Our Thanksgiving

What a wonderful holiday to give thanks with family and friends! This year Seth and I were able to celebrate with my family and here is a sampling of our menu:

Herb butter turkey stuffed with apples, onions, and cinnamon My grandmother's traditional cornbread dressing Sweet potato rounds roasted in garlic, sage, and maple syrupBaby squash and zucchiniRoasted fig and pear salad with Parmesan shavings, a crumbly picada of toasted garlic walnuts and a pomegranate vinaigretteCranberry orange sauce with crystallized ginger And topped with my mother's fabulous giblet gravy!A wonderful California red blendMmmm Turkey

Pecan pie with flaky crust and my random spun sugar garnish

Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving... now its time to start cooking for Christmas!

Bourbon, Bacon and Apple Cider

This past Friday was Seth's squadron Thanksgiving lunch, and I was signed up to make gravy for 50 people. As I was cooking, I realized that making gravy can be a slight hassle. In order to make it flavorful, you have to use the turkey dripping after the turkey is finished cooking. That leaves one juicy turkey sitting on the counter, and many hungry people all vying for a taste test of the bird while you are whisking away trying to get that gravy just right. My first gravy was too thick, mainly because I was distracted baking the turkey and side items. Gravy experience number two resulted in a thin gravy because the food was getting cold and my patient roommates were getting hungry. If I didn't have to wait on those drippings and was able to start the gravy sooner, I wouldn't have a problem with gravy!

Seth's lunch was a chance to experiment since I wasn't making a turkey. Bacon makes some great drippings and Seth enjoyed eating the leftovers. The smokiness of the bourbon really pairs well with the slight tang of apple cider. This recipe serves 10 people, or 8 if you're serving those who pour gravy over the entire plate.

Bourbon Bacon Gravy

1/2 lb bacon

Up to 1/2 cup butter, unsalted

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup Kentucky Bourbon

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup apple cider (unfiltered is best)

1 Tbsp onion juice (or 1 tsp onion powder)

Salt and Pepper to taste

-Fry up the bacon in a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven, reserving all bacon fat and drippings. Eat the bacon or make a BLT. If bacon fat measure less than 1/2 cup, then measure out butter to a total of 1/2 cup of fat.

-Heat the butter and bacon drippings and slowly add the flour, whisking constantly to make a roux.* Cook slowly on medium heat being careful not to burn. Once it gets to a peanut butter or chocolate color slowly add bourbon. Pour in remaining liquids and stir. Bring to a soft boil for 30 minutes. Add seasonings to taste. Simmer until dinner is ready!

-If gravy isn't thickened to your taste, make a paste of 1 tbsp cornstarch and a tbsp of liquid (I used leftover hot coffee) and stir into gravy.

*I prefer a darker gravy so I need my roux to be the color of chocolate in order to get that nutty flavor! It is really easy to burn a dark roux, so I cook it until it gets to a milk chocolate color and then turn off the heat. The residual heat continues to cook the roux to the perfect dark chocolate color. This requires A LOT of whisking and patience but it pays off. I stood over the stove whisking for almost an hour, however I was making large batch roux. The time depends on how dark you like your roux and gravy.

I apologize for the bland looking picture. There were some hungry sailors waiting for lunch!

Thankful!

We have so much to be thankful for and because Thanksgiving is only a week away, I thought I'd share why I love my new kitchen...
Yes, that is a garbage disposal, and if you've ever lived on Whidbey Island you know why I am thankful for this simple appliance! Sometimes I grind up a lemon just to smell that citrus zing in my sink.

Icemaker! We're finally back to loading our water glasses with tons of ice and I can throw away those plastic ice molds.


Ahhhh and we're cooking with gas!

And this is the view from my kitchen. I can actually see the Chesapeake glistening through the leaves while I wash dishes. We are so blessed!

Almost Ready...

After a month and a half of moving, I think we have some semblance of order in the Harbin house. I'm not quite ready to start blogging again, however I thought I'd share a picture from the local farmers in Southern Maryland.


Yes, a giant cornucopia! See you soon!

Time Off

Hello Everyone!

Sorry that I've been away for so long, this has been one crazy month! Seth came home from deployment, we took a belated anniversary trip (details to come in another post), and now we're in the process of moving and driving across the country to our new home! All that to say that the kitchen is officially out of order until mid-September. I will however keep you updated on any foodie finds along our trip. See you soon!The Movers told me that they'd never seen so many kitchen items packed into such a small kitchen!A whole box of spices...

