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

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

THANK YOU SUNSHINE! Business was great this past week and I believe it is in large part due to the fabulous sunshine that we have been experiencing. Mother Nature has been great to us and even as it is pouring down rain right now I am so grateful for those few days of abundance. We even found time to grill some Lopez Island Farm pork on Sunday and it was GOOD. The sun-filled memories are recent enough to keep me calm about our broken coffee machine and leaking espresso machine and on and on it rolls. Have you had any great local meals lately?

Mark and I went to the West Sound Business Expo last week to see if it is something we may want to participate in next year. We sampled every restaurant and caterer's offerings and hands down the best food to be had was CJ's Evergreen Store from Bremerton. I know they have been growing their catering and their food is truly fantastic. CJ, Richard and the staff utilize local food whenever they can and they are fiercely loyal to local goods and causes. Who wouldn't love that??

This week I am going to go out on a limb here and champion a cause that is near to my heart. Aside from constantly beating the 'value local' thing into you all, I have not done this before on this blog to this extent. I hope that you will love the idea and if you do not, I hope that it will at least open our minds and hearts to be able to come up with a mutually agreeable answer. Rather than a recipe at the end, I am offering a recipe for the true meaning of community in this writing.

Chief Lusk of Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue has begun a wonderful thing for our community. He was the first in the state to apply for, and become granted, a piece of history. Steel from the Twin Towers is being made available to communities across the nation who want to honor those lives lost. Chief Lusk will be receiving a large piece of steel and he wants to erect a memorial monument somewhere in Kitsap County, his current first choice being Old Town Silverdale. This is a huge step towards offering healing, education, and remembrance to our community and those around us who can make the pilgrimage to Kitsap, and may never have the opportunity to get to New York City. Even those of us who have been to Ground Zero will appreciate the opportunity to reach out and touch this piece of steel that represents so much more than nearly 3000 lives lost on September 11, 2001. So many more lives have been lost since that day, and we continue to lose souls to the fight for freedom from terrorist acts.

I think that there are only 2 other areas across the state that have definitely been approved, and 2 others under consideration. I am surprised by a few people's negative reaction to having a September 11 monument erected at the Old Town Silverdale waterfront. The vehement objection that I first heard was that the park is for everyone, including 'children and older people' and that a memorial monument would be 'too depressing' for the community to endure. This reaction was from someone who was hearing about the artifact for the first time, had very little information about what it was, and no information whatsoever about the plans for this beautiful site that is being proposed for our area. The closed-minded statements being uttered instantly reminded me of the reasons that we even have this topic to discuss in the first place. It was an uninformed fear reaction to proposed change. I know that most of us struggle with change, even when we want and look forward to it, and for reasons that I do not understand this topic is making a few people feel challenged at their power base.

Did they have this reaction to Kitsap County's only Veteran's Memorial, which is located at Waterfront Park? That monument represents far more lives lost and I do not believe that anyone views it as too depressing to endure. The 9-11 artifact will bring many people to our area, especially at first, and that will continue to be true. The initial plans include art tiles made by children who were born in 2001, a meditative walk that represents a timeline of the day, a pentagon shaped area to surround the steel and seating along the way for folks to reflect with the beautiful views of the inlet and mountain beyond. The plans are no where near finalized as this site is actually the second that Chief Lusk has proposed, and his team needs to personalize the plans to the space available.

The first site was at the new Y in Silverdale and the monument was rejected by that site in the end because it was 'too depressing'. I am sure that my law enforcement background has skewed my thinking around this, and I am having a difficult time getting past 'SERIOUSLY'?? Do we really not see what an honor it will be to have such an amazing thing in our midst? Parents can educate their children, people can pay their respects and touch a real piece of our recent history which happens to be one of the major historical events of the world.

I certainly hope that the Port commissioners find a way to work this piece in to their property in Old Town. It will be good for our economy and for our community on so many different levels. When the steel is brought across the nation there will be an escort by the Patriot Guard Riders who estimate as many as 80,000 bikes will join the ride at different points in the journey. It is coming to Kitsap, we just don't know where or when yet. It would thrill me to be able to meet the steel when it hits Spokane and escort it across the state. Who wants to join me?

So far the funds for this project are entirely based on donations. If you want to donate you can do so through us, or at the Silverdale American Marine Bank. Donations should be directed to the 9/11 Memorial Fund. You can email the committee here: 911ArtifactCommittee@ckfr.org. If you want to encourage the Port of Silverdale to consider this (or to discourage them, after all that is what our freedom of speech is about!) you can email them here.

