Julie Jams Seattle Washington Food Cooking Blog

Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Lemon-Chive Sauce

2010-07-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite comic strip memories is from the Far Side by Gary Larson showing a snapshot of the "boneless, skinless chicken farm"...all these chickens just flopped over. Although I grew up with this particular cut of meat I have shunned it for a few years, only using it occasionally. I mean, it is a pretty boring cut, you have to admit. Usually overcooked, not a lot of flavor, and generally sliced on top of a "California" salad.

So I was curious when I found this recipe in Cooks Illustrated. (By the way...I've recently discovered that recipes and fashion cannot be copyrighted) The chicken breasts are first roasted in the oven at a low heat, warming them up to about 150 degrees. Then they are brushed with a flavorful paste and pan-seared until they have a nice crust. AND THEN THE SAUCE....

Oh, the sauce. Saucing a dish is so very fancy, so Top Chef, so professional. I fervently wish that I could just whip up various sauces without breaking my neck looking back and forth from recipe to dish. The lemon-chive sauce recommended for the chicken is FANTASTIC (and easy)!!

I may just start liking chicken breasts again.

Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Lemon-Chive Sauce
(serves 4-6)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp kosher salt (1 tsp table salt)
1 TB veg oil
2 TB butter, melted
1 TB flour
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 recipe lemon-chive sauce (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Prick the thickest part of the breasts with a fork 5 to 6 times. Sprinkle each with 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Place chicken, skinned side down, in a 13x9 inch baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake 30-40 minutes until breast is about 145 degrees.

2. Remove the chicken from the dish to a paper towel lined plate. Pat dry. Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over MH heat until almost smoking. While pan is heating, whisk the butter, flour, cornstarch, and pepper together. Lightly brush the top side of each breast with the mixture. Place chicken in the skillet and cook 3-4 minutes. Brush other side of breast with the butter mixture. Flip the chicken over, reduce heat to Medium and brown the other side for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a large plate while preparing sauce.

Lemon-Chive Sauce

1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 TB)
1 tsp flour
1 c chicken broth
1 TB juice from 1 lemon
1 TB minced fresh chives
1 TB butter, chilled
Salt and pepper

1. Add the shallot to the empty skillet. Cook over Medium heat until soft (2 minutes). Add the flour, stirring constantly about 30 seconds. Add the broth, increase heat to MH, bring to a simmer and scrape off any brown bits from the bottom. Simmer rapidly for 3-5 minutes reducing liquid to about 3/4 c. Stir in any accumulated juices and cook another 30 seconds.

2. Off heat, whisk in the lemon juice, chives, and butter, season to taste. Spoon over the chicken and serve immediately.

It is not difficult...I served it with my bacon-leek cream corn (another recipe on this site...just use the search button). While the chicken is roasting, there is plenty of time to make the rest of dinner and set the table.

Dog Mountain Farm 30th Birthday Foodbuzz 24:24:24

2009-06-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Poor "F"...this forlorn letter gets a bad rap in our culture. All I have to do is mention the "F" word and many of you can taste soap. It is certainly not the desired letter of any student.

But when it comes to parties, there are a trio of "F" words essential to a good time. Friends. Food. Fun. I'd like to propose a fourth...Farm.

Okay, I know for lots of us urban types the idea of a farm party conjures up images of hoedowns, square dancing, twangy music, and Pabst Blue Ribbon. Not exactly on the coolometer and sure to ruin your Manolo's (or maybe not since this is more of the Keens/Birkenstock region of the country).

Ever since our first glimpse of "Farm to Table" on PBS, my husband and I have been dying to try the just-picked, chef-prepared, out-in-the-orchard meal. You know, strawberries picked off the plant right over there and sliced into your salad. Or roasted chicken that was scratching around in that pen just this morning.

Northwesterners are really lucky to have so many options for locally grown food. And so my husband decided to do a little research because my 30th birthday was fast approaching and he loves to spoil me with great parties and gifts (yes, I have a great man).

And this is where Google came in handy. He quickly came across Dog Mountain Farm, located in Carnation, WA just 30 minutes from Kirkland. The owners David and Cindy Krepky have teamed up with local chefs to present Farm Dinners to the public. Eight years ago they bought this land and have spent their time transforming this wooded hilltop into a beautiful food-producing bit of acreage. Farm Dinners are their way of sharing the place they love with others and garnering interest in local, sustainable crops and animals.

This seemed the perfect way to usher in my thirties. Fortunately, FoodBuzz agreed, helping sponsor a really great evening by featuring my party in their 24, 24, 24 for June.

Chef Eric Wright (the W Hotel, Sorrento Hotel Hunt Club, former executive chef of Cactus restaurants) prepared the evening's meal and also educated us on the Slow Food Movement. He is the founding member of the Slow Food Snoqualmie Valley Convivium, part of the greater movement. Slow Food started in Rome as a protest against fast food, namely a McDonald's opening up across from Rome's iconic Spanish Steps. It's goals are quite simple...slow down, cook fresh food, enjoy your meals.

All week I kept checking the weather forecast, scared to death that it would be cold and rainy. It was needless worrying, or as my mom would say "borrowing trouble." I couldn't have asked for a nicer day. Clear, sunny, and very warm (a little hot, in fact, as my pink shoulders can attest).

Upon arrival we were greeted with a Spanish sparkling wine (Cava) and a Spanish tortilla with farm-fresh eggs, roasted asparagus and pepper, topped with goat cheese and begonia petals. Come to find out, Spanish tortillas don't actually contain what we think of as a "tortilla". It is more of a frittata type of idea.

Then came the farm tour, which had me thankful I'd bought the flats instead of those racy heels (although I should have gone with the 8 1/2 like my sister warned...and ended up with some blistered feet). Owner Cindy was our guide.

We met the draft horses, beautiful dapple grays who craved each other's company, performing every head turn in tandem. Cindy said, "Life is short. I want my horses," purchasing them from an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania.

The orchard is full of fruit trees. Cider apples, all manner of pears, quince trees, cherry trees. Honey bee hives help everything pollinate. They lost a few apricot trees to the very cold weather this past winter.

Their standard is no spraying with anything. So, if a plant variety has insect problems, they yank it and plant something else.

The vegetable garden teemed with greens, peas, and weeds. Lots of weeds. In fact, she doesn't pull most weeds which totally surprised me. But she's the certified Master Gardener, so maybe I'll defer to her knowledge and stop pulling mine!

We peeked at all of the chickens and ducks, some kept for their eggs and some for their meat. Her French breed chickens are showcased in some local restaurants including Boat Street Cafe. Due to her recent layoff from her corporate job (a blessing, she assured me) more birds are in the meat category now. It pays the bills better than eggs.

The most amazing plants, though, were the hothouse tomatoes. Who knew that tomato vines could reach 35 feet in length? They are grown two roots to a bag of sawdust. No soil! They get all their nutrients from the "vitamin" water which is dispersed to the plants via a solar panel system. Therefore, when the weather is sunny and warm, the plants are fed quite often, growing rapidly. During cold, dark times, the plants "sleep".

After that education, we were all ready for dinner. Three long rows of tables sitting about 48 people (it was full!) perched beautifully in the orchard with a view of the Cascades.

First served was Green Soup featuring white beans, kale from the garden, grilled spring onions, fresh new lettuce, and herb pistou (Chef Eric explained "pistou" as pesto without the cheese). It was fabulous and brilliantly paired with Red Sky's 2007 Semillon, a crisp herbal white wine.

We had ample time between courses to enjoy the company of friends and family. With me and my husband were my parents, my sister, my best girlfriend, and our favorite friends from Portland.

Next out came the salad course. Grilled apriums (an apricot-plum mix strongly favoring the apricot), pimenton (smoked paprika) with charred Italian chicory, blue cheese, toasted almonds, and a Crianza wine vinaigrette. The dressing was amazing and quite creamy in texture. Our friends from Red Sky treated us to their 2008 Merlot Rose, in their words, "not your grandmother's rose." Bone dry and lusciously cherry in color, it was probably the favorite of most in my dinner party.

