Preserves found on Canadian radio...

One of the fun things about living in Bellingham, WA is being able to listen to Canadian radio and watch Canadian TV in addition to U.S. entertainment and news media.  Through one such experience, I heard about these artisanal culinary preserves from a farm in Langley, BC -- Vista D'Oro Farms. I don't know, I guess I was taken by some of the names of the preserves, e.g. turkish fig with walnut wine or apricot tarragon & riesling. And I liked what the woman from the farms said you could do with the preserves. Anyway, I drove there and I like what I found.  Preserves like Green Walnut and Grappa on a cheeseboard with great cheese...fun.

Soup's On - Crock Pot Golden Chicken and Crimini Mushroom

I awoke one day this week to the wonderful smell of soup.  Okay, I didn't think when I started this blog, that it would show me out as a foodie, but I can't resist sharing this recipe I concocted with the items on hand:

CROCK POT GOLDEN CHICKEN AND CRIMINI MUSHROOM

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 stalks celery, sliced to the size you like in soup
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 lb crimini mushrooms, sliced (I bought them already sliced)
• 1/3 cooked chicken, cut in bite size pieces (I used leftover from rotisserie chicken I bought at market)
• 8 cups broth (I used half chicken and half vegetable, because that is what I had on hand)
• 1 tsp garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 TBS thyme (I had some freshly dried thyme sprigs and just loaded it in.  I liked the result)
• 1 can evaporated milk

Directions

1. Put all ingredients but milk into crock pot.  Cook on low for 8 hours or until celery is done or done slightly less than you like.
2. Pour in evaporated milk and let cook for another 30-45 minutes on low.
3. Enjoy with some toasted crusty bread.  YUM
   

Yes, I had this soup for breakfast and for lunch.  First time I have had soup for breakfast I think.  But I could not resist.

One of the tastiest things I ever made...

September 30, 2009
New York Times
Fig Tart With Caramelized Onions, Rosemary and Stilton

Time: 1 1/2 hours

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions (1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 sprig rosemary, more for garnish
• Pinch sugar
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• Flour for dusting
• 3/4 pound prepared puff pastry (I used Peppridge Farms, required minimal rolling out)
• 1 pint fresh figs ( 3/4 pound), stemmed and cut in half lengthwise (I used half black mission and half Kadota which are less sweet. Liked both)
• 1 1/2 ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled (about 6 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts (no way photo represents 2 TBS but I liked just this amount)
• Good-quality honey for drizzling, optional. (I skipped this...how sweet does it need to be?)

1. In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter with oil. Add onions, rosemary and sugar. Cook, tossing occasionally, until onions are limp and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg until smooth. Stir in the onions. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet.

3. Use a fork to spread onion mixture evenly over pastry (let excess egg mixture drip back into bowl), leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange figs, cut-side up, in even rows on onion mixture. Scatter cheese and pine nuts over figs. Use a pastry brush to dab edges of tart with egg mixture. Gently fold over edges of tart to form a lip and brush with more egg mixture.

4. Bake until pastry is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with rosemary needles and drizzled with honey, if desired, warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 8 servings.

Maybe a visit to T's Tearoom in Vancouver

My sister Char gave me a sweet tea pot, like the one to the left, but in sky blue, with some terrific Kenya black and ginger loose tea. I drank this right up and I knew, with such a fun teapot, a tea bag wouldn't do.

So I was looking for loose rooibos tea because I like the taste so much. It is my favorite tea, plain or infused with other flavors like fruit. This is something to say because I also love decaffeinated Constant Comment or chai very much. But I wanted some rooibos in the house. Didn't check our local food co-op or seasonal farmer's market, but rooibos was not to be found loose in the grocery stores. Lo and behold, on an adventure of a completely different nature, in a small farm store in Langley, BC, I found vanilla rooibos from .

Who would have guessed these loose twigs for brewing would have found their way into my hands, when renown chefs and prestige hotels around the world are more likely to carry the brand. has a tearoom at 1568 West Broadway Street (just west of Granville) in Vancouver. Maybe a visit to the tearoom on some upcoming trip to Vancouver is in order, to find peace in a teacup, with perhaps a side benefit of finding lower prices than what online shoppers can find, no?

