We now have less than 20 days
to get stuff done before we leave. It's a balance between spending time
with friends, seeing things for the last time in the Northwest and
getting ready for the move. I packed up most of the kitchen yesterday,
which was very satisfying. We also sold Finley's dresser and our living
room couch. Ben has been busy in the yard making the gardens look ready
for planting and doing last minute repairs. I booked some of our camping
spots for our drive, scheduled the carpet cleaner and ordered beauty
bark for delivery. I had my official last day of work on Friday. I'm
happy to be done with work since I'm having a bit of a career identity
crisis. The move will be a good time to sort out my plans and decide
where I want to work.
Back to the fun part of seeing friends and the Northwest. We went to Portland this weekend to visit our good friend Brooke and our old dog Ari. We went to a whippet race on Saturday, but had dinner with Brooke on Friday and Saturday nights and went for a hike on Sunday to Horsetail Falls. We took Finley in a Kelty carrier (and by we I mean Ben). It worked really well and there was actually plenty of room to stash snacks and dog leashes in the backpack. The only problem was that Finley got cold toward the end and Ben had to rush her back to the car. I absolutely love hiking in the Northwest. The forest is magical with moss hanging from huge maples, the floor covered in various ferns and the surprising crystal blue water. It's become familiar over the past 10 years and is one of the things I will miss about this area.
One of my favorite things to do with friends is to hang out and cook together. Amy and I have been getting together lately and trying new recipes. Last week we made a Strawberry Tart and we had some Creme Fraiche left over. What do you do with leftover Creme Fraiche? you make the best scones ever. Yes, I made scones that came out tasting good! Amy found this recipe on ChowHound and I have no idea who created it, but I am very thankful. I made a few modifications to the technique...I used a food processor and put the berries in so they wouldn't get smashed. This is the first time I've made scones that were edible. They are usually tough and breadlike. These are creamy and rich and light. I'm going to experiment this week with chocolate, cherry instead of blueberry.
Blueberry Creme Fraiche Scones
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup blueberries
1 egg plus 1 yolk
7.5 oz. crème fraîche
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk first 4 ingredients in bowl of food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles fine meal.
Whisk eggs, crème fraîche and vanilla. Add crème fraîche mixture into flour mixture (dough will be very moist) . Turn dough out onto generously floured work surface. Divide dough in half. Press each half into 6-inch round about 1/2 inch thick. Arrange blueberries on one half and gently push 2nd half on top. Cut round into 6 wedges. Transfer wedges to baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart.
Bake scones until pale golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Serve scones warm or at room temperature.
I've been on a quest to get my kid to eat lots of vegetables and to use up all the random ingredients we have before we move. We have a lot of frozen spinach and canned tomatoes.
Fusili with Spinach and Sweet Italian Sausage
1/4 cup olive oil
4 mild italian sausages
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper. chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 cup red wine
1 can whole tomatoes
1 lb fusili pasta
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and excess water removed
1/2 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
In large saute pan heat 1 Tbs. olive oil and cook sausages over medium heat for about 8 minutes total, turning a few times during cooking. Remove from pan and set aside. Add remaining oil to sautee pan and sautee onion and bell pepper until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, continue cooking for 1 minute. Deglaze with wine and reduce for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir, breaking apart tomatoes with spoon. Cook tomato sauce for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile boil large pot of salted water and cook pasta until aldente, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Cut sausage into 1" pieces. Return cooked pasta to large pot, add sausage, tomato sauce, spinach and parmesan and add pasta water as needed. Cook over low heat until cheese is melted and spinach is hot. Serve with grated parmesan.
Back to the fun part of seeing friends and the Northwest. We went to Portland this weekend to visit our good friend Brooke and our old dog Ari. We went to a whippet race on Saturday, but had dinner with Brooke on Friday and Saturday nights and went for a hike on Sunday to Horsetail Falls. We took Finley in a Kelty carrier (and by we I mean Ben). It worked really well and there was actually plenty of room to stash snacks and dog leashes in the backpack. The only problem was that Finley got cold toward the end and Ben had to rush her back to the car. I absolutely love hiking in the Northwest. The forest is magical with moss hanging from huge maples, the floor covered in various ferns and the surprising crystal blue water. It's become familiar over the past 10 years and is one of the things I will miss about this area.
One of my favorite things to do with friends is to hang out and cook together. Amy and I have been getting together lately and trying new recipes. Last week we made a Strawberry Tart and we had some Creme Fraiche left over. What do you do with leftover Creme Fraiche? you make the best scones ever. Yes, I made scones that came out tasting good! Amy found this recipe on ChowHound and I have no idea who created it, but I am very thankful. I made a few modifications to the technique...I used a food processor and put the berries in so they wouldn't get smashed. This is the first time I've made scones that were edible. They are usually tough and breadlike. These are creamy and rich and light. I'm going to experiment this week with chocolate, cherry instead of blueberry.
Blueberry Creme Fraiche Scones
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup blueberries
1 egg plus 1 yolk
7.5 oz. crème fraîche
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk first 4 ingredients in bowl of food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles fine meal.
Whisk eggs, crème fraîche and vanilla. Add crème fraîche mixture into flour mixture (dough will be very moist) . Turn dough out onto generously floured work surface. Divide dough in half. Press each half into 6-inch round about 1/2 inch thick. Arrange blueberries on one half and gently push 2nd half on top. Cut round into 6 wedges. Transfer wedges to baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart.
Bake scones until pale golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Serve scones warm or at room temperature.
I've been on a quest to get my kid to eat lots of vegetables and to use up all the random ingredients we have before we move. We have a lot of frozen spinach and canned tomatoes.
Fusili with Spinach and Sweet Italian Sausage
1/4 cup olive oil
4 mild italian sausages
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper. chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 cup red wine
1 can whole tomatoes
1 lb fusili pasta
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and excess water removed
1/2 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
In large saute pan heat 1 Tbs. olive oil and cook sausages over medium heat for about 8 minutes total, turning a few times during cooking. Remove from pan and set aside. Add remaining oil to sautee pan and sautee onion and bell pepper until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, continue cooking for 1 minute. Deglaze with wine and reduce for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir, breaking apart tomatoes with spoon. Cook tomato sauce for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile boil large pot of salted water and cook pasta until aldente, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Cut sausage into 1" pieces. Return cooked pasta to large pot, add sausage, tomato sauce, spinach and parmesan and add pasta water as needed. Cook over low heat until cheese is melted and spinach is hot. Serve with grated parmesan.
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