Apologies and Asparagus

Dearest readers I must apologize…I have been seriously distracted lately. Like “posting once a week…maybe” kind of distracted. And for that, I am super sorry. Life has decided to dish up a big batch of crazy/awesome/not so awesome but necessary events recently and as a result I have become a bad, bad little blogger.

And what has me so out of the blogging loop you ask?

Well, I can’t tell you about all of it…yet, but to start there’s the whole “to get an apartment or to not get an apartment” debate.

By the way, you know you’ve found a winner when a tenant approaches you and, upon learning that you’re checking out the building’s vacancy, says “but you look like normal people!”

Yeah…not exactly what I wanted to hear.

I’ve also been spending a lot of time in Seattle recently, which has resulted in a ton of splendid adventures. Those that rank within a PG-13 rating may appear here in the near future so stay tuned!

But all that aside, I am here today to share a little somethin’ somethin’ with you about our dear friend the asparagus.

Because nothing says “I’m sorry” like a tender bunch of farm fresh produce! 

Five Senses Friday ~ Neil Simon and a Ginger Pear Galette

This is a part of a little series called “Five Senses Friday.” The general gist is that you reflect on a moment in your day by way of your five senses: taste, touch, sight, sound and smell. Bomb dot com Sarah over at Pink of Perfection does it every other week or so and I think it’s just a splendid way to kick off the weekend!

Hearing ~ The hilarity that is a Neil Simon play read by a group of talented Olympians.

Seeing ~ A very green wall.

Smelling ~ Ginger, melted butter, baked fruit and…wood shavings. (That last one is what I consider to be the universal scent of theaters. Oh how it makes me shiver! Sigh. I’m home.)

Tasting ~ Bright, juicy pears from the Olympia Farmer’s market, warm and flaky puff pastry, spicy grated ginger and simply sweet, apricot jam.

Feeling ~ A side-cramp I’ve developed from laughing my little a** off for the past 2.5 hours. “Plaza Suite” cast/Neil Simon, I heart you.

Happy Friday all!

p.s. You’ll find the recipe for that tasty galette after the jump!

~Brittni

Words to Savor ~ Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”

- Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (gastronome)

Fried chickpeas with chorizo and spinach

I have this really bad habit of going into a store for one thing and coming out with about ten others minus the one thing I intended to get in the first place.

Case in point: my recent trip to Cost Plus World Market .

I went with the intention of buying yellow pillows for the apartment I don’t quite have yet. Instead I found organic jasmine tea pearls, Italian blood orange spritzer, a chili-lime dark chocolate bar, one teeny-tiny tin of saffron, baggies of lavender and hot curry powder and a pot of blood orange marmalade.

Needless to say I’m a serious sucker for budget friendly treats.

I may have failed at “mission: buy yellow pillows,” but I succeeded in finding the one pivotal ingredient needed to make a dish I have been cooing over since I discovered it in the NYT dining section this past February.

Tales from an authentic Italian Easter hoedown

Alright kids, this is the final Florida post from my recent Marco Island adventure. 

I know, I know. Sad day.

But look on the bright side! Now we get to move on to happy spring things like farmer’s markets and asparagus and sunshine! Okay, we might have to take a “rain check” on the sunshine ~ it is April in Washington after all. (Get it? Rain check? Ha! I kill me). I digress. Back to the beach we go…

P.S. props go to my padre for the stellar post title!

So, my last day of sun-soaked goodness happened to also be Easter Sunday. And what better way to celebrate than a crazy huge, food coma inducing meal! Okay, yeah I guess you could go to church (and don’t worry I did ~ on the beach even). But for now, let’s just stick to food. 

And so I present to you an Easter feast, courtesy of my loud and proud extended Italian family. 

Guitars, tiki bars and a pint of Guinness or two

Well dear readers, I’m officially back from the beach. Actually, I’ve been back since Monday but have been suffering from acute vacation withdrawals, hence my brief absence. I was all set to hunker down and get this post out ASAP…but then my plane landed in Seattle.

And I drove home. In the rain. Which hasn’t stopped. Until today. When it decided to snow.

Can I go back to Florida now? Please?

Yeah yeah, I know. It’s time for me to buck up, be “an adult” (cringe) and get back to work. But that doesn’t been we can’t take a brief respite from the daily grind to pretend we’re still basking in those 80 degree rays!

I did promise you a trip to Naples and an Irish pub after all.

So let’s take a drive…

Words to Savor ~ Amanda Hesser

Happy Easter everyone! In honor of the family dinner tables you will be surrounding today, I give you this tasty little quote…

“Eating well is not as much about good food as it is about the people you share that food with, the room you dine in, what you talk about and the emotional hungers that you bring to the table.”

~Amanda Hesser (food writer – “Cooking for Mr. Latte”)

Enjoy those chocolate bunnies and technicolor eggs kids! I’m off to my Aunt Laura’s where I will stuff myself into a food coma by way of Grandma Lulu’s eggplant parmesan and a platter or two of antipasti.

Happy eating!

~Brittni

 

Beachy Keen

As promised, today we’re taking a trip to the beach. But that’s not all. We’re also embarking on a new feature here at TSLOK: Five Senses Friday. I’ve borrowed the idea from another blog I follow called Pink of Perfection. Check it out if you have a minute; it’s lovely and features some delicious recipes and photos!

The general gist is that you reflect on a moment in your day by way of your five senses: taste, touch, sight, sound and smell. I absolutely love this idea, especially since I’m a firm believer in how cooking and food in general involves more than just the tasty factor.

I’m sorry, you’re getting restless aren’t you? Ready to head to the beach? It’s not far – just across the street. Did you pack your sunscreen? Yes you do need some. And don’t give me that “but I never burn” excuse. There isn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature is creeping past 80.

Alright, let’s go!

On the coast of somewhere beautiful

Well let’s see…there’s sand crunching away in the spine of my book, Kenny Chesney singing about guitars and tiki bars on my iPod and to top it all off, I smell like a piña colada. Anyone want to take a guess at where I am?

I, dear readers, am on vacation. And guess what? I’m taking you with me!

So if you find yourself in need of a little sunshine then keep on scrolling. Oh, and if it’s any incentive, there’s a cocktail recipe awaiting you at the end of this post…

Step aside Jemima, there’s a new Aunt in town

Few things can coax me out of bed on a Saturday morning before 11 a.m. Ringing phones, jingling text messages, attention seeking cats/boyfriends….all have failed in their efforts to rouse me from that cozy cocoon of fleece blankets and down pillows.

However, there is one sound that will have me leaping out from under the covers regardless of the hour and that’s the whirring of our blender. For many, a blender’s buzz means smoothies and milkshakes or perhaps margaritas (hey, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere). But in my house, that heavenly morning chorus signifies only one thing…