A Few of My Favorite Things - Bellingham Food First

* Baba Ghanouj from the Mediterranean Specialties Cafe and Goods, so tasty, as good or better than Lawrence's in Atlanta, very high marks. (505 32nd St. 360-738-6895)

* Donuts from Lafeens, and I'm not a donut person. Love the buttermilk for example. Thanks to Christina VW for this treat. (1466 Electric Ave. 360-647-1703)

* Barbeque from Speak E-Z's

Makes me homesick for the South but meets a definite Joanne need. (2400 Meridian St. 360-714-0606)

* Meatball sandwich from Tino's, good sauce, pure comfort food for me, and right in my neighborhood. The calzones are giant. (Sudden Valley Shopping Center, 2275 Lake Whatcom Blvd, 360-671-6088)

* Take-n-bake pizza from Papa Murphy's. Okay, spoiled in my childhood by pizzas from my Mom, Angie Sbarro, Lena down at the Victory Cafe, and even the Chewton Firemen Ladies Auxillary, never did I imagine a favorite pizza of mine being created at a location with the last name of Murphy. Just doesn't seem right. But on the way home from work, I can go through a drive-through pick up a gourmet vegetarian with creamy garlic sauce, spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, marinated artichoke hearts, roma tomatoes, onions on a thin crust deLITE, bake it at home, and be pretty blissful. Not Pizza Big in Milano, but eh, whazzamatta witchu? (My Papa Murphy's is at 1312 Lakeway Drive, 360-715-1117)

* Butternut squash ravioli with walnut sage butter sauce from D'Anna's. I swear everything is good here. Solid Italian in the Italian tradition, not the Italian-American tradition, which is a different story. (1317 North State St. 360-714-0188)

* Gelato from Sirena Gelato , if going for a fresh cone or dish, or the Haggen brand from Italy at their markets. I'm fixed on hazelnut, but Sirena Gelato has a nice Pineapple or Cappucino, and Haggen's Triple Chocolate, Coconut or Pistachio are all worth trying. (Sirena Gelato - 960 Harris Av Fairhaven, 360-733-6700; Haggens - various locations)

* Arni Tzito (New Zealand lamb with roast potatoes) from Mykonos. It's all good, really. So great to have a solid Greek restaurant in my hometown. It's good to go to a Greek restaurant with a Greek like Linaki to know I'm in the right place. (1650 W Bakerview Rd 360-715-3071)

* Tacos from Tacos Tecalitlan taco truck. Thanks, Luis I, for this wonderful addition to my favorites. I'm a regular for the tacos or the burritos. (Near Glynn's Pub at corner of Guide Meridian and Smith Road, 360-223-2836)

* Happy hour at Nimbus. Interesting drink specials and try several delizioso half-price appetizers that shared will be a meal. (14th floor, that's right, 119 N Commercial St 360-676-1307)

* Salmon pot pie at Anthony's Hearthfire. I tried to have the chef give me the recipe, but no luck. (7 Bellwether Way, 360-527-3423)

* Oyster sampler at The Oyster Bar on Chuckanaut Drive. Great for out-of-town visitors and go at lunch when the prices are more reasonable. That great Chuckanaut Drive drive, then overlooking oyster beds and the Bay, what could be better? (2578 Chuckanut Drive 360-766-6185)

* The chef's special at Il Granaio. Bound to be good. The other perfect Italian in the area from my perspective (other than what Seattle and Vancouver have to offer). Alberto Candivi is the real thing. (100 E. Montgomery, STE 110, Mount Vernon, 360-419-0674 in the grainery, hence the name, next to the Mount Vernon Amtrak station right off of I-5) Interesting side-note, the Mount Vernon Amtrak station is staffed completely with volunteers.

* Chicken tortilla soup at El Rinconcito. I eat half there and take the second half home for another meal. I immediately start feeling better when I eat it, even if I wasn't sick in the first place. Thanks to Christina VW for this soup recommendation! People recommend other things there, like the fajitas, but I can't get off the soup, the rice, the pieces of avocado, the chunks of chicken, the bite and the flavor...wow. (2416 Yew Street Rd., 360-647-9055)

Hazelnuts, Whatcom County, WA and Willamette Valley, OR

Commonly known as a "filbert," hazelnuts have been harvested around the world for more than 5,000 years. Oregon accounts for 90+ percent of all hazelnut production in the United States today. That's mostly from the Willamette Valley. But also a large producer is my county, Whatcom County. How glorious to have ended up in an area where my favorite nut (well, I do love cashews too) is local, plentiful, and very affordable.