Keep it Simple

After a long day at work....

Sometimes all you need for dinner are a few fresh shelled peas and succulent chicken with crispy skin.

Day 7

On Day 7 I was so excited. I thought I was down to a few onions and salads when I came home with my new CSA installment. However, as I was moving things around refrigerator, I found a bag full of rainbow chard and cabbage. How could I have forgotten? This week's basket included fresh garlic and a small bunch of basil. Those ingredients inspired me to make a chard pesto. And with two week's worth of chard, I made A LOT of pesto. Good thing it freezes well!

Chard Pesto:

Makes 2 cups

2 bunches of chard, ribs removed

3 cloves of garlic

1 cup pine nuts

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup olive oil, or more

-Saute chard leaves until barely wilted

-Puree all ingredients in a food processor, adding more oil until pesto reaches desired thickness. Spoon into jars and cover with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent browning. Refrigerate or freeze until use.

Community Supported Agriculture

So I have to admit, I've been lazy and not just with my blog! After returning from a crazy house hunting trip, a good friend picked up my CSA and put it in my fridge. I spent a couple days casually making salads, sauteeing up some kale with my Walla Walla onions, and eating raw snap peas like candy. I wasn't really thinking, until I picked up my CSA today and realized that I still have half a share left from last week AND a share to eat this week. All the veggies from the farm can last several weeks so I wasn't feeling the pressure of using everything before they went bad. Its just that my crisper is full and we'll be moving in 2 months so I don't really want to stock my freezer. This week I've decided to use vegetable in my crisper and prepare it in a way that is more creative than a simple saute. If you have suggestions let me know!

Here is my inventory:

2 heads of lettuce

1/4 pound salad mix

1 head cabbage

1/2 pound sugar snap peas

1/2 pound fava beans

1 kohlrabi

1 fennel with fronds

1 bunch kale

1/2 pound broccoli

3 Walla Walla onions

1 bunch golden beets

So far today I've eaten half my sugar snap peas as well as a leafy salad with beets (boiled and chopped) and a lemon ginger dressing. I also blanched and froze the beet greens for use later in the week, maybe a quiche? Washing and prepping all these veggies takes time, but they are so delicious. These vegetables were picked this morning, so think of their nutritional content. Go support your local farmer's market or farm stand!

Update: I've now eaten ALL my sugar snap peas, so delicious!

Restaurant Reviews

For those of you who don't know, I'm currently getting my Masters of Gastronomy from Le Cordon Bleu. Its been very challenging at times (which is why I don't post as often, sorry!) but well worth it! I've started year two and this semester we're studying Gastronomic Communication. Our latest assignment was to write 3 restaurant reviews, so I thought I'd share one with you. Seth took me to the Oyster Catcher as an early birthday suprise and we had a wonderful time.

The Oyster Catcher Takes Off!

Last week I was scolded by one of my favorite wine and cheese shop owners. “You’ve NEVER been to the Oyster Catcher?” After hearing her shock, I suggested to my husband that we visit, and soon! Whidbey Island is mostly rural, so the fine dining options are far and few between. When most people want a special occasion dinner, they usually drive down to Seattle, which is a shame because we have a jewel of a restaurant right on the Island. Coupeville is a sleepy little fishing town mid-island where shops open and close as they please. The Oyster Catcher is no different. They are only open for dinner Thursday thru Sunday evenings and can seat 30 people at the most. As far as ambiance goes, the intimate dining room has gorgeous views of the town and Penn Cove, and the tables feature vases of local daffodils and tulips. The menu consisted of six appetizers (each $12), six entrees (ranging $23-31) and five desserts ($7-9) with several vegetarian options.

The chefs, Jamie and Joe, both have experience at several restaurants in France and Spain, and their food displays their knowledge. They combine their European style and technique with local specialty ingredients in a simplistic way that truly captures the essence of this small seaside town. I also enjoyed that they designed the restaurant around a semi-open kitchen, only providing a glimpse of the chef’s upper torso. Although we couldn’t see the chefs actually preparing our food, we could watch their facial expressions and movements while avoiding the actual heat of the kitchen.

