What Katie Ate's Second Cookbook comes out in just under a month! 

 

Most traditions come from your childhood.  It's how you've always done things, whether or not you remember why you all started.  One of our favorite family traditions for Christmas is new though.  Well, "new" by lifelong standards.  A couple days after Christmas the whole family packs into cars and heads to a new bookstore.  We disperse and spend time quietly wandering our chosen aisles, genres and authors.  Each of us is allowed to add one book to the stack Dad will be carrying to the checkout.  Of course, we are a family of book lovers and so we each line up behind him with the other book or two we just couldn't eliminate. ;)

This year, I decided to pick out a cook book.  Sitting in bed with a cup of coffee on a weekend morning, reading through the recipes and drooling over the lovely photos has become one of my most relaxing past times.

When one of my sisters (ahem, Kristin) saw I was getting a cookbook for my "Christmas Book" - she made some sort of reference to how she actually cooks from hers and should probably get one too.  I concede, I sit and look through my books far more often than I actually cook from them, but here is evidence, early on, I sometimes cook the recipes too.

This was delicious.  But beware, the Plenty cookbook does not give you "prep time/ cook time" in any collected spots.  All the little 10-15 minute parts for this recipe added up to over 2 hours... thankfully everyone at the Maple Leaf house are used to late dinners.  

In 2014, I'm going to cook more.  And I'm going to cook better.  As a way to care.

Tom Douglas is opening a what?! 

Apparently, he is opening a culinary center in the same building as his wonderful Mediterranean themed restaurant, Lola. ("Best breakfast I have ever had!" says my boyfriend)

According to Seattle Eater, there will be weekend intensives on pastry, cooking for men, etc.  Classes should start next January/ February.

Anyone want to take a cooking class with me in 2014? :)

I tried making homemade spaghetti like my mom's last night.  I failed.  Pretty disappointing to taste "bland" after sauteing fresh garlic, onions and mushrooms.  I have a lot to learn my friends.  A lot to learn.   

On a similar note, my boss asked me if I'd ever used AllRecipes.com.  That was an unexpected conversation for the two of us to have.  Turns out he's a big spaghetti fan.  And he had some good suggestions.  Only weird if you know him. 

I have a dangerous habit. I tend to pick out recipes I've never made before whenever I have company coming over.  I find myself in the kitchen with a handful of ingredients, googling "How to wash a leek" and thinking, This could all go very wrong.  Monday - Wednesday we are having someone over each night for dinner and when I sat down to write out the menu, I determined Salmon and Quinoa sounded delicious. I blame this largely on Kaylee who is constantly posting these amazing looking photos of quinoa creations she's concocted.  I decided lime and mango type flavors (not original, but sounded delicious).  From there, I did the next important thing - texted Kaylee, who gave me encouragement that I could do it.  And then began my All Recipes search.  I settled on a mango salsa that had a lot of great reviews - and went with the suggestion to replace the habaneros with bell peppers.  While I also discovered mid-cooking that I didn't have a peeler for the mangos, a pyrex big enough for the salmon, or any foil.... and John got to run around from store to store... and my guests showed up before anything was in the oven even, it was an incredible night.  Thankfully my guests were the Sittigs, and things are allowed to go wrong or be late when you are entertaining close friends.  We ended up wrapping up the meal preparations all together, and intentionally I'd picked a quick-cooking meal.  Before you knew it we were sitting down (at our not-so-kitchen-table) to quite the tasty meal and already laughing hysterically.  I love summer nights that allow for new cooking adventures and close friends.

I cook so little.  Yet, I'm finding I love it more and more - and this weekend I discovered I really, really enjoy reading through a good cook book. I've been checking in regularly with my favorite food blogger What Katie Ate, hoping beyond hope to see a post telling me her book is out.  It hasn't happened yet.  But, I do have another especially beautiful treat.  For my recent birthday, my good friend, Braden bought me one of the coolest cookbooks I have ever seen.  I spent over an hour (maybe two) sitting at the kitchen bench sipping coffee and eyeing through page after page of incredible recipes and mouth-watering photography.  I kid you not - I FaceTimed my sister Kim to make her look through it with me!  Then I brought it down to my mom a half dozen times to show her discoveries.  She laughed at me when I exclaimed "Oh my gosh!  There's a glossary!"  And boy is there ever.  How thoughtful.  Truly, glossaries are written expressions of kindness and thoughtfulness from an author.  That's how I see them.  I think my love for them started back in Junior High when I discovered how useful of a study tool they are.  But as an adult, with less tests, I'm no less grateful.

