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A Birthday Party for Dotter With Owls and Fondue

It seems like just yesterday we celebrated dotter’s 16th birthday. I told her and son they must never grow up but neither one of them listened to me. Son now towers over me and dotter celebrated her 20th birthday this weekend.

She’s my St Patrick’s Day baby. I told her over lunch the other day about the day she was born. She was mortified. It’s payback for her deciding to grow up.

I hid her birthday party supplies up high on a shelf but since dotter is also taller than me, I discovered that my high is not high enough. Thankfully she approved. She’s into owls lately.

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But what she did not see was all the hard work and heartache that was going into our party plans. And by heartache, I mean that these are not chocolate. I forgot about them baking for an hour and a half. It’s a six to eight-minute baking time recipe. Sigh.

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Ahhhh that’s better.

We found these adorable white chocolate shamrock mints at Common Folk in Bellevue, Washington. If you have not been, please do. And tell them I sent you. And buy mints. They are loverly.

Finally, the big day arrived. Here is dotter smiling with her cake.

Here is dotter thinking about how amazing 21 will be.

Here is dotter thinking deep thoughts.

Here is dotter… well, I don’t know what she’s doing in this picture but she’s adorable, even so.

And here is dotter ready to eat cake.

At dotter’s request, we did a fondue party. Here is my cheese fondue recipe.

Cheese Fondue:

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup hefferveisen beer
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons mustard
2-3 cloves minced or smashed fresh garlic
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)
1 pound block* sharp cheddar cheese, grated (or more, if desired)
Sea salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Sprinkle in flour and stir & cook for a couple of minutes (don’t skip this step or your fondue will taste yucky – like flour). Add liquids while continuing to whisk. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low heat until cheese is completely melted. Place in fondue pot or in crock pot to keep warm. If heated too high, sauce can separate, so be sure to keep over low heat.

*Block cheese is best because it’s not coated in cornstarch & will melt much better than pre-grated cheese.

And chicken broth for cooking beef & chicken. Just heat over a high heat (electric fondue pots are best for this) & add sea salt & pepper. Let everyone know how important it is that their raw chicken doesn’t touch their plates and gets cooked thoroughly before eating.

And this. Isn’t she beautiful? I adopted her from a thrift store. I love her.

Fresh berries, cutie orange pieces and banana slices ready to dip into the glorious chocolate. I love the Ghirardelli Chocolate 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips because they don’t have the cornstarch coating that normal chocolate chips have. Instead of becoming a thick mess, they melt perfectly.

Oh, yes, and mini marshmallows.

“More strawberries, please, Dad.”

New baby cuddles for Cindy – good for the soul.

I love the way toddlers smile after each step they take upstairs that they aren’t supposed to be climbing up. This little guy is so cute, he makes me forget there is anything else going on in the room.

Oh, yeah. Dotter’s birthday. Time for gifts!

And, finally, cake. Happy birthday, dotter. My Northwest has been brighter and luckier every day since you were born.

Speaking of gifts… it is now time to give away our four tickets to the Seattle Bites Food Tour! Thank you again, Seattle Bites! Let’s do this.

Congratulations to:

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Michele, I hope you and three of your friends enjoy the tour! Congratulations!

Ground Turkey Tamales With Enchilada Sauce Recipe

Tamale. Tamale. I love ya’ tamale. Only, you know, today is tamale. And tamale is today. Oh, who am I tryin’ to kid? I love tamales today. And every day. And tomorrow. And you will too… especially making them at home. This is a great recipe to make with friends or family. It is the social Mexican equivalent of snapping beans on the front porch in rocking chairs.

Prep:

Soak 20 large corn husks in water (there are usually about 40-50 to a bag sold in grocery stores). Place a clean plate or tray upon them to keep them from floating out of the water.

Ground Turkey Tamale Filling:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
20 ounces ground turkey
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano powder
3 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
Sea salt & pepper
1 teaspoon leaves from 2 sprigs fresh oregano, minced

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Add diced onions and fry until translucent then add ground turkey. Stir in chili powder, garlic powder, oregano powder, cumin, chipotle powder and plenty of salt & pepper. Cook until done then set aside.

