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.

Nice and neat!

A closer look at my fabulous spice cupboard

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

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

These too, were waiting to be used. I love spending no money and creating something I am very happy with!

Boy have we been busy! I am SO grateful for the big business and the staff is working extremely hard these days. Usually this time of year we have our nephew Travis, or friend Tyler or Rachel helping run orders and doing dishes. This year we did not have a teen worker come in to help and I only realized it yesterday. As busy as it has been (thank you thank you) Mark and I have managed to either get out or take a day off here and there! On Friday the 6th we were excited to visit The Office Bar & Grill on Pacific in Tacoma. One of the owners is an old friend of Mark's from his Old Bellevue Chevron days, and when we heard he was opening a new sports bar we wanted to be some of the first to arrive. I must admit that I was skeptical of the menu, being a sports bar and all, and I am very happy to say that it far exceeded my expectations. At first glance it looks fairly typical and while the variety is nice with a couple of whimsical touches, it does not seem like it will be extra special. Ah, but it is. They are making high quality food from scratch and of course, this makes all the difference. We shared, and very much enjoyed, a couple of appetizers and The Office Burger, and then they put out samples of several other appetizers that we got to check out. With several taps, sustainable wine, and a mix of really fun specialty cocktails, happy hour is a great choice, even on a street with very competitive happy hours. We can't wait to go back and watch a Sounders game!

Saturday the 7th was our first day off since the 4th of July and we had a great time. We started out at the Farm Kitchen in Poulsbo for First Saturday Breakfast. This is a phenomenon that I have heard of, though not been able to get to, for a couple of years, so I was full of anticipation. We got there about 8:15 and stood in line for a little over 30 minutes before we got in. It was worth it! Farm Kitchen is 'an event venue and retreat space on an 18 acre organic farm' with a guest house. The first Saturday of every month they offer breakfast from 8-noon and I highly recommend getting there earlier if you want to get in quickly. It's a nice line to stand in, as they send the menu down for previews there are views of gardens and you can hear the sounds of a busy kitchen to get whet your appetite. Once we got in the door there was Hollis taking the order slips and handing out side dishes and fresh baked pastries. We paid, filled our coffee cups and wandered outside to the tented seating area. It was a cool, misty morning and sitting outside was lovely, albeit brisk. Our meal came to us quickly and we dug in: multi grain buttermilk pancakes, thick cut bacon, fresh fruit & coffee, plus we shared a side of scrambled eggs and their house-made rosemary apple sausage. Although I am not a huge pancake fan like Mark is, the one I had was one of the best ever. Mark had 4 1/2 since he ate most of mine, too! After eating you can go out and enjoy the grounds which are as inviting as can be, and you can walk a little of your breakfast off. We are aiming to go back for the October breakfast (we won't be in town for September)and if we can go we will let you know, perhaps you'd like to join us. You should go on your own even if we don't, it is great fun and great food.

Our next stop was the Kingston Farmers Market. It was our first visit to this market and it is a nice one. Nash's Organics is there from Sequim, 2 or 3 bakeries, a couple of wonderful soap makers and other artists that we really enjoyed. There was music and a festive atmosphere all around. After strolling through we headed out to the Poulsbo market to keep the momentum going. It was a chilly morning and the market seemed to be full. We walked in at the demonstration booth end and we saw Chef Tomas Nevarez demonstrating some nice recipes using market fresh food. We adore Tomas and his wife Stephanie and we are excited to report they are starting a new venture called 'Simmer Down'. Tomas, a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef, comes to your home to teach you to plan, prep & cook all the components of a menu from the planning to the presentation. These lessons can be one on one or you can have a party of up to 10, and the best part is that he teaches you to use the food and cookware that you already have in your kitchen. You get to learn to see your kitchen through the eyes of a chef! If you decide to invite him over for a cooking party please invite me, I would love to come and play.

