chocolate pumpkin seed cookies

Pumpkin, understandably, gets a lot of love this time of year. I am right up there with everyone else. At my request, my husband returned from a recent Seattle Trader Joes run with 7 cans of it for me.

I'd also like to ask us all to give some consideration to pumpkin seeds. This cookie caught my eye for just that reason. The recipe is from Bon Appetit. I like to think of it as a seasonal version of a salted chocolate chip cookie. I love the combination of a spiced brownie-like dough studded with dark chocolate with toasted green pumpkin seeds. (Please note: this recipe is talking about shelled pumpkin seeds and not the whole seed that is scraped out of the pumpkin for jack-o-lantern prep.) The finished product has a wonderful rubbly texture with crunchy and chewy bits. I love it dunked in my morning coffee.

After I made the dough, I portioned it off, froze the individual balls on a cookie sheet, and then transferred to a freezer safe ziplock bag. This way, I can have fresh baked cookies whenever the mood strikes- for example, last night, while watching Season 4 of The Great British Baking Show. (Anyone else out there watching? What do you think of this season?)

chocolate pumpkin seed cookies 

The original recipe says it makes 18 servings, but I was able to get 25- I made my dough portions a little smaller than the recommended 1/4 cup.

1½ cups raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (original recipe calls for hot smoked paprika, but I just used regular smoked)
1½ cups (packed) light brown sugar
1⅓ cups granulated sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1¼ cups bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips
Flaky sea salt

1) Preheat oven to 350. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread pumpkin seeds in one layer and toast, stirring occasionally, until seeds are golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them as burned seeds/nuts are not worth including in a recipe. Remove from oven and let cool.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, kosher salt, baking soda, cinnamon and paprika. Set aside.

3) In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together on medium-high speed the brown sugar, granulated sugar and butter. Beat for about 4 minutes or until the butter is pale and fluffy. (This is a step I had been rushing all my life but it is actually pretty important to the process. I now set a little timer for myself to ensure I don't skimp on the time.)

4) Add eggs, one at a time, and beat to fully incorporate before adding the next one. Then, with the mixer turned down to low, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions. Turn mixer off and, by hand, fold in chocolate and pumpkin seeds.

5) Create dough balls about 1/4 cup of dough each. On parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, place 6 dough balls per sheet, spacing about 3 inches apart. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and bake, until edges are firm but centers will still be soft, about 18-20 minutes. If I am baking the dough straight from the freezer, it will need the full 20 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.

happy sad spicy roasted green beans

Last May, shortly after we decided to move from California to Washington, we were attending our SoCal church and the pastor gave a sermon about comparison. I am sorry to say that I recall almost nothing about the context or the particular anecdotes that were provided (apologies to all my pastor friends) but an aspect of it did stick with my husband and I because over post-Church brunch, we talked about it. We concluded that in moving from California to Washington we wanted to be very clear with ourselves, and in talking with others, that we did not view the move as choosing a new place because it is somehow better than our old place. We love California. The decision to go to Washington was not a push to leave California but rather a pull to do something new and different. We did not want to do the comparison thing where it's like "Oh we love Washington: all the clean air, there's no traffic, housing is so less expensive! Suck it LA." Sincerely, that has never been part of the narrative for us. We love both places and do not compare them to each other because they are very different. Another way to put it: our new love for Washington does not mean a rejection of California and the reasons why we lived there. I think it's a misstep to think that a yes to something new suddenly requires an eschewing of the former, as in "I can't believe I used to like this..." While I am very much in the honeymoon stage in my new hometown, I still carry the same love I had for where I used to live.

