eG Foodblog: little ms foodie - Sauteing in Seattle

[Smithy]

Ohhhh, I got home too late to eat anything more elaborate than cheese and wine, all the while fending off 4 kittens and a puppy. Now here I am, looking at your feast (with only 1 kitten), full, tired, but darned envious. What a lovely dinner! I'm going to have to try that! <quick, where's the drooling emoticon? >

[bleudauvergne]

Wow I'm just loving your blog.

figs, shallot, port, thyme!

figs, shallot, port, thyme!

figs, shallot, port, thyme!

figs, shallot, port, thyme!

figs, shallot, port, thyme!

figs, shallot, port, thyme!

[lovebenton0]

You mentioned going to France and Switzerland in the same breath as expanding/learning more about food. Did you just eat really great food there and learn by absorption?  Or did you attend classes of some of kind?

Well I am very lucky to have a friend who was living in Geneva, now lives in Paris, who puts me up (and up with me!) for free and encourages me to come over often. I also am very lucky to have airline miles and a very nice husband who knows that I love travel and I LOVE France . So last Oct. I went to spent a bit of time in Geneva, Zurich, Annecy and Paris.

I really love French and French influenced foods. I'm a big fan of butter and sauces! haha! By hanging out with "locals" and eating at friends and in neighborhood bistros it just raised my level of awareness of the freshness of ingrediants and purchasing from as many local suppliers as possible. That is why I'm trying to do that at my home. I also bring back lots of different products to play with at home.

I haven't had the chance to take any classes but anytime I travel I try to incorporate those foods and tastes that I really loved into my cooking at home.

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Tongue training -- very essential. Obviously put to work in your kitchen what you have enjoyed and learned from others.

Gorgeous soup.

[Chufi]

I am really enjoying this blog!

I love your blue bowls and plates. The colors of the soup, pork & potatoes etc. look beautiful on them. Do you select tableware according to what you serve on it? Would you have a green salad on the blue plate? I'm curious because practically all my tableware is white so I never have to make that choice.

[little ms foodie]

Good morning!!! Breakfast today is in honor of the 'Breakfast!' thread, hard boiled eggs and espresso. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, I generally have this almost daily!! I love hard boiled eggs with a bit of salt and some fellow posters here know that very well! haha!

Perfect creamy inside....my husband made these!

[little ms foodie]

I am really enjoying this blog!

I love your blue bowls and plates. The colors of the soup, pork & potatoes etc. look beautiful on them. Do you select tableware according to what you serve on it? Would you have a green salad on the blue plate? I'm curious because practically all my tableware is white so I never have to make that choice.

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Hi Chufi,

We picked out our tableware when we registered for our wedding. It's called Denby Reflex. We have a mix of white and blue backgrounds. Generally I really like the blue but I will say that I don't think it's the best color when making things with sauces. The color doesn't pop as well! If I would have thought about plating more than I thought of my favorite kitchen/dining colors I would have gone with the white with blue trim. We have that on our salad plates and our cereal bowls.

My china is white though and I love plating things on that. Hmmmm, maybe we'll use the china on Sunday. After all, you are all kindof like having company over for dinner right??

[eunny jang]

It was good!!!

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I bet it was!!

Everything you cook looks right up my alley. Your home seems gorgeous, too.

Keep it coming!

[little ms foodie]

I bet it was!!

Everything you cook looks right up my alley.  Your home seems gorgeous, too.

Keep it coming!

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Eunny thanks for the compliment. Your stunning photos have certainly encouraged me to try to get better shots!

I'm having some tea with milk at my desk in my office.

Last night after dinner we had a small cheese plate while finishing our wine.

At 6 o'clock is a French Cantal. I love this cheese!!! at 8 o'clock is an Italian Taleggio, the smell is quite strong but the flavor is very mild. 10 o'clock is a domestic cheddar that was wrapped in linen. It is fantastic, I wish I could remember the name! It was being sold exclusively at a grocery store on Queen Anne, a neighborhood of Seattle. the other cheeses are from Whole Paycheck by our house. The asian pear is from....yup! you guessed it, our local farmers market!