We wandered down to Silverdale because we had to go to the storage unit to drop off/pick some things up for the cafe (shhh, don't tell the girls, they commanded that we not work at all that day) and since it was close to noon we went in search of the bread truck. Have you found Loaf and Round Bakery yet? They make the BEST baguettes I have had. They have lots of breads and yet I just keep going back for the baguette, which they don't even list on their products page. They were parked up on Kitsap Way when we found them and then we headed over to the Port Orchard market. It was raining when we got there and we wandered through and then I saw them. Alvarez Farms from Mabton. This family farm is the stuff of legends! Hilario Alvarez and his family run this amazing organic farm and he has really brought organics to the mainstream. They have a wide variety of crops including okra and peanuts, and Mark says that they are the best roasted peanuts we have ever had. I agree. The other thing that the Alvarez family is famous for is bringing respect, teamwork and legitimacy to the Hispanic farm worker in Eastern Washington. This is a huge deal. And if you don't care to know more about any of that know this: I have never loved watermelon my whole life until I tasted theirs. The food they grow is fantastic and worth the trip over to Seattle Pike's Place Market when the PO market is done and we can't get it here. If you find yourself in Mabton don't be sad, find the farm and ask for a tour! They are happy to have visitors there............The rest of our day was relaxing and I even clean and organized our pantry and spice cupboard! I never have time for that sort of thing and I love the results, so I was very happy!

On Wednesday the 11th I finally got to visit Morso Wine Bar in Gig Harbor. Water to Wine is a long time favorite wine store of mine and I was long overdue to stop in and see the new wine bar they opened. It is really nice with lots of patio seating, a great view, an intimate and upscale interior and a gorgeous bar. The bartender was knowledgeable, friendly, and made some really great recommendations. The pate was fantastic! I saw lots of really nice looking food come out of the kitchen and I love that they specialize in smaller plates. It is a true wine bar, with several by the glass options, unique choices and a great variety of wines. I have been very disappointed by other 'wine bars' with short, unimaginative wine lists and only a few glass pours that are even less creative than the bottle list. Morso is now offering happy hour as well with some wonderful lighter food choices, wine, beer and wine cocktails. Now that is just fun! Give us a call, maybe we can meet you there!

In light of the big egg recall due to salmonella, I think today's recipe should celebrate local eggs. We get our eggs from any number of local farmers and at the farmers market, so we have no worries about salmonella eggs from the grocery store. Fresh local eggs are prettier and taste better than the older eggs at the grocery store. You can get them at Fresh Local in Bremerton, Local Boys in Purdy, any farmers market around, and straight from the farm. Most of our local markets take EBT and so does Fresh Local; Local Boys will be taking it any time, they are just waiting on the government to catch up to them. I posted this recipe here in May of 2009, and I think it is definitely good enough to post again. Ciao for now!

Spring Veggie Frittata

1 onion, chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper
4 small bunches broccoli rabe (also known as rapini)
a couple of hands full of arugula (you could use spinach, or any green you like)
2 tsp garlic, minced
18 eggs
4 cups milk (I mixed 2% and 1/2 n 1/2 to make whole milk. Many use heavy cream instead)
bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
any fresh herbs you like, chopped
grated pecorino romano (or parmesan, or asiago)
grated sharp cheddar

I used a heavy bottom, 12 inch, deep sided skillet with a lid.
Saute the onions in the olive oil with some salt and pepper until they begin to be transluscent (3-4 minutes)
Tear the rapini off of the stalks and drop that in, salting it a bit more. Stir in until wilted enough to have some room to add the arugula.
Add the arugula, a bit of salt, and stir it around. All those greens will wilt into the pan and you will know when it is time to add the eggs.

Meanwhile whisk the eggs, salt and pepper them, and whisk in the milk. Make sure it is all combined before you pour it in. Reduce the heat to low, spread the greens all around the bottom, scatter the parsley in on top with the garlic and fresh herbs, then pour the eggs in. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to stir it all around and make sure everything is combined nicely. For the first 5-10 minutes stir the bottom of the mixture, scraping it all up as if you were making scrambled eggs. After the first bit of cooking do not stir the eggs again.

Put the lid on the pan, leaving it askew just a bit so the steam can escape. Make sure it is on low (I have a gas stove; electric may be different)and let it cook. I did not time the frittata, you will want to check it every 5-10 minutes or so, and it will take close to 30. Do not stir the eggs. When the eggs are mostly set, (you can tell by giving the pan a little shake) with just some wet eggs on the top layer, turn off the stove and heat up your broiler. Sprinkle the cheeses over the top (as much cheese as you like) and set the pan under the broiler, on low, for about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it; you want the cheese melted not crispy. The eggs will be completely set by then.

