So Sad...

Back in February, I wrote a blog post about a place that I think is STILL my favorite restaurant in Bellingham: Cheese Meat(s) Beer. It was a sad day, then, 'cause they moved to Seattle to start a new venture which they were hopeful would be better for their family.

Turns out, that venture wasn't really the right thing after all... So, Bellingham got lucky and they moved back to town where Travis became the culinary director of my favorite food-CSA-menu planning-home delivery+special dinners +other yummy things place. I was so excited! Travis had a delicious Cinco de Mayo dinner where lots of people came to eat his wonderful creations once again. He did other dinners and also made family dinners that people could order and take home from ACME. 

I didn't eat Travis' meals all the time, but I DID eat SOME of them. Cinco de Mayo was yummy. Fourth of July was yummy. And, I went to his cooking demonstration at the Farmer's Market where he created an AMAZING Carrot Fennel Salad with carrot top pesto. Thankfully, he gave us all the recipe. I made it. It was delish!

Now, it seems life has taken another turn for Travis, Annalou and sweet baby Elouise... And, they will be leaving Bellingham again.

This ol' girl is very, very sad. Bellingham has lost an amazing food artist... He creates delicious food and I believe he has a GIFT. I believe someone will find him and discover a treasure and he will be able to create and create and create and people's stomachs and souls will be filled... (There's something deeper than the stomach when it comes to good food, people. I'm not kiddin'!) If I were a rich girl, I'd be like the chicken restaurant guy on "Breaking Bad" and make a place for the "master" to do what he does best... 

I wish them all the very best... I hope they stay in touch so when I travel I might be able to pop in and once again delight my palate with wonderful "Travis creations."

Many blessings, EAT.

One less thing to think about...

Oh. My. Goodness! I believe I have saved myself! I finally placed an order for Acme Farms and Kitchens Locavore box. I ordered the one with double protein. 

And guess what?! Almost everything I need to fix FIVE meals for my family is included in the box. Plus, the meal plan!  Half (if not more) of my trouble comes every week when I have to think of what I'm gonna cook! Now, somebody has figured out what to feed my family and has done most of the shopping for me! All I have to do is go pick up my box -- unless I don't want to and then, I can pay an extra $4 for them to deliver it to me.  Some weeks, it might be TOTALLY worth $4.00 for someone to bring it to me.

See?! My menu + recipes (there are more on back)
And, it tells me what else I'm 'onna need to fix the meals.

I can order all sorts of things from here... Dairy, eggs, breads, etc., etc... You should check 'em out.

I'm already gettin' ready for next week!!!

Acme Farms and Kitchen -- savin' your life one box at a time.

Blog REPOST

I'm re-posting 'cause I keep going back to this place. I just went there today to get a sandwich for me and Harv and I also picked up a bottle of Washington Rosé. 

One of my favorite things about Old World Deli is that it seems like the owners actually LOVE what they're doing. And, when people LOVE what they're doing, they do it very well. They make their customers ENJOY coming back again and again. 

I love Bellingham and am thankful for so many delicious eateries...and so many GREAT people who make them happen.

GO TO OLD WORLD DELI. Today. Or maybe tomorrow while you're shopping at the Farmer's Market.

***********************************************

REPOST: This blog post originally published in Feb. 2013

Yesterday, Sarah and Hannah had an early release day so Harv and I decided that the four of us should go out for lunch... (I told you I like to go out to eat!)

So, we picked the girls up and we drove to.... 

  

When you walk in, it just kinda FEELS "old-world." The wooden floors look like they have endured some historical foot steps. The brick walls look like they've heard some interesting conversations. (Perhaps they still are!)

While I was waiting for my sandwich, I perused the wine section. The owner asked if I needed help and I replied that I'm on a rosé kick...even if it's NOT the season. He told me that they're on their way over from France and it'll be soon-ish. We had a fairly intelligent conversation about rosé (he was intelligent; I was fairly intelligent) and our preference for light colored rosés. I am lookin' forward to the  arrival of the French rosés and I will be headin' down to Old World Deli to check them out. 

