Panna Cotta

One of my favorite treats is Panna Cotta. I made it for dessert for Memorial Day...topped with fresh cherries and candied almonds. After I made this I started brain-storming all the wonderful toppings you could put on top of this creamy treat.

Here are a few I thought of.

Brown-sugared bruleed figs
Strawberry and balsamic drizzle
Apricot compote with almond crumble topping
Lime curd with Toasted Coconut
Candied Pistachios

I also plan on experimenting with the base. Trying coconut milk and then all sorts of steeped milks. (Lavender, chilies, basil) Oh the possibilities are endless with this simple, elegant and oh so yummy dessert!!

Seattle

I just got back from a quick trip to Seattle. Sarah was in town with her cute friend Ali and we all hopped in the car and took a trip to Seattle. It was all the girls and little Jude. It was a great trip and the weather could not have been more wonderful. It was so beautiful. I discovered some new favorite stores in Seattle with amazing local art. It is this great group of three stores on 2nd Ave. Schmancy, Nancy and Fancy. The first store was full of these amazing homemade toys, the second had awesome ceramics, and the third was gorgeous artisan jewelry. We hit up all the fun places to show Ali Seattle and I had a great time with my mom, sisters, Jude and Ali. We made it home after two full days with some sore feet and some beautiful pictures.



Oh these delicious donuts are a must have every time.




How great are these yarn beards! I need one for hockey season.



Tired after that first night. I was the fuddy duddy who went to bed early...I'm gettin' old.

Window Shopping...*sigh*

I am pretty obsessed with the following things as I window shop online...oh dreamy dreamy...good thing I don't have major amounts of disposable income at my hands...what would I dream about owning one day?!...Who am I kidding...I'll take the disposable income and every single thing on this list...I am a very big dreamer and can find other things to dream of...I can be super creative like that.

(Oh lovely rug...you belong in my room)

(I want to put something green in you)

(Aren't you just so bright scarf...my neck wants to show you off)

(I try you on every time I go to Twist...those grooves...hurt so good when I push you over my hand...)

(I must own you....adorable pink flip flops...)

(and you too...)

(Every one of your beautiful hard cover classics is just so pretty...I will start with this one...then Cranford...oh and Treasure Island...Wurthing Heights...)

(...!...oh mother of ruby...!....)

Have you heard of......

Larry Sultan



Larry Sultan/Swimming Lessons

This photograph takes my breath away. I had a whole post written but this photograph seems to need quiet.

Go see it at Blue Sky Gallery
122 NW 8th Avenue
Portland

Confession Session

Every time I get an email from you I can't take you seriously.

When you are quoting legal statutes and case situations... all I see are clowns laughing because of your use of Comic Sans Font. Are you about to invite me to a children's birthday party or did you want to discuss with me whether or not the state of North Carolina requires mental incapacity to report Elder Financial Abuse???

OH and now that we are really getting into it...don't tell me not to print the email to save the trees. I will print the email if I want to but chances are I won't because of your hideous and unprofessional font.


I have no respect for you or your clown font.

Camping? That's right....Camping.

I live in Portland...hands down my favorite city in this country. If you were to stereotype a Northwesterner...some of the things that come to mind would be green, bike riding, coffee slurping, beer snob, foodie, wearer of skinny jeans, thick framed glasses, tattooed, indie-folk rock lover and of course your blood flows with all things outdoors especially camping. I am...most of those things...(well...okay a few) but if you ask anyone who knows me...camping has NEVER been one of them.

I am a Russell. Which roughly translates to non-camper. Many things contributed to that fact starting with my parents of course...(doesn't it always start there?). My parents do not camp. In fact I laugh at the thought. I can't even imagine them at a Motel 6... much less a tent...with a sleeping bag. (AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAA..*deep breath* AHAHAHAHAHAHA) In fact the only outdoorsy thing I can ever recall doing with my parents was a really sad attempt at fishing. Oh boy...that was really really sad.

Another contributing factor is the really horrendous group of memories related to church summer camp while living in the south. Just for your information...camping in the south...in middle of the summer... is equal to one of the levels of Dante's Inferno. I came home one summer with over 80 mosquito bites, chiggers (look it up) in my legs, ticks, and having been stung by a yellow jacket on my arm four times. Bees in the south (I know not technically a bee) are even more evil than non-southern bees and sting multiple times before they lose their stingers. In addition to the lovely bugs...it was HOT and soooo humid. Your only option to cool off was to swim in the lake full of poisonous water moccasins and leeches. Awesome. Those are the memories that would turn anyone into someone who hates everything about nature.

I guess the last factor would be me... and the fact that I have a slightly higher level of maintenance required than your average typical person who enjoys camping requires. What can I say...I enjoy showering, feeling clean and sleeping on my high thread count sheets. Just the other day someone pointed out to me that they have never seen me wear shoes with laces. I went home that night and looked in my closet and yep...she was right...I only own one pair of lace shoes...a pair of shoes I wouldn't ever wear anywhere but than a gym (we all know how often they get worn...just by that statement). Me in tennis shoes is just wrong...wrong wrong wrong.

