Things have been so busy that I haven't had time to write about our excellent adventure in the Pacific NW! Here's my account of the Seattle part of things. Portland will be along sooner or later...

Thursday, July 12

We flew to Seattle on Thursday night, after work. The only notable thing about the flight was that there was a Buddhist monk a few rows ahead of us, and I really liked his bag (it was similar to this one). It feels wrong to covet a Buddhist monk's bag. But it was so nice and simple!

We once again stayed at Ashly and Isaac's house in Ravenna, but this time they weren't there (they chose to go camping instead of doing the Seattle to Portland ride this year). It's too bad they weren't around this year. I would've gushed about how much I like their house, especially their new wall hanging, which they apparently won at a school auction. I hope someday our kids go to a school that produces such nice art.

Although Ashly, Isaac, and children weren't around, we weren't the only ones there. A family friend was staying in the basement for a few days, and the house sitter (a very nice woman named Emily who gave me some good recommendations on places to go in Seattle) stopped in while we were there. And there was a kitten! Her name is Sally, and she is very cute and very mischievous. I was kind of afraid of her because she chased everybody around trying to attack them. But in a cute way. The older cat, Maggie, was not at all happy about Sally's antics. But she made our visit much more entertaining!

Andrew showed up an hour or so after we arrived. He had driven the bikes up from the Bay Area, so his day must have been much more exhausting than ours. Despite that, he offered to sleep on the living room floor and let us have the sofa bed. It was very brave of him to sleep in the same room as the kitten.

Friday, July 13

On Friday morning, it was raining! In July! We picked up Tree at the airport and then headed downtown for breakfast. It was a bit of a hike to Julia's on Broadway, but not too bad. This Julia's was decorated very differently from the Wallingford location (which I'd gone to last year), but the menu was the same. Apparently there are drag queen performances during dinner. Breakfast was much tamer--nobody was in drag.

We split a Cinnamon Yum Yum, which was a cinnamon roll, halved and given the French toast treatment, then drizzled with butter and syrup. Very decadent, and tasty, of course. Patrick and I went halvsies on our breakfast items, sharing a scramble and a banana-caramelized-walnut buttermilk pancake (you can order just 1 pancake instead of a stack, which is nice). The scramble was good, and the pancake was delicious. I'd definitely get it again (and maybe not split it with Patrick next time).

When we walked past B & O Espresso, I stopped in to pick up a hot cocoa to go, because they are reputed to have the best hot chocolate in Seattle (that was the note I'd made on my to-visit list; I'm not sure who made that claim). It was definitely good hot chocolate. I'd get it again, were I in the neighborhood. I like their logo too.

Next, we stopped at REI to pick up the StP packets. It's a cool store. On the way out, we spotted a large dog trying on some doggie hiking boots (or something). The dog shoes came in tiny little shoe boxes, and this dog was not happy about the situation. It was walking around agitatedly, shaking its legs and trying to get the booties off. Poor doggie. It was a pretty funny scene though.

We decided to head to Salumi for lunch. The drive over was a little harrowing, as I had failed to note if it was on 3rd Ave South or North on my map. Luckily, Tree's iPhone saved the day, and we didn't get too lost. (Tree and Andrew both got iPhones recently, and they came in very handy during our trip. It made us much more interested in getting iPhones of our own. Ever since our trip up north, I've found myself frequently lamenting the fact that we don't have iPhones. If we did, we could look up an obscure fact or get store hours or directions to our destination. Ah, to have the Internet at your fingertips whenever you need it. But perhaps it's better to live in ignorance some of the time)

When we got to Salumi, the line was out the door, and we had no idea how long the wait would be, so we walked to McCoy's Firehouse for lunch instead. I think it was Andrew who said that the decorations (fireman and police regalia hanging on the walls) were reminiscent of a chain restaurant, except that these were authentic, so I guess it's just that chain restaurants are imitating restaurants like McCoy's. We sat near the bar, across from a guy who played video poker the whole time we were there. The atmosphere didn't wow me, but our waitress was friendly, and the food was good. Tree and I split the beef brisket sandwich. Yum!

After some more stressful downtown driving, we headed back to the house for a much-needed kitten break. There was also some napping and some iPhone usage. This picture of Tree and Andrew pretty much sums up our visit to Seattle--kittens and iPhones. It was nice that we were able to relax on our vacation. Sometimes I forget about that part and just spend the whole time trying to see everything that I possibly can. I think this vacation had a good mix of exploring and hanging out.

Around dinnertime, we headed up to Ballard (using the iPhone to find the best route there, as we've had trouble getting there in the past). We stopped in at the locks, but there weren't as many fish there as last year. It was still fun to watch for jumping salmon. I guess I looked pretty intense (or distraught?), judging by this picture Patrick took.

We hightailed it back to Market St. so we could check out a few stores before closing time (Patrick and Andrew may not have been as excited about the shopping parts of the trip as I was; sorry guys). First, we stopped at Cookies, which was a pretty small store, full of cookie cutters and other cookie accoutrements (sprinkles, aprons, cookie jars). Certainly a good resource if you're in the neighborhood, but it wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped it would be.

Next we stopped at Velouria, which turned out to be a great find. It was packed full of cute indie arts and crafts. Tree bought a wallet and necklace (and admired these umbrellas, as did I). I bought a Portland-style engineer's cap (by Mona Lucy) in olive corduroy and rust lace (my favorite Portland house paint color combination, as you may recall). We saw short-brimmed hats all over Portland on our last visit, but I don't think they've caught on in the Bay Area. Maybe I'll be a trend setter. Or not... Here I am looking official (or maybe a little angry?) in my new hat. I think it looks cuter in person.

