer Rosie) at Rodstol Lane Farm asking if I wanted to go and suggesting we invite other girlfriends to go along as well. I was in! We ended up gathering 10 of us together and it was more fun than I even imagined! I carpooled 5 of us as far as the Tukwila light rail station and we took that the rest of the way. We met the others there and we all showed up! Of course it wasn't the type of event that we got to spend real quality time with each other, but it was really great to get out with them nonetheless.

I have known Christina & Shelly from Cosmo's Ristorante for close to 5 years now and we have tried to get together socially on several occasions, all to no avail. I Met Marty & Stacy from Agate Pass Cafe about 2 years ago and it's the same story: when any of us had a night off, we could not get our schedules to match up. We have worked together and visited each others' restaurants, and on that day the stars aligned to get us all together. Cynthia brought 2 friends, and we were joined by my friend Teri and my mom. Each $20 ticket got us a glass of wine and all the samples we wanted, as well as an entry into the raffle. The atmosphere was very festive and the place was packed from beginning to end. I am listing the cookbook authors who were there and if you are looking for a gift for me, any of these books will do. I don't remember every single sample and who it belonged to necessarily, but for those I remember I have listed them as well. Everything tasted so good!

Amy Pennington, Urban Pantry (This has been number one on my wish list since it came out)
Becky Selengut, Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook
Cynthia Nims, Gourmet Game Night (She had the most flavorful little bites! It was a tiny potato scooped out and filled with I don't know what, but it packed a powerful flavor.)
Edible Seattle, Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods
Keith Robbins, Tini Bigs Big Martinis (Yes, they had samples of martinis! It was awesome!)
Kim O’Donnell, The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook
Lara Feroni, Doughnuts
Lisa Dupar, Fried Chicken & Champagne (I love the title...She had little bites of perfect fried chicken and small glasses of champagne! I may have made more than one trip to this table...)
Lorna Yee, The Newlywed Kitchen (Lorna is one of my favorite food bloggers and while I did not have a copy of her book when I went in, with one taste of her triple chocolate fudge brownie had me wanting to marry her! I bought the book just for that recipe!)
Piper Davis, Grand Central Baking
Rachel Saunders, The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook
Shauna James Ahern, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef (They brought little Lucy, too! They had fantastic bread-gluten free of course- and a bean spread to go on it. YUM!)
Tom Douglas, Seattle Kitchen, Tom’s Big Dinners and I Love Crab Cakes (Our crab cake recipe is derived from several of his recipes in the crab cake book, but I have never owned the book. I do now!)

There were at least two others who are not listed here (and maybe more). I distinctly remember a cookbook called something along the lines of "Better Bacon" and I loved the look and heft of the book. It was novel-sized and looked old fashioned to me. The other one was a fish/seafood cookbook that I cannot remember for the life of me, which is sad because her bite was one of my top two picks.

My favorite bite of the evening? It is a tie! Tom Douglas' crab 'cake' was more like a crab salad with fresh crab and some fish roe and I think wasabi... and every person in there was mumbling 'oh my gawd' when they took a bite. The first thing I heard when we walked in and started assessing the room was 'you HAVE to get a crab cake, they are delicious!'. My other favorite bite was sort of a ravioli, or Asian dumpling, with the lightest of pastas surrounding salmon in a Thai green curry. It made me a little weak in the knees it was so good. I went back for seconds on both of those tables! Now mind you Lorna's brownies were my favorite sweet bite, so dense and fudge-like, not a cake crumb in sight! Luckily she is as sweet as her baking is and when I went over to say goodbye she pressed a foil-wrapped packet of brownies into my hand and said I should have Mark try them. Mark did get half of them, honest! But lets face it, I tend to choose savory over sweet 99% of the time, and not even chocolate can beat crab or salmon!

After about 2 hours of fun and gluttony (such small samples can sure fill you up!) we headed home, our arms heavy with cookbooks, our bellies full, and our heads a little buzzy with all the excitement of the evening. I sure hope we can pull it off again next year! And I hope I can get together again with all of those amazing ladies who accompanied me. Yay Cynthia!

Mark and I got to Seattle again on Saturday. It was yet another rsvp 'maybe' and since no one booked us for the evening we got to go to a house warming party that a couple of long-time friends threw themselves. They bought a gorgeous Craftsman style home in Columbia City, and there were a few other old friends who showed up and it was really fun to see them. We were heading out the door at the same time as my BFF Linda, her husband, and the lovely Sheree, and we all decided suddenly to get into one car and head to the International District for dinner. We haven't had great Chinese food in ages (unfortunately there is none that I know of on this peninsula) and once we had all of our dining criteria met we ducked into a little place and ate family style. It was really good and even more fun and since we can spend weeks trying to plan a get together than never happens, the serendipity of a spur-of-the-moment dinner out was not lost on any of us.

We are busy with catering all week (hallelujah!) and our Story Time with Mrs Claus is starting to fill up, but no one has booked us yet for their holiday parties and that is unusual. We shall see what happens... Meanwhile last night Shannon Harkness, the WSU Extension Canning Queen, held a class at the cafe about canning jams and jellies. I am very intimidated by canning (more-so now that I took her class!) as it seems very precise and full of rules. I am not great at precision or rules. Mark is really good at those things and I know he will be really good at when we tackle this project. I think I will have a guide for my first time and then I will feel better about it. I have always wanted to know how to can! I see other people's cupboards full of gorgeous preserves and the value so great! I could preserve the harvest and eating season while ultimately saving money on the things that we use the most, both at work and at home. I am going to be studying up on this. We pickle lots of things at the cafe, right now we have locally grown cabbage and beets pickling in the cooler and just today I did up some pink pickled onions (I stole that one from Shelly at Agate Pass a couple of years ago...they are SO good!) that will go on a smoked salmon platter for a party this Saturday. I also have some marinated mushrooms in there that are preserved in olive oil. Nikki, our farmer from Pheasant Fields Farm, brought over some end-of-the-season chilies that were starting to go over. Leslie pureed them all and I took about a pound out to make a Tabasco style hot sauce. I will let you know how that goes in a couple of weeks, I am letting it steep in the fridge. We are freezing the rest to use as we need them and we are going to try to make a chili jam with them. I love the combo of sweet/spicy!

We actually freeze lots of things, so much so that we have lost track of some of the things in the freezer. Canning would save freezer and cooler space, and we can preserve things in larger quantities. Learning how to do that is a wee bit scary to me.

So with all this canning and preserving in mind I have had some recipes dancing in my head. What would you like to try? It's holiday season, would you like to make something sweet? How about a 'dessert' focaccia? It could be used as an appetizer or dessert. It's easier than it sounds:

Dessert Foccacia

2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 -115 degrees)
1 /4 ounce (1 package) dry yeast
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon light oil
Topping:
4 ounces mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon mint
1 teaspoon olive oil

In the mixer bowl, dissolve the sugar in the water. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water mixture and let it stand for 10 minutes, until it foams. Combine 3 cups of the flour, salt and cinnamon. Add to the yeast mixture. Slowly turn on the machine and work the dough together. Turn it up to medium and mix for 5 minutes. If the dough is sticky, continue mixing and gradually add the remaining flour. Place this smooth ball of dough in an oiled bowl, cover and set aside to double in size, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; knead briefly. Pat or roll the dough into a sheet and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the dough with oil and sprinkle with salt. Lightly poke your fingers around on the dough, leaving visible finger marks that indent, but do not completely puncture the dough.

Mix the honey, mascarpone, and the mint together. Spread this mixture on the dough.

Bake focaccia in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until dough is crisp and toping is melted like glue all over it.

So good!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Here's a little tidbit you may not know about me: I LOVE LED ZEPPELIN! They are the #1 band in the history of music for me, and there is not one song that they have ever done that I do not like. That's unusual; I love most music and off the top of my head I can't immediately think of anyone else that is true for. I was born too late to be able to ever see them at a live concert, and so when I found out that Jason Bonham was bringing his 'Led Zeppelin Experience' to Seattle, I had to go. I found out late, only 2 weeks before the concert, so I was surprised to get great seats at a very reasonable price! I don't love huge concerts and I hate spending a ton of money on them, so I am always happy when I can hear great music for under 50 bucks. And this is the greatest!

I have owned their music on vinyl, cassette, cd and dvd. I have seen the old concerts, movies and pictures, and now I have heard the music live! It was at the WaMu theater at Quest Field and it was a good venue. The name is misleading, as there is not theater seating at the front, it is all on the floor, and that was bothersome to me, though in the end it was ok. I have this very real problem with Seattle concert go-ers of a certain age,(and let me tell you there was as much grey hair at this rock concert as there was at the last matinée I saw at Benaroya Hall!) they won't stand! We go to a soccer game and stand for 90 minutes straight, no problem. But go to a great rock show, like Trans-Siberian Orchestra or Jason Bonham, and they all want to sit! How can you sit with all that amazing music?? I have to move! I want to get up and dance it out! I have a difficult time not standing at a classical concert, never mind a rock show! So the crowd stood a couple of times at the beginning and I was hopeful, but there were people behind me so I sat when the crowd sat, albeit begrudgingly. Suddenly there were 3-4 guys yelling in the back "STAND UP SEATTLE! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!" and I cracked up! They ran through the aisles encouraging folks to stand and it worked! For a while anyway. I took that as my chance and switched seats with Mark so I could stand in the aisle and hopefully not get told to sit down. I didn't sit the rest of the concert, except during the 15 minute intermission. I worked up a great sweat and I loved it! So thanks to those drunk guys who wanted everyone to stand, I appreciate your enthusiasm!

I admit that I was a little apprehensive. I knew that Jason Bonham was a great drummer, but very few are as good as his dad was, and if John had lived longer I think he would be the greatest drummer of all time. And then there are John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, musical geniuses as well! A very small circle of musicians are in their realm. Would the singer sound like Robert Plant? How much different would it be? Could it be that good?

Oh. My. Gawd. They were amazing! The show was fantastic! It did take 4 of them plus the singer, to get all that sound out, they did a great job. They are not a 'tribute band', nor did they try to imitate. They celebrated the music by playing it right. The singer (James Dylan) did not try to imitate Plant, though certainly there are similarities in his voice range, he just sang the songs fantastically well. The main guitar player, Tony Catania is incredibly talented and he played the heck out of those guitars! He kept up with Page's licks and threw in a few of his own, and it worked. Michael Devin is the bassist and he, along with keyboard and guitarist Stephen LeBlanc, brought John Paul Jones to the room. And then there is Jason Bonham. He was only 13 when he lost his talented father, and it sounds like he had some work to do around that. He was emotional and generous in sharing his father with the crowd, through pictures and stories and home movies. He was playing a long drum solo and behind him they put up footage of John on the big screen. They played simultaneously and it was beyond cool. Those boys can ROCK!

They could have played all night and not played every song, and I don't know how they decided what to play, though they played beautifully. I am so glad we went and next time I am going to drag my brother in law Chris along no matter what because the only other thought that went through my head was 'I can't believe Chris is missing this'! We had dinner at their house before we went (Fondue! Who does fondue these days? Julie does, and she does a great job! It was super fun and tasty!) and I really regret not insisting he go with us... I don't know if I could have convinced him or not but I wish I would have tried harder.

So anyway, I know this is a very different blog than I usually write but I had to get all this out of my head. I am still fighting this horrid cough after more than 5 weeks and I am not sleeping well, so I lay there and think about stuff like this which makes it harder to fall asleep! It's time to rock it out. Tomorrow I am going to see the Picasso display at SAM, and then to Tom Douglas' Cook Book Social at the Palace Ballroom. I have wanted to go to this event every year since he started it and this is the first year I can go. I am going with mom and several gals from over here, and it will be FUN! Which is good, since we start holiday catering this Friday and it will be nonstop (THANK YOU!!!) until New Year's Eve if I can help it. (Please, no more weather! No one comes out in the weather and it hurts!)

Did you try the savory bread pudding for Thanksgiving? We had it and I loved it. What would you like this week? What do you do with leftovers? My favorite thing to do is to put a little bit of everything in a bowl: mashed potatoes, veggies, stuffing, turkey and whatever else there is and heat it all up, stir it up, put some cranberries on the top and eat it up! I made stock and will make turkey risotto tonight with some of it. The rest I froze for turkey stew later. You are probably sick of turkey! How about a cauliflower gratin. Tis the season!