So okay...camping isn't in my blood. BUT I do live in the Northwest. Some of the best camping in the country is in the Northwest. Of course, having lived here for a while it only makes sense that I would become acquainted with (and in this case) end up loving and adoring some serious campers. It was only a matter of time...

Last August I finally sucked it up (and really my pride finally got to me) and I was determined to try camping. It was my first serious camping trip as an adult. I was determined to show my friends that not only can I camp...but I can do it well and with style. I went out and found an adorable camping chair. It had polka dots on it and fit my personality perfectly. I went through my parents garage and found the tent that was rarely used. I purchased a purple COLEMAN..(that's a camping name I recognized) $10.00 (super awesome deal) sleeping bag. I bought a headlamp and borrowed my parents cooler which I filled with hotdogs and ice. I was excited to camp and even brought my mary jane merrells in case we went hiking. They got me around the cobble roads of Europe and that was some serious walking. I was ready. I grabbed my 15 pound pup, Poppy and we were going camping baby!

Camping...my first time in years and it rained pretty much the entire time and was freezing. My parent's tent...yep...had a leak...(just so you know..rainguards eventually die from old age). My adorable polka chair became a blurred dyed mess with the rain, stained my clothing and was uncomfortable. My purple Coleman sleeping bag...was as warm as it was expensive. My mary janes were promptly made fun of.(I can still see the look on my friend Paul's face as we prepared for our hike on Mt.Hood.) Needless to say...I was NOT prepared. But...even under those horrendous conditions...made worse by my horrendous camping gear...I was smitten. The crackle of the fire, finding out how dark night can really get, having my breath taken away by an amazing sky full of constellations I never see unless I am in a planetarium (on the one clear night), fresh air, and charred hot dogs. It was amazing. I loved laughing with my friends around a fire and waking up in the morning not knowing what time it was. Even the coffee tasted better outside.

Now that spring is here I can't wait for the upcoming camping trips just around the corner. This time I will be better prepared. I have been slowly adding to my camping gear. THIS time doing research, getting advice and buying from stores that I never had a reason to go into before.(yes...REI...I mean you). I will do it right this time.

I guess this makes me officially a girl of the Northwest. Portland is my home and now I consider myself a native who loves camping. BUT...don't ever call me granola...I am not quite ready for that one. Not to mention I still can't bring myself to buy hiking boots. They are truly the ugliest things I have ever seen and I do have some standards.

Confession Session

You bring out my inner nerd with your inner nerd.



I kind of like that...alot.

Sticky Sticky Deeeeelight

I tried out a new recipe Sunday for Pecan Sticky Buns and it was a keeper! I have always personally picked cinnamon rolls over sticky buns but these may have swayed that for me. The smell alone in my house was worth the switch.

My kitchen was a bit on the chilly side, so I didn't get the rise on my yeast dough quite like I would have liked...but all things considered they were pretty good. I "tested" the small one on the end and then took the rest to my group at work the next morning. I bake a lot for my department but this was literally the first time I heard squeals and actually received thank you cards. They were pretty tasty the next day...but trust me...post flip...right out of the oven...they are really...really good.

Cause we are living in ...in a peanut buttery world and I am a peanut butter girl

...YUM...

These were decadent...delicious and oh so so good. I also didn't use a cake mix...yep...cake mix from scratch and it was SUPER easy and so delicious...why...because it had narry a healthy ingredient in it...sour cream, butter, cream, eggs, sugar, cocoa...oh boy...no wonder...the recipe was Paula Dean's and it was wonderful. I usually think that boxed is the way to go because all of the from scratch mixes are usually so dry but this one well...takes the cake.

The peanut butter frosting...AHHHHHHHMAZING....cream, sugar, butter, vanilla and PB (I hope so right?!)

I topped these little cuties with a mini peanut butter cups that I got at Trader Joe's.

They were a hit at the potluck at work.

My next cupcake project will be black forest cupcakes. I went to the decorrette shop to get some cherry extract and came home with soooooooo many goodies...including Jamaican Rum flavor and malt candies to use for baking. Also...they have these adorable teeny tiny pink pig sprinkles that I am envisioning on top of maple bar cupcakes with a little piggy twist. I am also going to take cake decorating classes...whoo hoo...basket weave frosting cakes here I come!!

Confession Session

I used to steal your cherry cordials (only the milk chocolate ones). The sad thing is...is that I would shove two at a time in my mouth and eat them in a panic because I was afraid of getting caught. I didn't even get to enjoy them. (They were still really really good) MAYBE if you shared them I wouldn't have stolen them...just sayin.

Oh...and I GUARANTEE if you had Mrs. Cavanaugh's cherry cordials I would sneak them again...two at a time...I would just eat them slower.

Have you heard of......

Dallas Brooks


I love this picture of her. I especially love the paint all over her hands. (I stole it from her blog)

Dallas Brooks is my new favorite artist. Her work is so original, whimsical and beautiful. It's been awhile since I have been excited like this for a new artist that I have found. Most of her work is done in watercolor but what makes her work so different is her use of glitter. She has managed to use glitter as a form of light in her work. She creates beautiful shades and gives her art a wonderful dimension with her glitter.