Our waitress promptly greeted us with water and delicious focaccia bread drizzled with Spanish olive oil and sea salt. She described the Catch of the Day and other specials in a way that made you want to order one of everything on the menu. Instead of doing that, we opted for an appetizer of house cured bresaola, local arugula, and parmigiano-reggiano with a sprinkling of aromatic olive oil and meyer lemon juice. It was everything an opening dish should be, flavorful and light, with a balance of seasonings that leaves you wanting more. The thinly sliced bresaola nearly melted in your mouth and played well with the salty cheese, piquant greens, and citrus. I wish I could buy the bresaola from them by the pound! Next time I might try the steamed Penn Cove mussels in an herbed white wine butter sauce or the veal sweetbreads with grainy mustard and crème fraiche (that is if the menu does not change in the mean time). The chefs work with local and in- season ingredients so the menu is constantly evolving.

Moving on, each of our entrees came with either soup or salad. My husband’s soup was a vegetarian winter broth that consisted of various root vegetables. It was earthy, rich, and you did not even miss the meat. The salad was perfectly imperfect blend of local greens from Willowood Farm (just down the road), homemade focaccia croutons, and candied almonds dressed in a red wine and mustard vinaigrette. Although my husband enjoyed the savory and sweet salad, I thought the sugary dressing masked some of the flavor from the lively greens. The Oyster Catcher’s wine bottle list was quite diverse, with some high-end and more economic French and Spanish choices, as well as a wonderful blend of local Washington favorites ($24 and up). Unfortunately, they only give you around 6 choices of wines by the glass ($7-11). However each of our selections were well balanced and paired beautifully with our dishes. If you'd like to bring your own wine, they do offer a corkage fee of $20 a bottle.

Although it took me a while to decide on an entrée, my husband knew exactly what he wanted, roasted quail with turnip sauce and gooseberry chutney. The skin was crispy with perfectly cooked meat that paired well with the tang and cream from the sauce. As delicious as the dish was, it did not compare with my braised venison shank. I didn’t even need to use my knife, because this meat was so tender and perfectly prepared. The venison was hardly gamey and the chef did a wonderful job of bringing out the velvety flavors without over complicating. Along with my venison, I was given the chance to retry my peppery local greens and this time with an orange juniper cream sauce. It was a much better combination, giving the entire dish a pleasant earthiness that I will order again. Unless the braised pork shoulder with bacon, mustard and sherry sounds like a better idea.

While I could have stopped at the entrees and been perfectly satisfied, we could not resist trying the desserts. It wasn’t a hard decision to pick the flourless chocolate gateau. It had an almost
custard like texture and was dusted with a rich cocoa powder. The salted caramel sauce and whole toasted hazelnuts balanced the intense chocolate in a complex way and I almost licked the plate. Our other dessert choice was an almond and tupelo honey ice-cream sprinkled with cocoa nibs and served with vanilla shortbread cookies. I half expected an overly sweetened dessert, and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t. The ice-cream was simplistic yet opulent. You could taste the fresh honey and almond unified in a non-artificial medium and it was truly luscious. Add that to the gentle crunch of cocoa nibs and you have a lifetime customer!

Our waitress was absolutely fabulous, especially considering that she had four other tables to tend to. She patiently answered all our questions about ingredients while keeping our water glasses full and busing tables. When our check came, she brought out two small creamy chocolate stars sprinkled with cocoa nibs, although I was a little too full to truly enjoy them. The service was amazing and the food was even better. I highly suggest that next time you think about driving off the Island, you try the Oyster Catcher!

Eggs

Just a little post to share my love of farm fresh eggs. The lovely shell colors remind me of Easter eggs! The dark yellow yolks are rich and make delicious custards and mayonnaise. A small reminder that spring is coming...

Vacation Food

Seth and I just returned from a vacation to see family and friends, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite foodie moments:

-Black Bottle in downtown Seattle has delicious flatbreads (roasted chicken, sweet onion, and dried cherry).

-During the road trip to Mexico Beach, Fla we stopped at "I'm Buck" (in between Phenix City and Eufala) for some boiled green pnuts and conversation with the locals.

-Seth's mother's quiche lorraine, mmmmmm!

-Indian Pass Raw Bar has delicious steamed Apalachicola Oysters and crab legs. No frills, then again good shellfish doesn't need embellishments.

-We spotted a man who looked EXACTLY like Tom Colicchio from Top Chef. Except he had a country accent and was the cashier at Gulf Food Store, oh well!

