Life's a Banquet
'...and most poor fools are starvin to death!' ~Mame

So while we were in Bingen for Thanksgiving my parents stayed one night at the Inn of the White Salmon. My mom and I got a tour from the owner, who has been there about a year and is slowly remodeling the space. The downstairs hall is light and bright with local art works and the upstairs hall is much darker since it has not been redone yet. The 'old' rooms are adorable! Bedspreads and fixtures that so many of us remember growing up with. They recall small town life and homespun goodness for me. The new rooms are sparse and lovely; very modern and peaceful. There is a 'family' room that is huge and would allow a huge family to gather and play. They even built in a hostel with built-in bunk beds (2 queens!), lockers and a shared bath for the thrifty traveler that values clean, safe lodgings. If you go to the White Salmon (read: Columbia Gorge) I can't recommend this place enough. The rates were great, the accommodations were very nice and the $5 breakfast (complimentary if you have one of their rooms) was great! We all ate there on Friday before Mark and I left town. We got fantastic coffee, juice, fruit, pastries, breads, an assortment of meats and cheeses, yogurt, homemade granola, and they had a toaster for English muffins (maybe bagels? maybe not...) The food seemed to be all hand made on the premises, and on top of all that we got a hot egg dish! We could choose from 2 daily dishes or made-to-order scrambled eggs. Fantastic!

Before we went to the AC/DC concert (talk about fabulous! These guys are in their 50's and 60's and they rocked it hard every minute they were on the stage. I was exhausted just having convulsed through every song!) we went to The Rock Wood Fired Pizza and we were not the only ones who that that was appropriate. The place was packed! I LOVE their pepperoni pizza (I get a custom pie w/less cheese and more pepperoni) more than anyone else's. Now mind you, when I go to Tutta Bella (my favorite) I only get the Margherita pizza, and at Pizzeria Fondi (my other favorite) I either get the Margherita or the Bianca because their homemade cheese is sooooo good. I can't stop getting the pepperoni at the Rock and that's ok with me. It is fabulous!

Ok so there is a new restaurant in Keyport (yes, Keyport, really!) called Island Jamz and it is 'Caribbean' food. I haven't been there yet (though I may be going there for lunch this week for a meeting) but I am excited to try it. The menu looks different for these parts and that is always fun! Have you tried it? What about other new restaurants? Tell us about them!

Are you still stuffed from Thanksgiving? We had some fabulous food! Our heritage turkey was super flavorful and moist, we all loved it. We were surprised at the amount of meat on the carcass: we knew we were used to 'beefed up' turkeys, but we had no idea that a 'real' turkey had that much less meat on it. It was 'skinny' as my mom said, and there weren't many leftovers after the main meal. This was not due to over-eating, either! We will do it again next year, though; the flavor was out of this world! Of course, dad's brine and bbq methods were a big boost to that deal.

Lisa and Nikki and mom did a wonderful job of all the sides and we ate well, let me tell you! I do have a new favorite thing and I could not stop making yummy noises over it! My sister-in-love, Nikki, took some radicchio heads and cut them in half. She brushed them with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, and through them on the grill. When they were done through she plated them, drizzled them with good balsamic, and dropped goat cheese all over them. OH. MY. GAWD. It was SOOOO good! The bitter radicchio was taken to new heights by the smokiness of the grill. Those aspects were heightened even more by the acidity and sweetness of the balsamic, and the mellow, sweet goat cheese balanced everything out beautifully. I have had this dish one other time and it was good, but Nikki's was phenomenal. I had 2 that night and scored one more for leftovers, which I freshened up with a bit of balsamic and MMMMMMMMM!!!!!!! You have got to try it! Everyone enjoyed the pumpkin and huckleberry pies that we brought, along with the dinner rolls.

Last night I made more mashed potatoes, baked some yams, reheated the dressings/turkey (and some pork loin we had left cuz there was not enough turkey to be happy)/radicchio, poured some wine and had yet another fabulous feast from the foods that we enjoyed on Thanksgiving. This morning Mark turned the mashed spuds into mashed potato pancakes and we had them with our farm fresh eggs (same farm as the turkey) and I must say, we are blessed beyond belief! Mom gave me the turkey carcass so I will start the turkey stock tomorrow and we will have soup all week now. MMMMMmmmmm

Today Mark is at the cafe prepping up the morning bake for Lori to do tomorrow. She was kind enough to pitch in so that we can sleep in since we are going to the AC/DC concert tonight. (I am so excited!) Then tomorrow we will be back at it: getting ready for all the holiday catering; Christmas/Solstice and Hanukkah cookies galore; and one of our favorite holiday events 'Tea & Stories with Mrs. Claus'.

We love it when Mrs. Claus comes to visit each year and the kids are so wonderful with her! Where some kids may be a little scared or intimidated by Santa, they are awed by Mrs. Claus and they find her endearing, of course. They are always on their best behavior (She does have a direct line to the big man, after all!) and the personal touch that she offers each child is absolutely magical. After she greets everyone the kids gather round for stories out of her personal Christmas book collection, and then she gives the kids books to take back to their table and read with their families. Then they re-gather around her and the whole crowd sings Christmas carols with her. The plates of goodies and hot cocoa fill their tummies with goodness and by the time they leave with their goody bags clutched tightly, they are ready for naps so they can dream of the big day that is coming soon. We all love watching the kids interact with Mrs. Claus, each other, and their own families. It reminds us well of the magic of Christmas in childhood. I only wish there was a Hanukkah equivalent that we could offer; I have yet to come up with a good idea for that.

What are your Christmas memories from childhood? I hope they are good and warm and full of love. If not, I hope that you have been able to create better memories as an adult and are able to find the magic of the season!

Thanksgiving is upon us and we are gearing up for one of the busiest days, if not the busiest day, of our year. The day before Thanksgiving we are rocking and rolling out bread and dinner rolls, pies and pastries, quiche and cakes and anything else that we can think of to make our customers' holiday less stressful. We take pre-orders right up until closing on Tuesday night, and we learned early on that those orders must be pre-paid or we will have wasted alot of time, energy and money when folks forget to pick up their orders.

Mark and I will get there around 3 am to start the breads and the morning baking, then Ivy and Lori will join us at 5 am to continue the baking on. Betuel will be in by 8 to do his part and Sharon, Leslie and Rheycel will cover the front counter for the day. We also learned early on that we had to set a time period for when everyone can come pick up his or her orders, so that we have time to get as much done as we possibly can. It takes time for bread to rise and pies to bake! Plus, we only have 2 ovens, so we have to stagger things as much as we can. Mark and Ivy have been rolling piecrusts for nearly a week now and we have been hoarding our marionberries and huckleberries for this special day.

Everyone loves homemade food on the holiday, but not everyone has the time, the resources, the desire, or the talent to put it all together. That's where we can help! We always make several dozen extra rolls that day for those who did not think to pre-order and stumble in desperate for our fabulous rolls. Only a few sad souls go home empty handed at the end of the day because they waited too long and we ran out. Orders can be picked up from 2-4pm, and we are open only until 5 that night, which gives those who are extra delayed one last chance to pick up their orders. Mark and I go home around 5, bleary-eyed and exhausted, usually stopping somewhere on the way to eat a meal together before dropping ourselves into bed.

Since we are closed until Monday now, we normally find a place to go for the long weekend (it's the most amount of time we get off in a row all year) where we can just rest and rejuvenate. Last year we rented a house in Yachats, OR right on smelt sands, and we went out for Thanksgiving dinner. The year before that we had a tiny little cabin up on the northern tip of Washington and cooked a small feast for ourselves in the tiny little kitchen. Just the basics: a turkey breast roast, some mashed potatoes, a few other little things and of course Mark has some pie. This year we are going to my sister's place in Bingen, WA (down near Hood River, OR) and my parents will be there, also. It has been several years since we were together and with one of our families on Thanksgiving, so we are looking forward to it. I used to work the holiday when I was a police dispatcher, and often my mom would have us over for a leftover dinner, or we would even eat a family meal the week before the holiday. Mark would often go to both my parents and his parents' houses for Thanksgiving and boy was he full!

For the first time this year we will be having a Heritage Turkey and I am really excited about that. We are getting it from a farm in Snowden, which is near Bingen, and so we are keeping it local. The turkey will be brined and dad will cook it in the charcoal BBQ so the skin turns purple and the smokiness is all though the super moist and flavorful meat. I have to admit the turkey and potatoes is my favorite part. My sister and sister-in-love are vegetarians so mom will make 2 kinds of stuffing (one with sausage, one without) and all the rest of the hearty sides and salads are vegetarian, so we all eat really well. We bring the dinner rolls and desserts, of course, and we all bring wine. Our family tradition is that as we sit down to eat we go around the table and everyone tells at least one thing that we are grateful for. Mom always cries and we always tease her and now my sister and I are starting to be criers, too. Sheesh!

Our family of staff all goes to their families and we all get a quiet weekend before the busy bustle of the Holiday Season really hits hard. Christmas and Hanukah cookies galore for a month! Not to mention our fabulous Tea & Stories with Mrs. Claus, which is a fantastic family event the 2 Saturdays before Christmas. We have lots of catering and special orders this month, and it is really fun to take care of everyone's food wishes! We also ramp up our request for donations for the homeless, since it seems a bit easier to get things for those in need this time of year. This year it has been harder to collect those needed items and I am really hoping that the holiday spirit hits everyone soon in the giving department. I am so grateful every single time a customer walks in to the cafe, and we are blessed beyond belief. I want to be able to pass those blessings on to those who are out in the cold and feeling very lonely out there in the world.

What is your favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal? What are your traditions? I know we would all love to find out what others do to celebrate their gratefulness.

We finally had a chance to go to the Agate Pass Cafe for dinner on Sunday. We RARELY go out on a Sunday since it is our only day to be at home and to relax. Last Sunday was Lily's 1st birthday (our team member Ivy's sister) and we were honored to be invited to the festivities celebrating said first year. What a ham Lily is! She knows when a camera is pointed at her and she is quite the little poser. Just like her older sister, she LOVES cake. She loves eating the cake, playing with it, wearing it, schmearing it in her hair, feeding it to the dog, schmearing it on other people and pretty much everything else that you can think (or not) to do with cake. So after the party near Point No Point we drove down to Suquamish to see if the cafe would be open. It was a bit early and a Sunday and we weren't sure, but we got lucky! This is a wonderful place that is doing food the way I love it done!