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

I ordered Boeuf Bourguignon last Saturday at Brix 25. Mark and I had dinner there with my BFF Linda and her husband Bob, and it was fabulous. I have not ordered beef in a restaurant for nearly 20 years, so this was a momentous occasion! Chef Lyman uses grass fed beef of course, and I had sampled this dish of his in the past off of Mark's plate, and I had never forgotten it. So I decided to go crazy and have that for dinner. As tender as warm chocolate and certainly as dark, the flavors and texture were as rich and comfortable in my mouth as Etta James' version of "At Last" is in my ears. Heaven. We all enjoyed our food immensely and the co-owner Katie had this wonderful idea that I loved so much I may just borrow it some time. On the way out we passed by a self serve candy 'bar', so lovely to see, decorated in all shades of pink, were several glass dishes in varying shapes and sizes, filled with valentines candies such as conversation hearts and pastel MnM's. Each guest was encouraged to fill a little cellophane bag with the candies and tie them with the gold twist ties to take home and enjoy later. You start with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine and end with candy, how can you not have a wonderful time here??

On Sunday Mark and I went to mom and dad's to celebrate Chinese New Year and mom made traditional Chinese Hot Pot (it's basically fondue with broth rather than oil) which she learned from her cousin-in-law Mae, who is from China. It was delightful! I made a mess on myself slurping noodles and broth and my very favoritest (yes it's a word!) combo was the bok choy/spinach/rice noodles in the sauces. It is definitely a fun group meal to have and it tasted great making all our own little flavor combos out of our choices of shrimp, scallops, pork, beef, mushrooms, tofu, noodles, greens, and other things. There was cilantro and green onions to top it (though I kept forgetting to use it!) and a couple of different sauces to mix in. Did you celebrate Valentine's day or Chinese New Year with a great meal? I would love to hear about it! It is the year of the tiger now by the way, so congratulations to you tigers out there!

I had a wonderfully full week and I can only see that continuing. I attended a culinary and agri-tourism workshop put on by the state in Port Townsend and it was a fantastic event to get my creative juices working. We did some farm tours including Hamma Hamma Oyster Company, which I have been visiting since I was a little girl. They have a new building with a little store full of locally produced items, a commercial kitchen and you can view the shuckers as they race through piles of oysters. There is an outdoor area where they are going to make into another commercial kitchen with seating and a great view! This summer I am going to work with them to create a day trip that will combine a cooking class, wine tasting, meal and fun for whoever wants to go! It is going to be a blast and I will keep you posted so you can sign up the minute we announce it. We also went to a place up towards Chimacum called Finn River Farm & Cidery that will make another fantastic day trip, as they have a pizza oven and lots of great activities on and near the farm. It is really close to the Olympic Music Festival and if you go you should definitely stop in to see the place, get some berries and hard cider (which is very much like sparkling wine: dry, delicate and lovely) for the concert.

The best restaurant that we ate at was in Sequim, called The Alder Wood Bistro. Chef Gabriel put out some amazing food and he is fiercely into the local food movement so of course I love that! If you find yourself anywhere near Sequim I cannot recommend this place enough, and I hope that we can get to know Chef Gabriel and his wife Jessica in the future. After the conference I raced back to Port Orchard to attend my first official meeting as a member of the newly formed Kitsap Food & Farm Policy Council. This is some seriously good work we are going to be doing and bringing up awareness of local food and agriculture within the county, as well as making agricultural pursuits more attainable and accessible to everyone. When you go read that article I hope you will look around the site a bit and consider joining the Kitsap Community & Agricultural Alliance, as it is the best $20 bucks you will spend to join anything this year. You will be supporting your interest in local, fresh food and we definitely need that support! I was recently asked to write a column for the "What's Up" section of the local papers, and you can see my first one here.

Some fun things are coming up including our Ivy is turning 21 tomorrow! We will be toasting her and then if I have time I will stop by the Bremerton Green Drinks event at the Downtown Bremerton Library. 612 5 St from 6-9 and they love it when we RSVP. Bring your own glass and save the earth! These events are always fun and this is special because it is their 2 year anniversary for the group. Join the fun and see what is happening in your community.

Another event that I can guarantee will be super fun is the "For The Love of Wine"
talk and tasting that I am hosting at the Port Orchard Library. The talk is free, and starts at 6 pm at the Library. The tasting is $10 and will be held at Puget Sound Wine Cellers so if you don't have your reservation call to get one, because it may sell out; the one in Silverdale did!