2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 small onion
1 clove
1 small bay leaf
1 small sprig fresh thyme
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
3 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch florets (about 7 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 generous cup finely grated Gruyere cheese (about 3 ounces)
1 teaspoon Cognac or brandy
Pinch of cayenne
4 gratings of fresh nutmeg
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter a 1 1/2 quart gratin dish and set it aside.

In medium sauce pan, heat the milk with the onion, clove, bay leaf, and thyme to just below the boiling point. Set aside. In another medium pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat, and then sift in the flour. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon in a figure-8 motion, until it lightens in color, about 2 minutes.

Gradually whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, whisking to prevent lumps. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.

While the sauce simmers, bring a medium pot of water to a boil, season with salt, and add the cauliflower. Cook until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Arrange the cauliflower, florets-side up, in the buttered gratin dish.

Strain the sauce and season it with a teaspoon salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne to taste. Whisk in the cheese, 1 tablespoon of the butter, and the Cognac until smooth, taking care not to over mix. Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. In a medium bowl, mix the bread crumbs with the butter to coat evenly. Sprinkle the top of the cauliflower with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake until the top of the cauliflower gratin is golden brown and bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot.

YUM!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Gratitude and love are daily themes for us, both at the cafe and at home, and Thanksgiving is a time for us to concentrate our gratitude even more. We have so much to be thankful for all the time, though I am feeling it more abundantly this week. Our business is up from this same period last year, and even as costs and taxes have increased as well, I am constantly thrilled with the generous support of our family of customers. Our team is strong and we love every one of them, so thankful for all the hard work they do for us. We were voted 'Best Bakery in Central Kitsap' again, which is a clear message from our customers to us. Many businesses pander to the public asking for votes and setting out ballots for people to take, and we fill them out for our favorite places when that happens, though we do not follow that practice at the cafe. We never mention to anyone that the ballots are available, so when we win it is truly a choice of the people to vote for us. Silverdale Chamber of Commerce awarded us their 'Business of the Year', which is a huge honor. According to their own web site 'The nominees for this award are businesses which have through financial and in-kind resources made a significant impact on the Silverdale Community's economic and social well being.' When they told me we were nominated I was awestruck! We live our values even at work, and with our team we just 'do things', we had no idea anyone was paying that much attention. Seriously, every time I think about it I am astounded all over again and we are humbled by the attention. We love what we do and are so passionate to share it with everyone, and we are so very thankful that our community loves what we do as well. And there is so much more... so many little interactions every day that I am grateful for.

I love my little home in Olalla and our wooded lot, and I am exceedingly thankful for my warm bed every time I get into it, or have to get out of it. I am looking out the window at a Winter wonderland right now, the wind is picking up and making the snow fall from the fir trees, and it looks like a blizzard in the front yard...a very pretty blizzard. The snow makes a wintry glow in the house and there is a hush outside from the layer of insulation the snow gives us. I am so thankful for the beauty that surrounds us and this place that we live. Even though today's snow means that we have to close up early-it's actually costing us money to be open since no customers are coming in- I still love the beauty of it; I can be anxious about it later.

I am thankful for all of our family and the fact that we have close access to close family, even if we don't take advantage of it as often as we would like to. Our nephew, Travis, is the smartest, most talented, best looking kid ever, and am ultra grateful to his parents for raising him so well, and staying close so that we can be a part of his life. We lost our sister-in-law this year, and I am thankful that she is not suffering any longer, even as I wish she could have found peace in this life. The rest of our family members are generally healthy and I know how lucky we are to have that; my dad had a very bad case of cancer this year and he had to have surgery to remove it. He was never really sick until recovering from the surgery, and the dr thinks they got it all, so dad won't have to have radiation for now. I am beyond thankful for all of that and how well he seems to be recovering... this will be an emotional Thanksgiving dinner because I know we are all feeling really grateful for dad's presence, and it will be the first Thanksgiving in a few years that we have all been together.

I am the most thankful for the abundance of love in my life. It is everywhere and even in my most anxious moments the thought of it soothes me and brings me back to my center. You are all a part of that love and so I am very thankful to have you in my life. No matter how casually we may know one another you have affected me, and I thank you. I wish you a Happy, warm, safe Thanksgiving and I hope that it includes a wonderful meal with people you love.

I am going to share with you my 'Savory Bread Pudding' recipe and I recommend this if you, like me, are not a huge fan of stuffing, or dressing, but you do like the general flavor profiles in those dishes. This dish is vegetarian and comforting and super delicious, and it is worth the extra steps that I put in to make it extra flavorful. Put this together the day before, stick it in the fridge and then you can just cook it the day you want to eat it...in that way it is very low maintenance!

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH MUSHROOMS & PARMESAN CHEESE
some butter for the pan
1 (1-pound) loaf crusty country-style white bread, crusts cut off, cut 1 inch cubes (about 5 cups loosely packed)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 TBS chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 TBS chopped fresh sage
1 large garlic clove, minced

6 tablespoons butter
1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/3-1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (to taste)

3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
8 large eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3-1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)

Butter a 10 inch baking dish. Place bread cubes in large bowl. Add oil, thyme, and garlic; toss to coat. Spread cubes out on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and slightly crunchy, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Return toasted bread cubes to same very large bowl.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, celery, and bell pepper. sauté until soft and juices have evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add sautéed vegetables and parsley to bread cubes.

Whisk heavy cream, eggs, salt, and ground pepper in large bowl. Pour over bread and vegetables, pressing it all in to make sure it is completely covered and soaking it in. Transfer stuffing to the buttered dish. Sprinkle cheese over. Cover and refrigerate.

Bake at 350, uncovered, until set and top is golden, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. MMMM it's so delish! If it does start to get too brown on top and it has a way to go before it is set, lay some foil over the top of it, make sure it covers the top of the pudding, but don't seal it up on the sides... it will stop the browning and allow it to keep cooking without steaming.

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Aaahhh... it is so nice to sleep in my own bed and snuggle up with my kitties. It is pouring down rain and so it feels great to just stay inside and drink hot tea while I work. Our last day and half was really lovely in Ostia, a beach resort community about 10 minutes south of the Rome airport. Mark chose it so that we could be really close to the airport, since we had to be there by 4:45 am, and also because there was nothing there that we had to do. We could just relax and enjoy the sea from our hotel balcony, and we also had the option to get into Rome easily if there was anything left that we just had to see before we left. Thank Goodness there was not! After 3 trains and a taxi we got to our hotel, which faced the street and also the Mediterranean Sea. It is a very old hotel, though it did the trick, and luckily there was a huge shared balcony that we had access to so we could sit out and read, drink wine, enjoy the view, visit or not, as we wished. It was an extremely touristy spot (mostly Italian tourists) and there was nothing that I cared to see while we were there. We enjoyed a nice dinner the first night and a not so great dinner on our last night (mostly it was the lack of ambiance and horrible service, though the food was not great either) and mostly just relaxed. It was sunny and there were 2 great sunsets to see, lots of fishing boats to watch, and I even went down and walked barefoot in the sand. It was nice to sleep in (and we all did) and when that 3:45 am alarm rang on the last morning it was not the worst thing in the world.

The line was very long at the airport, though we got on the plane (poor Sandy was not feeling well at all, and luckily she got better over the first couple of hours, or it could have been the worst trip ever for her!) The plane rides were long, and unfortunately Don's luggage did not make it back with us. We got through passport control, customs, Mark's brother picked us up and took us to our cars and we bid our farewells. When we got home my parents were here with some wonderful soup and a wrap from the bakery and it was really nice to spend some time with them. Mom was nice enough to bring a few groceries and pull a chicken out of the freezer for me, so we did not have to go to the store right away. Mark and I managed to stay up until 7 pm (the 24 hour mark) and then we sleeeeeeppppttttt. I started work right away the next day, trying to organize a ton of paperwork that Sharon brought by, emails, prioritizing what to work on next, etc...

It was two days ago that I began that entry. The one souvenir that I brought myself home has slowed me down: bronchitis and tonsillitis (I have never had either). I was pretty sick during the tour, though I suppressed it as much as possible, and it has caught up with me. I went to the DR on Monday and she confirmed it is viral and I am no longer contagious, though it is kicking my butt quite nicely. We have lots of catering at the end of this week and I need to be able to perform so I decided to go back to bed yesterday morning (Tuesday) around 11 am. I had been up working since 4:30 and I felt like the rest could wait...again. I just got up about an hour ago at 7! I slept off and on, and I did get up to check emails and make a few calls to get orders in for the week, but mostly I rested and drank water. I feel better today, and it would make me crazy to stay in bed another day anyway, but I can feel that I need to take it easy. So I will... until tomorrow when I have to hit the prep work hard. I will go in for a couple of hours only today and run the errands to get the things I need for myriad dishes I am making, and get back here to rest early. Good times.

So a few final thoughts on Italy. So many random things go through my head so here they are in no particular order: Mark's parents, Sandy and Don, were a delight to travel with. We all got along beautifully, they were easy going when we got lost (which happened a lot, but really not that much considering how often we had no idea what we were doing), wanted to try everything and they totally submerged themselves into the trip. It was so much fun to be with them and we are very lucky to have built those memories that we can cherish the rest of our lives. Sandy now has an Italian accent now and Don has even talked about 'the next time we go', and both of those things, along with other clues, tell me they had a great time, too. I suppose that is my only fear on these trips, that anyone in our group would not have a wonderful time, and after this trip I can confidently say that if they don't, it is by their own choice.

I love Tuscany the best still, though Piedmont was amazing and I want to explore the rest of Italy even more than I did before, because of it. We will go a couple of weeks earlier next year, it is just better for daylight and weather and general purposes. We are changing quite a few things next year, from one of our residences, eliminating the olive mill tour, adding in a proper olive oil tasting some how, and Doumina is going to work hard to find us some more intimate and homey venues in Piedmont. I was nervous about stopping at Podere Ciona to see the Mamas, because I knew it was a longer drive, and when we actually went I discovered it was longer than I had anticipated. And yet it is so worth it and everyone loves it so much that we must keep it in, we just have to approach it a bit differently.

One of the things I have learned is that not everything will be the same year to year, and that is ok. There are so many great experiences to enjoy and it would be silly to get in a rut and cut ourselves off from any of them! Which is true for every day life and we live here by that credo, so of course it makes sense for our travels as well. We will remember that for our day trips around here as well, and keep looking for new great experiences to share with you. In the cafe, too, we are always looking for fun new things to try and you have enjoyed that about us, and we will continue doing those things and finding those fun surprises.

It is good to be home and I can't wait to feel better so I can really enjoy being back at the cafe as well! A couple of days and I am sure I will be back 100%! Thank you for sharing our travels with us, I hope that you enjoyed it as well. We can't take everyone so we will find some things around here to do with you and of course our Italy Party is this Saturday, the 6th. We will make some of the foods we have learned in Italy and offer samples, plus we will have you taste some of the wines from Italy and show you the pictures that Mark took. A few of our fellow travelers will be joining us and you can talk to them as well. So come on down and have some fun on a rainy Saturday, we can't wait to see you!

Ciao for now!

Link: http://www.waterfrotbakery.com

It is 11 in the morning and we are on the train from Cortona to Rome. The tour is over and we are soothing our sorrows of leaving in a first class compartment where I can even plug in my computer! The Tuscan countryside is whizzing by us (actually it is probably the Umbrian countryside by now), the sun is out and the skies are blue again, not a cloud around. The wind has stopped and some how the olives stayed on the trees! I am sad to be leaving and yet I am so excited to get back to the cafe! I am restless with the need to see my girls and all of you.

Yesterday was the last official day of the tour and we started it by going in to Cortona to our favorite restaurant La Bucaccia for a cheese making lesson. Romano, Agostina, and their 13 year old daughter Francesca are very proud of their beautiful restaurant. Ago is an award winning chef (she was even on the Italian 'Iron Chef'!) and Francesca was the youngest certified sommelier in the world when she finished her courses last year. Romano is a great character and they run this restaurant together, making everything in-house (the pasta is the best I have ever had)and treating each guest as the most special of the day. We all gathered in the stone-walled dining room and Romano showed us how to make fresh cheese with sheep's milk. I have learned from him 3 times now and every time he does some different things, so I keep learning more and it is more interesting every time. He only uses natural ingredients, and this time the coagulator (he NEVER uses gelatine or animal rennet) was a solution he made by boiling artichoke flowers. Last time he used lemon and I have experimented with what he taught me and have not been as successful with my cheese. It tastes fantastic but my yields are low. I learned that I am working it too quickly and he recommends I use vinegar next time, rather than lemon, and so I will play with it again when I get home.

