An Adventure in Food

June's Taste - Sushi Joa ~ Kirkland, Wa

2015-07-02T16:44:00.001-07:00

Where did this month go? The end of June really snuck up on me. We found the time to visit Sushi Joa last Saturday in downtown Kirkland. The day was very hot for this time of year and boy did the heat carry into the dining area. That was one big disappointment for me. I know in the Pacific Northwest we are not used to the temps soaring past 90 degrees for such long periods of time but I don't like to sweat through my dinner either. Hopefully they will be able to remedy the temperature situation at some point because it is starting to look like these hot summers may become the norm. Temperature aside Sushi Joa was very good. They are sitting at #3 for overall sushi appeal and #2 for service.
If I had done my homework better we would have arrived around 3 pm for the start of their happy hour but we walked through the door around 2 pm and were seated right away. There were only 3 other tables seated at that time of day. The service was initially very quick but they became less attentive as the meal went by. I know it was slow and they were focusing on rolling the silverware for the next shift but all the more reason to pay attention to the tables you do have during the slow times. Believe me I was a server all through college.
We started off with our usual order of gyoza. Sushi Joa's has a chicken and vegetable filling and is deep fried to a crisp. As you may know by now I prefer a steamed gyoza but they had wonderful flavor and were brought to the table piping hot. The sauce served along side it was very good and I would have loved to have had it to dip my sushi in later but the server literally stood over me waiting for me to dip my last gyoza into it before she promptly cleared the plate and the sauce bowl right along with it! I was so taken a back by being watched that I didn't know how to tell her I wanted to keep it!

Chicken Gyoza

My better half, C, decided to order the Sushi Combo. It was a beautiful plate of sushi comprised of Tuna, Salmon, Albacore, Shrimp, Himachi, Mackerel and a Spicy Tuna roll. It also comes with a miso soup to start. He thought the Tuna roll was fantastic but the nigiri was hit and miss quality and taste wise. He did mention that the nigiri rolls had wasabi between the rice and the fish which we don't find very often. C really enjoyed this more traditional preparation but wished he hadn't added so much to his soy sauce as he isn't used to having the double dose. He paired his meal with an Asahi.

Sushi Combo

I ordered the L.O.B roll and the Creamy Scallop roll. The L.O.B. roll is made up of a spicy crab-meat mix, crunch bits, avocado and topped with seared salmon, spicy mayo and green onions. It even had a shichimi sprinkled over it. The salmon was silky with the the slightest sear. The roll was creamy and had just a hint of heat on the backend. Over all a very good roll.

L.O.B. Roll

The Creamy Scallop roll is a simple roll with the nori on the outside of the roll and a filling of scallops, masago, cucumber, kalware and kewpie mayo. The scallops were so tender and silky and the radish sprouts gave the roll a fresh, peppery finish. I would order this roll again.

Marina Roll (top), Creamy Scallop Roll (bottom)

We also tried one of the rolls on special, the Marina Roll. It was made up of a tempura shrimp in the middle of the roll and salmon, very thinly sliced lemon and jalapeno on top. The jalapeno was not overpoweringly hot and the lemon complemented the bright salmon on top. The shrimp in the middle gave the roll a slight fried food taste to the roll, so much so that it almost took away from the other ingredients.
Even after all of this I still felt like I didn't really have the full feel of the place so we decided to split one more roll. The server recommended the 7th Heaven roll as it is by far their most popular roll. I can see why. It is so different and the combination of ingredients pays off big. The 7th Heaven roll is made up of spicy tuna, green onion tempura (sooo good), kalware topped with seared albacore, avocado, 7-spice, sesame dressing and garlic chips. The whole roll is so soft it could almost be called melt-in-your mouth. The light heat of the spicy tuna is addicting and the sesame dressing was plate licking good. I was even more surprised at how much I liked the garlic chips. They were toasty and not overpoweringly garlicky. All of the components together made for one great roll.

7th Heaven Roll

The price tag for all of this? $85.41 If I were to go back I would probably try the happy hour menu to see what kind of savings we could find. Another thing that may bring me back to this location of Sushi Joa is that they are just a block away from the shores of Lake Washington. This makes for a wonderful after dinner stroll. Go check them out!

Sushi Joa

104 Kirkland Ave

Kirkland, WA 98033

May's Taste - Sushi in Joy ~ Bellevue, WA

2015-06-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

Sushi In Joy is bumping up against Oto Sushi for the number one spot. But Oto holds out for the price point for sure. The restaurant is located just outside downtown Bellevue in an unassuming strip mall. What is it about sushi joints and strip malls? It was actually a bonus that it was outside of the hustle an bustle of downtown. There was no issue finding parking at all!