We also stopped at Market St. Shoes, which had all sorts of exciting shoes, but it would've been especially mean of me to try on shoes when people were hungry for dinner and tired of shopping. Our final stop was Tableau, a home goods boutique. They had just closed, and when the shopkeeper saw us looking in the window, she came out and offered to let us look around. We felt bad, since she was closed, but how could we refuse such a kind offer? Neither of us bought anything, but they carried all sorts of nice things, and, as Tree pointed out, it was all really thoughtfully displayed. Worth a second visit when we're not as rushed.

We walked down Market Street to the Hi-Life for dinner. It's located in a beautifully renovated firehouse (pole still intact), and the menu features a different wine-producing region every few months (it was Napa on our visit). The food exceeded my expectations, and I really liked the decor--airy and open, with lots of wood and exposed brick. I'd definitely go there again. Here I am sporting my purple Keens in front of the restaurant. (I wore the Keens throughout the visit, and they were very comfortable right from the get-go. And maybe not quite as ugly as I originally thought)

The drinks were quite attractive. Patrick had an Arnold Palmer (with a very nice separation of Arnold and Palmer), and Tree had a Berrito--a strawberry mojito.

Tree and Andrew split a small dish of awesome macaroni and cheese (they let me steal a bite--what good friends!) and a pizza. Patrick got pizza too, which turned out to be a good choice. Although my dinner (porterhouse pork with Laura Chenel mashed potatoes and braised greens, with a side of watermelon-jicama salad) was good, the pizzas were better. Next time...

We skipped dessert at the Hi-Life because we were only a block away from our beloved Cupcake Royale! We enjoyed their cupcakes so much last year that there was no question that we would make a return visit. I had a vanilla coconut bunny (vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and fluffy coconut), though in retrospect, chocolate cake might have been a better choice than vanilla. It was good and all, but I like the Orange You Glad (chocolate cake with orange-infused buttercream) even better. Here's a shot of Andrew's Peppermint Party (aren't nonpareils the cutest?!).

I admired the art on display at Cupcake Royale (by Scott Erickson), but it was too pricey to buy on a whim. However, I took a picture of one of our favorites, and maybe someday I will paint something similar. I'm not a very original artist, sad to say. One of the things I liked about the painting, which isn't captured here, was the subtle texture of the sky. It wasn't just flat white; there were circles and lines of slightly different shades superimposed on the background. I also really liked this painting of his.

After our cupcake dessert, we headed home for some bike maintenance and last-minute ride preparations (or exploring-Seattle preparations, in my case).

Saturday, July 14

We woke up early on Saturday so Patrick, Tree, and Andrew could start their ride. I shuttled their gear to the ride start, which was full of people on bikes, as it was last year. After wishing them well, I returned to the house and got ready for a day of exploring. Last year, I spent a lot of my time walking, but this year I realized that Seattle is a little too big to walk around, so I drove everywhere. I felt kind of bad about it, but I was able to cover a lot more ground.

First I went to Dish for breakfast. It's in an industrial area (soon to be urbanly renewed, I suspect), not too far from Ballard. I grabbed a seat at the counter and perused the menu. It was pretty standard breakfast fare. Although many things looked good, I was compelled to order the Seattle to Portland scramble (spinach, bacon, cheddar, tomatoes) in honor of the ride. I thought about ordering a scone, since you don't see those on breakfast menus very often, but I went with an English muffin instead (I seem to have English muffin cravings pretty frequently, for some reason). Although my breakfast was yummy, I suffered a little pang of ordering regret when I saw the waitress carrying the fruit and yogurt plate to another table. It had a beautiful array of fruit (including cherries!), and it looked so healthy and delicious. Oh well!

I had a good view of the kitchen past the shelves of hot sauce opposite the counter, and it looked like an honest operation. It was a pretty small place, and the kitchen looked cramped, but the cooks seemed to be doing just fine. One of them was putting together a Mickey Mouse pancake while I was waiting for my breakfast. When I was little, we used to go to a little cafe on the corner, and I would get Mickey Mouse pancakes. I'm glad restaurants still do that.

After breakfast, I drove up to Ballard proper. My primary goal was to revisit Market St. Shoes to try some things on, but they weren't open yet, so I stopped in at Caffe Fiore to pass the time. It was a pretty little coffee shop, in a relatively new location, it seemed. It was almost too pretty and polished, like a Starbucks in disguise. I think part of the problem was that it wasn't established yet, so there weren't any regulars there. It didn't feel cozy yet. But I hope it'll succeed. I really like the concept and the decor. I think I'd enjoy hanging out there if I lived in the neighborhood. Certainly a fine place to grab a snack and use the bathroom while waiting for the shoe store to open.

I wasn't able to make it to Mighty O on this visit, so I was excited to see that Caffe Fiore sold a selection of their donuts, along with items from the Essential Baking Company (another bakery I'd like to visit someday). I opted for a cute mini lemon-poppyseed donut. What a great idea--who can resist a mini donut? I also ordered a cup of tea because it seemed weird to just order a mini donut and nothing else. It was a tasty donut, but I'd still love to go to the source and try one hot out of the fryer.