For the main course, we had grilled wild sockeye salmon (Chef Eric prefers their flavor to the King Salmon) with grilled corn cakes, herb salad (parsley and basil), cucumber-citrus-jicama salsa, and both red and green chili sauces. Red Sky's 2005 Syrah rounded out the flavors. The salmon was moist (thank goodness, nothing is worse than dry salmon!), the salsa was juicy and bright, the chili sauces had nice heat. The corn cake could have used the love of some hot oil in a frying pan, but sadly that was not a possibility in the farm kitchen setup.

And finally, Chef Eric pulled on his extensive Mexican food repertoire producing an amazing dessert. Vanilla flan with caramel sauce, garnished with cherry compote. The cherries had been cooked in Jonesy Tawney Port (Australia) which was also served in a small glass with dessert. Three cheers for this dessert!!

While the party ended shortly thereafter for most of my guests (and everyone else), there was more to come for us and our Portland friends. We opted to spend the night. They pitched their tent in the field and we slept in the newly installed yurt tent, complete with a beautiful bed, plush rugs, and a little breakfast table.

The boys dragged out a great fire pit to roast marshmallows and we relaxed the evening away watching the sun set on the Cascade mountains. Before retiring for the evening, we star-gazed at the vast Milky Way clearly visible in the dark countryside.

After a breakfast of blueberry coffee cake, fresh strawberries, melon and cherries, thick salty bacon, and two superbly cooked duck eggs we left Dog Mountain Farm, site of an amazing 30th birthday party.

Julie Jams is also an Artist

2010-07-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

Along with being a food writer I am also an painter. Please check out my website to view my portfolio. If you are ever interested in a custom portrait just let me know.

http://j-arnan.com/

Dutch Baby

2010-06-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things to order at a nearby pancake joint is the made-to-order Dutch Baby. It's this eggy, souffle-ish thing that puffs way up in the oven and then deflates. The original is my favorite, served with powdered sugar sprinkled on top and lemon wedges squeezed over the surface.

It seems really fancy, but is actually simple to make. Much simpler than even scones or muffins or pancakes.

Of course, recipes vary, but here is a simple version of a fabulous breakfast dish. Make sure to turn on the oven light so you and your kids can enjoy the view on the Smellavision.

Dutch Baby

2 large eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 c all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
2 TB butter
2 TB confectioners sugar
lemon wedges

1. Place a 10 inch skillet in the oven, then turn the oven on to 475 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until they are light in color and frothy. Add the milk and mix thoroughly. Slowly whisk in the flour and the salt. Let is sit until the oven is preheated.

3. Remove the skillet and reduce the oven temp to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in the skillet, swirling to evenly coat the pan. Pour in the egg batter and return the skillet to the oven.

4. Bake for about 12 minutes until the Dutch Baby is lightly browned. It is fun to watch it puff way up in the oven.

5. Remove from the oven and using a spatula or a knife, lightly slide the Dutch Baby onto a large plate or platter. Sprinkle copiously with the confectioners sugar and serve with lemon wedges. Yum.

Grilled Cheese Therapy

2010-05-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Every couple has some sort of ongoing, long-standing disagreement. Ours has to do with me thinking that I'm right about the "proper" way to make food. On all seafood matters, I happily defer to my husband who grew up eating so much seafood that I trust he knows what it should taste like.

However, on the slim chance that he's taking a risk and making something in the/my kitchen, I find it almost impossible not to hover about dispensing tidbits of advice or, at the very least, disapproving looks when things seem to be going awry. But there is a phrase he likes to deliver that usually makes me tuck tail and leave.

"Remember the cheese sandwich?"

See, early on in our now decade-long marriage we had a little run-in regarding the proper method to make a cheese sandwich. Funny thing is, I can't remember either one of our methods. But his was appallingly wrong and, of course, being so much more "schooled" in cooking know-how I pointed out how wrong his approach to the cheese sandwich was. His gentle response was that people can do things in different ways and that is okay. Um, okay.

Ten years later, thanks to one of my favorite publications (Cook's Illustrated), I can finally and with confidence be sure that there is a "right" way to make a grilled cheese sandwich.

You know the two main issues plaguing a good sandwich...either the outside is charred black while the inside is still solid, unmelted cheese --or-- the cheese is melted but the outside is a soggy mess. The secret? Read on...

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2 slices of good quality bread (I was using that Innkeeper's Bread from Costco)
A good handful of grated cheese (Gouda is gooda, but choose something you like)
Butter

Heat the skillet to Medium Low. Place a piece of dry (unbuttered) bread in the skillet and top with a good lot of cheese. Warm the bread and cheese, checking to see that the bread is not browning much. Top with the other slice of bread and carefully flip to warm from the other side. The cheese should be starting to melt by now.

While the second side is warming, spread soft butter over the top slice. Turn the heat up to Medium. Flip the sandwich so that the buttered side is down. Cook until it is a nice golden color. Butter the second side and repeat.

Perfect ooey gooey cheese. Perfect toasted, crisp bread. Perfect for this freezing cold and wet spring.

Hey, I can admit when I'm wrong about something. Especially now that I know the real "right" way to do it!

Scones that will keep you home

2010-05-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

One of my all time favorite breakfast items (right now) are delicious fresh-baked scones. I first came across the recipe in Edible Seattle in an interview with the chef at Boat Street Cafe. The interviewer even suggested that these are really the only scones worth eating. That may be a little bit of a stretch having tasted good scones here and there (sorry, Starbucks, but I'm not talking about yours).

Many factors influence a good scone...freshness (for sure), good quality cream, and not overworking the dough to name a few.

I admit that I've had to rework the original recipe. For starters, I cut it in half. Not because I didn't want all those scones but because I found that I couldn't bake the full recipe at once with consistent results. I ended up with a lot of crowding and melting with the full recipe. Secondly, I took out the orange zest because it is just not my most favorite flavor. And lastly, I increased the baking time because I kept getting doughy scones. Perhaps that is because of my particular oven. You'll have to experiment a little to find the perfect combination for yourself.

Cream Scones

2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 c sugar (I fill my 1/4 c just over half full)
1 tsp baking powder
A good pinch of Kosher salt (less if using table salt)
1/4 c dried currants (soak them in water for a bit to rehydrate...or rum is really good, too)
1 1/2 c heavy cream (use a tiny bit less than this, add more if needed)

Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the dry ingredients with a whisk. Drain the currants and add to the flour mixture, combining until evenly distributed. Add the cream to the flour mixture. Bring together with a fork or sometimes I use a pastry cutter. Mix until the flour is moistened and then stop mixing. Over-mixing leads to tough scones. The dough is pretty wet and sticky. That's okay.

Get some flour on your hands, then dump your dough onto the parchment covered baking sheet. Push the dough together and pat into a six inch round. It will be fairly high...like 1.5- 2 inches tall. I use a steak knife to cut the round into 8 pieces (like a pizza). Separate the pieces by at least 2 inches so they don't bake into each other.

Using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, brush a little cream onto each top, then sprinkle with some sugar. Bake 15-18 minutes, until they start to look a little golden. They will not get very brown. I tend to need 17-18 minutes in my oven, although the original recipe only called for 10-15 minutes.

You might have to experiment a few times to find the perfect temperature. Also, if you want to double the recipe, I recommend making the first batch, baking, and then making a second batch instead of simply doubling. But that's just my way.

Don't forget to serve with soft butter, honey, or jam. They are great with a cup of English Breakfast tea. To reheat, loosely wrap in foil and warm in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Now y'all can impress at the next brunch. I love these so much that I made my own Mother's Day breakfast. Who needs a hectic coffee shop when you can sit in your pj's at home and eat these?

And a little guilty admission from me...I normally do all my own photography, but this scone image was snagged from another site. However, they look just like the scones I make and I thought you'd like a visual. Please forgive!

French Comfort Food Starts with "Boof"

2010-01-24T19:52:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, I received a little gift in the mail from my college roommate, Julia. She'd seen this funny little green book with a title that just urged her to buy it. Can you guess?