Edited November 11, 2004 by little ms foodie (log)

[Della]

The cheese look very yummy! I have to admit that LMF has used her influence with me and steered me towards trying more cheeses over the years. I grew up with american and swiss slices in the plastic (ugh) and she started me on good cheddar, brought me to the manchengo and opened my mind up to the triple creme.

Your picture makes me want to have cheese after my dinner tonight!!!! YUM

[bleudauvergne]

I've been having a love affair with Cantal these couple of few weeks too.

[little ms foodie]

The cheese look very yummy! I have to admit that LMF has used her influence with me and steered me towards trying more cheeses over the years. I grew up with american and swiss slices in the plastic (ugh) and she started me on good cheddar, brought me to the manchengo and opened my mind up to the triple creme.

Your picture makes me want to have cheese after my dinner tonight!!!! YUM

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I'm a slave to cheese, but as I said I have trouble with the blues and the very stinky stuff. One time Della and I heard that a restaurant called Palace Kitchen (owned by Tom Douglas) offered a cheese plate. This was some years ago before it was trendy and more normal for restuarants to do that. So we went, sat at the bar, had a few glasses of wine and ordered the cheese plate. The bartender sat it down in front of us and proceeded to go around it and tell us what was what. The cheeses got softer and stinkier as it went. So I was tasting in order and got to one of the last ones, put the cheese up towards my mouth when the smell hit my nose. WOAH!!! I said "that is the stinkiest cheese ever!! I'm not eating that!" To which the bartender replied "You aren't planning on become a regular are you?"

haha!!!

[little ms foodie]

This is where I keep most of the glassware and serveware. The built-in in the dining room is one of my favorite parts of the house.

The wedding china is on top, we don't have everything in the set yet but are close.

I like having a space for all the cookbooks, although it won't be big enough in a year or two!

There are closed cupboards on each side, one is our liquor cabinet and barware.

The one on the other side holds candle holders and extra smaller serving dishes.

The glassware

The bottom shelf holds our Riedel glasses, they are the Vinum Extreme. We love them but they are huge! They take a lot of room and bottles of wine seem to empty faster when using them. Our champagne glasses and cognac glasses are also Riedel but not the same line.

I think I am addicted to glassware and serving stuff! It's so pretty and it's fun to use. I just wish we had more room for it all!! the other thing I really like about this cabinet is that there are plate rims at the back so you can stand plates up and they won't slip out.

[docsconz]

I find with the stinkier cheeses including bleus that there is a fine line between optimum ripeness with its heavenly attributes and utter disaster. This is particularly true of some of the more piquant bleus like cabrales and roquefort which get ammoniaized at the drop of a hat it seems.

Do you buy all your wines directly from area wineries or do you shop at Seattle wineshops?

I very much appreciate your emphasis on buying local when possible. You are fortunate to have some pretty darn good local sources for a lot of things.

[little ms foodie]

Do you buy all your wines directly from area wineries or do you shop at Seattle wineshops?

I very much appreciate your emphasis on buying local when possible. You are fortunate to have some pretty darn good local sources for a lot of things.

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Hi John!

We buy a lot of wine from local wineshops and also at Whole Paycheck and even the QFC sometimes. In fact I like to make Kir with a Savoie white wine and Whole Paycheck is the only one that carries it. We buy it by the case and get a 10% discount. One can not drink by OR and WA wine alone!

We love gettting wines from the wineries though because we like getting to know about the winery, the winemaker, the growers, etc. We feel better about spending $25-$60 on a bottle of wine when we know the passion these people have. And of course it never hurts to give us tastes!

I do feel very lucky to live in a city which really prides itself on using local sources. Dayne and I will be going shopping for dinner tonight later today and will show off one of the better known markets in Seattle.