When the shoe store opened, I walked in and selected a few pairs to try on. Unfortunately, they were out of my size in every style I liked. The salesgirl was intent on selling me some shoes despite this setback, and she tried her best to get me to buy something. I humored her and tried on some too-small shoes, but in the end I had to leave empty-handed. I did write down the brand of the shoes I liked the most, and when I got home I ordered them from Zappos, so all was not lost (I've since received them, but I haven't made a final decision on whether I'll keep them or not--they're cute, but in a practical German way. Very comfy though).

I explored Ballard Ave. a little, stopping in at an apothecary--Dandelion Botanical Co.--which was staffed by a very friendly man who seemed excited to have a customer; I felt bad telling him that I was from California and wouldn't be returning regularly. It was a very aesthetically pleasing store, the walls lined with big jars and the counter punctuated by old-fashioned balances. They also had some nice wooden jewelry. I turned down his offer of freshly brewed tea (a concoction of his own design), though I should have tried some. I was all tea'd out after my visit to Caffe Fiore.

I also visited Camelion Design, yet another home furnishings boutique. Also full of good stuff, but I didn't buy anything. I think I liked Tableau a little better, but that may have been because the saleslady was friendlier.

Next, I drove up to Phinney Ave. to visit the Frock Shop. It's a cute little store, stuffed with pretty dresses, as well as a few cards, shoes, purses, and other gifty items. I could've spent hours there, I think. I ended up buying one of their bread-and-butter dresses (in a black and white graphic leaf print) by Purple Rain. The dress is made of a silky jersey fabric with a surplice neckline and tie back. It's reputedly flattering on almost everybody (they sell a lot of them--thus the "bread-and-butter" moniker), and I certainly liked the way it looked on me. The owner mentioned that she was working on designing a signature Frock Shop dress, which would be made by a local sewing operation in Seattle. That would be cool!

I also bought a sweet purse, made by the shop's owner, Suzy Fairchild. I was excited to learn that it was a one-of-a-kind purse (I'm easily impressed). It's a little shallower than my normal purse, which exposes the purse contents to potential pickpockets, but as long as I keep it wedged under my arm, I think it'll be fine. I plan on using it as my cute weekend purse, not my everyday purse. It makes me happy :)

I also stopped in at Lil Paisley, a small vintage jewelry shop next door to the Frock Shop. The owner was very helpful (and wearing one of the Frock Shop's bread-and-butter dresses herself), but I didn't end up buying anything from her.

Phinney Ridge seems like a sweet little up-and-coming neighborhood. I walked by the community center, where they have a weekly farmers' market (I didn't manage to make it to a single farmers' market in Seattle or Portland this time, which was too bad). I stopped in at Red Mill Burgers, named one of GQ Magazine's "20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die." With such a ringing endorsement, how could I miss it?

It was a tiny restaurant, crowded with people waiting to order, but the line moved at a reasonable speed. Although I'm not a burger aficionado, I went with the Red Onion Jam Burger (a hamburger topped with lettuce, tomato, their special Mill Sauce, and a pile of caramelized red onions). I ate it on a little patch of grass across the street, shaded by a tree and surrounded by flowers. It was a pleasant lunch, if a little messy. I would certainly recommend their hamburgers, but their sparkling lemonade was too sweet for me. I'd go for root beer next time. Here's a shot of the crazy stack 'o' bacon behind the counter (I asked the girl who wrapped the burgers if I could take a picture; she seemed unsure as to why I wanted a picture of all that bacon).

It was about time to head out to Portland, so I returned to the house one last time and got everything loaded up. I tried to play with the kitten, but she was more intent on clawing her way up the couch in order to pounce on Maggie (Maggie did not appreciate this one bit!). On an unrelated note, I think her collar compliments her fur quite nicely!

It was time to drive down to Portland in the midday heat, in a car without air conditioning. Is that better or worse than riding a bike between Seattle and Portland (202 miles)? I'm not sure...

Since the 4th of July fell mid-week, I took Thursday and Friday off and enjoyed a nice long 5-day weekend. I did a little relaxing, got some stuff done, and even made it up to the city for a day. It was a satisfying break.

Unlike last year, we stayed close to home on the 4th. I'd heard good things about the Palo Alto Chili Cook Off, so we rode our bikes over to check it out. The line for chili tasting kits and tickets was in the sun, and by the time we'd gotten all set to eat chili, we were hot and sweaty. So we had sno cones instead and watched some people line dancing.

After cooling off for a bit, we went off to sample chili. We tasted chili from Rose and Crown and Papa's Chili, but then right when we got to the front of the line at the third booth (Capsaicin Sensation), they ran out of chili. All of the other booths ran out around the same time. It was kind of disappointing, but we got Drumsticks from the ice cream stand, which made us feel better. Next year we'll have to remember to start getting chili right when the tasting starts. It goes quickly!

I'm glad we went to the chili cook off. It was good, clean fun. We rode our bikes home and lazed around the rest of the day. We decided not to go out for fireworks, since it's always a hassle finding parking and getting out after the show. Maybe next year.

I spent Thursday puttering around the apartment and catching up on my magazine pile. I baked a loaf of Cinnamon Swirl Bread from Baking Illustrated, to use up the last of our whole milk. It took longer to prepare than your average loaf of bread, but it was a nice way to spend the afternoon. It made the apartment smell so nice, and it rose up all big and golden.

