What I Love (and Hate) about Sundays

I have a love/hate relationship with Sundays. I spend half of them angry and pouting about my blessed weekend being over, cursing myself for all of the things I didn't and wont get done and dreading the sound of a Monday morning alarm clock. The other half are spent basking in the light and free feeling that comes with wide open mornings and having no plans other than to make myself happy. Doing only the things I want to do. Taking my time with at the grocery store, cooking real meals and going to bed ready to face the work week because I've had a healthy dose of me time.

Sundays as of late have been all about the latter. They've been the epitome of lazy with noon wake-up times immediately followed by greasy but delicious pizza, pajamas and movies like The Hangover watched from the comfort of the couch (necessary and appropriate after a previous night's Bayless inspired gathering).

This last Sunday was one part lazy with a splash of productivity and a heavy hand of indulgence. Waking up at 10:30a.m. for no other reason than to eat eggs with mojo and chives, bacon and homemade hash browns; curling up on the couch to finish The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (good read, by the way) and ending the night with Indian take-out and The Invention of Lying made-up the lazy portion. The splash of productivity included a quick drive into the office for a forgotten power cord (frustrating), scrubbing the kitchen after a Saturday baking extravaganza (more on that to come) and paying bills over a glass of Oyster Bay Sauvingon Blanc.

The indulgence was in between and really wasn't much of a splurge (unless you count the Indian food, which I probably should). It consisted of a cup of coffee, an itty-bitty doughnut and a newspaper. The thing is I'm not supposed to have coffee right now. Doctor's orders for the next three weeks. And I love coffee. Hot coffee with milk and sugar sipped slowly from a big mug that I can wrap my hands around is complete luxury to me. I felt like I needed something special, so I had it anyway. Shhh. I nibbled a perfect little cinnamon and sugar Mighty-O donut with it and lingered over both in the cafe at Elliot Bay Book Company while reading the paper. A hard copy, which I feel like I rarely feel in my hands anymore. I then moved upstairs and spent an hour wandering through the travel loft, the cooking section and selected a couple of fun new paperbacks (Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love and Ruth Reichl's Sapphires and Garlic--I'm behind, I know).

A simple, uneventful day that was pretty perfect for just that reason. What's your favorite way to waste a Sunday?

Beloved Bayless

There's a lot of love for Chicago-based celebrity chef Rick Bayless in my apartment. We're still celebrating his win on Top Chef Masters, and a Frontera Grill menu is proudly displayed among a collection of others on a bulletin board in the kitchen. His show, Mexico--One Plate at a Time, is on the regular DVR rotation, and I can't get over how active this man is on Twitter. OK, so I haven't actually eaten at one of his restaurants (the menu is a souvenir from the boy's trip to Chicago awhile back), but I swear I've been able to taste his food through the screen. Plus, the guy just seems so genuinely...nice.

So It felt right to theme a little housewarming party after him. We had a few friends over for Bayless inspired menu last weekend that included chipotle roasted peanuts, chillied peanuts and pumpkin seeds and popcorn with Bayless' mojo de ajo (slow roasted garlic oil), also known as "liquid gold." I was slowly but surely slinging Topolo margaritas as folks walked in the door, and we served both black bean queso fresco and creamy chipotle shrimp tostaditas (bite-sized tostadas) before brava steak and duck carnitas.

The credit for all of it goes to my boyfriend. He did an amazing amount of prep and cooking in 24 hours, and the food was incredible. The duck carnitas were superb, which just might have had something to do with a smidge of the fat it was cooked in. It was amazingly tender and rich, but a chunky tomatillo-avocado salsa made it taste bright.

My minor contribution was a mango lime ice. The suggestion actually came from Mr. Bayless himself on Twitter (highlight of my boyfriend's life, as he put it). I'll be honest that I probably made making the stuff more complicated than it needed to be. It took me forever to juice the limes, I was caffeine deprived and got frustrated fast when pureeing the mangoes made a huge mess (my bad for filling the processor bowl too full). But I'll say the end result was pretty cool. They were like cups of slushy. But not like the Sno-Cone ice. Almost like a sorbet. And definitely a nice little palate cleanser after all of the savory treats.