In about 2 hours we saw him make over 6 kinds of cheese, and for lunch we tasted several of them. We also had Ago's homemade pasta with an aged pecorino and that dish was so delicious the room got quiet as we ate. Romano also kept our glasses filled with wine (I kept pulling mine away when he came to refill; it was barely noon!) and he brought out the Vin Santo to end the meal, along with espresso of course. I got to help out a little with the process and as our class and lunch went on their lunch service started and people were seated around us. It made me miss extremely homesick for the cafe and all I wanted to do was help them with lunch service! I was really wishing I could call the girls then, so I just sent them my love and I hope they felt it!

We were all ready for a nap, but Giovanni came in to join us for dessert and he was to be our guide for a tour of the city of Cortona. Giovanni is an amazing source of information, if there was some way to download his brain I would do it! I just love his casual style and he zips around from site to site explaining the architecture, the history, the culture, the art, and every nuance of every building that we can see. He is proud that his family has lived in the region for 600 years and always reminds us that we, too, are very European originally, and have as much right to the history as he does. He encourages us to touch the walls and the doors where the Etruscans and Romans and Renaissance artists alike were all there before is. It thrills me to no end to hear him talk about Signorelli, Bernini, and the other artists who came from here and show us the secrets of the beautiful old churches. We walked all over the city and then drove to the very top to the Cathedral of Santa Margherita, the patron saint of Cortona. It is so beautiful in there, and with a working monastery and convent there are friars, monks and nuns all around. It is a bit surreal. We visited 'Le Celle', the monastery where Saint Francis lived and studied, including the cell where he slept.

Fabio brought everyone back to Parco Fiorito to begin the packing up process and to get ready for our farewell dinner. At 8 we gathered in the dining room to meet our winemaker for the evening, Maurizio Marchetti. He and his sister drove 2 hours from the Marche region (pronounced 'Mar-Kay') which is East and North of Tuscany, on the Adriatic Sea. They make the Verdicchio in the pretty bottle that we have had as our house white wine in the past. They also make a couple of wonderful reds and tasted them all, including the brand new verdicchio that he took from the tank and is not yet filtered or finished. It was really fun to experience that rough wine and then have the finished product-what a wonderful transformation. Dinner started with a 'Cornetone', a rustic bread stuffed with cheese and pancetta, and rolled up to look like a giant croissant. It is 'peasant food', a way for people to use leftover odds and ends, though the flavors that Roberto stuffed inside were heavenly. The 'pasta' course was Farro con Fave--- farro cooked to a thick stew consistency with fresh fava beans, and topped with the olive oil made on the farm: SO DELICIOUS! The meat course was 'Polpetti', the most tender meatballs ever made, in a small amount of tomato sauce. The meatballs are with pork and veal, and they are called 'meatballs of the mother in law'. The legend is that when the son brought home his new bride, his mother would put out this dish of meatballs. If the new daughter in law ate the meatballs willingly, she was acknowledging the dominance of her husband's mother in the household. My mother in law did not make me these meatballs, but they are so delicious I would have eaten them gladly!

Dessert was little carrot cakes (not nearly as delicious as Mark's, I must admit) with a bit of vanilla gelato that was my favorite part of the dish. We were stuffed again and after some end of the tour conversation we all said goodnight. I didn't get a post in because I was so tired and we needed to get to bed so we could get up and pack. This morning we said our goodbyes and bid our farewells and Fabio took us all to the train station in Terontola for our separate departures. There are six of us going to Rome, Shirley and Wayne will accompany us that far and then the 4 of us will continue on to Ostia, a little seaside town just outside of Rome. The others headed to Florence, Dolores among them, and she will be heading for home tomorrow morning. We will have this evening and all day tomorrow to relax, which is perfect. Mark says he may go see some sites, though I intend to sit on our balcony and just read. We all look forward to early and lighter meals!

Hosting all the others is always hard work and it will be nice to have a day to ourselves. Like I said before, I am really ready to be home, but I hate to leave. I love this place so much and we are forging new relationships with each visit. It feels like coming home when we are here and who knows, maybe someday we will have a home here! It's a good dream to have no matter what it turns out to look like in the end. We will get home and be disoriented for a few days and get right into it with a couple of big caters next week and then the Italy party next Saturday the 6th. We hope you can make it, we will feature some of the dishes we learned to make so you can sample some of the delicious foods we have been eating, and taste some of the wines that we have enjoyed. It will be fun and we can show you pictures of the trip and tell some stories, too. We are hoping some of our travel companions will be there, so you can hear some stories from them as well. It will be from 11-2, open house style, and the samples will be flowing right off the bat. We would love to see you there!

~Ciao for now!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

This morning started out windy and chilly, though still warmer than it had been up north, partly cloudy and yet gorgeous blue skies and sun kept with us throughout the day. We drove about an hour away to the idyllic hill town of Pienza, which is has stunning views of the Tuscan countryside and wonderful medieval streets to stroll through. First we went to the store called Cornucopia, where we tasted about 10 kinds of balsamic vinegar, each more heavenly than the one before. This is the store where I bought my first great vinegars 4 years ago, after finally tasting this magical elixir that I had only heard about before. Haven't you heard people talk about balsamic vinegar 'so good you can eat it on ice cream', or strawberries, or other foods that you cannot imagine having with vinegar? I had heard that for a long time, and I had tasted some decent vinegars and yet still had no idea how they came to that conclusion. Now I know. Until you have tried this yourself, it cannot be clearly explained. It is syrupy and sweet, but not like candy. It is a savory sweet. It is pure deliciousness! Lucy is the woman who taught us about the vinegars, how they are made, where they are from, and so on, and then she had us taste some other specialties of the region. Fabulous cheeses from sheep's milk (pecorino), both fresh and aged, as well as a marmalade made from figs, and one from onions. The onion marmalade is made in a certain area, in a certain way, for so long that it is on Slow Food's 'Ark of Taste'. What that means is that the grower or producer does work that reflects the values of Slow Food, and the food or product or technique is (or has been) in danger of extintion. By promoting these foods (like our very own Ozette potatoes), we ensure they remain in production and on our plates. This makes the marmalade even more special and when we tasted it with the cheese it was perfect!

We took some time to enjoy the village before departing for Perazetta winery, where a wonderful family lunch and wine tasting awaited us. Another hour or so away, through very windy roads, we arrived sleepy and hungry and ready to stretch our legs. Rita greeted us first and walked us in to the cellar where her lovely daughter Sara took over and showed us around. We saw the cellars and learned about their history from the 15th century, and how the Bocci family took them over and has been successfully making wine since Sara's grandfather bought the place. Lunch was in the cellar, with Alessandro, Rita and Sara all at the table with us, starting with a plate of delicious pasta made from the last of the fresh tomatoes in the garden. Then plate after plate was passed around the table, including prosciutto, soprasetta, porchetta, pecorino cheese, parmeggiano cheese, bread, bruschettas and toppings, and their 2-day old olive oil that was as green as the olives that were pressed to make it! So fresh and delicious, and we passed the bottles of wine around and we all enjoyed another fabulous family meal. Sara and I had been emailing and plotting for Mark's birthday and she had told me not to worry, she would take care of everything. After a break from the food we asked everyone to sit down at the table again, they shut out the lights and she brought out a beautiful cake with a candle in and we all sang Happy Birthday. The cake had the words 'Buon Cumpleano' spelled out on it and she had done it by adding flour to stiffen the cake batter! It looked like cookies had been baked on top into letters... it was so neat! I got some pictures that we will post and you can see how special she made it for him.

Finally after long farewells and promises to see each other soon (Alessandro and Rita are hoping to come visit again in January, so watch for that announcement!) we tore ourselves away for the 2 hour drive back. A few of us snoozed on the road and then at sunset we arrived at the farm of Giovanni Pucci and his family. Signore Pucci is a farmer who raises the beef cattle of Tuscany, the white Chianina cows. He is a breeding farmer and is highly awarded in his field for his successes. They are humble farmers who invite us to their home to see what they do for a living, all because of the relationship that Doumina has cultivated with them. We need an interpreter for this one because they do not speak any English, as they have no interactions with outsiders normally. It is difficult to see how these cows, much cherished for the tenderness of their meat, are held in the barn (sunlight and exercise make the meat tough) for their lives, and yet the farmer and his wife have so much respect for these cows as the only way they know to make a living. I still think it is important to know where our food comes from, and if I have difficulty with the practices yet I make the choice to acknowledge it and still eat the food that is produced, I am doing this in an educated manner. I am not blindly eating mass produced food and I am proud of that. I choose to eat differently, and to feed you well with this knowledge and love, and it all seems to work out the best for me when I do this. Everyone gets to make her own choice and that is what life is all about!

So anyway, enough of my soap box, it was again an honor to be shown around this private family farm and I don't know how long we will be able to do this. The Puccis are aging and no one in their family wants to take over the business, so it may not be around for many more years. Or if it is, whoever takes it over may not welcome us as warmly as they have. We have been so lucky to have time with them and I count my blessings for any more visits that we may have. We got back to Parco Fiorito with about a half an hour to freshen up for dinner. None of us were particularly famished, but it is Mark's birthday and he wanted pizza, so we arranged for a group dinner at Canta Napoli, a great local restaurant owned by some people from Naples, and they do only Napolitano food. They have the freshest seafood around, and the prices can't be beat. Mark decided we would share an artichoke/tomato/mozzarella pizza and spaghetti with clams (it IS his birthday!), we shared a bottle of wine, and desserts, for 32 euro! Total! And it was FABULOUS! We didn't eat it all and we were stuffed to the gills, but we had lots of fun. Our friend Corrine, who works at Parco Fiorito (and visited us at the cafe last February)joined us, and so did Doumina, so there were 11 of us together. It was light and relaxed and everyone was talking and laughing and we had a great night.

One of the fellows on the tour has a unique instrument that is a cross between a banjo and a ukulele. I think it is called something like a 'Banjute', but I keep messing it up and calling it a 'banjulele', which seems to fit just fine. Roger brought it along tonight and he played old songs while we all sang along (Henry the 8th, Goodnight Irene, Down in the Valley, and so on...) and he played some silly songs that we didn't know, and just entertained the heck out of us. He has brought it along a couple of times now and he is a kick and half! His daughter has grown up with this and knows all the words to all the songs and together they are the loveliest pair! We have thoroughly enjoyed them and I hope they come out to the cafe for one of our parties so you can be charmed by them a we all have been.

Again my connection is not good enough to call tonight (it is as windy as Kansas tonight!) so I will bid you all farewell and will post again tomorrow. Have a lovely Tuesday, I know we did!

Ciao for now!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Let me see now... I left off and it was going to be Sunday Morning. That was a travel day and we left early, 8 am, and we had a long ride on the bus to Chianti. We stopped only once on the whole 5 hour trip, and a few folks were cranky when we arrived. Soon though, the charm of the Podere Ciona estate won everyone over. It is a beautiful property with views of their vineyards and olive trees, and all the way to Siena. First we had a quick tour through the winery (ok actually first we all used the bathroom, then the tour...) and the smell of cooking food brought us all sniffing to the kitchen. There are 5 Tuscan Mama's who run the kitchen, and 2 of them are in the states teaching classes right now, so we were with LeLe and Elissa for lunch. Franco poured everyone some of their fabulous wines and the mamas put some antipasti on the table, family style. Bruschetta (fresh tomatoes in olive oil) on toast, and white bean puree on toast with rosemary. Then a bowl of pasta with broccoli for everyone-so fresh and delicious! The secondi, or main course, was a simple roasted chicken with olive oil and rosemary, and lemons stuffed inside, served with caramelized fennel. For dessert a lovely and light tiramisu, made with marsala instead of kahlua, and everyone was so happy. We ate at the kitchen tables, pushed together to fit all 16 of us, and it felt like we were in someone's home, having a nice family meal. Everyone was relaxed and full and many of us slept the last hour and a half of the drive before arriving at our new home for the next few days.