As for the food, they have quite a few choices on the "regular" list and then they had these daily specials.  (And, oh my goodnesss! Look in the bottom right-hand corner of the specials board! I just noticed it...a happy hour! Doesn't THAT sound fun?!!!)

 

I had the House Sausage with Braised Kale sandwich. Yes, it was delicious!

 

Harv had the Italian Sub sandwich. He really enjoyed it, too.

 

And, we got funky, fun sodas.  One must also have good chips with a good sandwich. So we got those, too.

  

 Sarah and Hannah shared a Chicken Pesto Panini. 

They seemed pretty happy with their choice, too, don'tcha think?

Next time I go, I'm 'onna check out the grocery items a little better. There's quite a selection of those, too.

Old World Deli -- it's just the place for people like me who like the adventure of good food.

Thai Tom

Most of my friends and family know that Harvey's in the hospital. We've been in Seattle for five days so far. I've tried all the food that I want to within walking distance.

As you might guess, the cafeteria food is not anywhere near the top of any list I've ever made of delicious food. However, the hospital espresso isn't bad at all. Pretty good, actually. And, to be fair, cafeteria breakfast was just fine...but breakfast is hard to mess up, I think.

All the meals I've had outside of the hospital have been within walking distance. I've eaten a couple of meals at University Village (Elemental Pizza and Boom Noodle) and I had a couple of meals at Agua Verde Cafe. All were good...my favorite of those was Elemental Pizza, but I would happily go to all of them again.) 

Today I decided to venture a little further than walking distance for a good meal. I did a phone search and found a couple of places that piqued my curiosity, but ended up at Thai Tom (they apparently don't have a website of their own.)

When I found it, I saw that the sign said open, but it was dark and I couldn't tell much from the outside. When I opened the door -- there was a-whole-nother world inside!

The restaurant was long and narrow. It held an L-shaped counter with bar stools. Behind the counter was a stove, a table, a fridge and there must've been a dishwasher and sink that I couldn't see from where I sat. Against the other wall were four tables for two. 

The host greeted me quickly and motioned for me to sit at the counter. Being sensitive to "space issues," I asked if I could sit on the smaller end of the "L"... He said "yes" but looked as if he questioned that decision. As soon as I got there, I realized why. I could feel the flame from the stove. The cook was flingin’ pots around and pouring sauces and throwing ingredients. I moved back to the recommended spot – squished between two people.

The cook didn’t stand still even for a moment. The flames on the stove leapt left and right calming down only every-so-often. The cook's assistant did his own dance as he prepared condiments and took away dirty pots (which he passed to the dishwasher/drink-maker/refrigerator-loader/retriever)... All three people behind the counter had developed a rhythm and things were flowin’.

I had entered an entirely different universe than the one I left at the hospital. And, it was a wonderful escape. I lost myself in the mayhem and almost forgot that my husband was in the hospital.

After not-very-many-minutes, I received THE.VERY.BEST Pad Thai I have ever eaten -- not to dry, not too wet. It held within it the perfect combination of garlic, peanuts and spice. My mouth was happy.

A small crowd gathered outside the door and worked their way inside. The host fussed at them and said, "Wait outside!" When questioned, his reply was, "Get out! I will call you."

Sure enough, seats opened up and those "youngsters" found a spot at the counter or at a table. They must’ve known that the food was worth the scolding.

In the meantime, people, who I guessed to be the owners, came in with supplies. The hustle didn’t stop. Food ordering, flame hopping, people gathering continued. And, it all happened in a teeny tiny space.

When it was all over for me, I left and, as I was walking out the door, the host called in the next party. I turned to the other two people waiting outside and said, "That was fun!" They laughed. I figured they knew what I meant.

If you're ever in the U-District, FIND Thai Tom (4543 University Way). Be prepared to wait if it's "prime time." Take cash.  Savor the food. Enjoy the show.

Recently, I started buying eggs that come from locally-raised, pastured chickens fed with non-GMO feed. 

This is the poached egg I get because of that.

Isn't it beautiful?!

Pound Cake and Fish Packets

Yesterday I made my favorite pound cake. It is RICH, RICH, RICH and OH! so delicious.  I got the recipe at a recipe shower before I got married from one of my mother's friends. Mama used to make a really good pound cake, but (don't tell Mama) I like this one better.