The book is called "Julie & Julia". Of course, now it's a major motion picture starring little ol' Meryl Streep and the cutsie Amy Adams. I'll admit, I read the book way before I started blogging or even before I really knew what a food blog was. And I know like a billion people thought they could write a food blog after that book...like everyone who's ever eaten has this witty wise writer lurking beneath the surface. I mean, I feel that way every time I read a book thinking, "There must be an amazing story somewhere in my brain. I could totally have written that book if I, like, wanted to."

Anyways, I liked the movie as a story of its own...not so sure about the choice of Amy Adams, though. As much as I like her, can't say I ever thought "Julie Powell" when considering her acting characteristics. While we were watching, my husband asked if I wanted Julia Child's cookbook, to which I said, "Not really." Don't get me wrong...Julia Child deserves praise as the godmother of the American cooking revolution, but I can't see myself making any aspics.

However, I am a huge beef stew fan...always trying new takes on the dish, whether it's the gravy style with potatoes that my dad adores, the Newcastle Brown Ale (ala Jamie Oliver) that my friend Kasey was so fond of, or my personal favorite...the red wine based dish. So, feeling veeery cliche, I googled "Julia Child beouf borggg.....(that goodness, Google finished that word)". Of course, even with my infinitely minimal knowledge of the French language I know how to pronounce it thanks to the popularity of the movie. It does make me feel quite refined to mouth the word "boof" like a proper Frenchie.

(Is there a way to make stew look good on "film"?)

So here I was facing a full day of cooking...it's like a 6 hour preparation, you know. But I was excited! I mean, I love cooking and haven't gotten to do it much lately, hence the excitement. Call me a food nerd, but I just love prepping...cubing meat, slicing veg, heating oil, and making sure the meat gets very browned. Building flavors at the bottom of the Dutch oven is strangely exhilarating...okay, I'll move on now...

Like I said before, my personal favorite beef stew is a red-wine based concoction without potatoes (on the side is excellent, but in the stew is mushy). The main difference between what I've made in the past and Julia Child's version is the sheer quantity of wine used. I'm used to the main liquid begin beef stock (well, broth in my case), with like a cup of wine. But she uses 3 whole cups...and just so you're not bitterly disappointed when you make this recipe, 3 cups is a full 750 mL bottle of wine (so buy 2 bottles to make the meal as you'd anticipated to enjoy it).

Plus, she includes mushrooms and separately braised onions which were DIVINE! It calls for 20 small (pearl) onions. Of course, my favorite grocery store was out...something about cold storage and not looking too great. So I took a chance with 12 small white cippolini onions. Good move, let me tell you. They were so buttery and sweet. Wow...I'm still savoring their flavor and texture in my mind...again, I'll move on now...

People...it was an amazing dinner. Totally worth the umpteen hours of prep. The house smells amazing, too. Very good, very good. Well, it's not like I invented the dish, so how about a link to the particular recipe I borrowed? Ok, click here. Time to pass out from cooking satisfaction now.

(You know a pot that looks like this after cooking produced something good.)

Spinach Ricotta Manicotti

2010-01-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

An excellent vegetarian manicotti perfect for Meatless Monday or Tofu Tuesday or whatever night you take off from eating animals. Sorry, but totally not vegan for Way-Out-There Wednesday.

Spinach Ricotta Manicotti

2 c shredded mozzarella
1 carton (12 oz or so) ricotta cheese
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed a bit
1/4 c fresh grated parmesan
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 package of manicotti shells (14 pieces)
1 jar pasta sauce (26 oz)
1 c water

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray a 9x13 inch pan. Fill with half of the pasta sauce.
3. Combine 1 1/2 c mozzarella, ricotta, spinach, parmesan, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Spoon into shells, filling them completely.
4. Place the filled shells into the pan and cover with the remaining pasta sauce and the water. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 c mozzarella cheese.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving (or it will be soupy).

Spices...A Case of Mistaken Identity

2009-11-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why The Great Spirit in the Pie has it in for me, but I always manage to screw something up when it comes to baking. Most of you have, no doubt, tasted something great from my oven, Unfortunately, for every happy ending there are probably 15 flops.

Sure, everyone has had some sort of problem with a fancy fold-in-the-whipped-egg-whites kind of project. But today's adventure was pumpkin bread. No yeast to turn out dead. No egg whites to slump over. Just basic yummy things like butter and sugar, flour and spices, canned pumpkin for heaven's sake!

Oh, did I say spices? I always buy my spices in bulk at PCC because they are amazing and it is sooo much cheaper than a whole bottle of something. Long long ago I restocked my ground ginger, which I rarely use. Normally, fresh will do just fine. Baked goods, however, usually require powdered versions of spices.

This recipe had the usual cinnamon, along with other "holiday" spices like cloves and nutmeg and a bit of ginger. I'll admit, I knew something was off the second I unscrewed the cap. Knew something was seemingly off as I scooped up that 1/2 teaspoonful (I was doubling the recipe to save time). That something kept gnawing at my mind as I thoroughly incorporated those spices into the mix.

Called my friend, the pumpkin bread master. "Uh, does your ground ginger smell a lot like garlic powder?" "Hmm," she replied, "No, it smells a lot like ginger." Nuts!

Long long ago when I restocked that ginger, I must have also restocked my garlic powder. They are identical in color. But oh so different in taste, especially in something meant to be sweet.

The funny thing is, no one seems to notice. I mean, I can't get past the knowledge that the pumpkin bread has garlic powder in it. I'm sure I can smell it. But the bread is disappearing none the less. Happy accident? I think not. But I guess it wasn't too big of a flop!

"Spiced Pumpkin Bread"

1 3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger (careful, now)
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened
1 c sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c canned pumpkin
3/4 c chocolate chips
3/4 c chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease one large or three small loaf pans; set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the pumpkin and blend well. Stir in dry ingredients with a spoon; do not over mix. Stir in the chocolate and the nuts if using.

Spoon batter into the pan and bake for one hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. If necessary, tent the pans with foil. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. Great with a little cream cheese.

2009-10-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

For years, the restaurant scene in Redmond, Washington has been woefully underdeveloped. I mean, it has it's Claimjumpers and whatnot for those craving 3 meals on one plate. And Pomegranate Bistro has it's moments, but is better for the weekend brunch than the night out without the kids.

But last weekend we found a rare treasure hiding right there in downtown Redmond. As you're going down Cleveland street, look left and you'll see The Stone House, a little old home-turned-restaurant. Quaint, cute...if it were listed in a home real estate listing it would say Charming Cottage (which we all know means Small and Old).

The kitchen, as seen through the backdoor appears miniscule. The dining room isn't much bigger with seating for a tight 25 or so and a teensy bar.

We started off a little shaky with a lunch menu instead of the wine menu, but after that confusion was remedied, the night only got better.

Always a sucker for figs and proscuitto, we got a little balsamic dressed salad for starters. It was good, but lacked some acid. Next up, we shared the Red Curry Mussels, buttery mollusks in a spicy sauce. I personally would have liked a serving spoon, but that's just me. And definitely ask them for some bread to soak up the curry sauce. It's hard to get the nuances of the sauce with just the mussels.

And then (cue heavenly harp chords)...there were the entrees. Oh, the entrees. How wonderful art thou! How genius is thy chef!

Succulent duck breast rolled around a dried cherry hazelnut compote, then wrapped in thick, juicy (not too salty) strips of bacon, all served over a mixture of chanterelle mushrooms and sweet chunks of butternut squash, sauced with a sage pesto. Wow...absolutely amazing.

But there's more. Not only was my entree the best I've had in ages. My husband's meal was equally incredible.

The menu literally reads, "Chili Crusted Painted Hills Farm Beef Tenderloin with White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Local Corn and Cilantro Butter." What that doesn't say is, "This is maybe the best piece of meat in the state." Yeah, I've been to Ruth's Chris Steak House and Daniel's Broiler. They have their good points, but they can go to the back of the lunch line cuz Chef Ryan Donaldson has serious chops (and I don't mean pork). This dish is inspired. The caramelized salty crunch of crust on the melt-in-your mouth beef, a whole cob of sweet corn flavored with that beautiful cilantro butter. I mean, when I go back I want to try something new, but I don't know if I could pass up ordering this beef for myself.

