What I am doing (or, why no blog posts lately)

I had a conversation with a friend and writing mentor this weekend, which basically went like this:

Her: "I've got this blog..."

Me: "You have a blog? Me too!"

Her: "Wait, you have a blog?"

Me: Sheepishly, face turning pink. "I do. But I haven't written in it forever."

Her: "Me too. Why haven't you written in yours?"

Me: "Well..." (Mumbling, thinking of a good excuse. Muttering.)


And then she stepped in and saved me, explaining that she'd just closed out her own blog, because the theme of it had changed. In fact, her story had gone from point A to point B, and frankly the journey was complete.

Now, I'm not exactly ready to put the kibosh on Amy Dishes. But I can tell you (and you probably know) that what once was such a passion has become something less. It's not that I don't love to cook - I do. It's not that I don't love to eat - I very much do. And before you go thinking I've stopped posting because I don't like to write, don't think it. I've actually been writing more lately than I ever did when I first started the blog so many years ago.

It's just that the subject matter and the way I'm processing words have changed.

I took a children's writing course a few years ago at UCLA Extension. I've had an idea for a picture book for a decade, and when my friend (the one with the blog, above) mentioned she was taking this course too, I thought it was just the incentive I needed. What I didn't realize would happen is my creative floodgates finally opened. For years I'd scratched my head, wondering how my husband could be so creative and prolific with his fiction ideas. The UCLA course changed all that. When I started the class, I had one idea for one story. When I finished, I had a dozen or more starts of other picture book ideas. Today, I have a growing list in my phone's notepad with ideas and concepts and sentence fragments. I'm now the person who has to rise out of bed to jot down an idea before it flies away. One of those ideas was the premise of a novel, which I've been slogging away at for the past couple of years.

I've thought about how to turn this blog into something that features snippets of what I'm working on, but it's a different kind of writing, the kind I can't easily wrap into a tidy and digestible blog post. And, frankly, I'm not ready yet. There are many words (70,000+ of them), but I don't think they're ready for primetime yet.

I may be back. (It seems every time I assert that I'm "definitely not" going to do something, inevitably that idea swirls around in my head, calling like a siren, tossing me about in a tempestuous sea until I succumb.) But I can't promise how soon.

Please be patient!

Cooking Ottolenghi

It seems I've remembered that I have blog. For those (small amount of) followers out there who keep tabs on me, you may have noticed a few posts appear this week. They're new but backdated - I found a bunch of old drafts in the queue that I never published because I was waiting for photos, but never got around to it. No more waiting - just publish.

To swing the pendulum the other direction, this post has many photos! I've been working my way through Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's Jerusalem cookbook over the past few months and posting pics of the adventures on Instagram. Here's what I've cooked:

Mejadra - Eh. Two hours for lentils & rice? Not worth it, to me.

Root Vegetable Slaw - Only used beets & carrots because I don't love kohlrabi (Here's the deal. A lot of people will say you can't truly test a recipe if you don't make it exactly as written. But, I find that BS. If you don't like an ingredient, there is no need to cast off an entire recipe or suffer through it. Just swap, sub, or omit!).

Spiced Chickpeas and Fresh Veggie Salad - I was particularly pleased with this one as it came out just like the photo in the book. Add labneh for a more robust meal.

Shakshuka - Eggs in tomato sauce. Yes. Do it. For dinner.

Spicy Beet, Leek & Walnut Salad - I want a do-over on this one. I liked the beets and it photographed well, but it wasn't my favorite. I'm not sure why.

Clementine Almond Syrup Cake - This cake is tops! It is one of the first recipes that caught my eye when I first checked out this book from the library. I'd been waiting for an excuse to make it, then waiting out a no-sweets period. Note that I didn't use clementines as the store didn't have them, but I subbed in Valencia oranges.

Ode to Bibicaffe

Any of you who know me in real life know I’m always super- caffeinated – an addict of the bean.

A double-espresso over a hint of water or ice is my go-to drink, though I also enjoy an occasional sweet treat – maybe a caramel macchiato or iced vanilla latte or mocha. On tired days, I’ll hit up the French press for a real jolt.

I first attempted to get into coffee drinks in college (how trite) during late-night cram sessions for finals. Rather than focus my mind, one particularly potent espresso shake left me jittery and nauseous and up all night – not so good for studying.

During courtship with my now husband, we spent a lot of time in cafes -- he a barista wooing me first with steamed milk, then slowly working me into espresso masked by rich caramel and thick foam.

I’ve long pegged Nate as the one who really got me hooked on the taste of coffee.

But I recently remembered. Long before college, long before Nate, there was Bibicaffe.

Do you know it?

I first tried these at the Nordstrom espresso bar at Northgate mall in Seattle on shopping trips with mom (I’m sure she needed a break from my tween angst and wanted a cup of coffee). I always used to get Italian sodas – fruity flavors like raspberry. You know the ones: a stiff pour of thick, sweet syrup, a splash of soda water, and cream over ice.