On a few recent mornings, I enjoyed a breakfast of home-baked bread (sandwich loaf or cinnamon-swirl bread) spread with good creamy peanut butter and topped with a sliced banana and a sprinkling of wheat germ. Yummy! It was a nice change from cereal, and it kept me sated for a while.

For dinner on Thursday, I made a batch of Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley Salad, accompanied by leftover Fatted Calf sausages (Toulouse and a crepinette) and steamed corn on the cob. On a whim, I used 1 tsp of smoked paprika in the salad instead of cayenne. It worked out just fine. I thought the salad was pretty tasty, though better as a side dish than a main course. The flavor definitely improved after a day or two in the fridge. Unfortunately, Patrick didn't enjoy it as much as I did, partially because he doesn't like kalamata olives. I might make it again despite his misgivings.

I spent Friday in San Francisco, which was fun, but it would've been even better if Patrick could have come along too. I especially don't like eating meals by myself. I feel all rushed and self-conscious. I brought along a magazine to read during lunch at A16, which made things somewhat better, but it still wasn't as relaxing as it could have been.

Because I hate driving in the city, I took Caltrain up and then took the #45 bus to the Marina to get to A16. It was a pretty easy trip, though time-consuming. This was my first visit to A16, and I got the Pizza Treviso, with radicchio, speck, carmelized onions, garlic, mozzarella, and Grana Padano. It was a very good pizza--sweet, smoky, and cheesy. Mmmm. I'd return to A16 if I were in the neighborhood.

Next I took the bus up to Polk and checked out La Place du Soleil (cute gifty items and a friendly shopkeeper) and Spring (eco-friendly but luxurious goods; nothing really caught my eye). Satisfied with my Polk experience, I walked down Union Street, stopping in at Ambiance along the way. They have all sorts of good clothing. I'm lucky that the Quattro carries a lot of the same brands and is so much closer to home (also, I am not the Caitlin who wrote that top review on Yelp). I bought a basic T shirt on sale, and I got two comments from salespeople at other stores when they saw my Ambiance shopping bag. I guess everybody likes Ambiance!

I reached the end of Union St and hiked up Fillmore (all those stairs are a good workout). I stopped at Nest (cute, but I didn't love it as much as everybody on Yelp did) and then warmed up with a classic hot chocolate at Bittersweet (it was cold for July!). Bittersweet has the added advantage of a relatively nice bathroom in the back for customers. When you're walking around San Francisco all day, you need a few potty breaks.

When I reached Hayes Street, it was just after 5pm, and I was hoping very hard that Lavish would still be open. I didn't have to worry; they don't close until 7pm on Fridays. Lavish is perhaps my favorite SF store so far. This was my second visit, and I liked it just as much as on my first visit. It makes me want to stockpile wonderful baby items. There was a brown onesie with a pig face appliqued on the front that called to me on this visit, but I managed not to buy it. And there was a brown floral jumper with big round buttons and a inverted box pleat in the center that was just the cutest thing ever. It reminded me of this grown-up jumper, which I'd admired in the past. I don't know if I'd be able to wear a jumper without it looking age-inappropriate, but it sure is cute!

I caved and bought a few things at Lavish, including some new art from Magpie Painting. This little bird is currently hanging under our living room clock, perpetually checking the time. I like it.

It was nearing dinnertime, so I took the MUNI over to Church Street and met up with Patrick at Incanto. My food-loving coworker had been talking it up recently, and I decided that I had to go there soon! I liked the overall ambiance--spare, with dark wood and white linens and a vase full of white runner beans at the hostess stand. I like it when restaurants (like Chez Panisse) decorate with seasonal food.

The bread basket had a nice variety of baked goods, including thin, buttery grissini and a yummy olive tapenade. We shared two starters: a grilled peach with arugula and parmesan, and a salad of Golden Jubilee tomatoes with 15-year-old balsamic vinegar and garlic croutons. The peach dish was yummy, and the tomato starter was awesome. Good tomatoes are so wonderful.

Our entrees weren't as impressive as our starters. Patrick had risotto with summer squash blossoms, and I had handkerchief pasta with ragu. The ragu was too beefy for my tastes; I prefer a porkier sauce, like the recipe I tried or the pork rib ragu I had at Oliveto. It wasn't a bad meal, but we both agreed that we liked the food at Oliveto better than that at Incanto. But I'd go to Incanto again if we were in the neighborhood.

For dessert, we walked over to Mission Pie, since Patrick is a pie enthusiast. I loved the homemade vibe. The pies weren't perfect-looking, but that just added to the charm. Patrick had a slice of the strawberry-ollalieberry galette with a dollop of whipped cream, and I had a small Blenheim apricot galette. We also bought a walnut tartlet to go; it was too cute to resist. All of our pies were delicious. Very well made pie crusts. They're a relatively new business. I hope they succeed!

On Saturday I went clothes shopping at the Stanford Shopping Center, which isn't the most relaxing thing (especially since I was trying on 2-piece swimsuits for our upcoming river rafting trip), but it had to be done. I got some practical work clothes from J. Crew, and I bought a Bare Minerals starter kit at Sephora. I normally don't wear makeup, so this seemed like a good choice. I watched the informational DVD and tried applying the makeup yesterday and today, but I couldn't really see much of a difference. My skin did look a little smoother, but that could've just been the power of suggestion. I'll keep using it though. It's certainly not making me look worse.