In addition to her wonderful art, she is such a doll. She loves the NW (of course who doesn't) and uses words like RADalicious. How can you not love that?! I am already expecting her to want to come up and stay with me when she visits.

I am very excited because I commissioned a piece of art from her that I will get in May. I know it will be amazing and I can't wait see what she creates for me. I am already thinking of a couple of other pieces that I will want from her after this one.

Here is some of her amazing art.






All images are property of the lovely Dallas Kay Brooks...so well...don't go stealing...(I just borrowed them).

Confession Session

I would save my dog before most people. (not YOU of course...but that other guy...yep...and her...uh huh...and even that cute little kid too...that's what I said...my DOG...)

SOUPer...delicious...

(Yeah...I know...Souper Delicious...not only original but funny too.)

One of my favorite things to do is to buy a $5 roast chicken whenever I go to Costco. It makes a fantastic dinner and then I take the leftover bones (I would say carcass but it just sounds so well...dead) and throw it in a pot and make chicken stock. The stock always comes out so rich and delicious.



It's really easy to make homemade stock. I just throw it in a pot, cut up an onion, cut up a carrot, cut off the top of a head of garlic, and put it all in the pot with the leftover roast chicken, peels, skins and all. Toss in a palm full of dried herbs de provence (or whatever I have sitting in my pantry...I just typically use herbs de provence for everything), some whole peppercorns, and fill up the pot with water until it covers all the bones. I bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer while I catch up on my DVR for a few hours. When is it done? When it tastes good. I then let it cool, put the whole pot in the fridge and the next day spoon off the fat, warm up the stock just a bit on the stove again and then strain the stock. That's it! Rich, delicious, homemade stock! Of course once that is done, I make soup. (Oh and a side note...I don't use the meat that is remaining on the bone for my soups. My Grandfather would be horrified to hear that but I find that meat that has been already cooked and then boiled for hours is mushy and no longer tastes like chicken. Julia Child has taught us that food should taste like what it is. I can't tell you how many times I have read and listened to her say, "it tastes more chickeny that way". So I too, being an avid follower of Julia Child, believe that chicken should taste...chickeny. I do however pick all the meat off the bones that are leftover and give it to my pup, Poppy. Needless to say...she loves Costco chicken even when it is not so chickeny.)

The souper delicious (clever..clever) soup I made this time doesn't really have a name. It's a really yummy, very comforting, creamy, vegetable chicken noodle soup.

I have wanted to re-create this soup for a long time now. When my grandmother passed away, I was staying at her home. My grandmother's generous next-door neighbor brought this soup to my family. It was so thoughtful and delicious. It also was so easy to re-heat and the perfect comfort food during that bittersweet time when my grandma passed away.

The great thing about this soup is that "touch" of cream. It's not a thick soup, it's just a creamy soup with lots of vegetables. By the time you get to the noodles it feels downright decadent. I don't even need bread with this soup. One bowl fills me up every time! I rarely measure ANYTHING in cooking. I tend to rebel against it and trust me...it has bitten me back a few times...but I just don't typically do it. I dare you to cook with dashes, pinches, spoon fulls and tosses. It's very satisfying when it comes out well. (Although...don't even dare to do this in baking...no bueno)

Oh and here is my soap-box soup tip.

I think the biggest mistake that people make when cooking soup is they throw everything in the pot at once and think it needs to cook for hours. I disagree. Soup should be cooked in stages, because different foods cook at different rates. It doesn't have to be a lengthy, hard process, just don't throw it all in the pot at the same time. You will end up with tasteless chicken and MUSHY noodles (one of the greatest cooking sins of all time). Also, PLEASE don't leave it on low on the stove all day. It will continue to cook. I know the thought of leaving a big, pot of hot soup on the stove for the family to partake of is such a great thought. But those lovely thoughts and that Norman Rockwell picture will be ruined by overcooked...well...everything. Put a cute note on the stove with hearts on it and tell them to heat it up themselves.

To start I chop an onion and a few carrots (both peeled this time). Bring the stock to a boil and put in the onion and carrots. At the same time I also put in some WHOLE frozen chicken tenderloins in the pot. I let those cook with the carrots and onions for about 15 minutes. THEN I TAKE THE CHICKEN OUT OF THE POT.



Once I have taken the cooked chicken tenderloins out of the pot I then put in a bag of frozen, cut, green beans. (Fresh would be great...but out of season...frozen is the way to go). I then put in some frozen, sweet corn. This will cool down the soup, so I let it come back to a boil. While it is coming to a boil I shred the tenderloins. Once it comes to a full boil, I dump in some egg noodles (about half a bag), put the shredded chicken back in the pot, put a lid on the pot and...I TURN OFF THE HEAT. Then I walk away for 20-30 minutes. The noodles will be perfectly cooked and the chicken won't be resemble a non-chickeny substance. At this point...season the soup with salt and pepper and it's ready to eat - healthy and delish. However....this is when I add the cream.



Trust me...you want the cream. How much???? As much as you want.



Easy and SOUPer Delicious....