[little ms foodie]

hmmm, double post....operator error?? taking care of it now!

Edited November 11, 2004 by little ms foodie (log)

[little ms foodie]

I find with the stinkier cheeses including bleus that there is a fine line between optimum ripeness with its heavenly attributes and utter disaster. This is particularly true of some of the more piquant bleus like cabrales and roquefort which get ammoniaized at the drop of a hat it seems.

I agree that there are times when I am surprised that I will like a certain 'stinky' cheese and the next time I try the same one I get that ammonia taste. Obviously it is a storage and aging situation a lot of the time. No need to blame the poor wonderful cheeses!!!

Wendy

Edited November 11, 2004 by little ms foodie (log)

[Mulcahy]

I tag most of the wines. The front has lable info and drinking dates, the back has tasting and price info.

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Ooh, this is such a smart idea. I have never been able to figure out a convenient manner for keeping track of the wines we've purchased and drunk. I am going to try this method.

Waaahhhh. I want your life....

Great blog.

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Couldn't agree more. You seem to have a lovely life and a wonderful marriage. Congrats on both.

[little ms foodie]

I tag most of the wines. The front has lable info and drinking dates, the back has tasting and price info.

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Ooh, this is such a smart idea. I have never been able to figure out a convenient manner for keeping track of the wines we've purchased and drunk. I am going to try this method.

Mulcahy, I use these tags which are reusable and come with a dry erase pen. The reason I find it helpful to tag our wine is some of it really needs to sit a few years, I can write the optimal drinking time on the tag and then I don't have to remember.

The other thing is the we buy wine in a wide variety of prices. I hate it when we have had a few bottles at a dinner party and then go to open another, everyone is already a little tipsy and ooops! we open a $60 bottle because I can't remember the price of one vs. another. Do you know what I mean? We certainly can't afford to drink our most expensive wines with grilled cheese! I like to know when I'm opening a special bottle and give some info on it to the drinkers.

All in all I have a very bad memory, this helps me out!!!

[Mulcahy]

Mulcahy, I use these tags which are reusable and come with a dry erase pen. The reason I find it helpful to tag our wine is some of it really needs to sit a few years, I can write the optimal drinking time on the tag and then I don't have to remember.

The other thing is the we buy wine in a wide variety of prices. I hate it when we have had a few bottles at a dinner party and then go to open another, everyone is already a little tipsy and ooops!    we open a $60 bottle because I can't remember the price of one vs. another. Do you know what I mean? We certainly can't afford to drink our most expensive wines with grilled cheese!  I like to know when I'm opening a special bottle and give some info on it to the drinkers.

All in all I have a very bad memory, this helps me out!!!

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Thanks for the link. I absolutely know what you mean. The uh oh, I think we drank the $70 bottle of Pinot with the pizza while we were playing Trivial Pursuit.

[Really Nice!]

I tag most of the wines. The front has lable info and drinking dates, the back has tasting and price info.

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I like those tags, too. I tend to go through them rather quickly. I also want to know as much about the grape varietal as possible, so I came up with a table that I created in Word. The figure below is one I use for Cabernet Franc.

I make five folds in it and tape it to the tab.

First column contains: Winery, Vintage, Applelation, Grape Varietal, and the year I want to consume it.

Second column contains: Typical aromas and flavors I can expect from this varietal as well as what to expect as the wine ages (bottle age).

Third column contains: Mouth feel, Characteristics, Style, and any interesting tidbits.

Fourth column contains: Primary match or main ingredient to serve with this wine and if there's room in this column, the Accompanying components or supporting ingredients to go with the Primary match.

Fifth column contains: Typical match, which is the dish that works best with this type of wine. Also known as includes names of the same varietal from other regions, and It's all about explains what this varietal is all about in 25 letters or less.