In preparation for the river trip (a good excuse to buy new clothes), I bought some cute board shorts on sale at Lucy, as well as a nice thermal henley and a few pairs of sweet little ankle socks. I know it's all just a ruse and that legitimate female athletes probably don't shop at Lucy, but I like it there. It feels welcoming.

Later in the day, we went to REI to buy more rafting supplies. I found a decent 2-piece swimsuit, but I'm hoping to find something even better before the trip. It just seems like all the swimsuits out there are either for serious athletes or for girls who want to sunbathe and look fashionable. I want a suit that will provide adequate support and coverage but still look cute. Any recommendations? I'm sure there's something good out there; I just haven't looked hard enough.

I also bought a pair of Keen sandals (in a dusty purple color) for the river trip. I think they make my feet look kind of ugly, but they're comfy and functional. Maybe they'll look cuter to me once I'm used to them. I guess fashion isn't the top priority on the river trip anyway.

We didn't do much on Sunday, which was nice. Patrick made French Toast (from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook) with leftover cinnamon-swirl bread. I think I cut the slices too thick, because the insides were a little dry. So next time we should either use thinner bread or let it soak longer. The exteriors were just right though, so this recipe definitely deserves a second chance.

I spent part of the afternoon shortening three pairs of pajama pants--one to shorts, one to knee-length capris, and one to calf-length capris. Now I have pajamas of the correct length for any occasion! It was a really simple sewing job, but it made me feel good to get out the sewing machine again.

For dinner, we tried grilling farmers' market salmon for a third time, this time with very good results. Patrick followed the directions in The New Best Recipe for Charcoal-Grilled Salmon Fillets, and it turned out just right. It had a great crispy exterior, and the interior was only a little translucent in the very middle. Yay! I'm glad we finally did the good salmon justice.

We also had grilled corn on the cob from the farmers' market. This time we removed all but a few inner husks, and the corn turned out pretty well. Next time we'll try the suggested Cook's Illustrated method (I don't know why we ever try anything else, since they always know best). I squirted a little lime juice on my corn, which made it extra yummy. We rounded out the meal with some grilled summer squash from the cool tattooed lady who sells all the greens at the market (I can never remember the name of her farm).

For dessert, we had a bunch of cut up stone fruit (Blenheim apricots, Santa Rosa plums, a disappointing yellow peach, and a couple nectarines) topped with a scoop of leftover Earl Grey ice cream. It was pretty good, but the fruit wasn't perfect. Oh well, still a very good summer dinner, and a good 5-day weekend.

July is a big vacation month. This upcoming weekend is the Seattle to Portland bike ride. We had such a good time last year that we decided to do it again. I will once again be driving between Seattle and Portland because I'm a wuss :) I'm looking forward to our trip. There's so much good stuff in the Pacific Northwest!

We started the week with two simple meals. First up was Gingery Shrimp and Couscous with leftover grilled vegetables and strawberries for dessert. It was easy enough, but nothing special.

Next was another recipe from Whole Grains Every Day Every Way: Quinoa and Chili-Scented Pork Chops with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing (we used bottled roasted red peppers instead of roasting our own). Patrick made it, and since he isn't stingy with the olive oil like I am, it was extra tasty. We really enjoyed it.

My granola adventures continue. I wanted to mix things up a little, so I made the cocoa and peanut variation of Andy's Fairfield Granola from Feast. I substituted dried tart cherries for the raisins. Despite my mistakenly using twice the amount of cocoa powder called for, it doesn't taste very chocolatey to me. It's not bad though; the dried cherries are tasty. I'd make it again, but it won't be our default granola recipe.

We had a summer social at work on Friday afternoon, and I made a Fresh Berry Tart as a surprise birthday treat for the head of our HR department. I made a half recipe of the pate sucree (enough for one and a half 9-inch tarts), and I used the extra dough to make cookies, sprinkled with demerara sugar. The cookies took about 15 minutes to bake and tasted like sugar cookies. Not bad. The tart dough was easy to put together. I was a little worried by Deb's recipe notes, but I must have gotten lucky, because my crust behaved very nicely. I would definitely use the crust recipe again.

I used a real vanilla bean in the pastry cream, which is always a pleasure. I was expecting the pastry cream to be like vanilla pudding, but it was firmer than that, more like vanilla jello. It tasted good, but the texture wasn't quite what I wanted. I decorated the tart with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and red currants. I'd never eaten red currants before, and I was hoping to actually put them on the tart, but since they had little seeds and were pretty tangy, I instead used them as garnishes and put them back in their container before actually serving the tart. Does anybody have suggestions for what to do with red currants? I suppose I could just eat them...Or make a tiny batch of jam?

Our cherry tomato harvest got underway this weekend. The plants in our patio box yielded two baby tomatoes, and the plants tucked along our driveway (which are absolutely thriving, much to my surprise) gave six more. Yay!

Yesterday was great. While Patrick, Tree, and Andrew were riding their bikes, I took the train up to the city and went to the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market, which is always exciting. I didn't have a ton of time to explore, since I didn't want to miss the return train (they only run once an hour), so I didn't get to go inside to visit Miette. But there was plenty of good food to be had outside!

I had a crab cake sandwich from the Hayes St. Grill stand (not quite as good as before) and a large-scale fig newton from Downtown Bakery. I had brought our cooler along to carry meat and cheese back on the train, and it came in very handy as an impromptu stool when there were no other seating options. Much better than sitting on the ground!