Bibicaffe was the more graduated version – an Italian coffee “soda” of sorts. It came out of a chic small glass bottle. And, like its fruity counterparts, was served best when poured over a tall cup of ice and topped with a heavy hand of cream. It was a delight. I thought it was a Nordstrom exclusive (much like those chewy Nanaimo bars).

Once I graduated to hot coffees and lattes, I forgot all about Bibicaffe.

Until we moved into our house in Seattle’s Maple Leaf and discovered Café Javasti. There in the refrigerator, amidst the buttery rich house-made pastries, were bottles of Bibicaffe. I later came to discover that the founders of Javasti met in their days as Nordy’s baristas – so it only makes sense that they would bring this treat to their shops.

In recent years, Bibicaffe began disappearing from Javasti. I finally found some, to purchase by the case, at Seattle’s PFI in the Sodo district.

I'm jonesing hard for a Bibicaffe. It’s all I can think about. Anyone know where can I source this locally in LA?

Gluten-free “tabbouleh”

I get these ideas. Sometimes, they work out – other times, they’re not perfect, but there is a fraction of an idea that’ll be even better on a second try. This gluten-free “tabbouleh” recipe is one of the latter!

For several months, I've been trying to stick to a gluten-free diet. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice to say my stomach is happier than it’s been it’s whole life. (I should also preface the rest of this post by saying I’m really gluten intolerant – not full-blown celiac. So the following recipe/guidance and anything I ever post on the GF topic should be taken in that vein… Listen to your body and adjust accordingly!)

Rather than focus on what I can’t eat, I’m exploring options of how to adapt my favorite foods to meet my new lifestyle. This is how I approached vegetarianism for years, too – it just works better for me, and this approach as proven especially helpful as a gluten-free eater… I can’t tell you how many blogs and articles I’ve read that encourage a potential gluten-freer to buy a food scale, weigh and convert everything from cups and tablespoons to pounds and grams…It’s like one giant math story-problem. Personally, I want nothing to do with math in the kitchen. To me, cooking is more art than science (I know someone - ahem, mom! - might disagree with me!). Instead of fussing over these calculations, I said screw it and began baking and cooking with gluten free ingredients as though they were “regular” ingredients. And in all honesty, I hardly notice a difference…

Today, I made a gluten free “tabbouleh” salad. I am using quote marks because this is not traditional tabbouleh using bulgur as a base. Instead, I swapped in some leftover mejadra – a spicy lentils and rice mixture from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook. (To be fair, it took nearly two hours to make that dish initially, and honestly I’m not sure it was worth it. I think any lentils & rice mixture would work – I just happened to use what was in my fridge.) Then I proceeded to make a tabbouleh as I always would – a base of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and flat-leaf parsley  to fleck the grain/legume mixture. I also finely chopped some fresh spinach with the parsley, for extra greens. Because why not? Then I tossed the whole thing with a good dousing of freshly squeezed lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, and seasoned with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

It’s easy, it’s tasty, it’s healthy, and it’s gluten free. Best of all, I barely thought about it – and I definitely didn’t think about what I was missing.

Life shouldn’t be lived in a deficit, but full and wholeheartedly (thanks, Brene Brown, for Daring Greatly - an excellent book on this subject.

So carry on. Cook what you like.  Swap what you need to. Just enjoy!

Cleanses and clean eating

It's January. A time of renewal and cleaning out the old. At least in Los Angeles, this often includes the digestive system. I am squeamish to even give that too much thought (I'm not one for bathroom humor), but it is a fact that in nearly every conversation I've had with friends in LA recently, the word "cleanse" or "juicing" or "clean eating" has come up.

I'm still working out exactly what that means for myself. In addition to bathroom humor, I also don't like dieting - the word nor the act. I'm of the mentality that I can eat mostly what I want (within reason) so long as I workout to counteract it. And workout I do, hard, at least 4 times per week. (Last year I was averaging 5 days a week, but my body just couldn't handle it. Too many nagging injuries and lingering sicknesses... my sweet spot is 4.)

So my immediate reaction to cleansing - a practice very commonly consisting of a liquid/juice-only diet, for a few days or even a couple weeks - is to bristle.

However, the notion of drinking my veggies, as a complement to solid foods, is appealing. It's where I am right now, trying to add a few juices to my routine once or twice a week.

I'm also integrating more super foods and "clean eating" items to the diet. Today's lunch was a bed of lettuce topped with warm red quinoa, steamed (but cold) broccoli, a handful of cashews, and a drizzle of Annie's Goddess dressing. For a snack, I'm currently waiting on a pot of fresh banana chia pudding to come out of the fridge (almond milk, smashed banana, and chia seed); I may top it with some walnuts.

In 2013, I will try to avoid as much wheat as possible - not for trendiness or resolutions' sakes, but for health. I was diagnosed a few years ago as wheat-intolerant, so I'm going to try it. In its place, I am subbing in almond meal wherever possible. It's alot like flour and has more protein - something my body will surely enjoy.