Co-Owner Stacy met us at the door and seated us and I liked her right off the bat. She brought co-owner/chef Marty out to meet us and we didn't get much time to talk but I have a feeling I will really like her, as well. They are genuinely nice, talented and generous women who have created a space that I thoroughly enjoyed being in. It is simple and elegant and I would be as comfortable there in my formal wear (if I had any) as I was in my jeans. When you go you must see the glass tile mosaic on the bar counter. Stacy did it and what a gorgeous thing she created! We loved their bar light fixtures, as they are big whisks that belong to a giant mixer like we have. The 3-course menu was printed on one page and it was obvious that they were keeping it simple and in-season. That did not make it any easier to decide what to have, though!

We weren't starving so we did not have the olives and almonds appetizer that I am definitely going to have next time, but we did try the French Onion Soup. I had to try it because it was made with chicken stock instead of beef, and that intrigued me. The stock was rich and wonderful and I wish I had some right now. The soup alone was worth the trip! Mark and I each chose a different dish and while we did share a few bites we each ended up liking our own the best so we mainly kept to our own plates. I am already looking forward to getting back there again!

Stacy aptly describes their food as simple and comfortable with French influence. Agate Pass Cafe serves Sunday brunch and Wednesday-Sunday dinner right now. They source their food seasonally and locally, make everything they possibly can in-house, and even the wine list was Washington and Oregon with 2 sparklers from France. Stacy's recommendation of the cab-franc by Windy Point was taken and very much appreciated. Go there! Seriously! The place, the food and the owners are all Fabulous! (P.S. Marty's kitchen creds are very impressive and Kitsap is lucky that she chose to cook over here.)

The other fun thing I got to do recently is go to another Chef's Collaborative event. This time it was in Seattle at the private dining room owned by the same folks who run Crush on Capital Hill. We had a salt tasting. Yes, I really said a salt tasting. A company in Woodinville called Saltworks is the leading supplier of gourmet salts in the world! We got to meet the owners of the company who had dozens of plain and flavored salts for us to taste. Now I have tried flavored salts before and I would never have chosen to use them. These salts, which are totally pure and unbleached, not even washed, are paired with pure ingredients to create their flavors. Some salts were smoked (the alder smoked sea salt tasted like a camp fire and would be great on salmon or chicken). Other flavors included porcini mushroom, truffle (yum! Scrambled eggs!); espresso (again yum! On chocolate ganache or steak or pork or anything else I can think of); lime and lemon would be great on the rim of a drink; blueberry and so many more. You can see the flavors on their web site.

I have never before had salt for dinner and probably never will again, but I was deeply impressed by what I learned. Chef Jason Wilson prepared many nibbles from roasted nuts, olives, bread, olive oil and cheeses and served wines and water along with it. Then he brought out blocks of salt that sort of looked like quartz cutting boards, and on them were RAW sea bass, scallops, and foie gras. They were left on the salt blocks for 10-15 minutes and the salt cured them so that they were 'cooked'! (it reminded me of when we make ceviche, only it took much less time.) The scallops were my favorite with a melt-in-my mouth consistency and they had picked up just enough of the salt flavor. Then for 'dessert' there was a trough of roasted pork belly (unsmoked bacon) that had been brined and roasted crisp. We were invited to take a piece and sprinkle any one of the flavored salts on top to see how it changed and/or enhanced the flavors. What fun!

I have always known that salt is good for you and that it enhances flavors. I love to salt corn, potatoes, chicken, pork, popcorn and pasta. Now I am far more comfortable with salt's different applications and I am going to play with some of its uses. Be looking for unique flavors atop our daily salads and catering special orders and see if you can pick out the salts that we are using. This salt tastes better and is unprocessed and we are so lucky to have this in our own back yard! Send me an email telling me what you love to salt!

I had to turn the comments off because I am getting the most bizarre spam 'comments' attached. It is taking way too much time to go through and delete them all, so I stopped them. I am not sure what the point of having a blog is if no one can comment, though. Obviously anyone can email me and I can post the comments on for you, but that isn't the same, is it. Not that I get many comments, I may be just talking to myself here, in which case this is more of a therapeutic journal than anything else-which is ok with me if it's ok with you. I had big ideas for this blog. We would come together as a community and discuss food and wine and other fun things. So far it's just me babbling like a little brook. I don't mind, but I do want you to have the opportunity to comment if you want to. I don't know what to do about it so if you do, please tell me. I am not all that technical and there may be an easy fix that I could never think of simply due to my lack of knowledge. Please help!

So on to the food.... I got to have great Indian food the other night and I realized that it has been way too long. Mom and I went to the Bombay Bistro on 6th in Tacoma and their food is really fabulous! The ambience is lovely, the proprietors are very friendly and the service was great, too. They have a more extensive wine and beer list than many of the Indian restaurants that I have been to, outside of Seattle, and they had some different dishes from the usual suspects. I love great Indian food and I really must go more often! The intensity and range of flavors excites my palate at every turn! I have heard people say 'oh I don't like curry' and I wonder what they could possibly be talking about? Nearly every food region has curries or something like them, and they are all completely different. Indian food is so much more than curries! There are so many foods within that cuisine, just like all other cuisines, that I think only the pickiest of plain-food eaters could not find something they like.

Of course, I am the type of person who could find something that I like in any cuisine. I can probably find things I don't like, as well, but I try not to look for those. I tried Pho for the first time last summer and I loved it. I first read about it in a book by Linda Ellerbee called 'Take Big Bites'. I LOVE this book! If you enjoy reading about food and/or travel, you will enjoy it too. Of course, Linda Ellerbee has been an idol of mine for many years, so I was destined to like the book no matter what. She describes eating Pho in Vietnam and I feel like I have been there! I had to have it and I wanted it to be as authentic as possible so I got a recommendation and went to the International District in Tacoma. I can't know how authentic it was but I sure loved it! I would love it for breakfast.

This Saturday Roberto Russo, our Italian chef and cookbook author is coming back to the cafe! He will make some dessert and spend the day entertaining everyone, even signing his books for you all. At 2 we are having our open house to talk about next year's tour of Tuscany and Umbria. Roberto's agriturismo is our first home away from home, so it will be great to hear from him and talk to him about his 16th century convent that he converted into a working farm and resort. We will snack and drink wine... it will be lovely! You should join us if you can.

Then next Thursday, the 20th, is our final wine event of the year. Tom Kelly from Small Vineyards Importers will be here to take us through a tasting of our winter wines. We will have some great food pairings, of course, and we will decide on our next house wines. Tom does a wonderful presentation and when you hear him it feels like you have been to Italy and have seen the vineyards. Of course, if you go to Italy with us next October you actually will see some of our vineyards! You will meet the farmers/winemakers and their families and taste the wines right there on the land where it grows! Nothing could be better. If you haven't checked out our Itinerary you should do that now on our web site, it is the best bang for your buck that you could have! Plus you get to travel with Mark and me! How cool is that?

We had such a fun food week this last week! On Sunday, October 19th we had the honor of being invited to the Olympic View Community Club Harvest Dinner. Paul Gregory, our farmer, lives in the neighborhood and has been inviting us to the event every year. We finally got a chance to go and it was the most fun we have had in a very long time. Thank you, Paul!

The weather was gorgeous and autumnal, with the sun-dappled trees and crisp air; it was a perfect day. The community center was set up with tables and chairs put together for communal dining and there were a couple of side tables with food already on them. There were kids on the porch churning fresh butter and drawing pictures. One group was standing around the electric apple grinder dropping apples in and making sure the bucket below got all the appley goodness that came out. Once the bucket was full they dumped it into the apple press and another group was twisting the press down and catching the nectar in a cheesecloth-covered bucket. We were invited to dip our cup directly into the flowing juice. I love unfiltered apple juice and I had no idea until that day!

Another group was tending a fire with a huge grill around it, in anticipation of the many sides of salmon that were to go on for dinner. Under the trees a bit further out there were a few folks tending a turkey fryer and they eventually cooked 2 big turkeys in the hot oil. It was my firt time to try deep fried turkey and it is GOOD!

There was a talented woman painting the faces of the children (no mere flowers here, these faces were works of beautiful art!) and a little vignette was set up with hay bales, flowers, apples and squash for anyone who wanted a pretty backdrop for taking portraits.

The crowd was varied in age from infant to 80's, as far as I could tell, and everyone who did not bring the apples, salmon or turkey brought side dishes and desserts. We added our cookies to the dessert table and hung out around the apple press so I could dip my cup in at will. Everyone was happy, we met new friends and saw a few old friends as well. We all hungrily awaited the call for dinner and slowly we made our way into the community center to stake our claim on a chair at the tables. Finally they said it was dinnertime! We all lined up and visited while we made our way to the tables. All the hands there lovingly prepared every ounce of food and it was all fabulous!

It reminded me of gatherings at the church from my childhood. There was music by a lovely lady playing an accordion, laughter and hugs and food and we even noticed a bit of wine flowing, though I think that was a byob sorta deal. It was simple and good and community at it's finest and I hope that we are invited to more things like that because we just loved it!

Last weekend we celebrated Mark's birthday by meeting his parents at Qwest Field for the first annual Seattle Food and Wine Experience. Proceeds were to benefit Heroes for the Homeless and we are always willing to eat and drink for a good cause! We picked up our wine glasses, wine passports and food tickets, as well as a schedule for the KitchenAid Cooking School, and were on our way. We watched Barking Frog Chef Bobby Moore at the cooking school and got to meet Rover's Chef Thierry Ratureau face to face. He even signed a coobook for me so I was so happy!

There were over 1000 wines from regions all over the world and for each taste of wine they would stamp your 'passport'. Based on price value some wines got 1 stamp, others got up to 5. My favorite wine was from Maryhill and it was a 5-stamp wine, but I went back for one more taste at the end because I liked it so much. There was beer as well, and coffee, and sparkling water. Only the wine cost 'stamps' though.

There were many food purveyors and some of them were premium and that is where you used the 'golden ticket'. We could have tasted food from Rover's, Barking Frog, Serafina, Cafe Juanita, Cremant, Crush, Campagne, Etta's Seafood, Herb Farm, Inn at Port Ludlow, Ruth's Chris, Salish Lodge, Sip, Volterra, 35th Street Bistro, Alaska Silk Pie, and Melting Pot. We didn't get to all of them but we did a good share of them and my favorite taste was from Volterra-a wild boar ragu on Orriechette and it was SO GOOD! On top of all those amazing restaurants there were many other food booths with free samples and even some things you could purchase.