Here's a recent post from WKA, on a few of her favorite cookbooks:

Out of the 300 or so + cookbooks piling my shelves, there are about 20 I return to over and over when pondering what to cook for a dinner party or such. Obviously there are ones which stand out from the crowd for me: 'Cooking for Friends' by Gordon Ramsay springs first to mind, whilst the recipes are great and I've cooked often from this book, it's the unsurpassed Ditte Isager's photography that causes the stir in this book for me personally, she's one of my most admired photographers. Others are anything really from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall; Heston Blumenthal; Jamie Oliver; Stephanie Alexander; Ferran Adriá, Neil Perry and the author who brings me to the purpose of this post; Stéphane Reynaud.

I think I might enjoy pictures of food almost more than eating food.  Perhaps because pictures can't make me sick.  And a close second is probably the process of making the food.  I love cooking... by myself or with close friends.  I love sipping wine in an apron.  I love the smell of sauteing garlic, bread in the oven, any and all of it!  I love shuffling the pan over the heat.  (See my very technical, experienced term there?  I'm practically professional.)  In fact, I love it all so much, I've already given myself a very bad reputation of making a simple meal take about 3 hours to prepare and cook.  How I do it, I don't even know... but if I'm every going to have a life (or a family!) I guess I better figure out how to speed up the process.  Maybe I'd even do it more often if I didn't feel like it took half of my day each time!

Dear Garlic,

Just thinking about you.  Maybe we can do dinner again soon?

Yours,
      Katrina 
      XO (kind of)

Considering adding this dish as one of my
"25 Goals For 25"
Yep, I think making (and tasting!) this could be important enough to change the trajectory of my life, and therefore big enough to be added as one of the 25 goals.

Foodie heaven?  I think so.

Salt and pepper quail with plum, sage and Parma ham, plum and red wine dipping sauce

from

WHAT KATIE ATE

(unashamed continual hinting to my family about this cookbook which will be coming out someday soon hopefully.  I may never cook any of the recipes... I may just stare at the pretty pictures.)

Sunday.  I love Saturday night service!  Sleeping in on Sundays feels so... incredible.  It's better than sleeping in on any other day.  I'm not sure why, but it might be because it is so foreign.  It's like your first bite of candy, or sip of bourbon (was that just me?). 

So, after sleeping in rather late, and then spending an hour or so 'sloaking' in prayer... I crawled out of bed, started the coffee and got immersed into some fun crafts.  By 1pm, my dear friend and weekend guest, Meg, gently prodded "Hey Kati, want to eat something?"  To which I replied from the other room, "yeah."  "Maybe want to eat it before you get into another project?"  "Yeah."  I shut off the sewing machine and realized I'd been starving my sweet friend.  From there, we began plotting our delicious day.  A quick trip to the grocery store and we were set for our kitchen adventures.  Meg's has begun a foodie blog... which I am very grateful for, since I think it will require both of us to become more adventurous and confident.... changing, amending and owning recipes.  Yesterday, we began with our very own, Bourbon-Bacon-Pecan Sticky Buns.  And they were delicious.  I'm not bragging (okay, yes I am), but I've had several from Specialty's (it's a weakness... and there is one RIGHT by my building! Some mornings, they just scream at me!)... anyways, ours were better.  That was probably just because they were smothered with butter, brown sugar and bourbon and sprinkled with bacon.  Hard to go wrong there.. especially when you begin with a nice warm piece of carb (aka bread). 

A few hours later and I was back in the kitchen making the ceremonious first butternut squash soup of the year. :) MMmm.

I spy...

source: What Katie Ate
When oh when will her cookbook be out already?!! I'm quite convinced it will be the prettiest cookbook of all time!

Pie in a Wrought Iron??? Mmm. Late October is going to have a lot of cooking/baking, a lot of experimenting, and hopefully a lot of eating (assuming the experimenting part goes well).

