Wine Dinner at Columbia Tower Club.

Check out this wine event.... Friday, February 1st

Fifth Annual Platinum Wine Dinner at Columbia Tower Club

Eric Degerman, Associate Editor of Wine Press Northwest and his panel of judges chose
fifteen Platinum Wines from the Pacific Northwest.

Braiden Rex Johnson, Wine Press Northwest columnist and author of Pacific Northwest Wining and Dining, will be available throughout the evening to sign her new book.

The wine dinner begins at 6 p.m. with a wine and hors d’oeuvre reception.
Seating is at 7 pm.
A five-course dinner paired with five wines, prepared by Executive Chef James Hassell. Tickets are available to nonmembers for $130, plus tax and gratuity, including a one-year subscription to Wine Press Northwest. For reservations and more information, call the Columbia Tower Club at (206) 622-2010.

Avocado Salad with a Tomatillo

Last night I got a ripe avocado and decided to make an avocado salad. It was full of flavor with a an interesting spicy kick.
The tomatillo adds a slight sweetness. I didn't think of this myself. A while ago I had lunch at Austin Cantina and after being especially impressed with the guacamole I asked the waitress what gave it a hint of cherry flavor. She said it was the tomatillo. Now, mine doesn't taste anything like cherry but the combination of flavors is delicious.

Avocado Salad

1 avocado
1 hard boiled egg
1 hard boiled egg white
1 tomatillo (diced)
Juice of half a lime
Chili powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
A small bunch of chopped cilantro (about one tablespoon or more).

1. Mash all ingredients.

Don't forget to enter the Greek Gods Recipe Contest.

Pancetta Bites - Good Ciao

Contest Reminder: Feb 8th is deadline for the Greek Gods Recipe contest. Come on, I know you want to win a 150 dollar dinner!
Click here for more details....

I don't like to have too many cookbooks anymore. I am one of those people who uses one or two recipes from a book and then forgets that I have it. Since I got this book, Good Ciao last week , I have already made six recipes. The cookbook is a collaboration between Italian Chef Roberto Russo and Salty's Co-Owner Kathryn Kingen and Salty's Chefs.

All the recipes are simple with flavorful ingredient combinations and are written in both English and Italian. The recipes include easy pasta dishes, quick but impressive appetizers and a section of Northwest dishes with recipes of Salty's Restaurant Chefs.
I was debating which recipe to share and I decided that these pancetta bites are a fun, easy appetizer with a delightful combination of flavors. The recipe is unbelievably quick.


Pancetta Bites

2 bananas
20 slices of Pancetta or substitute bacon, thinly sliced
12 dried prunes
1/2 cup of Fontina( cubed)
Freshly ground Pepper

Peel the bananas and cut each into 4 pieces.
Wrap each piece with a slice of pancetta.
In a bowl combine the prunes with enough warm water to cover and set aside to soak for 3 minutes. Drain and pit the prunes. Fill each prune with some of the Fontina and wrap each with a slice of pancetta.

Preheat the broiler. Arrange the pancetta-wrapped bananas and prunes in an oven safe baking dish. Transfer to the oven to broil until the pancetta is crisp about 10 minutes.
Remove the bananas and prunes from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Season with pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Note: I bought pitted prunes that were already soft. I skipped the soaking part.

Beecher's Cheese Needs You!

Do you always look through the window of Beecher's and wonder what it's like to make the cheese? Beecher's needs cheesemakers!

Apply down at the famous Pike Place Market to become one of the cheesemakers at Beecher's Handmade Cheese. The position requires heavy lifting and flexible hours. Apply in the market at 1600 Pike Place and ask for Brad or Blain. 206-956-9019.

Culinology in Seattle

Have you heard of culinology? Culinology is the blend of culinary arts and food technology.
Read about the culinology program


The Research Chefs Association will be having the next conference and culinology expo right here in Seattle. Many subjects will be discussed such as Myth Busters: Molecular Gastronomy, Ice Cream: From Cow to Wow and Meat Alternatives: Exploring your Options. For more subjects, click here

When and Where? Conferences: Thursday, March 6 – Sunday, March 9, Sheraton Seattle Hotel
Culinology Expo: Friday, March 7, 12:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Washington State Convention and Trade Center

What? Conferences regarding many food related subjects and companies showcasing their food products.

Who would be interested in this conference?
Anyone who is interested in food, food development, networking or students in culinary school who want to explore more possibilities in the food world.

The last day for early bird discounts is January 31, 2008



To enter a Greek Gods Yogurt Contest and win a 150 dollar dinner, click here!