My goal was to get bread and cheese for snacks, squash for grilling, and (the main reason for the trip) some of the Fatted Calf's legendary Red Wattle smoked pork chops. I was so excited when I got their weekly newsletter and saw that they were selling the chops this week! I'd been wanting to try them for a while, but the timing was never right.

I tried to stick to my shopping list and avoid buying anything extra, since I had to carry it all home, but I broke down and bought this cute honeybear for Patrick to keep at work for tea and yogurt. I like the sign around its neck.

I got everything I needed and made it back to the train station with five minutes to spare. When I got back home, everybody was back from the bike ride, and we had some Acme walnut levain with Redwood Hill Farm Camellia brie (the nice young man working their booth convinced me to buy this, and I'm glad he did) and smoked cheddar. The walnut bread was so good, as was the brie. A good summertime snack.

A little later on, Patrick fired up the grill and I whipped up a batch of Buttermilk Biscuits from Baking Illustrated. It was my first time making this particular recipe, but I had faith that Cook's Illustrated knew what they were doing, and that faith was well placed. Those were some good biscuits, if I do say so myself. Very light and fluffy, and they were easy to make with our stand mixer. We enjoyed them with some awesome chile jam from Tierra Vegetables (sold to me by the owner, who helped us dig up parsnips last year, though she didn't remember me). Here they are bundled up in our Canadian dishtowel (from Jen) and spread with chile jam.

Patrick did the grilling in three phases. First up was the squash, and then the pork chops. Oh baby, were they good! Definitely deserving of Shuna's praise. Luckily, Patrick grilled up two extra, and we had them cold for lunch today. The grilling enhanced the smokiness of the chops. They were moist and sweet and salty and delicious. I want more!

Next on the grill was a smattering of sausages, also from Fatted Calf: pork and greens, merguez, knockwurst, toulouse, and a crepinette. When I placed my order online, I thought I was ordering one of each type of sausage, but I ended up with 1 package of each type (with anywhere from 2 to 4 sausages per package). That's okay though; I just froze the extras. The pork and greens and crepinette were the standouts in the group, but all of the sausages were great.

I really like the Fatted Calf. They use quality meats and make awesome products, and the stand is staffed by nice people. The guy who sold me my meat yesterday told me how to grill the chops, and he threw in an extra package of crepinettes for good measure. I definitely want to buy more meaty items from them in the future. They're expensive but totally worth it.

Somehow after all that, we still had a little room for dessert, which was good, because I had made ice cream sandwiches. I used the tart dough cookies from earlier in the week and filled them with Earl Grey Ice Cream (based on the recipe for Black Currant Tea Ice Cream from The Perfect Scoop, my go-to ice cream book).

This was my first time making ice cream sandwiches, and I ran into a few problems. I had thought I'd seen recipes that said to assemble the sandwiches immediately after freezing the ice cream in the ice cream maker, but this approach didn't work well for me. The cookies were pretty heavy, and the ice cream was still pretty soft, so all the ice cream just smooshed out the sides of the cookies and flowed into the bottom of the tupperware I'd put them in. I had to refill them right before serving.

Next time I make ice cream sandwiches, I'll use cookies that are intended for use with ice cream. Despite some structural flaws, I think the sandwiches turned out well. The Earl Grey ice cream was yummy. It tasted like tea with lots of milk and sugar added. I'd definitely like to make it again, but I also want to try the other recipes in The Perfect Scoop. So far, every recipe I've made from it has been great.

We took advantage of the beautiful weather and ate both lunch and dinner on our patio today. For lunch, we had the aforementioned leftover pork chops, cornbread muffins (minus the bacon and chipotle) spread with more chile jam, and big juicy slices of watermelon. This watermelon was better than the one we had a few weeks back. We got it at the Menlo Park farmers' market, and it was nice and sweet. We opted for the seeded kind, so we could spit the seeds out. It's more fun that way.

This afternoon, I baked a loaf of Oatmeal American Sandwich Bread from Baking Illustrated (this recipe is very similar) to use up some leftover whole milk from the tart and ice cream. I had to use more flour than the recipe called for, but the bread turned out really well. The slices are sturdy, with a tender interior and chewy exterior. It's rich and slightly sweet, and it made the apartment smell great. Good stuff!

For dinner, we had grilled salmon (from the Menlo Park farmers' market, same as last week) glazed with more chile jam (we finished the entire jar this weekend!); Mediterranean Couscous Salad (from Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites) topped with a pretty heirloom tomato; grilled corn on the cob; and more watermelon.

We again had problems grilling the salmon. The jam made the fire flare up, which burned the bottom while leaving the inside of the salmon undercooked. I guess next time we'll need to give in and actually use a real recipe intended for grilling, since our experiments haven't worked so well. The couscous salad was fine, but not exciting.

For dessert, I made Lemon-Buttermilk Sherbet (again from The Perfect Scoop) to use up leftover buttermilk from the biscuits. It was like a kinder, gentler version of Lemon Ginger Frozen Yogurt. Refreshing, but mellow and smooth. I like it.

Yesterday, we drove over to the East Bay and had brunch at Citron. We were seated by the window with a good view of Rockridge residents walking their mid-sized dogs and chatting on the sidewalk. Rockridge is a nice place, as is Citron. This was our first visit, but I'd definitely like to go there again.