I think I want to share this because right now my outlook can best be described as happy sad. We purchased a new home and have been moved in for about three weeks and it is wonderful. I am so glad to be unpacked and surrounded by familiar objects and am also enjoying picking out new things for the home. (For those who have followed along with my attempts at Instagram stories, you got some awkward video of me excited for my new washing machine and TV room couch. Thanks for enduring). But unpacking has brought a new realization of the permanency of this change. It's as though seeing my California things in my Washington home deepens my understanding of "Oh, I really don't live there any more." Today I spotted a book on our shelves with a deeply faded spine. It's color stood out to me in contrast to the other books it was stacked next to. I remembered it has that faded spine because of the light it was exposed to in the guest bedroom of our California home. As I processed the memory of where it used to sit compared to where it is now,  I felt sad. That place where it used to be, where I used to be, is gone. 

I used to think that for a decision to be validated as the right one everything about it had to feel right and good and happy. As you can imagine, this has caused me no small amount of heartache over the years. Thankfully, intellectually at least, I have learned this is not the rule. I think it would have helped me all those years ago to hear more stories about the hard parts of change and transition. I know it helps me now to acknowledge them. I am okay and happy in my new place but I am also homesick for California. I can be both of those things at the same time.

It isn't the highest item on the list of things I miss about SoCal, but we did have some really great local restaurants in our neighborhood. In my opinion, the best casual dining Thai food restaurant in the US is within 2 miles of our old home (feel free to argue with me about it, but I am sticking to it). There were also places that weren't like "the best ever" but were just our places: familiar, easy, consistently good. Places where we could always count on a spot at the bar for an end of work-week margarita or short wait time for take-out. There is a Chinese food restaurant a block south from my old work that was a standby for a quick weeknight dinner. I would text my husband "Spicy green beans for dinner?" and he would text back a thumbs up affirmative. Technically, the dish was spicy green beans with chicken, but I didn't care about the chicken. When I ordered, I asked for more green beans than chicken and the staff would smile and indulge me, switching from a wide serving spoon to tongs, to better select the beans from buffet dish.

The green beans were crazy good: charred on the edges and slicked with spicy oil. Because the restaurant was so close to my work, it was also a favored lunch spot among my colleagues. And so when I say I miss these green beans, I think I am really saying I miss them too and the everyday things we shared together. 

I have not tried to replicate the exact dish (I am sure it is actually cooked in a wok), but rather give an approximation of it. For comfort, I just wanted to get a similar enough flavor profile. When I can, I love to roast in the oven because it requires less active work than minding something on the stove top. In my new Washington home, I served these beans alongside some ginger chicken and coconut rice (more later on the coconut rice.)

I am happy because these green beans are so good and sad because I miss the place where I used to eat them. 

spicy roasted green beans 

If you're not familiar with sambal oelek, it is a paste made with chilies and vinegar. The brand I've always used is from Huy Fong, the same folks who make the much beloved sriracha sauce. It packs quite a fiery punch, so I've indicated to use 1-2 teaspoons but if you love spicy foods, please feel free to add more. (Also, if you or someone you love is a big sriracha fan, this documentary film was a fun watch. It's available on Amazon Prime.)

I like to roast the green beans until they are charred in places and sort of slump in their softness but if you prefer more of a bite, please feel free to reduce the cooking time.

I think this recipe would double or triple easily but would recommend using additional baking sheets to ensure the beans roast. If the veggies are too crowded it results in steaming.

3/4 pound green beans, ends trimmed (I like to leave them whole, but you could certainly cut into segments)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons sambal oelek
kosher salt

1) Preheat oven to 450. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss green beans with garlic, olive oil and a generous pinch of salt.

2) Roast for about 18 minutes or until beans have charred on the edges and softened up. Then, remove baking sheet, dollop on the one to two teaspoons of sambal oelek and stir to coat the veggies. Return beans to oven for another 3 minutes and then remove. Serve the beans hot or they are also very good at room temperature. 

caesar salad with julienned veggies and garlicky toast croutons

I have learned that one of the crux ingredients in caesar salad dressing is anchovies. Whenever I purchase a small tin of them I think of a particular scene from Friends: it's in the episode where Rachel learns that Ross slept with that girl from the copy shop and then the two of them are in Rachel and Monica's apartment. Rachel orders pizza and, just to spite Ross, asks for extra anchovies, "Can you just chop some up and put 'em right into the sauce?" (season 3, episode 16, "The One The Morning After"). I feel like in the 80s and early 90s pop culture, there were a lot of jokes about anchovies and how disgusting they are. I remember the references in movies and on TV shows but it was always lost on me; I had never eaten an anchovy before.

