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American Hero Quilts Tea...

We usually cram a lot into our weekends but last weekend was one for the record books!  After our visit to the Christmas gift show in Seattle, we headed over the West Seattle bridge, past the docks (the ships in port made me think of the movie Captain Phillips, Tom Hanks is a shoe-in for the Oscar!) and the Vashon ferry.

 

 

Driving onto the ferry is always exciting, it's a mini-vacation on wheels and water!  Vashon Island is a short trip, about 20 minutes.  Roundtrip for car, driver and one passenger was $18.00...it used to be much, much cheaper!  It was a typical Seattle November day...gray skies with a chance of rain...but while on the ferry the sun tried to make an appearance, which means the weathermen up here would classify last Saturday as a "partly sunny" day!

 

I've posted many times over the years about American Hero Quilts (AHQ).  My quilt group has been lucky enough to be associated with this charity and it's founder, Sue Nebeker, for a long time.  Sue began making quilts for returning wounded soldiers and Marines back in 2002...and since then AHQ has given away over 14,000 quilts.  Just think about that, AHQ is not the only charity that gives quilts to our wounded warriers, there are many others, but AHQ has given over 14,000 by themselves!  It's quite a sobering thought.  Sue Nebeker and her merry band of quilters, who are from all over the country, have worked tirelessly to make sure everyone who is injured is wrapped in a red, white and blue quilt upon their return, with a label that says, "You are our Hero, Thank You!"  

The mister and I went to Vashon Island, to the VFW Hall, to give AHQ a check from our quilt group and a quilt top two of our members made.  The tea was lovely, beautiful china on each table and the most delicious looking and tasting food!  Around the room there were beautiful quilts on display and I'd like to show them to you!

Are you a long-arm quilter who could donate a bit a time?  Are you someone who wouldn't mind piecing a quilt top?  Do you have extra batting you know you'll never use?  Sue could use your help!  Dozens of women around the country work on the quilts - some piece, some machine quilt, some sew on bindings...it's takes a village of quilters to get one of these beauties ready!  How about joining Sue's village?  Details on how you can help are at the bottom of this post.

Sorry, this is a bit fuzzy!  Must have had too many crumpets!  Maybe you're not a quilter, maybe you can't thread a needle...you can still help!!  And Sue really needs our help!  It costs a small fortune to ship quilts around the country to be quilted...how about sending Sue a check for $10.00...that's how much it costs to send a quilt top to Alabama and $10.00 will cover the postage for a quilt to be sent to South Dakota to be bound.  $10.00 isn't a lot...if you live in Seattle it's 2 grande lattes for Pete's sake!!  Do me a favor, empty out your change jar and send Sue a check today...think of it as a way of showing thanks for all of those men and women who daily put their lives on the line for our freedoms.

 

Maybe the mister took this picture, surely I didn't!  What's that you say?  You don't want to write a check?  No problem, you can send AHQ $10 cash donation through PayPal!!  (Cash is needed to purchase fabric, backing and thread - all monies received go torwards the quilts, no one makes a penny from this!) and AHQ is a 501 (c)(3) charity so your donation is tax deductible...hurry and take advantage of that before the government gets rids of all deductions - you know that's coming!

There, that's better - nice and clear and what a beautiful quilt it is!  The statistics from the Iraq-Afghanistan war are staggering...for every soldier/Marine killed there are at least 6 extremely serious injuries and while our government talks about withdrawing troops that isn't likely to happen for a very long time.  Unfortunately, we still have men and women being injured, and this is one small way we can tell them we appreciate their sacrifice.  Supporting our troops is the American thing to do!  Buy one less can of cranberry sauce and donate $10...it's the right thing to do!

Maybe I should take up drinking?  My pictures would imply I already have - at least I'd have an excuse!  The quilts we saw at the VFW Hall were not just "best ones"...all of the quilts Sue receives are wonderful.  And the letters she receives from the recipients of these quilts are enough to make the cold-black-heart of an old Marine weep...as the mister did when he read one of those letters...miracles do happen - who knew he could cry?!?