Enchilada Sauce:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons chili powder
4 – 5 cups chicken stock and/or water
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Seas salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk continually while cooking for a couple of minutes. Whisk in chili powder and then pour in 4 cups of chicken stock and/or water. Sauce will thicken as it heats. Evaluate thickness of sauce and add 1 more cup of water or broth if desired. Cook down for a few minutes again and then turn heat to low. Stir in remaining ingredients. If you don’t think sauce is flavorful enough, it probably needs a bit more salt. Add salt just until you experience all the wonderful flavors. Stir 2/3 of the sauce into the ground turkey set remaining sauce aside for serving.

Masa Dough:

2 cups masa
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup shortening
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
Sea salt to taste

Place all ingredients into a large bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon until everything is combined. Taste and stir in additional salt of needed.

Assembling the Tamales:

Place about 6 cups of water in steaming pot and turn on high. Bring to a boil & turn heat down to medium to simmer. Don’t let the water get so high that it rises to the steaming rack as to not get the tamales wet.

Lay a softened corn husk out with top facing away from you. Press about 2-3 tablespoons of masa dough on the upper left side. Pressing with fingers, cover about 2/3 across the husk, leaving about 2-3 inches free at the bottom of the husk. It helps to pretend your making it the shape of the blue corner on the American flag.

Place a line of about 2-3 tablespoons of ground turkey filling straight up & down the middle of the masa dough. Turn corn husk so the left masa edge is facing you. Roll tamale away from yourself. Fold the bottom (which has no masa dough on it) up toward the top of the tamale. Repeat and place tamales on a tray.

When all tamales are prepared, place upward in the steaming rack. Simmer for about one hour.

To Serve:

It is most fun to place tamales in or on a pretty dish and serve in husks, allowing each guest to unroll their own. Of course, they will be very hot & steamy, so everyone will need to be careful. Serve with sauce and, if desired, grated cheese, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro and maybe diced tomatoes. The possibilities are limitless.

And to my friend, Roz, who recently sat with me, patiently picking cilantro leaves, let us make tamales next time and pick cilantro on the front porch together in rocking chairs. Today, tamale, or whenever you’d like to pretend we’re in an Anne of Green Gables movie – only, you know, based in Tijuana.

Fresh Start Balsamic Fruit Salad Recipe

Fresh starts are a good thing. I’m pretty sure we don’t give ourselves enough of them. Fresh starts are a result of proper grieving. Proper grieving happens not only after big, life-changing moments but also needs to be a part of our every-single-freakin’-day processing. We need to grieve when other drivers are rude to us, when our go-to coffee shop discontinues our favorite syrup flavor, and when we make a silly mistake in front of co-workers. We don’t need to cry over teeny-tiny everything, but we do need to acknowledge the feelings we have over the incident, talk ourselves through it with healthy, truthful words, and move forward without ignoring the lil’ bruise to our ego.

Have I ever mentioned that I’m a counselor too? Yeah. That. For realz. For the last twenty years, I’ve helped many people find their fresh starts and this always – and I mean always – includes grieving the past. There are textbook guidelines for grieving but there is no perfect recipe for getting over stuff. I mean, sometimes it just comes on too fast to keep up with the grieving. And sometimes we just don’t want to grieve yet. And sometimes no one has ever told us how important grieving is for the soul. And sometimes we excuse every bit of pain in our lives which just allows the stink to take up residency in our soul.

May I recommend a weekend away alone at your favorite B&B to find your fresh start? And may I recommend this fresh start salad to nourish your beautiful person in the meantime?

Balsamic Fresh Fruit Salad

4 nectarines
1 pound fresh strawberries
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 pint fresh blackberries
1 pint fresh raspberries
2 kiwis, diced (optional)
3/4 cup apricot jam (for sugar-free, use sugar-free jam)
1/4 cup warm water
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 basil leaves, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
4 Sprigs of mint (for garnish)

Rinse & drain nectarines & berries to clean. Cut nectarines in half. Set 4 halves aside.

Dice the remaining nectarines and place in large bowl. Peel and dice the kiwi and add to bowl. Remove stems from strawberries and dice then add to bowl. Add remaining berries to bowl as well.