Now, I am up to buying a can a week and am still not sure what the joke is about. I am loving anchovies! The impetus for the sudden increase in my consumption is Julia Turshen's incredible caesar salad dressing recipe, from her book "Small Victories". It is creamy and tangy but not gloopy. It coats lettuce beautifully and I love keeping a batch of it stashed in my refrigerator for quick salad meals. I really should save myself the weekly hassle and pick-up more than one tin at a time or do they sell a small case of canned anchovies at Costco?

I do, however, have a couple of long-standing issues with the classic caesar salad. Here is my George Costanza rant (I am apparently all about the 90s TV references today):
The first issue is that the simplicity of the components (lettuce, shredded cheese, croutons, dressing) make for a thin meal. Three years ago I did a month of Whole 30, and one of the things I learned is that I get pretty bored by just a lettuce salad and that is kind of what Caesar salad is. Sure, it totally has it's place as an appetizer or side dish but, for a meal, I want a little more heft and variety to it.

My second issue is croutons- pretty standard to the caesar salad, I have struggled for my own crouton solution. Grocery store pre-made croutons seem over processed but I am pretty intimidated to make them from scratch. (I know Ina Garten does it and makes it looks so easy, but the couple of times I've tried, the results have been less than successful). I also don't like how dried out croutons are so that when I try to stab them with a fork that is also loaded up with lettuce, they just sort of crumble apart. I end up with crouton crummies but not the satisfaction of the full crunch. Or maybe I have been trying to eat them wrong all this time. Am I supposed to just eat croutons whole, by themselves?

This recipe is my attempt to address my two, very specific, pet peeves about caesar salads. For the first issue, lack of variety and bulk, I add a julienne of veggies to the standard romaine. I use cabbage, bell peppers and radish because, like romaine, they have a high watery crunch factor but also add flavor, texture, color and nutrients. For the second issue, my crouton struggle, I add a bread element that is less intimidating: I make toast. I make toast and then rub it with a garlic clove and tear it up. The result has the caramelized bread exterior that a crouton provides but is still chewy inside so it soaks up dressing a bit better and is more easily stabbed with a fork. No more crouton crummies.

If, like me, you also have similar qualms with caesar salad, I'd encourage you to give the recipe below a try. If your love of caesar salad is hang-up free, please still make Julia Turshen's Caesar dressing. It is vastly superior to any bottled dressing.

caesar salad with julienned veggies and garlicky toast croutons
(serves 2-4)

5 cups of chopped romaine lettuce (about 1 head)
2 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1/4 of a head of cabbage)
1-2 cups julienned bell pepper (1 medium yellow or red bell pepper)
1 cup julienned radishes (about 4 large radishes)
1 batch of Julia Turshen Caesar salad dressing (see recipe below)
3-4 slices of good bread for toast croutons (see recipe below)
for serving: additional freshly grated parmesan cheese and black pepper

1) Make the dressing and stick in the fridge to let the flavors mingle while you set about prepping the veggies. (see recipe below)

2) In a large salad bowl, add the chopped lettuce, cabbage, bell pepper, and radishes and give a good toss to mix together. Set aside while you make the toast croutons (see recipe below).

3) To the salad mixture, add about half of the dressing and using a large spoon, mix the veggies in the dressing until evenly coated. I always start out adding a smaller amount of dressing than I think I'll need because it's easy to add more dressing but frustrating to fix an overly dressed salad. Taste a bite of salad to determine if it meets your dressing preference. Add more dressing if desired.