I have yet another call to action for you: If you know of (or are) any Old Town Silverdale business owners please pass this information on to them: We are having a meeting to discuss the revitalization of Old Town on Monday February 22, 4 pm, at the Port commissioners' office. The Port, the County, the Chamber and many others will be there. The community at large is not invited to this meeting, as there is not enough room, once we have a general plan down we will have a much larger community meeting to get all the input that we can. For now we just want to see who the major stake holders for Old Town are and what they are willing to do to step up business down there. Building owners count! I have no way to get the word out to everyone so please pass it on and they can call me or email for more info if they need it.

So I wonder what sort of recipe you would like for today. I think I will go with an oyster stew since it is super easy to make and Hamma Hamma is on my mind. I put a little bit of a Thai twist in my recipe because it is really good that way and I keep it easy with a store-bought ingredient. You can leave the thai stuff out if you want to, but I think you want to try it!

1 quart shucked oysters in their liquor (I use medium Pacifics; use any kind you like)
about 1 cup fish stock or clam broth
Salt and black pepper
4 stalks celery, cut in medium-sized pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
Canola oil
4 cups coconut milk
2 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Thai Green Curry paste
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
Paprika
Chopped fresh parsley or lime leaves

Pick over the oysters for shells. Strain the oysters to get the liquor out and hold both aside.

Cook the celery and onion in a little canola oil until tender, season with salt and pepper. Add the oyster liquor and fish or clam broth(should measure about 2 cups)to the pot, and then add the coconut milk and cream.

Heat the butter in a small sauce pan, then whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook just a few minutes, no need to brown this, and add the roux to the stock mixture; stir briskly until thickened and smooth. Add the Thai curry paste (Start with 1 heaping Tablespoon and see if you like the heat level. You can keep adding until you have the level that you are happy with), the lime juice, and fish sauce. Correct the seasonings.

Add in the oysters and mix well; cook until done, about 6 minutes, depending on the size. Top with the fresh herbs, keep warm over hot water until time to serve. (Option: You can blend this soup to make it smooth, or you can hold out the onions, celery and oysters and just blend them together.)

Garnish with paprika and fresh herbs and even some Creme Fraiche if you like.

Eat this and love it!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

I know I have been away longer than usual... I have had writing-shyness for some reason that I do not fully understand. It isn't exactly writer's block since I am not really a writer and I have lots of things to talk about. It is more like this: sometimes when I get to the page where I write this blog, I get a little overwhelmed, and I just can't start. When I do start it flows ok and I forget all about it, though once in a while simply starting is too much, so I don't. I know it is partly because I feel very busy and with the economy now effecting (and affecting) our finances (it didn't seem to at first) I get to feeling anxious and conflicted: I am never doing enough, I can always do better, and yet I sometimes feel overwhelmed and in need of a break. I steal time hear and there... read a few pages just for pleasure, go to a movie alone (I love that and it is such a rare treat!) or, like last night, get together with someone I love for a couple of hours.

Mom and I schedule time together once a month to connect, just the two of us, and catch up. We have always met somewhere, usually a restaurant, and we sit for 2-3 hours and talk. This week I asked her to come to the house, as I could not think of a place that I would rather be. She had asked me to bring home some fresh rolls for her dinner with friends the next day, though due to a conspiracy against me (technology sucks sometimes) I did not get in to the cafe yesterday, I worked on the computer all day long. So at 2 I started some dough and made the rolls for her, which happily reminded me how easy making bread is, and how satisfyingly it fulfills me. The smell of the yeast is so comforting, and the process of kneading is meditative for me. I feel creative and since I was making them for someone else, nurturing. It is pure pleasure and I don't do it very often at home. When mom got here I pulled out the makings for a jambalaya and we worked together as we talked. There is very little that is more satisfying to me than cooking with loved ones. It embodies the spirit of community and hearkens back to a time that we remember, if only cellularly. Mom peeled shrimp while I chopped veggies and added them to the pot. I opened the wine (some for the pot, some for us!) and she stirred the pot. It turned out soupier than it should have: too much liquid, not enough rice. It tastes great! We had one of those warm rolls and with it and finished that bottle of wine. We played with the kitties and laughed and talked and now I feel a bit more energized.

One of the things mom pointed out to me was that in my last blog entry I talked about snorkeling, and my neck. When I wrote that I did not connect the fact that my neck had been stiff and sore since the end of December. It got so bad at one point that the spasms kept me from even sleeping at night. Dad had gone with mom to So Cal for 3 weeks so he wasn't around to help it (the best massage therapist around!) so I suffered. A lot. When they got back I saw dad 4 times in one week, so he did one almost full massage, with most of the focus on my neck, shoulders, & back, a couple days later he did some concentrated energy work on my neck and shoulders, then he did a full body massage that was pure heaven. The last appointment I had he did more energy work and really pinpointed the worst spot in my neck and the next morning I woke up and did not cry out in pain for the first time in a month! I realized it after I had been working for about an hour (I get up and hit the computer around 5 these days... sleeping in to 5 is fabulous!) and I am so grateful that dad is so good with those healing hands. There is still a tiny tinge spot in there and I know we will get it with another massage. You should get one, they are fabulous!