We spent 5 hours there with Mark's parents and we all left very full and very happy! Mark and I headed over to the Brooklyn to meet our lovely friends Kelly and Roy and while we did not need dinner we did have some fresh oysters and other nibblies. It was Mark's birthday after all, and how often do we get to a place as great as the Brooklyn?

Let me tell you, if you missed this first even you should start looking for it now for next year. It is worth the price of the ticket and makes for an absolutely gluttonously wonderful day. Meet friends there and make a party out of it!

The other thing that happened this week that makes me oh so happy is that my favorite Food Network show is on again. 'Secrets of a Restaurant Chef' with Chef Ann Burrell was off the air for a bit and now she is back. I adore Chef Ann, she cooks like I do (only much better!) and we share similar philosophies, techniques, and values. I think we would be great friends but of course if I ever met her I would be struck dumb because, as we know, I get star struck and I cannot think or speak. Watching her gives me gumption to try things and share my knowledge and just be a better cook in general. Check her out if you haven't seen her!

What food shows do you like? Do you admire any chefs, either on tv or not? Tell me about them!

Saturday, October 18 was the 2nd annual Bras For A Cause event. It was put on by the Soroptimist International of Greater North Kitsap and held at the Kitsap Conference Center in Bremerton. Monica's Waterfront Bakery & Cafe was one of 8 'Silver' level sponsors. We had tickets for the whole gang, plus a couple to spare, and a bra for the auction and we were ready to have some fun!

We had a table for 8 and there are 6 of us gals at the cafe (we excluded the guys on this one) and so I decided to try to donate even more to the cause by raffling off our last 2 tickets. Tickets cost $50 so I raffled ours off for $10 a ticket, or 3 for $25, which I thought was a great deal. I was surprised at how few people participated and while the odds were great for those who bought tickets, we did not raise nearly as much money for the charity as I thought we would.

We had the drawing on Thursday and two of our favorite regulars won the tickets: Chelsea (Kitsap Garage Door) and Lizzy (Pzazz Day Spa). They enhanced our fun evening and even though we didn't raise a ton of money, we are SO happy that we did that since our company was so fine! We had an extra large table so on top of all that fun we got to visit with Laura Nesby (Mor Mor/Perfect Circle Consignment) and Jenna Mathews (Perfect Circle Consignment)

I try to support causes that our whole team is behind and this one is particularly dear to us. Leslie lost her mom to breast cancer many years ago and my grandmother had breast cancer as well. This was an easy event to support! When I decided that we would sponsor Bras for a Cause, I knew I wanted us to do a cookie bra. I had some ideas about what I wanted that to look like, and how I thought it could work, and I expressed those to Renee. I got the mannequin form on Ebay so she knew what she had to work with, so we talked about it and I gave her as much input as I could, and then she went at it.

She practiced with our signature shortbread cookie dough and that did not work out well at all. I hoped it would, though I suspected it may be too heavy, but it ended up not working in general. I knew our ricciarelli (Italian almond cookies that are gluten free) cookies are very pliable when they come out of the oven, and there is a short window of time to work with them before they harden up. It worked out beautifully! She really hit the look I was going for and with only 4 hours of practice! It took her about 3 hours and a little help to put it together, and she piped on butter cream frosting to embellish the bra with 'lace' and the signature breast cancer awareness pink bow. We dressed up the mannequin with one of my grandmother's necklaces and a jewel for her naval. We named the bra 'Sweet Support' and Leslie helped carry it to the conference center.

We got the bra all set up and due to a glitch we were not listed in the program, so the only way for folks to know we had a bra there was to walk around and see it. We were noticing that people were crowding around our bra, trying to see all around it, to figure out if it was really cookies or what. It was the talk of the room and we had so much fun walking around and hearing people comment on it! There were more than 90 bras there, and everyone could bid on them. Ours was included in the silent auction, and there were a few that were up for live auction as well. We wandered around and took pictures, had some champagne, and checked out all the other bras. Some of us were bidding on items and then the food came out.

They served hors d'oeuvres and they were really very good. The coconut shrimp is something that I rarely enjoy as much as I think I am going to, though theirs was the best I have ever had. Crisp, not too sweet, perfectly cooked and not mealy, and they were going fast! Satay chicken skewers; crackers and bits of bread with yummy toppings such as tapenades, goat cheese, tomatoes, meats, and apples; and there were cheeses, meats, cupcakes and other bites. Since it was dinnertime we were all very hungry, the lines were long and the food was going fast, but we got in there and held our own.

Everyone there got to vote on their three favorite bras by nominating them in the categories of 'Funniest', 'Most Beautiful' and 'Most Unique'. With more than 90 bras it was quite a feat to choose your top three favorites! We were honored and so proud to receive the title of 'Most Unique' bra! How cool is that??? The woman who won our bra, Donna, was really looking forward to eating it with her husband this weekend. It was all such an 'uplifting' experience!

Unfortunately I cannot figure out how to get pictures on this blog. There are some pics on our web site at http://www.waterfrontbakery.com/events.htm#bra so you can see the bra. I apologize for being a tech-not, I thought I could figure it out!

I am already thinking of ideas for next year's bra that will be as good, if not better than this year's. Do you have any ideas you want to share with me?

The only time I have been in Vegas before this past weekend was in 1993. The New York New York was an empty lot with a construction trailer on it, and a model of the future hotel/casino. Our friend Nikki turned 40 on Friday the 10th and wanted to ring in her new year in Las Vegas, so Mark and I joined her family and some other friends last weekend. Things have changed! Here is a little trip report for you, with the major focus being on food, of course! And let me just say here: Thank God for air miles! Our air and hotel were covered and that was fabulous!!

Travel tips that that we love: Travel light! Only taking carry-on luggage greatly increased our freedom and we got through the airports very quickly. Check in for your flight online and print out your boarding pass. This allows you to head straight for the gate, no waiting in any lines! Vegas Tip: A taxi is cheaper than the $12 per person shuttle if you are staying at the south end of the strip.

Dinner was just the two of us at B & B Ristorante at the Venetian (this is the restaurant of Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, who's mother Lidia I love!) I try really hard not to have expectations. I try to focus on enjoying the experience of whatever we may be doing, and sometimes I am not good at it: I was REALLY excited to eat here!

The ambience was a big let down for me. The decor is beautiful but the seats are open to the hall of the hotel and it is noisy and bright out there; not the intimate restaurant experience I was hoping for. The food and service however, where fabulous. Once we figured out our food choices we talked to the sommelier about wine. The all-Italian list was completely overwhelming with pages upon pages of choices, all quite expensive. The sommelier came over (this is definitely one of the most upscale places I have ever eaten in terms of service) twice because he made me nervous and after he left the first time, I forgot nearly everything he said. (sigh) I guess high class makes me nervous. We decided on a Cos Nero d'Avola and then the show began. They 'seasoned' the glasses and decanted the wine into this amazing wide-bottomed decanter. Every time we took a few sips someone would come by and pour more wine for us. Lovely!

As we were perusing the menus we were brought an amuse bouche of bruschetta with garbanzo beans and olive tapenade. So New York! They also served fresh bread with premium olive oil with the meals. The waiter told us that the portions were small (not!) and so we over-ordered, but we loved every morsel we tasted. We started with marinated fresh anchovies with fire roasted peppers: the BEST anchovies I have ever had: lemony and light. We also had grilled octopus with marinated borlotti beans and limoncello vinaigrette. This was not the baby octopus I have had in the past, and it was literally grilled over a fire! The outside was charred and smoky, and the inside was tender and sweet. These were my favorite two dishes and I loved them enough to marry them!

The pasta course came next. Mark had Bucatini allAmatriciana with Guanciale (an unsmoked bacon made of pig's jowl), Hot Peppers and Pecorino (sheep cheese). He LOVED it. I had pici (a long pasta similar to bucatini but more dense) with lamb ragu and it was sublime. In fact the pastas were so perfect that I regretted not opting for the pasta tasting menu! Although, I did order pasta for the main course as well and I kind of wish I would have gone a different way just to try something completely different. The pastas were so amazing that I am certain that is what they will be serving in heaven!

For the main course Mark had Brasato al Barolo (beef braised in barolo wine) with Horseradish Gremolata. I had Strachetti (similar to bow-tie pasta, only it was the most beautiful, delicate pasta that I have ever had. Definitely NOT the heavy farfalle that we get dried in the store!) with goat. It was very brave of me, completely different from what anything I have ever ordered. It was amazing!

Unfortunately we were running a bit behind. Our room had not been ready when we checked in so we had to push the dinner reservation back, and I had taken so long with the wine list, so we were unable to linger over dessert and/or coffee. We ordered some espresso and again, in the manner of New York's finer restaurants they brought us tiny treats of chocolates and gelees. I just love the posh life!

We hurried back to the MGM for the Cirque du Soleil show 'Ka'. The theatre seats were the most comfortable I have ever sat in! With speakers in the headrest you don't miss a thing. The show was amazing, as all Cirque shows are, and very different from any other that we had seen. It was a wonderful way to start our Vegas adventure.

Our other meals in Vegas were less notable than the B&B, though each had notable moments. We checked out Il Fornaio Patisserie and wished we had a way to bring some wonderful Italian bread back. The larger Il Fornaio restaurant offered a full menu and we had breakfast there the next day. We visited Freed's Bakery just to check it out and their cakes are beautiful! Plus they have cannoli. I love cannoli! Nikki's birthday cake was easy to pick out and we stashed it in our room for a little party later. She chose Jimmy Buffet's 'Margaritaville' for her birthday dinner. We took the monorail over to the Flamingo (what a great deal that is! Too bad it doesn't go to the airport!) and while Mark and I waited for the rest of the party to arrive we enjoyed Jimmy's 'perfect margarita'. Holy strong agave, batman! These tasted, well, perfect! The ambience is extremely noisy, perfect for large groups, and the food was exactly what you would expect.

Mark loves roller coasters and I have never been on a 'good' one. So we went to the New York New York roller coaster and Mark was queasy the rest of the day. For my part I think everyone with control issues (I can talk!) should ride this thing. You definitely do not have control up there!

Mark really wanted to try a Vegas buffet. We had read that the Bellagio has the best Gourmet Dinner Buffet anywhere so we stood in the line to get in. (The Bellagio is an AMAZING world-class hotel!) This king of all buffets is so big I can't even remember everything there was. If you dig buffets, this one is a must-see. Hand-rolled sushi made to order; fresh fish; main and side dishes from all over the world; meats galore including prime rib, venison, lamb, braised beef, turkey, chicken, and more. Salads, soups, and an entire section of desserts that was so big it was practically its own room. I did not enjoy it and that had nothing to do with the quality of the food.

