27 November 2009

A blessed bake-ation

Thoroughly enjoying the four-day-long vacation. Kicked it off Wed night by joining the masses and baking a pie for Thanksgiving. Apple. (More on this soon!)

Today, I holla for challah. This is the first time I've made this sweet-bread treat, and so far, so good. After a minor Cosby Show incident (flour all over the kitchen - and me), and discovering that Nirvana's Bleach (recently reissued by Sub Pop in honor of its 20 (!) year anniversary) make the perfect soundtrack/tempo for kneading, the braided dough is now rising in the fridge.

Tomorrow, I'll turn a bag of Meyer lemons into my first-ever batch of lemon curd. Thinking of trying Alton Brown's recipe, though if any of you have other suggestions please send them along.

All in all, I'm thankful for the time, means, and resources to spend a long weekend in the kitchen. Happy Thanksgiving, all!

24 November 2009

Plum Perfect

On a dreary Monday night (which, fortunately, was more like a Wednesday due to the short holiday week), I donned my Capitol Hill finest (all-black + tall boots) and hit the slopes to dine at Plum Bistro.

I'd been hearing over and over how great this all-vegan restaurant was, but banking on past experiences (see Teapot) + my love for Seattle vegetarian restaurant supreme Cafe Flora, I wasn't expecting much.

It was a revelation.

I'm still dreaming about the silk mashed yams with garlic that accompanied the delightfully spicy/sweet marinated tofu kebabs (nuggets of tofu alternating with perfect triangles of grilled pineapple).

Also, that heavenly creamy, spicy, rich, and ultra-satisfying Cajun Mac"n"Yease, served alongside a robust, meaty seitan version of chicken-fried steak.
I'm now on a quest to find that macaroni recipe.

For dessert, we sampled both the peanutbutter-chocolate pie and the strawberry crepes. Accompanying the pie was a whipped "cream" that stunned us all. Nary a member of our table believed it to truly be dairy-free, but the waitress swore it was soy. With taste and consistency like that, who needs cows? (For their milk. I love them for their docile presence!)


Suffice to say, it was downright delicious. I don't often trudge up to the Hill, for fear of hipster overload and no parking. But for Plum Bistro, I will return.

15 November 2009

Regaining inspiration amidst the grey rain. But are you following me on Twitter for quick dishes? @mozgal !

01 November 2009

Orange Things