In a separate bowl, passionately whisk together jam, water & balsamic vinegar. Add minced basil leaves and salt & pepper to taste. The salt should simply help bring out the other lovely flavors in the dressing.

Pour dressing over diced fruit & berries. Stir in gently until fruit is well-coated.

Place each nectarine half on a plate and top with diced fruit salad . Garnish each serving with a sprig of mint. Makes 4 servings.

You got this! Here’s to your fresh start. Also, this might be a good time to admit that I still haven’t forgiven Starbucks for ditchin’ their almond syrup eight years ago. Do as I say, not as I do.

Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Quiche

Sometimes I make recipes up, use them several times and then forget about them because I move on to new things. This recipe is one of those casualties. But then I made it again today. This may or may not have resulted in a Hobbit-like second breakfast. Sweet baby Jesus, this is good.

It’s bad for you. it’s good for you. It confuses the mind and comforts the soul. It is BLT quiche.

B.L.T. QUICHE INGREDIENTS:

1 Pillsbury pie crust (or homemade)
11 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup flour
1 cup medium cheddar cheese (or any cheese that melts well like gouda, gruyère, havarti), grated
1/2 bunch chopped green onions
3/4 cup pint tiny tomatoes cut sliced in thirds or half (grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes)
1 cup large bacon bits (cooked, drained & cut bacon or store bought bacon bits)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 head of romaine lettuce sliced into thin strips (chiffonade cut) for garnish
1 cup sour cream for garnish
6-8 tiny tomatoes cut in half for garnish

Place homemade pie crust or store bought Pillsbury (this brand because it isn’t sweet) pie crust in pie pan that is sprayed with non-stick spray, poke crust with a fork about 20 times all around and then bake for 15 minutes.

Place eggs, heavy cream, flour, cheese, green onion, tomatoes, bacon bits and salt & pepper in a large bowl. Using a fork, whisk ingredients together well. Poor quiche mixture into pie crust.

Bake quiche with a baking sheet on the shelf underneath it to help catch any possible overflow. Use a guard or foil to protect the edges of the crust from over-baking once they are light golden brown. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Quiche will continue to bake for a little while after removed from oven since it’s still hot.

Serves 6-8.

If you feel guilty, just add extra lettuce and tomatoes. Gluten-free friends, you can forget the crust and leave the flour out of this recipe.

20 Most Popular Posts in 2012

As I look back on 2012, I realize that sometimes the only thing that held me together was my high-gluten content.

Today, I present thee with the most delicious, gluteness list of my top 20 most visited recipes of 2012. There are even a few healthy ones, including number one.

How to Cook Filet Mignon Steak

Baked Potato Soup

Mini Corn Dogs Recipe

Heavenly Chocolate Pudding Parfaits Recipe

Homemade Blackberry Crumble Recipe

Chocolaty Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

Strawberry Glaze and Strawberry Tart Recipe

Saucy Balsamic Burgers Recipe AKA Saucy Balls

Sweet Swedish Rye Bread Recipe

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe

Almond Raspberry Truffle Cakes Recipe

Tator Tot Casserole Recipe

Buttery Cream Cheese Mints Recipe

Better Than Sex Dessert Recipe

Mud Pie Recipe

Butterscotch Milkshake Recipe

Homemade Chicken Fajita Seasoning Recipe

Layered Blueberry and Mango Smoothies

How to Make Perfect Homemade Pancakes

Seven Layer Salad Recipe

Yay, for salad! And bacon. And don’t worry. As much as I enjoy a refreshing, crispy salad, I will continue to bring you all things immoderation.

How to Make Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Sometimes seemingly simple things aren’t so simple. one of the most common and delicious dishes in all of the breakfast kingdom is scrambled eggs. It’s easy to end up with not enough eggs, eggs that are overcooked or maybe you just have a case of the blahs. Here’s an easy, gourmet twist on this breakfast comfort food just on time for Christmas.