We arrived around 6:30 pm on a Friday night and had no trouble being seated right away. The staff was very friendly and welcoming. Especially the older lady who delivered our meals to us. One of my favorite things about Sushi in Joy's atmosphere is the mix of music they have playing. There is something for everyone, from country to pop. Loved it! The only awkward point of the evening was when the staff seemed to be arguing loudly in Japanese in front of the sushi bar.

We started out our meal with our traditional steamed gyoza. It was a bit cold once it made it to the table but had an overall pleasing texture and flavor. The wonton wrapper was a bit on the thick side but not too bad. The dipping sauce was slightly sweet and paired well with the stuffing. We also ordered an Asahi beer for me and some cold Sake for my better half, C.

For dinner I started out with the Mariner Roll and a dish called Monkey Brain. The Mariner roll was superb. The scallop on top of the roll was lighted seared but still raw. It was silky and succulent on the tongue. By far the best scallop I have had yet during my 12 months of sushi journey. The roll was beautifully presented with a drizzle of sweet eel sauce over the top and panko bread crumbs. This roll would be just as good without the panko crunch.

The Mariner

The Monkey Brain was amazing in its delicate tempura shell. The creamy avocado was the perfect pairing to the spicy tuna and crab meat. The tuna was not overly spicy but still had an addicting heat that made you want to go back for more. We were both pleasantly surprised by this dish. It is now a favorite of ours and we have told multiple people they must go and try it.

Monkey Brain

C started out with the Cherry Blossom Roll, the Seattle Roll and some Ebi and Salmon nigiri. The Cherry Blossom was very bright on the palate. I thought it tasted slightly citrusy. C liked that it was not overly saucy with allowed the fish to speak for itself. The salmon on top was rather lean so it wasn't as tender and fatty as we like our salmon but still very good quality.

Cherry Blossom & Seattle Rolls

The Seattle Roll is a very simple but tasty roll for sushi lovers that don't like any sauces to muddle the taste of their fish. The Ebi and Salmon nigiri were very good quality seafood. C liked that the ebi was fresh and not dried out at all. The salmon was the same as the product used on the Cherry Blossom roll so it left him wishing for a slightly fattier fish. C remarked that the wasabi was some of the freshest he had tasted and the ginger was very good too.
After finishing all of that we both decided to split one more roll and some nigiri. We ordered the Lion King roll, Scallop nigiri and Surf Clam nigiri. The Surf Clam was a bit on the chewy side for me but C loved it. I have decided it must be an acquired taste because I would not choose to have it again. The Scallop however was heavenly. So buttery and almost melt in your mouth soft. Beautiful.

The Lion King and nigiri

The Lion King

The Lion King was well composed and light in flavor with a slightly sweet sauce drizzled over the top. After all of the other amazing rolls, especially the Mariner Roll, this roll left me wanting more. It fell slightly flat in the flavor department. It needed something to give it a bit of "Pow".
Overall we loved our night at Sushi In Joy. The $110.38 bill was a bit of a wake up call but it is so easy to get carried away when you have good sushi to try right? We will return just when we feel we can splurge a bit.

Sushi In Joy

2618 Bellevue Way NE

Bellevue, WA 98004

April's Taste - Marinepolis Sushi Land - Redmond, Wa

2015-05-01T17:01:00.002-07:00

We did a bad, bad thing when we decided to give this place a try. It will be the last time we ever visit. We had some good bites but the majority was lack luster. At the end we both agreed we were full but felt that we had just eaten for the sake of eating and really received little enjoyment out of the experience. The price however was great. $33.47 including tip for the both of us.

Sushi Land is a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. I am always leery of the mass production line and what that can do to the quality of the sushi. This one lived up to my low expectations. They even had an automatic rice ball maker. Efficient yes, high quality sushi guaranteed, no. The presentation on some things was great. Other's looked like they had been thrown on the plate and sauce had been squeezed out on top so thick you couldn't tell what was in the roll underneath.

My other half tried some their seared tuna. His first taste was great. Then he convinced me to try it when another plate came around on the belt. I couldn't finish it. The taste was so overwhelmingly fishy that it made me wonder how old the fish was.

Our favorites were an unidentifiable tempura, possible bean curd, nigiri and what appeared to be a tempura asparagus roll with cream cheese and spicy sauce drizzled on top. The California roll was also very tasty.

Overall, an under whelming experience that lands right on the bottom of our search for the best Sushi in 2015.

This was the offending Seared Tuna was so beautifully presented.

Marinepolis Sushi Land

8910 161st Avenue NE

Redmond, WA98052

Podcast for Foodies

2015-04-19T15:39:00.001-07:00

Do you listen to podcasts? I have recently discovered an awesome podcast for Foodies who are interested in learning about the origins of the food we love to eat. A Taste of the Past is my favorite so far. Some of the best I have listened to yet are the podcasts on Fried Chicken, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chef Boyardee. Give it a shot!