We even had an appearance from the celeb chef himself. Kind of. Well, OK, as close as we're probably ever going to get to him coming to dinner.

Cheers.

Refreshed

Like a lot of those who grew up in the PacNW, I fell for Cannon Beach at an early age. We'd go for the day when I was younger. Cannon meant a day trip, picnic meals and kites. It meant saltwater taffy, sandy shoes and waffle cones.

Some but not all of that changed as I got older. Throughout college, I forced Cannon on new friends who were more familiar with beaches than coasts. At that point, the trips involved fewer pieces of taffy and more pints at Bill's Tavern. Cannon and I lost touch for awhile there but reunited in February '08 when the boy brought me to his family's cabin for the first time. I fell in love all over again. Funnily enough, that was also about the same time I realized I'd completely fallen for the boy. Coincidence? Yes, actually, but undoubtedly one of the many reasons I smile when I think about going to the cabin for the weekend.

Cannon means different things now than it did when I was little. It means I've worked hard and the getaway feels better deserved. It means a longer drive (it's four plus hours from Seattle) full of Splendid Table and Bill Simmons podcasts. It means getting in late, going to bed early and waking up rested.

It also means way better food and a special bottle of wine these days, as was the case last weekend. I was battling a cold and worried it wouldn't be the weekend I wanted. I was wrong. I woke up feeling refreshed and ready for some actual sustenance after a week of broth, tea and juice.

So I indulged. And imbibed. Highlights included snacks like cantaloupe brought down from Sosio's at Pike Place Market. Some of the first of the season apparently, and it tasted like fresh, juicy candy. Amazing. Slices from Pizza a'fetta for lunch. Always.

Cheese, prosciutto and crackers started off the evening along with a close but disappointing (for me, at least) game of Scrabble. But not just any cheese. The hard was a basque and the soft was heaven in the form of quadrello di bufala. Dinner itself was an arugula salad of tomatoes, crispy shallots, chives and a vinaigrette with a main course of braised lamb, farro with beet greens, hedgehog mushrooms and rainbow carrots and a bottle of Six Vineyards Pinot Noir. Lovely.

I also took got my hands on a maple bar from Cannon Beach Bakery I mentioned craving and worked it off with a little beach hike followed by a healthy dose of reading and a whole lot of sleeping. Refreshed indeed.

Getting Away

I'm headed to Cannon Beach for the weekend. The boy's family has a cabin there, and we've been going every few months since we got together a couple of years back. I've most recently been pushing for it after especially busy times because the place and town relaxes me like nothing else. Right now, I've got one of the worst colds I've had in years, and my hope is that the fresh, salty air and downtime will help kick it to the curb. Massive amounts of water, sleep, Airborne, tea, orange juice and Dayquil aren't working.

I'm going to be one grumpy girl if I can't taste some of my favorite Cannon Beach treats, like a maple bar from Cannon Beach Bakery, a slice of pepperoni from Pizza a'fetta and whatever beautifully braised piece of meat the boy whips up as part of the special meal that's become somewhat of a tradition for the second night we're there.

Fingers crossed. Have a happy weekend people.

Cute Little Crab Cakes for an Even Cuter Couple

I've been keeping an old issue of Bon Appetit handy for about a year now. It's the April '09 issue, and I've got about six recipes from it tabbed. The cover is bright yellow and features this beautiful, fresh looking salad that makes you crave spring. Other standouts are recipes for Tagliatelle with Baby Vegetables and Lemon-Parmesan Sauce; Ramp and Buttermilk Biscuits with Cracked Coriander; Mini Crab Cakes; Pasta with Peas; Asparagus, Butter, Lettuce and Prosciutto and Vanilla Bean-Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine does every time I open the copy.

I've been waiting for the right time to bust one of these out. Last weekend brought an engagement party for the adorable Mr. and (soon-to-be) Mrs. Roberts, and Seattle showed up with some incredible weather for the occasion. Sun, blue skies, warm air. Ideal. I'd offered to bring some snacks and decided it was the perfect time to finally give one of these spring-inspired recipes I'd been saving for who knows what a whirl.