How Super are You?

For the blogger event, I got some Supertaster strips. I thought it would be fun.
I tried mine at home with hubby, we have these little quarrels about parmesan cheese.
He likes to grate parmigiano reggiano and regular parmesan and make me try them both. He likes to see if I know the difference. He hasn't got me yet! So we tried the supertaster.
You place the supertaster strip in your mouth.
a) If you can't taste anything, then you are a non-taster
b) If you can taste a bitter taste, then you are a taster.
c) If the taste is really bad, you are a supertaster.

My hubby was a taster and mine was really gross. It tasted kind of like the glue on an envelope maginified 10 times. I did actually gag but I am still not sure if I am a taster or a supertaster. There should be something in the middle.

Either way it was a fun experience and a great way to get everyone laughing at the party. It's a great icebreaker! I will order some the next time I have a party with other people. The price is cheap: 4.95 for 2 strips.

My blogger buddy Herbivoracious posted his results on his blog too.

Greek Gods Greek Yogurt Recipe Contest

Are you good at inventing recipes? Are you looking for a place to take your date for Valentine's day? Do you want to enjoy a romantic dinner for two? Do you love using the Greek Gods creamy thick Greek yogurt in your cooking?

Contest: Blog about any recipe idea, traditional or modern, consistent with a Mediterranean lifestyle influence. Recipes should have qualities representative of the Mediterranean Region. Recipes do not have to be Greek but should incorporate one or more of the Greek Gods Yogurts as a substantial ingredient. All entries must be submitted no later than February 8, 2008. If you are blogging about it, please include a link to: www.greekgodsyogurt.com and to this blog post as well.
Submit all recipe entries to: recipecontest@greekgodsyogurt.com
No blog required. Just send an email. Recipes will be judged on creativity, appearance and taste.

First Prize: $150 Gift Certificate for dinner on behalf of the Greek Gods at your favorite restaurant(you choose) and the winning recipe and photo will be posted on the Greek Gods website and on this blog.

Other Prizes: Greek Gods T-Shirts and/or your recipe and name posted on Savvy Savorer blog with a link to your blog.

Check out some of the funky T-Shirts at www.greekgodsyogurt.shirtcity.com



*** All judging will be conducted privately, and judging participants will be selected at the sole discretion of 3 Greek Gods, LLC.

More Information About Greek Gods......................

THE GREEK GODS - EXPERIENCE THE MYTH TM

The Greek Gods are a Mediterranean foods company based near Seattle, WA. Since 2003 its original 3 founding members have actively taken an enthusiastic and direct approach to continually promoting and expanding an awareness of Greek foods and the Mediterranean lifestyle associated. Greek Gods products embody those specific flavors as well as processing techniques that are unique to the country of Greece.


Greek Gods Greek Yogurt is an extremely popular line of cultured dairy products available throughout the United States. Greek Gods Yogurt is a thick and creamy yogurt, full of body and rich in taste. All Natural wholesome ingredients, rBST/rBGH free milk, and 5 live and active cultures (including Probiotics) make up a healthy Mediterranean style yogurt. Greek Gods Yogurt is available in the Honey, Fig, Pomegranate, Traditional Plain, Reduced Fat Vanilla blend, and Nonfat plain varieties, both 6 oz grab and go or 24 oz family size.

Greek Gods has recently introduced a new and truly unique Greek gourmet super-premium ice cream known as: Pagoto Ice Krema. In modern times, Greek Pagoto (ice cream) is enjoyed throughout the Mediterranean for its unique flavors and creamy texture. Greek Gods Pagoto Ice Krema, made the traditional Greek way, using wholesome ingredients and mastic-resin to deliver a creamy and flavorful experience.

Mastic (also know as Chios Tears) comes from mastic trees grown in six villages (Mastichochoria) in the south of the small Greek island of Chios. Also know for its health properties; People in the Mediterranean region have used mastic as a medicine for gastrointestinal ailments for several thousand years.


Flavors include BAKLAVA, HONEY POMEGRANATE, and CHOCOLATA FIG.


Retailers such as Whole Foods Markets, Wild Oats, Earthfare, PCC, Metropolitan Markets, Haggen Foods, Top Foods and Drugs, New Seasons, Zupans, HEB stores, Vitamin Cottage, Market Street Stores, QFC, Bristol Farms, Gelsons, Ralphs, Lunds and Byerly, community Co-ops, etc…. all carry Greek Gods products. Go to www.greekgodsyogurt.com or www.greekgodspagoto.com for more locations in your area. Also, feel free to contact the Greek Gods at ggyfeedback@greekgodsyogurt.com to request that their products be made available in a store near you.