Now here is where you can get real fancy or, if you are like me, you just serve it out of the pan. We put it on hot pads on the table, covering the handle with more hot pads, and cut wedges into it, like serving a pie. It came up very easily that way. If you want to be fancier let the frittata rest for about 10 minutes. Run a paring knife around the edges of your frittata, loosening the sides as best you can. Invert a plate over the top of the pan, suck in your breath and hold it, then flip the pan and plate so they are reversed: the plate is now on the bottom, the pan is on top, and if you are good the frittata came out of the pan and landed on the plate in one glorious piece. You can either serve it like that, cut into wedges, OR invert yet another plate on top of the frittata and flip it again, so that the cheese is back on top.

In Spain they eat this sort of thing at room temperature. I like it hot. Of course, if it gets to looking messy, just serve it up as fancy scrambled eggs and no one will ever know. It will still taste fabulous!

I think we're on to something. Last Sunday was our 2nd local farm tour Day Trip (The first was Hama Hama) and it was fabulous! We held it at FinnRiver Farm & Cidery, where I fell in love with the owners last February. 24 people signed up to enjoy the day with us, so we fed close to 40 people once we counted ourselves, Vicky, Erin & Leslie, the farm team and other special guests. On Friday Mark, Erin and I went to the Port Townsend/Chimacum area to gather supplies including cheese and curds from Mt Townsend Creamery; vanilla bean ice cream from Elevated Ice Cream; lots of produce from Red Dog Farm; fresh blueberries and strawberries from Finnriver and we dropped a few items off for the event while we were there. Keith told us about a place we could grab a bite to eat on our way out and we were starving since these errands had taken us longer than we had anticipated.

We landed at The Valley Tavern in Port Hadlock and I now have a new favorite hangout-I only wish it was closer to home! When we walked in to sit down Cindy the bartender brought over a bowl of popcorn, and I knew I was in a good place. They claim to be the friendliest tavern in the Pacific Northwest and I agree! The service was very nice, the food was very good and they keep the menu simple. The ambiance must be experienced, I know I won't do it justice, but the place is awesome. The chairs are padded office chairs that tilt back and roll around. Or you can sit at the bar on great 'vintage' bar stools, in a booth, or outside on the patio. They have a couple of tv's with sports on them and Friday was all you can eat fish and chips and salad. The place was full of locals and there was even a couple of shelves of novels that they offer as a lending library, because who would not want to borrow a novel from a tavern?? I read that they also have a mini laundromat, though I did not see it, and I seriously love this place. It's a bit worn in a comfortable way, like a soft pair of slippers that you just love to put on.

Before we left that day I put some Neah Bay coho salmon filets into a salt and sugar cure, and on Saturday Mark and I began to prepare the foods for Sunday. The salmon cured nicely and I flaked it into a Lomi Lomi Salmon salad, which has tomatoes, cilantro, lime and macadamia nuts in it. This is going to be a permanent part of our catering menu as everyone loved it! I got more comments on that dish than any other. We also made tomato/cucumber salad with fresh mint, organic greens salad with raspberry vinaigrette, cut up watermelon and cantaloupe from Eastern WA (thanks to Local Boys in Purdy!) and iced tea for everyone to drink. There is a small wood-fire cob oven on the farm and Mark made pizza dough with flour from Finnriver's grains, then cooked pizzas for everyone. The meat pizza had an olive oil base, roasted chicken breast (from Whatcom County), baby leeks, cheese curds and was topped with fresh arugula & olive oil. The veggie pizza had a tomato sauce base, fresh goat's ricotta from Mystery Bay Farm, fresh tomatoes & basil. These pizzas were delicious and Mark couldn't keep them coming out fast enough because there was only room for one at a time in the oven. For dessert Mark made Finnriver blueberry gallettes, which he warmed in the oven and we served with the Elevated ice cream.

