Foods in Season.... A Fresh Idea

Check me out! I'm a Foodie!!!!!!! Yeah, I scream that sometimes.

Everyone loves free samples

My new position as a Sales Representative at the most amazing company, Foods In Season , has given me some awesome opportunities to try new foods I would have never been adventurous to try before. I thought I would share with you a few things here that I am especially excited about...  

Black Oregon Truffles

I sent this one to Chef Mario Batali, for a special event

Fiddlehead Ferns - Yeah, delicious.



Spring Kings!



Wild Foraged Washington Morels



This months' special, BLiS Syrups & Vinegars







Cupcakes by LaDawn :) MMMMMMM!

Pizza here, Pizza there... but not everywhere.



First tried and true homemade pizza with honey whole wheat dough

It's been a month of pizza.



I think we've had pizza at least once a week for the last three weeks... Between dining out, dining in, work, and home, I am still not tired of pizza. The sad reality is, I love pizza. If I had it my way, I would live in a room full of pizza, boxes and all. I would swim in the buttery garlic sauce Papa John's Pizza serves with their decadent, thick crusted pizza and garlic parmesan bread sticks. Shower in pizza sauce, and cloth myself in cheese... Not really, because that would probably get me committed, but I really do have a love and serious ache for pizza.

This month I tried, for the first time, making my own pizza dough. I have many times in the past made pizza with premade dough (best: WinCo premade dough in the refrigerated section), and with a small dusting of cornmeal and some olive oil on the bottom of the pan, always made successful pizzas. I give credit to my year as the fastest pizza maker in the Northwest (lies) at Papa Murphy's.

I typically use mushrooms, pineapple and turkey pepperoni on my homemade pizzas, but because I was feeling creative, I also made a chicken/roasted garlic/mushroom/tomato pizza... that was... ugh. Whatever pizza, make yourself. The whole wheat crust sucked. It was too thick, and would have been good as just bread. Just say NO to screwing with pizza dough, from now on i'll stick with a traditional recipe and ensure my dough (which to me, is the most important part) is as delicious as it is supposed to be. I was pleased with my topping choices, just so overwhelmingly disappointed with the crust that I actually threw part of a pizza away. I just could not classify those carbs as worth while. Fail pizza, fail.

Another pizza fail was my Mom's famous Fruit Pizza. My favorite. She usually makes it for my birthday and Easter every year, but Ma has been busy making the dough (ha) this year, so she has promised it to me for a later date. Since I had a roll of expired sugar cookie dough (shhhh!) I figured I would try to make my own on Easter, since Mom wasn't going to... Don't ever make anything Mom is supposed to make. It's never the same. Especially when it calls for Orange Marmalade and you use Oregon Marionberry jelly. Silly me, it's the same, right? Not like I didn't eat this, it was still sugar cookies smothered in cream cheese frosting and fruit, it just wasn't what Mom made. Sad day.



Fruit Pizza a la Kelcie



Last night Ollie brought home some Chuck Eye steaks, which is a cut from the Chuck Eye Roast, and is typically a lot less flavorful and drier than a Ribeye, but similar. I don't know what I did right in marinading these, but I did something! They were amazing! Tender, flavorful, and mmm so perfectly cooked (thanks O). I marinaded them in truffle peelings, olive oil, seasonings, and balsamic vinegar. Kept them nice and moist while they did a quick flip flop on the BBQ and added great flavor. YUM!



Chuck Eye Steak, Garlic Mashed potatoes, Roasted Brussels sprouts and zucchini... and of course, K's Garlic Bread







Halibut Cheeks

Washington Coast Halibut Cheeks
Roasted Brussels & Asparagus in Porcini Oil
White Shimeji Risotto with toasted artisan bread

Sushi, Attempt #1

Just pictures for now, words soon...