I understand the draw of Vegas and I know that millions of people love to go there and enjoy and relax by the pools, the gambling, the excessive food and booze, the neon, the shows, the nightclubs, the party atmosphere, the shopping and everything else that is Vegas. Most of that is not so much for me. Once I get past the first glance, I don't enjoy what I see as much as I want to. For a vibrant city full of energy and life give me New York City any day! There is nothing false or misleading about Manhattan and I love every inch of that island. Barring a trip east I love Seattle, Portland, Vancouver and Victoria and I can get my city fix around here just fine.

For relaxation I far prefer a saltwater beach to a chlorine pool. There are fabulous restaurants right here in our area and I have no desire to party at a nightclub anymore. The excess and waste of Vegas left me feeling uneasy and even guilty while we were there, I couldn't just relax and go with it.

A couple of final tips: When you are ready to check out but not quite ready to head out to the airport, leave your luggage with the bellmen. When it is time to go tell them and they bring your bags out to you and take you to the front of the (very long) taxi line to get you in a cab right away. It is so worth the tip!!! Also, if you can leave yourself some lead time with your flight, you could get a chance to get bumped. They downgraded our flight and we volunteered to go a bit later. We flew first class to Portland (my first trip in first class!) and it really is all that it is chalked up to be!!! We got food vouchers for any restaurant at PDX as well as round trip tickets to anywhere US Air flies. All we have to do is book it within the next year, and fly within the next 2 years! No restrictions and fully transferrable! We felt like it was completely worth the indirect route home and we finally hit the jackpot! Woo hoo!

My vegetarian friends and family may want to skip these first two paragraphs, as they are quite meaty. For those who read on you may know that I could be a vegetarian. My general eating habits very often tend that way and I actually have a difficult time eating 'food with a face' as they say. I have tried the eating habits of vegans, raw foods, vegetarians, gluten-free, and dairy-free at different times and in fact I think it is important to cleanse my system a couple of times a year with the more extreme eating styles listed here. When I do eat animal proteins I want to know where they come from and that they are pure, whole foods. Last Thursday we took an extreme pork tour at the 'Pig and Beer' dinner at Mor Mor Bistro and Bar in Poulsbo. John Nesby is the chef/owner and his wife Laura is his partner in the business as well as in life. They are a wonderful young couple who seem to have boundless energy and we look to them as mentors and friends. They host wine dinners every month but on Thursday it was a beer dinner. Pig and beer! 5 amazing courses of pork, each paired with a different ale from Port Townsend Brewery and MAN WAS IT GREAT!

John values locally sourced foods and his pork is no exception to that rule. Each preparation was carefully thought out and highlighted the different styles of pork wonderfully. My favorite by a slight margin (and it was hard to choose!) was the papperadelle pasta with a pork ragu and truffle pepper sauce...mmmmmmmmmm. We even had bacon for dessert!!! What could be better than that? We don't get to go to very many events like that because of our work hours and we felt very lucky to be able to get out for that wonderful dinner. If you haven't been to Mor Mor, even if it isn't for a prix fixe dinner, go!

Our wine tasting on Friday was a great success and I think everyone had a wonderful time. The Cave B wines showcased beautifully and the standout favorite was the Semillon. Those who prefer white wine find it to be completely different from anything else they have tried, and red wine drinkers love this wine! They say the Semillon is the "red wine drinkers' white wine" and it is the wine that our guests bought the most of. It was really fun to compare and contrast the wines and then enhance them with the different foods that we offered. I love doing the open house style tastings and since this was the first one I have done since June I had a fabulous time. It is really great to be getting back into the swing of things! We still have plenty of the Cave B wines for sale at the cafe. If you are interested ask for the tasting notes and we will be glad to show you the wines! The next wine event is Thursday, November 20th, and it will be the final event of the year. Check out our web site for more information.

Do you know about the brand new theaters in Gig Harbor? The Galaxy Uptown Theatres offer Monday Night Football for anyone who wants to come in and watch on the giant movie screen. It doesn't cost anything (the NFL would not sanction that) and you can purchase beer right in the theater, along with any of the foods offered at the snack stand. My parents met us there last night so that we could see what this was all about. I thought it would be fun but I had no idea how great it would be to watch the game on this giant screen! I used to be a football fanatic and over the years at my other job I always had to work and could never watch the games so I sort of got out of it. I still love a good game, and now that the Sonics are gone I need a game to watch. sigh...but I digress. Watching the game on the giant movie screen immerses you right into it and you cannot help but get into it! (Plus, last nights' game was action packed!!!) Now that alone might make it worthwhile. The expensive beers, notsomuch, but here is the clincher: FANTASTIC PRIZES! You get a raffle ticket when you go in and at different intervals throughout the game (during commercials) they call out numbers for folks to win prizes. They gave away things like dinner for two at Anthony's; brunch for 2 at Anthony's; $20 certificate at Cutter's Point (local coffee roaster); massage certificates; a room at the Gig Harbor Inn; and several other prizes ranging from free pizza to movie tickets, football jerseys, hats, free concessions at the theatre, and on and on. There were not very many people there so the odds of winning something were really good! My mom won brunch for 2 an Anthony's and Mark won the $20 Cutter's Point certificate. We will go back due to the prize potential and the great screen. It's a fun time so get some friends together and go!

Mark and I are going to Las Vegas on Thursday. We haven't been there in 15 years, and it isn't a place we would normally choose to go for a relaxing weekend. Our good friend Nikki is turning 40 and she wants to celebrate in the Sin City, so here we go, cuz we love Nikki! Mark is now the King of Promo Codes and we got deals galore! We will see Cirque du Soleil's 'Ka', check out the world-class chili competition, and do some serious dining, among other things! We have a list of cafes and bakeries to check out (always looking for new ideas) and a list of restaurants that I still have to pare down before we get there. It's so hard!!! We will let you know how it all goes in the blog next week.

If you have any ideas for us while we are there let me know, quick! Have a wonderful week!

Wine is on my mind this week as I plan for our wine tasting on Friday. This past Monday I had to really work hard. The distributor who brings us our Italian Small Vineyards Estate Wines (Vehrs) had their annual holiday wine tasting. They invite all their customers to one central location to taste wines from as many of their wineries as possible. This year it was at Palisades restaurant in Seattle. I have never eaten at Palisades but it is the favorite restaurant of my Ya-Ya, Linda, and I was really looking forward to trying some of their food.

I always take a 'second' to the wine tasting events, even the smaller ones. It is really difficult to cull out the best wines for you all to taste if I don't have someone to discuss the wines with. This was a really big tasting so both Mark and Leslie went with me. We got there early so we could really take our time. We walked in and were in a large banquet room with manned tables full of wine all around the perimeter and out on the patio. In the center of the room was a buffet of appetizer type foods: sashimi tuna crusted in what I believe was ginger, wasabi, sesame seeds and pepper; a fruit platter; a multitude of wonderful cheeses; bread rolls and gourmet crackers; sliders made of spicy lamb sausage with sweet-hot mustard on really soft buns; bites of beef done in better-than-teriyaki style sauce; and little one-bite dark chocolate cups with a smidge of milk chocolate mousse, a raspberry and a mint leaf on top. Everything was fabulous!! The sauces were all Asian themed and yet each was distinctive enough to be it's own dish. The presentations were beautiful, the servers were professional and friendly and very on top of things, and the whole experience made me put Palisades up towards the top of my 'want to try' Seattle restaurants list. (The list is very long and ever evolving. Never enough time or money!)

Then there were the wines. There were 18 tables, each with two wineries represented, and each winery had at least 6 wines to taste. Holy grape vines!! It was not my first barn dance, albeit it was the largest, so I went in with a plan. I had researched some of the wines in Vehrs' book and had several specific wineries that I needed to taste. Mark and Leslie followed me to taste those and then they were welcome to taste whatever they wanted.

The rules for which wines we would taste: Anything new that Small Vineyards had, of course (Tom Kelly was kind enough to keep our purses under his table so our hands were free to hold our notepads and pens, wine glasses and plates. This is REALLY hard work!)Other than Small Vineyards they had to be from Washington. (Don't get me wrong, I love wines from all over, but since we have such small retail space I have to draw lines somewhere.) And they must come from estate wineries. They must also be an excellent value-which does not necessarily mean they are inexpensive, although the best wines for the best price is definitely a good goal. So of course we hit the Washington estate wineries first.

Sidebar: Working with Small Vineyards has taught me most of what I know about wines, as well as helped me build my values where wine and winemakers are concerned. Perhaps estate wineries have more control over quality; maybe they have just a touch more pride since the farmers and winemakers are working side by side on a daily basis... I don't know for certain that those things are true. When wineries grow and nurture the plants, and make the wine from those plants, and have the complete cycle on one estate, I think that is important. I also think that the stories and connections behind the wines make for a much more interesting and entertaining wine tasting event.

We really liked the Terra Blanca wines (again) and discovered Canyon's Edge Winery as well. I was tasting Canyon's Edge when I asked how they kept their prices so low. It is really difficult to find high quality value wines from Washington; most Washington wines are more expensive, which is why most house pours are $8.50 and above. Since we want to keep our house pour at $5-ish we really have to find inexpensive wines to do that with, and it would be much easier to do if I would sell California wines. But I digress. The answer to my pricing inquiry was "because we're farmers!" That made me smile. Another reason to value estate wineries: they don't have transportation costs and their better quality wines are a better value. We also enjoyed Apex, Ryan Patrick and Lone Canary wines.

Leslie enjoys the sweeter, desserty wines so she tasted: La Sirena Moscato (California), the Terra Blanca Late Harvest Reisling from Yakima Valley, the Canyon's Edge Jeremiah's Chocolate Port, another chocolate port that I can't remember which winery it was, and Robert Hall's Vintage Port (both the last two are from California). You'll have to come in and ask her what her favorite was.

Everyone does the tasting differently. Some people do all the whites first, then go around and do the reds. Some folks spit the wine; others (like me) swallow what is in the mouth but will pour out extra in the glass. There is a wide variety of tasters at the event, from fancy restaurant sommeliers, to grocery store wine department managers, to wine store owners and owners of many different restaurant types. It is really fun to read the nametags and see where everyone is from. We saw our old friend Steve from Water to Wine in Gig Harbor (we love that wine store!) and lots of other familiar faces from around the Kitsap peninsula. It is really fun to learn about the wines, wineries and wine makers and to connect with those who we may want to do tastings with. Stay tuned for what we will be selling next year!