But the very sad thing is, it didn't really turn out so well. I think I over-mixed it. Sarah says that the flavor is good and she didn't mind the texture, but I know it's not quite right. But who the heck wants to try again and use six more precious eggs and another 1/2 pound of butter and a 1/2 pint of cream? Not to mention the valuable White Lily flour.

So I guess we'll eat it anyway. It'll probably do well toasted.

ANYWAY!

I also made some fish packets for dinner. The title of the recipe says "tuna" but it says you can use other types instead. I used Lummi Island salmon.

This dinner was yummy I thought. Served it with brown rice and we were all satisfied. ☺

I got this recipe from my Eating Well magazine -- and I also found it online here.

It was really pretty before I cooked it.

I forgot to take a photo when I plated it. And, when I remembered, it wasn't pretty anymore. But, everybody liked it. Always feels like a successful dinner when everybody eats what I cook without making faces or leaving a ton of food on their plates (this includes the 50 year-old little boy I married). ☺

Not sure what's for dinner tonight, but I want sumpthin' good.

Have a happy day!

Sunday Lunch and Dinner

When I was a child, my mother fixed three meals everyday. Sometimes they were small meals, but she fixed three meals and we all sat at the table for each meal.

I'm different. 

Food is provided for three meals a day, but most days everyone is responsible for putting breakfast and lunch in their stomachs. I take care of dinner. Sometimes we sit at the table together for breakfast and lunch, but often we eat when we feel hungry...and it's not always at the same time. 

It's not very June Cleaver of me, but it's the way I roll.

So, yesterday, when everybody got home from church, people started comin' up with their lunch plans. S & H made ramen and Thai iced tea. I had leftover ful (Here's a recipe...slightly different, but similar to the one I prepared) with pita crackers. Harv decided on a grilled cheese sandwich. Not just ANY grilled cheese, though. It was a grilled cheese with an extra layer of cheese on top of the sandwich, too. 

He was very pleased with his creativity and wanted me to take a photo for the blog. (I added the parsley for some food stylin'.)

The colors are nice, huh?

For dinner last night, I had a craving for a lamb burger. I had never had a lamb burger until I had one a few years ago at Boundary Bay Brewery. It is so yummy! One of the great things about their burger is that it's served on a pretzel bun from Ralf's. One of the other wonderful things is that it's prepared simply -- lettuce, tomato, onion and a little mayo. They don't have a deep fryer so the burger can come with either a salad or some chips. I always get chips, but I have always believed that it would be delicious with sweet potato fries.

So, anyway! Last night that's what I wanted, but I didn't really want to go to Boundary Bay to eat it. So! I bought some ground lamb and made my own. Here's the thing, though. I went to the Co-Op to get some pretzel buns, but they were out. MUST HAVE LAMB BURGER ON PRETZEL BUN. 

Now, most of the world realized that yesterday was St. Patrick's day. And, evidently, all bars/pubs/etc. pretend that they're Irish on March 17th. But, I kinda forgot. I suppose especially since it fell on a Sunday and students didn't have to worry much about gettin' pinched for not wearing green.

And, like I said...I had to have some pretzel buns. So... I went to Boundary Bay to see if they'd sell me four of 'em. It was a little bit shocking to find the place unbelievably crowded. Men in kilts, lots of green, lots of green beads, wonderful music and a fair bit of beer.  But I forged ahead and found a waitress. I asked if I could just buy 4 buns "to go" and she said I could! (I think they must be more expensive that way than if I had bought them directly from Ralf's, but I NEEDED 'em.)  I'm not sure that BB would want to get into the business of selling pretzel buns "to go" so I encourage you to plan ahead and either buy from the Co-Op Tuesday - Saturday or go directly to Ralf's...fresher there anyway!

My lamb burger did not disappoint. And, I served it with sweet potato fries (did not cut my own) and a ranch dipping sauce for the fries. I LOVED it. Everybody else liked it fine. And, they even ate some fries.

I will be making this again. You can count on it!

Last night's pizza

Last night, we had pizza again. I used this crust recipe again except I divided it in half and put it in round pans...and I saved one crust to make into a pizza later.