We started with a pair of cinnamon-sugar donut holes, which were delicious, of course. I can't refuse a good jam and baked good assortment, so we got the starter of strawberry-rhubarb jam, bergamot orange marmalade, and lemon curd with mini corn muffin, grilled sourdough baguette, and a petite croissant. It was so good; I would've been happy just to order another one of those and call it a meal. Here is the happy assortment (deserving of more than a grainy cell phone picture).

Patrick had a fluffy omelet with porcini mushrooms, sweet corn, and chevre, with which he was quite happy. I had the special--a dungeness crab benedict. It was beautiful. The Hollandaise sauce was light and lemony, and the English muffins were dense and chewy. Yum, yum, yum! I was less taken with the side of breakfast potatoes (a little undercooked) and the fresh fruit (good honeydew, but mushy nectarine slices). But still, I was so happy with our meal. I was super full afterwards.

Next, Patrick dropped me off at Tree and Andrew's place for a Pride and Prejudice tea party, which was as delightful as it sounds. I'm lucky to have friends who organize tea parties! Tree and Amanda put together a great spread, complete with an assortment of teas, little crustless sandwiches, chocolate-dipped digestive biscuits, and homemade scones. It was all so good.

We sat around and watched all five hours of the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. This was the second time I'd seen it (I watched it in installments with my coworkers over lunch last fall), and I liked it just as much as I originally did. No wonder it's so popular.

I baked a batch of Rosebud Madeleines (from How to Be a Domestic Goddess). They seemed appropriately cute and tea-party-like. It was my first time using rosewater (a little hard to locate, but I found it at Draegers, and I hear you can get it at Whole Foods too). The cookies were different than I'd imagined--kind of dense, with a pronounced rosewater flavor. They seemed to go over well with the tea party guests. I agree with Patrick--they're good, but they're not my favorite cookie ever. I might try them with orange blossom water, which was also available at Draegers.

I was very happy with my new mini madeleine pan. The shell pattern on the front of the cookie was well defined, and the cookie backs were nicely curved, which is (I believe) how they should be. Each madeleine required a little less than 1 tsp of batter. Nigella's recipe said it would make 48 cookies, but I only got 29 cookies, so I must have overfilled the molds a little. It didn't cause me any problems though.

After the tea party wrapped up and Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy got together, Patrick came and got me (he had been at a manly grilling party with all of the tea party husbands), and we headed into San Francisco for dinner. We went to Il Borgo in Hayes Valley, at the recommendation of Patrick's roommate from grad school (he recommended it about 3 years ago, and we only now got around to going).

There were plenty of empty tables, which explains why when I called to change our reservation time, the guy who answered the phone didn't seem too worried (he didn't even ask what my name was). I guess there are plenty of other newer restaurants in the area (Suppenkuche is only a block away). Il Borgo feels like a comfortable neighborhood place; a restaurant to go to when you want to eat well without paying too much.

The food was simple but delicious. Patrick had pasta alla amatriciana, and I had the lasagnetta (noodles rolled up with mozzarella in a cream tomato sauce--how can you go wrong?). We sopped up the sauce with simple Italian bread. Good stuff. I would go back there, but I'd also go to Suppenkuche or any of the other restaurants we haven't tried yet in the area. Tough call!

We walked a few blocks over to Citizen Cake for dessert. We had peeked in the windows on our other visits to Hayes St., but this was our first time eating there. They have some crazy (but good) plated desserts. Patrick had the Age of Innocence (sauteed organic stone fruits, thyme and walnut streusel, double cream), and I had Summer Snow (white peach litchi soup, marcona almond tofu, vanilla oil, violet sorbet). Both desserts were reasonably sized (I was afraid it would be too much dessert after our filling dinners, but it was just right). I especially liked the violet sorbet in my soup, and the almond tofu was surprisingly delicious.

Toward the end of dessert, a group of four was seated next to us, and both men in the party were drunk and loud. They were pretty annoying, but our waitress handled them very well. I was impressed. It's a nice place, and conveniently located near good restaurants and the opera. In addition to the plated desserts, they also have a bakery counter full of beautiful treats.

We wrapped up the night at 330 Ritch near the ballpark. One of Patrick's coworkers is in a cover band (Buda Belly) that was playing there last night. Who knew a business development guy could wail so hard on the guitar? It was a fun time. I particularly enjoyed their rendition of Pat Benatar's Heartbreaker. That song rocks!

Today was much quieter. Patrick went to the Burlingame Criterium (bike-related), and I walked to the farmers' market and sat around our apartment. Patrick fired up the grill for the first time this season, and we had a healthy farmers' market meal of grilled salmon (from the fish vendor--F/V Anne B of Pillar Point Harbor; this was my first visit to their booth, and I'll definitely buy from them again), asparagus, and yellow squash with a big bowl of technicolor strawberries, blackberries, and nectarines for dessert.

We referred to How to Grill (by the guy with the scary glasses), which worked out pretty well. He suggested that asparagus be grilled in rafts (pictured blurrily above) to make it easier to handle, but Patrick wasn't a fan. He said that since our grill is small, the skewers just got all tangled up and caused more problems than they solved. They looked cool at least.

The squash was grilled with a little garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes, and it turned out really well. The salmon wasn't quite as good. I asked Patrick to use the rub from this recipe, which may have been ill-advised. It ended up overseasoned. I'm not sure if it was over-salted, over-peppered (we have a new pepper mill, and we haven't become accustomed to its rate of pepper dispensal yet), the use of lime instead of lemon zest, too much rub for the amount of salmon, or just that a dry rub that works well in a cast iron pan doesn't work when you're grilling. Anyway, it was still edible, and we'll try something different next time. I'd like to make it a habit to get fish from the Menlo Park fishmonger most Sundays, now that I know he sells good stuff.