 

Maybe I should issue a "squint advisory" because if you squint the pictures seem to come into focus!  I don't know how much money was raised at the AHQ Tea, but I do not it's not enough.  There was a good turnout at the Tea but a lot of people are just war-weary...they are tired of hearing about it, tired of helping.  That's why I'm writing about this today - Sue needs our help - she needs an influx of $$$ to keep AHQ going...If every one of my followers donated $10 - well, you know I can't do math but I'm smart enough to know that would be a HUGE amount of money!  Enough to keep AHQ in business for a long time!

 

 

American Hero Quilt Standards

Quilts should be made from 100% good quality cotton

 

Quilts should be approximately 63x87 inches.  We find that many of the soldiers need the extra length and width to keep warm.

 

The quilts should be red, white and blue fabric.

 

Backs should be 100% cotton and 10 inches larger on each side.  For example:  If the quilt top measures 63x87 inches, the back should be 73x97 inches.

 

Please don't use beige or white fabrics on the back.  Many of our injured soldiers have open wounds which can cause stains.

Binding should be cut 2 1/2 inches wide, at least 300 inches in length, and sewn diagonally rather than straight across.

Below is where you send your donation, and where you can call to get information on how you or your quilt group can help:

American Hero Quilts

6716 SW Maury Park Road

 

Vashon, WA 98070

 

phone: 206-463-5650

 

fax: 206-463-6105

 

email: [email protected]

 

Chinook's at Fisherman's Terminal...

 This past weekend the mister and I did something so quintessential Seattle I'm going to add this destination to my hit parade when we have company come to town!  We went to Fisherman's Terminal and ate at Chinook's (Chinook's at Salmon Bay is the original name and it's part of the Anthony's Restaurants chain.)  I'm embarrassed to say this was my first time at Fisherman's Terminal...first time at Chinook's - but the mister goes there all the time and so I figured if it was a place he liked to go it must not be anything to post about - but I was wrong, so very, very wrong.

 

Getting the mister to cross the pond on a Saturday when the Seahawks are playing (they killed Denver and it was a perfect night to go to a game but the mister gave our tickets away...apparently some customer wanted them and customers have priority over me!) is never an easy thing, usually I have to start begging a week in advance.  But this time, when I told him I wanted to check out Fisherman's Terminal and buy some fish, he practically jumped out of his Lazy-Boy!  So off we went...over Lake Washington on 520 (we just got our toll statement from when the girl was here...) then onto I-5 North across the Ship Canal Bridge, we took 45th Street and headed West, crawling through traffic which gave the mister plenty of time to second guess his earlier enthusiasm.

 

 

 

 

Through Wallingford, Fremont and into Ballard we puttered to cross the Ballard Bridge, after sitting for 15 minutes to wait for it to go up and down for boat traffic.  Again, the mister was not amused.  As you know, I'm not a fan of bridges, especially the floating ones, and I mention them not as a tour guide but so you'll know I was willing to put aside my fears to go to Chinook's...and you should too, if you have any fears, I mean, put them aside and go.

 

 

 

 

 

It was worth the drive and the traffic and listening to the mister's grumblings.  We started off with mussels in lemon and garlic butter with foccacia - as we watched the boats bob up and down in the water and the clouds roll in.  The pics above were taken from our window-side table.  Actually, all tables have a view of the water - it's a big restaurant, and somewhat loud, but I'd have to say it's one of the best Seattle has and my new favorite restaurant.  Our appetizer was followed by Crab Gumbo for the mister (which was excellent although the bowl is deceiving, he got about a cup's worth and wanted more) and I had a Mahi-Mahi taco with a cup of their clam chowder.  Delish.  Chinook's is not cheap, lunch was $40 (no alcohol) but the food was great and the view/ambiance better - I'm looking forward to returning soon! 

 

 

 

 

 

In the pic on the left you can see the bridge in the up position...the middle pic is a memorial wall with the names of those fishermen lost at sea.  They also have tiles on the ground with their names on them.  When the mister looked closely at the picture he realized he knew the man, so he had a sad moment, not knowing he had passed away.

 

 

 

 

 

We walked around a bit, took some pics and then went to the fish market and bought some fresh halibut.  The fish prices are better than what you'll find at Pike Place Market and the grocery store, if you don't factor in the toll and the gas to get there!

