Summery Summary

Saying good bye always sucks. But seeing the most adorable family in action doesn't
I've learned how to make fancy risotto (and goat cheese, and pickled strawberries)
I watched fireworks from my bedroomI've been wandering around my current hood lots
I went to California extreme and saw the Best pinball machine EVER! (ok well the name, which lead to many rounds of me singing this
I watched a paper boy (former) rock paper boy (old school)I've been hiking and staring at the sun
jello fest 2011 included jello performance art (a first)
my entry: Mt Rainer Cherries in the Dark. It glowed !!

Sharing the love

Thanks to everyone who recommended Angelina's for hot chocolate. It really was a-mazing. I wanted to buy some hot chocolate but got flustered as they were closing. I ended up with a *large* bag. And also some of their stickers.
So, I bought a few containers at the grocery, and made a paper funnel and...
voila! Hot chocolate for two *
*hopefully you'll still appreciate them even after I've destroyed the mystery with this post.

Workshop(ed)

Tom Douglas is a bit of a Seattle icon. He has a bazillion restaurants (the ones I've tried have been pretty tasty). I hit his newest, Dahlia Workshop for a working breakfast. Lo and behold the man himself was there (and even answered a question I asked the checkout girl). Witness creepy stalker picture below of him in front of the menu board. My fried green tomato and bacon biscuit was delicious.

Ooey, Gooey!

Oh.. that ooey gooey deliciousness? Mozzarella cheese that I made, thanks to an awesome Christmas surprise, courtesy of M. Add it to the things I'll do for you when you visit me in Seattle. Home. made. cheese. I'll even do organic if you want.

Left to my own devices

I end up doing things like eating one of these for dinner.** if this is a cry for help, the best remedy would probably be for you to come visit me. real soon.

Making Whoopie!

Pies!* I've been slightly obsessed with Whoopie Pies for the last year. I finally made a batch. I used a Williams Sonoma recipe for the pie and this recipe for the filling. Overall they were good, but I want a better filling recipe. Any tips? I think that the powder sugar taste is too strong. Also, as you can see in the picture the filling was a little oozy.


*apologies for lamest title maybe ever.

K-Bec

Was in Montreal for a conference. But mainly I just explored the city and ate poutine. Which means I'll probably have a heart attack really really soon. In case you've never had the pleasure, poutine is french fries + gravy + cheese curds. Also sometimes people get creative and add things like bacon or steak or sausage. I liked Montreal a lot even though I only saw Celine on the T.V.

Poutine + Bacon

25 kinds of Poutine!

Custom

Ran across Olive and Sinclair Chocolate in Nashville. Their packaging is the best, and I'm always for artisan chocolate. I tried the Sea Salt Chocolate. It was aight, but not as tight as the pretty wrapper it came in. Hopefully they'll update their website soon. For now there is the blog.

Photo is from their facebook page.

Too pretty to eat

Never thought I'd say those words and even half mean it. But this is beautiful. Any bakers nearby who want to give it a whirl? I think it will require a team, or maybe even a village. This looks heavenly.

Adam and Eve

had it right. My favorite snack this time of year is figs (from the tree in my yard!) and goat cheese. Trust me, the sweet and tangy combo is amazing. I was happy to see Martha gave figs a nod this month as well (thought I'm sure my California dwelling ones are tastier than hers..). September Living also has some good fig recipes.

Did the Dew

I just wrote this piece for yourheartout. Lindy introduced me to dew in Provo. If you're in the vicinity, get there now. I LOVED it.

R&D on the open road..

Spotted, bought and tasted in the central valley of CA.
Exhibit A: Banana flavored Twinkies.
Verdict: Gross
Exhibit B: Mint Musketeers
Verdict: genius

The Fruits of my Labors

I will watch your gardens whenever you are out of town if you pay me with these:

Banana Rama

Best idea for Sunday dinner in recent memory: Bananas Foster French Toast. 1 course meal with dessert included. So tasty.

Jello!

Jello-Fest '08 was a lot of fun. People came up with the most amazing things. Some were really tasty, some were beautiful, all were great. You can see all the pictures here. A few examples.
Claire made her own cookie cutters for the Western United States:Derek cast his own face:
Karisa and McKay made hands out of almond Jello (so creepy, but genius):
Kai dug out his grandma's recipe:and I managed a beehive:
Start plotting for next year-- I think this one is going annual. I've been looking for something to replace Curry fest, and Jello fest looks like it'll do the trick

Fancy Pants Food

I got to be a guest at the Ladies' Activity Club. A chef from Aqua taught how to make the most delicious and beautiful appetizers. Cubing watermelon and heirloom tomatoes into 1/2 cm cubes is not something I'll be trying at home but it was fun.

Come on and let me see you jiggle it. . .

Just a little bit. I love Jello. I never eat it, but I'm sort of obsessed with Jello creations. I typically think of them as low brow-- a kind of folk art, perhaps. But no, the Brits are bringing back classy Jellys (as they insist on calling them). For those of you in the Bay Area, I'll be hosting my annual Jello Creation Party (no catchy name for it yet) and you're invited. The catch is that you've got to make something outa the Jello. You can see past Jello exploits here.

It's what's on top that mattters..

I make cupcakes for the guys at school on their birthday. True, no gender stereotypes are being shattered by me doing this (I'd make them for the ladies too, but there aren't any). These would be adorable on the next batch. Etsy has a gazillion adorable cupcake toppers. I'm partial to the vintage ones.
Is it me or do these little ladies look like they might topple over?

Domo?

Yes! Thanks BlackEiffel for pointing these out. Though my birthday is months away, tis not to soon to start dreaming, right? I mean cupcakes + robots = (my cup of tea)^2

Eye of the Donut

I had to pick up 4 dozen donuts for class today. I've always been facinated with Happy Donuts, and getting to pick out so many was great fun. When I got home I decided the perfect way to test out some settings on my camera, and take advantage of great lighting was to be happy WITH the donuts. The full donut-eating process is documented here. Some highlights are below.