We got to Parco Fiorito, a beautiful 15th century convent, just outside of Cortona. It was close to 7 when we were getting settled in and enjoying a welcome glass of wine with our host, and it had been a long day of travel so we were all tired. Several folks went into town for dinner, though Mark, Don, Sandy and I decided to stay in and retire a bit early. I have to admit to you that I have been very sick with the worst cold of my life, and I was the worst yesterday with a fever and my second box of tissue in 2 days. I was fairly miserable and slept a lot of the drive, and lunch was so good and made with love that it helped me feel better. Since we are hosting this trip and visiting old friends and new, I am pushing through the disease for the sake of the others, and resting when I can. I was happy to go to bed early. It is so hard to breathe, I have never had a cold go into my bronchials like this, and it feels like I am breathing through mud. I am out of breath just walking across the apartment, which is not large by any standards.

Enough whining! Today I felt better, though still coughing and freakishly out of breath. I got some cough syrup of some sort from the pharmacy and I think it is helping. We went into the city of Cortona and enjoyed the best chicken liver pate (not something I eat anywhere else, this is the really good stuff!) at Il Pozzo. Il Pozzo means 'the well' and it is this wonderful shop with hand made paper and stationary, hand blown glass pens with ink wells, hand drawn maps beautifully framed, and art from all ages. It is called 'The Well' because when Ivan, the handsome owner, was digging out the floor of his shop, he discovered a well. Upon further investigation and research he learned that this well had been the center of town during the 11th century, and everyone drew their water from it each day. He unearthed this well, put some lights down in it and now it is home to beautiful koi fish that seem to glow with preternatural color. He put a big piece of glass over it and we can watch the fish swim while learning about the history of this ancient city.

Ivan is charming and gracious and we all left his store knowing we had a new favorite haunt, and that we learned the story of Cortona while making a new friend. It was time for exploring and shopping and walking the town, and we were lucky because the rain stopped and the sun came out, just in time. Everyone spread out enjoying the village in her/his own way, and then came back together after a few hours to go the olive pressing plant. This is not a tourist attraction, it is a working business and we are lucky to be able to visit and see how fresh olive oil is made in this community. I was sad to know that Signor Landi passed away last summer, and he was the last one to press the oil in the old way, with stone and mostly by hand. His sons have taken over and brought in new machinery that is not nearly as interesting to see. It is more efficient and saves them time and money, and yet the spirit is not quite the same. Tasting fresh olive oil is fantastic no matter what and I am honored to have been able to see both the old ways and the new.

On the way home we stopped at a little 'alimentari, or grocery store, and Dolores says it is her favorite stop so far! The grocery stores here are like Whole Foods stores, with fantastic fresh breads, local produce, a deli section that will blow your socks off, and lots of other little necessities, all locally produced. It really is fun to go in there and shop a little!

For dinner tonight we ate at our agriturismo, Parco Fiorito, and our host Roberto grilled steaks on the fire for us. The cows in this region are called Chianina, and they are very large white cows that render exceedingly tender and flavorful meat. We will visit a breeding farm for these cows tomorrow and see where they live with the farmer, Signore Pucci. He was an entire room full of awards for his breeding cows and he is so humble and sweet when we visit him! His farm is a simple affair and again, regular tourists cannot go there, we are just lucky because of Doumina's contacts and all the hard work she has put in.

I will say goodnight to you for now! If you go in to the cafe for lunch please tell our girls we love them and miss them! Our internet connection has not been strong enough to call them until tonight and now it is too late, as everyone is in bed and I would wake them all up. I will try tomorrow for sure!

Ciao for now!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

It is now Monday and I apologize for leaving you hanging for so long. Even here in Cortona it is difficult to get a good signal and timing has been very difficult with the long days. I will catch you up as best I can in the next 45 minutes and post, then try to do it again tonight or tomorrow morning.

On Friday the 22nd we were in Neive still, in Piedmont, and the weather was still really nice. Today was hazy and chilly, but still a really lovely fall day. We piled into Fabio's wonderful bus and went out the vineyards of Eugenio Bocchino. You may remember his wine label, it had a picture of his wiener dog 'Tom' on the label (not a photo, a red Dachshund,)who has since passed away. Tom's son Romeo was there to greet us though and Eugenio's wife Cinzia gave us a tour of their winery. They invited us into their home dining room to taste their delicious wines and to tell us about how they make them. This man is very particular and has been making wine, or learning, since he was about 7 years old and he is now 42. He was a bit shy, or perhaps a better word is humble, and you could tell he was not as comfortable talking about himself as some of our other friends are here. After the tasting we headed up to the town of Barolo (yes, it is where the wine comes from) and I was surprised by this little hill town.

It is a small village and there were many tourists there, which is the part that surprised me. In spite of that it was very charming and several of our group went into the corkscrew museum. A few of us just walked around and enjoyed the views of the vineyards, and then had a nice light lunch at a cafe. I discovered a wine called Favarito, that is typical to this region, and it is a nice white wine to enjoy with a light lunch. Fabio took us over to La Ghersa, which the rest of the group had not yet seen, and we enjoyed another tour and tasting of their great family wines. We also saw how they barreled up the 'must', the left over skins, seeds, etc, and get it ready for distilling grappa. We didn't know it yet but this was a great segue to the grappa distillery that we visited the next day.

When we were getting ready to leave Anna brought her cat down to visit us. She has a Maine Coon, and he weighs 35 lbs! I can't wait to show you the pictures of this cat! He is the size of a toddler and has the sweetest face! Later we had another big dinner at a lovely little restaurant and the best part was the wonderful antipasti platter. The 'plate' was a 12x12 granite tile, and there were 9 little tastes of different things on it. An omelet, veal with tuna sauce (I know it doesn't sound great but IT IS! It was my favorite taste on the plate!), carne crudo, a little sausage on polenta, and so much more. I was thrilled with the little taste of polenta since this is the region where it is grown and made, and yet we had not had the opportunity to taste any yet.

On Saturday we got up and headed to the city of Alba, and their Saturday market. First we walked through their gorgeous cathedral, done in the neo gothic style, and then we went to the market. This is a huge market that runs from the main square and up and down several streets around it. Much like the market in Asti, though I did not find any food vendors like we did in Asti. There were many wine makers, honey, bread, sausage, cheese and more, but not like in Asti. We had heard that the truffle festival was going on in one of the areas of town and so we hunted it down. We left Mark's mom sitting on a bench with all our bags and went in for what we thought would be a few minutes. They gave us a commemorative wine glass and we got 2 tastes of the festival wine, plus several wine makers offered tastes as well. There were truffles everywhere, both the black and the very valuable white, all displayed like diamonds in cases with black velvet and silver trays. It was beautiful in there and smelled like heaven! There were other vendors selling pastas, jams, cheese, bread, sausages and anything else they could think of to make with truffles, or to compliment truffles. There was food for sale and featured dish was 2 eggs over easy (they were PERFECTLY cooked), with a pile of white truffles grated over the top. OH. MY. I cannot describe it well-it was sublime. They also sold pastas and other dishes with truffles, but I believe the best way to have them is with eggs, so we did. Fresh, gently flavored and oh so riche!

I have to run now, I will post more soon and get you more caught up. We are off to the city of Cortona! Ciao for now!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

On Wednesday we got out to the open air market that comes to Asti on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We had been told that it was in both the Campo dei Palio, which is a huge open area used for general parking. It is at least as big as the Costco parking lot, so you can imagine how huge a market is to take up even half of that, which it did. PLUS it spreads down a street and into the main piazza, which is larger than the Waterfront Park parking lot. The venders open at 0730 so I cannot believe what time they must have to get up to get it started. There are hundreds of vendors, selling everything you could possibly need, from paper towels, cleaning supplies and other household items, to shoes, underwear and every item of clothing possible. There are cooking supplies like pots, pans and utensils, table linens, yarns, fabric for sewing and quilting, and every single thing you could purchase in a hardware store is available at the market. There were farm implements for sale, including tractors and combines, hand bags and wallets, and everything you could find at a dollar store. Then there was the food. First there were the meat and cheese vendors: every kind of cheese made in Italy, not just Piemonte, was available. Raw meats, including every part of the chicken, cow, sheep, and pig. We saw brains, trotters and snouts amid the steaks, chops and roasts. They also had rotisseries and were roasting chicken and pork for sale right in the same 'truck' as the raw meat. Cured meats like prosciutto and salami, cooked dishes like lasagne and roasted potatoes, crackers, pastas (fresh and dried), breads, cakes, cookies and other bakery items, and on and on and on. There were produce vendors selling all manner of local produce and some imported fruits as well. Chestnuts, hazelnuts, and peanuts, fresh beans, dried beans, fresh flowers and dried flowers, everything you could need for gardening from the soil and plants to the pots, rakes and gloves.

This market was astounding at every turn. We walked through the entire thing and it took a very long time, so we got some lunch to go and headed back to the hotel so we could check out. We packed up and went to the lobby to eat our lunch and wait for Doumina and Fabio to pick us up around 2. We had a wonderful lunch of roasted chicken and a few other things we got at the market, enjoyed a lovely conversation, and then Doumina called to say they were running late. They arrived closer to 3:30 pm and we were off to check in with some wine makers. We were contacting a new one, La Ghersa, and we met Massimo and Anna, both very generous with their time. We also met Dave, who owns the wine store in Moscow, Idaho, and the woman who would be our guide on Friday, Corrine. After a very nice tour and tasting of some of their wines, we headed out to Poderi Elia, to connect with Federico Stella and his father Georgio. Those of you who came to meet our Italian winemakers last June may remember them as the very tall men who make fantastic wines. We spent some nice time touring their facility and visiting with them, and Georgio's father Felice joined us for awhile as well. We got to our hotel apartment in Neive and went straight to bed, our heads whirling with the generosity of friends, new and old.

Breakfast comes with the room here so we walked up to the hotel for breakfast. We had not explored our digs the night before, other than to find our beds, so today is when we learned about where we are staying. The Hotel Castelborgo has an apartment a few blocks away. The literature for the town reads: “This is the most elegant Baroque palazzo in the town, set in a striking position at the entrance to the San Rocco gate. There is a fine doorway, an elegant cornice and a number of lovely rooms in pure Rococo style. The building was erected in the second half of the 18th century, designed by the local architect Giovanni Antonio Borgese.” The interior has stunning architectural details and the bathroom is very large, with a huge shower, which is really nice since our other showers thus far have been exceedingly small and annoying. The layout is a bit odd, where there is a very large master suite with a king bed, and then behind that (you must go through the main bedroom to get to it) is a small room with 2 twin beds. It would be 'the kids' room', and since we are the kids, we are sleeping there. In Asti Mark's parents were in 'the kids' room' so it's only fair... it is just awkward to have to walk through their bedroom to get out to the main area or the bathroom, but we will survive.
So we enjoyed a nice breakfast spread and waited for the rest of the group to arrive. Fabio picked them all up at the Alba train station and they arrived in time for to head out for the first winery of the day. Most of us walked and since it is just over a mile away, first down steep hills and then up a steep hill, a few folks chose to ride in Fabio's little bus that is taking us all around. Tre Donne is situated on a gorgeous piece of land, towards the top of a hill, with wonderful views. We only saw a small part of it on our tour, but I know it is very big from the stories. Do you remember the story of Tre Donne? (Three Women is what that means.) Their father came from a long line of wine makers with a wonderful history of great wine, and when the 3rd daughter was born and he realized he would not have any sons, he cried. He knew women could not make good wine and he had no one to pass his life on to, and it made him very sad. Of course the girls grew up watching and helping him make wine, learning along the way, and but he was still hanging on to the hope that they would marry winemakers. When it came time for him to start considering retirement he decided to sell the vines, and the girls begged him to let them try. Papa was stubborn and only said that women cannot make wine, and they disappointed him first by being all girls, and second by not marrying winemakers. They told him they could do it and they kept working on him, until finally they made a deal. “Give us one year to make great wine. If you are not proud of us in that year, you can sell it all.” He agreed, and in that one year those three women won more awards than he had in his entire career. They made great wine! He is extremely proud of them and they have carried on the tradition in two ways: they continue to make award winning wines, and they have only had daughters themselves! A couple of them have married winemakers, who continue their own wine traditions as well as work on the Tres Donne legacy. It is a true family enterprise and they all live on the compound, in their own homes.