Then I made it almost like I always do with Trader Joe's pizza sauce, sausage and red bell pepper. Didn't have red onion so I used a shallot. Was worried I might not have enough meat on the pizza so I added chopped bacon sprinkled with brown sugar while cooking it. I topped it with Italian blend cheese and, for color, added chopped parsley.

My girls thought it was the best one yet out of that crust.

The big, fat drag about making your own crust is that it takes a couple of hours for the dough to rise -- once in the bowl, once in the pizza pan.

But... we ate at home. With what was in the house. 

I like it when that happens.

This past week we ate a little bit

Last Saturday, my friend, Catherine, hooked me up with a local egg lady. Catherine went to her little farm and got us some eggs from free range chickens that were fed with non-GMO feed. This is what they looked like BEFORE we cooked 'em. Aren't they pretty?

Harv ate one right away and this is how beautiful the yolk was in the pan.

After he cooked it, it looked like this on his plate.... And, he said the yolk was richer and the egg just generally tasted more substantial and delicious.

A few days later, Sarah made an egg for her breakfast. Kind of omlette-y and oh, so delicious! Cute, too!

A little later in the week, I made some really interesting AND delicious Bacon Chard quesadillas. I found the recipe in this month's Eating Well magazine. You can find the recipe here.  Everybody enjoyed them. Isn't it fun when taste buds grow up? I'm LOVIN' it!

On Tuesday, Harv and I went to Seattle so he could have a CT scan. We had to be there early and then we had 3 hours to kill. I posted a Facebook status and asked if anyone knew of a good restaurant for breakfast near the University district. Jennifer gave me this idea... And, she said that Guy Fieri from the Food Network had been there. I don't get the Food Network, but I've seen him before. He's pretty memorable. And, he likes diner type places. 

We found the restaurant and ordered our breakfasts. Mine was Greek sausage (which I think I would just call gyro meat), scrambled eggs and an English muffin. I joked with the waitress 'cause Harv always gives me a hard time about being very specific in my ordering. (It's rare when I get something off the menu without seein' if it can be tweaked to my particular preference.) Anyway, she and I agreed that when you wanna eat something, you want it the way you want it.  And when she brought our meals, she asked if I liked orange marmalade. I said "I do!" She replied, "Somehow, I just KNEW it!"  (She's my good friend, now!)

I always like to make my scrambled eggs and meat into a sandwich.

Harv's meal was even more "standard" than mine and included some spectacularly, deliciously salty bacon.

Yesterday, my friend, Shelley and I went out to lunch at Ciao Thyme. She had resisted going there 'cause she doesn't like thyme. (Silly Shelley!) After I reassured her that all of their meals did not include thyme, she came along. ☺

I ordered a really yummy salad with kale, spinach, chicken, goat cheese, nuts and a delicious cherry vinaigrette. Flat bread on the side.

Shelley ordered a lamb meatball flat-bread thing-y. I LOVE lamb, but I have a thing about meatballs. But Shelley was smart. She ordered it and then just broke up her meatballs. It also included an eggplant chutney, goat cheese, pickled onions and arugula. I kinda wished that I had ordered that. It was so smart to break up the meatballs!

And, our dessert? This yummy pudding that had layers of deliciousness and included chocolate chips, caramel sauce, and orange rind.

One of the things that makes Ciao Thyme interesting and fun is that guests sit at common long tables  accessorized with bins of utensils, napkins, etc. and sprinkled with cute little floral adornments. It feels like community in there. Community is a good thing. Kinda relates to my admiration for meals and restaurant atmospheres that exude love.

Throughout the week, our family has been snacking on one of our favorite seasonal goodies -- Robin Eggs.  We like to eat a few and we like to make them into "Robin Egg Lipstick."   Blue makes the most dramatic statement.☺

So you see? The week has been full of food. Some better for us than others, but all somehow connected with love and community.

Don'tcha just love that?

Mediteranean Specialties

Yesterday I didn't know what I wanted for dinner. Everybody in my family, I believe, would be fine with making EVERY Friday "pizza night." And, I like (some) pizza, too... But come on! EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. of the year? No... Uh huh. Ain't gonna happen.