The dessert menu has all the regulars (flourless chocolate cake, creme brulee, bread pudding, brown butter cake) plus a roasted banana split in a martini glass. Cute until you spill it all over the table because it is impossible to eat out of that ridiculous glass. Try their house made brownies, though. You won't be sorry (unless you each had your own dessert before getting the brownies because your waistband will be quite uncomfortable at this point).

And for aspiring home cooks, there are recipes! New every week. If you missed one, all you have to do is email the chef for it. How great is that?

So go to The Stone House. Go, go, go, and ignore the paint color in the dining room for now. Because if you keep going, they can paint over it and maybe upgrade to a bigger restaurant. We do not want this place to close it's doors without opening some new ones.

Swirl into Dinner

2009-10-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

Chicken, chicken, how to make it more exciting...

Well, everything tastes better with some sort of salty pork product.

And there's got to be some cheese.

And then we've got to mess with the presentation a bit.

Channel your inner cinnamon roll and what do you have?

A roulade (you know it's going to taste good with such a fancy name).

Note: It's extra tasty if you get your spouse to make it.

Chicken Prosciutto Roulade

2 large chicken breasts, bones and skin removed
3-4 slices of prosciutto
a little tomato paste or some chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 c mozzarella, shredded
olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Between two sheets of plastic wrap, pound the chicken breasts flat until they are about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Season with a little salt and pepper.

2. Spread some tomato paste on the chicken and top with 1 or 2 slices of prosciutto. Sprinkle on the cheese. Drizzle with a bit olive oil and season lightly.

3. Starting with the short end of the chicken, roll up the layers (think cinnamon rolls). Tightly wrap each roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or so to firm everything up.

4. Remove from the fridge and remove plastic wrap. Heat a little butter and olive oil in a skillet over MH heat. Sear the rolls lightly to give it some nice color. Transfer to a baking dish, cover lightly with foil. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Check temp with a meat thermometer.

5. Remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes. Carefully slice into 1 inch servings. Drizzle the pan juices over the slices and serve. Try it with some pasta and a salad.

Harvest Cake

2009-10-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Edible Seattle is one of my favorite publications. I'm sorry to say I still don't subscribe. Although, it's to their benefit because then I pay the higher price for each issue. Recently, I rescued an old copy (last fall) that was melting into the pile on my counter and remembered that there was a recipe I wanted to try.

Last year when I went to Taste Washington!, the rep for Edible Seattle gave me this particular issue and raved about the Harvest Cake. Apparently, they had a ton of positive feedback on this cake.

Since my husband's little glucose problem has changed our family's "dessert every night" policy (trust me, our pants are glad for the change), I've been looking for a reason to bake a cake. It just so happened to be my mom's 29th birthday (again) this week. A perfect occasion for Harvest Cake.

When you see the ingredients, you'll be a little puzzled. But this cake is AMAZING! I've altered the original recipe, but thought I'd put the original amounts in parentheses so you can judge for yourself. Happy Harvest.

Harvest Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake:
Butter for the pan
2 large carrots, grated (1 1/2 c)
1 large parsnip, grated (1 cup)
1 medium zucchini, grated (1 1/4 c)
1 tart apple, grated (1 c)
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon (plus 1/2 tsp ground ginger if you want)
3 large eggs
3/4 c sugar (original calls for 1 c)
1/4 c brown sugar (packed)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c canola oil (I think 1/4 c would work just fine)

Frosting:
1/2 stick (4 TB) butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 c confectioners' sugar
2 TB apple cider
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x9 inch pan, line with parchment, butter the parchment. Set aside.

Whisk together the flours, soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars until very well blended. Add the vanilla and the oil, whisking until completely combined. Using a spoon, stir in the flour mixture, then fold in the grated vegetables and fruit, stirring until completely coated with batter.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake on the middle rack for 50-55 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a cooling rack. Remove the paper, and invert again onto a serving plate. Cool at least 1 hour more.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. Whip the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until light and smooth, about 3 minutes. On low, add the sugar, a little at a time, then the cider and cinnamon. Scrape down the bowl, increase speed to high and whip for 2 minutes.

Cut the cake in half horizontally, spread with frosting. Add the top layer and frost the top and sides. There will be extra. Just let it chill out in the fridge for a couple days and dip some apple slices in it.

Dare I say a "healthy cake"? Yeah, I dare. That's right. And it's oh so yummy.

Trend Du Jour: The Taco Cart

2009-10-03T15:39:00.000-07:00

Uh, ahem...hello. Is this thing on?

I know it's been a while, so let me explain. At the beginning of September, I finally left the ranks of a purely stay-at-home mom and joined the dizzying paced workforce of adjunct professordom. I have to admit, its a little strange being addressed as "Professor" (especially since that's not technically true!). I'm feeling a little old, not having the slightest idea about current music requested during studio work times.

But on top of that big change, there was the even bigger surprises my husband had in store this fall. There was a whirlwind interview out of state, an offer, some agonizing about whether to take it, then the obligatory "tears because of change", an acceptance of aforementioned job, a very long weekend spent driving (7 hours each way) and looking at new housing, then tearful goodbyes to daddy who would have to spend three months on his own in the new town. Oh, and then it was all for naught because the boss was too far gone on the crazy woman side of the tracks having misrepresented the kind of commitment she sought (both kidneys, a cornea, and the firstborn, no kidding).

So after the emotional rollercoaster (actually more like a jetliner in a lightning storm with one engine out), we have our man back, albeit unemployed. It's been a very great couple of weeks with him back. Lots of housework is getting done, my cooking load lightened. He and the baby have become very tight.

Last night, when the older kids went to Grandma's for the night, he made it all up to me (and the baby) by an all expenses paid dinner out. Nothing says love like the gas station parking lot, a little Google CEO on NPR, and the special from the taco stand in Totem Lake called Burrito Mojado.

Five meaty little tacos, a little cilantro and onion, some salsa verde, and a squeeze of fresh lime. All washed down with the included HFCS beverage in the red can. Cheap delicious eats. And he had even worked it out with the baby so that she fell asleep just minutes before we arrived and stayed asleep during the whole dinner-in-our-sweet-minivan experience. (There are tables set up outside the cart, but our car was warmer!)

And since everything is perfectly hunky dory now (at least until the next major surprise), maybe I can jump back on the food blogger train. I definitely owe it to my readers to let you in on my husband's very own Chicken Prosciutto Roulade recipe.

Hasta Luego, Amigos.

My Desert Island Pizza Joint

2009-08-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Zeek's, Pagliacci...you're both great. I've had a good time with you and I really like your personality. But I think we should start seeing other people. I mean, we can still be friends, can't we? The occasional visit now and then?

What? You think there is someone else, another pizza place that stole me away?

Well, I have to be honest, because we're friends and I don't want to lie. I have been seeing this other place for a couple of weeks now. Yeah, two weeks in a row, in fact. I think it is getting serious. I even bought their shirt for my son. The name is Flying Squirrel Pizza Co. and it is a keeper.

Oh, so you want to know what my new love has that you don't have? The crust, oh the crust...so light and chewy and not a speck of greasy. Yes, Zeek's...your crust is really amazing, too, but there is just something so special about my new place.

The first date was an amazing array of cheesy herbed breadsticks to dip in a downright spicy tasting sauce. My kids were a little put off, but you know how I like things spicy. After the breadsticks, we moved on to one of the specials...The Boston Spaceship, utilizing salami slices from none other than Seattle's own Salumi (think Mario Batali's dad...). And sweet onions. Wow!

And I when I asked for a little sugar at the end of the night, do you know what I got? Two fresh walnut chocolate-chip cookies (Columbia City Bakery) sandwiching some delicious Molly Moon Salted Caramel ice cream (also available in Vanilla Bean). I'm literally swooning just thinking about it.

Well, I tried to wait the customary week before calling just so I wouldn't look desperate. I managed to make it the whole week without even cyber-stalking this new place. But when the opportunity arose, I went for it.