We spent a nice 3 or so hours with Rosanna (one of the famous sisters) and her husband Pier, and we even got to meet their little girl Chiara (one of the 4 granddaughters!) They put out a jaw-dropping spread of regional foods: cheeses, meats, breads, veggies, fresh tomato sauce, pesto, more cheese and more meat... it was a huge array of locally produced and hand made foods to go with the 6 or so wines that we tasted. (It was early yet so I ended up using the dump bucket a bit, for their pours were exceedingly generous.) A few of our group is freshly here and jet-lagged so we dropped them off for naps and went on to what we call The Slow Food University. It is the first ever university program for grastronomic sciences, and the focus is more on food production and cultivation. It is a non profit organization which has taken over 'the agency', where the farmers used to go to pay taxes. It is not supported by the government at all and they are trying to preserve heritage foods and biodaynamic and organic ways of growing it. Therein also lies the Wine Bank. This is a beautiful old cellar full of wine from all over Italy. Small production wines that are typical to each region and being produced the old way (by hand and with respect to the earth) are here. They export some of it, sell some of it and some of it will remain here 'forever' in a kind of museum, or library for future generations to know about it. We also got a tour of the student gardens (much smaller than one might think) and the hotel that is on the grounds. It's a beautiful campus with ruins and a small river, and it was a perfectly clear day so it was nice to walk around it. When we left we agreed to stop at Dolce Nieve, a sweet shop, sort of a cross between a candy store and a bakery with pastries and cookies in it. It is a little jewel box of a space and we enjoyed stopping in even more because when we did Rosanna, from Tres Donne, was in there with Chiara, so she introduced us and we got some samples of their delicious creations!

Afterwards we had an hour or so before we needed to leave for dinner so I hurried back to write this out for you. Unfortunately the cell service here is very poor due to the thick walls around us in this town, so I am unable to send it or check in with anyone. I will take my computer up to the hotel today as soon as I can and use their service if mine won't work up there, either. Dinner was at the hotel San Georgio (our itinerary has changed and we are not staying there) and it was delicious. Our table was set in the wine cellar (there are 17 of us) and it was beautifully done: white linens, white dishes, silver utensils, clear wine glasses, and only the water glasses had a bit of color. They were really pretty glasses, hand blown glass of all different translucent colors. The menu was printed out at each seat and whoever wrote it looked up the literal translations of the dishes, and it is the most precious thing we will see on this trip. I will write it out for you exactly as they did and then explain... it is very funny and very sweet:

The Menu

Apertif...

Raw meat beaten with a knife

The taglietelle with sausage sauce of Bra

The braised in wine Barolo with vegetables

The small tasting sweet

Good eveningn from the inn

Now mind you, I did not make any typos there! The 'Apertif' was a glass of prosecco (sparkling wine from the Veneto region that I love!) and on the plate was a small appetizer of fresh, creamy cheese (I believe it was cow's milk) wrapped in a very thinly sliced bit of eggplant which may have been roasted until just soft enough to roll it around the cheese, and it was dressed with a touch of fresh tomato. Elegant in it's simplicity, the flavors of the cheese really came through. The second course, which came with the regional wine 'Dolcetto' (it is a medium-light bodied red that is the general table wine for this area) was very interesting. The meat is not raw of course, it is lightly cured in herbs, wine and salt, to make it very flavorful. I think it was pork, and it did actually look like raw pork that was done in a course grind. It was placed carefully on the plate in a small round shape, and gently surrounded by super thin-sliced zucchini, and topped with a lovely little lettuce that we think was mache, but aren't positive. It had a wonderful flavor and while a few folks were understandably standoffish about it, Mark and I loved it. 'The tagliatelle' (pronounced 'tall-ee-yuh-tell-ay') is a fresh pasta that is thinner and less dense than fettucine, though similar in shape. It did indeed have sausage, that I think may have been from wild boar, and the 'sauce of Bra' is not a boiled up article of underwear, but rather a sauce done in the typical style from the city of Bra, Italy. It was a light tomato style sauce, the fresh pasta was the star, with bits of sausage throughout. It was my favorite part of the meal. 'The braised in wine Barolo with vegetables' turned out to be a thin slice of veal (veal is very different in Italy-no baby cows in boxes over here!) braised in Barolo wine sauce (I wanted to lick the sauce off of my plate, though I refrained) with roasted carrots and potatoes. This course was served with a Nebbiolo, my favorite wine of the dinner and also a classic from this region. 'The small tasting sweet' was a trio of small desserts, beautifully presented on the first colorful plates of the evening. They were different translucent colors, just like the wine glasses, with pretty swirls around the outside. One dessert was 'panna cotta', or cooked cream, which is much like a vanilla pudding. It was set into a little clear plastic box and topped with a jelly of berries, and it was, surprisingly to me, my favorite of the three. There was a rich dark chocolate mousse-like dessert which was placed on the plate like a little slice of cheese cake without the crust. It looked dense at first glance, though actually it was very light and not too sweet, which made me happy. The third treat was sort of a bar, with a crust that seemed like a shortbread, and a gelee on the top that had fruit in it (perhaps currents) and it was the one I could leave alone. They served a Moscato d'Asti, a sweet and lightly effervescent wine that is famous in this region. Even the folks who were not drinking wine with dinner enjoyed that one!

We didn't get back until after 11 and we were very ready for bed! Today holds new adventures and I can't wait to tell you about them. I just hope I can get online and get in touch with you! Until then... ciao for now!!!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Good morning, since it is nearly 6 am at home. I can tell you that Tuesday is a gorgeous day and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have! I have a few random thoughts about Rome to throw out here that I don't remember hitting in the last postings. Rome is an ancient city (yes, I am sure you know that!) and the residents of Rome are true Romans-they have been there for all of time. Our wonderful tour coordinator, Doumina, set us up with a private tour guide and Pina was so fantastic, she told us quite a bit about life in Rome, along with all the historical, architectural and cultural information that she packed into our heads. We saw this giant building of ornate white marble, and statues all over it, that stuck out like a sore thumb in this city of ruins. Pina laughed as we gawked at it and told us that Romans hated this building. They consider it the 'new' building and they make fun of it because it is only 500 years old and looks like a wedding cake! Their 'new' building is older than anything we have around!

Also I wanted to mention in more detail the water fountains around the city. They are everywhere and you can fill your water bottle from the brass spigot, or stop up the constant flow of water to divert it through a top hole for drinking straight from the fountain. Many of them look like little stone fire hydrants with water pouring out of them. I cannot find any information on how this works, it must be some sort of closed system that recirculates the waters, though it would be filtering rain water as well... it gets very hot in the summer in Rome and I am sure these fountains are a big relief to everyone who passes them.

So yesterday. It was a travel day and we had a bit of an adventure. Our apartment landlord arranged for the car to take us to the airport (the same one that picked us up) and we arrived around noon. It was too early to check in for the flight so we had to kill a half an hour just standing around. We watched the luggage wrapping machine and tried to figure out why people pay for that. We finally got checked in and through security (Mark's mom had accidentally packed her expensive hair mousse and some lotion in her carry on and they took it from her), then up to the terminal. I found my TIM store there after looking all over Rome and now I can get online with a secure connection and so far the coverage has been very good. We had a quick lunch and they bussed us out to the little 737 which was not crowded at all, so we enjoyed the hour and 15 minute flight in relative comfort. We found out that we had to take a bus 45 minutes to the train station and then we got our tickets to Asti. We had some difficulty figuring out which track was ours and finally we decided it was track 1, so we ran to it since it was leaving soon. We got on and it did not leave right away, which should have been our first clue. The train made frequent stops and we had no idea what any of the planned stops would be so we tried to figure it out as we went. Pretty soon it turned to the west (the sun was right in front of us) and I began to wonder if we were on the right train. After about 20 minutes on the train a porter was making his way towards us, taking tickets, so I knew we would find out soon enough. Sure enough this train did not go to Asti. He helped us off at the next stop, all the while explaining in rapid fire Italian what we needed to do. I thought I understood, and I was able to repeat the important parts and he agreed that I was comprehending. He then told the station porter about us and so he took over and told me in rapid fire Italian all about what we needed to do. Again, I repeated what I thought were the key points and we agreed that I understood. We got on the next train going back towards where we started and got off 3 stops away. We asked the porter at this much larger station where to go and he directed us to one of 2 tracks (there were 6) so we went down and around and read all the signs, deciding on track 6. The 2nd porter had printed out a schedule for us so we now had a train number to look for and we found it. It came very quickly and we hopped on and headed to Asti.

After about an hour and a half total train time we arrived. Asti is very much larger than we had anticipated, it was dark, nearing 8 oclock, and we were hungry. Mark was sure the hotel was near the station so we headed out. Let me just say that we all agree we should have gotten a cab. We stopped no less than 4 times to ask for directions and still had trouble! Finally we got here and stowed our luggage in our rooms to go look for dinner. The Hotel Lis is old, though very clean and well kept, and the location is excellent. We have connecting rooms at the end of the hall, no neighbors and overlooking a courtyard, so again we are lucky with a quiet room. We lock/unlock the doors with a big key, not a key card, the bed is rather hard, but all in all it is a very nice place. Breakfast is part of the board and it is very comprehensive! So yesterday was not all wonderful, though we got to see a lot of Torino and the country between there and Asti, which was interesting and very different from Rome/Lazio area. The moon is getting more full each night, so we will soon have a full moon to see in Italy.

Today we have walked all over Asti, seen a couple of wonderful old gothic style churches, several medieval towers and enjoyed wine at two different little caffe/bars. Every time we order a glass of wine they bring a little snack as well. One time it was pastries and tiny sandwiches (we did not enjoy those so much) and another time it was olives and potato chips! Things close up for siesta so I thought I would check in with you while the others rest a bit and we will figure out what our next adventure is. I have a couple of places to try for dinner tonight that are recommended by Slow Food, and tomorrow Doumina and Fabio (our driver for the tour) will pick us up around 2. We will begin work then, researching some different wines for the tour, and getting ready to greet our guests, who will begin arriving tomorrow evening. The tour starts Thursday morning and I am sure I will be able to check in at least once more before then. The weather has been great and while it is a bit chillier up here, the sun was out all day! I hope your day is as good as ours has been. The meal last night was ok by Italian standards, very good by ours, and I hope that tonights will be reportable.

Ciao for now!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

This is our last morning in Rome, as today we head north to Piemonte (Piedmont)and the 4th largest city in Italy, Torino (Turin). If Rome is the birthplace of Slow Food (more on that in a bit), Torino is the heart of it. We are flying up there since it is significantly less expensive and faster to do so, than to take the train. From Torino we will train over to Asti, the home of Moscato d'Asti, Asti Spumante, and more!

Yesterday we hopped the subway over to Vatican City, along with about a billion other people, to hang out with the Pope. Seriously, he was there and giving mass, and canonizing saints, and then he was to give a general blessing to the people in the square. Our free tickets to the mass never came so we went for the blessing, but got in to see the last part of the Mass! Sandy was thrilled and while we were really far back, the big screens that they put up helped us to see. It was really fun to see all the people there, including nuns, priests and monks who were just regular tourists at the Vatican.

Just before it ended and the throngs of people were going to be leaving, we decided to get ahead of the crowd and head for the subway. We went over to Piazza del Popolo (the People's Square), then down via del Corso to have some lunch. Sandy has completely given in to the fun of Rome and she had gelato for lunch! We moved on to the Spanish Steps (designed and funded by the French, in Italy, I don't know why the are called that) and the 'Bad Boat' fountain, which is reputed to have the sweetest water in Rome, so of course we filled my water bottle. Tons of people there, too. We took a couple of back roads that were so charming, just to see the day to day life in that neighborhood, and when we found ourselves back out on the via del Corso we found ourselves at ground zero for Slow Food. The McDonalds company wanted to put one near the Spanish Steps, and the local community fought it hard. The Slow Food organization was essentially started to fight the spread of fast, non-food, and to remind us of how important it is to dine with loved ones on whole food, rather than gulp down poor nutrition on the run.

