Happy Birthday Truffle Cafe

Last night, I went to La Buona Tavola's, 5 year birthday celebration. The party was blessed with music by Andre Feriante, the ever so talented flamenco guitarist who was included in MSN's 12 sexy bald men. Unfortunately I only got a picture of him playing and didn't get a picture of his dreamy light coloured eyes.
You can catch him live at Hotel 1000, every Friday and Saturday, 8-midnight
Bob Crosby charmed the crowd with Italian opera singing and enchanting stories to go with it.
Most of the people attending were regular tasters, who participate in the wine tastings each month or stop by for the 5 dollar daily wine tastings held everyday from 1-5.
A huge 3 liter bottle of Prosseco was shared with the crowd along with lots of other wines.
In case you aren't familiar with La Buona Tavola...It is a specialty food store in the Pike Place Market that carries truffles, truffle salt, truffle oil and other specialty foods of every kind. Read about the place in a post that I wrote a while back.

David, Rei(The Truffle Queen) and the huge bottle!




Pana Carasau, a Sardinian bread brushed with olive oil and some salt

Easy, Quick Peach Cake

This is such an easy cake. I make this when unexpected guests drop in. It literally takes just a few minutes to put together and the smell is so inviting. It's one of those dry cakes that has just a touch of fruit.


Peach mixture:

6-8 peaches

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of sugar

Flour mixture:

1 and 1/2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1/4 of a teaspoon of salt

1 cup of sugar

3 eggs

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

2/3 cup of oil

On top (makes a sugary crust)

1 tablespoon of sugar

a handful of pecans


1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop the peaches into squares (size doesn't matter)
2. Put in bowl with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, eggs, oil and 1/4 of a teaspoon of cinnamon
4. Oil a round baking pan and places peaches on bottom.
5. Pour the flour mixture on top.
6. Sprinkle pecans on top. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar evenly on cake.
7. Bake for 40 minutes or until ready.

Note: I forgot the oil but I have added it.

This is such an easy cake. I make this when unexpected guests drop in. It literally takes just a few minutes to put together and the smell is so inviting. It's one of those dry cakes that has just a touch of fruit.


Peach mixture:

6-8 peaches

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of sugar

Flour mixture:

1 and 1/2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1/4 of a teaspoon of salt

1 cup of sugar

3 eggs

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

2/3 cup of oil

On top (makes a sugary crust)

1 tablespoon of sugar

a handful of pecans


1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop the peaches into squares (size doesn't matter)
2. Put in bowl with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, eggs, oil and 1/4 of a teaspoon of cinnamon
4. Oil a round baking pan and places peaches on bottom.
5. Pour the flour mixture on top.
6. Sprinkle pecans on top. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar evenly on cake.
7. Bake for 40 minutes or until ready.

Note: I forgot the oil but I have added it.

Herbivoracious Dinner

Michael from Herbivoracious invited my husband and I for a six course vegetarian dinner last week.
My husband found it hard to digest the fact that a vegetarian dinner could be just as filling and full of flavors as one made with meat dishes.
Michael's classy thoughtfully presented dinner proved to my husband that vegetables combined with the right amount of patience and skill can create a unique symphony of flavors, a truly unforgettable dinner.
The theme of the menu was asparagus. Dinner started with a buckwheat blini topped with asparagus caviar and creme fraiche. Another dish was a Panko crusted hard boiled egg with smoked asparagus and sherry gastrique. The smokiness of the vegetable gave it a more savory taste and texture and the crust on the egg offered a surprise to the dish.
Have you ever had a Panko crusted hard boiled egg? Probably not, I am pretty sure Michael invented it.
Everyone was raving about his Grapefruit Shiso Sorbet. The shiso leaf had a minty touch that complemented the refreshing sorbet.
He put together a flavorful risotto with asparagus tips, morels and mascarpone. You can't underestimate the flavors of fresh, high quality ingredients like these.
All courses were a flavor surprise and anticipating the taste of each new beautifully plated dish was a huge part of the fun. The people were sweet, the conversation flowing and the food was marvelously well done.
The real question is: Michael, where can we taste more of your wonderful dishes?

Spinach Strawberry Salad

love munching on spinach.
My husband needs a little convincing when it comes to leafy greens. I make this salad for him all the time. Then we end up fighting over who gets more.

Ingredients:

Spinach
Mizithra (a light salty Greek cheese) grated finely
any salty cheese tastes great such as ricotta salata or feta
Sliced Strawberries
Sliced pecans or other nuts (This time I used Sahale Snacks Valdosta Pecans with sweet cranberries , black pepper and orange zest)

1. Drizzle with olive oil and enjoy!

Salty's, What a View!

I have heard the name Salty's so many times since I moved to Seattle. Finally I went to Salty's on Alki Beach for the first time.

The dinner started off with a huge assortment of rolls including fresh savory scones. I actually filled up on the scones because they were so addictive.
I ordered the Halibut with Beurre Blanc and Risotto with Corn and Asparagus as a side dish. The halibut was delightful and the risotto was deliciously creamy. The place was packed, the people were positive and the service was great.
The dinner was one of those" I love Seattle" experiences, especially when I watched the sun come down right on the water. So romantic! Next time I have guests from out of town, I know where I am taking them.