Dessert was covered, and the pasta dishes seemed awkward for a cocktail party. The biscuits didn't feel right. And so I went with the crab cakes. They were bite-sized and looked kinda cute in the photos. They also meant I got to buy mini muffin pans. Sold! The boy and I were just saying we needed for them for the Jambalaya cakes he attempted for a Mardis Gras party back in February. That mission and, um, result is another story.

These crab cakes were actually pretty easy. The recipe calls for cream cheese and sour cream to help with the binding. Both also add to the flavor, as do the lemon zest, the orange zest and the chives it includes. And while the cakes probably would have been fine on their own, I made a spicy remoulade for dipping...mainly because I like sauces and excuses to use little ramekins.

I'd dare say both the cakes and the remoulade turned out well. But the better turn out was most definitely the 40+ people who showed up to celebrate the future bride and groom. Champagne was flowing, people were mingling and the happy, fun-loving couple seemed, well, happy. A perfect way to spend an early spring evening.

Up next is those cupcakes. I might try to make them bite-sized so I can get another use out of my new mini-muffin pans.

Brunch at Tilth

I'm not a big breakfast fan but do appreciate a good brunch. It means a later wake up time (I love my sleep), choosing foods from multiple meal times and mimosas (I like my bubbles almost as much as my sleep). It feels special given most places only role out the brunch menu on weekends and, for me, seems less rushed than breakfast.

So kicking Valentine's Day off with brunch at Tilth a few weeks back felt like a treat. I've been to Tilth once before for dinner and liked it. Loved it for brunch. The restaurant is in a small house with an adorable awning (that's a bit Chez Panisse like, come to think of it) in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. The morning was nice, and the sun made the dining room's walls feel even warmer than their pale yellow paint. It wasn't crowded, but the tables were full. There were smiling couples and families at nearly all of them and a light but lively buzz filled the room. The place was Spring a month and a half early. It felt happy.

And that happy feeling was before we ate. Content multiplied by about ten after. We had the baby lettuce salad with crispy shallots, bacon bits and their take on Thousand Island dressing. The crispy shallots were like baby onion rings and pretty perfect. We also had the Cardamom French Toast with a creme de menthe mousse, mint syrup and orange bread (the photo above). I wasn't all that psyched about that dish when we ordered it. Seemed like too much mint. And while I didn't love the syrup on its own (too strong), it of course worked with the bread and mousse.

Our main dish was a salmon hash with capers, house made cream cheese and a sous vide egg. It came with frisee and toast for soaking up the egg and cream cheese that melted together by the time you'd finished the rest of the dish. So rich, and so good.

A tall, sweet and sparkling mimosa of course washed it all down and put some pep in my step for the Pikes Place Market shopping that followed. An overall, most lovely mid-morning meal that made me fall hard for everything going on inside that little house.

And I'm Back...

Not just back to this wee blog, but back to my little life. I wrote here how MLK weekend was going to be a last little hurrah for awhile. Oh so true. It's been a brutal month filled with exhausting days, nights and heaps of stress. I've been distant, a less than thrilling conversation partner and not exactly the most attentive girlfriend or friend. But I'm through the thick of it and am looking forward to getting back to normal and catching up on everything that's been going on outside of my little bubble for the last month.

I haven't been this excited for 5:00p.m. on a Friday in awhile. I'm spending tonight watching a DVR'd Jason Mraz concert with champagne cocktails and one of my best girls. Tomorrow's busy with shopping for and prepping appetizers for my dear friends Linds and Neil's engagement party, and Sunday's agenda includes Oscars and a possible visit from the boy's family. In between, there will be sleeping (lots of it), finishing the unpacking I've been procrastinating, putting my mixer to good use by finally baking something in my new kitchen, and reading news and a good book while sipping coffee. Ideal.

These are the kinds of things that help me feel myself, happy and well-rounded. How do you feel like you again?