This time, I was charmed with the very classy flavors of the Figure 8 pie...fresh figs, walnuts, prosciutto, goat cheese, and chopped arugula. I think I'm falling in love!

I can't wait to try their Washington pie...their version of the Hawaiian, but with local ham, caramelized onions, and granny smith apple slices. Or how about the one with an egg, arugula, fresh mozzarella, and red onion? And I swear I saw something with pulled pork on top.

We might as well start picking out some curtains because there are so many new avenues I want to explore (like the grown-up dessert called the Irish Squirrel...like a root beer float only the vanilla ice cream is dunked in a pint of Guinness).

And you should be happy for me...it's not every day that you meet the pizza joint you're meant to be with forever.

Rescue from the Rut

2009-08-16T09:26:00.001-07:00

Isn't it easy to get into a food rut? We do it all the time, mostly at breakfast. For a while it was Ancient Grain Bread toasted with butter and honey. When we lived in China it was an egg fried perfectly round in a wok with some steam bread to dip in our instant coffee (with the obligatory sweetened condensed milk).

There have been cereal streaks and yogurt with granola phases. We were really into my husband's scrambled eggs for a bit.

So, it's always nice when we have something new, something unexpected. It is especially nice when it provides some good nutrition, too.

This recipe is a great way to use up all that zucchini from your garden. I thought I had a bunch out there when I planned this recipe. Turns out my zucchini is not the big producer it is normally accused of being. But I did have a few small yellow summer squashes. What the heck, I thought, they are both minimally flavored squash. The experimenter in me went for it.

Apple Squash Muffins

1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour (or unbleached white flour)
1/2 c oat bran
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 c plain nonfat yogurt
3/4 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 c grated squash
1 c peeled, cored, and diced apples (big enough to be recognizable)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a paper liner in each cup of a muffin tin.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, bran, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix evenly.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until light yellow in color. Add the yogurt, brown sugar, and the vanilla. Beat until thoroughly mixed. Gently fold in the squash and apples with a spatula. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just blended.

Spoon about 1/3 c of batter into each muffin cup. (I had a little leftover and used my mini muffin tin for the excess...bake the mini muffins about 20 minutes total). Bake the muffins 15 minutes, then rotate the pan, and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove muffins from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Allow to cool completely before storing in a sealed container.

They are healthy enough to eat two (less than 150 calories each with only 1.5 g of fat...more than 4 g of protein and 2 g of fiber). Have fun getting out of that breakfast rut!

Gnarly Roasted Carrots

2009-08-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

Like many others here in the Northwest, I decided to try my hand at a garden this summer. I always love having fresh herbs. And a couple of tomato plants are nice...especially the cherry tomatoes because, let's face it, they are really the only ones with much chance of ripening!

There were a bunch of rainbow carrot starts available to me this year, so I planted as many as possible in and around my other plants. My hopes were high. I had all new dirt thanks to my dad who rescued me from the poisoned dirt left by the Terminix dude. The ant hill was apparently too close to my garden so he had felt the need to spray all my pea plants this last spring. "Don't worry," he said, "the dirt is fine, just don't eat the peas from the plants I sprayed." Yeah, well, as an organic gardener, I'm not stuffing a bunch of seeds in dirt saturated with ant poison.

The dirt my dad delivered seemed to be good, as he was assured by the dirt saleswoman. And reading all those soil ammendment suggestions in my Seattle Tilth book just makes my brain shut down. I admit I'm intimidated by things like "Mix x parts per y cubic feet of dirt." So, I hoped for the best and left the dirt as it was, with the exception of a little organic fertilizer mix from a plant vendor.

I should have know better, though. The dirt did support life, but it packed down hard as a rock. Recently, I tried to shove a stick into it and the stick broke having made barely a hole. So, then there are my carrots...that need soft, finely worked soil. Half of them started to grow only to be pushed back up into the air, exposing most of the carrot root. The other half started growing great, hit the hard pan dirt and did some cuh-razy loop-de-loops. None of them were straight and strong.

So we picked them all and made a great roasted carrot side dish for our fish last night (along with a little yellow summer squash and some sweet onions).

Roasted Carrots with Cumin

A bunch of carrots, cut to "baby" carrot size
Salt and Pepper
A pinch of cumin (coriander is good too)
Olive oil (butter is great, but...cholesterol...)
A liquid (chicken stock, water, chardonnay,..)

Make a double thickness foil pouch. Pour in the carrots, season with the salt and pepper, and the cumin. Drizzle with olive oil (or set a few pats of butter on them). Pour in about a half cup or so of the liquid. Seal up the pouch and roast for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Open up the pouch and roast for another 15-20 minutes until the carrots are cooked but still have some firmness. Soggy carrots are yucky (trust me...I've made them soggy before).

I served these with a little fish. I made up the sauce...and it actually worked well, so I'm going to share it, too.

Baked Fish with Creamy Sauce

4 fillets white fish (tilapia...)
1/4 c mayo
2 tsp whole grain mustard (I'm making up the amount...I can't remember how much I used)
lemon juice (just keep squeezing until it tastes good)
lemon slices
1/2 c chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper
1 TB capers

Mix the sauce ingredients. In a 9x13 inch glass dish, set out the parsley and lemon slices. Put the fish on top in a single layer. Spread the mayo sauce over the fish. I baked them in the same 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Test them for doneness by flaking a little or checking the thickest part. Don't overcook them, though!

Saturday Morning is Health-Food Morning

2009-08-08T09:39:00.001-07:00

During our vacation to Sun River in July, I whipped up a full batch of my favorite pancakes. They were a huge hit...especially to the little birthday girl. We celebrated my niece's first birthday at breakfast with pancakes instead of birthday cake--a perfect time of day for early-to-bed babies.

Today is Saturday and, usually, Saturday morning family breakfasts are full-tilt carb fests. However, with the health hatchet looming over our necks, my favorite pancakes are out. Not totally, but they needed some modification. Gone are the butter and egg yolks. And in comes the fiber. I have to admit I was feeling a little sad about amending my recipe, but I enjoyed being pleasantly surprised by the healthy alternative. This version took inspiration from The Diabetic Bible
.

Buttermilk Pancakes (Healthy Style!)

1 c unbleached flour (sub 1 c rice flour if gluten intolerant)
3/4 c oat bran (or rice bran)
1 TB sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 c low-fat buttermilk
3 egg whites, beaten

Sift together the flour, bran, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the egg whites and buttermilk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together.

Heat the griddle to about 350 degrees. Spray with cooking spray or oil slightly, wiping off the excess. Ladle about 1/4 c batter onto the hot griddle and cook until the bubbles set. Flip once and finish cooking. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

This recipe makes about 8 (they said 10) pancakes. The bran sticks a little to the griddle, so be aware of that.

Serve with fresh fruit and/or a little maple syrup. And, on a side note, fresh tasty (nitrate-free at PCC) turkey sausage goes great with this...and is a totally viable alternative to pork sausage (I'll miss you little piggies, but it is better for both of us this way).

Delicious Summer Peach Crisp

2009-08-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

There are oh so many peach cliches out there dying to make there way into this post...but perhaps the most accurate one is that I'm "up to my eyeballs in peaches." My neighbor regularly visits her family in Eastern Washington, passing right through massive amounts of orchards. I was most interested in peaches this time around and she obliged me by picking up a 25 pound box (and two for herself!).

Since getting a truckload of quart jars from my friend last fall, I've been itching to use them. Canned peaches were at the top of my list. So I got to work this afternoon slipping off skins, halving, pitting, slicing, making syrup (light and extra light are the way to go...heavy syrup is bad for the insulin deficient!).

I have the Ball book of Home Preserving. It contains so much information...so many ideas! I filled 9 quart jars with the peach slices, running out of lids part way through...of course you knew that would happen, right? There were problems with floating peach masses no matter how tightly I thought I was packing them. And I kept having jars that wouldn't seal. Argh!

Well, after reheating various jars (quart jars process for 30 minutes...so we're talking all day here), I'm down to 2 unsealed jars still! But I quit for the night. Maybe I'll open those up and make some peach jam tomorrow.