4) Toss in the toast croutons, give it all a big stir, and serve immediately with additional freshly grated parmesan cheese and black pepper.

caesar salad dressing 

1 small garlic clove, minced
4 olive oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

1) The original cookbook instructions call for pureeing all of the above in a blender or food processor OR whisking by hand. I go for the hand whisk method: in a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, anchovy fillets, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, mayonnaise and parmesan cheese. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired (I like the dressing with lots of pepper). Refrigerate dressing until needed.

garlicky toast croutons

The number of slices of bread to toast up depends on the number of folks eating the salad. I think a good rule is one slice per person. The recipe as written below is for 3-4 people, but feel free to adjust accordingly.

3-4 slices of good bread (I like sourdough)
6-8 teaspoons olive oil (or 2 teaspoons olive oil per slice of bread)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half

1) Preheat oven broiler to high setting.

2) Places slices of bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking dish. Brush the upside with olive oil and set the sheet under the broiler. Keep a close eye on it and cook until bread is evenly toasted. I think this took about 2 minutes for me. Remove pan from the oven, flip the bread slices over so that now the uncooked size is facing up. Brush slices with remaining olive oil and return pan to under the broiler.

3) Once bread is toasted, remove from oven and rub the cut side of the garlic clove over the bread slices (both sides). The heat from the toast will start to "melt" the garlic clove into the bread. It's pretty cool but take care because the garlic really packs a punch and it is quite easy to over do it.

4) Tear bread into bite sized pieces and add to salad greens.

pear, cardamom and toasted oat scones

Yesterday was awful. I am heartsick for the victims, and their loved ones, from the tragic shooting in Las Vegas. While I have not considered this space one in which to discuss the particulars of such a tragedy, it also feels wrong to not acknowledge it. I do not have the right words to share but I do know that we must do better. Personally, I am praying, reading, learning and talking about what that might look like, what I can do. In the meantime, I wish I could give us all a big hug and gather in my kitchen and feed you scones.

This recipe is a riff on the original (and my all-time favorite) scone recipe, here. The version below actually started out it's life as a peach scone but I couldn't get it quite right. The peaches were so juicy that the moisture overwhelmed the mixture. I then had the idea to add in oats, to sort of help soak it all up, but never circled back to make it while the peaches were still ripe. Peaches are almost old news around here and so, with fall temperatures, we are on to pears.

(Can I confess I am getting a little worried for myself and winter? It has been 19 years since I experienced an actual winter. The daily highs now are in the low 60s, with evening temperatures in the high 30s. I am not sure what I am going to do when it drops another 30 degrees. The other day I looked at a pair of sandals discarded by the front door and thought "well, time to put those away" which was a weird thought because in SoCal, my wardrobe was basically year-round. Sure, there would be a couple weeks of cool temps but generally the weather would bounce back to 70s, so summer shoes etc were never really put away. I am all excited to have four seasons again, but man, sh#t is getting real.)

Last week my family came to visit and I took them to one of my favorite local spots, The Daily Bread & Mercantile. Everything they sell is from scratch and their sandwiches, on homemade bread, are crazy good. In addition to our lunch order, my mom, younger sister, and Josh and I all shared a warmed up pear and cardamom scone, which we promptly devoured and then ordered a second one. I have no shame when it comes to baked goods. The combination of pear and cardamom was perfect and reminded me that I had a scone recipe to work on. The addition of oats lends a lovely nutty chewiness to the scone texture. I also love that these are not overly sweet, which I think makes them good for breakfast. If I were to serve them for an afternoon tea, I might consider a light powder sugar glaze to up their pastry factor.

The original scone recipe calls for 2/3 cup half-n-half. I rarely have half-in-half in my house and so, in a liquid measuring cup, I pour 1/2 cup of heavy cream and then add milk until it measures up to the 2/3 cup line (basically adding 1/6 cup of milk to 1/2 cup heavy cream). You are welcome to use the 2/3 cup half-in-half or if, like me, you have heavy cream in the house, thin it out with a bit of milk.

For the idea to toast the oats, I am indebted to Julia Turshen's wonderful cookbook, Small Victories. It may be a bit fiddly of a step, but adds another element of flavor and is really is not much of an effort: I think I unloaded the dishwasher while the oats toasted in the oven.