Spaguetti Squash Macaroni and Cheese

At the potluck I hosted this week, blogger Catherine made a Spanish Macaroni and Cheese. I was inspired by her dish to make something cheesy at home. I came up with this Spaghetti Squash Macaroni and Cheese. It is not exactly like macaroni and cheese but a healthy, quick substitute. The creaminess reminds me of a risotto. Nice for a dinner when you are dining alone. A weekday supper.

The recipe makes 1 large serving or 2 side dish servings

Here is my recipe for Spaghetti Squash Macaroni and Cheese.

2-3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon of butter
Half a spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 a cup of grated Cheese (I used Beecher's Flagship and Parmigiano-Reggiano)
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
Chopped Chives

1. Place squash cut side up in a microwave dish with 1/4 cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook on high for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on size of squash. Cook more if necessary and comb out strands.
2. In a saucepan, saute the garlic in butter.
3. Add spaghetti squash, 2 tablespoons of milk and 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir.
4. Add Cheese and stir until you get the consistency that you like. Add more cheese or milk as needed.
5. Chop chives and mix in. Season with salt and pepper.

I used olive oil with chives in the food processor to decorate the plate. I placed it in a squeeze bottle and made little circles.

Spaghetti Squash Macaroni and Cheese

At the potluck I hosted this week, blogger Catherine made a Spanish Macaroni and Cheese. I was inspired by her dish to make something cheesy at home. I came up with this Spaghetti Squash Macaroni and Cheese. It is not exactly like macaroni and cheese but a healthy, quick substitute. The creaminess reminds me of a risotto. Nice for a dinner when you are dining alone. A weekday supper.


Here is my recipe for Spaghetti Squash Macaroni and Cheese(1 serving or 2 appetizer servings)

2-3 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of butter
Half a spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons of flour
Milk as desired
1/2 a cup of grated Cheese(I used Beecher's Flagship and Parmesano Reggiano)
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
Chopped Chives

1. Place squash cut side up in a microwave dish with 1/4 cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook on high for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on size of squash. Cook more if necessary and comb out strands.
2. In a saucepan, saute the garlic in butter.
3. Add spaghetti squash, 2 tablespoons of milk and 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir.
4. Add Cheese and mix until you get the consistency that you like. Add more cheese
if needed.
5. Chop chives and mix in. Season with salt and pepper.

To decorate the plate(only if you want to feel like you are in a restaurant). I used olive oil with chives in the food processor. I placed it in a squeeze
bottle.

Food TV For Seattle Bloggers

I videotaped each blogger's dish at the Food Blogger Event. Here they are!

Here is the Yemenite pita that I made from the recipe found in the December issue of Gourmet.
Lachooch

I made Iraqi Style Kuba, looks bad but tastes good

Sweet Potato Pancakes, Labane,Lachooch and Zaatar

Winewall

Anticiplate


Herbivoracious(listen to Michael's daughter saying "I want some water).


Italian Woman at The Table


Listen to Ronald from Cornichon give tips on Italian Cocktails and where to buy cheap wine.

Cakespy

Madeleine

Seattle Food Bloggers Event

All the recipes had been building up inside, the food obsessiveness was starting to show exterior signs, the foodie twinkle in our eyes was starting to shine, our mouths were watering waiting for the next dish and most of all we needed other food obsessed bloggers to assure us that it is okay to immerse yourself in the food obsession.
It was time to release all the foodie tension. What a better way to do it? Another food blogger event!
This time we had a potluck brunch. Michael from Herbivoracious brought a white bean salad with grilled onions and his gorgeous daughter.
Chef Paul Redman and Helen Redman of Winewall brought country style pate made of pork from a pig that Paul actually butchered himself.
Kari of Anticiplate brought a fig and goat cheese crostini and her taste tester husband Eric.
Catherine from the Madeleine was a little late because she was taking her dish out of the oven, Saffron Fideos con Chorizo y Piquillos en Cazuela (Spanish Macaroni & Cheese). Her hubby Ken has all the tasting qualifications since he has worked as a chef himself.
Mr and Mrs Cakespy brought fruit scones and some of Mrs. Cakespy's uber-cute artwork. Candace of Italian Woman at the Table brought biscotti with chocolate chips.
Ronald of Cornichon made Italian Cocktails for everyone. Actually he set up his own little bar which was just what we needed to wash down the the gargantuan amounts of food. Not a blogger, but foodie, Lucy Mohl of Crosscut brought roasted beets from Porcella Urban Market.
I brought Iraqi Jewish style kube which are meat filled semolina dumplings and Orna and Ella Sweet Potato Pancakes. I also made Labaneh, a yogurt cheese.
My hubby made Lachooch, a Yemenite bread that is a pancaky flatbread with a sour taste. We had a few little raffles for prizes, a gift exchange and a supertasting contest. I am working on uploading videos of all the dishes so hopefully in a few days I will succeed to put them up. All in all the eatoggers(people who eat to blog and blog to eat), had a great time and love was in the air!