Dungeness Crab and Maple Smoked Salmon
with Cucumber, Avocado and of course... cream cheese



Dinner With the Girls - Park Kitchen



Ricotta Balls with Panne Cotta





Sesame Date Cake, Formage Blanc Semmifreddo, honey nougat



One of my favorites: Duck Confit



Chocolate Pear Torte with Pear brandy sabayon and crushed amaretti




 


Freshly Marinated Anchovies with
Preserved Lemon and Fennel

 



Oyster shooters with Kimchi







Pork Belly with Blood Oranges











Lemon, Chicken, Hummus and Lay's Potato Chips....

I have no idea what I was doing tonight with dinner. No idea. I was so overwhelmed with hunger while I was working out (yay me!).... Reading my Taste of Home magazine and drooling over the recipes inside, I felt like I could not live without eating the entire magazine... paper and all. 

After my workout I baked some pita bread drizzled in olive oil and dipped it in my Garlic Hummus... After that, I figured I'd take the chicken carcass in my fridge and put it in a pot with some water, eventually hoping it would turn into chicken stock. Hoping. After I let that simmer I got bored. I realized I have a million lemons in my fridge. What can I make with lemons? Lemon-aid? Ha. Cupcakes? Cookies? Cookies. I had really wanted lemon poppy seed cake, but no poppy seeds. Boo. I made low fat lemon tea cookies ... they sucked. I added some coconut... they still sucked after that. Since I have been trying to watch my calories I used homemade applesauce instead of butter. Bad idea. Chewy, but not in a good way. More like dense and rubbery. Ugh. 

Dinner? Hebrew National Hot Dog! Only because I had eaten so much along the way. Tomorrow, I'll finish the chicken noodle soup I had been attempting with the carcass in water on my stove. I'm hoping by leaving the broth in the fridge overnight I can skim the fat off the top. Good idea? We'll see.

Feast on the Beach

Even after a massive Tsunami warning, the girls and I made our second annual trip to the beach to drink, eat, and sit in the hot tub for hours on end. It has become tradition that we go into the nearest town, buy enough seafood to make ourselves sick for days, eat corn dogs and clam chowder, and buy sweat pants. Yep. Sweat pants.

We stayed in a beautiful house right on the beach in Waldport, OR. The house had a nice big kitchen, which I took full advantage of. Saturday morning I woke up quite a bit earlier than the other girls, which may have been a result of my notorious first-in-bed syndrome, but whatever... I made coffee, grabbed my book, and sat in the sunroom and listened to the rain pelt the skylight. After a while, I got bored. So much food, so little time. First I made some eggs. Scrambled eggs just like my mom did with milk, salt and pepper. The key to good scrambled eggs? Use a spatula, and stir frequently. While I was waiting on my eggs I started some Turkey Bacon; better for your health, not too shabby on taste. Turkey sausage was next, which I glazed with BLiS Vanilla Maple Syrup from Foods In Season, and blueberry pancakes, which of course, required syrup as well.... as the girls savored their delicious breakfast, I took my time savoring mine... all of it. I tasted everything I made, and then some! Like I said, these trips are about eating, drinking, and the occasional dance party.

Dinner that night was a barrage of homemade deliciousness:
Whole Wheat Penne Alfredo with Prawns sauteed in fresh garlic and butter, homemade salmon, crab, and shrimp sushi, steamed razor clams in a garlic, white wine, butter and cream reduction, and mmm garlic bread. My pores were leaking garlic for two days. On top of the most artery clogging and rich dinner, our friends boyfriend had kindly made us a double chocolate flour-less cake that was to-die-for. Since I had been cooking all evening, I rewarded myself with a nice bottle of Pheasant Valley Winery's Primativo... and ultimately dropped the cake on the floor. Yay me! Thankfully the saran wrap had stayed in place and we were able to enjoy the cake floor free.

Our trips are always for three days, but this time I had far too much to get accomplished on my only day off for quite some time, so one of the girls and I left a day early. On the way home, hangover in tow, we stopped a drive through Mexican restaurant that promised indigestion for days, and a great deal of food for the price. Tiga Chicken Tostadas, Nachos with Guacamole, and rice and beans... have you ever tried to eat that while you drive? I wouldn't recommend it. However, I do credit this meal to my winnings at the Casino on our way home.