-My Mother's cheese grits. Delicious enough to turn anyone into a grits lover!

-For my sister's birthday my family dined at Woodfire Grill in Atlanta. The Executive Chef was Kevin Gillespie (yes, Top Chef contestant) and we ordered everything on the menu save 2 appetizers, 1 entree, and a few desserts. Although I wish I could list all the delicious-ness, I'll give you my favorite tastes from the menu:

• Roasted beets with a bruleed goat chevre
• Grilled duck breast with sauteed endives, black eyed peas and duck cracklins
• Sunchokes with mint, zaatar and pomegranate molasses
• Cocoa nib doughnuts, coconut ice cream, and passion fruit caramel
• All pork items on the menu that we tried: pepper glazed pork belly, bacon gastrique, coca-cola glazed country ham, bacon brittle,and wood grilled pork loin. Now all I need to do is framed the signed menu!

Overall we had a wonderful trip and I'll be back to my recipes once again!

Homemade Mayo

Before I loose your attention, let me tell you that you can make homemade mayonnaise in 8 minutes! (and in even less time in a food processor) Alton Brown's Good Eats episode intrigued me with the science of emulsion and I can no longer eat store bought mayo. Another factor that makes homemade mayo so delicious... the use of fresh eggs. The yolks are dark yellow and they add a wonderful richness to the sauce. This mayo is a darker yellow than the typical brand (because of the yolks and mustard) but that's just added character! Although I can't say that I improved on Alton's recipe, I will say that I adapted the recipe to my taste. Small side note: It isn't recommended that those with compromised immune systems or pregnant women consume raw egg; use a pasteurized egg instead.

Home Mayonnaise:

1 large fresh egg yolk

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1/2 to 1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup canola oil

-Whisk together the egg yolk, juice, vinegar, mustard, and salt until blended and bright yellow.

-In a VERY slow stream add the oil to the egg mixture while whisking vigorously for several minutes. When the mayo is combined and thick, cover and chill for a few hours.

Leftover mayo makes great garlic aioli, but my favorite thing to do is make...

Tuna Salad:

1/3 cup homemade mayo

1/4 cup sour cream

Zest and juice from 1/2 lemon

1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

1 lb chunky white tuna

1 small shallot, minced

2 ribs of celery, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

-Whisk mayo, sour cream, juice, and dill to combine. Stir in remaining ingredients and chill. (If shallots are too strong, you can soak them in ice water for an hour before adding them to the recipe)

California Eats

Well it has been a while since I’ve been able to blog. Seth and I just got back from our vacation to San Francisco and San Luis Obispo California, and we had a wonderful time visiting family, tasting wine, and generally touring around. So I thought I’d write a few of our favorite eats along the way, starting with our dinner at Café Chez Panisse...

 First off, they made their own sparkling water on site and the black crusty bread and creamy herb butter was enough to satisfy before the meal started. My salad was a delicious peppery argugula and fennel salad with a savory hand-stretched mozzarella topped with an olive tapenade. Seth LOVED the combination of the flavorful cheese paired with the salty tapenade. My main entrée consisted of veal medallions and herb roasted chanterelle mushrooms (which tasted as if they were picked from the woods that day). The preparation was so simple and the flavors of the ingredients really stood out! Seth’s buttermilk fried halibut with sweet and sour peppers was tangy and delicious. The buttermilk batter was so light it could have been tempura, yet it stayed true to the richness of buttermilk. For dessert, we shared a fig and raspberry clafoutis topped with fennel cream, and it was the perfect ending to a fabulous dinner! As you can tell, Seth really spoiled me on this trip  J 

Other delicious eats worth noting:

-Dark black-crusted peasant bread from Boulange in San Fran

-Free home-style breakfast at the Marine Memorial hotel with apple wood smoked sausage and blueberry pancakes

-Big Sky’s beignets filled with real raspberries (none of that jelly stuff)

-The four course dinner and wine pairings at the Cass House, where I tasted my first fois gras, sauternes, and veal marrow. Delicious!

-Many of the wonderful wineries and tasting rooms: Per Bacco, Tally, Turley, L’Adventure, Four Vines, and Saucilito. And for once, we bought more whites than reds. Very odd for us because we LOVED the pinots, syrah, and zins of Paso Robles, but this trip renewed our interest in chardonnay, viognier, and roussane.

-All the wonderful food Hannah (Seth’s sister) made, including focaccia,  goat cheese and bread quiches, along with bacon!