In between all that I did laundry, cooked a low-carbohydrate meal of chicken/bean/pepper/chile burritos in whole wheat tortillas, and then decided to use the last few raw peaches to make a yummy summer crisp.

Back to the cutting board. Fortunately, I had all the hot canning water still, so de-skinning the peaches was a snap. In case you don't know, to easily skin peaches, dip them in boiling water for 30-60 seconds and then plunk them into a cold water bath. The skins (usually) come right off.

Delicious Summer Peach Crisp

5 1/2 c peaches, peeled and sliced
2 TB flour (or tapioca/arrowroot to thicken)
1 TB lemon juice
1 c sugar (or 1/2 c honey, or 3/4 c maple syrup)
3/4 TB cinnamon (or 1/4 TB allspice, or 1/8 tsp cloves)

Stir ingredients into a bowl, then pour into a glass baking dish, taking care not to overfill.

Crumb topping:

1/2 c unbleached flour
1/2 c rolled oats (not quick or instant)
1/2 sugar
1/4 finely chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
1/4 c butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine topping and sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Get out the vanilla ice cream!

Salmon-in-a-Packet

2009-08-02T12:01:00.001-07:00

Hey! Remember me? I know, it's been longer than the customary length of time between posts. There was vacation. And then I've been working on my upcoming classes for next year. And then it was 100 degrees for a week...in Seattle. I kid you not. And no one has air conditioning here. My sweatbox of a house was killer. No cooking, I can assure you. I thought about being funny and posting an ice cream ad, but even sitting at the computer was pure torture.

And then there's also my husband's new dietary restrictions. You know you're getting old when you start getting bad news at the doctor's office.

Remember when you were a teen and could eat a bunch of nachos, drink a thousand ounces of Mountain Dew, and finish it off with a large blizzard? What about you boys who could consume an entire pizza accompanied with fries and chicken wings? Even in your twenties, things don't seem to count.

So maybe you don't eat like a 16 year old boy anymore, but now there is beer or wine available to you. And your refined adult taste likes cream sauces, rich meats, bread puddings, and such. You might put on a few pounds, but certainly it is just a phase because you've indulged a little too much this year or had your third baby or something. It couldn't possibly be that those extra inches are actually yours for good! You could melt them off whenever you really decided to, right? No serious harm in going up a size or two...

But, if there is a line of diabetics in your family, or a history of high cholesterol or high blood pressure...you might just get a wake up call during your first physical in 10 years.

Such was the case for my husband recently. As he sat in the doctor's office, funeral dirge playing ominously in his head, he knew major changes were in the works. Of course, a good lump of guilt formed in my throat as I mentally reviewed Julie Jams for the last year.

Yeah, we've been living it up. I've become a self-proclaimed mighty fine cook this last year. However, this year's challenge will be to take those skills and direct my focus in a more healthful direction. First to go are the copious amounts of sweets, butter, and creamy desserts followed closely by mountains of bread, tortilla chips (a lunch staple here), and rice. My husband's never been a super sweet tooth, but rice will be hardest for him to part with.

Do you have any idea how much protein you are supposed to consume in one day? Chances are, it's way more than you're actually eating. Since your body doesn't store protein like it stores fat, you have to eat it regularly to keep everything in balance. And of course, fish is every health nut's crown jewel. Good thing we love fish!

I put a bunch of it on the menu for the next two weeks. First up was this Gingered Salmon. And it was great! I got it from the Moosewood Collective's "Moosewood Restaurant New Classics"...a mostly vegetarian book of recipes.

Gingered Salmon (in-a-packet)

4 - six ounce salmon fillets
1/4 c olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c grated fresh ginger root
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c rice vinegar (or lemon juice)
1/2 tsp dark sesame oil
2 c peeled and sliced carrots
1 c sliced water chestnuts
2 c red bell pepper slices
1/4 c chopped scallions

Preheat the oven to 450. For each fillet, fold a 12x24 inch sheet of foil in half to make a double-thick 12 inch square; set aside.

Rinse the fish, pat dry, and set aside. Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and ginger and saute on low heat for about 1 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, rice vinegar or lemon juice, and sesame oil and set the sauce aside.

Place one fourth of the carrots and water chestnuts in the center of each foil square. Drizzle on a bit of the sauce and place a fish fillet on top. Arrange the red peppers on top of each and pour the remaining sauce evenly over all. Fold each square into an airtight packet, crimp the edges shut, and place on an unoiled baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes (or slightly less, in my opinion), until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Avoid the steam when opening the packets. Serve topped with the scallions. Great with long-grain brown rice and a bok choy stir fry!

Rainbow Salad for the Maple Bar Soul

2009-07-22T21:11:00.001-07:00

Today was D-Day for my husband...Doctor Day. My other half is one of those people who has only visited the doctor a small handful of times in his entire life. When he was a 6 month old baby, his parents brought him and his brother on a 13 hour flight from Manila to the small casino town of Reno. They were crashing at his uncle's place when my baby husband suddenly took a turn for the worse. With no job yet to pay a bill and no car to take them anywhere, his parents walked him quite a distance to the hospital. Fortunately, he recovered if only slightly orange from the copious amounts of carrot juice prescribed (for what?).

Then there was the time he fell off a swing and broke his elbow...but it took a few days to ascertain that it was broken. He might have got a band-aid out of the deal, but certainly not a doctor. I mean, what were they going to do, put a cast on an elbow??

The man hasn't thrown up since 7th grade, can you believe it?

I convinced him to visit my naturopathic doctor once, but then she got a little freaky for him when she asked him which of the bottles of supplements he was leaning toward. Like, did he have a feeling that he take one more than the other. Uh...aren't you the doctor? (on a side note...I love my doctor and think she's great, but I've never had the "make a choice" treatment)

After months of knowing for certain that things weren't as they should be, he finally decided to make the call. Nothing serious (no lumps or anything), only severe pains in his toe and thumb. New shoes were prescribed for the toes.

But the blood pressure cuff told a different story...as did that pesky tape measure. He was solidly marching in the heart disease direction, obviously not the band he wanted to play with.

So, now I feel like I should apologize for all the butter we've ingested this year. But I'm not taking responsibility for those donuts. Let the record show that I've NEVER said, "We should make donuts, honey." And anything in the deep fryer was his, too. Unfortunately, the vast majority of heavy cream and sweets fall into my court. Say goodbye to bacon-topped maple bars.

Tonight, however, I started with vegetables and made a veritable rainbow for dinner. Beets roasted in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic. Fruit salad of nectarines, plums, and kiwis dressed with a little orange juice and some honey. Oven-roasted, then broiled, tilapia with fresh chives, oregano, and thyme from my garden.

But the show-stopper tonight was this veggie salad I improvised. And the great thing is, you could substitute anything you like in here.

Rainbow Salad

In a bowl, combine:

3 ears of corn, boiled 5 minutes, then cut the kernels off with a sharp knife.

A handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered.

1 red pepper, diced.

Saute, then add to the bowl:

1 small summer squash, chopped
1 small leek, halved and chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
a few fresh peas, shells removed

When those are tender, combine all the veggies together. Then whip up a dressing. Lime would be good, but I was out. So I made a vinaegrette.

Whisk together:

1/4 c olive oil
2-3 TB red wine vinegar (to taste)
salt and pepper

Add any of the following:

chili powder
cumin
coriander

Drizzle over the salad and mix gently. Let it sit for a few minutes to soak up the flavors.

That dinner was one step back in the right direction. I guess my Julie Jams theme this year is going to be to get on the health train. This is your body on pre-middle-age...

The Anniversary Edition

2009-07-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary! Julie Jams is officially one year old!

And what a year it's been. My baby went from zero to walking, my eldest completed kindergarten. I cooked so many new things, both successfully and of course, dismal failures. I thought a little recap might be in order.

It all started with a Julie Jams video where I demonstrated making strawberry jam. Little did y'all know, but that was my first time. And there was a screaming newborn in the background...hence the music dubbed over everything.