How do you "cleanse" or eat "clean"?

Meals, in pictures

I know, I know. Once again I am starting an entry sheepishly, having been absent for so long. Our first full SoCal summer was fabulous - freetime meant head to the beach, not post a blog. And the truth is, my creative inspiration continues to come in pictures, not words. Tonight I finally took the time to upload a wealth of photos from my phone onto the computer, and it inspired me to at least share what I've been eating. Here's a walk through my gastro-summer:

Tender Greens - Tuna Nicoise salad + the spiciest ginger brew I've ever tasted. I could eat this meal at least once per week.

Portabella mushrooms, steeped with homemade pesto, baked, then sprinkled with cheese (gorgonzola for me, parmesan for Nate) and broiled. Not much to look at, but divine on the tastebuds.

Opah!

Blooming rose salad from Soleil - Westwood. Simple, fresh, delightful - and absolutely huge. I was stuffed before my entree arrived.

2 shots, 3 ice cubes, a splash of milk. 

800 Degrees - Westwood: Before

800 Degrees - Westwood: After

Apple Pan - Westwood. Pecan pie and homemade whipped cream + a side of buttermilk. 

"Crazy water" - base for acqua pazza. A recipe we just tried this weekend, and which will become a staple.

No-chocolate desssert

I've long said I don't feel I've had dessert unless it contains chocolate. It's kind of a rule of mine. Now, before you talk to me about pies, you must know by now that I'll eat them for breakfast just as easily as after dinner. So that hardly counts as dessert.

Last week, though, things changed. Inspired by a partially scooped tub of mascarpone still in the fridge from dinner (see this recipe for mint-walnut-gorgonzola pesto), I crafted what may be my new favorite dessert. It's simpler than pie, and rich enough that it left me satiated. Best of all, it's malleable to your tastes and the season.

Here's the basic idea:

• Set out a martini glass (no, not for a drink - but if you need that, set out two glasses!)
• Gather some fruit (in this case, I used a frozen berry medley of blueberries, raspberries, and cherries - set them in the fridge for about an hour to thaw slightly but still retain their shape). Sprinkle with grated orange zest. Add the fruit to the martini glass, about 2/3 full.
• Sweeten some mascarpone (for each serving, softly fold 2 Tbsp of the mascarpone with 1 tsp powdered sugar. For a subtle kick, I also stirred in 1 tsp Grand Marnier. This helped loosen the texture a bit). Dollop the mascarpone atop the fruit.

Voila!

As I said, this recipe seems easy enough to adapt on a whim - try Kahlua or cognac or Tuaca in the mascarpone. Scoop it over fresh strawberries, peaches - maybe even nutty granola? The possibilities seem endless.

If you come over to my house for dinner this summer, expect this for dessert. BYOC (bring your own chocolate) - if you must!

My New Crush: Pinterest

I’ve been in a creative slump.

Since moving to SoCal, many of my former magazine subscriptions have now lapsed – including one I accidentally let slide away (Sunset, don’t worry: you’ll be back on my doorstep next month). And while I love my cookbooks (I wrote an entire post devoted to them), I also long to try fresh tastes and trends. And yet I’ve found myself relying on old standby’s and Trader Joe’s’ freezer section to get us through spring.

I was feeling flummoxed – somewhat despondent, even (I really hate that word. It feels so Sylvia Plath. And yet, it is spot-on.). Everything I prepared was beginning to taste stale and the same. And I was bo-red!

And then I met my muse. Oh, Pinterest. You are a soul-saver.

Pinterest is like my own personal magazine – chock full of exactly the sections I want to read. Since meeting her, I’ve found loads of new recipes, DIY crafting projects, and countless must-have items for my closet. Oh, and a lot of pink-hair ideas.

This month, I set myself a goal to cook at least one pinned item each week. I’m keeping track, too – adding a quick note/thought to my pin to recall if I’ve made the recipe. The results have been pretty terrific, so I wanted to share with you which recipes I’ve enjoyed:

• Summer corn cakes – This is a spot-on recipe, bursting with summer flavors. The only thing I changed is making the cakes a bit larger than recommended.
• 4-ingredient chicken – Pretty tasty. I used boneless thighs and baked for 25 minutes. Next time I might add some fresh ginger to amp it up.
• Pomegranate and quinoa “super food” salad – I love that this girl’s from Iowa, just like my mom! This salad is texturally and tastily pleasing. Next time, I’ll buy some fresh shrimp and bake them like this as a topper.
• Raw basil-dressed vegan salad – Yum, yum, yum! Even though I didn’t use the avocado (not ripe enough), this turned out great. A wonderful base recipe – something to turn to when I have a fridge full of half-used produce.
• Red lentil coconut soup – A perfect balance of spicy and sweet.
• Handpies – As I wrote earlier this month, I wanted these to be jammier, sweeter. But the basic concept is perfect, and I’ll be trying different combinations of these all summer. In fact, the softening apples on the counter may just make their way into a cheddar-apple version tonight….
• Gingerbread waffles – ahMAZing. Next time I may whip some orange butter together for an extra nod toward the Jitterbug Café in Wallingford (RIP), but these are fab just on their own.