We kept walking and soon we were at the Trevi Fountain. I wish I could tell you that it was everything I imagined, so beautiful and romantic.. except that there were 5 trillion people there! The place was mobbed and I hated it. The fountain itself really is amazing and about 100 times bigger than I thought it would be! I couldn't get over that part. We eventually found our way back to the subway and the apartment. It was not as long, nor arduous of a day as the day before was, but we were all very tired and the jet lag was hitting us. We rested up for a bit and then Mark and I decided to get a bus and go see this particular castle that is across the river, and is supposed to be especially beautiful at night. We waited a long time for a bus and when it came it was not the right one, and it was packed tight with people. So we waited for another and the same thing happened, it was not one of the 5 buses we hoped to catch and it was packed. It began to be pretty funny as other people crammed into the already full buses so we kept waiting to see what buses would come. We watched panicky tourists try to keep their place on the bus while others tried to exit, and one lady nearly knocked over a nun to get on the bus. There was no way I was getting on a bus that crowded when we didn't know where it was headed so we waited. After about 30 minutes a less-crowded bus came along and we jumped on. It went the wrong way! We rode for awhile and got off to figure out how to get going the right direction. We could not figure it out and we had told Mark's parents we would be back within 90 minutes. So we headed back. A group of 18 British kids and their chaperons all crowded on an already full bus with us. The kids were ages 9-12 or so and they were giggling the whole way, so the rest of the bus occupants were all laughing with them. It was quite the adventure for not seeing anything!

We got back just in time to go to dinner. Luckily it wasn't far since we were all so tired and when we got there we nearly had the place to ourselves! It was all very delicious, though none of us could finish because we ordered too much (we managed to finish the wine, though!) Speaking of the wine... all the little places we go offer a 1/4 liter, 1/2 liter, or a full liter of house wine. The full liter usually runs from 9-13 euro! It is always good and so that is what we get. (Sandy gets the 1/4 liter of white wine and we help her finish because we are very helpful!)

This morning we got going early to get over to San Giovanni (St John's), which is the 'mother of all churches in the world'. It is not as big as St Peter's, though it is certainly as impressive. The masses of tourists began arriving and were so noisy that it took away from the peace of this impressive space, which is filled with statues and ornate works to fill every inch. We have packed up and are now waiting for our car that will take us to the airport so we can fly to Torino.

What an amazing time we have already had! We have seen SO MUCH and yet there is so much more to see. We knew we could never get it all in a few days so we prioritized, hired a private tour guide for Saturday, and agreed to go with the flow as our moods, needs, and wants changed. We have had a wonderful time and we are excited to see a new area today. We will slow it down a bit and chill in Asti for a couple of days, and if you ever come to Roma, you must stay in our apartment. Andrea, the owner, is a fabulous host and this place is perfect in location, quiet and comfort.

You are all still sleeping as I finish this, it is nearly 2 am for you, and I can tell you that Monday is fantastic already!

Ciao for now!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

The flight was as uncomfortable as I thought it would be, it's just too long to sit. And yet here we are. We have a wonderful little apartment with 2 bedrooms/2 baths and a little kitchen, plus access to a courtyard for dining al fresco. We can hear the church bells of San Clemente calling everyone to worship, but it is generally very quiet-especially for a being in a busy city.

Friday late afternoon/evening, after our long trip and checking in to the apartment, we explored our little neighborhood. (By the way, we are here with Mark's parents and it is the first time to Rome for all of us but Sandy, who was here when she was around 16 years old, and she doesn't remember much about it.) We shared a couple of pizzas at a nearby shop, grabbed a few groceries and then retired early, a little after 7, since we had been up for about 35 hours and were exhausted. Yesterday morning we were out the door by a quarter to nine and we met our guide for the day at the Piazza di Colloseum, which is a few blocks from our apartment.

Pina was fantastic! She helped us get our 'Roma Pass', which gets us in to a few museums for free and for discounts, plus gives us free access to all public transportation while we are here. All for only 25 Euros each, which is a really good deal. We walked all day and saw the Coloseum, Roman Forum, Arch of Constantine, Old City Hall, New City Hall, Pantheon, Palatine Hill, Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori, and so much more... We had a little lunch and bussed over to Vatican City. Did you know that it is a separate country? The Vatican has its own government, postal stamp, currency and you have to show your passport to get in at certain points. There are 2 points where you can enter without your passport due to an agreement the Pope made with Mussolini (he started out with good intentions... he just got mixed up with the wrong friends!) We toured some galleries and then we entered the Sistine Chapel. I was actually in the Sistine Chapel!

The ambience in there is awful, the guards keep shushing everyone because they want silence, plus they have to keep telling everyone to stop taking pictures. We lucked out and found spots on the bench along the wall, which is really nice since you are looking way up, even if you just want to see the walls of the chapel. The ceiling is so much more than I thought it would be... and the Last Judgement on the back wall... there are no words to describe it. It took my breath away. Michelangelo painted the ceiling-it was his first attempt at painting. He was 23 years old and a sculptor, which is really obvious in his work. 26 years later he was asked back to do the back wall and he decided to depict the Last Judgement. It is really amazing, so huge! The walls lining the chapel on either side depict the life of Jesus, and the life of Moses. Many other artists did these walls, including Bocelli, Perugina and Signorelli, and they are wonderful works as well.

After awhile we went out with the massive crowds and down into the basilica of St Peter. It is the largest in the world and the sheer mass of the place is overwhelming. It is a sight to behold and as we walked towards the alter Pina told us that every square inch of the place is mosaic or sculptor, not one drop of paint or fabric, which is why we could take pictures if we wanted to. As we looked at all the works of art everywhere I kept asking her 'really?? That one is not paint? are you certain?' and she kept laughing and telling me that she could assure me it was not paint. We wandered all around and finally we were there. In front of me was the work of art that I have dreamed to see more than any other. Since I was 16 years old in my first art history class, and Helen Bedtelyon put up the slide of the Michelangelo's first Pieta. It was behind plexiglass and we weren't all that close to it and yet being that close made me weep with pleasure. I am still in awe of the fact that I was there. It is one piece of marble. Again, I have no words for this... it was a highlight of my life. And since I saw his final Pieta (The Deposition) last year in Florence, quite by surprise, I am fulfilled in that area for certain. Absolutely amazing.

We made our way back to our neighborhood where we met Doumina (our tour coordinator) and Giacomo (our friend from Parco Fiorito in Cortona) who surprised us by being in Rome. We will see Doumina again on Wednesday and we were so lucky to be able to visit with Giacomo since he is already gone for the season at Parco Fiorito. Giacomo lived in Rome for 10 years and gave us a dinner recommendation near our apartment. It was perfect! We had a wonderful meal in a neighborhood osteria, where they were as friendly as can be and the food was typcial for this region. Sandy had minestrone that tasted so fresh of the vegetables! Don had a gorgeous roasted 1/4 chicken and a salad. Mark and I shared Baccala, the salt cod this area is famous for, prepared in a tomato sauce. We also had an artichoke that was prepared in lemon and herbs, the flavors were wonderful together. We ate Spaghetti Carbonara, which was one of the things I wanted to try most in Rome. Everything was delicious, the house wine was fantastic, and we wish that same place was open tonight.

I have to get into the shower so we can head out for a quick breakfast, then to explore more and get the papal blessing at noon in St Peter's Square. We aren't sure what is in store for the day but we know the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps are going to be a part of it. It is 11 at night for you, so sleep well and we will tell you more later.

Ciao for now!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

I don't know if you know this or not, but my birthday this year was, well, less sparkly than usual. Our home had been broken into just 2 days before and that messed with us for a long time, particularly the few days immediately after. The day before my birthday I had planned to go to Seattle and seek out some of the gourmet food trucks that are out there and hopefully meet up with friends along the way. There was too much to deal with for the insurance and police and I was not yet ready to leave my home and kitties unattended, so we did not go anywhere. Flash forward to Friday October 1 and the 5th Mobile Chowdown. Food trucks from Seattle and Portland convened upon the parking lot to Qwest Field, we paid $5 to get in to the 21 and over event, and we were in food truck heaven. Pyramid Ale sold beer, though I felt that the selection (a dark beer and a hefeweizen) was not particularly food friendly across the board, especially since I don't care for hef. Plus, at $8 a pour, when we were there to try food, seemed outrageous to me... but I digress. We attended the festival with 2 of our best friends in the world, Erin (our baker and friend) and a friend of Erin's. The best part of all that is that we got to get several things and try them all without eating all of everything, which would be impossible.

I had very specific ideas of what food trucks I wanted to hit and the others had no idea about any of it so I took the lead and hightailed it straight to Skillet Street Food. Now mind you, I have been watching the online presence of this and a couple of other trucks since their inception. I am impressed by their business styles and have been crazy excited to try their food. At Skillet we had the burger. It was a small one and only 4 of us ate it so it worked out well. From their web site: the burger; grass fed beef, arugula, bacon jam, cambozola, soft roll. Yes, they make the bacon jam and of course I bought some! This was the most sublime burger I have ever had. We all agreed it was delicious and if I had any capacity to go back for more after the other trucks, that is where I would have headed. We were smart and got there early (of course we did, we go to bed early and had a breakfast cater at 7 the next morning so we weren't going to be out late!) so the lines were not bad except for the last place we went.

Our second stop-and this was my second choice of truck in general, was Marination Mobile. We got two things here: a slider – Warm and soft, stuffed with their signature slaw and spicy, juicy, shredded kalua pork. Both N and I were mmm'ing and ooo'ing over this one. It was absolutely delicious, with the perfect balance of tangy, spicy, sweet, soft and crunchy. We also got the Kimchi rice bowl, served with a sunnyside up egg on top. I loved this dish and wish I could get it for breakfast regularly! So far at each truck we had stood in short lines, and the music had started (live bands) and we could see folks meandering in and around the lot so lines would be forming longer quite soon.

We headed over to Maximus Minimus, a food truck with personality! The truck itself is in the shape of a giant pig and it is very cool to see. Here we had Posole with pork (the best posole I have had from a 'restaurant'!) and a Maximus: bbq pulled pork, Hot and Spicy from a mixture of peppers, onions, and fruit juices. It was, once again, totally fabulous. I mean the quality of the food coming out of these mobile 'joints' is supreme... hands down as good as, and certainly better than many, local restaurants in Seattle. While we were in line for this one Mark and Erin went to get donuts at Top Pot, who has their own mobile truck that they take out. They actually went really well with the dark beer, and we hadn't found anything yet that it went as well with, so that was a fun surprise. After we slurped our way through the soup and sandwich we headed towards the spot on the map that had my other 2 main trucks that I wanted to try.

As we got closer I could see that at least one truck was missing and one truck had the longest line ever. That truck was Where Ya At Matt and we had THE BEST OYSTER PO'BOY EVER! Now I have not been to Louisiana, and since I have tasted this I know what it tastes like there. From their web site: “Peace Maker” Fried Oysters with bacon, cheddar cheese, Mama Lils bread and butter pickles and lemon aioli. Oh Babe!!! Guaranteed to bring anyone back to the table, this one is influenced by the Street Car Shop in New Orleans, pre-Katrina…let us pray. HA! Too funny... the oysters were small, super crisp, and flavorful, and the sandwich itself really did make my mouth sing! I could hear it! We also tried the gumbo and it was excellent, but that po'boy, well it made me want to slap my mama.

That line was so long we took turns standing in it. While I wandered I picked up a few desserty things to take back to the group and checked out all the other trucks to see if there was anywhere else I really wanted to go. The lines were very much longer now and we were getting full-even sharing everything it was a lot of food. The truck that was missing, which made me very sad, was Hallava Falafel and I will go find them one day. I love great falafel and I hear that theirs is the best, and after this experience I believe it. There was also another truck right next to Where Ya'At Matt's, and there was no one in line, so I went to check it out. It was called 'Got Soup?' and since no one was around I got to talk with the proprietor. Jerry puts his rig out at various farmer's markets around Seattle AND offers a soup delivery service! It's a great idea and after he gave me a sample of the Thai Pumpkin Coconut soup I bought a bowl and took it to the Matt's line and we all ate it while waiting. It was so fantastic that even Erin loved it, and she does not love coconut, which topped the soup. I loved it so much that I am going to create a version of it for the cafe. I emailed Jerry and liked that idea, but if you are in Seattle and near one of his stops you need his soup. I hope his lines got long that night, because if they didn't, all those people were missing out on one of the best stops of the festival!