CSA Basket Two

So this week I recieved...

One bag Arugula

Bunch of Carrots

Purple Cauliflower

Georgian Fire Garlic

Kale

Lettuce

Napa Cabbage

And more Sugar Snap Peas!

Sorry that I'm behind on the recipes, I'm trying to finish my final essay for my Masters! See you when the semester is over!

Christmas in June

So this year I've decided to join a CSA program. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and these programs are great for those who want to buy seasonal local produce. A CSA is a great way to connect with an area farmer and really learn about the food you're eating. Typically a farmer offers a number of shares per year and each week you go pick up your share of produce. Rosehip Farm and Garden in Coupeville offered this program and I decided to sign up! Since Seth is in and out of town, I choose to buy a half share so I'll be getting produce every other week. As I drove down to Coupeville this morning, it literally felt like Christmas morning. I had no idea what produce I would find! As I pulled up to the cute yellow farm house, I was greeted by Farmer Linda. She pointed out that alfalfa was being harvested in the field across the street and the bald eagles were swarming all over for their breakfast. It was so nice to have a conversation with the person who grew my food. I ducked inside and was amazed by the beautiful display of vegetables picked that very morning. Farmer Linda instructed me on what and how much produce to take and I felt like a kid in a candy shop. This week I was able to take home:

~A Bag of speckled salad greens with tiny edible flowers

~Bunch of Kale

~Kohlrabi (more to come on this veggie later)

~Bunch of rainbow chard

~Heads of red and green lettuce

~Garlic scallions

~Bunch of herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary, and chives)

I was a tad disappointed because they promised green peas, but they just weren't ready. That's the risk you take when you buy seasonal. Looks like I'll be getting my greens this week! Gotta run and figure out what to do with that kohlrabi...

Spring in a Jar

From the view outside my kitchen window, it's clear to see that spring hasn't sprung on Whidbey Island. In an attempt to satisfy my spring fruit cravings, I found some half-decent looking strawberries at the commissary. Fruit at the commissary seems to come in large containers and spoils quickly. What do I do with excess fruit? Make jam and can it! This brief sense of enlightenment was interrupted by practicality. I lack the proper canning equipment and knowledge to successfully produce a decent jelly. But that shouldn't stop me...

After a little research, I found that making freezer jam is quick and easy. Not that I'm always a fan of quick and easy, but the thought of sterilizing jars gives me nightmares of botulism contamination and sick friends, not good! One day I'll learn to can properly, but I need my spring fruit fix now, so I'll stick with quick and easy. At our local Ace Hardware store, I found an entire section dedicated to canned goods and I picked up a packet of No Cook Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin (what a mouthful). Side note: Pectin is a soluble fiber used as a gelling agent in preserves. Many fruits naturally contain pectin, but by adding more, the jam stabilizes without heating to condense the fruit. By not cooking the fruit, you get a fresher tasting result!

I tweaked the recipe on the back of the packet and it turned out delicious! Not being a fan of super sweet preserves, I only added half the sugar the recipe called for. If you're looking for a diabetic version, you can replace the sugar with Splenda. I also squeezed some fresh lime juice because I love an acid combination with sweet berries. Slather this jam on toasted country bread and you've got a yummy snack! My fruit-loving taste buds were sated (for a little while).

Strawberry Lime Freezer Jam

4 cups fresh ripe strawberries

1/2 to 1 cup sugar

zest and juice from 1 lime

1 (1.59oz) packet Freezer Fruit Pectin

-Slice strawberries and pulse in a food processor (or use a potato masher) until desired consistency (I like mine chunky). Add lime juice, zest, and sugar to taste and zest. Stir in pectin packet, and mix for around 3 minutes.

-Ladle into glass or plastic jam jars. Chill 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let pectin set and thicken. Makes about 5 (8oz) jars. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to a year. Enjoy!

Love Thy Coffee

Eat fresh, eat local.... blah blah blah. I never gave local eating much thought before living on Whidbey Island. Then again I've never lived this close to farms, wineries, and AMAZING coffee. It's so much easier to buy local, so I am! And I've fallen in love.... with Honeymoon Bay Coffee. (The shop is behind Safeway and across from Papa Murphy's, for those Oak Harbor residents) Roast Master Mike Donohoe sells only Certified Organic and Fair Trade beans that he roasts each day. Talk about fresh! You can sit in the cozy chairs and enjoy a cup while you watch Mike use the giant vintage roaster to produce small batches of specialty beans. Words can't express the intoxicating aromas.