 

Gelato called our names - back over the Ballard Bridge into Ballard we headed to D'Ambrosio Gelateria...their Stracciatella is not to be missed!  It, too, is worth the drive!  We ate our gelato while we strolled up and down the charming streets, going in and out of shops.  I discovered a new fabric store, and while small, it has great stuff!  Drygood Designs in Ballard also has an adorable classroom with sewing machines, so if you take a class you don't have to schlep everything!

 

 

 

 

 

Click on the pics to get a larger view.  When you walk in the door you actually enter a coffee shop, the fabric store is up the stairs in the back.  Another discovery we made on our day out was Culinary Essentials.  It's sister (brother?) store is Mr. J's Kitchen Store in Bellevue - and you know how I love Mr. J's!  Culinary Essentials is not as big, nor does it have as much stock but it's got wonderful things AND it has a huge in-store kitchen/island where they do classes!

The link above is to Yelp and some of the reviews on Culinary Essentials are not great but the mister and I thoroughly enjoyed our time there and the sales people were lovely!  We've already signed up for a class!

 

 

 

 

There were plenty of sidewalk sales to entertain along with quirky art and interesting spots to sit a spell.  Our last stop of the day was The Quilting Loft, pictured on the right above.  It's a great quilt shop and is now even better since they moved across the street to their new location.  Of course I found fabric I couldn't live without while the mister chatted up the sales girls...he thought they were fascinated with him but they're no dummies, they know to keep husbands entertained so the wife can shop!  And that was that.  Even with the grumbling it was a great day. 

 

 

 

 

We returned home with our goodies and after the dust settled I made us a lite dinner of Zucchini and Corn Quesadillas with Pepper-Jack cheese...no recipe needed...slice zucchini thin, remove cooked corn from cob, chop some fresh tomato and shred Pepper-Jack cheese...pile it all on corn tortillas, season with salt and pepper and fry, turning once, until the cheese has melted.  And now I'll leave you with a gratuitous shot of the Space Needle taken from I-5 over the Ship Canal Bridge...another rare Seattle summer day.

Summer in a Post...

So far, this summer has been one for the books...we kicked it off with the boy's wedding and it's been non-stop crazy-busy ever since!  I'm finally getting a week off from the madness - I think I've earned a break!

 

 

 

It's been a whirlwind of bridal showers and weddings - my house has been over-flowing with wedding flowers for weeks and finally it was over...just in time for the grands to arrive.  Max loved his closet bed...as in LOVED!  He also loved the new Legos I snagged for him from a garage sale - which ended up all over the house.  Note to self:  Never buy anything for the Grands that has more than 3 pieces.  Elsa is such a sweet little girl - never makes a peep and was happy to be pulled all over the Farmer's Market in Issaquah in the wagon.  Back at the ranch she happily played in her "tea-party house" while Max splashed her from the water table...but he "didn't mean to!"

 

 

 

We had 80-degree days on end, which gave the mister plenty of time to work on the new path he's putting in on the side of the house...he's half way done - I think he's going to put gravel in those sections but I'm not sure, I don't dare ask, this is all his deal...he has control of the outside of the house, I have control of the inside so I'm not allowed to even make a suggestion!  The days with the kids were jammed packed with outings - after a good solid breakfast of donuts and ice cream sandwiches...was that wrong?  Don't worry, it was just a couple of times and after they had eaten their eggies!

 

 

 

The girl and the grands were here for 10 days so we went on several picnics, (stopping at McDonalds and eating in the park was a picnic) and we went on a Sasquatch hunt every stinkin' night!  I know, I started the whole Sasquatch thing but I was tired at night and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head but Max needed to go on a hunt!  So with flashlights in hand, we headed out into the forest and I continued to fill his head with crap...the Sasquatch eat the bark off trees and they bury their poop under little mounds of dirt...(thankfully Max didn't want to dig under the dirt to see the poop...Moles provided lots of "covered poop" for us to find...the Sasquatch also eat berries, which is why the black berries were picked clean!

 

 

 

We found 68 trees in the forest (the park behind our house) with bark missing and 37 piles of covered poop.  The hunts were a great success even though we have yet to find a Sasquatch!