What a wonderful weekend, full of just the right amount of rest and productivity. A little time on the porch swing reading, organizing, sorting, laundry, cleaning, cooking, family and friends. I even got my run in, and the sore muscles this morning are informing me that it really has been too long. :/

I've kept all the buttons that come with new clothes in a box for years.  A couple weeks ago I was at Tina Freez's house and saw she had a jar of buttons on a shelf in the living room.  I decided that was a much cuter way to store them.  The next few weeks are going to bring a lot more organizing and tossing (hopefully).  I just have too much.

This weekend I also decided to be brave and try grilling something new.  My dad loves fish, yet we've eaten little of it at home over the years because my mom detests the smell in the house.  They were gone for the day at a potluck, so I decided to take over shopping and dinner.  Kate and I visited 3 grocery stores before dinner.  We picked up (way too much) salmon and I set about to find a good recipe.  This was one of the first times I've had hours to prepare something, and I loved getting to marinate it for hours before the meal, really relishing the dinner-making process.  I had planned to serve it was a different salad, but we ended up grilling up corn on the cob and using the huge salad my mom had made that morning.  When my parents reminded me they were going to be gone Sunday night, and I realized I had bought all this food that we never even prepared... I decided to invite a few friends over for Sunday.  I think I enjoyed preparing that food even more, finally making the Pioneer Woman's Rosemary Dinner Rolls (oh my!!), the Mandarin, Mint & Spinach Salad, and Jasmine Rice.  The salmon recipe suggested pairing with a Pinot Noir and the one I selected for Saturday turned out to be such a favorite that I picked up another bottle for Sunday. I'm pretty excited to be able to add a completely different type of food to "things I can cook."  It's a small list, but with this I feel a bit more courage to keep trying completely different things.  I still need to work on measuring how much to cook.  Saturday there was too much, and Sunday not enough.  My main focus on Saturday was timing.  I am terrible at timing everying to come out at the same time.  I stopped and wrote out how long each item was to take, and worked back a time table.  I did much better than usual.  However, my secondary focus (and a major goal behind the first), was to sit down with my guests and not be running around so much. There is still a lot of room for improvement there. :/

I don't know if this is a cheese block, cutting block or bed-in-breakfast tray, but I love it! And truth be told, it'd be all three to me (maybe not a cutting block). My mom's influence on me is all too strong, I definitely had the almost immediate thought, "I bet I could make that!" :) PS, has anyone seen my back yard lately? Goodness.

Mumsy's Bday Dinner in 3 shots. I cheated in many, many ways. But it was yummy and we were actually able to eat before 8pm. (Tough when you don't even get to the grocery store til 6pm)
And I decided Asparagus will not beat me! I decided to make it last night and guess what, the curse is broken! It was perfect! (Braden, you can ask Kate and my mom- I know you're doubting me. It was PERFECT.) No more shame.
Dessert. Meg's told me about these nutella mug cakes you make in the microwave. I decided we'd try them on Sunday when she comes over, but first we decided to give them a test run last night. Delicious, rich, and waaay more than any one person can eat. We topped them with whip cream and strawberries. Delicious. And no need to try to be inventive- we paired them with a red wine. What's better than chocolate and red wine? Not much I tell ya.

Today is June 2nd. Apparently the most popular day to be born. One of my best buds growing up, Robbie (aka, Boobo, aka Robert Eugene) was born June 2, 1986. As was another girl in my highschool class, Crystal. Years later, Meg Landies informed me her birthday was a few days away, on June 2nd. A few months ago I met a dude on the street who signed me up for something and added me on facebook. His birthday is June 2nd. But guess who started it all, my mother.

Happy Birthday Mumsie! I love you!

And tonight, I think I am going to make dinner. I was planning to take her out, but then I came across this delicious recipe for rosemary dinner rolls... and I started thinking, she'd probably enjoy that more anyways. What could be more fun then using the rosemary we just bought together last weekend... and expiramenting with something tasty? So, now I just have to think of what to make for dinner... besides these delicious little things! Though if I know my mother (and I do), we'd be happy with just these and a bottle of wine (which will also be on the table tonight!).

I found the recipe while taking my first trip onto Pioneer Woman.

Happy Birthday to the rest of my wonderful friends! Love you.

I want to make this...