Julie Jams Making Strawberry Jam from Arnan Films on Vimeo.

I moved on to some of my summer favorites...Quinoa Salad, Jicama Salad. Orange Olive Salad was amazing!

There were attempts to be part of Tuesdays with Dorie. Those recipes usually went horribly wrong, except maybe for the Tarte Tatin. That was tasty. But come to find out I was doing the whole Dorie thing incorrectly anyways. Our friendship suffered because of it!

The lamb chops are one of our favorites now. Hmmm...note to self...put those on the menu soon.

Julie Jams was chosen for FoodBuzz's November 24, 24, 24 showcasing not one, but two Thanksgiving dinners prepared in my "Local & Homemade vs. Store Bought & Prepared" post. Wow, that was a ton of work, wasn't it sis?

One of the highlights for me was the Christmas Eve Beef Wellington. I wrapped my beef tenderloin in homemade brioche, copying an episode of Rick Steves' Christmas in Europe (France for this one). The meat turned out so great (praise the Lord, considering it was like an $80 piece of meat!). The N-O-E-L on top was my favorite part. This one is a tradition starter...only, I may try it with puff pastry this year.

I made biscuits and scones by the truckload.

And muffins, cookies, and cakes (Lazy Daisy Cake and Vanilla Cake came up a lot).

Bread pudding, pizza, pasta parties. Wait a minute...now I know why my jeans are still feeling tight. These recipes represent a whole lotta baking (bread and butter...those are the names of each thigh, respectively).

Oh, and a couple of Julie Jams Cooking Classes..."The Magic Chicken" showcasing the versatility of a whole chicken and "Wild and Crazy Salads".

Hunger Action Week had several local bloggers using the food stamps budget to feed our families for the week. It was an interesting exercise in planning and organization and also revealed a well of self-righteousness in my heart.

The most popular posts really surprised me....Homemade donuts tops the list. I slapped a less than stellar photo up thinking everyone would ignore it, but instead it made the FoodBuzz Top 9 for the day and has over 400 views now. It seems the simplest sweets are everyone's favorite because my Double Chocolate Cookies soared up the charts as well. What about the fancy stuff? Hmmm...I guess I should stick with the favorites to achieve popularity.

But I've never been good with popularity, hence my angsty fame-crushing post on why I don't like the label "Foodie". Oh well, at least it generated some conversation.

I love hearing back from the readers, especially those who actually made one of my recipes. And I apologize profusely if they don't turn out perfectly (I still don't know what went wrong with that Easter ham, W!). Until recently, we didn't have a commenting system allowing me to reply to commenters...at least in a way where it would get sent to them. But we've updated the site, so hopefully I'll get into the rhythm of responding to everyone. Sorry if you felt snubbed in the past!

Speaking of faithful readers, or in particular commenters, I'd like to give a loud shout out to Jenn, Alice, and Gretchen for being my most vocal readers. Thanks for your feedback!

And thanks to FoodBuzz for sending me to two super cool events...Seattle Food and Wine Experience and Taste Washington! The whole VIP pass was a very rockstar moment for me!

And of course, I was super excited to be picked for June's 24, 24, 24, celebrating my 30th birthday at Dog Mountain Farm. A fabulous night.

So, it seemed fitting to celebrate my first anniversary by making a little jam. With the 1 1/2 flats of berries provided by my mom, I mashed, stirred, and boiled the night away making 14 pints...9 raspberry and 5 strawberry. I felt lucky to get those strawberries yesterday at Kirkland's Wednesday Market (there was only one vendor with strawberries). And thanks to Sidhu farms for the flat of raspberries...if you buy in bulk you may just get a little discount!

Finally, thank you to my husband for all those long hours of putting this blog together. For figuring out html code, networking tirelessly, liking all my jokes (good or bad), and dealing with "the talent" (ha!).

Who knows what this year will hold? I am going to be teaching some art classes in the fall, but no doubt I'll still be cooking. I've got the bug now...can't...stop...

Thanks for Jamming with Julie. It's been fun!

Quaker's "True Delights"

2009-01-24T14:36:00.000-08:00

One of the "true delights" of this lucrative food writing career is product review. This time I received a sneak-peek installment of Quaker's new "True Delights" granola bars. So let's start with the product description.

"An amalgam of real fruit, whole nuts, dark chocolate, and honey-drizzled oats..."

Okay, let's stop right there. The word "amalgam" just isn't working for me. But then again, I am prejudiced against dental terms at this particular time in my life. "Real fruit"--good. "Whole nuts"--double good. "Dark chocolate"--well, dark chocolate will get me to eat just about anything (but I'm drawing the line at chocolate covered insects).

"Honey-drizzled oats"--okay, let's just check the listed ingredients...wait a minute. The number one ingredient is rolled oats. Is honey next? No, oh, look there, corn syrup...other things....brown sugar....oh, there's the honey way down the list. But, I guess "corn-syrup drizzled oats" doesn't sell.

The final description alludes to the bars as "guiltless indulgence." All the bars contain 140 calories, with fat contents ranging from 3.5 to 5 grams per bar. Three grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, 8-10 grams of sugars, a wee bit of iron and nothing in the vitamins category. All contain some artificial flavors and also whey, ruling them out for those with dairy allergies. So, a bit of nutrition there, but the amount of sweeteners used is hardly "guiltless"! And I'd like to know what "oligofructose" and "invert sugar" are.

Moving on, the packaging is a matte chocolately burnt umber probably trying to appeal to the "green" crowd who don't like shiny wrappers. Illustrations of the various fruit/nut/chocolate combos decorate the packaging adding a splash of color.

I received three different varieties...Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry, Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond, and Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut. This was the order in which we sampled the granola bars.

Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry: Whew! It just smelled so sweet. The mixed berries included dried sweetened cranberries and "infused" dried cherries. This one was by far the sweetest...not our favorite.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond: I was looking forward to this one because I love raspberries and dark chocolate. This bar was less sweet than the first even with all those chunks of chocolate (which, by the way, were listed as semi-sweet on the ingredient list). Definitely better than the mixed berry.

Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut: Without the chocolate or the dried fruits, I wasn't expecting to like this one as much. However, it turned out to be our favorite! It was the least sweet of all the bars and that totally worked in it's favor. I'd eat this one again!

Thanks to FoodBuzz and Quaker for giving me the opportunity to review this product. With most people wanting to eat better by incorporating more whole grains and less refined sugars, I'm sure there is a big push in the snack industry to produce healthier-sounding products. In addition, these bars seemed to be attempting to appeal to an adult palate with the nuts and dark chocolate (instead of s'mores or m & m's). It was a good start, but still too sweet. They'd do well to check out the flavor combinations produced by Sahale snack makers (think cranberry, orange zest, pecans, and black pepper).

"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"

2009-01-30T10:29:00.000-08:00

Aside from being one of my kids' favorite books, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, by Judi and Ron Barrett (1978) has also inspired the love of all things meatball in my family.

Let's just take a minute to discuss the spaghetti and/or meatball experience from my youth. Our spaghetti never included meatballs. Generally we had a sort of ragu type sauce with browned ground beef and some seasonings stirred together with Prego brand spaghetti sauce (Ragu brand was too watery, if I remember correctly). As a child, I wasn't a big lover of spaghetti sauce, preferring my noodles plain. In time, however, I managed to ladle a bit of the sauce onto my noodles. It was not my favorite meal in the world.

Strange, I know. Especially after seeing how ravenously my own children devour this staple meal. Who knows why...maybe I was just picky or maybe my mom ate too much of it while I was merely a bun in the oven (she has confessed this was her main craving with me!).

Meatballs, on the other hand, were a family favorite. They never came in the Italian variety, though. We made barbecue meatballs--meatballs covered in BBQ sauce and baked, served over egg noodles most of the time. I used to make up a bunch of these and stick them in the freezer when we were newlyweds.

But after a time, our tastes changed and the BBQ meatballs were abandoned for newer recipes. A few years passed with no meatball-making at all.