As our guests arrived we invited them to look around and then Crystie, the farm wife, gave a guided tour of the farm. They got to see many things growing as well as chickens and pigs and honey bees, and then they came back to eat. We had fresh strawberries out on the picnic tables for everyone to enjoy, and the rest of the food was set up on hay bales-we were on a farm, after all! The loveliest possible musician serenaded our afternoon with soft song and guitar. Her name is Jes Raymond and I could kiss Crystie for finding this gem. Her style was bluegrass and she perfected the day even more than the sun's coming out did! I was lucky enough to get a cd, which means that I get to listen to her again. We will definitely remember her talents for other events! After the tour Crystie gave everyone some of the farmstead hard cider they make in the cidery, and talked about the methods that they use. She also let us taste the artisan cider, which is done in the method of champagne, and is my favorite. Many of our guests sat at picnic tables under an awning, next to the flower garden. A few other sat out in the sun around a funky little table that Crystie brought out from the tasting room. Everyone ate with gusto and then slowed to a leisurely nibble.

As tummies got full, the last bits of pizza were eaten and the folks could only stare at the rest of the leftovers, they started to wander around. The cidery has a beautiful tasting room and there is U-pick on the farm, so blueberries were picked and the day was enjoyed to the fullest. As far as I could tell everyone had a wonderful time during this idyllic day, and then quietly wandered towards their cars to go home. My feet were filthy since I had applied sunblock earlier and the dirt stuck. We packed everything up, said our goodbyes and went back to the cafe to clean up the mess. We forgot a few things, like the other stack of paper plates (oops!), though I hope that our mistakes were easily overlooked for the things we did well. We will definitely partner with the Kislers at Finnriver Farm again!

The next big event is September 19th when we will have the Kitsap Harvest Meal: A Farmer, Chef, Community Connection. Like last year's meal we will feature many area chefs and cooks, using produce and proteins from local area farms, and this year there will be far fewer flies since we are having it at the Olympic College campus, rather than the fair grounds. I will keep you posted because I know you won't want to miss the best meal of the year!

This week is National Farmers Market Week, so I encourage you to get out to a market and load up on local food! If you want a day trip to a market you may not have tried you could check out Port Townsend's market on Saturday or Chimacum's market on Sunday-many of our event producers are at those markets and you can taste their wonderful food. If you would rather hit the city side of life you cannot miss the Saturday UW market, which is the oldest farmer only market in the state, and the Columbia City Market is supposed to be fabulous as well. Sundays has the Ballard market, which is phenomenal with 100 stalls, and a destination all its own. Of course sticking close to home and going to a Kitsap market (or several markets) is always fun, too. I may do a market marathon this Saturday, as I don't think I have any catering to do, so watch for my "Meet Me At the Market" posts on our web site, twitter and facebook...maybe you will be the first to find me and win the prize!!

What will you do with your market finds? Here is a meal you can make using 100% market ingredients from the Poulsbo market:

Purchase: fresh eggs, garlic, spinach, cheese (I love the truffled fromage blanc from Mt Townsend), fresh herbs, potatoes, bread, & goat's milk.

4-5 fingerling potatoes per person (how many are you feeding?)
olive oil
coarse salt

1-2 eggs per person
a dash of goat's milk per person
salt & pepper

olive oil or butter or pan spray
1 clove garlic per 1-2 people, minced
1 small bunch of spinach, torn
fresh herbs, chopped

a loaf of bread

'Crack' each potato by pounding it with a pan or rolling pin. You don't want to shatter it, just crack it. Place the potatoes in one layer, in a heavy bottom pan. Bring the heat to medium low, cover and let go for about 10 minutes (if the potatoes are larger than fingerling, let them go 15-20 minutes). Turn the potatoes over, re-cover and cook again 10-20 minutes, until fork tender. When they are done toss them in a bit of good olive oil and coarse salt. When you plate them, put them in the center of the plate and smash them a bit with a fork.

While the spuds are cooking crack the eggs into a bowl, add a splash of the milk, season them with salt and pepper and whisk them briskly until they are fully incorporated; set aside.

When the potatoes are just about done:
heat a pan with a bit of oil (or butter or pan spray) and drop in the fresh garlic. Saute for a couple of minutes.
Pour in the mixture of eggs, toss in the spinach and cook on low heat, stirring to keep the eggs from sticking.
When the eggs start to firm up, add in the cheese and fresh herbs. Cook until the eggs are as firm as you like, top the potatoes with them, and enjoy them with some fresh bread!

I know it sounds like breakfast, but this makes an easy and delicious dinner, too!

Ciao for now!