 

 

 

 

During all the chaos I managed to put up 6 quarts of pickled beans, okra and pickles...we've already eaten 2 quarts so I'm going to have to do more!  I used this recipe for Refrigerator Pickles - super easy and fast because there's no processing.  And they are dang good!  Even though I had no desire to go to Seafair this year, because the Blues weren't flying, the girl talked me into it...so we made another picnic and found a patch of grass to park ourselves and watched the Patriot Jets do their best Blues imitation...it was just okay...they tried, bless their hearts, but they just didn't hit the mark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Max wore his new pirate shirt and shorts...but we didn't see any pirates.  Oh well, there's always next year!  We stopped at Ezell's on the way home and picked up their fried chicken - it was just as good as we remembered so we "picnicked" once again on the deck for dinner.

 

 

 

 

And there was swimming.  Max is demonstrating his idea of Synchronized Swimming (?) - loved being in the pool.

 

 

 

 

The wedding I helped with was wonderful from beginning to end...Rachel and Tanner were the perfect bride and groom.  The girl took their pictures and, in my unbiased opinion, they are awesome!

 

 

 

 

The day before the wedding the girl and the happy couple went all around Seattle on a photoshoot...it was great fun for them and the bride got to wear her dress twice and be a bride for two days so that's pretty cool!  She even managed to keep the dress clean!  The girl is very, very reasonable, has a great eye, has had extensive training and does a fantastic job...if you need a photographer in either Washington, California or Utah, look her up here.

As August winds down I plan to dig into the pile of books and movies that have been calling my name and do some more pickling.  This past week I was the recipient of some great corn from Idaho (thanks Kay) and I decided to blanch it, cut it off the cob and freeze it for chowders in the fall - it was so easy I'm going to have to do more!  Plus peaches will be coming on soon...time to rinse out the Mason jars!  Tick-tock - the days are flying by!! 

The mister and I are planning a little get-away for September and a couple of road trips and the garage still needs to be cleaned...I think I'm going to just have a big dumpster delivered and throw everything into it - I know the mister wouldn't miss one thing and neither would I - first world problems!

Hope you're having a great summer!  Enjoy it while it lasts! 

CD Art...

Heads up Seattle People!  I have something for you to add to your summer "Must DO" list!  Get yourselves on over to the Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) so you can see Stephanie Allgood's  CD Weavings on display!  I've told you about Stephanie before...she's a dear friend and a member of my quilt group...and she's an artist - obviously!  Stephanie saw an idea for using old CD's and she ran with it!  Stephanie teaches art classes to kids and over the last several months her classes have been busy weaving yarn over old CD's.

Stephanie brought her CD's to our quilt group many times to show us what she was working on...but I don't think any of us could have guessed that one day they would be hanging in a museum!  Several members of our quilt group made CD's for Stephanie's project, too, including Yours Truly...I made 9 of those CD's, the red and white one above is one of mine...it's the only one I could recognize!  So yes, you could say I have some of my work hanging in an art museum...you could say that, over and over, to anyone who will listen, I certainly won't mind!  

(Sorry for the blurry pic - pictures are not allowed in the BAM, however, the docent said since Stephanie was a friend I could take pictures with my cell phone...the docent said nothing about me sharing them here on my blog!)  The mister and I went to the BAM two weeks ago to see the exhibit and found it wasn't quite ready to be seen - part of it was still on the floor!  But it is now properly displayed and it's beautiful!

All kinds of yarn was used.  Once the "spokes" were wrapped through the center of the CD to the outside, the yarn was woven over and under the spokes to fill in the CD - it's a very fun and easy project for kids...and those of us with mostly thumbs.  I don't remember how many Stephanie collected/made, I think well over 500!

This will be displayed through September and then I'm not sure what Stephanie has planned for it...maybe it will be donated to a school or a corporation?  It's just so cool...doesn't it make you want to go through your old CD's and grab some yarn?!?

 

Everything's Coming Up Tulips!

When the sun shines in Seattle everyone basically stops what they're doing and heads outside because it is such a rare occurrence!  We have had several perfect days in a row now and it has been grrrrreat!   And...the moutain was out!

When the mister and I visited the tulip fields, we weren't so lucky...it was cloudy, gray and a bit on nippy side, but we did have color!

Some little guy enjoying the mud!  Tulips as far as the eyes can see - it's pretty amazing!