Looking back on this list, I think it would make a mighty fine menu for an outdoor summer soiree. Add a Jack & Diane to wash it down, and you’re good!

What about you? What are your favorite pins? And while we’re at it, what’s your Pinterest handle? You can find me @amydishes, of course! 

(PS: Any blogger whizzes out there? I can't get the silly "Pin this" button added to my site... Need help - thanks!)

No Fuss - California Style

Since moving to SoCal 6 months ago, I've been thinking a lot about what defines California style.

This applies both to fashion as well as cooking.

So much of my Seattle wardrobe doesn't make sense here, not just because it's too hot but also because it's too fussy. No one wears high-heeled boots or even strapped wedges to the beach except for in fashion shoots. Forget about constructed dresses and hairspray. None of these are practical in an outdoor lifestyle consumed by the beach and warm sun. When we first arrived, I consistently found myself overdressed at events. It's usually best to be a little dressier, but I felt over-done. I've since traded most of my heels for flats and sandals, stopped blow drying and coloring my hair, and stashed away the more tailored pieces of my wardrobe. Instead, my favorite well-worn jeans plus a light tee have become the staple. Maybe a scarf or some jewelry for an accent, but that's about it.

The same goes for cooking. I'd struggled to find my style here in the SoCal kitchen. In Seattle, the home chef reigns as the skies rain, sending us deep into cookbooks and the bowels of quirky markets looking for super ingredients to delight and even one-up our foodie friends. Here, that's just too much. There's no need for a cabinet full of high tech gadgets and fussy ingredients. In fact, I hardly even cook anymore - it's too warm and too enjoyable to spend excess time in the kitchen (and too crazy at the grocery store to take any more time than needed to get the staples). Plus the ingredients are so fresh, it's nice to simply prepare them to let them shine, cleanly.

Our focus has changed. We eat well - but we and eat and move on. No more fuss.

Case in point are the fresh strawberry hand-pies I made Sunday night, after gaining inspiration from Pinterest. These represent everything about California style - they're casual, flirty, and impossibly simple. They feature fresh, limited ingredients, don't take much time to prepare, and are a light treat. These could easily be adapted to feature whatever filling suits your fancy - I'm thinking peaches in the summer, apples in fall, and even lemon curd into winter. Be flexible and fun with your ingredients - just don't be fussy.

PS: This post and pies made to Father John Misty's new album, Fear Fun, as is most everything I do these days. It perfectly captures Los Angeles living (J. Tillman, formerly of Fleet Foxes and Seattle, is also now an LA resident). I think he likes it here, too: "How was I to know that milk and honey flowed just a couple states below?"

Status Report

During a recent visit, my mom politely reminded me that I haven't posted here in nearly two months... It's not that I haven't wanted to write. It's just that I haven't had much to share.

In the 3 months that we've lived in LA, I can count on two hands how many times I've turned on the oven to create a proper meal. LA is the land of salads and fast stove top sautes. Plus, we've been adjusting to our new schedule (including my husband's crazy commute), which means quick meals - sometimes even impromptu trips to grab a bite out, even on a weeknight - are in order.

This weekend, I did make these awesome veggie burgers - which took nearly 2 hours, but were delicious (and made extras, so now we have half a dozen stashed in the freezer for future).

I have had a few baking incidents, including those lemon bars that ended up being waaaaay too tart (And pithy. Next time I won't include the rind, as directed.) And a funny little episode with a Dutch Baby where I wound up using 4 times the amount of flour instructed and jammed the Cuisinart. (As a wise owl - ahem, mom! - has oft repeated: Read the recipe at least twice before you start. Now I know why!)

I'm also not quite sure where I am with meat vs. vegetarianism. Oh yeah, that old debate. It's resurrected!

All told, I haven't felt there's that much worthy of sharing - but at least now I have an entry in my time-log for 2012!

More soon, I hope - including the continued quest for that Glenwood Tomato Soup. My current question: Is it Velveeta?

La La Love You - LA's Bounty

I am in love with California's bounty. No dis on Seattle intended - after all, our homegrown tomatoes and state-grown apples are things of beauty. And the fresh salmon, flown in from Alaska, is heaven, one slab at a time.

It's just that SoCal's produce - much of which grows year-round - is fresh, delicious, plentiful.

Just look at the size of those shallots!

And artichokes!

It's also inexpensive! I really didn't believe farmer's markets were cheaper than (or even equivalent to) what I could get in a top-quality grocery store at home. I've had many a conversation about this, including a discussion with Angela from What's My Deal? But California is a game-changer. A trip to the farmer's market no longer leaves my wallet $30-40 lighter; here, we can fill our bags for under a 20-spot.

An even better deal is free-99. We can stretch our arms into the communal lemon tree in our apartment building's courtyard to pluck a ripe fruit anytime we need some zest. I see a lot of lemon bars in my future. In fact, I'm prepping to make a batch of David Lebovitz's whole-lemon bars this week for our new neighbors.