All that aside... what truly changed my habit of buying "whatever is on sale" (that sat on the shelf who knows how long) was the taste of freshly roasted and brewed coffee. It actually tasted like coffee should taste. What a difference! Sometimes I drink it black, just to enjoy the smooth richness that I missed with grocery store coffee. Drinking is the easiest part. Deciding which blend to buy is a difficulty. I usually go for the darker variety (like French roast), but their Reveille Reveille blend has enough kick to get ya going any rainy Whidbey morning without tasting burnt. We've also tried Buzz Bomb and Oak Town Decaf, which are lighter roasts but full of flavor. (For a full list check out the website: http://www.honeymoonbaycoffee.com/)

The only bad thing about buying local and being in the Navy is that you become attached to your favorite spots, then the Navy makes you move. I guess the upside is that you can find more fun local spots. So even if you don't live near Honeymoon Bay Coffee, try to find a local roaster and experience fresh roasted coffee for yourself. You'll never go back!

Red Wine and Chocolate

Last weekend the Whidbey Island Vintners hosted a Red Wine and Chocolate tasting. Chocolate??? Wine?? Two of my favorite food groups! I had no problem tempting Seth to join me on an excursion to the south end of the island, plus we've been pleasantly surprised about Washington State's wines. I can't begin to go into all the details of the wines we tasted that day, so I'll just list our favorites. (Disclaimer: Seth and I are relatively new to the wine tasting world, so I apologize if I don't use the correct descriptive terminology. We have our own crazy wine language)

First stop: Greenbank Farm Wine Shop. They featured wines from Fish Talk and Blooms of Whidbey. But I would have to say that the best wine there was (no surprise) the Loganberry wine. It is definitely great for dessert, and it blended with the Loganberry chocolate truffles in a tangy rich perfection. An excellent excuse to host a chocolate party!

Next up: Greenbank Cellars. What a spot! The tasting room has a gorgeous marble top bar that is totally unexpected from the rustic barn exterior. I was very interested in trying their Cabernet Franc because I've usually only seen it in blends with stronger reds. On its own, it was very mellow and almost earthy. Their Sangiovese was quite good, but our favorite was the Cab Sauvignon. The only problem with these wines was that we were expecting something a little more bold and everything seemed very light. Maybe my tongue was confused with the many varieties, but we noticed that many of the wines made with Whidbey Island grapes tasted almost.... watered down? If anyone has insight into this please let me know!

Third on our list: Holmes Harbor Cellars was just the place we were looking for! Greg Martinez selects his grapes and crafts his wines like a chef carefully selects ingredients for an intricate gourmet meal. Each tasting was a piece of art. We started out with their fabulous Pinot Noir which took to the milk chocolate better than the dark chocolate (to my sad dismay). All other wines were forgotten when we tried his Walla Walla Valley Syrah. When I think of comfort I usually play a scenerio in my head that consists of many things, including a leather sofa. This Syrah was like drinking a leather sofa. Not only did it smell like a tack shop, but its rich smoothness warmed me in a way no hot beverage ever could. We oohed and ahhed over it so long that we bought a bottle to take home. It's a splurge (about $30 a bottle) but well worth it if you need to warm yourself up on a special rainy PacNorthWest day!

Lastly: Whidbey Island Winery was a fun spot nestled away near Langley. Their Sangiovese left me with a spicy anise finish that made me wonder why I hate all things licorice. We ended up purchasing a bottle of their 2007 Primitivo (or Zinfandel) because I'm becoming obsessed with that grape and getting the name "Zinfandel" out into the public without the word "White" prefacing it. (As Seth's sister, Hannah once told me... Friends don't let friends drink White Zin.)

Anyways, I highly suggest going to any of these shops for local wines. The only thing this day lacked was good food to pair with the wine, but I guess that's my job now...

Begin...

"Taste and see that the Lord is good." -Psalm 34:8

This has been a motto for my life! Food is necessary for sustenance and life, yet God created wonderfully created complex flavors and textures to experience. He wants us to enjoy food! As I go through life, I'm constantly tasting new foods and experimenting with ideas, so this blog is here to share my experiences (good or bad) with whoever has the patience to read it. Enjoy!