Anniversary Week Recap

We declare Anniversary Week a huge success!

Monday we headed to Ballard to Mike's Chili Parlor. We kept hearing about this place on food shows and were intrigued. The original Mike had passed his meat-only chili recipe down through 4 generations. It was fabulous! I had it over spaghetti noodles with beans, cheese and onions. Doug had his over a burger patty. We loved it so much we went back on Saturday for more! Next on our Monday itinerary was to explore Magnolia. The day was gorgeous! We stopped at Bill the Butcher for an organic grass-fed mock tenderloin to have for dinner. We have been waiting and waiting for Bill's shop to open in Edmonds...maybe this summer???

Tuesday we had lunch at the Edmonds Community College Culinary Arts Cafe. We love going there. A gourmet meal for cheap. Brioche rolls, soup or salad, entree...all for around 7 bucks. I had the Chicken Cordon Bleu and Doug had the Rib-eye. Yum. Then we were off for a pedicure together at Amai Day Spa in Country Village. We capped off the day with appetizers and drinks at Emory's on Silver Lake. They rebuilt after a devasting fire and the place looks fabulous...and the food is stellar!

Wednesday it was off to the Maltby Cafe for breakfast. I used to go a lot back in the day but Doug had never been. The cinnamon rolls are still huge and food is still delicious.

Thursday we stayed home and rested...our bellies and our bodies! Yes, you can have too much of a good thing!

Friday was our 'fanciest' day...Lunchbox Laboratory. Oh my! Fabulous food, fun vibe and great service. We really loved this place. My burger 'Homage to Dick's Deluxe' was a beautiful blend of flavors and textures. Doug had the Dork (!), a blend of pork and duck, that he thought was delish.

Just one of the many lunchboxes on display. The 'threat' did not phase our appetite!

So now, just writing about this, I am full again. Full tummy and full heart. We had a wonderful week to celebrate our last 25 years together!

25 Loooonnnngggg Years!

Who are those young kids?

That is how long Doug and I have been married. Happy Anniversary to us today! This week is all about food and fun! Doug took the week off and we are eating at all of those places we have always wanted to try. Local, sustainable, organic, funky and famous. I will be posting about our gastronomic adventures later this week but for now...off to get a pedicure together!

Love you, honey!

Dressing vs Stuffing

What do you call it? There are lots of websites that discuss this, for instance, Serious Eats. Entertaining to say the least.

Our family calls it dressing. Mom's Sausage Dressing to be exact. Ambrosia. I have made the dressing for my family for the last several years without Mom to taste it. She will be here for Thanksgiving this year (yay!) but I am still going to make the dressing. Why? Because I can finally have her fine-tune my attempt. I want to KNOW how to make this dish.

The basics are easy peasy with a simple ratio of 1:1:1:1

Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage
large chopped onion
chopped celery bunch, including top
loaf of cheap bread, cubed
Cook sausage, add onion and celery, season with sage (lots!) and pepper and cook till done. Add to bread cubes in big bowl. Mix. Add chicken broth until all is moistened and combined really well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake in oven at 350 for 45 minutes or surround turkey with dressing and bake. We then love to crisp it up in a pan, folding the crispy bits into the dressing over and over. And we add turkey juice and chunks of turkey or the giblets (not the liver!) to the crispy dressing. And the next day...forget about it!...even better. That is why I make a triple batch!

Enjoy your family this week...and your food!

Eat Your Veggies

My haul from today...as summer advances the bags get REALLY full.

Corn and squash and onions, oh my!

We are long-time members of The Root Connection in Woodinville. The RC is celebrating it's 25th year as a Community Supported Agriculture Farm (CSA). If I remember correctly, I think we have been members for a least 15 of those years. The produce is picked that morning, organically grown and the Farm prides itself on its sustainability. Sustainable to the Earth and the employees.
I love my Farm days because of U-pick herbs (basil!!!!) and flowers (sunflowers!!!!). There are chickens and wild blackberry patches and birds and sunshine and Mt. Rainier in the distance. It is like a mini-vacation each week.