A current rave that brings this all together: simple salad. In my last post, I raved about the Olive Pit's 18-year balsamic vinegar, so luscious and aged that it drizzles like syrup over a salad. Paired with an equal drizzle of olive oil and a crack of pepper is all I need to top intensely dark green spinach and a harvest orange heirloom tomato for my favorite salad of the moment. (It's pretty great with chunked tuna and garbanzo beans for extra protein, too.)

This picture really doesn't do it justice. The green of that spinach was so dark, it was like a forest at night. I felt healthier just handling it.

This is what's on my table right now. I can't wait to discover new local gems - like the persimmon I've been eyeing at the store. Stay tuned!

An LA Story - The Next Installment

I've been absent.

The past few weeks have been go, go, go!

In September, we visited LA. In October, we moved to LA.

My last few weeks looked like this:
Rented apartment in Westwood
Nate accepted job
Returned home to Seattle - go time!
Sold furniture
Packed house
Cried
Enlisted more help to pack house (Thanks, mom!)
Listed house for rent, found tenants
Continued packing
Said goodbyes
Packed truck
Hit road (at 10/10 - 10 a.m., for those who like numbers)

Our road "trip" took a little over 3 days. We travelled with my mom and stepdad (so thankful for their help!) + our two cats. Our itinerary and highlights along the way:

• Day 1: to Ashland. Cats were quiet. Lunch @ Oaktree. Dinner in Medford/Denny's.
• Night 1: in Ashland. Remy-cat kept us up all night, literally bouncing off the hotel walls and yowling.
• Day 2: to Bakersfield (hint: this is a LONG way from Medford). LaQuinta Inn for breakfast. Lunch at the Olive Pit - yummy, syrupy balsamic vinegar on the Greek salad. More on this soon. It's become a staple on my salads. Dinner at McD's. Those Filet-o-Fish sammies are still quite delicious.
• Night 2: Remy now drugged on tranquilizers. Felt like our hotel was in the 'hood and fretted about truck in lot - with all of our possessions - all night long.
• Day 3: LaQuinta again for breakfast + one of those new SBC iced lattes from gas station. Zing!  Arrived in LA to a traffic jam on the 405 + a heatwave - in the high 90s. Unpacked half of truck - helpers Aunt Sharon & Uncle Tom also brought amazing pastries from Porto's. Ate 3 cream-cheese puff pastries with big grains of sugar, unabashedly. Put a moratorium on moving around 4.30. Too. HOT!
• Night 3: Dinner at Native Foods Cafe - vegan & delicious. Crashed asleep.
• Day 4: Up at 9 to unpack the 2nd half of truck (all boxes + a few heavy items); all boxes done by 11.30, but it took nearly 2 hrs to get the other items - just 3 heavy pieces - up the stairs. Oh yes, did I forget to mention? We had to haul everything up 30 stairs in this 90+ heat. It should be noted that next time we move, we will hire movers.

Yes, it's been crazy - but thrilling and dare I say fun, too. We're excited for what lies ahead! Now settling! More soon, hopefully with some pictures.

An LA Story, Part 2

Our next move?
The view from the hilltop Silverlake apartment is sweeping. To the right and down, houses cluster together amid the trees. Off in the distance, mini skyrises form geometric blocks flanked by the famed Hollywood sign rising monolithically in the backdrop. Further afield: a gauzy haze covering what I know to be Santa Monica and the Pacific. Dreamy.

I could get used to this.

We're here for two weeks in LA, housesitting for my oldest friend in the world while she and her family gallivant around eastern Europe. For us, the trip is a little bit R&R and a little bit work. We're here to decide whether Los Angeles will be the next move in our game of life.

It got off to a fantastic start. We arrived yesterday morning, and as the wheels bumped down at Bob Hope airport in Burbank, Nate and I exchanged glances. It's Go Time. Decisions ahead. But first, a bit of downtime to settle in.

We crashed into catnaps following the early rise, then were off to a posh Hollywood Hills house (now a working studio for a friend of Nate's) for a BBQ/birthday. If anything will sway our decision, it's the remote chance that we could possibly land a view like this:

Or this:

It's still much too early for a decision, but first impressions mean a lot.

---
Sept 6 update - Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!
The temperature on the LA Times website says it's 90 degrees. We're only partially there, headed for 98 degrees tomorrow, then possibly 100. Thank God for air conditioning.

On a related note, I'm going to need to rethink my beverages if we move to LA. My steaming cup of coffee seems wildly inappropriate. At Starbucks yesterday, I tried a lime "Refresher" - a drink being testmarketed here in LA + also in Arizona. It uses green coffee for its base. The barista described it as akin to a mojito, minus the booze. I thought it too limey - it tasted like the tart pith. Nate thought it tasted like hay (what green coffee smells like). I'm not so sure it's a hit. Apparently there also was a passionfruit flavor that was so successful, it's already sold out.