We all piled the food we had on a table and dug in to what was left. Erin and her friend went over to Veraci Pizza and got a slice or two, and man can those boys rule a wood oven. It was as good as Mark's for sure, and Mark's is the best I have had. (So much so that we are going to build our own wood oven at home, but I digress...) The music was fun and it was getting dark and we were quite full, so it was time to head home. Mark and I left the others to continue on the party while we headed for the Link Light Rail to take us back to our free parking in Tukwila, then home. You can go to the Mobile Chowdown (linked above) to see all the vendors who were there, notes about the next one, and the fact that they didn't like the beer prices, either. It was a great spot, but #6 will be even better! Maybe you will meet me down there next time and try something, there is food for all tastes and pleasures!!

Today is the last full day we are home, and tomorrow we will leave for Italy. We want to be tired on the plane so we will get up around 2 am and start packing. We don't need to leave the house until 10 am, so we will have plenty of time and I will get some administrative stuff done, as well. It is stressful to leave for that long, the house, the kitties, the business will all be fine without our presence for 2 weeks (especially since the house is fully alarmed and we have a friend who stays at the house the whole time, and it is only one small reason that we love her so much!) I will be working full time in Italy and hopefully I will get an online card right away so I can begin updating the blog. We won't get there until Friday, and it may not be the first day that I get what I need, but I will do my best so that you can be with us, virtually. I am excited and nervous, since we host 18 people (and it can be complicated to keep everyone happy and relaxed) we are 'on' the whole week of the tour, and it is nice to have a couple of days before, and a day after, to relax and see what we want to see. The tour starts on the 21st and we will definitely be live by then!

So Ciao for now, Rome here we come!

The recipe today uses Skillet's bacon jam. I made this meatloaf last night and I think it is fantastic! I will put in an alternative to the jam, but if you can find Skillet, you should get some!

1/3 cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs (I use the cafe croûtons all crunched up)
(soak them together in the bowl you will mix everything in)

1 extra large egg, or 2 regular eggs (the farmer's chickens laid extra big ones!)
1.1 lb lean ground beef (I used Clark Farms grass fed, from Sequim)
a couple of bunches of bok choy, chopped fine (you can use celery instead)
1 half a red onion, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
a hand full of Italian Parsley, chopped
2 TBS tomato paste
1/3 cup bacon jam (you could use ground pork sausage, or grind up bacon and herbs in a food processor)

because I use our flavorful croûtons as bread crumbs, I don't put in other seasonings. If you are using store bought or plain bread crumbs I would punch it up with the following:
1 TBS Worcestershire
a shy TBS of cider vinegar
1/4 tsp allspice (or 1 TBS chili powder, or 1 tsp smoked paprika)

2 TBS balsamic-rhubarb compote OR you can just use catsup if you didn't get any of my compote.

Let the meat and come up to room temperature by pulling it out an hour or so early. Meanwhile soak the breadcrumbs on the counter so the milk warms up as well. Chop everything and get it ready to go.

Put everything in a bowl and mix it gently with your fingers. You don't want to overwork the meat, though you do want everything incorporated completely. Form it into a loaf pan, or a loaf shape in a baking dish and let it rest, again at room temp, for 30-45 minutes. (yes, you CAN put it right in the oven; this step will make it more tender.)

Preheat the oven to 350 (or 325 convect bake) and cook the meatloaf for about an hour. I turned it at 25 minutes and let it go another 30 and then pulled it out. Cover it with a piece of foil (loosely) and let it sit as long as you can stand it...at least 10 minutes.

I put a couple of russet potatoes in the oven with the meatloaf and they cooked up in the same amount of time.

While the meatloaf was resting I baked a pan of kale so it was crispy and it is so fun to eat! Pull big pieces of kale off the the stems and rub them with some olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake them for about 5-7 minutes, turning at the 3 minute mark. It is crunchy and the kale flavor is more pronounced-delicious!

See you in Italy!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com/

It is inconceivable that September is nearly done! Genoa Bay seems like a year ago, though luckily I went online and found the French Jazz radio station that we were getting up there, so some of the nice feelings have lingered. We have had a couple of fabulous meals with a local focus this month and I feel so very privileged to have been able to take part in them. The first was Chef's Collaborative's annual Urban Picnic in Seattle. It was held on a rooftop downtown and we were high enough to not be able to hear any traffic and to see the sky clearly, yet still have lots of taller buildings around us for a wonderful urban landscape. There was a band and the lead singer was Carrie Cunningham, who has an absolutely beautiful voice. They played mainly old style country like I was raised on so I enjoyed singing along with them. This 'picnic' is like all Chef's Collaborative events, so it focuses on local talent, local food and sustainability. We took our picnic basket with our own plates, cutlery and napkins and they provided the glasses for the abundance of locally produced wine, beer, sodas and waters.

And then there was the food. I am going to list all the foods and who made them and you can drool and wish you could taste it! The event is the main fundraiser for the Quillisascut Farm School scholarship, which is something I am going to apply for next year. If I win I will be going to the farm school in NE Washington for 1 week next Summer, to learn about working with farm fresh foods while living and working on the farm itself. I have wanted to do this for 3 years and I have decided to apply next year and I am nearly breathless with the hope of it! Anyway, here is the menu:
Quillisascut Chevre-stuffed grape leaves with walnuts and chokecherry gastric
Quillisascut raw milk farmer cheese (both from Quillisascut Farm Kitchen)
Creamy Polenta w/Estrella cheese, chantrelles & lobster mushrooms (from Oliver's Twist)
Taylor Shellfish Geoduck Ceviche w/Alvarez chilies, corn & tomatillos (from Licorous)
Oregon Pink Shrimp ceviche w/chilies and lime (Anchovies & Olives)
Lightly smoked Ozette potato salad w/chives and smoked salmon roe (from Jason Franey/Canlis)
Churro Lamb & Full Circle Farm chard crepinette (from Seth Caswell, Emmer & Rye)
Grilled Reefnet Lummi Island Wild Sockeye (The WIllows Inn)
Smoked sockeye roe mousse on toasted baguette (The Willows Inn)
Wild Blackberry coconut squares with lime cream (Joule)
Molten dark chocolate cake w/red huckleberries (Hot Cakes Confections, Autumn Martin)

Plus Mark took my picture with Maria Hines, who I adore and admire! I got some pointers for filling out my scholarship application next year and we both had a very enjoyable time in general.

The very next week was the Harvest Meal right here in Kitsap. Did you come? I am in charge of putting together the chefs and organizing the menu, and this year I had more help with that than I did last year, which was fantastic. It is a daunting task to plan to feed 300-400 people and we put out the best food you will have all year long. The area farmers give us great material to work with, and the KCAA (Kitsap Community & Agricultural Association-you should be a member!) purchases livestock for protein from 4H/FFA kids at the fair auction, as well as from other local producers. The quality of the food is so good to begin with that my 'ordinary' roast chicken was absolutely delicious! We held this one at Olympic College and we will be begging to return to that fabulous space again next year. The kitchen is so huge all of us chefs/cooks were in our own areas and NOT bumping into each other! AMAZING! Yes, I have kitchen envy. The seating/buffet area was totally separate so again we had lots of room to work and thanks to all the wonderful volunteers it all got served up nicely! We even had leftovers this year, which is better than running out like last year, believe me! We had 2 pigs, 2 lambs, several chickens and oysters to work with for protein. The chefs all volunteer/donate their time, talent, energy and quite a bit of raw material to make the wonderful meal and I sure hope they all want to help again next year. We had Chris Plemmons from OC, Richard Kost from CJ's Evergreen General Store, Lowell Yoxsimer of Hi-Lo's 15th Street Cafe, Jeff McClelland of Pegasus Coffee House & Harbour Public House, Shelly Lewis of Cosmo's Ristorante & Delicatessan, John Nesby's chef Henrique from Mor Mor Bistro, Tomas Nevarez from Simmer Down Home Chef Instruction, and of course Mark, Leslie and me. Lowell made beautiful and delicious desserts from Washington grown fruit, I made sure there were lots of vegetarian dishes to choose from, and the most beautiful green salad ever was not even the only offering.

Donations really make this meal happen, including our coffee roasters Paul & Dean, our soda maker Mike & Dee from Hummingbird Hill, and Harbour Public House provides locally brewed beers and local wines at a very reasonable price! All the farmers and food suppliers give us a discount and Central Market donated some of the staples that we could not get locally. We made magic happen and the food was phenomenally good. We WILL do it again next year and whatever you may have planned that weekend, I highly recommend you change it. This is worth 3 times the low price, easily!

So we have been so very busy with these things, and now Italy is right around the corner. Inconceivable! We have the KCFC Fall Fair, a staff meeting, a wine tasting, Dining out for Farms party and weeklong fundraiser, and while we are gone Halloween will sneak in on us. We will have a party when we get back and then it will be Thanksgiving and into the holidays... and a whole bunch of other stuff in between all that. WHOA!

Ok so I need to breathe.. slowly.. in through the nose and out through the mouth. WHOOOOOOSH! A recipe for some comfort food is called for!

Dinner tonight:
Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms (and I am having it with roasted brussels sprouts, too!)

Polenta:
2 cups whole milk (I use 2%)
2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup polenta (Corn Meal-about 7 ounces)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (or goat cheese! or any fresh or soft cheese)
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
1 tsp finely chopped thyme
1 tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 TBS (or more) freshly grated Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese, plus more for serving
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large saucepan, combine the milk, stock and butter and bring to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until thick, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the heavy cream, mascarpone, herbs and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile sauté the mushrooms:

1 TBS unsalted butter
1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
4 shallots, finely chopped (onion will do)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 pound chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and halved (you can use 1 lb of any mushroom you like)
1/2 pound oyster mushrooms, trimmed and halved
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thickly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large, deep skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add half of the shallots and garlic and all of the chanterelles and oyster mushrooms and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 6 minutes.

Serve the polenta with the mushrooms on top. SO GOOD! If you want to have roasted brussels sprouts on the side because you got them at the farmer's market and you can't wait to have them:

preheat oven to 350

trim the sprouts and cut each in half
toss in olive oil, salt and pepper
spread out onto a baking sheet in one layer
roast for about 10 minutes, or until done (depends on size and freshness)

YUM!

Ciao for now...

Antipasti on the deck!

A pretty close-up

When you cannot change what is happening 'to' you, the stressors going on in your life, what you can change is your reaction to them. Have you heard this before? Actually, this is true even when you can change some of the details, you can still change how you react. Up until the past week or so I have misunderstood what that really means. I was thinking that it meant I could 'choose' to not be upset, or frustrated, or hurt, etc... and this week I had an epiphany. That is not what it means at all! Which is a good thing because I was failing miserably at my attempts. While dealing calmly and confidently in every situation would be lovely, it is not going to happen for most of us. What it actually means is that I can choose to take better care of myself in many different ways. I will be coming from a healthier, mentally and physically stronger place and I will have better 'recovery time' from the traumas and stress that happen each day. This is true for all of us, though the methods will be different for everyone. I think this is particularly noteworthy as the holidays approach because they are inherently stressful. Our bodies do not differentiate between 'good' stress and 'bad' stress, we have essentially the same physiological reaction to both situations. Here are some things I am choosing to pay more attention to:

*Eat better, which for me means small meals and snacks based on protein several times a day. This will help me think more clearly, keep hormones and blood sugars balanced, and be able to get to that calm place more often.

*Start walking and exercising again. This will help me sleep better, balance those pesky hormones and blood sugars, give me energy, and help make me stronger to get me through those exhaustingly busy times. Some days I have to do some work the minute I wake up and that is ok; I can get in some activity in the afternoon and it will still be good for me! (I tend to think if I don't get it done in the morning I lost my opportunity) It will also help me maintain my regular schedule a bit more tightly, which I want to do.

*Connect with myself more. I like to journal, though I can be a bit rigid in how much and how often I think I need to be doing that, so I am playing with journaling however much I want, whenever I get the urge, be it several times a day or once a week--3 pages or 3 words. And it does not always have to be in the official journal.

*Connect with family, friends and community. This gets more difficult to make time for in spite of this age of connectivity. I don't consider a text message or a facebook message to be as personal or meaningful as a face to face, a phone call, or even an email. Which leads me to:

*Give myself permission. Permission to lighten up my self expectations. Permission to be creative in how I do live up to those expectations. Essentially, permission to treat myself as I would treat anyone I love, including my staff team, family, friends, etc...