We knew we were nominated in three categories. We did not know what categories they were. Last night (Wednesday, September 24th) Team Bakery gathered at the mall with all the other people and businesses that were nominated. The top three nominees for each category were announced one by one, with the 1st place winner receiving a plaque. These awards mean alot to those of us who are local independent business owners because the community votes and chooses the winners! Recognition from our community means the world to us and it is so exciting to be your favorite!

First they called out the 'Best Dessert' award, which we were nominated for, and just like last year Cold Stone Creamery won the award. I am going to have to get over there to see what it is you all love so much about their desserts! I have never been to a Cold Stone and I think it is time to try it; although, there is a locally owned independent ice cream store on Bainbridge that I will try first. I don't get to BI very often at all, but that sounds like a great place to try.

Then they were announcing 'Best Bakery' and we were thrilled to win again! I said to the team 'come on you guys!' and began crutching my way up to receive the award. I turned around, expecting to see all my staff beaming around me, and only Mark was there! Everyone else stayed behind! Sheesh! Buncha goofballs did that to me last year, too. You would think I would learn!

After a few more awards they were calling out the nominees in the category of 'Best Art Gallery' and we were nominated! I was so surprised and so happy that we were included in that category! We did not win first place, yet the phrase 'it was an honor just to be nominated' applies here more than you think. We cherish our local art community and it is such a pleasure to have the art hanging all over our walls, and to be a part of the Art Walk. For the community to recognize this is outstanding!

So thank you, thank you and thank you for all these wonderful nominations! We love this community and the fact that you love us is certainly not lost on us. We cannot thrive without you and certainly would have nothing to strive for! We are all very grateful to you and I hope that we will always continue to please you this much and more.

I heard a few people last night discussing the fact that there are so many conglomerate chains and large franchises who keep getting nominated, and the feeling was that there should be more focus on the independent locally owned businesses. Since the Chamber and the newspaper are putting this on, and a large part of their funding comes from those chains, they will never push for such a focus. It is up to as consumers to speak with our money and habits. Shopping and dining at the independent places, utilizing the services of the locally owned businesses and avoiding the bigger places. And when we can't avoid them, being picky about what we purchase and demanding community involvement can help. The community voted for those businesses so they must be important to us; hopefully not to the detriment of the little guy. Demanding sustainable practices, community outreach and other responsible habits of all the businesses we choose is a must. As a consumer I want to know what the businesses I choose do to give back. As a business owner I want you to know what we do, and what we can do to improve those things in your eyes!

Being a part of a community is a responsibility and with the economy going south I believe we are going to be getting back to community roots more than ever. This is a good thing! We want to know our neighbors and what is important to you.

Come on in and say hi! Let us thank you in person for your votes! WE ARE SO HAPPY TO BE HERE!

I am so excited for our next wine tasting! We are once again visiting Washington wines and these wines are exclusive to us, for now! I am sure other places will be begin carrying them, and already some of Seattle's fine dining establishments have picked up a bottle or two for their wine list. But for now you can either go to George, WA, near the Gorge Amphitheater to taste and then buy these wines at retail prices. Or you can come to Monica's for our wine tasting on Friday, October 3.

When we offer special wines like this they are discounted at the tasting event, and then if there is anything left for us to sell we will offer it until it is gone, but not at the discounted price. Cave B wines are definitely not discounted anywhere else, so this will be anther first.

The reason we have reservations required is so that I can plan how much food to prepare. Many wine bars and wine stores offer a few snacks to nibble with the wines, like cheese and crackers and maybe a bit of fruit or salami. Leftovers won't happen since they can put a few items at time out and replenish as needed. Some places do not replenish and when it is gone, there are no more snacks. Dinner houses will often have wine tastings and can offer small portions of items from their menu. Leftovers do not matter there since they can always sell it later. They don't have the worry of not having enough food since it is all readily available or easy to store, and they have no need to prepare anything special.

We do things differently at Monica's. I work with the winemaker as well as research the regions that the wines come from, and where the grapes originated. I carefully select food pairings that will complement the wines as well as show off our passion for great foods. The items we prepare are not things we regularly sell; they are special items just for the wine tasting. We make enough food so that every person who comes gets to taste any or all of what we offer, and we would hate to run out and not have enough, even more than we hate to have food waste! This takes careful planning and does not lend itself to last minute cancellations or show-ups. Requiring reservations also helps us to keep the cost down so that more of you can enjoy our wine tastings.

This tasting will be open-house style so once you have a reservation you can come in any time during the tasting. This is as opposed to our November tasting (Italian wines from Small Vineyards) when there will be 2 scheduled seatings, rather than an open house. Our man from Small Vineyards, Tom, has many stories and much information about the wines, the winemakers, the vineyards and the traditions of Italy. This lends itself to an Italian style wine tasting and conversation, rather than an open house.

At the Cave B tasting we will offer 5 wines and you can taste any or all of them if you wish. (I have even been known to offer a second taste if someone is particularly interested in one of the wines.) I have chosen these wines with the holidays in mind. They will each be great at holiday meals, and I have kept the price points in a good range for gift giving. We will have at least one food choice for every wine, and you will receive a copy of the tasting notes for each wine that we have. I will have stories and information about the winemaker, the estate winery, the grapes and more.

You will have an opportunity to buy any of the wines that we have that night and if we run out we will order more for anyone who wants it, all at the tasting-only discount price. The discounts are bottle discounts as well as case discounts and the case discounts are for straight AND mixed cases. Any bottles that are left will be offered for sale at full price, in the cafe, for anyone who may want it.

I hope that answers all your questions and of course, if you have others, feel free to ask them here, give us a call, or send me an email at monica@waterfrontbakery.com. As always, it was great talking to you!

Purple mashed potatoes make me giggle! Last weekend I went to the Poulsbo Farmer's Market and saw lots of our friends! Paul Gregory, our main farmer, now has a booth at the market, alongside Jared and Sarah Hankins of Hand Sown Home Grown. Across the way are Mike and Dee from Hummingbird Hills Sodas and just a booth away is Nikki Johanson from Pheasant Fields Farm. There are many other vendors, of course, those are just the ones we work with the most. It was fun to say hello to everyone and see all their gorgeous produce proudly displayed.

Jared and Sarah don't just have the heirloom tomatoes we so love! No one-trick pony, they also do heirloom potatoes, among other things. When I asked Jared why heirloom is important he smiled, clearly enjoying the opportunity to talk about his passion. I thought I knew that heirloom meant the seed lines were 'original' or at least quite old, but that is all I knew. He told me that the seeds come from before 1940 and that the plants are 'open pollinated', which means the farmer can collect the seeds and maintain the lines every season. The farming is done organically (otherwise why bother, really!) and so when I said in an earlier blog that their tomatoes taste like my childhood; like tomatoes are SUPPOSED to taste, I hit the nail on the head without really knowing it. Of course the fruit tastes like the truest version of itself: IT IS! And it is the most sustainable way to farm. I knew we loved them!

I bought a bunch of blue (seriously!) potatoes from Jared. They are called 'All Blues", because they are blue inside and out! This are cool to look at and actually, more purple than blue. I made mashed potatoes with them and every single time I look at them I giggle! We had salmon and mashed potatoes for dinner 3 nights in a row and this morning I finished the purple mash in the form of a potato pancake and eggs. They taste just like potatoes; the texture was a bit 'more' than the yukon golds I normally mash. Not gritty, but more 'textural' if that makes any sense. Keep in mind that I roast my mashed potatoes and that gives them a drier texture to begin with. These spuds are so fun and beautiful; you really should go pick some up!

I asked Paul to bring us green beans, since they are in full bloom now (better late than never) and boy are they good!!! Be watching for green bean salad and beans in the soups cuz he brought lots. We roast our green beans (I roast every vegetable I can; it is SO much better than boiling!) and drizzle a bit of olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. That's all it takes when the beans are this good. His carrots are coming in too, but they are small this year. It has been such a strange produce year!!

Another fun market, although further for most of you to go, is the Gig Harbor Farmer's Market. My favorite market day is the Chowder Cook-off and this year is the 8th annual. They have an amateur cook-off where several judges choose the best Clam Chowders and the best "Other" Chowders. There are 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes awarded for each category. There is also a restaurant competition for both types of chowder, and the public gets to vote on those. Since they are prepared 'commercially' anyone can go and taste all or any of the chowders, and then cast your vote. It's a very fun day at the market!

In 2005, much to my shock and to the screams of my mom, I won the amateur contest for Clam Chowder. The recipe we make in the cafe is very close to the winning recipe, with a couple of minor differences. If you cannot make it to the market contest, ask Lori to make our chowder at the cafe and you can taste an award winning chowder any time! That was the first and last cooking contest that I have entered. In October Mark and I are going to Las Vegas to help a friend celebrate her birthday and there just so happens to be a chili cook-off. We will definitely be checking that out and will let you know which one we liked the best!

Have you entered any cooking or baking contests? What was it like? Tell us about it!

I have been wanting to visit the University District Farmer's Market for a long while now. It is the oldest and largest farmer only market in the area, and many of our existing and potential suppliers vend there every week. This is a hub for Seattle's chefs to pick up orders from suppliers, as well as for anyone else to walk in and get a bounty of wonderful items. Mark and I finally got to go on Saturday! The market is a block long and a half a block wide, and very impressive. The vendors set up with umbrellas, awnings, tables and even deli cases to show their wares! It made me think of the Union Square market in NYC, though it was nowhere near that size and abundance. We saw many friends from the Chef's Collaborative, (like Toboton Creek Goat Farm) some of whom we cannot use as suppliers because they don't come anywhere near Silverdale. A couple of them are actually based on the Olympic Peninsula and they travel to this market every week, but won't come to Silverdale. I am their only demand and it would not be worth it to them, financially, to come this way just for me. I am patient and we are trying to find others who want to use them, but that is proving to be a bit more difficult than I thought it would be.

We had a great time visiting the market! Here is a sampling of the folks there, all of whom we have used as suppliers at least once if not regularly: Nash's Organic Produce, Wooly Pig Farm, Estrella Creamery (you may remember I blogged about our visit to that farm in June) Appel Farms Farmstead Cheese, Bluebird Grain Farms, and Taylor Shellfish Farm. If you have a Saturday free to go to the other side, you should definitely visit this market. I was in heaven! There are many more vendors than that, and we bought all sorts of good stuff to help us create a wonderful dinner for our 17th wedding anniversary on Sunday. We just finished up our leftovers and it was Yummy!