---
Sept 9 update - Gonna take a trip...
We saw Band of Horses last night at the Wiltern, a historic old theatre similar to the Paramount Seattle. I slagged off this band for their first album (yawn-inducing). A couple of songs on the second album piqued my interest. But the third effort, Infinite Arms, is on regular rotation now. BoH was supposed to be opening for Kings of Leon, but KoL had to cancel the tour while their singer gets himself straightened out. So BoH culled together a short, spotty headlining tour. So happy we are in LA right now to get to this show because they sounded pristine.

Forever ingrained in my mind will be the live rendition of "Laredo." I already love the song, but as they played it live, I felt the goosebumps rise on my arms as I watched from our mezzanine level seats. The band, warmed up and grooving, was clearly at their peak of the night. The swagger, the harmonies, the confidence... I didn't want the moment to end.
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Sept 19 update...This is happening
So, it's been 10 days since my last entry. That week and half has been full of questions, answers, and action. First, here are some scenes from coffee shops where we had good talks and made some decisions.

The honey-vanilla latte at Urth Caffe - a thing of beauty:

And the pastries at Intelligentsia (paired with a smooth Gibraltar on the side - a double shot of espresso gently caressed by a topper of cooler-than-normal steamed milk, so that it emulsifies):

Lest you think all of our decisions were made in caffeine frenzies, I present the famed flaming margarita at El Compadre:

So after caffeine and questions (my specialty), we made a decision: We are moving to LA!

We've found a place in Westwood, only partially decided upon due to proximity to the Paris Bakery and its macarons:

We move in just a few weeks.

Honestly, we knew deep in our hearts that we'd end up in LA. It was just a matter of securing a place (done), a job for Nate (done), and a renter for our Seattle house (not done - are you interested?).

It's time for an adventure, new scenery, and some sunshine. More to come in the weeks ahead!

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship

Jack, meet Ginger. Ginger, meet Jack.

Jack - this gal Ginger... she's just your type. A little sweet, a little spicy, and she'll keep you warm on a cool night. But she's also just as comfortable on a summer evening. She's refreshing, surprising. Even a little zingy. 

Ginger - let me tell you about Jack. He's strong and rugged. A classic. But he's also sweet. He'll feel like a warm hug enveloping you. And that honey-coated throat. Oh me oh my. He'll have you wrapped around him in no time.

I just know you two would make a nice pair. You should meet, soon. Icebreakers will be no problem. You'll be comfortable in no time. 

Like any good match, remember - both of you bring equal weight to the relationship and complement each other. This one's 50-50.

I think this is the beginning of something beautiful.

Jack and Ginger (Sweet and Spicy)

Crush ice and fill a highball glass. Mix equal parts Reed's Extra Ginger beer and Jack Daniel's Honey into the glass.

Stir.

Sip.

Sigh.

Adventures in recreating signature restaurant items

Tonight's was a simple meal: garlic bread and tomato soup. But there was more than met the eye.

I had set out to recreate two beloved restaurant menu items. One new - the garlic knots from C&O Trattoria in Venice Beach. I've only tasted them once (well, on one occasion. On that on one night, I probably ate half-a-dozen!). And one old - the beguiling Glenwood tomato-cheese soup I ate bowl after bowl of in Eugene.

We'll start with the tomato soup, as this is now my third post about this elusive recipe. Tonight, I inched ever closer to recreating the Glenwood's magic. The soup base wasn't quite right - some herbs and flavors are still missing. (Tonight I tried this recipe, subbing in whole milk for cream, forgetting to add the butter, and tossing in some shredded cheese.)

But tonight I may have unlocked the cheese's secret. Glenwood's cheese never melts - no matter how hot the soup. After mulling the question How? for nearly two decades, I posted here about the quandary. A couple of dear readers have found my post and provided what I now think is exactly the secret: vinegar.

On try #2, I tried cheddar steeped overnight in apple cider vinegar. The texture was right, but the flavor much, much too overpowering.

Tonight, I opted for a mellower combo: approx a cup of shredded mozzarella steeped in a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar; also, I let the two mingle for only four hours vs overnight, and rinsed the cheese before I stirred it into the pot.

Voila! Bouncy, intact shreds of cheese sans vinegar! My husband even commented that he preferred this cheese to Glenwood's. Well, I'll be!

I think we have won part of the battle! If only I could perfect the base... I think the soup needs a bay leaf (or several), maybe a sprinkle of sugar. And... ____. There's a gap. I'll keep working on it.

Next up: the garlic knots, aka "Killer Garlic Knots" from Venice Beach's C&O. My cousin took us out to C&O when we visited LA in April, and I've been drooling over these garlic knots since (I'm probably still breathing their pungent fire, too!) They're a free appetizer at this charming, communal eatery - but they were the highlight of the meal.

Since I don't live close enough to C&O to pop in for a bite - and a two-hour flight seems a bit extreme for a freebie - I decided I need to make these at home. I surfed the net and found a few recipes to start with. This post from Misanthropichostess looked spot-on and well-researched, so I started there.