*Take more personal time. Even just an hour a day... that is not watching any programs, or reading any trade materials, or having a business meeting. Time that is just for me (the daily walks help with this) and then at least once a week have about 2 hours just for me.

I have been good at each of those things in the past, sometimes even all at the same time! Some how I have let them slide and they have not all been in sync for quite a long while. I am taking small steps in each of those areas and I want to encourage you to find those things that can help you feel better, stronger, calmer and generally happier. So what led me to all this insightfulness? Mark and I got away last weekend! 4 whole days off! I had some time to rest and relax, explore and even contemplate. And read! I read a novel, finished 'The Happiness Project', which I have been reading since February, I think, and I got through a couple dozen trade magazines that I was way behind on. We played cards, caught some crab, and explored the area a little. Friday, on the way up to Genoa Bay, we stopped at the following wonderful places to provision ourselves:

Merridale Cidery for a cider tasting and for a delicious lunch. Local foods abound and they prepare them with care and expertise.
Silverside Farm and Winery provided us with fresh eggs and blueberries and enjoyed a tasting of their wonderful fruit wines.
Rocky Creek Winery (yes it was a very leisurely drive up) where we not only tasted their wines, we also tasted their salt and pepper chocolate. It was absolute perfection with their blackberry dessert wine and we are going to borrow that idea for sure! SO GOOD!
Then we hit Cowichan Bay and had an ice cream at Udder Guy's Ice Cream. The toasted coconut was by far the best toasted coconut ice cream in existance! The ginger was wonderful, too.
True Grain Bread provided us with a fabulous multi grain loaf that went way too quickly, as well as some Scottish oatmeal.
Hilary's Artisan Cheeses was a fun stop and we picked up some chevre, as well as their washed rind 'Red Dawn', both were fantastic.
And of course coffee! Relationship Coffee was open so we got a lb of medium dark roast ground up, since we didn't know if there was a grinder at the cabin. While we waited for the grinding we enjoyed the best iced coffee that we have ever tasted! I don't know if we can duplicate it, though we are going to try.

Our lovely weekend was well under way and on Saturday we rounded it of with a trip to Salt Spring Island. The Saturday Market there reminded me of the market we visited in Siena. It was absolutely mobbed with people and they must have over a hundred vendors! It is an amazing market and we had fun picking up more locally produced goods. Lots of produce and some perfect French macaron cookies! We nibbled on potstickers as we made our way back to the car and it was a relief to be leaving the madding crowd.

We visited all the wineries on the island! Ok there were three: Salt Spring Vineyards which had the most beautiful grounds that would be really fun to have an event on. Garry Oaks Winery and Mistaken Identity Vineyards, which most reminded me of Italy.

When we got back to the cabin we gathered all the ingredients together and took the picture above for you to see. I cannot seem to put more than one picture on a post, so I will do another post right after this with the plated results of our antipasti that very evening. We already had with us some pork chops & sausage that we got from Possum Run Farm right here in Kitsap, as well as some good olive oil and a couple of other things. The farm stand down the road from the cabin filled in a couple of gaps and we had some great food all weekend long. Being in the Cowichan region, celebrating local food by the simple act of seeking it out and eating it, and enjoying the immense generosity of the Doc and his cabin with a view, made for a lovely weekend indeed. It rained on Monday and was chilly, so we even got to have a roaring fire and stove-top popcorn in the afternoon! Even the French-language radio station was sublime. Simple pleasures that bring me the utmost enjoyment.

Those are the things that made me realize that our 4 day vacation was the longest we have had in over 4 years and it is the most we will be getting for awhile yet. Stress will always be there and it seems to just want to build and build these days. We were able to live in the joy of the moment last weekend and I have to get work out the stress in lots of different ways. All we can do is keep trying our best at whatever we are doing and once in awhile just enjoying a good book!

Fall is in the air and it is feeling like soup and stew season again, so here is your recipe:

Carrot Ginger Soup (it's quick & easy, healthy, and you can get the ingredients at farmers markets this weekend!)

2 TBS canola oil
1 1/2 lbs carrots (about 9 good size), peeled and chopped medium
1 onion, chopped medium
2 TBS grated fresh ginger (ground is just not good enough)
3 C chicken broth
3/4 C 1% milk
1/4 C juice of oranges
salt n pepper
minced carrot tops, if your carrots came with them
optional: 1 TBS minced, fresh chives or scallions

Heat the oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottom pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the carrots and onion and cook until vegetables are softened, about 7+ minutes.

Stir in the ginger and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to med-low; cook until carrots are very tender, about 16 minutes.

Puree the soup in a blender, in batches, until smooth. (Remember when blending hot liquids: leave at least a third of the room at the top, remove the plastic center from within the lid and cover with a quadruple folded towel, and start on a low speed, slowly building up. This leaves room for expansion)...... Return the soup to the pot and stir in the milk and juice, cooking gently over med-low heat until the soup is hot again.

Season to taste and top with carrot tops, chives and/or scallions.

If you reheat the soup, do not boil it. Ciao for now!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

This is the first of a 2-parter on a mini vacation we took to Genoa Bay, BC. The next installment will have lots more details on our stops. Before I continue however I must tell you about a great farm that we discovered on our way to Florence, OR a few weeks ago. We had heard about Gathering Together Farm in Philomath and we are so glad we decided to take the long way down and stop by there for a visit. The have a gorgeous farm stand that accepts EBT as well as credit cards and cash and a seasonal restaurant that uses the farm products for amazing dishes. The clay oven is absolutely fantastic and has definitely inspired the plans that we have to build our own. If you find yourself anywhere near Philomath, OR you can't miss this inspirational farm!
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As I gaze out to Genoa Bay, BC, I breathe in and exhale a relaxed sigh of release. Our stress levels have skyrocketed over the past couple of weeks and this escape was perfectly timed. Our home was broken into on August 25th. It was my mom's birthday and I had spent some time cooking a meal for her and dad, a couple of friends, Mark and me. The break-in changed our plans and everyone came to our place rather than having us serve it to them at mom and dad's, because I could not bring myself to leave the house after the breach. It did in fact change everything from then on, and it has been very unpleasant to deal with. My birthday was two days later and it is a time I normally love, celebrating life with friends and family. We had the usual fun party at the cafe where I get to give and receive gifts and good wishes all day long, and still it was difficult to fully submerge myself and just let the goodness flow. It was a blessing to have so much love surrounding me, especially at a time when I was feeling so forlorn, and yet shaking off the fear and anger was not an entirely completable task. And that very thought makes me angry again. Enough of that; thank you for letting me vent it out, every bit of that helps.

My girls told me that they had gone in on a super special surprise gift with my parents and my aunt, and that it wouldn't arrive until the next day, so they wanted to wait to tell me about it. The next day was Saturday and when I got to the cafe the whole staff (including Ivy) was there except Sharon, and there was a real hum of excitement. They gathered around me and handed me a gift bag. I reached in and plucked out a tissue-wrapped lump, which turned out to be what looked like a jewel box. They were all watching me with anticipation, big eyes and grins of secret knoweldge. I focused in on the box cover which read 'Canlis' and my mind lurched... CANLIS?? I was so shocked I set the box down and the voice in my head screamed 'NO WAY, THAT IS NOT YOURS!'...the girls laughed and said go ahead! Open it! I reached for it and shakily opened it up and therein was a small card that indicated I was the bearer of an amazing gift certificate! Under the card was a little cloth envelope, and the actual gift certificate was encased within. I kept opening and closing the box in amazement and tears filled my eyes. These girls, each of whom are exceptional and essential to my life, were showing me such love and sensitivity with this gesture, and it was overwhelmingly lovely. You see, I have wanted to go to the Canlis since I was 16 years old. Count it up, that is 27 years! I had friends who went there for senior prom and I knew then what an amazing institution this restaurant was. As I began my early restaurant career and got some insider trade knowledge, I gained an even bigger appreciation for the Canlis restaurant. I always had an excuse not to go: It was just outside of my financial reach, or the occasion was not quite worthy, or whoever my dining companion(s) were would not appreciate it enough. Secretly I knew that when I did go, I would never be able to recapture that moment again, so I was prolonging the pleasure. This is extraordinairy when you consider that I am an immediate gratification kind of girl who loves to savor every excellent moment. I am ready for this pleasure and I am really excited to make the reservation. Mark and I just have to figure out when we can go and fully immerse ourselves into the experience; it will not be too long from now.

As I mentioned earlier we are in Genoa Bay, BC right now (perhaps I should say “as I write this” because it will not still be true when you read this) thanks to an extraordinairy customer/friend of ours. I have not asked his permission to give his name so I will call him the doc. The doc has what he calls 'a family cabin' on Genoa Bay and one day while he was in line at the cafe he mentioned that he had been up for the weekend. Mark and I lit up and told him how much we love this island and that I had just read about how the Cowichan Valley (this region) just got recognized internationally as the first 'Citta Slow' region. (Citta is Italian for city, and pronounced 'cheetah') Their commitment to local food and community up here is first rate, and a fine example for the rest of the world to follow. He smiled in recognition of fellow island lovers and said 'you know, if you ever want to use the cabin I would love to let you'. We were stunned. He didn't know us well and he seemed very sincere in his generosity. I looked at him and slowly told him that we would seriously take him up on that, and if he wanted to reconsider, or discuss it with his family, or think it over for a week, we would not hold him to the invite. He just laughed and said that he didn't have to think about it, just let him know when we wanted to go up. The next day I gave him a list of possible dates and this is the weekend that worked for him. Can you believe the luck??? I jokingly asked if the cabin had indoor plumbing and he assured me that it had everything we needed. I made ferry reservations that day. A few weeks later the doc left us a book about Cowichan and he had written a personal note inside. I asked him about it because we were assuming it was a loan, and he assured me that it was a gift. This is a beautiful coffee table book about the history of the region with a focus on the Citta Slow recognition and slow food movement.

A few days before we were to come up the doc left us a soft sided case filled with maps, brochures and a binder with house information, keys and directions. We took our time getting up here, starting on the 0830 ferry on Friday. We disembarked in Victoria around 1030 and headed north. We hit a cidery, a couple of wineries, a couple of farm stands, a bakery, a cheese shop, a local coffee roaster and got an ice cream before coming out to the 'cabin'. What could have taken an hour or so stretched into 4 hours. It was a beautiful drive and we took our time, enjoying the journey as the destination. We pulled up to the 'cabin' and were a bit surprised by the size and niceness. Then we came inside. Holy crap, this is gorgeous! It was originally owned by a friend of the doc's father, and passed down to him, so we were expecting a rustic cabin. It is not. If you are reading this then we came home, though we are seriously considering squatting and never leaving until they forcibly remove us. Gorgeous views on both sides, idyllic marina within steps, quiet, and it has been sunny every day. It is a beautiful home and we are having a wonderful time pretending it is ours. We went to the Salt Spring Island Saturday market and loaded up on supplies. This market is very large and reminded me of the markets we saw in Italy. We also hit 3 more wineries. I will write more in depth about the wineries, food places that we visited, and meals we enjoyed later, but these pictures should tell you a lot.

Mark went out in the doc's Boston Whaler this morning and set the crab pot. We are going to go out and 'pick up dinner' in a few minutes (no drive through can beat that!) and there is a farmstand a few miles up the road if we need anything else. Yea, this is the good life and we are abundantly grateful for every moment of it.

How to cook a crab:

You can catch your own crab or buy them live at the docks or at the store. There are many ways to cook them and while none are difficult, this is the simplest of all:

Fill a pot with water (salt water from the crab's home is best) and if it is regular water salt it like the sea. Bring it to a rolling boil and drop the crab in. (use tongs or it could hurt!)

Boil for 15 minutes. Take him out and spray him down with cool water, then let him cool off for a few minutes so your fingers can handle touching the hot crab. Pop off the outer carapace (it's super easy after cooking). Remove the gills and mandibles, pull the body in half and rinse out the ickiness that you may find in there. All that's left is shell and meat.

The absolute best way to eat crab is just out of the shell, with some crisp wine or a lager, and some bread on the side. A salad caps off the dinner nicely and make sure you have lots of napkins, along with newspaper down on the table so you can easily clean up the mess.

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Nice and neat!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

A closer look at my fabulous spice cupboard

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Just two shelves in the laundry room that used to be very disorganized and messy. Not now!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

I had these jars in a closet, saved for craft projects. This is perfect for them!