The last column is the same for all my varietals: What makes wine taste milder, which is good to know when you open a bottle and find that it isn't meeting your expecations. And What makes wine taste stronger, for when you have a great bottle and want to get the most out of it.

[Really Nice!]

I tag most of the wines. The front has lable info and drinking dates, the back has tasting and price info.

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I like those tags, too. I tend to go through them rather quickly. I also want to know as much about the grape varietal as possible, so I came up with a table that I created in Word. The figure below is one I use for Cabernet Franc.

I make five folds in it and tape it to the tab.

First column contains: Winery, Vintage, Applelation, Grape Varietal, and the year I want to consume it.

Second column contains: Typical aromas and flavors I can expect from this varietal as well as what to expect as the wine ages (bottle age).

Third column contains: Mouth feel, Characteristics, Style, and any interesting tidbits.

Fourth column contains: Primary match or main ingredient to serve with this wine and if there's room in this column, the Accompanying components or supporting ingredients to go with the Primary match.

Fifth column contains: Typical match, which is the dish that works best with this type of wine. Also known as includes names of the same varietal from other regions, and It's all about explains what this varietal is all about in 25 letters or less.

The last column is the same for all my varietals: What makes wine taste milder, which is good to know when you open a bottle and find that it isn't meeting your expecations. And What makes wine taste stronger, for when you have a great bottle and want to get the most out of it.

[little ms foodie]

I tag most of the wines. The front has lable info and drinking dates, the back has tasting and price info.

←

I like those tags, too. I tend to go through them rather quickly. I also want to know as much about the grape varietal as possible, so I came up with a table that I created in Word. The figure below is one I use for Cabernet Franc.

I make five folds in it and tape it to the tab.

First column contains: Winery, Vintage, Applelation, Grape Varietal, and the year I want to consume it.

Second column contains: Typical aromas and flavors I can expect from this varietal as well as what to expect as the wine ages (bottle age).

Third column contains: Mouth feel, Characteristics, Style, and any interesting tidbits.

Fourth column contains: Primary match or main ingredient to serve with this wine and if there's room in this column, the Accompanying components or supporting ingredients to go with the Primary match.

Fifth column contains: Typical match, which is the dish that works best with this type of wine. Also known as includes names of the same varietal from other regions, and It's all about explains what this varietal is all about in 25 letters or less.

The last column is the same for all my varietals: What makes wine taste milder, which is good to know when you open a bottle and find that it isn't meeting your expecations. And What makes wine taste stronger, for when you have a great bottle and want to get the most out of it.

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You win!!! That is really cool!

btw Really Nice! I hope you realize that when we have dinner next Monday your food will be photographed! Didn't know what you were in for did you??

Wendy

[Really Nice!]

You win!!!   That is really cool!

btw Really Nice! I hope you realize that when we have dinner next Monday your food will be photographed!    Didn't know what you were in for did you??

Wendy

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Yikes!!

I'll bring some copies of my tags so you can apply them to yours.

[little ms foodie]

ok, before viewing the next pictures all of you must take this online oath: Under no circumstances will you reveal that you saw pictures of the sun shining in Seattle. As the entire world knows it ALWAYS rains in Seattle! We like the world thinking that!!

As I mentioned before I work in an area called Pioneer Square. It is the oldest area of Seattle. The streets are lined with storefronts in old buildings. There are a ton of bars, shops, restaurants, etc. Whenever it's nice out I like to walk down the street and get lunch.

Today I was in the mood for gyros!! Yum, I love them. And a bottle of water. I always drink water. there are 2 bottles of water on my desk and one in my gym bag (which is probably getting dusty this week! )

The gyros is lamb. The place I get them from says they were voted Seattle's best, I don't think it's the BEST but it is good!

It's half gone. I usually eat at my desk while surfing the net. Since I can't type and eat at the same time.....back to my gyros!

[reesek]

where's it from? is it on 1st...do they make falafel too? i'm going outside now!