Seasons Change, I rearrange

2011 had started off with a bang. If you hadn't noticed previously, tragedy after tragedy was making me a little down in the dumps, but I was trying to maintain and know that soon enough something good would come out of all the bad... Little did I know, it was coming sooner than I expected. A serious bout of writer's block has bashed me in the brain, so please forgive my inability to entice you with my verbage. 

Fresh Walleye

After a birthday wish to a little birdie I like to call Joy, I was dropped hint that was hard to believe. She mentioned a position as a Sales Representative had opened at a company I have always been in awe over, and encouraged me to apply. I honestly thought I had no chance, being as I had no "real" sales experience previously, and there were thousands of people that would probably apply... but I figured it was a great opportunity I could not pass up. I loved the job I had, but I knew it wasn't going to take me anywhere anytime soon, so I took a leap. The leap ended up to be a skip and a hop in the right direction for me. Is the vagueness getting to you yet? Alright, I was offered a position as a Sales Representative at an amazing company called Foods In Season. Don't know who they are? Check out the link. 

Foods In Season is a company that thrives around the freshest wild, foraged, and sustainably harvested foods. Specializing in mushrooms, fresh local fish and the most amazing cuts of pork, beef, bison and and and....!! They offer so many sustainable, delicious products it's hard for me to even wrap my head around, and I work there! I work at a company where I get to talk about food all day. I get to drool over the Truffles, wild greens, and the most incredible maple syrup I have ever tasted in my entire life. How much better does it really get? I am so excited to work somewhere that cares so much about the environment where things come from, and that supports our local economy. SO EXCITED. I was trying to be modest, but I really cannot contain the glow inside of me. I have found a job that will challenge me, and force me to learn about foods that I haven't even heard of. Black Truffle Oil anyone? Foie Gras? ... You want it, I got it. 

Today the other sales girls and I split a fresh Walleye fish. A coworker had mentioned her love for fish tacos, and I couldn't resist copying her idea.  Since I have only ever really had Tilapia fish tacos, I was in for a real treat. I got home and went straight to work making the easiest and most delicious white fish ever. Just a little onion, lemon, and "Black Fish Magic" seasoning (sister in-law turned me on it, fish tacos haven't been the same without it) and it was gold. This fish was awesomely flaky, moist, and meaty... Once again my writer's block has been pretty ridiculous lately, but I am telling you, this fish was the shit (con permiso). Don't believe me? Call me and try it yourself! 

Walleye Fish Taco with Greek Yogurt

For the Love of Cupcakes

 Pumpkin, spice, carrot pineapple, Margarita OH MY! I am dedicating this blog to my love of cupcakes. Slowly over the years I have learned the value of a good cupcake without Betty Crocker's assistance. A good homemade cupcake will have you throwing out the box the next time you have a hankering for chocolate zucchini cupcakes with a cream cheese glaze.

Recently I tried a new recipe, courtesy of my sister, Wine Induced Eats, for Margarita Cupcakes. With Spring Time coming up, it sounded like the most perfect, refreshing cupcake. Bonus? They have tequila in them! Carbo loaded alcohol? My favorite!

Last November on our trip to Mexico, we were lucky enough to have stayed right in front of the most wonderful beach bar ever. Fresh squeezed Margaritas for days! Fifty pesos for two? Yes, please.


These cupcakes surely brought me back to my Mexico days. Can I eat a margarita cupcake and walk down the beach? Probably not, but I really wanted to. Sauza tequila, fresh grated limes, lime juice, soy milk divinity. Not real divinity, but divine none the less. They smelled almost as good as they tasted. The aroma of the fresh lime made my desire for Summertime and fresh Margaritas explode. The buttercream margarita frosting was incredible. I sprinkled a little sea salt on the frosting, to give them the true margarita flavor. To my disappointment I ran out of confectioners sugar while I was making the frosting, making it extremely runny. The cupcakes themselves were slightly dense, with the oil involved they had good moisture but I would probably cut it down next time.

Girls annual beach trip next month, I am thinking these will be the perfect pair to our ocean side hot tub. Cheers!