Scrambled Eggs With Fresh Herbs

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
12 large eggs
1/4 cup water
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper
Leaves from 5 springs of fresh thyme, minced
Leaves from 1 sprig of fresh basil, minced
Leaves from 1/2 sprig of fresh rosemary, minced
Leaves from 4 sprigs of fresh oregano, minced
1 cup fully cooked shredded ham (optional)
3/4 cup Gruyère cheese, grated

Heat olive oil in a large, non-stick pan over medium heat then add onions. Cook onions, while stirring occasionally, until translucent. Make sure your non-stick pan is in great condition so that it truly is non-stick. Never use metal utensils with non-stick pans.

In a medium-large bowl, combine eggs, water, salt & pepper. With my salt shaker, I plan on three shakes per egg plus a few more shakes for the added water (what I normally add to one fried egg). Test your salt shaker and then plan accordingly the amount you need per egg when making scrambled eggs. Whip eggs until combined and golden using a fork and your wrist action – I find this gives me more control than using a whisk. It’s good to lift the fork often as you whip the eggs to incorporate as much air as possible into them.

After onions are translucent and eggs are well-beaten, turn heat to medium-high and add eggs to pan. Use a turner to scrape bottom of pan clean as you stir the eggs. The longer they cook, the less often you stir. When eggs are still a bit wet but starting to firm, turn heat to medium again and add minced herbs (save some for the top when eggs are finished cooking if you like), and ham. End cooking by taking large amounts of the eggs and flipping over gently… this will prevent your scrambled eggs from falling into tiny pieces and unbecoming. If serving right away, sprinkle with grated Gruyère and add about a tablespoon of water into the pan. Cover with a lid right away to create steam and serve after cheese has melted.

You can tell when your eggs are over-cooked when they begin to turn brown and they will have a different smell. Burnt egg smell is unique, so train yourself to recognize it and you’ll be golden – no pun intended.

If your serving time has been delayed or you would like to cook the eggs early, you can place them on a baking sheet when the eggs are firm but still undercooked. Sprinkle with cheese and cover with foil (should fit loosely on top so cheese doesn’t stick to it but tight around sides to keep moisture in & prevent over-cooked eggs). Bake in oven heated to 170F for longer wait or 200F for 10 minutes or less.

If you saved some minced herbs, sprinkle over the melted cheese and serve. Bask in the compliments.

Ham and Great Northern Bean Soup

The word “blizzard” has been tossed about in the northwest today. The wind is wildly dancing outside and it is likely that we will get a mix of rain, wind and snow for a few days. The media shall stir things up worse than the mighty wind and midwestern relatives will call to be sure we’re okay. We will tell them we have 2 inches of snow and they will laugh and the world will be okay again. Hot soup is the only remedy.

Ham & Great Northern Bean Soup Recipe

HAM & GREAT NORTHERN BEAN SOUP RECIPE

1 pound great northern beans, picked over, rinsed and drained
6 cups water for soaking + 7 cups water for cooking
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large smoked ham hocks, (or 1 pound smoked ham, shredded or diced)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 cup chopped celery
1 medium carrot, grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place beans and 6 cups of water in a large bowl. Discard any beans that float to the top of the water. Soak overnight (or 7-8 hours).

After soaking time is done, drain beans and set aside.

Braise ham hocks in olive oil over medium high heat on all sides (skip this step if not using ham hocks). Remove ham hocks from heat and set aside. Place chopped onion into remaining olive oil and cook until onions are golden or somewhat translucent. Add minced garlic if desired.

Pour about seven cups of water into the pot with onions. Add beans then ham hocks (or ham) back into pan as well.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about an hour. Add celery and carrots. Add salt & pepper to taste. Cook for another 30-60 minutes – until done. If using ham hocks, remove and allow to cool to the touch. Remove ham from them and place ham pieces back into soup.

Yes, we Seattlites will never make friends with the snow. Soup, on the other hand, well, it makes everything okay. Add corn muffins smothered in honey butter and blizzard? What blizzard?

Seared Scallops With Pan Sauce Recipe

Dear Scallops, I love you sizzling hot and topped with glorious sauce… a buttery wine sauce. Although I love you dearly, our relationship is short-lived for you are far too delicious to stick around for very long. Sin-sear-ly, Deanna

Rinse scallops (a few up to 1 pound) well before cooking if they came packed in juices.

Preheat pan to medium-high with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Pat dry scallops with paper towels. Season one side with sea salt & pepper.