The rain held off long enough for us to walk around the little town of LaConner and enjoy all the fun and quirky shops.  We had lunch at Nell Thorn Farms, a farm-to-table restaurant; every bite was delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch we headed back into the fields for some more photos...I was ready for the mud with my Wellies...and after watching a little boy do a happy dance in mud, I did the same!  The pic on the right is the trunk of a very old poplar tree - the trees surrounded one of the fields we visited.

 

 

 

 

Click on the pics to see a larger one - then you'll be able to see the details in the fence which is made from croquet mallets, rakes, shovels, and pretty much everything you can imagine!  This fence/house used to be the Bunnies By The Bay shop in LaConner, but they have moved into a tiny shop on the main street.  I used to love going to that shop because it was so charming and full of fun things...now the fun is gone!  See the carrots on the railing on the porch?!?  Don't you just love that?!?  I had to include the pic of the daschund in the doggie stroller...must remember to show that to Caesar Beezer the Wonder Dog, he will not be amused as he has no stroller!

The Tulip Festival usually runs the month of April, it's about done now.  When we were about half of the fields had already been plowed under, and the daffodils were long gone.  The tulips are grown for bulbs which are then sold - if you've never been, put it on your bucket list - it's really something to see and it's far cheaper to visit Seattle to see tulips than say, fly to Holland!...Unless you live in Holland! 

We also stopped at Snowgoose Produce Farm - they have great hand-made baskets, bedding plants, and all kinds of fresh springs veggies, including asparagus, leeks, and ramps!  We bought all of the above plus fresh rhubarb, home-made bread and halibut...and then as we were driving home the rains came down...traffic backed up and we crawled along at 25 mph for an hour!  The mister let his displeasure be known at every mile marker...but I barely heard him - I had my earphones on and while he was ranting and raving I was trippin' along to Justin Timberlake!  Every now and then I would nod or say uh-huh and he was none the wiser!  We do what we can....

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Do me a favor - and yourself one, too...go and visit my good friend's blog:

 Joni Hilton is an author (she wrote all of those books pictured above!), speaker, radio-show-host, former TV show host, former Miss California and I could go on and on and on...but you need to go and check out her blog and see for yourself how great she is!  

If you want to impress family and friends with delicious desserts, Joni has won about as many cooking contests as books she's authored - which is a lot - so click on Cooking with Joni for some drool-worthy recipes!

For you writers, be sure to click on Writing Class with Joni, you will definitely learn a thing or two from her!

Saturday morning her radio show streams live so you can listen no matter where you live!  Joni has great advice on any topic you can think of - so you can even call in and talk to her!  You can listen at 9am PST on AM 1380 KTKZ...just type those call letters into your browser and you'll be set!

Joni is clever, witty and very funny - reading her blog every morning would definitely kick-start your day!

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Mom's 80th Birthday Party...

A few weeks ago we celebrated my mom's 80th birthday - it was a wonderful day filled with family, friends and fabulous food (if I do say so myself!)  And doesn't my mom look amazing!?!  Let's be real here, she looks amazing for 60!  And super amazing for 70!  But she is 80...and she is "work free," if you know what I mean!  (Oh wait, that's not true...she has had some surgical enhancements, two new shoulders, two new knees and one foot!)   Seriously folks, she is smokin' hot for 80!     

 

There were so many things about mom's party that I loved, so I want to tell you about them.  Let me back up a bit, before mom's birthday, the mister and I paid a visit to Melrose Market on Capitol Hill in Seattle, after watching Anthony Bourdain's show, The Layover, when he visited Seattle.  Whew!  That's a lot of commas!  If you live in the Seattle area and haven't been to Melrose Market, then you must make a point of going - it's fabulous, well, for a foodie it is!  We bought cheese at Calf and Kid, bacon at Rain Shadow Meats ($14.00 a pound for bacon!!  It's not cheap but it's worth it!), flowers at Marigold and Mint and finally we ended up at Butter Home, a tiny little shop located upstairs where they had a little bowl filled with paper strawberries for $5.00 each!  $5.00 for a paper strawberry!  Holyschmoly!  (I think nothing of spending $14 on a pound of bacon but $5 for a paper strawberry was beyond my financial accumen...hahaha, as if I have any accumen, financially or otherwise!) 

The paper strawberry seemed like the perfect party favor for my mom's birthday - it was unique and colorful and it could hold one delicious hand-dipped chocolate truffle...since I couldn't allow myself to buy them, because as the mister likes to say, I'm penny wise and pound foolish...I came home and searched the internet for directions...and found them!  And guess what?  They are incredibly easy to make!  (Just Google paper strawberry and you'll get dozens of sites for directions.)

Each of mom's birthday guests took home a paper strawberry filled with a perfect chocolate truffle...oh, they also took home one of those little booklets - my sister Carolynn made them, each booklet had 3 pictures of my mom inside, here, take a look:

 

Since almost everyone was family and/or very close friends, they all loved seeing those old pics of mom.  My Aunt Tillie, who has known mom since they were both teenagers, was probably the only one at the party who remembers my mom looking like the pics.  Aunt Tillie came with only one eyebrow on, because she forgot to put on the other and she said to me, "I was thinking of turning the car around when I saw myself in the rear-view mirror without my other eyebrow, but now that I see you and see you don't have any, well, I don't feel so bad!"

Here's a pic of my mom, removing her birthday candles after blowing them out, and Aunt Till...please do not look at her missing eyebrow!  That's my mom's friend Doretta in the background...I don't know where everyone else is in this shot - we had a packed house!  They must have been in the dining room loading their plates!

Don't you just love my mom's china?  It's actually my china...sort of...when I registered for china before I was married, I picked that pattern...alas, I only got one place setting and it seemed foolish to keep it, so I returned it.  When my mom bought herself this china years later, I was so happy!  I love seeing it and using it - I do think the food tastes better on mom's china!  Speaking of food, we dined on Margaux's Curried Chicken Sandwiches, Tomato Salad with Basil-Buttermilk Dressing, B-C-T-Deviled Eggs, Glazed Strawberries, plus a fabulous salad my sister-in-law Ellen brought (not shown) and for dessert we had the best Coconut Cake with Lemon Curd Filling in the world...it really is...and I know cake!

On the table are some of mom's presents...she got quite a haul!  And there was one more thing...it was from the mister...every now and then he will completely surprise me - like when he told me he asked his friend George Lyons (his website is called Sounds Like Frank, and mom loves Frank!) to sing a birthday song for mom...I was so surprised I almost swallowed my tongue!  The mister thought of that on his own!  Fascinating, no?  Anyway, George put his song to a video with pictures of mom...it was really, really nice!  Mom loved it - almost enough to elevate the mister to the #1 son-in-law slot...but at the last second he was squeezed out by Scott, the do-gooder my sister married.  Okay, long post...I'll end with a pic of my mom and three of her grand-daughters...Gabby, Gracie and Callie...with my sister photo-bombing in the background, it's her specialty!  

Carolina Smoke BBQ...

My baby sister, the one who looks older than me, came to visit for my birthday...yep, I'm 39 again!  We have big plans for the weekend...lots of shopping, a couple of movies and a whole lot of eating!  The first place I'm going to take my sister is Carolina Smoke BBQ in Bothel...if you haven't been there, get on it!  It's the best BBQ this side of the MIssissippi - and I'm not whistlin' Dixie!

The boy and I had lunch at Carolina Smoke and we were blown away by the food...brisket so tender it just melted in my mouth...and the tri-tip had us sighing with pleasure over and over.  I wasn't crazy about their smoked mac and cheese (sorry Dave but it was kind of dry) - maybe I just got a bad batch?

**Update:  The sis and I did have lunch at Carolina Smoke today...and I told Dave, the owner, I posted about his place and said I couldn't rave about his mac and cheese...he told me to wait and he went and filled a small container of mac and cheese to take with me - so I could have another taste...and I have to say, it was spot on!  A hint of smoke, creamy, cheesy, down-home-suthurn-goodness that had me lickin' my fingers, mainly because he didn't give me a fork!  So, along with polishing off the mac and cheese, I have to eat my words as well!  Oh, the broccoli slaw is great as are the baked beans and the collard greens!  One more thing...I ordered a smoked turkey from Carolina Smoke for Christmas - Dave assured me on my last visit his turkeys are smoked to perfection and then some!

I could right volumes about how tangy and sweet their special Apple-Butter-BBQ-Sauce is, but I won't...all you need to know is I think it's better than chocolate.  Better than chocolate.  Better than chocolate.  Better than chocolate!

Carolina Smoke is located at the entrance to Country Village - it's easy to find and definitely worth the drive - even if traffic is bad.  We loved chatting to Dave, he's a BBQ-Guru if there ever was one, and you will, too...go see him today, tell him Nan sent you!   

Carolina Smoke BBQ - 23806 Bothell Everett Highway, Bothell, WA 98021

 

 

 

My baby sister, who looks older than me, has never been to our home at Christmas time...and I wanted her to feel the magic, so I decorated our imaginary baby's room/guest room for her...she never said a word about it!  Maybe she thinks it looks like that year round?  Obviously her dementia is worse than mine...sad for her.

O & CO...

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...lend me your ear!  I have just discovered a great way to finish up Christmas! O&CO. has come to my rescue and they'll help you, too!  O&CO. is known for great olive oils but they also have wonderful vinegars, tapenades, spreads, crackers, and sweets as well as an organic skincare range that showcase the flavors and the spirit of the Mediterranean!!  Check out their Organic Body and Face Sublime Oil...sublime...one would suppose one could have sublime skin and look like a  young Sophia Loren, no? 

But wait, there's more!  O &CO. is also a destination for your own cooking experience!  What does that mean?  I'll tell you...you may have every good intention of buying gifts for someone on your list but it will be impossible for you to resist shopping for yourself!

Here's a little something to make your shopping experience a bit sweeter!  

Just take a look at all of those goodies - who wouldn't love to receive a gift basket like that?!  Okay kids, I've solved your Christmas shopping issues, what more can I do?

Here's the link to their website:  O&CO

If you want to see what they have in person, O&CO. has boutiques around the country - for you Seattleites, you can visit O&CO. in Kirkland, their address is: 521 7th Ave # 2, Kirkland, WA 98033 and their phone number is: (425) 803-9006.  Happy shopping!

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This sponsorship is brought to you by O&CO. who we have partnered with for this promotion.

Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts...

 

The record has been broken...it stood since 1922...75 days without rain...we're now at 77 days without rain...nothing but sun and blue skies!  We took advantage of the great weather and spent most of the weekend outdoors in this great city of ours...Seattle in the sun is hard to beat!

 

 

 

We hit the pumpkin patch and loaded up - it's been a great year for pumpkins - they are big and cheap!  We drove into Seattle over the floating I-90 bridge - people out on bikes on the bridge, sailboats in the water, you'd think it was July!  We walked around the city, did a little shopping, and ended up at a great restaurant for lunch...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elephant and Castle is on 5th Avenue, it's like walking into an old English Pub and the food was great!  Put it on your list of places to eat - dang good food.

After lunch we went to see Memphis (the musical) and loved it - my hands hurt from clapping and my face from smiling!  It was a great day all the way around.  And then we came home and I made these wonderful doughnuts...the perfect f all treat for a perfect fall day.

 

 

 

 

 

These doughnuts are orange in color, moist and cakey...they are rolled in cinnamon-sugar and make a great grab and go treat.  I didn't have a doughnut baking pan, but the pan I had worked fine.  If you don't have a doughnut pan you can use a muffin tin, they'll just need to bake a bit longer.

As good as these doughnuts are plain, we like them split in half with vanilla-bean ice cream in the middle...if there's a way to make something more fattening, I'm going to do it!

Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts - Adapted From King Arthur Flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, or 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus heaping 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Topping:  3 tablespoons cinnamon, 1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease two doughnut pans or muffin tins.  Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt and baking powder until smooth.  Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.  Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full; use a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well.  If you're making muffins, fill each well about 3/4 full; the recipe makes about 15.

Bake the doughnuts for 15 to 18 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean.  If you're making muffins, bake for about 20 to 24 minutes.  Remove the doughnuts from the oven, and after about 5 minutes, loosen their edges, and transfer them to a rack to cool.  While the doughnuts are still warm, but no longer fragile, gently shake them in a bag with the cinnamon-sugar.  Do the same with the muffins.  Cool completely and wrap airtight, store at room temperature for several days.  Makes 12 doughnuts or 15 muffins.

Oh, if you want to add some chocolate sauce to your doughnut and ice cream, go ahead, I'm certainly not going to judge you!

Tickabox...

This is a clean-up post...lots of odds and ends that had no place to go so they ended up here...sit back and relax...it's going to be a bumpy ride!