March's Taste - Oto Sushi, Redmond, WA

2015-03-29T19:29:00.001-07:00

By far the best sushi we have had on the Eastside. Simply superb. Their happy hour pricing is amazing! They are definitely #1 on the Best list so far.
We went in on Sunday around lunch time and had no issue being seated. We sat at the sushi bar. Watching the sushi chefs prepare works of food art is very fun. All of the staff is very friendly and attentive. The fish is very fresh and presented beautifully. They start you off with a complementary Edemame appetizer, my boyfriend's favorite. Included in the happy hour offering is your choice of a side salad or miso soup to accompany your meal.
Sticking to tradition we started off our meal with an order of gyoza. Though I prefer a pan fried gyoza, Oto's deep fried version was pleasantly tender and not over crispy. A happy hour order comes with 3 pieces for $2.50.
I ordered the Seared Salmon Roll($9.99) and Creamy Maguro Roll ($8.25). The Creamy Maguro Roll is by far my favorite. It has Snow crab and cream cheese in the center topped thinly sliced avocado and beautiful, silky, red tuna. It is finished off with a light sprinkling of masago and a light creamy sauce. This is the roll that will keep me coming back.
The Seared Salmon roll was wonderful too. The center is filled with a lightly breaded tempura shrimp, Snow crab, and spicy tuna. The roll is topped with seared salmon, avocado, a creamy sauce and a light sprinkling for panko bread crumbs. The salmon was tender and flavorful with just a slight smokiness brought on by the searing.
My better half ordered the Spicy Tuna Roll ($4.99), the Philly Roll ($5,25) and the Fresh Godzilla Roll ($7.25). All three were great. The fish was fresh and tender and the sushi knife skills were wonderful.
The Spicy Tuna roll was just spicy enough that you felt some heat but it did not overpower the taste of the tuna itself. A very traditional roll with out any bells or whistles. The fish speaks for itself.
The Philly rolls is creamy goodness made up of cream cheese, avocado and melt in your mouth tender smoked salmon. The salmon is not overly smokey.
The Fresh Godzilla Roll had a but more sauce on it than he normally likes but over all it was a solid roll. It is made up of silky yellow fin tuna, eel, avocado, masago and green onion. The roll is topped with a slightly spicy sauce.
Overall a wonderful meal. We will be back. April's tasting has a lot to live up to!

Creamy Maguro Roll (top) and Seared Salmon Roll

The Philly Roll

Fresh Godzilla Roll

Oto Sushi - Redmond
8105 161st Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052

February's Taste - Rikki Rikki, Kirkland, Wa

2015-02-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

Last night we tried Rikki Rikki in Kirkland. We were seated relatively fast for a Saturday night around 6 o'clock. The seating itself was a bit strange though. Instead of the host leading us to our table she said "OK, your table is ready right over there," pointing toward a nondescript corner of the room. So we lead the way to a corner booth, near the kitchen, all the while looking back to see if we were indeed going to the correct table.

Seconds after we were seated we were greeted by our server who promptly asked if we would like anything to drink. "Wine maybe?" We hadn't even had a chance to look at the food menu let alone a drink menu. We decided to split a large Asahi ($6.75). The beer arrived cold and quick along with 2 cold glasses.

Once she set our drink down she was ready to take our order. We had barely had time to look over the menu so I ordered a Gyoza ($8.50) and then just spit out the names of a few rolls and went with it. I chose the roll on special, the Pirates Roll ($13.75) and the Spicy Ninja Roll ($12.95). C, was a bit flustered but managed to order his traditional nigiri of 2 salmon ($5.50) and 2 ebi ($4.50) and a Tekka maki roll ($6.50). The nigiri is sold individually instead of by the pair which was different than we were used to. We had to almost beg her to let us hold onto one of the menus just in case we wanted to order more.... Most sushi places are happy to let you keep a least one menu, right?

The atmosphere at Rikki Rikki is kind of neat. The walls are painted and stamped in a Dragon Ball Z'ish motif (according to my anime loving better half). The sushi bar is surrounded by a beautiful rough cut wooden shelf where dinners can watch the chefs at work.

The gyoza came out about 10 minutes after we ordered it. It was a bit crunchier than I like it and C thought it could have been a bit warmer. The dipping sauce was subtle but when combined with the gyoza the result was slightly too salty. Overall not a bad gyoza and I would order it again. I have yet to meet a pork dumpling that I wouldn't eat again...

Our sushi arrived just after I had finished the last piece of gyoza. The presentation was beautiful on all of the rolls. The ratio of ginger and wasabi was perfect, not too much and not too little.

The nigiri is served on a bed of wonderfully seasoned sushi rice and a smear of wasabi. The salmon was tender and fatty but C said he would have liked just a little bit more rice to balance out the large slice of fish. The ebi was tender and moist, not overcooked or dried out.