So now there is so much to tell you about and I will weed it down a bit and try to stay more timely in writing the blog! I think there are a few more of you out there reading it, which gives me a little thrill. Perhaps because if you aren't reading it then I am talking to myself, which I am very good at and don't need much practice. First of all, I have been told that my "Local Food" column was published in the paper today. The 'What's Up' section of all the local papers for the county has it, though it is not online. I wrote it a month ago, I hope I still like it! It is very exciting to be spreading the word of local food out there so I really hope someone reads it. I was appointed to an 'at large' spot on Kitsap County's new Food & Farm Policy Council 2 weeks ago and I join 13 others in making Kitsap a fantastic place to grow, purchase, cook and eat local foods. I have always loved making up my own rules and now I get to help do that for the whole county! How cool is that!

I did a really fun thing last week by attending Kim Ricketts book event at the Palace Ballroom in Seattle. The author was Gretchen Rubin, who found out that very day that her latest book hit #1 on the NY Times best seller list! The book is called 'The Happiness Project' and am happy to report that it is not frivolous by any means. Ms. Rubin spent a year researching and living her project and she shares her experiences with the rest of us so that we can start our own project. It was never that she was an unhappy person, more that she believed she could be open to having more 'happiness', more contentment and satisfaction with her life, so she focused her intent in that area. I am starting a happiness project for anyone who wants to join in on it! We can meet at the cafe at first, and as the project grows we can move it around. Anyone out there want to create more happiness in their lives? Drop me an email at monica@waterfrontbakery.com. If you want to take me to a Kim Ricketts book event I am all for it! There are a few coming up that I am very interested in!

I need to get going as I have a quick meeting this morning with one of the Port Commissioners to talk about the revitalization of Old Town. It is a preliminary meeting where I will ask for help and/or guidance from the Port with the economic development of Old Town. We are suffering and it does not look to be improving any time soon. My friend Skip gave me some wonderful ideas for Old Town and I am going to see what we can do to get them to come to fruition. I am instigating this because I don't have time to actually run with the whole thing myself and if I have learned anything these past few years it is that asking for help and delegating are keys to success!

Plus I am brining some lamb shanks so I can prep them up for braising on Monday. Braised lamb shanks and polenta will be the comfort meal next week and they have been so popular that I am increasing the frequency from once a month, to every other week. We have some fab new wines for Valentine's day and for the Winter/Spring transition-we are focusing on WA/OR wines this time, along with our Italian favorites, and we have a great selection for the tasting coming up. I hope we will see you there!

I am going to write up the guidelines for making the jambalya style dish I made last night. I will tell you to use less liquid than I did, though you can always add more later if you want to!

olive oil
1 1/2-2 onions, chopped (depending on size)
celery heart and a stalk or two, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped
1-2 red peppers, chopped
1 TBS garlic
S&P
Creole seasoning blend
smoked paprika (I used bittersweet)
1-2 cups red wine
2 cups rice (I use brown or thai red; if you use white hold back one cup broth until you know if you need it)
4 cups chicken broth (if you need more liquid you can add broth or plain water later)
28 oz can tomatoes
flat leaf parsley
1 package Hempler's andouille sausage (made in Ferndale)
1 lb raw shrimp (32-40's), peel/devein them

Heat the olive oil and add the chopped veg to it as you finish them. Stir it, add the seasonings through paprika and cook for about 10 minutes on med low (gas) or medium (electric) heat.

Add the wine and let it reduce by about half. Stir in the rice for about 3 minutes and then add the broth, tomatoes and parsley. Let it go about 8 minutes, then stir in the sausage. (You can also use chicken, or any other meat in combination here) and let it cook until the rice is done. Stir it every few minutes and add hot liquid if you need to.

Toss the shrimp in at the end, it will only take a couple of minutes to cook them and you are done. There is not alot of spicy heat to this, so if you like alot of heat you should add cayenne (1/2 tsp) at the beginning, and then you can add hot sauce to taste at the end. I just add my own hot sauce since mom and Mark don't like it as spicy as I do.

YUM! This pot will last us a couple of days and we love leftovers!