I had wanted to make a cobbler with our berries, but I opted to serve them with a little lime juice and sprinkling of sugar instead, to be healthier. We still have a pint of strawberries though, and I'm feeling a hankering for strawberry shortcake. Must resist!

Summer's so great :)

Last weekend, I got it in my head that I wanted to make something involving homemade tortillas. I decided to make Chicken Fajitas (from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook), topped with avocado and 1-minute salsa. Patrick made the filling in our cast iron skillet. Instead of using my stepdad Alan's tried-and-true tortilla recipe, I used the flour tortilla recipe in the New Moosewood Cookbook because it looked so simple. Not a good idea. The salsa and fajita filling were good, but the tortillas were a flop (figuratively speaking; literally speaking, they were the opposite of floppy). They were inflexible and tough.

Given these dismal results, I think I must have overworked the tortilla dough. Also, I should have taken them out at the low end of the recommended baking time, instead of waiting for the magical brown tortilla spots to appear (they never did). I guess there's a learning curve to tortilla making. Maybe I'll try Alan's recipe next time. It involves more ingredients, but at least I know if can work if executed properly.

Last Sunday, we rode our bikes to Los Altos for a barbecue at my coworker's house. We saw some goats grazing in Bol Park, and we stopped to run through some sprinklers on the way back, which was nice because it was a hot day! It was a pleasant ride, and all the exercise gave me license to eat heartily at the barbecue. I made Roasted Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette and blondies with pecans, chocolate chips, and white chocolate chunks (recipe was from Baking Illustrated, but this one is similar), and Patrick shuttled them all the way to Los Altos in his cool messenger bag without any food spillage disasters.

The potato salad was very good, but I was hoping it would be like the potato salad served at Tree and Andrew's wedding, and it wasn't quite that good. I would make it again though (and maybe next time roast some cherry tomatoes and shallots with the potatoes to try and replicate the wedding salad). The blondies were yummy--very buttery and rich. There were quite a few left over after the barbecue, and I had to take them to work because Patrick and I kept eating them! I think I slightly prefer brownies to blondies, but this is a very good recipe all the same.

There was supposed to be watermelon at the barbecue, but it never materialized, so that evening, Patrick and I walked to Draegers and bought a small watermelon and ate it on our patio in the twilight. It made me happy :) And speaking of summery food and drink, I recently made iced tea using PG Tips, and it tasted just like iced tea should. I think we've found our standard iced tea. It's about time!

Patrick is a fan of breakfast for dinner (as am I), so on Monday and Tuesday we had Cottage Cheese and Apple Pancakes (from the New Moosewood Cookbook) and a heap of fruit salad dressed with lime juice and honey. Considering that they're healthier than most pancakes, we were very happy with these pancakes. I'm a fan of cottage cheese, so I didn't mind the large cheese curds in the pancakes, but I think next time I'll try blending the batter so the curds aren't quite so noticeable. I think that would make them more generally appealing.

On Wednesday, we had Salmon Sandwiches (from Nigella Lawson's Feast) on Beer Rye Rolls with lentil salad (from the New Best Recipe; Tracy's is very similar and is what inspired me to try the original). We also had Happy Girl Kitchen dill pickles.

Tracy was right--the lentil salad was very good. The lentils du Puy maintained their shape nicely. It would definitely be good with some feta cheese sprinkled on top. I baked the Beer Rye Rolls for about 25 minutes, but 20 minutes probably would have been better, as they were a little dry and dark on the bottoms. Not bad though, especially spread with some leftover fromage blanc and apricot jam for lunch the next day. I wanted to like the pickles because of the cute packaging, but they weren't very good. Too much vinegar and not enough sweetness. I wish we had more Uncle Bob pickles. Those were great!

The salmon salad is made by poaching salmon briefly, then tossing it with mayo and a few other things. Our salmon didn't cook all the way through (which isn't a big problem, since we enjoy raw salmon, and it had been purchased that day). It also didn't seem to make enough sandwich filling for two nights, so we just ate it all the first night and filled our rolls with smoked salmon mixed with Bellwether Farms fromage blanc, garlic, and chives the second night. Although Nigella's salmon salad was pretty good, I enjoyed the smoked salmon and fromage blanc even more. This was my first time trying fromage blanc, and I really liked it. It's like smooth cottage cheese. Although the saturated fat content is pretty high, the number of calories per serving is very reasonable. Plus it goes equally well with sweet and savory things.

Our most recent meal was Brown Rice Salad and Flank Steak with Asian Flavors (from Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way) and Stir-Fried Baby Bok Choy. Patrick manned the steak and did an excellent job of slicing it thinly. It was an all-around tasty meal, and it let me use our new Oxo mandoline. The mandoline was easy to use, though I ended up with a lot of un-matchstick-able chunks of carrot that were too small for the mandoline. The cucumber had less waste. I'm sure there are better models out there, but the Oxo performs well enough for my needs. Now I need to find something to waffle cut!

On the same day that I bought the mandoline, I bought another unnecessary but fun French culinary item starting with the letter "M"--a mini madeleine pan! Like this, but teensy. It is exceedingly cute, and I used it on Friday. I'll talk more about that in my next entry.