I followed the recipe to the T, and am beyond thrilled to report these are a-ma-zing. I halved the dough recipe as she suggests (stashing the other half in the freezer) and came out with 22 knots. Only 8 are left - a testament to their sheer deliciousness, as are our stuffed bellies. (For the record, I liked the batch baked for 15 minutes better than the 12-minute batch, and I sprinkled a pinch of salt atop the warm knots for added kick.) These are a sure-fire hit that I will make time and time again.

C&O's - more gloss (it is LA, after all)

Mine (via Misanthropichostess). Even better than the real thing?

The last menu item wasn't from a restaurant, but it's worth documenting because it was so darn easy: Mini pies baked in muffin tins.

I went to a lovely BBQ this weekend, and one of the guests brought a similar treat. I had 2 bags full of fresh Rainer cherries on hand + some frozen pie dough, so I threw together a concoction:

Fill the muffin tin with just enough dough to line it, disregarding perfection ("rustic" is chic). Toss halved cherries with some sugar, flour, lemon juice, and almond extract (not measuring). Fill dough. Cover with leftover dough scraps any which way you like. Bake at 375 for approx 15 minutes. Enjoy! (PS - these can be eaten on the go. They'd fit perfectly in the palm of your hand en route to work, with a steaming mug of coffee on the side. Hello, pie for breakfast.)

So that's it! A resounding round of success in tonight's meals. Leave me a comment if you have any other tips on that Glenwood tomato-cheese soup base!

Happy Blog Birthday!

Amy Dishes is officially entering the terrible twos- though let's hope they aren't so terrible. It's been two years - 730 days - since my first post. I think I've stuck pretty well to my mission, with a few deviations here and there.

This past year has been a bit slow due to my schoolwork, but I'm getting back on track.

I'm happy to have you all as readers and encouragers and look forward to many more years with you!

Cheers!

PS: Thanks to my friend dj for the red velvet doughnut - in honor of National Doughnut Day (and serving double duty for blog bday)

An LA Story?

Last month Nate and I took a whirlwind four-day trip to Los Angeles. He was attending a writing conference with Robert McKee (author of Story, the screenwriter's bible). I tagged along to see friends and family.

Everyone warned me about how horrible LA is - the traffic! the prices! the people!

But, you know what? All of that proved to be untrue.

I drove south to Oceanside one day to visit my stepsister - made it there and back in under 2 hours each way.

Prices didn't seem so bad; in fact, many of our meals cost LESS than in Seattle.

And everyone we met was so darn friendly.

Maybe these misconceptions represent the LA of old? Or perhaps they're rumors Los Angelenos spread to keep people from moving to their city (much like we always tell people Seattle is grey and rainy 10 months of the year. Oh....wait. That one is true).

In any case, it was a lovely trip. I wish I'd taken my camera out of my (new Coach!) bag more. Here's what we have:

In LA, the streets are lined with palms not pines.

Beautiful grate/window at Griffith Observatory.

You know the phrase "amazeballs"? That is these garlic knots. More to come in a future post!

I love it when a plan comes together: Three-tomato sauce

Sometimes, things just come together.

I’ve taken what feels like a nearly 9-month long hiatus from cooking. No, not because I was pregnant – but because I’ve been in school. I went back in fall to get a marketing management certificate through UW. Only one course per week, but it’s left me with little brainspace to do much else.

My cooking skills have definitely suffered. We’ve eaten a lot of (gasp) frozen meals. And I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve tried to cook of late, only to get distracted halfway through and flub up a meal.

There are just 12 days left of class (yes, I’m counting). This past weekend, on the eve of my rough-draft presentation for this quarter’s practicum, I felt a lift. I was inspired – actually excited – to get into the kitchen.

I had a general idea of what I wanted to make. We’d picked up some frozen tuna steaks from Trader Joe’s, and I wanted to pair them with a spicy, robust puttanesca-type sauce – based on the one from my favorite vegetarian cookbook. We also had some grape tomatoes on the counter that needed to be used and a new pouch of sundried tomatoes calling to me.

And so, three-tomato sauce was born: A sweet, spicy, chunky sauce bursting with three types of tomatoes + tangy olives and capers. I love the way the grape tomatoes and kalamata olives looked in the saucepan – echoes of each other, one bright red and one dark purple. I wish I had a photo to show you, but I just ate the last bite.

I’m looking forward to what awaits – more free time on the horizon, so close I can almost taste all the deliciousness in my future.

  

Three-tomato sauce (inspired by puttanesca)

• Olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 small jar tomato paste
• 1 c. grape tomatoes
• ½ c. sundried tomatoes (I left them whole, but next time will cut in half)
• Approx 20 kalamata olives + some of their brine
• 2 T. large capers + some of their brine

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add red pepper to taste. Stir in tomato paste, grape tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, kalamatas/brine, and capers/brine. Simmer to let flavors meld, approximately 20 minutes. (Note that at simmer stage, I transferred the sauce from the sauté pan to a covered pot – I needed the pan for my tuna steaks. You could cook it in the sauté pan, though – just cover it to help seal in spatters.)