After I got home I was talking to a friend about the experience (I must add that this person is quite picky when it comes to food)

Me: I went to Salty's
The food was really amazing.
Him: Of course, that is why they always win so many awards (best Sunday brunch, best seafood and steakhouse in Seattle and Portland and the list goes on).
Me: So what do you think it is about it?
Him: They have great service, lots of staff and they use fresh ingredients.

It all made sense!



My husband made me put this picture because he loved the chocolate cake!

Seattle Cheese Festival and University District Fair

In April, I waited and waited for May to come. May means more Seattle Events, May means
Pike Place Market is full of people and May is supposed to mean nice weather. Okay so I will wait another week.

This weekend , will you be at the cheese festival or at the University District Fair?
Read my post about these events a month ago. I was really excited!

Wine and Spirits Magazine Seattle Hot Picks Event

Hot Picks is a two day tasting event that shows off the wines the critics are drinking now. It's a wine tasting event that gives attendees the opportunity to connect with some of the top wine professionals.

Seattle, Tuesday, June 24, 6:30 – 9:30pm--Paramount Theater, (911 Pine Street, Seattle, WA 98101)

Los Angeles, Thursday, May 22, 7 – 10pm--MODAA Gallery, (8609 Washington Boulevard, Culver City 90232)

A good reason: In keeping with Wine & Spirits Magazine's mission to raise awareness of water conservation issues, a portion of the event proceeds will benefit local water conservation organizations (Los Angeles: Surfrider; Seattle: the PugetSoundkeeper Alliance), who will be on site during the tastings.

For more info, Click here
For admission prices, click here

Seattle Supermarket

Brace yourself foodies.............Another place to get food in Seattle

In June this year, Seattle's only full- service supermarket will open, Kress IGA Supermarket.

It will be located at 1423 Third Avenue in basement level of the historic Kress Building at Third and Pike.
It will offer national name brands alongside natural and organic options. There will be fresh food departments, deli, meat, produce, wine, frozen foods, dairy etc. Basically everything you find in a supermarket and more.

Now, like anything or anyone that would like to be embraced by Seattlelites....... The place is green conscious: low impact produce packaging, recycled products and embrace of local vendors
Just enough to make the Whole Foods Market, green with envy.

Read about it on Cornichon

Food Blogger Meetup Capital Grille

Have you ever noticed how one ripe banana can speed up the ripening process of all the fruits around it?
The bloggers have officially ripened. Let the summer begin!
When I started the blogger events a while ago,I just hoped that people with similar interests would start talking. It was awkward at first for some. Introducing your blog to a room full of foodies was somewhat intimidating.
Last night the chemistry changed, each blogger finally ripened, revealing such sweet unique personalities. For the first time I can actually say that the chemistry between each and every blogger was better than any of us could possibly imagine.
Is it the sweet summer lurking around the corner that is speeding up the process? Is it just about time that apples and bananas realize that they have something truly genuine in common?

The atmosphere last night was one of the reasons for such a success. We sat in one of the private rooms at the Capital Grille. The lights were dimmed, the mood was set and we were wined and dined by some of the most courteous and welcoming waitstaff that I have ever encountered. Around twenty of us voracious eaters, made strange sounds with our mouths as we continued to indulge and indulge and well, indulge again.

Our meal started with some appetizers: kobe beef carpaccio, lobster & dungeness crab cakes and pan-fried calamari with hot cherry peppers. There was one dish that I could not stop eating. I was literally mesmerized by the combination of flavors, fresh mozarella, heirloom tomatoes and basil. The 12 year balsamic vinegar added the uniquely sweet and acidic taste that turned this salad into perfection. It seems like such a simple caprese salad but when the ingredients are right, nothing could beat this taste. By the end of the salad, I was almost full.
My husband ended up eating my kona crusted dry aged sirloin even before I got a chance too, along with his own sirloin. I am always more preoccupied with the sides, allowing myself to have unlimited creaminess when dining out. Would I let myself obsessively overuse the butter at home? No way! Restaurants are just the time when all rules jump out the window and the carbs keep on coming. The mashed potatoes were the creamiest and I made Rachel of eateatenjoy steal the mashed potatoes from the other side of the table. She had no problem demanding the potatoes and I had no problem filling any gaps on my plate with silky mashed potatoes.
I heard a lot of oowing and awwing in the direction of the Lobster Mac and cheese on my side of the table.


We had an elephant gift exchange, the kind of exchange where you bring in gifts for everyone and turn by turn you get to choose your gift. Others have the choice if they want to steal your gift. Their was some stealing going on. Cakespy's brought a pack of her own gift cards. When I say her own, I mean she actually does the design and draws lots of cupcake cartoons in super cute situations. Ronald of Cornichon actually got the cards and although many contemplated it, no one had the nerve to snatch the cards from Ronald.

Another event was a huge success, the most fabulous inviting people all in one room. I can't wait until the next one.

The blogger list was extensive: eateatenjoy,cakespy,Simply Culture, Laylita,winewall,Cornichon,Pink Hobart, Italian Woman at the Table, Jay from Seattlest, Mintz her words, Anticiplate,
Seattle Tall Poppy
There was also Annie Beckman a well-known food writer in Seattle. We had professional eaters too : the significant others of the bloggers.

The gift exchange corner