Views from a Latah Kitchen Table

No-Knead Bread

2007-01-24T08:25:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday Supper Club, Michele made this yummy No-Knead Bread.
I made it last week. It turned out great and I know I messed up on a few of the steps. The recipe is very forgiving.

Toast the Tigers

2007-01-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

Erika and I showed our Tiger Pride by attending the “Toast the Tigers” fundraiser for the class of 2007’s senior overnighter. We tasted some great wines.

My favorite winery was “Barrister” All of their red wines were distinctly unique, rich and vibrant. Their wines are well balanced with seductively rich mid palates and ending with delicious flavors that linger on the finish. Bonus points for the friendly, knowledgeable winemaker pouring the wine.

Sweet Tender Bay Scallops

2007-01-19T08:44:00.000-08:00

Last night I made Sweet tender bay scallops sautéed with garlic and served with parsley and lemon. I found this recipe on Cooking Light. I used spinach fettuccine.

I thought it was a really good recipe. I added more garlic and more olive oil, no margarine. I hate margarine.

Sautéed Scallops on Lemon Fettuccine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 pound sea scallops
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons margarine
1/3 cup vodka or dry white wine
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
6 cups hot cooked fettuccine (12 ounces uncooked)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip top heavy-duty plastic bag. Add scallops to bag, and seal; shake to coat. Heat oil and margarine in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add scallops; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and done. Remove scallops from pan; keep warm. Reduce heat to medium; add vodka, lemon rind, lemon juice, and garlic, and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add pasta, and toss gently to coat. Divide pasta mixture evenly among 4 individual plates; top with scallops. Sprinkle each serving with 1-tablespoon cheese and 1-tablespoon parsley.
Yield: 4 servings

Sunday Night Supper Club Light

2007-01-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

For our last Sunday Supper Club we went with this Cooking Light theme. I made the brined Cider Roasted Chicken and the Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes. I decided to use chicken thighs instead of a whole fryer. Other than spilling raw chicken juice mixed with brine all over my counters and clogging up my disposal with sweet potatoes peelings, I think it turned out pretty good. Jennifer made the Pumpkin Orange Cake, Michele brought yummy home baked bread, Kate did the beet soup, and Faythe made the Red Pepper dip. Be sure and check out Faythe’s photos on her blog.

Oven Fried Chicken and Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

2007-01-09T11:21:00.000-08:00

Oven Fried Chicken (from Cooks Illustrated)

Serves four

Be careful not to overcrush the Melba toast; crumbs that are too fine will leave the chicken wanting in crunchiness. If you own a spray bottle for oil, skip the step of tossing the Melba toast crumbs in oil. Instead, once the chicken is coated with crumbs, spray the pieces evenly with oil.
· 1/4 cup vegetable oil
· 1 box (about 5 ounces) plain Melba toast, placed in a heavy-duty freezer bag and pounded with a blunt, heavy object to a sand and pebble texture ( I used the food processor)
· 2 large eggs
· 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
· 1 teaspoon dried thyme
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
· 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
· 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
· 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
· 8 chicken legs, skin removed, and patted dry with paper towels
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line sheet pan with foil and set large flat wire rack over sheet pan.
2. Drizzle vegetable oil over Melba toast crumbs in a shallow dish or pie plate; toss well to coat. Mix eggs, mustard, thyme, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and optional cayenne with a fork in a second shallow dish or pie plate.
3. Working one piece at a time, coat chicken on both sides with egg mixture. Set chicken in Melba crumbs, sprinkle crumbs over chicken, and press to coat. Turn chicken over and repeat on other side. Gently shake off excess and place on rack. Bake until chicken is deep nutty brown and juices run clear, about 35 minutes.

Wicked Awesome Painting

2007-01-05T08:37:00.000-08:00

My favorite Christmas present was this wicked awesome painting done by Spokane artist
Tom Kliewer, from his “indirect reflections” series. I like the warm light reflections contrasting with the cool tones of the snow bank. I think it's a fabulous addition to my home!

Rising Moon Ravioli

2006-12-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

I like to pick up the Rising Moon pastas when they are on sale at Huckleberry’s. Last night Tory and I tried the Garlic and Mozzarella Ravioli. We tossed it with olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and fresh cracked pepper. It was a very quick and tasty meal.

It’s a Celebration!!!

2006-12-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

Wow, this is what my office looked like when I arrived. I have the best coworkers in the whole wide world!

Weekend Guest

2006-11-27T11:09:00.000-08:00

This weekend my friend Cheri’s boxer dog Buddy came to stay with us while Cheri and family did Thanksgiving in Seattle.
He was a great guest. He loved playing with his friend Mike (my boxer) and meeting new friends Lucy and Kirby. I think Buddy weighs about 8 times as much as Kirby, but he was very gentle with him. I think Kirby might be the alpha dog. That little dude likes to take control!

Thanksgiving

2006-11-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

We had another great Thanksgiving with the extended family and friends. All 32 of us!!!