Then the kids discovered spaghetti, downing bowl after bowl until it was their tried-and-true favorite meal. It even became their ritual meal for Grandparent's night (yes, I do know how lucky I am to have my parents close by and willing to take the kids one night every week). Unsure of how to make these Italian style meatballs, I resorted to the frozen ones in the Trader Joe's freezer section. We liked the "Italian" style, but usually opted for the "Turkey" balls instead.

Finally, we began to search for meatball recipes, changing and adapting along the way. We now have our favorite recipe worked out. I foresee another 800,000 meatballs in my future on this earth. And as long as they don't start falling from the sky, I'm okay with that.

Italian Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds of ground meat (beef is fine, but a combo of chuck beef, pork, or veal is the best)
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c bread crumbs (I don't make these myself...yet)
1/4 c chopped flat-leaf parsley (or curly parsley)
1/2 medium onion, grated (about 1/4 c)
2 tsp kosher salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large egg, beaten
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 c olive oil, divided

In a large bowl, combine the meat, Parmesan, bread crumbs, parsley, onion, salt, garlic, and egg. Be gentle and don't overmix. Try not to mash the meat too much. Season with pepper.

Gently form the meat into golf-ball sized meatballs. Don't pack too tightly or they will be tough. Refrigerate for at least an hour (or don't---they still turn out fine and I never do this step!).

Heat half of the oil in a large non-stick (or cast iron!) skillet over MH heat. Add half of the meatballs (about 9). Cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides (about 6 minutes). Transfer meatballs to a plate. Drain the oil, wipe out skillet, return to the heat and repeat with remaining oil and meatballs.

Drain oil again and wipe out. Return the meatballs to the skillet and add your favorite marinara sauce. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, swirling occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked through--about 15 minutes.

Serve over spaghetti noodles or in a sandwich. If serving with spaghetti noodles, toss the noodles with 1/3 of the sauce, then top with remaining sauce and meatballs (and more cheese!). They can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Where the Challah has all the time gone?

2009-02-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, Julie B. from Seattle met Julia B. from Portland. They were both navigating their freshman year of college in sunny California. Neither knew the other existed until the famed freshman art retreat. Julia B. was a bit quiet and their paths may not have collided had she not worn her very special Alice In Chains t-shirt that day.

From across the room Julie B. spotted the shirt and knew she was about to make a friend. Their bond ran deep, for they shared a name, initials, college majors, and a favorite grunge band. Soon they would also share a room in a crummy dorm, where they could watch hours and hours of TV shows recorded to VHS (courtesy of Julia B.).

Seemingly vast amounts of money were spent at the biggest dive of a thrift store (Action Thrift, oh yeah). Ear drums rang from the heavy metal tapes in Julia's sweet Volvo cassette player. Stomach's swelled after Saturday morning brunch at the "Caf".

And then Julie met the Yoko that would break up the dynamic duo of JBsquared. After graduation, Julie and her husband fled the country for the spicy countryside of Sichuan, China. Julia, however, moved back to her hometown where she began her multi-faceted career as an artist-entrepreneur-florist-fashion designer-dealer (antiques, that is). Their paths crossed occasionally, but they kept in touch as best they could.

They both spread wide their creative petals. One poured it into her young (and numerous!) family...the other into the greater art collective and her community. One made fur hats, the other made dinner. One changed watch faces to showcase tiny shells, the other changed diapers.

The contrast between artist-entrepreneur and that other awful hyphenated title (stay-at-home-mom) seems stark. Certainly the world of breast-feeding and naps has the potential to suck (pun not intended) the creative streak from even the most manic of artists. But Julie B. threw off this mounting despair (okay, so she has to throw it off quite regularly) and decided that her new canvas would be tonight's chicken with lemon-herb-butter for paint. Instead of sculpting clay, she'd sculpt some bread.

Cooking beautiful and nutritious meals was living art. Art that had the power to both bring a family together and nourish their bodies. (Well, yeah, that's a little cheesy and over the top, but remember that mounting despair for the tortured artist I could have been? I've got to tell myself something to get me through the day!)

But this weekend, the stars aligned. Julie and Julia were reunited and shared one common purpose...to make some bread. Julie had been dabbling in bread-making for a while and was itching to try some other recipes in her new cookbook. Julia wanted to learn how to make bread to serve for communion.

Enter Challah recipe. Page 180 from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking The two friends rejoiced in their common purpose, mixing and braiding that dough into the familiar shape of Challah. The dough baked and then cooled, ready for its ultimate purpose the next morning...Challah French Toast. Mmmm...communion just got a lot tastier. And the friends of JBsquared enjoyed some long-delayed time together around the table.

Another relational success story brought to you by BYOB.

A Blueberry-Lemon Myocardial Infarction

2009-02-09T19:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was inspired to do a little baking. There have been a few lemons in my kitchen for about a week now. It's always handy to have a lemon or two around. I just hadn't been moved by the lemon spirit...until my mom came over with a pint of blueberries. My kids have been gobbling them up for a couple of days and there were a few left just begging for a date with these really hot lemons.

I don't yet own a favorite go-to blueberry/lemon recipe, so I searched around online for one that fit my current ingredients. I quickly ruled out most of them as they called for sour cream or buttermilk, of which I had none. Finally I came across one that was labeled "low-fat" on account of that it called for fat-free milk (check) and very little butter. The butter was apparently replaced by almond paste, which I was, um, fresh out of.

Well, I thought, I'll just swap the almond paste back out and use butter instead. Let's see...1/3 cup of butter (for that 1/3 cup of almond paste) plus the 2 TB of butter it actually called for...that's around 1/2 cup of butter. Problem solved.

I got to work, zesting the lemon...placating the baby...glancing at the recipe...whipping the butter and sugar...listening to my son talk endlessly about a Wii game...

Sifting some flour and baking powder...yes, yes, I'm not good at the bubble game either, son...juicing the lemon...get those Shrek ears off the baby!...where was I?

Okay, all the ingredients were coming together as I folded in the zest and the blueberries. I snuck a little lick off the beater. Mmm...hmmm, that's a little buttery, isn't it? Spoon that batter into the greased 9x9 pan. Wow, really thick stuff! Thinking, thinking, the wheels are churning. Was that a 1/2 cup of butter that I put in or a 1/2 pound.

Doh! My eyes widened. Two sticks was a 1/2 pound! Oh for the love of Pete...I know this stuff. What is wrong with me? No, wait...what is wrong with the stupid recipes that prey upon tired housewives with their 1/2 cup? Why not say "one stick"? I mean, we're not chefs in big kitchens who buy butter by the carton load. We use sticks! Why not save us some confusion and just tell me how many sticks to use?

This thought process all took place as I slid the coffee cake into the oven and was dutifully licking the bowl (yes, I know you're not supposed to eat raw egg batter...). As my mistake dawned on my frazzled brain, I felt my arteries literally filling up with golden yellow butter. A giant leap forward towards my seemingly inevitable future bypass surgery (does anyone know a good cardiologist??).

So, I know baking is a delicate chemistry experiment. How would doubling the butter affect the egg/baking powder ratio? Would it rise? Not to mention the small amount of flour to butter. Would there be a big puddle of butter on the bottom of the dish? Maybe I would discover a whole new way of baking...doubling all butter in future recipes!

As I write, the fate of the coffeecake is yet unknown. The timer went off, and, yes, it needed some more baking time. Looks a little greasy. Oh, there goes the next buzzer....I'll go check. Well, the toothpick came out less than clean and I did notice a small pool of butter in one of the top cracks. Should coffee cake really be making a sizzling sound? How about another 5 minutes?

It firmed up enough after a mere 48 minutes in the oven. Did I let it cool off? No, I immediately cut into it in order to gauge just how this fattening concoction would taste.

First taste...certainly no moisture problem! And did you know that blueberries straight out of the oven are blazing hot? Now you do. It was alright, but for the first time in my life I'm wishing for less butter. Perhaps the lemon flavor would be more pronounced with the proper amount of butter as well.

Oh well, I'm sure we'll eat it anyways. Sorry, honey, I'm not intentionally sabotaging your chances at winning the employee's Biggest Loser award. But times are hard and it seems a crime to waste that much butter!