Celebrating that, I've discovered these websites which has hazelnut recipes from appetizers to flour substitutes to desserts: Oregon Hazelnut Industry or Ken & June's Hazelnuts in Oregon or Oregon Orchard

Tonight I prepared the following recipe, and my goodness, it was scrumptious, scrumptious:

Spicy Chicken and Hazelnut Enchiladas

• 1 lb fresh or 1 12-ounce can tomatillos
•  2 cloves garlic, peeled
•  2 jalapeño peppers, seeded (about 2 teaspoons... or more!)
•  2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
•  2 tablespoons onion
•  2/3 cup sour cream (or 1/3 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup plain yogurt)
•  1 tablespoon honey
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  1/3 cup canned diced green chilies, drained
•  8 corn tortillas (don't even think about wheat for these)
•  2 cups cooked shredded chicken
•  2 cups shredded jack cheese
•  2 to 3 cups coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts

Yield: 6 servings

If using fresh tomatillos, prepare by washing and removing husks. Place in sauce pan, cover with water, and simmer until tender, about 5 to seven minutes; drain. If using canned tomatillos, drain and discard the liquid.

Sauce:
Mince garlic, jalapeños, cilantro, and onion in a food processor or blender. Add drained tomatillos, sour cream, honey, and salt; puree. Mix in green chilies and set aside.

Tortillas:
Soften tortillas either by wrapping in foil and placing in hot oven until warm, or by covering loosely with plastic wrap and placing in microwave oven until heated.

Divide chicken among the tortillas, add about two tablespoons each of sauce and cheese. Sprinkle each with about 2 teaspoons chopped hazelnuts, and roll tortilla around the filling.

Pour 1/4 of the remaining sauce in the bottom of a greased 9 x 12 baking dish. Place filled enchiladas in the dish, seam side down, and pour remaining sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and then with hazelnuts.

Bake in 350º oven until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Finding and Not Finding

In Bellingham, what I can't find so far:

1) Good Indian food but, particularly, no choices for South Indian cuisine, e.g. dosas and uthappams. I now know that I can find tremendous Indian food in Vancouver and suburbs. That's not so far for me, so voila if I'm willing to drive on a weekend or evening across an international border, which is now all beautiful because the Winter Olympics are coming.

2) Good pepper jelly. Okay, maybe it's a Southern thing, but it's a good thing. I can get two brands here, one of them Tabasco brand, and both of them lousy. It just ain't Atlanta on this score.

3) Restaurants serving grits. A no-brainer that it wouldn't be here, but maybe just one place. Grits have made it to other regions besides the south. I can't even find nouvelle grits which is having it's own popularity nationally, but not here. I make my own!




4) Dim Sum. Don't get me wrong, there's terrific dim sum in Richmond and Vancouver, oh so yummy. But not much in the way of dim sum with carts, which brings the fun of selecting things you don't know because you are looking at them. Thank goodness it's a fun Sunday thing, because here it's a travel thing.

I'll add to the finding and not finding list as I go.

Golfing Again

My adage was

I only play golf if someone else pays.

That worked when I was working in a corporation and I got to golf at Lake Arrowhead north of Atlanta, St. Simon's Island, GA, San Diego's Rancho Bernardo Inn, the signature Jack Nicklaus course at La Paloma in Tucson, the Shalishan Lodge in Gleneden Beach, OR, and more, all on the company's dime. Yes, we were doing company business surrounding these sojourns.

Now, thanks to the women at work and Shuksan Golf Club's Drinks and Divets Women's League, I'm out golfing again. This time on my dime, and I am enjoying it sooooo much. I love how women are so supportive of each other as we play. Nothing like it. And I think our games are getting better.

Finding Seafood So Far

I've had a few recommendations so far about where to find seafood to purchase and take home. Here's what I like so far:

1. Oysters - Greg M recommends Taylor Shellfish Farms, off of Chuckanaut Drive

2. Crab - Renee C recommends Finkbonner Shellfish (2301 Lummi View Dr, Bellingham, WA 98226-9277 * Phone 360 758-7030) They are in the wholesale business, but handle a few folks who come through for retail purchase. I've gotten dungeness there to cook at home and been a very happy consumer.

3. Wild Alaska Salmon - Jackie S suggests Desire Fish Company, right off the boat at Squalicum Harbor Gate 7 in Bellingham

Getting Started

I've been in this area for 22 months, and I'm learning about the area as I go. But before I become seasoned, I want to capture my finds, reactions, and learning. This blog is a space for me to do that, to record as I go.