Seattle Food Bloggers meet up once a month for a foodie event. If you have a blog and want to be added to the list, please send me an email to Kerenlovestocook@gmail.com.

Blogger Introduces Menu Item

Today there is a review of Cafe Flora in the Seattle PI. I heard great things about the place from food blogger Michael Natkin of Herbivoracious. He has taken a break from his computer job to do an internship at Cafe Flora. Last time I saw him he told me that he had actually invented something on the menu, Winter Green Dumplings in Shiitake Broth. In the review today, the dumplings got a graceful and delightful review, The green dumplings managed to pull off a bit of Italian-Asian fusion, as ricotta-filled won tons floated in a lovely shiitake mushroom broth. A shower of Parmesan and lemon zest provided a dramatic finishing flourish.
Just proof that dreams can come true! If I were him I would put on my bathing suit and immerse myself in the broth, with dumplings as pillows of course. Is he allowed to do that?

The Year I learned to Embrace Food

This year I learned to embrace food. I learned to feed my body what it wants. Sometimes it wants healthy vegetables dishes and sometimes it wants gooey, gunky, buttery plates of food.
I started this blog a little while after I had decided that I want to learn how to cook.
I knew a bit about cooking but never thought that I could learn so much in one year.
I started my journey with random cooking classes until I realized that I was lacking techniques. I took two classes at the Art Institute and learned the fundamentals of cooking. Yes, it was extremely expensive but I learned that everything could be made from scratch.
Chef Paul Redman taught me all the basics and from then on, no yeast, no dough and no amount of work could stand in my way( he and his wife Helen have a really nice blog).
I learned to appreciate the allurement of seasonal produce, to relish at the sight of fresh herbs and to detect great meal components from a mile away.
I learned how to throw dinner parties without getting stressed out.
I took up yoga which taught me how to appreciate life, to meditate and most of all breathe which I can't believe that I didn't know how to do before.
I met some great chefs this year, went to fascinating food events and most of all learned to absorb any info that I could find about food. I got my appendix out this year which is not as bad as it sounds.
I also got engaged and married to the love of my life.
Thank you readers for your comments(yes, you Twinkies dad) and emails. I am grateful for all the support.
Whooo! What a year!

Protein Bars

I was just going through some old posts when I realized that I wrote this one. One of my resolutions last year was to eat more protein so I think I have been keeping this up pretty well. I am trying to focus on chicken, eggs and peanut butter but sometimes I get a bit lazy.

Protein Bars
The more I am introduced to new foods, the less I eat of the old ones. I am conscious of what I eat. I would rather not eat then pile up on Subway or some other fast food that I don't really crave. Some mornings I practice yoga and the last thing I want is to feel is food in my stomach while my body is upside down. My solution for those "I don't feel like eating moments"…..tadaaaaa.........nutrition bars.
I am not running a marathon or working out heavily so I can't really eat most protein bars. All of those calories would just stick to me. I need to choose ones that are low in calories and still keep me full.
Does anyone eat protein bars? Does anyone have any recommendations? My next step is to find a bar that doesn't have so much sugar. I haven't found one yet but you never know.

My top picks are:

Luna Peanut Butter Cookie
calories per bar 180 (48g bar)
protein : 10 g
Sugars: 13 g

Pria Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch
Calories per bar: 110 (28g bar)
Protein: 5 g
Sugars 10 g

Update: Since then I have discovered some new bars and all of them have minimal sugar. This year I discovered ..............
Pure Protein
calories per bar: 190
Protein: 20 gr
sugar: 2 g
sugar alcohol: 6 g

Think Thin
calories:240
protein: 20g
sugar: 0
Sugar alcohol:15 g

I have been eating both for a while. I recently tried a Snickers protein but could not remember how much sugar was in it. Anyone know?

The Day Ice cream Died

What do you think of this video? Does it hurt you to watch it?