Seafood Mac & Cheese

• 2 tablespoons of butter


• 1/3 cup flour


• 3 cups milk


• 1 pound frozen cooked shrimp, thawed and chopped


• 1 pound pasta (use a pasta that will hold the cheese, like elbows or fusilli)


• 2 cups shredded cheddar


• ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs


• ¼ cup parmesan cheese


• ¼ cup chopped fresh chives (optional)


• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley


• Salt & pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in a large salted pot of water until al dente. While the pasta is cooking take a large sauce pan and heat the butter until melted, stir in the flour. When mixture thickens add in the milk and cook until mixture thickens. About 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and add it to the large sauce pan. Add in the cheddar, parmesan cheese and chopped shrimp and gently stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a greased 9x13 inch pan or individual ramekins. In the microwave melt the butter. Add it to the panko breadcrumbs. Add in chives, parsley and stir to combine. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta . Bake for 25 – 30 minutes at 400. Check your ramekins at the 15 - 20 minute mark. Let cool 5 minutes and serve.

Recipe/blog stolen from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary

I am such a sucker for Seafood!

Dinner, Night 1.

MC girls, cover your ears.


One of the women in our office walked up to my desk this morning with a pretty green bag. She wished me an early St. Patrick's Day and set it on my desk. I knew immediately what it was. Whiskey. More acurately, Kentucky Bourbon. The smile spread wide across my face. Sorry if this confuses the image you've had of me thus far. But, I find whiskey delightful. And when one of the attorney's in our office invited Kristin and I to share a bit of his Kentucky Bourbon last week I was amazed by how smooth and sweet it was. The paralegal who had bought it for him as a gift is Karen, the woman who just hand-delivered a green gift to the little Irish girl at the front desk.



(okay girls, you can uncover your ears now.)

I decided I am going to try my hand at another Irish dish. Last night, after a bit of research, and a lot of grocery shopping, I started a traditional Irish Lamb Stew. Goodness. It should not be this hard. In fact, I know it wouldn't be this hard for a more experienced cook. After two hours of my hands in raw lamb (and my mom even doing half of it!), I started to feel sick. I don't dislike meat. But sometimes... I dislike meat. I've gone years of my life as an understated vegetarian. Don't get me wrong, I will crave a good burger and my mouth will water over a great steak. But sometimes, the thought of meat is less than appealing to me. It is more the texture of tough meat, and of fat. :(

Oh well, the smell that I swear had managed to work it's way all the way to the far bottom corner of the house by this morning was enough to make all of my work worthwhile. The stew cooked in the crockpot for 10 hours over night. Now, it's off to the fridge for the next day (all the reviews said it is far better after a couple days of sitting in the fridge), and the veggies will be added Thursday... just in time for a delicious St. Patrick's Day meal.

I then turned my hand to some Green Velvet Cupcakes ;)


And I found a traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe that I will try Thursday with the stew. I must say though, Irish food remains one of my lesser-favorites. So much meat, so many potatoes, so much time---- and so little flavor. :/ However, Irish beverages... much more flavor. ;)

Cooking with T.

We decided to give a Thai Curry recipe a try. Neither of us have tried curry and both being big fans, felt it a good one to learn. You live and learn is certainly more of an evident truth in the kitchen than any where else (I'm finding). We'd do it differently next time (mainly since I did a poor job of reading the directions), but it still turned out pretty impressive.

Notice T's creative use of her glassy baby's - I love how she uses them for wine glasses. :)


love you T- and thanks for our cooking adventure- I have much to learn from your culinary ways. :)

Practicing for St. Patrick's Day.

Shepherd's Pie. I am not the biggest fan of beef or of potatoes. So it should come as no surprise to you that Shepherd's Pie has never been my go-to at a restaurant. However, my sister Kristin, the far more accepting one of her Irish-roots when it comes to food (as opposed to other Irish things that I fully support), has ordered it for us a few times to share. With St. Patty's Day just around the corner, I decided to give cooking it a try tonight. As mentioned above, I used beef instead of the traditional lamb. And I definitely just followed a recipe I found online that had a lot of good reviews. I think it turned out alright - and my cousins were thrilled to find me cooking something with meat in it, moreover, beef. Besides burgers (which I love), tonight may have been the first thing I've ever cooked with beef. I think even spaghetti I always make a point to make vegetarian. :/

Kristin has tried arguing that my nearly life-long stomach problems are connected to me rejecting my Irish heritage when it comes to meat and potatoes. While I find that ridiculous, I'm trying to turn over a new leaf. So here it is. Not the prettiest meal, but pretty tasty nonetheless.