Cook with seasoned side down first. Salt & pepper the unseasoned side while the first side cooks. Sear until medium brown and no longer stick to the pan. Do not overload & stack scallops in the pan.

Continue cooking until second side is seared to a medium brown as well.

PAN SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

2 cups sherry wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 clove minced garlic
2 teaspoons crushed red peppers
1-2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons butter
Leaves from 5 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh basil, minced

Reduce heat to medium. Remove scallops from pan and set aside while making pan sauce. Pour sherry wine into pan. This is called “deglazing the pan”. The end results are delicious.

Add mustard, garlic, crushed red pepper, Old Bay Seasoning and salt & pepper.

Whisk in butter until melted and toss in minced fresh herbs to finish.

If sauce appears to separate, just reduce heat a bit & add more wine to save it.

Serve with sauce and enjoy with pasta, potatoes or a lovely, fresh green salad.

P.S. Nice muscles.

Turkey Salad Recipe

Done with your hot turkey sandwich, turkey noodle soup, turkey fajita and turkey pot pie? If you don’t want to freeze the leftover turkey, maybe something a little lighter and refreshing is in order. Da da da daaaaa I present thee with turkey salad on, well, a salad. Use dressing if you must but it may not even be necessary when you taste this yummy turkey salad. For it alone packs a tasty punch.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups diced freshly cooked, chilled turkey (or chicken)
1 rib of celery, diced
1 tablespoon yellow onion, fine diced
1/2 cup canned sliced water chestnuts, cut into quarters (optional)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt & pepper
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Lemon Pepper

FOR SANDWICHES: Stir turkey, celery, onion, water chestnuts, mayonnaise, almonds, lemon pepper, salt & pepper together. Spread turkey salad on bread, add lettuce or sprouts and sliced tomatoes. Makes about 4 sandwiches.

FOR SALADS: Stir turkey, celery, onion, water chestnuts, mayonnaise, salt & pepper together. Place about 1 & 1/2 cups of lettuce on each plate. Place 1/4 of turkey salad on top of lettuce. Sprinkle with the almonds and lemon pepper. Add diced tomatoes and a little salad dressing if desired.

And, although I doubt it’s an issue, you can always freeze the leftovers if the extra turkey just won’t disappear after five turkey-filled days to save for the fun Snow on the Mountain tradition.

Pressed Dill Potato Slices & Dill Dip Recipe

I admit it. I love to have fun with my food… this is especially true when I’m getting ready for a dinner party.

What could make potatoes more fun? Well, I suppose almost anything would make spuds more exciting but I promise you that these will wow your family and friends. Serve them with a comforting soup or as a fancy appetizer for they are gorgeous eats and a delightful craft project all in one!

PRESSED DILL POTATO SLICES INGREDIENTS:

4 large russet potatoes (or 7 medium red potatoes)
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
A few stems of baby dill from one package (remaining dill is saved for dip recipe)

Preheat oven to 350F. Slice potatoes into about 1/4 inch circle-shaped slices. Place potato slices in a medium-large boil. Add olive oil, salt and pepper. Coat potatoes on both sides in olive oil mixture. Place one small sprig of dill upon each potato slice and place dill-side down onto a baking sheet. Repeat until every potato slice is on a baking sheet. This usually takes two half sheet pans. Bake for about 20 minutes on each side, until light golden brown and potato slices are soft inside.

DILL DIP INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sour cream
1 lemon, juiced
All of the remaining dill from one package of fresh dill (snipped finely)
Salt

Stir all ingredients together. This recipe can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until ready to serve.

You’d be hard-pressed to find potatoes as gorgeous as these. Yeah. I know. I’ll stop now.

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Reserve Your Suite and Find Your Favorite Recipes

A Birthday Party for Dotter With Owls and Fondue

Ground Turkey Tamales With Enchilada Sauce Recipe

Fresh Start Balsamic Fruit Salad Recipe

Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Quiche

20 Most Popular Posts in 2012

How to Make Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Ham and Great Northern Bean Soup

Seared Scallops With Pan Sauce Recipe

Turkey Salad Recipe

Pressed Dill Potato Slices & Dill Dip Recipe

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