Can be served as a protein topper (over tuna or chicken) or as a pasta sauce. I bet this would even be good heaped, cold, onto bruschetta.

The Holy Grail of Soups - Tomato-Cheese, Part 2

The plot thickens, my friends. More than a year ago, I posted about my ongoing quest to find the recipe for the tomato soup served in Eugene, Oregon's Glenwood Cafe.

The soup is tangy and perfectly seasoned, but its mystery lies in its shredded cheese - which never melts, no matter how hot the soup.

Just a few weeks ago, a new comment appeared on that post. Seems someone else was sleuthing for the recipe and found my blog. She had a hot tip to share. Had I tried soaking the cheese in vinegar first? It is known to change the structure (proteins, reportedly) of the cheese and keep it from melting.

And so, I tried. I grated some Tillamook cheddar, put it into a bowl and covered it with apple cider vinegar in the morning. And then I waited. After work, I tasted a few shreds. Bouncier - more like cheese curds. Hmm.

I also wanted to experiment with this recipe for tomato soup, which I'm sure is fabulous if done correctly, but which I proceeded to alter (no chicken stock, no cream) and burn (as I worked on laundry and talked to my friend on the phone. Not a good combo).

But the cheese - it held its shape! I stirred it in to the pot about 10 minutes before serving, cranked the heat to medium (Not for more char taste, but to test the vinegar-cheese theory). And it worked! Even today, after reheating in the microwave for 2 minutes, the shreds stay intact.

This may be the trick. However, the soup tasted very vinegary. I'm not sure if this was due to the vinegar-soaked cheese. Next time I will try sweeter balsamic, as the comment suggested. But I had also stirred a couple Tbsp of balsamic vinegar in to the soup pot to counteract the burned taste...could be the culprit.

But, we may be on to something, so stay tuned! And send recipes for tomato-basil soups you think I should try as my base, if you would...Thanks!

Aloha spirit

Aloha! I've been meaning to document last month's trip to the Big Island of Hawaii for some time now. Seems work and school and life have gotten in the way. But I wanted to share a few images from the trip, and some treasures we brought back from Kona. On our last full day on the island, I posed the question aloud to myself: What will I bring home from this trip? I wasn't thinking about the sand in my suitcase or the tan that quickly faded. Rather, lasting, indelible memories - specifically in the form of tastes and smells.

Papaya is common on a Hawaiian tropical fruit plate. I've never cared for it much, unless a heavy squeeze of lime juice corrects the over-sweet flesh to tone it down. On this trip, though, we discovered a new way to eat, and use, papaya: as a vessel for tangy plain yogurt, covered with a healthy sprinkle of coconut granola. I've made this at home weekly since our return, inspired by the breakfasts at Island Lava Java in Kona.

Smoked mozzarella: Where have you been all my life? Specifically, why have you not been on pizza? For festive occasions, I've sometimes bought a braid of smoked mozz to slice alongside some crackers. Once or twice, I've even grated it atop smoky chili. But I never thought of the joy this smoky, rich flavor would bring to a wood fired pizza. We went back to Kona Brewing Co. twice for their Puna Pie - slices heaped with roasted garlic and smoked-mozzarella perfection.

I eat a salad nearly every day, and have for decades. I look forward to the cool, crisp crunch of greens to end my meal. This trip provided the best lettuce I've ever had on the islands - locally grown, both tender and crisp, and shockingly fresh. In some cases, like at the charming cafe up the hill from King Kamehameha's Royal Grounds, the lettuce was grown mere steps from my plate. In Kona, at Huggo's on the Rocks' outside beach-bar (where I dined with sand in between my toes), I had a Hawaiian version of one of my favorite concoctions: warm protein (preferably fish) atop crunchy greens. Huggo's version came topped with a macadamia-nut crusted whitefish and a side of white rice, which I quickly blended in to my greens. All was topped with a sweet, tangy, gingery dressing and served, delightfully, nestled inside a bamboo steaming basket.

Plumeria is my happy-place scent. Upon arrival to the islands, it is a welcoming custom to be given a lei. Here's mine - pink and white plumeria strung on a simple thread. The heady, sweet scent is intoxicating. The other picture is of the most beautiful plumeria trees I've ever seen - deep pink flowers resting in the foreground to the bright blue ocean. At a gas station. The most unlikely of spots to find beauty.

As our trip came to an end, I knew I couldn't leave without some tangible memories. At the postage stamp of an airport on Kona, I stocked up on all things plumeria: a sticker for my car, a couple of hair accessories, and a bottle of lotion. None are the real deal, but they'll help kickstart memories of a lovely trip. Much like Aloha can mean hello or goodbye, the scent of plumeria, to me, represents a welcome as well as a bon voyage (or, preferably, a "see you soon").

Aloha!