I hope you will make and share these with someone you love; that we can be comforted and be of comfort to others too.

pear, cardamom and toasted oat scones

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick rolled oats, toasted (directions below)
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground caradmom
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and large cubed
2/3 cup half-n-half OR 1/2 cup heavy cream + 1/6 cup milk = 2/3 cup (see note above)
3/4 cup cubed fresh ripe pear (about 1 medium sized pear)

topping
1 tablespoon half-in-half or heavy cream
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (you can easily substitute regular white sugar too)

1) Preheat oven to 350. Spread the oats in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in oven, stirring occasionally, for about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove oats from oven and increase oven temp to 425 (425 is the temp to bake the scones at).

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cardamom and salt.

3) Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3) Stir in 2/3 cup half-and-half (or thinned heavy cream) until just moistened. Gently fold in pears.

4) On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently, 5 to 10 times. Pat into a 1 inch thick round. Cut into 8 wedges. Place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper, 2 inches apart. You'll want to do this step rather quickly, as the pears will start to release their juices and the dough will become increasingly sticky. (ie not a good time to stop and check instagram.) In the original scone recipe, you can put in the dough in the fridge overnight. I don't think I would recommend doing that with this version as I believe the pears would break down too much.

5) Brush tops of the scone wedges with remaining tablespoon half-and-half (or heavy cream) and sprinkle with tablespoon of turbinado sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

A few of my favorite things- 9/29/17

Happy Friday friends!

We have been in our new house for about a week and the days have flown by. It is such a relief to be in a home and to settle in. I am thrilled to see all our stuff again (a few things I have no idea why I packed them). I will share some pictures in the future. In the meantime, there are a few shots on instagram.

On Thursday morning, my husband and I confessed how exhausted we were suddenly feeling- as if all the adrenaline of the past few weeks (maybe even months?) has finally dissolved. It was then that a fun distraction presented itself: a new friend generously offered to take us on a tour of a hops farm and processing facility. The hops harvest for this year has just wrapped up. The part of Washington we live in is a major agricultural area (hay, hops, apples, cherries, etc) but my husband and I are pretty unfamiliar with farming. It is one of the things we want to learn more about and our friend offered to help educate us. Pumped up on energy drinks and canned espresso shots from the gas station, we said yes and headed to Yakima. It was so much fun! I have always shied away from beer that is hop-heavy but the experience, seeing where hops grow and learning how they are processed, may have converted me. Also, doing something totally different was the perfect antidote to our exhaustion. During grad school, I once asked a professor what I should do about feeling "stuck". She said, "Hang out with new and interesting people." It was such great advice and I am
always glad when I follow it.

Here are a few of my favorite things from the internet (these days):

Our weekend plans include watching the local art parade for "Buskers in the 'Burg".

Currently coveting this mirror for my entryway.

Harvard Business Review has an interesting take on the benefits of reading poetry.

I recently re-watched "The Way" with Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez. Made in 2010, it remains one of my favorite films. I enjoyed reading this interview, from 2011, with the father and son team.

Speaking of Martin Sheen, as I have been unpacking boxes, The West Wing Weekly podcast has been my constant companion. I know I am very late to this party, but I am loving the commentary by Joshua Malina and Hrishikesh Hirway.

Do yourself a favor and check out this clip of Prince Harry and the cutest popcorn thief.

Finally, here is Harriet enjoying the grass-filled backyard at the new house (a novelty for this California pup, who previously only had a patio).

Rodeo recap and few of my favorite things 9/07/17

If you find yourself in Ellensburg, WA at the end the August and in need of a pair of cowboy boots, may I suggest checking out the local Goodwill? On a tip from a friend we went and found the scene pictured above. One of the employees shared with me that the year prior, they sold around 2000 pairs of boots. My husband found a great pair, but sadly the womens boots were all too snug for me and the mens boots were all too big (story of my life). (If you're looking for brand new boots, I understand the recommended place is Old Mill Country Store.)