 

The The Rootbeer Store in Redmond, WA has over 100 different kinds of rootbeer - we brought home about a dozen to try...some we liked, some we didn't...for example, I loved the Jamaican Gingerbeer but my dad, pictured above, thought it tasted like medicine and he didn't appreciate the slow-burn afterwards!  He liked the one called "Duh" and I thought that tasted like swill!  We enjoyed tasting them all...while we nibbled on Radish Sandwiches...I'm still on the radish kick!  Anyway, if you live near Redmond you really should pop in, it's a great place and along with rootbeer they have a great assortment of cream sodas!  I think there is a Lynnwood location, too.

 

 

 

 

We need to talk about the radish sandwich for just a minute...after I posted about French Radishes, I heard from several readers who said they either grew up eating radish sandwiches or they eat them now!  What a thought!  I told my parents about this and they said it was very common place "back in the day" - especially for poor people!  Well, I'm going to go on record and say, even if I'm living under a bridge, I shall not enjoy or be more thankful for a radish sandwich than I do/am today!  They have become my new happy hour staple...and I can't believe I had never had one before last week!  I make them with pita bread, slathered in butter with a bit of mayo...sliced radishes seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh parsley.  Simple and so good.  Truly.  Rich or poor...this one's a keeper!

 

One day, when my brain was barely operating, I agreed to be the camp cook for one day...one day for 230 girls...one day that has involved many days of shopping and cooking ahead of time!!  I had NO IDEA what was involved in cooking for 230 people!  It's mind-boggling! 

40 lbs. of fresh green beans

11 (six lbs. each) bags of chicken tenders from Costco - that's 66 lbs. of chicken! which is now marinating in a lovely teriyaki sauce,in the "coffin-cooler"

240 potato rolls and 8 lbs. of butter

10 watermelon, 9 jars of fresh mango slices and 25 lbs. of grapes

50 lbs. of rice...I cooked 25 lbs. myself and then, reeling from starch fumes, I called in some reinforcements to help!  Thank you dear friends!!!   All of this is just for ONE night...I'm told a huge trailer was used to transport the food for the entire week up to camp!  And here's the amazing thing...the girls pay just $90 each for four days at camp and that includes 3 meals a day and snacks plus everything they make and do while there!!  Today is the big day/night...I'll be going to girls camp to cook/serve/slave...then I'll be looking for some serious blessings to come my way starting tomorrow!  Oh...I made the camp flag, too...their theme this year is "Survivor" - which I hope to be when all is said and done.

Ciao! Mi chiamo Nan.  Io sono de Utah, ma abito a Seattle.  Mi piace faray il dolci i cucinare.  Oggi e' il diciotto Luglio 2012.  Il mio compleano e' il Decembre.

That's what I've learned so far in my Italian language class!  Si!  I'm taking Italian!!!  It's very fun but not one bit easy!  I've discovered I have a 5-minute attention span...and I don't know how to study and I have no memory!  But I'm really liking my class and with any luck at all I'll be able to learn enough Italian to purchase fresh veggies and fish at a Tuscan market...next summer...when we go to Italy for FOUR weeks to LIVE!  Well, that's the plan...I haven't told the mister yet...waiting for just the right moment...like when we win the lottery...what?  It could happen!

 

 

The National Pork Board and Nibble Me This had a contest and yours truly won!  Just look at my loot!  An 11-piece grilling utensils set, 2 grill baskets, flexible shish-kabob wire (so cool!) a Kingsford bottle opener/key chain, and a Kingsford hat...which I will proudly wear every morning at o'dark-thirty as I'm trying to walk off the damage from the night before...but wait, there's more!  They sent me ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS worth of PORK COUPONS!!!  I'm going to have to have a PORK PARTY!!!  I surely can't eat $100 of pork by myself...well I could but I'm half pork already and I don't want to start snorting!  (I'll be sharing some of those pork coupons with all ya'll very soon!)  Thanks Pork Board and Nibble Me This - I'll be scouring your websites for just the right recipes!  (If you haven't read Nibble Me This before, get yourself on over there...I can't start my day with dropping in and drooling over everything Chris makes!)

Okay, that's it - time to rotate the chicken, fluff the rice, cool the melons, turn the beans and hit the dusty trail...I've got to get my camp on!