Carrot Pineapple with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Pineapple

My Week in Pictures

As I sit on my enormous leather couch, munching on homemade Almond Roca, I am trying to come up with the appropriate words to describe my previous week. In Food Terms; Delicious, Aromatic, Crunchy, Decadent... Bittersweet.

Today I took my Sunday paper apart, page for page, and went coupon clipping. Cooking the way I do, you have to be a savvy shopper. Someday I aspire to be that crazy coupon lady on TV that has the grocery store pay her for all of her savings. Alas - I still break the bank nearly every time I go.

Today I got fixin's to make French Dip Sandwiches. Again. I added a little spin opposed to how I had made them last week; plain. Mashed avocado, sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese, all atop a toasted french roll with all natural roast beef and horseradish brown mustard. The words, "this is blog-worthy" came out of Ollie's mouth, mushrooms dripping off the back of his sandwich. It was absolutely the best sandwich I have ever made. Best? Yes, best. Mushrooms + Avocado = Bliss. The combination was absolutely divine, and I am pretty proud!

My descriptive skills are lacking this evening, as I am purely exhausted and already snuggling with my smallest pup, but I will not leave you without imagery.

Flavorful, Flamboyant, Friggin' delicious French Dips

Mushrooms Courtesy of FIS

Thursday Night's Chicken Ceaser Salad

Homemade Garlic Bread

It's true, I love salad.

Sauteed Mushrooms, NY Strip Steak & Garlic Bread

It's a Valentine's Day Miracle...

I'm back. For the seventeenth time, I'm back. 

2011 has brought life in the Mickels-Hargrove house (or hotel) to a halt. It has been fast food, microwavable, take-out horrificness. (It's a word. Google it) 

January 8, 2011 our lives changed forever. We awoke at 5:00am to our wonderful dog, Rylie, whining. Thinking it was his typical "I need to go outside" whine, we both arose only to realize our house smelled horrible of burning wires. There was black smoke pooling through the house, sneaking under doors and into the bedrooms. The thick smoke seeped into your lungs and burned your eyes, causing soot to cover you from head to toe. Once we realized the fire was real, the family escaped, brother and dogs included. Me being my stubborn self, I did grab my purse and move my car out of the garage. Happily so, I was able to stow my beloved babies while the Gresham Fire Department took charge of the fire. We stood outside as we watched firefighters with axes and hoses waltz into our house like it was what they did everyday... Funny... Once the fire was contained and extinguished, we were able to enter our sooty, smelly, wet house, only to see the extent of the damage. Fire damage on all the upper walls, roof, ceilings, garage... It was too much. We all went into shock and from that day forward, our lives revolved around the Holiday Inn and Fidelity National Insurance. 

I am happy to report, as of February 3, 2011 we are back home... only because I totaled my car. Long story short, check your blind spot quickly, and keep your distance with cars in front of you.

In the time we spent at the Holiday Inn, I ate more popcorn and microwavable meals than I care to disclose. I was excited the day I was able to make a real sandwich, with fresh roast beef, red lettuce, havarti cheese, mayonnaise and brown mustard. It was so fresh, the lettuce so crisp that I couldn't realistically only have one! ... So I had one for lunch, then dinner, and lunch again. Beats Steamfresh Pasta any day. 

Now we are home and between concussions, unpacking, parties and family I am trying to regain my footing in the kitchen.

Sunday night we celebrated my new Honda CR-V with the artery clogging gigantic NY Strip Steaks, garlic red potatoes, a little over-mashed, but delicious... and my all time favorite: roasted asparagus with olive oil, sea salt & pepper.Tasty.


Last night we had homemade French Dip Sandwiches on Artisan bread, with Boars Head roast beef and provolone cheese. Seconds for all. 


It's a pleasure to be home, and blogging, and getting back to normal once again. Cooking will resume. Tonight we will have grilled chicken Caesar salad with avocado and fresh tomatoes... Maybe at that time my camera will be ready to challenge my food with some good photos. 


Thanks for reading... more soon.