The Pirates Roll was made up of tempura shrimp and avocado inside the roll and beautifully sliced deep red tuna on top. The tuna was sprinkled with wasabi tobiko and bits of chopped mango and lime zest. Along side the roll was a trail of sweet chili sauce. I tried my first few bites with the sweet chili sauce but in the end found myself liking the roll better with out the sauce. This roll had a very fresh and bright flavor.

The Spicy Ninga Roll was by far my favorite and will be the roll that brings me back. It is made up of tempura shrimp, avocado and jalapeno inside the roll. On top is a mixture of chopped scallops, fake crab and mayo. The roll is drizzled with a spicy mayo. The only thing I would love to change about this roll is the fake crab. Though the price would go up too if real crab was used. Either way, if or when we go back to Rikki Rikki this roll will be my go-to.

Against our better judgement we both ordered one more roll each. I tried the Spicy Scallop Roll ($9.95) and C went with the Tempura Shrimp Roll ($8.95).

Tempura Shrimp Roll (top), Spicy Scallop Roll (bottom)

I was not impressed with the Spicy Scallop Roll at all. Even the presentation was lacking in comparison to the last rolls and the taste fell flat. It was made up of green onion, cucumber, chopped scallops and masago in a spicy sauce all in the center of the roll. The scallops were tender and silky just the way I like them but the overall roll was very one noted with a touch of heat. So disappointing.

C's Tempura Shrimp Roll on the other hand was light and very well presented even if it was simple. The sushi cuts were superb and each piece held together well.

Rikki Rikki's fish quality is wonderful but in the end we decided that the things that might keep us from going back to Rikki Rikki in the future is the price, our bill was $92.31, and quite possibly the rushed service. Who knew that too fast of service could make you not want to go back? I don't want to be ignored but having adequate time to look over a menu is a big plus in my book.

Rikki Rikki

442 Parkplace Ctr, Kirkland, Wa 98033

January's Taste - Aji Sushi & Grill - Issaquah, WA

2015-01-25T17:18:00.001-08:00

Sushi is the subject of my 2015 Food Quest for the Best. Today we sampled Aji Sushi & Grill in Issaquah, WA.

The atmosphere feels a bit disjointed due to the blending of a large print of New York City, pink crystal lights and traditional Japanese decor. The service makes up for it though. They begin your meal with a hot (very hot) towel to wipe your hands and bowl of hot Miso soup. The menu is packed with cleverly named rolls and Nigiri to choose from. They also have a happy hour menu available everyday from 3 pm to 5 pm.

We went during the noon hour and had no trouble getting a seat. Since we have been going to sushi together gyoza has been our traditional must have starter. Aji's steamed gyoza was wonderfully tender and very flavorful. The dipping sauce was the perfect complement and not overpowering. It has a slightly sweet note to it.

My better half, C, has a thing for the simpler side of sushi so he ordered Smoked Salmon and Ebi Nigiri to start his meal. The salmon was a perfectly portioned cut but he wished it had just a tad bit more rice on the bottom. The salmon itself was tender with just the right amount of smoke as to not over power the fish. The Ebi was fresh and not dried out like you sometimes find. For his rolls he had the Tuna Roll and the Salmon Roll. The cuts on the rolls were beautiful. None of the rolls fell apart when picked up by chopsticks and the nori was very mild and tender. There is nothing I hate more than chewy, fishy nori. The fish quality at Aji Sushi Grill is superb. Whoever is doing the buying is doing a great job! Another sign of a good sushi place according to C is the wasabi. Aji's wasabi was bright and fresh so he took that as a good sign right off the bat.

My favorite cuts of sushi are the more complicated rolls. Today I sampled their Seahawks roll and the Baked Scallop Roll. Normally the baked scallop roll is one of my favorites. Aji's baked scallop roll was probably my least favorite of any I have ever tasted. It was made up of crab, avocado, asparagus, baked scallops, spicy mayo, eel sauce, green onion and smelt eggs. There was something very off putting about the eel sauce and even the scallops themselves. The scallops were chopped up and very over cooked to the point of being pithy, if fish can be pithy... I was so disappointed. Other baked scallop rolls I have had are made up of creamy bay scallops that are still soft and silky even after being baked. I did find that it was better when I dipped it in the gyoza sauce instead of my normal soy and wasabi mixture. I don't think I would order this one again.

The Seahawks roll on the other hand was wonderful. Slightly overpowering on the heat scale but the the tuna was wonderfully tender and fresh. It was made up of tempura shrimp, crab, avocado, tuna on top along with a spicy cilantro sauce and tobiko. The presentation on this roll was amazing. The tempura shrimp was delicately breaded and did not weigh down the roll. By far the best roll of the day.

The Seahawks Roll

Overall, I really enjoyed Aji Sushi & Grill and would definitely go back to try some more of their creatively named rolls.

Aji Sushi & Grill

1052 NE PARK DR, ISSAQUAH, WA 98029

A Quest for the Best ?

2015-01-24T13:41:00.001-08:00

This year I want to go on a quest for the best in food. To make it a manageable quest, both in time and money, (not to mention weight gain) I want to focus on one type of food for the whole year. Here are the foods I am thinking about focusing on:

Sushi
Hamburgers
Tacos
Fried Chicken
Pizza
Barbecue Ribs

I would take tasting notes while at the restaurant and then blog about the experience. It would be a once a month visit so at the end of 2015 I would have 12 plates to choose from and crown the winner. Since I cannot decide I am asking for a little help. Please take the survey to the right and vote for the food quest you think would be the best for 2015. The survey will close tonight. If I don't have any votes or there is a tie, I will put the choices into a hat and let fate decide.

Mastering the Art

2015-01-05T19:35:00.001-08:00

Well I finally did it. I finally bought my own copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I had been hoping to find an old copy in a used book store but after searching the last few years and coming up empty handed I decided to break down and get my own copy. I will continue to search for an older version and will buy it just for collectors sake but I am excited to begin making my own food memories with my copy starting now. One thing I love about this cookbook is that you have a forward from Julia the gives the story of how the cookbook came to life. Each recipe has wine pairing recommendations and also suggestions on what sides would pair well with an entree recipe.

My first recipes attempted were the Roast Chicken and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Amazing! The chicken took a bit longer to cook than was described in the recipe guidelines but it was possibly the juiciest chicken I have ever cooked. The seasoning was just salt and butter. I put a dash of pepper on at the last minute for my pepper loving other-half but that was my only variation. I had never cooked a chicken on its side but I am convinced this is the reason the breast meat was delectably juicy. As a lover of dark meat this was pleasant surprise.

The Potatoes were also a hit. Garlicky without being overwhelming. Since it is just the two of us I only made half the recipe so only used one head of garlic as opposed to two. I found it so interesting that you made a rue of sorts from the garlic and butter then added that to the potatoes after mashing. The were creamy and silky goodness. Definitely a new recipe to keep in the lineup.

Now to master the art of food photography! That is one on 2015 goals, to take some more photography classes to go along with all the wonderful camera equipment my honey keeps getting me! :) These photos were taken with my Christmas Tamron SP AF60mm lens and my Cannon Rebel.

An Adventure in Cheese

2014-12-10T19:25:00.003-08:00

With the help of a Groupon we took our first cheese making class last week at River Valley Cheese. We took the Just Mozzarella Cheesemaking Experience class and it was great! The instructor is very too the point and keeps the class moving at a good pace while taking questions throughout. You will learn what milk is best for cheese making and what milk will not work at all no matter what you try. During the 1 1/2 hour class you will see a demonstration of the whole process from start to finish. You will even be able to taste fresh mozzarella fresh from the brine. So good.

Another perk of the class is that you are treated to a smorgasbord of different cheeses that are made by River Valley Cheese. I was amazed at how many different cheeses you can make just be changing the temperature of the milk! We really enjoyed the class and would go back for others.

Cheese Tasting included

The curd

Cooking the curd

Salt Brine

The finished product

Foodie Movie and Food

2014-08-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

We just got home from seeing The Hundred Foot Journey. I LOVED it. It was visually stunning. The food looked amazing and I felt happy the whole time I was watching it. The passion for food was palpable. For me it was a foodie's dream movie.
Food has always been a big part of my life. From working beside my grandmother in her kitchen as a kid to cooking a lot of the family meals in my high school years.I remember finally being on my own, fresh out of all my initial training in the Army. I was placed in the medical company barracks. It was an old run down building but I had my own room, two rooms actually. Two rooms with a bathroom in between. Had there been more single soldiers, I would have had a roommate. I was very happy to be alone. One side was my bedroom and one side was my "kitchen" and dining room.
There was no kitchen. I had a electric skillet and a toaster. I had a fairly large fridge that had a mini freezer. For some reason the medical company did not have mess-hall privileges. Which never made sense to me as we didn't really have any way to cook for ourselves unless we purchased hot plates and such. Anyway, I cooked fried pork chops in that skillet that were pretty darn good but whenever I went to a married friend's house I remember feeling so jealous of their stove. It was an actual ache. I missed the freedom of cooking something that required multiple burners and even an oven! I remember saying to myself "I can't wait until I am able to have a real kitchen again." For me not being able to create in the kitchen was like losing a part of myself. I hadn't realized until then just how much cooking meant to me.
Sometimes I feel funny telling people I am a foodie for fear that they might think I just sit around shoveling food into my face all day. :) In our society we tend to put so many restrictions on what food we eat that at times we begin to feel guilty about letting ourselves enjoy food.
I love to enjoy food. I love to prepare it and savor it once it is done. I even love to savor it along the way to being done!
On the weekends I like to find challenging recipes that take me outside my comfort-zone. My other half and I also love to try new restaurants and critique them as if we are important food critics.

The Things I Love About Food

How it can make you feel.

How it can make you remember.

How it can take you on a journey to place you have never been.

How it is constantly changing and always teaching you new things.

Go see it, you won't be sorry.

Peppers

2014-07-27T17:33:00.001-07:00

I have 6 pepper plants in my garden this year. Two Bell Pepper, one Jalapeno, one Banana Pepper, one Peperoncini and one Melrose Pepper plant.

For the most part I have been happy with the harvest I have had but I never seem to get the beautiful peppers you see in the grocery store. I fight with the leaves turning yellow and/or black. Sometimes the peppers get black streaks or ruff spots that look like scars.
Right now I am dealing with my Banana Pepper plant's leaves turning yellow. I decided to harvest the 2 peppers that were on the plant and add some fertilizer to the soil around the base. I am hoping it bounces back.
My Peperoncini plant is just starting to produce some peppers after hardly blooming at all. The blooms that did come would turn brown and fall off. After adding some fertilizer and building up the compose around the base, we seem to be back on track.
I have grown peppers multiple times but when things like this happen I relize how much I don't know and that frustrates me. Gardening isn't just about plunking a seed or plant into the ground and leaving it. The plants require watering, nurturing and sometimes intervention. Gardening takes time.
Today I decided to take some time and research what may be happening to my peppers. Here is what I found out.

Yellow Leaves

Could be caused by a lack of water. Established pepper plants require an inch of water on a weekly basis.
Could be caused by a lack of nutrients.
It is easy cured with good watering habits and fertilizer.

Black Spots

Could be a calcium deficiency which can be cured by adding lime to the soil.
Could be a bacterial infection which can be treated by spraying the plants with a copper sulfate spray.
Water plants at the base of the plant and not the leaves.

Since I do water my plants at the base I don't think that is an issue. Adding fertilizer has helped with the yellowing in my other plants and all the new leaves grow in dark green and healthy looking. I am going to look into the copper sulfate spray though, couldn't hurt to try. Destroying the plants are a last resort for me as I only have the 6 plants.

My Community Garden plot

Peperoncini - You can see some of the black streaks.

Today's harvest

Finally Able to Use the Oven

2014-07-19T21:23:00.001-07:00

The weather has finally cooled down enough that I can use the over without contributing to the oven that has been our house the last few weeks. Today I took full advantage of the cool air wafting through the sliding glass door and baked up some Fair Scones.

I topped the scone with Grey Salt Butter from local Cherry Valley Dairy and some raspberry jam that I put up from last year's harvest. The butter is a wonderful yellow color. I am going to ask them next time if it is all natural coloring from the Jersey cow milk it is made from or if they add any extra coloring to the mix. I will definitely be purchasing some more!

Pioneer Woman Spare Ribs - Pinterest Find

2014-06-08T20:38:00.001-07:00

These spare-ribs were quite possibly the best I have ever had! I had a craving for some slow roasted melt in your mouth beef. We had some spare ribs in the freezer so I poured over Pinterest and found this recipe for Braised Short Ribs on the Pioneer Woman's website. I used bacon instead of the pancetta as my supply was a frozen block in the freezer. The recipe is very easy to put together as long as you are prepared almost 3 hours of cooking time. Prep time will take you 20-30 minutes depending on our chopping skills.

The reduced sauce is also very tasty. I thickened mine up into a gravy with a basic roux of 2 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoon flour.

Roux

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for about 1-2 minutes or until the butter-flour mixture has a slight toasty smell. Gradually add sauce from the short ribs until you have the desired thickness to your gravy. Drizzle over the short ribs and serve.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. Definitely a keeper!

Best Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Ever!

2014-04-03T19:58:00.002-07:00

A trick I learned from my grandma a long time ago was that you can put bananas that are too ripe to eat, in the freezer for later use in baking. I had a few that I was looking to use and I found this recipe on Pinterest. I tweaked it a bit for my own tastes. Here is what I did.

For muffins:

1½	cups all-purpose flour
1	teaspoon baking soda
1	teaspoon baking powder
½	teaspoon salt
3	bananas, mashed
¾	cup white sugar
1	egg, lightly beaten
⅓	cup butter, melted
1/4	teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
1/2	cup chocolate chips

For Crumble:

⅓	cup packed brown sugar
2	tablespoons all-purpose flour
	Pinch ground cinnamon
1	tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tin with cupcake wrappers.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Combine the bananas, sugar, egg, melted butter, and vanilla and blend till smooth. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until all flour is incorporated. Stir chocolate chips into the batter. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin filling 3/4 full.

For the crumble, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and cut in butter with a fork until it resembles cornmeal. Spoon desired amount over each of the uncooked muffins.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Hands down, some of the tastiest banana muffins I have ever had. I especially love the crispy crumble on top when they are fresh out of the oven.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2014-03-29T17:07:00.001-07:00

These are two of my most favorite things to spread on a crusty baguette, together. The salty creaminess of the cheese paired with the sticky sweetness of the fig spread is addicting. I found both of these treats at our local Whole Foods. The Fromager d'Affinois is my favorite brie like cheese. Not until I wrote this post did I know that this cheese is not an actual brie. The Organic Adriatic Fig Spread is sweet without being over the top. It makes me want to attempt homemade fig newtons!

So go grab a crusty piece of bread, smear some cheese on it, add a dollop of fig spread and voila!

An Adventure in Buttercream

2014-03-02T13:42:00.001-08:00

I made my nephew's first birthday cake last May. I search high and low for a buttercream frosting that didn't taste like chalky powdered sugar. I came across this recipe during one of my Google searches.

Costco Butter Cream Frosting

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 pounds unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Syrup: Place sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to soft ball stage, 240 degrees F.

Add butter and vanilla extract to the eggs. Add the syrup. Mix with electric mixer until desired consistency is reached.

Ingredients

· 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

· 6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar

· 1/2 cup milk

· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

I had never made anything like this recipe before and panicked when it all started as a soupy mess so I combined this recipe with a normal easy buttercream recipe. The combination was amazing and the texture was light and easy to work with.

If I had it all to do over again I would have made the frosting the day before and given the recipe time to work. I have heard that if you just trust is and keep whipping magic will happen and a wonderfully creamy frosting will take shape.

Have You Seen These? ~ Kraft Caramel Bits

2014-02-15T20:41:00.005-08:00

I just made one of my favorite desserts for a company bake-off, Turkish Delight, and they were a hit! My favorite part? These new Kraft Caramel Bits. They make the recipe so easy and quick. No more having to open each individual caramel!

Best Earl Grey Ever ~ Cup & Kettle, Leavenworth, WA

2014-02-09T10:11:00.002-08:00

I found this amazing tea in a tiny tea shop in Leavenworth, Washington called Cup & Kettle. I am a big Earl Grey fan and when I saw the Cream Earl Grey, I knew I had to have it. I love cream in my tea so this sounded like heaven! It tastes creamy even without adding any real cream. I can't help myself so I add the real stuff just the same. :)

Here is the description from their website:

Creme Earl Grey ~ A black tea with Bergamot and vanilla resulting in a smooth, slightly sweet Earl Grey.

The website lists all of their available teas, all 121 types! Jump over and take a look, they ship anywhere in the US.

Sweet Chile Hot Wings ~ EveryDay with Rachael Ray

2014-02-02T12:54:00.001-08:00

In honor of the Super Bowl I thought I would share with you the recipe I made for our last football party. These are so simple and only require 5 ingredients.

I found this recipe in EveryDay with Rachael Ray. The only change I made was to sprinkle the wings with some granulated garlic and onion seasoning and just a dash of pepper before I turned on the crockpot.

The wings came out tender and juicy, even after crisping them up in the broiler. I would recommend this wing recipe to anyone who is looking for a fix-and-forget-it appetizer that will leave all of your guests raving.

I served mine with blue cheese for dipping but they would be great with ranch or just on their own.

Enjoy!

Turtle Cake ~ Just A Pinch Recipe Column

2014-01-19T13:22:00.001-08:00




Trust Me — Try This Turtle Cake




By Janet Tharpe

Caramel, chocolate and nuts—oh my!

Home Cook Charlotte Barrett’s Turtle Cake is one decadent dessert. The wonderful flavor combinations in this one will have you cleaning your plate. Be quick when grabbing a piece ... it’ll be gone before you know it.

See step-by-step photos of Charlotte’s recipe plus thousands more from home cooks nationwide at: 

www.justapinch.com/turtle

You’ll also find a meal planner, coupons and chances to win! Enjoy and remember, use “just a pinch”...

-Janet

                        “We LOVE this cake!”
                           - Charlotte Barrett, London, KY (Pop. 7,993)


What You Need

1 box German chocolate or plain chocolate cake mix

1 (8 oz.) bag caramels

1 stick butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 small bag walnuts or pecans (opt.)

Directions

• Prepare cake mix as directed on box. 

• Pour half of the batter into a 9x13 pan and bake for 20 minutes (temperature based on your cake mix instructions).

• Mix butter and caramels together in small cooker, let caramels melt. Then, add sweetened condensed milk and stir well. Stir often and do not let burn. Cook and stir this for about 1-2 minutes.

• Remove from heat and pour the caramel mixture over first layer of cake. Then pour remaining cake mix batter on top of the caramel mixture and spread gently and evenly. 

• Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until done.

• Let cool before serving.
www.justapinch.com/turtle



© 2011 Just A Pinch Recipe Club. 

Brought to you by American Hometown Media

Used by Permission.

Facebook Repost - Duck Dynasty Cupcakes

2013-09-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

This recipe was shared on Facebook by one of my family members and I just fell in love with the look of the cupcakes. I couldn't find an actual website to credit for this recipe so if you know the creator please comment below so I can give them proper credit.

I have decided that I am going to make these to take to work on Veteran's Day. I am the only veteran in the office but I figure it will be a great way to help those who haven't served, recognize what the day stands for.

Here is the recipe as I copied it from Facebook:

For all of you Duck Dynasty fans - here is a recipe for Camouflage Cupcakes.
Be sure to share to your page or tag yourself so you will have the recipe for future reference.

Camouflage Cupcakes!

I started out with 2 box mixes, one chocolate, one white.

Divide the batter into 4 bowls.

1: White batter.

2: White batter with green food coloring and a dash of chocolate batter.

3: Equal parts chocolate and white batter.

4: Chocolate batter.

Mix the different batters together until you get the colors you want. I ended up with a lot more chocolate batter than the rest of the colors, but I ended up making a few plain chocolate cupcakes to use it up.

Line a cupcake tin with paper liners.
For the batter, you can either use spoons and dump little blobs of each color into each wrapper, or you can get fancy and use pastry bags. I chose to get fancy with bags. It makes filling the cupcakes tins a little easier and a little less messy.

Just drop a bunch of blogs in each wrapper until they’re all about 3/4 of the way full. Bake according to the directions on the box.

Once the cupcakes are done baking, pop them out of the tins so they can start cooling.

I used this recipe for icing.

Diving the icing into 3 bowls. Keep one batch white/ivory. The other bowl you will add a little bit of green food coloring and a little bit of cocoa powder until it’s the desired color. The last bowl you will add cocoa powder until it’s the desired color brown.

For the fancy swirled icing, take 3 pastry bags. Fill each bag with it’s own color of icing. Take all 3 bags and put them into 1 larger bag with a start tip in it.

Pipe a swirl onto the tops, and you’re done!

Fellow Blogger Shout Out

2013-09-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this blog post with you. I came across this link on Pinterest and it just sounded too good to be true! But here you go.

Click Here

This will take you to The Creek Line House Blog where you can learn how to peel a whole head of garlic in seconds! Who knew!

I gave it a try today by using a pot with a lid. It actually worked! Though I would recommend only using this method if you intend to use the whole head of garlic right away as some of the cloves were kind of bruised from all the shaking.

Here is what mine looked like.

California Olive Ranch - Olive Oil

2013-09-14T20:00:00.001-07:00

As a Taste of Home Volunteer Field Editor, I was invited to receive a free bottle of California Olive Ranch Olive Oil. I chose the Arbosana. It is very good. It has a nutty, fruity flavor with just a hint of grassiness. My other half called it savory. I am very excited to see what this can bring to a dish. I encourage you to visit their site and try some for yourself! Best of all, it is made in the USA!

Here is their description of the Arbosana variety:

A complex, nutty oil with flavors of fresh tomato and almonds. Fabulous when baking with chocolate or as a drizzle atop soups or a grilled ribeye steak. Pairs well with chocolate almond tore, and almond biscotti.

An Adventure in Beef

2013-08-25T21:08:00.003-07:00

I took an Eye of Round Roast out the freezer for dinner and then realized I had never cooked one before. The first recipe that popped up when I Googled "Eye of Round Roast" was this one: A perfect Eye of Round Roast Beef.

I was kind of surprised to find such a simple yet strange recipe. Preheat to 500 degrees cook my 2 pound roast for 10 minutes at that temperature and shut it down. Then don't open the oven door for 2 hours.... What? The ratings on the recipe were so high I decided to give it a shot.

I rubbed the steak with vegetable oil, Sel Gris salt, fresh cracked pepper, granulated onion and garlic and a tiny pinch of Road Kill Cafe rub.

Well, after 2 hours of sitting in the cooling oven the temp read 120 degrees. A bit too rare. I turned the oven back up to 375 until the temperature came up to Medium at 160 degrees. I think if I ever attempt this recipe again I would leave the oven on warm as my oven doesn't seem to hold enough heat as long as I think the recipe needs. Kudos to those who have better ovens than I do.

The Taste Test: Tender, juicy and very flavorful. We will be using it tomorrow for some steak sandwiches as it took a bit to long to eat it for dinner tonight.