Beef Bowl -- the Tradition Lives On

Every year at the annual Obon Odori (Japanese folk dance festival) at the parent's church, I make the beef bowl. This consists of beef (shaved thin), onion, and spinach. All in a tasty sauce served over rice. Hits the spot before some dancing! That's an impressive wok. I'm thinking about taking these skills pro at some point. Anyway, it was a good time. And now I'm officially hungry.

The Princess Bride! Outside!

Ha! I made a rhyme! And I mean it! One of my most favoritest movies was playing at the outdoor theater at Marymoor. And if you can find your way around Redmond (which I can not), you can get a nice picnic dinner at Whole Foods (fried chicken, sushi, chips, smoked mozarella pasta salad and some Orangina), claim your spot in a grassy Marymoor field, put on a comfy sweatshirt, cuddle up in a blanket next to your sweetie and watch theater. "As You Wish."

Mmmmm....and I got to have kettle corn!
*****Summertime fun.

Now That's A Burger!

I've been a bit of grilling this summer. It's fun, easy and the results are pretty dang tasty. Best housewarming gift to date. Thanks dad!

Top Foods has these insane gorgonzola burgers. I highly recommend them. Served with a side of K's famous potatoes and some grilled zucchini. Bon appetit!

Chinese Feast

Ok, if you ever go out to dinner for Chinese food with my dad, this is what you can expect: huge quantities of food. Yes, this is how we roll.

Blueberries!

So I had 3-1/2 pounds of blueberries from the picking. What did I do with them? I made my first blueberry pie ever!

Ingredients
Makes one 9-inch pie.
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
Pate Brisee
8 cups (about 4 pints) blueberries, picked over
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one disk of dough to a 12-inch round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour; fit dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate, pressing it into edges. Trim dough to a 1/2-inch overhang all around. Fold edge of dough over or under. Roll out remaining dough in the same manner; transfer dough (on parchment) to a baking sheet. Chill pie shell and dough until firm, about 30 minutes.

Place blueberries in a large bowl; with your hands, crush about 1/2 cup of berries, letting them fall into the bowl as you work. Add sugar, butter, cornstarch, flour, and lemon juice; stir to combine. Spoon mixture into chilled pie shell, mounding berries slightly in the center. Remove dough from refrigerator, and place over blueberry filling. Tuck edge of top dough between edge of bottom dough and rim of pan. Using your fingers, gently press both layers of dough along the edge to seal, and crimp as desired.

Using a paring knife, cut several vents in top of dough to allow steam to escape. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream. Brush surface with egg wash, being careful not to let it pool. Freeze or refrigerate pie until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in lower third.

Place pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking, rotating sheet halfway through, until crust is deep golden brown and juices are bubbling and have thickened, 40 to 50 minutes more. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely. The pie is best eaten the day it is baked, but it can be kept at room temperature, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.

Delicious!

Once

I saw the best movie today. Once. A movie about two people connecting. And all around the story is music. Good music. It made me feel good and sad. But, something special for sure. I would definitely check it out if I were you.

Previous to movie watching I picked blueberries. My sister called and said she was going this morning -- this was at 9am. So I ran out of the house before it got too hot on a quest for some yummy blueberries. I always seem to catch it toward the end of the season when it is slim pickings, but we got there in time for the big, juicy ones. Yay! I think there might be a pie in my near future. Definitely some muffins. And if I can get some peaches, I love that combo. Can't wait for my breakfast of yogurt, fruit and granola....

Baking and Making

I spent this morning baking and making a bunch of stuff. I loaded up on the groceries the other day and realized that I'm never going to get through it all. So, it was banana bread. But this recipe has rum-soaked raisins and coconut in it.

I bought some basil for a tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella salad. Had plenty left. Made a basil dressing for a change instead of the usual pesto.

Granola. Used that last of the coconut and my cashews to make some granola. Made the mistake of trying to bake it along with the banana bread so it got a little burnt. Not inedible. Just really extra toasty. Raisins get added in later. I'm feeling inspired to make some salads. I still have more tomatoes, avocado and grilled vegetables from last night's bbq action. We also did a kalbi flank steak, which turned out perfect! Oh, and these potatoes on the grill. Can I say, YUM?

Banana Bread Recipe

1/2 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup Jamaican rum
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
3 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup shredded coconut

1. Grease and lightly flour loaf pan, 9x5 inches
2. Place the raisins and rum together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Add the egg and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, soda salt, nutmeg and ginger together and add to the butter mixture alternately with the mashed banana, stirring well after each addition.
5. Gently fold in the coconut and raisins. Pour evenly into the prepared pan.
6. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until done. Cool 30 min, then invert on a wire rack and cool completely!

The Rat that Cooks

I took the kids to see Ratatouille. Whether you are a kid or an adult, this movie is about creatures who enjoy and appreciate food. What better subject? And you know how I love people who can talk about food. So, this rat can. And anything that takes me back to Paris is always welcome (that does not necessarily mean that I will see Rush Hour 3).

Bon appetit!

Transformers!

Here is the 4th of July rundown. Movie. Eat. Nap. Eat. Fireworks. It was a good time. Plus, I got to see Transformers! I think this might be the "must see" movie of the summer. It was surprising funny -- good funny. And of course it was action-packed and effects-filled. I can not claim that I knew anything about Transformers before seeing this, but they do have some kick-ass names. Optimus Prime, Megatron. AWESOME. Did I mention that these mechanical objects transform?

I was so hungry after the movie. And a burger sounded like an All-American choice, especially with a milkshake! And what's better than the drive in? So, to Burgermaster it was. All the usual plus a blackberry shake.

Siesta!

Off to Seattle to see some fireworks. Haven't done this in literally years. Alki looked packed so detoured to the waterfront. Nobody there! Couldn't pass up some fish and chips (and a little chowder). Made it out of there smooth. To bed for we work! ZZZZZZzzzzzz.....