Weird Wacky Waldorf

2006-11-21T15:11:00.000-08:00

Today we had a potluck at work. I am not into work potlucks mostly because I hate dragging things in and most of the food is honestly kind of crappy. I don’t know why we just don’t chip in a few bucks, order a pizza and be done with it. I don’t like eating big lunches either. But today I was a team player and joined in for a going away party.

Somebody always makes one of those lame jello salads with cottage cheese or cool whip. Yikes! Today was no exception …but this was “way out there”. Granny Smith apples and snickers bars in a cool whip kind of dressing. Who thinks this stuff up?
I had to try it. Guess what, I liked it in a bizarre desert kind of way, much better than canned fruit and marshmallows. My crazy Italian family would go wild for this at Thanksgiving.
I just might whip up a batch!

Snicker Salad

1 large box or two small boxes of Cheesecake pudding
2 cups milk
Make pudding according to box. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Add to pudding:

1 small container of CoolWhip
1 large package of bite size Snickers candy bars unwrapped OR 6 king-size Snickers bars unwrapped and cut into bite size
4 large Granny Smith apples (only Granny Smith) cored and cut into bite size

Mix all ingredients together well. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Choco-Blog

2006-11-17T08:43:00.000-08:00

On Monday Jennifer of Taste Everything Once suggested blogging on chocolate this week. It sounded fun to me so last night I stopped in to Huckleberries and picked up a few bars of Endangered Species Chocolate. I choose the Dark Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs, Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut Toffee and the Milk Chocolate with Coconut and Macadamia Nuts. Of the three my favorite was a toss up between the Hazelnut and the Coconut, which surprised me because these both were the lightest bars (less cocoa). They were all delicious.

Endangered Species chocolate is 100% ethically traded and the bars are packaged in the artwork of animals from artist Judi Rideout and are packed with environmental conservation information as well as educational information about the plight of the animal it displays.

Amy’s Pesto Tortellini Bowl

2006-11-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

I stopped by Huckleberry’s last week and passing by the frozen section, I happened to see Amy’s Pesto Tortellini Bowl on sale. I remembered some magazine giving it the thumbs up. I’m not too big on frozen entrees but the picture on the box looked great. Based on past experience, the prepared product doesn't look nearly as enticing as the box photo. I threw a couple in my cart, if I don’t eat it, the kids will.

I used the microwave method on the box. I was pleasantly surprised; it was pretty tasty and did resemble the box photo minus the lovely blue bowl and flowers in the background. Check out my before and after photos.

If you want a quick meal from the freezer, this is one to try.

Kirby

2006-10-30T11:35:00.000-08:00

Here's my new little puppy Kirby.
He is a Rat Terrier. He weighed 11 lbs. last week at his puppy check up.
He is a very sweet little guy.

Twigs Downtown

2006-10-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

Last night we headed downtown to check out the sales at The Gap. After, we decided to head over to the new Twigs. We both had a glass of Guinness on tap.
I like the new location. The views are great, looking up at the escalators and down on the square below. A real uptown feel in downtown!
The service was friendly and efficient.
We didn’t eat but the menu is the same. I think their food is O.K., kinda the standard bar stuff.
It’s a great place to meet friends for a drink or just people watch.

Classic Two-Cheese Macaroni

2006-10-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

I love comfort food, and to celebrate the first day of October I decided to make one of my favorite comfort foods, Macaroni and Cheese. I tried a new recipe from Cooking Light.
I topped it with some toasted garlic bread crumbs I made from a loaf of Bouzie's bread. It turned out creamy and tasty with a nice crunchy garlicy top.

Classic Two-Cheese Macaroni

1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups 1 percent milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
6 ounces light processed cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta Light)
6 cups hot cooked elbow macaroni (about 3 cups uncooked)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat; add flour. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook until thick (about 8 minutes), stirring frequently. Stir in 2/3 cup Cheddar cheese and processed cheese; cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in macaroni and salt. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Sawtooth Grill

2006-09-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

Marjie and I did a little back to school shopping at River Park Square last night. We decided to stay downtown and eat dinner at the Sawtooth Grill. I like the Sawtooth O.K., but it’s nothing special in my opinion.

Marjie had the Backyard Burger and I choose the Aloha Burger. I think their burgers are over priced at around $ 9 each, and the fries don’t come close to the big thick ones at the Onion.
The service was good,and the burgers were cooked medium as requested.
I had a glass of Merlot, which set me back $9.25;I should have asked the price before ordering.

I think if you want a good burger downtown in a nice sit-down restaurant, hoof it over to the Onion. Your palate and pocketbook will thank you.

Morning Glory

2006-09-12T08:38:00.000-07:00

This has to be one of my favorite flowers. The flower lasts for a single morning and dies in the afternoon. New flowers bloom each day. This one was blooming on my deck. I love the intense blue color.

My morning glory on some Saturdays is hitting the garage sales. I get up early ,scan the paper, and map out my route. The fun part for me is not knowing what treasures I will find.

This Saturday I found a brand new ricer cooker (a really nice one), a martini set, night light, a set of lake lounging chairs, and of course a few paperbacks.

It’s fun shopping on the cheap with the added thrill of the hunt.

Dinner for a Friend

2006-08-31T11:32:00.000-07:00

We started with a cheese tray and Hot and Spicy Pecans. I used ancho chili powder to give the nuts a smoky taste.
Next up, a chickpea and tomato salad. One of my co-workers brought in some fresh tomatoes from her garden.

Chickpea and tomato salad

1 15-oz cans garbanzo beans,drained
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
Chopped parsley

Dressing

1/3 C. extra-virgin olive oil
3 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

For our main course I did a shrimp pasta with garlic breadcrumbs. I liked the breadcrumbs. I think the dish needed something to spice it up a bit. Perhaps some fresh lemon thyme? Or maybe the chili flakes I forgot!

Pasta with Shrimp and Garlic Breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from French bread
8 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 lb shrimp, peeled
½ C parsley chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes (I forgot to add these)
8 oz. Pasta
¼ cup pasta cooking water, reserved

Directions:

In a large pot, cook pasta in salted water. Drain the pasta and reserve 1/4cup of the cooking water for the final dish.
In the meantime, heat 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and half the minced garlic. Saute until the crumbs are golden and crisp - 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil and butter in the same skillet over medium high heat and add the shrimp and the rest of the garlic. Saute until the shrimp are opaque in the middle (3-4 minutes).
Stir in half the parsley, all the lemon zest and juice and chili pepper seeds. Toss and add the cooked pasta and cooking water and half the breadcrumb mix.
Mix well

The Elk

2006-08-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Last night my daughter and I had dinner at the Elk. We sat out on the patio, it was a little to warm but I feel like we won’t be eating outside that much longer, so why not make the most of it.
I had the Pork Tacos and Marjie had the Sante Fe Chicken, both items from the old menu.
I always enjoy the tacos and the Chicken sandwich was good too.
We ordered the Jumbo Ravioli to go for my son who was under the weather from the Tool concert at the Gorge the night before.
The service was good except it took about 25 minutes for the Ravioli to arrive.
Sometimes the service is up and down at the Elk, but I like the atmosphere and I think that appeals to a wide variety of folks.

My Favorite Pizza

2006-08-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

My favorite place for pizza has to be Bennidito’s. It’s even better when you can score a table outside and enjoy the summer weather.

Last night my friends and I started with the addictive Beer Buddies, then we did a large pie, half Original Pesto and half Florentine. It was very tasty.

They serve wine in addition to some fine tap beers.

What a great way to spend a balmy Tuesday evening!
If you visit their web site ,they have some coupons you can print off.

Hawaiian Flowers

2006-08-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

My co-worker received these beautiful flowers today. Aren’t they just gorgeous! Birds of Paradise and Ginger.
They were ordered from Hawaiian Tropical Flowers .
Next time I need flowers or if someone wants to send me flowers, this is the place!

Stir-Fry

2006-08-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

I was on vacation all last week. I spent some time around the house, at the lake and with the kids. I did not spend much time on the computer.

Last night we fixed a simple stir-fry using a stir-fry vegetable mix I picked up at The Liberty Lake Farmers Market on Saturday.

I picked up some beef to add to the vegetables and went with a Garlic Sauce from The Best Light Recipe.

Garlic Sauce

½ C. chicken broth
¼ Sake
3 T. hoisin sauce
1 T. soy sauce
2 t. cornstarch
3 t. hot chili oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ t. red pepper flakes.

First I sautéed the beef in some peanut oil, removed the beef, then added a bit more oil, then the vegetables along with some garlic and grated ginger until the vegetables were crisp- tender. Next I added the Garlic Sauce with the beef and simmered it all together for about 2-3 min.

I served it over brown rice.

David's Pizza

2006-08-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon we were visiting family up in the Gonzaga area. Afternoon turned into evening and we were getting hungry. We decided to try David’s Pizza. I usually eat at Bennidito's because it’s closer to my home and I really like it. I think David’s and Bennidito’s were once somehow related.
I am not a big beer drinker, I like it, but I usually prefer wine. I was looking forward to The Greek pizza and a glass of red wine.
I went up to the counter to order our drinks while we looked over the menu. Guess what, no wine, only beer. What’s up with that!!! I was shocked. Why wouldn’t a pizza joint serve wine? Isn’t it called a beer and wine license? Maybe collage kids just drink beer, but what about alumni and adults?

We decided on ½ Greek and ½ Da Vinci. So we drank our beer while we waited for our pizza to arrive. It arrived tasty and hot with paper plates to eat on. I don’t care for paper plates especially the cheap white thin ones we were given.
I think I will stick closer to home at Bennidito's.

Meyer's Lemony Broccoli and Chickpea Rigatoni

2006-07-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

On the menu this weekend was a very tasty Rigatoni.

Meyer's Lemony Broccoli and Chickpea Rigatoni

-adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

One 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into florets
1 pound rigatoni
5 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1.In a medium bowl, toss the chickpeas with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to a colander and rinse under cold water until cool. Add the rigatoni to the boiling water and cook until al dente.

3.Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat until the garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chickpea mixture and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute.

4.Drain the rigatoni, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the broccoli and chickpeas along with the reserved cooking water and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the rigatoni is coated with sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Transfer the pasta to a bowl, sprinkle with the remaining cheese