When I was in Italy 2 years ago I brought back some wine. I had my first taste of Brunello di Montalcino and I have been saving the bottle I brought from the Santa Giulia Winery. I decided to build a menu around the wine for our anniversary dinner, and finally share this bottle of loveliness with Mark. While at the market we bought all the components like veggies, meats and bread, that we would need to create the meal, and I know it all made a huge difference in the flavors that each dish had.

This menu is very simple. I needed to keep it that way since I am still far from 100% on my feet with this healing ankle. Besides, nearly all of our cooking is simple, since we are fairly simple ourselves! Here are the dishes that I made and some basic instructions in case you want to try any of these. You can do it, believe me!

Braised Pork (from Wooly Pigs)
I trimmed the fat and cut the meat into cubes, about an inch or so square. I threw some salt and pink peppercorns into my doufeu (a Dutch oven) and poured a bottle of sangiovese (read below about why) in. It was just enough to cover the meat completely, and I brought that to a boil. I dumped in all the meat and bones along with some chunks of onion and garlic, brought it down to a low simmer, and covered the pot. I left it on the stove for about 4 hours.

At the end of 4 hours I pulled all the solids out of the pot and turned it up high to begin reducing the sauce. I skimmed the top layer of fat off and let it reduce way, way down. I pulled the meat out of the solids pile and set it aside, including what other meat I could pull off the bones now that they were cooked. After the sauce was done reducing (it took a while to get it down to a nice, thick consistency) I tossed the meat back in and warmed it all together.

Swiss Chard
I brought a pot of water to a boil and cooked 2 bunches of rainbow chard for about 15 minutes. I pulled it out and drained it well. I diced some onion and let it caramelize lightly in olive oil. Once that was done I through in a touch of garlic, some salt and pepper, pepperoncini (the little red pepper flakes that many people put on pizza) and the chard. I sauteed the chard for a couple of minutes and when it was finished I doused on some aged balsamic vinegar that is SO scrumptious!

Gnocchi with browned butter sauce
I was still trying to decide between garlic mashed potatoes, polenta or risotto as the starch, when I walked by the handmade pasta booth at the market. Hello! Gnocchi screamed easy since I didn't have to make it, and I instantly thought of how good it would be with the other dishes.
I brought a pot of water to boil and then salted it. I cooked the gnocchi until it floated, about 4 minutes maybe. Meanwhile I threw some butter in a pan and let it brown. When it was about done I added truffle salt, a touch of garlic (yes, I do love that garlic) and then I tossed in the Gnocchi. I topped it all with some fresh flat leaf parsley, and some freshly grated pecorino Romano (the only thing I didn't buy at the market! I tried, but no sheep cheese. I got this at the Italian market within the Pike Place Market.) Mark is not normally a huge fan of gnocchi, but then again I had never made it for him. Now he loves it!

Steak
We also bought a couple of grass-fed beef New York steaks from one of the vendors. Most of it went into the freezer but we cooked up a bit just so we could see how it would make the wine taste. Remember, this meal was all about the wine! Mark seared it a nice medium rare on the outdoor grill and the flavor was fabulous.
Side note: I don't like the taste of corn-fed beef and it is only recently that I discovered what my dislike was. Grass fed (which is the cow's natural diet; don't see too many cows munching corn if they have a choice) beef tastes like beef tasted when I was a kid. Good! Corn/grain fed has an 'icky' (I am SO technical) metallic like flavor that I just cannot get past, no matter how fancy the aging or cooking is. I thought I had lost my taste for all beef until I was in Italy and had their grass fed beef. It was so good and it made me try it again when I got home, but I had the same taste that I did not like. Then I tried the grass fed and found out that I am such a food snob, I don't even know it most the time!

We also bought some Italian peasant bread at the market. We warmed it in the oven and drizzled it with fabulous olive oil and used it to sop up the juices. MMMMM!!

So that was our wonderful anniversary dinner. Mark said he could feel my love in every bite! That is what I cook for. The wine was as good as I remembered, and Mark loved it too.

Oh and I can't forget! In case you don't know about Brunello, it is made from a clone of the original sangiovese grape. (In wine, cloning is fine!) That is why I braised the pork in the sangiovese, so it would echo the flavors of the bottle we were drinking. The cooking bottle was another bottle I had sent back from Italy, and while I would normally not cook with that bottle, I felt it was significant to the meal and the wine behind it. You can cook with any wine, but NEVER buy a 'cooking' wine. You must cook with wine that you would drink; after all it is imparting important flavors to your food. You want it to taste good, but it certainly does not need to be expensive. Follow your instincts and play around, you will find what is good. I did not find any recipe that braised pork in red wine-only broth or white wine. I wanted to try the red wine braise; I thought it would taste good so I did it. And it DID taste good! I also did not brown the meat first, as I normally would do for a braise, because I wanted the wine to permeate every cell of the meat and not have any competition for flavor, even if that flavor was good. It may or may not have been better to brown it, I won't know and it doesn't matter since we loved it!

So try one of these cooking ideas, or make one up on your own. Let us know how it turns out! Remember, you can never make mistakes in the kitchen; you can only have learning experiences... and LOVE, of course!

Saturday was for anniversaries! We catered an anniversary party for 30 and it went well. My feet and legs got tired as I fried the mushrooms and chicken for the Cacciatore, but Mark helped and I rested in between batches. It is SO weird to feel that way after working only a few hours! I am ramping up my 'workout' schedule this week to try to remedy that situation more quickly.

Mark made his fantastic rustic Italian bread for the party and there was enough dough left after four loaves that we got a small loaf for ourselves. It is SO good! Yeasty, chewy, and just really wonderful inside and out. I was very happy with how all the food turned out and I hope our clients and their guests were, too. The kitchen sure smelled good that day!

For Christmas we had given Mark's parents a certificate for dinner at Indochine, in downtown Tacoma. So later on Saturday we met them there for dinner, along with dad's brother and his wife. This is a place you have to experience! There are 3 Indochine's and the one downtown Tacoma is the nicest of them all. The decor is exotic and beautiful, the air is fragrant and the service is very friendly and efficient. You could just as easily have a romantic dinner for 2 as a party for many. The menu is a fusion of several Asian cuisines, as well as Indian, French, and a touch of Italian here and there. They use fresh ingredients and absolutely everything that I have tasted has been wonderful. We each ordered a dish, plus 2 appetizers for the 6 of us, and unless you want lots of leftovers (yes!) then that is way too much food. It is served family style and I had not remembered that from my prior 2 visits, since I had been there with fewer people. The Black Sea was my favorite: It is an innovative play on Spanish Paella that uses black Thai rice and coconut milk with several kinds of perfectly cooked seafood, and kala masala (an Indian curry style spice) for flavoring. Uncle Chuck and Aunt Jan gave us their leftovers since they were travelling to see family for their 50th wedding anniversary! (We scored!) Happy Anniversary Chuck and Jan, we look forward to seeing you again!

Whether you love seafood, chicken, meat or vegetables you will find plenty to eat at Indochine. The prices are very decent, the portions are shareable and our server was really wonderful. She was flexible and playful while keeping food and drinks for 6 straight! I have had good service every visit and I look forward to the next time!

For years Mark has belonged to a group that plays fantasy football and on Monday he went to the draft. He took an antipasti platter with some wonderful cheeses, sausage, olives, etc... It looked great but I think he was nearly booed out for not bringing cookies or some other bakery item. That'll teach him to change it up!

Thursday I have the new rep for Cave B wines coming in to talk to me about the lineup for our next wine tasting. He also represents a couple of Walla Walla wineries and I may include them in the tasting, we shall see. I am so excited to be able to offer these wines to you! I blogged about Cave B in July if you didn't read that one scroll down and check it out. We loved their wines and you cannot buy them over here so being able to offer them is quite a coup for us! I will keep you posted about the tasting (Friday, October 3rd).

Have you found any great wines lately? Food? Experiences? Do Tell!!

Every once in awhile I get a flash of memory of my grandmother (maternal) and the importance that she put on 'entertaining'. It did not matter if it was a new friend, a colleague, a family member or a party of many. To her it was so important to have things 'just so'. The food and drinks could be simple, and were always beautiful and well prepared. It was her way of showing respect and love for her guests, her home, and even herself. She ingrained much of that into my little brain and, out of everyone in my family, I think she would be the most proud of our little restaurant and all that we have accomplished here.

On Thursday Mark and I prepared a wonderful dinner for 10. Catering 'to go' is a winning situation for all of us, since it keeps cost down for our client and helps us to avoid utter exhaustion from preparing the feast and then delivering/setting up/serving the food. We do offer many kinds of catering but this is our favorite way to do it. Especially since I cannot deliver right now with my ankle still healing.

The hostess chose all foods that would be great sitting out and not need any extra heat. The main course was a 6 lb beef tenderloin that had a fantastic crust with salt and pink peppercorns, and was beautifully rare and well-rested. We laid out the slices on a bed of flat-leaf parsley and surrounded it with heirloom tomatoes from Hand Sown Homegrown. We tucked in 2 smaller end pieces that were a bit more well-done in case someone at the party did not appreciate perfectly cooked beef (read: rare!) and it was a great looking platter. SO SIMPLE and yet so elegant. Tender and flavorful, accompanied by a platter of roasted vegetables (green beans/portabellas/carrots/garlic) studded with goat cheese, this is great party food. The hostess chose brie-en-croute and savory tarts for appetizers and dessert was both a fruit and cheese platter, (gorgeous fruit and 3 wonderful cheeses, garnished with pistachios) and chocolate cups filled with chocolate ganache and drizzled with white chocolate. I would love to go to a party like that!

My gramma would have been so proud. All of it was very simple for us to make and yet so elegant and of such high quality that it just feels really good to send it out. This was my first cater in 2 months and it was difficult to do. Mark had to cater to me while we prepared the cater! My crutches are a bit slick in the kitchen and it is hard for me to carry anything so he was getting whatever I needed and then taking it away when I was done. How annoying! For both of us! On Saturday we are doing a dinner for 30 and I think it is very good that we had a smaller one to 'practice' with, first. This too is simple (for us) food: Chicken Cacciatore; rosemary roasted red potatoes; roasted green beans; fresh Italian style bread; organic greens salad and a couple of our dressings... and we will be delivering and setting this one up. Not serving, though: we are going out to dinner with mom and dad Downen, as well as Uncle Chuck and Aunt Jan. I will report on that next week.

Yes, my stamina is down and my ankle's tolerance for standing is low. We will go in early so we have lots of prep time since I am SLOW at everything these days (again: ANNOYING!) and yet perhaps that is part of my message in all of this pain. Go slower. It is ok to slow down a bit. (Deep breathe cuz that is hard to say).. ok one more time out loud: IT IS OK TO SLOW DOWN A BIT. whew. Do you believe it? I am not sure I do yet... in time perhaps.

What lessons did you learn this week? Do Share!

Feeding hungry people well is what I love to do. Many of you know that at Monica's every day that we have left-overs we call the Central Kitsap Food Bank to come and get them. From soup, bread, frittata, etc... to pastries, cookies, bars and desserts we send it all their way just about every other day. (Hungry people don't mind if it is day-old, they tend to be able to overlook that part.) During the quartely Art Walk in Old Town we always shut down the cash register and hand out cookies for donations. Cash, toiletries, canned goods and other needed items are all welcome donations. And yes, we are a bit picky: donations need to be worth at least as much as $1.50 for a cookie.

We have hungry neighbors every day of the year and this week's colder rain is a stark reminder that winter is coming. Winter hunger comes with a different set of problems than summer hunger does and it is never to early to start giving. We also collect clean, warm clothing, backpacks, clean blankets, pet supplies and camping equipment like sleeping bags and cook-stove fuel for our homeless population and others who have fallen on hard times. These days gift cards to gas stations can mean the difference between someone getting to a job, or being out of work with no food for the family. Pre-paid phone cards are a great idea, too.

When the food bank is unavailable due to closures or holidays we take the extra food out to the local free meals. Pastor Art Speight at the Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Bremerton has created "Taking It To The Streets! Ministries" and if we can't get the food to them, his wonderful assistant MaryAnn will come and get it from us. It is such a blessing when we are busy, or I cannot drive due to a broken ankle , that these organizations will come pick up the food. Until I met up with Pastor Art I did not have a reliable place to take the food during holidays, weekends and the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. Now we have a great, reliable resource and the diners love our food.

Sidebar: One day we got a call from a woman from out of state who had ordered 2 dozen cupcakes for her son. Her son's ship had sailed a day early and she had no one here who could pick them up. It was frustrating for her and sad that her son did not get these lovely and delicious tokens of her love! I took them to the dinner behind K-Mart (it has moved) and the diners were thrilled!! It was such a joy to be able to hand them out (they were beautifully decorated and very tasty, of course) and see the delight in everyone's faces as they took a cupcake. It just so happens that they were running out of dessert as I arrived so the timing was perfect, too.

There are a few free meals in the area (at least one a day) and they can all use donations of food, money, equipment and your time. Below is a list of these meals and if you know someone who is hungry, or who has excess resources, please give them a copy of this list. These meals are for anyone who needs them, no one is turned away. Not a one of us is too far removed from hunger to think that this does not effect our lives. Nobody knows when or where hunger can strike, nor do we usually realize just how close to home it is. If my neighbor is hungry I am compelled to share my table. I hope that you are, too.

FREE MEALS (Thank you Sally Santana for compiling this current list!)

God’s Kitchen: Family of God Lutheran Church 7625 Central Valley Rd., Bremerton
(360) 692-7729 Every Monday Noon to 2:00 p.m.

South Kitsap Family Kitchen: 1st Lutheran Community Church 2483 Mitchell Rd., Port Orchard(360) 876-3901 Last 2 Mon, Tues, Th, Fri, 5-6:30 p.m.

Cornerstone Christian: Sylvan Way Baptist Church 900 Sylvan Way, Bremerton
(360) 698-3219Sun, 1:30 Tue & Th, 6:30 p.m.

Healthy Meals: Silverdale Lutheran Church 11701 Ridgepoint Dr. W, Silverdale
(360) 692-9263 Wed, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church 1015 Veneta Ave., Bremerton
(360) 479-63741st 3 Wed of month, 5:00 p.m.

Salvation Army: 832 Sixth St., Bremerton
(360) 479-2695Mon - Fri, Noon to 12:45 p.m.

TLC Dinner: New Life Assembly 1003 5th Ave, Bremerton
(360) 377-7292 Every Fri, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Bread for Bremerton: Brem. United Methodist Church 1150 Marine Dr.
(360) 373-3510 Last Fri. of month 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Lord’s Neighborhood Diner: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 700 Callahan Dr., Bremerton
(360) 377-2915 Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Joy of Freedom: Westgate Fire Hall 1550 Rocky Pt. Rd., Bremerton
(360) 373-8814 Sundays 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The Coffee Oasis/Teen Night: 822 Burwell, Bremerton
(360) 373-0461

I had my blog all planned out for today and Whammo! A fantastic new find that I have to tell you about sidetracked me! This is not really a new idea, but certainly it is the BEST incarnation of the idea that I have ever seen, and a local family, already in the restaurant business, owns it.

You should first know that I don't really 'do' fast food. We do eat teriyaki and I think that's about as close as we come to it. When I worked for the King County Sheriff's department I occasionally had something from the taco del mar on 4th av in Seattle, but the last time I did that was over 6 years ago, and I don't think I would like it now. This place's first impression may seem like fast food; It. Is. Not.

So Mark and I stopped into the Puerto Vallarta restaurant in Port Orchard to have a late lunch (or early dinner) and get a couple dozen tortillas for the freezer, since our stash is low. Gregorio was our waiter and he said it was his second day of working there. (He is really great; ask for him when you go in!) It was hot out and I don't enjoy the heat. I wanted something light and fresh and authentic (as opposed to the Americanized versions of Mexican food that, even though they are good, don't always fit the bill) so I asked for something like grilled fish tacos, or ceviche. He said no, they don't really have that there, but there is a new place that is open that does do those things, and does them well. He told us that the same family that owns the Puerto Vallarta restaurants has opened this new taco-bar style place that we really must try if we like that kind of food.

We decided to go right then! We shared an order of chicken taquitos, finished our beverages and headed over to the Blue Agave. The address is 4800 Jackson Av SE, which is the corner of Sedgwick and Jackson. This is southern Port Orchard and I realize that most of you aren't near it, but it is worth the trip if you find yourself in the south end of the county.

This is technically a quick-serve restaurant: you walk in and peruse the menu, then order directly from the person who will prepare your food. You can personalize your order just like at a taco-del-mar only this food is WAY better! Everything is freshly prepared daily. You can get a customized burrito wrapped in your choice of tortilla if that is your pleasure. OR... and I do mean OR... you could get Pescado Dorado (Dorado is Mahi Mahi, in case you didn't know) or Pork Carnitas, or Camarones (shrimp) al Gusto! Those are a few of the entrees... we got appetizers only and let me tell you, the portions are not shy.

Fresh ceviche of shrimp (after I ordered the chef told me that he makes ceviche of pulpo -octopus- every day! This was not on the menu! I AM GOING BACK FOR THAT SOON!!!) Piled high on a freshly fried tostada, and topped with fresh avocado. MMMMM! 1 fish taco and 1 shrimp taco, both on corn tortillas for me, on flour tortillas for Mark. Mark had them top it with their 'coleslaw' that is fantastic and the only thing I would have changed would have been some more spice to it. I could add hot sauce, but did not since I wanted to fully taste the foods this first trip. (By the way the shrimp were grilled and the fish was fried; backwards from what I thought it would be.)

Gregorio mentioned other dishes that I did not see on the menu so I think they are very flexible and if you want it, and they can make it, they will. That was too much food for both of us and it was under $10 apiece!!! Oh, and did I mention: THEY HAVE A FULL BAR! You can get un cerveza frio or choose a drink that uses one of their 50 tequilas! Yes, I said 50. (Thus the name, I suppose...) We did not partake and we will check that part of it out next time.

The staff is excited and friendly and very attentive. They brought our food to us, brought us water and asked what else we might like. They are having fun here and they are making great food! Oh and 3 of Kitsap County's Finest were dining there when we arrived; in my experience cops know good food!

I can't say enough good about the Blue Agave. We enjoy the P.O. site of Puerto Vallarta, we have also enjoyed the Los Cabos in downtown P.O. The Moctezuma's in Gig Harbor is terrific and we have yet to try Los Cazadores in Bremerton, but it comes highly recommended. So we have some yummy Mexican food options in the area that I was happy with. And now we have Blue Agave and I am ecstatic! I wonder if they make a jalapeno margarita like Moctezuma's? I will find out.

What is your favorite local Mexican restaurant? What parts of Mexico do you love? Have you been to the Mayan Riviera, south of Cancun? Talk to me!

I was lucky enough to be able to get out a bit last week. My friend Dot took me for a long over-due hair cut in Port Orchard. I have been going to Janet Lewis for over 10 years now and she has opened her own salon called 'It's My Style' at 3170 Seiford Av SE (just off Lund)and I highly recommend her. Then Dot and I went for lunch at Blondie's. It was my first daylight trip into the restaurant and I got a great view of their stunning fireplace! The surround is layered in gorgeous stone and goes all the way to the super high ceiling. There is a water feature built in to the top 1/3 of the surround and it looks like it is carved right out of the stone. The colors are gorgeous; it is the most beautiful focal point I have seen, maybe in any restaurant.

The menu at Blondie's is unique and interesting, the few dishes I have tried cooked very well and seasoned perfectly. They do not have salt and pepper on the tables, which I love, because it forces you to trust the chef to know the seasonings. (One of my pet peeves is when someone salts and/or peppers a dish before even tasting it!) I love my fries salty, and they did not disappoint! One night I had a seafood salad and the scallops were cooked perfectly. This may sound simple, but it is so often over-done! It is dark and romantic in the evening (but you can't really see the fireplace, it is not lit up at night) and seems more business lunch in the afternoon. It is really nice in there.

We met friends for dinner at Amy's On The Bay in Port Orchard on Thursday. We wanted to hear the outdoor concert so we sat out on the patio for our dinner and visit, and it was a lovely evening. The best dish of the evening, and in my opinion on their menu, was the Ahi Poke. My friend Kat and I shared a few appetizers and a salad for dinner and the poke was the best! The chunks of tuna were far larger than I have had other places; the accoutrements were perfectly proportioned; the flavors were rich and lovely, yet let the beauty of the tuna show through. It was the best poke I have had! (No, I have never been to Hawaii.) They have it on menu as an entree and I will do that next time!

Last but not least by any means is the Agate Pass Cafe. I still haven't had the pleasure (I am hoping to go for my birthday or our upcoming anniversary) but Eva and Jim went back a few times! They really love that place and Eva was sweet enough to write another report, so I will paste that in below.

I would love to hear about your favorite dishes and/or restaurants, where do you like to eat?
**********************************
Hi Monica,

It's Eva writing again about the Agate pass Cafe. Well, Jim and I have been there for brunch three times and amazingly, Jim ordered something other than a hamburger last Sunday. We both ordered the BLT which is anything but your everyday BLT. The cafe uses thick bacon, arugula, tomato plus a fried egg on top of grilled artisan bread. Two thumbs up.
We were sitting outside on the deck and after I mentioned that Lake Washington was right behind the tall buildings and viola...we could see the Blue Angels on a small scale. Then my lack of willpower for dessert turned into bread pudding nirvana and owner Stacy adamantly stated the recipe secret remains a secret. The bread pudding is gooey, moist, 'cinnamony' with a deliciously and dangerously potent bourbon sauce.

For the first time since discovering the cafe, it was dinner last night and another delicious meal. We initially sat at the bar since the place was packed and since we were sitting with a friendly couple, we chose to remain at the bar for the entire dinner.
I ordered trout and Jim, the ribeye steak. Needless to say, the trout was divine and the ribeye was perfect for my "steak and potatoes" husband.
Our nice bar mate even shared his meatloaf so Jim and I could taste...of course it was good.
Though we were quite full, we succumbed to bread pudding and after sharing a piece with my bar mates, I wrapped it to go due to a case of eyes being bigger than stomach syndrome.

Hope you get a chance to visit the Agate Pass Cafe soon..

Take care,
Eva & Jim

Port Gamble is a beautiful area and last weekend was gorgeous! Mark and I were invited to be a part of the 'Buy Local' section of this first annual festival focused on local businesses and sustainability. We have never done a festival before so we decided to keep it super easy, especially since Mark would be responsible for all the set-up, teardown and most of the sales work. He baked peanut butter, chocolate chip, and butterscotch ranger cookies for the event and since they were smaller than our normal size we sold them for a buck each. We also sold water for a buck a bottle, and that way we did not have to deal with tons of change. Figuring cash back on larger bills was easy and we had a really great time.

When I committed to this event I was whole, and I committed myself only, not Mark. Since he was going to have to help me ALOT I backed out of Sunday sales and said we would only do Saturday. He would still have to take me up there on Sunday so that I could facilitate the Commons Cafe conversation about starting a local business alliance, but that would be over by noon and he could have the rest of the day off. Well on Saturday Mark was having so much fun he decided that he wanted to come back and do it again for Sunday, so we did.

We won't be doing other festivals as a habit; we have enough to do. But I felt like this festival was important because of the focus on local and sustainable business. These topics are important to me and I wanted to support the spreading of these ideas. I want to start a business alliance with other business owners who value the same things that I do. After all, I can't be alone out there! The most successful venture like that that I know of is Sustainable Connections in Bellingham. A woman named Michelle Long was key in getting that organized and she is my hero! I was honored to be able to introduce her to the group in the Commons Cafe Conversation and I really hope that we can get something like that going here. It would be SO beneficial for the community!

So many dreams, so little actual knowledge of how to get there! One thing I do know is food that I love. We recently ate at Moctezuma's in Gig Harbor. It is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the area and they did not let me down with their 'City' tacos, made from pulled pork. I loved it so much (it is a fairly authentic dish!) that we pulled some pork out of the freezer and I am going to braise it today to make this dish. We are even going to (try to) make corn tortillas! I love braised pork anyway, so I don't think we can go wrong with this.

I have a pork butt from Lopez Island Farm and I will season it up and brown it on all sides to get some great flavors going. Next I will pull it out and set it on a plate. I will heat some olive oil and caramelize some onions, add some garlic and spices like cumin and bay and we shall see what else I grab. I will return the meat back to the pot, including any juices that came out of the meat, cover it in some chicken stock, limes and oranges, and let it go low and slow for a couple of hours.

Once it is cooled I will shred it up and top the fresh tortillas with it! Along with some fresh pico de gallo and we have a meal. Mark will be glad he came home for dinner.

Do you have a favorite Mexican restaurant? Dish? Vacation? Tell me about it!

Happy Birthday Lori! Today is August 1 and that means it is Lori day all day at the Cafe. Lori loves her birthday as much as we do and that makes it extra fun for all of us.

Whenever one of our crew has a birthday he or she gets to pick out the specials of the day. Soup, salad, wrap, dessert, whatever the birthday heart desires are the picks of the day. We decorate festively and bring in a tiara to wear (not for Betuel or Sharon, they don't like tiaras!)

One of Lori's favorite dishes that I have made is a great summer pasta. She has asked me to come in and make it today and of course, her wish is my command. This will be the 'salad' of the day today. I will need some help, since crutches don't work well in the kitchen, but she will be up to it. This is a fresh pasta sauce that is great any time, but especially now with tomato season coming up fast.

I ordered some heirloom cherry tomatoes from our favorite Local Heirloom Tomato Farmers: Smoke Tree Farms. This year Ann and John Pyles are mentoring a new couple to take over their operation. Jared and Sara of Hand Sown Homegrown are growing and selling the tomatoes to us, other chefs, and you can find them at farmer's markets (try Poulsbo) in the area.

The heirloom tomatoes taste like my childhood. My grampa grew cherry tomatoes and I go instantly back to them when I pop one of these beauties in my mouth. All August we will be showcasing all the different varieties. We keep it simple: Sliced tomato salads with organic Italian olive oil, a little salt and pepper, maybe a touch of onion or cheese here and there. These tomatoes taste like tomatoes should taste! And they are gorgeous! So we showcase their flavors by leaving them generally unadorned. Our salads will highlight these tomatoes all month, since they are starting to really ripen up in the next week or so.

For this pasta sauce you should always use fresh tomatoes; the best quality you can find. This is a fresh sauce, not cooked, so the quality of every ingredient is very important. I use a food processor to put it all together, but a blender would work, just be careful to fully incorporate all the ingredients. Also you can use any pasta for this: We will use spaghetti or penne (up to Lori) and the more surface area for the sauce to cling to, the better. So here it is and remember, my recipes are general because that is how I cook. I look, smell, taste and feel for the consistencies that I want, I don't measure or follow instructions well at all! So this is how I make the sauce; You can make it any way you like!

Boil up some pasta, following the package directions. While that is going make the sauce, which takes no more than 10 minutes, including cleanup.

I grate some pecorino romano cheese in the food processor, then pull it out. (Parmesan would work here, as would asiago or any other hard, aged cheese.)

Throw in a couple of handfuls of toasted almonds and grind them up until it is almost turning into a paste.
Add in lemon zest and juice
Salt and pepper
a touch of grated garlic (or put a clove in with the almonds)
a handful of Italian parsley
a handful of basil
blend it all in

Add in a couple of pints of cherry tomatoes and some fabulous olive oil (The really good stuff here!) along with a couple of handfuls of the pecorino.

This is a pesto-style sauce; you don't want it too loose so if it is you can add more cheese to help tighten it. You don't want it too tight so if it is add more olive oil or even tomatoes to loosen it up.

Drain the pasta, toss it to cool it just a bit, then dump the sauce all over it. The sauce will warm up a bit and become fragrant. This is really great at room temp so when you eat the leftovers don't heat them up, eat them cold or let them stand out at room temp to warm up a bit.

This sauce tastes like summer... so yummy! Throw in some chicken if you want to meat it up; serve it with some bread and olive oil; have it as a side; a salad; a main coarse. However you eat it, you will want more and more!

What are your favorite summer flavors?

It's always nice to come home! We had a fantastic weekend at the Cave B Inn at Sagecliffe, which is adjacent to the concert area of the gorge in George, WA. We dined a few times at their restaurant called Tendrils, toured the grounds, visited the tasting room and I got a facial at the spa. It was very relaxing (I read a whole book!) and the staff was very accomodating.

We arrived around 5 on Thursday and there was a concert going on. We found out that this was what is called a 'festival weekend', so the music was going on 3 stages ALL day, every day, Thursday-Sunday. You could hear it clearly in some areas of the grounds, and in other areas you only heard the thumping bass. Luckily, we had a cavern room, and we did not hear it at all in the room and only very slightly on our view porch. I am sure you can hear it from some of the cliff houses and I know you could hear it in the lobby, the restaurant and the spa. I felt very lucky that the room was quiet (except for the blaring tv at 2am but that was a neighboring room, not the concert).

The grounds are expansive to say the least, it is an estate winery, which means the grapes are grown here (as well as other fruits in an orchard) then the wine is made and bottled as well as sold on the grounds. You can stroll through the vineyards, check out the chef's garden, play in the beautiful pool, and hike down to the river. (It's the Columbia for you folks who aren't familiar with the area.)

The grounds of Sagecliffe are a work in progress with years ahead of them before it is finished. We were not able to park near our room but they told us that they would shuttle us around anywhere we wanted to go, any time we wanted to go there. They came and got the car after Mark unloaded it and valet parked it for the weekend. This is a service they offer to everyone and it made it so much nicer for me, being on crutches and all.

The rooms are gorgeously appointed and I got a bubble bath in the HUGE soaking tub, which is the epitome of indulgence for me! The shower was large enough for the shower chair that we brought from home, the bed was comfy and the chaise lounge fit through the door so I got to sit outside and be the Queen of All I Observed.

The food we ate was wonderful! Chef Divina has created an intimate feel with a small menu of regionally produced foods. Everything was prepared with thought and care, from the simple and refreshing salads to the impeccably cut steaks. The standout dish for me was the manila clams in a green Thai curry and coconut milk. MAN those were awesome! Mark and I both wanted more of that.

The wines are what surprised us the most, though. We went there thinking about the resort rooms and the food, the wine was really an after-thought for us. The first night we tasted the Semillon and it was THE BEST semillon I have ever touched my lips to. Mind you Mark and I both lean toward the bigger, bolder red wines of the world so this was a wonderful surprise for us! The differences between their unoaked and oaked chardonnay's were stunning to taste side by side! The syrah was peppery like no other syrah I have had and I fell in love with that one, too. They self-distribute their wines and mainly sell right there on the property. The prices are the s