I thought and I thought and then it occurred to me... Kibbe! From Mediterranean Specialties! YES!

One of the many blessings in my life is that my path crossed with the family who owns Mediterranean Specialties. I met Nahla in approximately 2000. Nahla's daughter was in preschool with my girls. And, when I met Nahla and found out she was from Lebanon I told her how much I LOVE Baba Ganouj.  She brought me some the next time I saw her at preschool! That was the beginning of knowing the WHOLE family. Nahla's sister, Marie, and her husband, Marco had just opened the store and I started going every now and then for coffee or some delicious tidbit...

Mmmmm. GOOD!

The store has expanded a bit since the early days...they moved to a bigger spot. They have special groceries that people all over town come to buy. They serve a very delicious cappuccino and AMAZING baklava (the Lebanese kind -- not the Greek). Some days they serve Shwarma (YUM!). Soup, couscous salad, tsatziki, hummus and Baba Ganouj, gyros, spanikopita. They sell olive oil produced on the family land back in Lebanon. And, they sell wine.  The menu and inventory is way greater than I can list here. You should go check it out. Like them on Facebook.

Anyway!

Turnip pickles! YUMMY!

I went over yesterday and got kibbe, tsatzki, Baba Ganouj, pita bread, and some turnip pickles that Dorine made...far superior to the canned ones. When I got home, I made a little salad, heated up the kibbe, and voila! A delicious dinner that IS kinda like take-out, but it's BETTER 'cause we know for sure that it's made with lots of love...

And, you know what I think about food made with love. :-)

If you haven't tried them, do it! You will wonder how you lived so long without it.  And, tell 'em Carrie sent you. ;-) 

Jacques Pépin

Jacques Pépin is so much fun to watch on TV. He seems like such a NICE man. And, he cooks in such a casual yet creative way. I've seen him recently and it all seemed so easy when he cooked. The thing I liked the most (aside from what a nice man he seems to be) is how he takes pretty basic ingredients and combines them in a way that I might never think of...which appear to combine nicely into a delicious dinner or lunch or dessert.

Last night, I couldn't decide what to cook for dinner (Have you ever heard me say that before?) so I looked in his most recent cookbook. I found a recipe that I THINK I saw him prepare on TV, but mostly it had broccoli and sausage in it -- and those were the ingredients I wanted to use. Miraculously, I even had cannellini beans in my pantry. His recipe called for broccolini, but I had broccoli so I pretended I was him and I made do with what I had.

Loved this recipe because it had only a few ingredients, it was simple to prepare and it was yummy. Bonus?! My family liked it, too. We called it a one-pot dinner and added some bread and butter.

But wait! I didn't stop there! I looked further in his book and found a dessert recipe that intrigued me....

Even though I didn't have all of the ingredients for that, they were easy enough to get and prepare. I'm pretty sure that my family was skeptical, but they cleaned their bowls very well.

Guess, what? I even had some left and I'm eatin' it for breakfast. Mmmm.

Wonder what Jacques will have me prepare tonight?

Love

This morning, I didn't really have a whole blog to write, but I was sure thinkin' about food. I sometimes peruse NPR for food articles and today I found one (Click here for article) that talked about how food sometimes is a demonstration of love.

It got me to thinkin' about how that was definitely true in my family growing up and I feel like it's an expression of my love for my family today, too.

Last night, I was able to be a part of an annual celebration that is an example of JUST that. Every year for the past 6 years, Dennis and Laurel have hosted Gung Hai Fat Choy which is the Chinese New Year. They started that tradition in honor of their child, Tak.

A few years ago, Dennis and Laurel had three childen -- all of whom are adopted --- and all of whom are sweet as can be. They then adopted Tak, who was 8 or 9 at the time and has Down's syndrome. And, ever since then, they have made it an annual event to celebrate Tak and the culture of China.