The big Ellensburg Rodeo and Kittitas County Fair was this past labor day weekend. My sister and her family traveled out from the "westside", (Seattle- west of the cascades) and it was so much fun to experience together.

On Friday afternoon, we all went to the county fair. Walking the rows of booths, we shared a fair specialty, an "elephant ear": it is an enormous fried sheet of sweet dough, doused in cinnamon and sugar. It was quite a sight to see my husband walking towards us with both arms supporting the width of the treat. After sugar-ing up, we took our two-year old niece, Amelia, around the barns to see all the animals: horses, chickens, sheep, goats, cows, and bunnies. Local kids work hard raising and caring for the animals themselves and they proudly stand in front of the animal pens to share about the particulars. In one barn, I met a young man who showed off his sheep with nubby tan and black fur and big eyes. I asked him how much bigger the sheep would get and he matter-of-factly answered that "pretty soon she will be going to freezer camp, so she won't get much bigger than this." I did not ask for the details of "freezer camp". As someone who has lived a long while separated from the reality of what stocks my grocery store cases, it is going to take a bit of adjusting on my part to get used to the idea of living so close to food sources. I know that local farming like this is the most healthy and responsible way but it was an interesting experience to look at an eight year old and realize he had a better handle on the food chain system than myself. (As part of annual tradition, the junior raised livestock is auctioned off each year and this years sales were over $460k. Read a little about it here.)

On Saturday morning was the rodeo parade. My sister, Amelia and I were invited to watch with some new friends. Their family gets up early to secure seats right downtown and generously invited us to join them. The parade was wonderful- entries were from all over and the parade itself last for about an hour and a half. From floats, candy was thrown to onlookers but some parade entries were more creative: one passed out bottles of water and another, shiny large Washington apples. The pacific northwest potato chip company, Tim's, had a handful of employees handing out snack sized bags. One of my favorite moments was seeing the parade participants from Yakama Nation, dancing in their gorgeous beaded regalia. From Tacoma, WA there was also a band of bag pipers, whose music always makes my sister and I cry. There were, naturally, lots of horses in the parade, and although I know nothing about them, even I could tell these were some extraordinary animals- coats gleaming, heads held high, and manes and tails tossing as they marched down the street to cheers and claps.

In the afternoon, my sister and I walked to the Rodeo. A friend generously gifted us tickets and passes to the Gold Buckle Clubhouse and I am afraid we are now forever spoiled by the experience of hanging out on the shaded clubhouse porch, drinking gin and tonics and watching the rodeo events. The Ellensburg Rodeo is considered one of the top 10 in the country and draws world-ranked participants. I think it is a pretty great to be introduced to a sport by such accomplished athletes. In particular, I was floored by the speed of the barrel racing.

In the evening, we all ate chicken caesar salads in our tiny rental house (I cooked chicken breasts in the crockpot until shredded and whipped up Julia Turshen's dressing. It really is the best) and then it was our husbands turn to head to the rodeo to watch the bull-riding competition. Elizabeth, Amelia and I picked up bubbles and ice cream bars at the grocery store and, in the waning light, played at the park by the Yakima River. Amelia did not want her ice cream bar, so I got to eat two.

It was such a fun weekend and we've already determined to make it a family tradition. For those of us familiar the crowds of Disneyland or the largesse of an LA County Fair, the local Rodeo and Fair are just about the right size: large enough to draw talented participants and special exhibits, but small enough to feel hometown and not commercialized. I am, admittedly, in my honeymoon phase of living in a new place, but still, it felt pretty special.

In other goings on, we are experiencing a terrible wildfire just to the northeast of us. The air quality is so poor that some local schools are delaying their start and we've stayed indoors most of this week. The pups are getting a little stir crazy but our inconvenience is nothing compared to folks whose property is threatened and those tasked with fighting the fire. Hoping all is resolved soon.

From around the web, here are a few of my favorite things:

For all the fuss about cooking from scratch, here is a list of things Bon Appetit says they will not make homemade. Do you agree? (I would never attempt homemade tater tots)

A friend survived a recent plane crash in Alaskan waters. