Empty your House Pasta

I was on the way home when the hunger hit. It was 3 oclock and I realized that all I ate was a protein bar. This wasn't intentional at all. I usually eat every few hours. After a day of running around like a crazy woman, the hunger devoured me and I could eat anything in sight. I imagined what I would eat all the way home.
We just got back from our trip and there is no food in the house. I am spoiled, I usually only use fresh herbs when I cook. I searched the fridge and there was not a sprig in sight. I rummaged through the pantry. I eyeballed some canned goods that I bought a year ago before I had learned to cook. This was going to be a mish mash dinner with everything I could find. I used cream corn instead of cream to add a thickness to the sauce.

Empty your House Pasta

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Pasta
3 cloves of garlic
1 gigantic onion
2 small cans of diced tomatoes
1 small can of creamed corn
oregano
Parmigiano Reggiano

1. Cook the pasta according to directions.
2. Saute the onions and garlic.
Add tomatoes, corn, tuna and oregano. Simmer for a few minutes.
3. When pasta is al dente, reserve some of the cooking liquid.
4. Add sauce and a bit of starchy cooking water to pasta.
5. Top with parmigiano Reggiano.

I have to say that this is not the most incredible pasta that I have ever had but it was just perfect for a day when I don't have time to cook but would like to enjoy
some nice healthy comfort food.
Note: The pasta in the picture is before I added the cheese

UPDATE: My fiance got home and tried the pasta, he loved it!

A Short Trip to Banff and Sorroundings

I just got back from a pre-wedding vacation in Banff. I needed to stock up on energy
for a crazy month. Yes, actually less than a month until the day that I say those meaningful words " I DO". Okay, I am not going to make anyone nauseous with details but I still have to choose the menu and taste all the choices, send out the invites, choose the music that I want the D.J's to play and turn in to bridezilla for at least a bit. I don't know if you can become bridezilla a month before the wedding. Maybe it will be an overnight transformation, like what happened to the guy from Teen Wolf.
Most of the food we ate was either fast food or stuff we bought at the supermarket.
I even changed my views on Safeway. In Seattle, Whole Foods is my favorite place to
grocery shop. There are so many choices, Q.F.C, Trader Joe's and Metropolitan Market. In the Banff area, the only one I could find was the Safeway. I have to admit that it isn't that bad at all.
My most memorable meal on the trip was dinner at The Red Deer Lounge. We stared through the window at erect pine trees, side by side like toy soldiers, forming a stunning green gate of perfection.

I grew up in Montreal so Canada brought back so many memories.....fat kid memories. I was one of those kids that ate junk all day. My eyes lit up at the mere sight of Smarties, Poutine and
Maple Leaf cookies. Thank Heavens, I grew out of that stage. Now that I think back,
I think I never realized that Cabbage Patch Dolls were actually associated with vegetables. If I only I would have known. I probably would have begged my mom for more Strawberry Shortcake dolls.
These days kids play with swollen lip hooker dolls called Brats. What ever happened to the innocent wrinkly California Raisins? Did they get Botox or go on a diet?

Question of The Day

My question got chosen as the Serious Eats question of the day:
Are there fruits and vegetables that you discovered this year?

Come on, we all need some motivation to try new things. Now here are a few new names to look out for.
Jep posted purple potatoes, Golden Kiwi and plucot.
Cool name lived up to her/his title using all the possible names for each food. Husk tomatoes AKA strawberry tomatoes AKA cape gooseberries among other names.
Pousse Pied AKA sea beans AKA glass wort.
Hillary from chew on that posted durian, batata, sapute, lychees and a horned melon.
"Erin loves to eat" posted that she finally overcame her fear of licorice resembling fennel and that she also discovered jicama.

Now that you are hungry, add your own!

Nigella Lawson In Seattle , Nov 13

Send a recipe to the Seattle PI and win a chance to meet her!
For more info....

The Discovered Palate

My fiance and I are always having little discussions about our palate. He claims that
I have gotten my palate used to certain foods and my standards for food are much higher. He doesn't taste the difference between tomatoes from Fred Myer and tomatoes from the market. It took me a whole month to convince him that
heirloom tomatoes taste different than Roma tomatoes and that they are worth 5.99 a pound. The other day at Whole foods, he actually bought some for dinner. I could not believe my eyes(yes, on sale) but still he agreed to pay 4.29 a pound for tomatoes.
I decided to think back and make a list of a few new vegetables or fruits that I discovered in the last while.
1. Heirloom Tomatoes
2. Fiddlehead Ferns
3. Donut Peaches
4. Wild Ramps
5. Squash Blossoms
6. Meyer Lemons
7. Elephant Garlic
8. Truffles
9. Kobacha Squash

What are your discoveries?

Padma's Cellulite

Emily from the last season of "Top Chef" lets her big mouth loose. Her claim that Padma has cellulite reminds me of why women are so jealous and why women should only have men friends. Women can be so nasty! Brace yourself girl, you wish you had one precent of Padma's beauty. Listen for more complaints.... that's all she does!


Listen here

Pink Cake

Check out this cake.
Can you guess what it is?

The Amateur Gourmet - Book Review

Practically every food blogger is aware of the Amateur Gourmet. He is the one that puts ridiculous songs on his blog, never hesitates to post his mistakes and has become a blogger celebrity in the last few weeks. Oh and I am sure that his blog is nothing short of one the most popular food blogs around.
I have been looking for his book for a while and I finally got my hands on the little thing.
The book is a simple story of someone who teaches himself how to cook. A lot of the things will get you saying things like "oh, I did this" or hey "I never noticed this". When I went into a store to ask for it, the lady said " I don't need this, I already know how to cook". The truth is this is not a book to teach you how to cook, there aren't many recipes and all of them are borrowed from other books. This is going to remind you how much fun cooking is and how many mistakes we tend to make, how important it is to discover food and how blogging is the single best way to never forget these experiences. This is a blog that you can cuddle with in bed without feeling the heat of your laptop and imagining the damages it is doing to your body, perched on your stomach. A quick, easily read, antidote to an otherwise boring day!

To get the book

Food Network Star in Seattle

Do you think you cook like a star? If you missed the Food Network auditions today then you still might have a chance.
Send an email to:nextfoodnetworkstar4@gmail.com.

Read my other blog , for details.

Austin Cantina

Saturday, I finally got to try out the new restaurant, Austin Cantina. The place is
super casual with cactus paintings and a miniature cactus on each table. The atmosphere is laid back and despite the fact that the tables were full, the chef
greeted people at the door with a smile. It reminded me of a diner but Mexican style. It was doing well for it's one week Anniversary.

I ordered the nachos with homemade guacamole and salsa. I tasted cherry in something but I couldn't figure out what it was. Was it in the salsa or in the guacamole? I asked the waitress and she explained that they roasted the tomatillos in the guacamole which gives it a unique taste. It tasted perfect! I ordered grilled northwest chicken with a sweet chipotle glaze. It came with black beans and rice. The chicken was extremely moist which is pleasantly surprising because a lot of the time chicken in restaurants is dry. The food tasted great. I regretted not ordering the plantain empanadas. I am trying not to eat too much fried food. I think the table next to me noticed me staring at their empanadas. I should at least try not to drool next time.


The total came out to 19.60= chips and salsa 5.50+ coke 2.50( not even real coke but R.C Cola)+ polla la plancha 10.50 + tax. This was the only downfall, a tad bit pricy.
I would definitely go back, seems like the type of place where everyone knows your name.
Cheers!

New Teas by Chao Dao

Do you have trouble deciding if you want coffee or tea? If so, there is an answer for you, Yin Yang.
Yin Yang is a blend of fresh black tea and coffee.
I picked this up at Whole Foods this week. The only problem is that I am not a big fan of coffee. Once in a while, I have a craving for ice coffee so I figured this
would be a good choice. I am probably not the best judge since I don't drink a lot of coffee but this one tastes pretty good. The bitterness of the coffee is balanced by the taste of tea. It is also very sweet, kind of like a really strong iced tea with a dose of coffee in it. It's the kind of thing to drink on a really hot day when you don't want the heaviness of a coffee with milk.
Calories: 60 for the whole entire bottle(16 oz)
Antioxident flavonoids: 132 mgs


The second drink I tried is the Jasmine tea with lemon which is absolutely wonderful. The mix of Jasmine tea and lemon is a perfect combination and it is totally refreshing and sweet.
Calories: 80 for the whole entire bottle(16 oz)
Antioxident Flavonoids 320 mgs

For more information about Chao Dao beverages, click here

Cooking Light In Seattle with Chef Bily Strynkowski

To Read my post about this event, read my other blog

0/8 Seafood Grill/ Twisted Cork

Seattlelites beware! There is a worthy happy hour on the Eastside. I have written about the Twisted Cork before in my other blog because I truly love the place.
Last night, I tried the new menu for the first time.
While we debated on what to order, one person suggested calamari. The thought of a deep fried crusty batter crossed my mind. Do I really want all that grease in my body(pretending to be somewhat health conscious before my wedding)? Then I realized that it's seared. What a bright idea? The seared calamari is so much more delicate than when it's fried and it was cooked up with lemon grass and cashews. As for the scallops, what a lovely plate. Everyone ranted and raved about them including my friend who stated earlier that we should "order anything but the scallops". The ahi tuna poke was surprisingly tasty served alongside a glass of a lemon grass dry soda spritzer(wine and dry soda)used to clean the palate. The poke was then followed by a Chateau St Michelle Muscato. The spicy tuna is made with mango,cucumber and ginger. It is topped with crunchy wonton pieces and toasted sesame seeds. I usually don't care for ahi tuna but I liked it this time with the crunchiness of the wontons and sesame seeds.
Happy Hour is not the only option for those on a budget, you have until the end of the month to take advantage of New Urban Drinks , where you get two small plates and a glass of wine for 15 dollars. We had to do get a piece of the urban drink action as well. The mushroom ravioli with pea vine salad and chive oil is a delightful choice . I won't tell you about all the plates but I mentioned my personal favorites. Now I'll let you look at the pictures.
Allow your palate some eye candy!

0/8 Seafood Grill and Twisted Cork
900 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue
Read my interview with the Chef

Sorry about the dark pics, I was having trouble with my camera. The beautiful glass
podium trio is the "ahi tuna poke" with the wine spritzer and Chateau St Michelle wine.

Bake Cookies in Your Car

If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. Better yet, get into your car.
Actually the heat in the car is enough to bake cookies. Check out the article. Perfect for those men who are obsessed with their cars.
Another excuse to spend your time drooling over your wheels.

Would You Rather?

Here is a game. Feel free to Play. You can add a question if you like.

Would you rather eat pasta every day for a month or pizza for a month?
Would you rather give up on bread or give up on cheese?
Would you rather a big kitchen with a few gadgets or a small kitchen with the best gadgets?
Would you rather give up sugar or give up fried foods?
Would you rather eat moldy cheese or freezer burnt bread?

Last Call for Cooking Light

Just a reminder about the cooking light event....

Cooking Light hosts supper clubs in different cities each time and they are finally having one in Seattle.

Details:

Date: September 6, 2007
Time: 6:00 pm
Price: 65 Dollars per person

There will be cooking demos, recipes, a wonderful meal and lots of fellow foodies. If you are up for it, sign up quick before it's too late!

In Concert with Communities

Thursday September 6
Benaroya Hall, Samuel and Althea Stroum Grand Lobby, 200 University St., Seattle

This event showcases the partnerships between Washington State University faculty and the community members—farmers, ranchers, fishers, business owners, and non-profit leaders—who work side-by-side with their land grant university to steward the environment, create jobs and businesses, raise fresh, healthy, local food, and offer lifelong educational opportunities to the citizens of Washington state.

Try appetizers prepared by some of the area’s top chefs.
The list includes chefs from....Waterfront Seafood Grill, Troiani Ristorante Italiano, Cafe Flora, and 0/8 Seafood Grill, using Washington-grown ingredients supplied by farmers and ranchers attending the event.
Admission is $50 per adult and $20 per child (ages 5-18) at the door; children under 5 are free. For more information, contact Dory Straight, at (206) 335-2243 or visit cahnrs.wsu.edu/event.
Found this via Randall Pr

My Barbecue Last Night.

I tried grilling every vegetable possible. It was great except for the cucumbers on the grill. I thought I would give it a try. Nasty!

Cache Seattle

I just discovered Cache Seattle. It's a private dinner club in Belltown.
People sit together, communal style and the menu has a different theme each time.
The price is a suggested donation which includes food, drinks and wine. The only downfall is that is sold out until the end of October.
I found this on Delicious City.