Dennis spends DAYS preparing an AMAZING feast that includes: chow mein, fried rice, pot stickers, orange chicken, Mongolian beef, Cilantro Shrimp, Shrimp with lobster sauce, beef with broccoli and I'm sure I'm forgetting some dishes. They invite pretty much everyone in the whole wide world to come celebrate Tak. And, pretty much everyone comes 'cause (1) Tak is very lovable (2) Dennis is a wonderful cook (3) who doesn't want to eat food that they don't have to plan or prepare?! and (4) it's all a whole bunch of love disguised as unbelievably yummy food.

Last night I ate a bunch of love that tasted like Chinese food. When I was a child I ate a bunch of love that tasted Southern. Tonight I think I'm gonna give my family love disguised as Butternut Squash Soup and some cheese toast. :-)

How are you gonna love your family this week?

It'll be dinnertime again soon....

Everyday I wonder "what're we gonna have for dinner?" Sometimes I wonder it early enough in the day to make plans and make a good dinner HAPPEN. I think today will be one of those days.

As I've said before, I like to read the food articles on NPR.org. Today's Kitchen Window is all about lentils. I'm not wild about dried beans, but lentils I like. So...the article caught my attention.

There are three recipes given in the article and I'm 'onna try the first one. I can't pronounce the name of the recipe, but it looks pretty yummy. And, the onions on top look JUST LIKE the onions on my "yesterday burger" -- which were very, very tasty.  The other appealing thing about this recipe is that it looks simple enough...and I think I have all the ingredients -- except for the sunflower oil, but do I really have to use that? Maybe.

Mudardara, Or Mejadra

Funny thing -- I went back and read the second recipe and it sounded pretty good, too. And, not too difficult. Hmmmm.

 

Lentil Meatballs With Lemon Pesto

And then there's the Red Lentil Dal recipe.... Oh, my!

What to do? What to do?

Some Drivin' and Some Eatin' and a Teeny Bit of Shopping

Today school was canceled for Sarah and Hannah due to a power outage. That was kinda cool -- well, cool that they didn't have school -- not the power outage. 

So, Harv and I decided to each take a car and a girl and drive to La Conner for lunch. (Kill two birds -- get some driving practice in for the girls and do something fun, too!) One of my foodie friends suggested Seeds Bistro. She and I like similar stuff so I was very excited to try it.

It was so cute and it looked like I was gonna enjoy it. We got there about 11:30 before the rush, but it seemed like it took a little while for our waitress to get to us. And, truthfully, it was a little hard to get her attention when we needed to ask for something.  She wasn't a terrible server, but she seemed a little bit distracted and perhaps she didn't really LOVE serving us. Seemed a little rushed to me.

Decisions! Decisions! There were LOTS of things on the menu that piqued my curiosity. Sometimes, though, a girl needs a burger -- especially a blue cheese burger! And, this one had fried teeny weensy onions on it, too. Sounded DE-LISH. Harv ordered the meatloaf sandwich which came with a thin sliced cole slaw. Hannah got a hamburger, too and Sarah got fish and chips.

Took a while for our order to arrive, I thought. Unfortunately, I didn't specify how I wanted my burger and it was overdone for me. But those onions on top were, in fact, delicious. The fries were good, too. Harv was very pleased with his meatloaf sandwich and Sarah said the fish and chips were tasty with a light, crispy batter. Hannah's burger was kinda boring, but that's the way she likes it. ☺ Oh! And, S & H got a milkshake that hit the spot! Gotta love a chocolate malt shake!

I wouldn't say that I was WOW-ed with the restaurant, but I'm 'onna be goin' back there someday. There were other things on the menu that were calling to me.  Plus, I want to give our server (or the restaurant) another chance to show me how great it is having me there.

The BONUS for today's visit? We got to go to Re-Feather Your Nest  which is right next door (the link is to the main store in Mt. Vernon, but we went to the smaller store in La Conner). I got a fun coat rack that is now hangin' by my front door!

Beets for dinner

Look at how pretty it is!

Tonight we had a very delicious salad using my beets from the produce bin...

The basic recipe is here. I omitted the cilantro and added some roasted chicken. Added toasted walnuts, too. I didn't have any queso fresco so I used cotija. It worked. Marvelously.

The dressing was made with orange and lime juice, shallots, red wine vinegar and olive oil.

I will make this again. And, I might just find myself eating leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Uh huh.

You know it.

What'dju have?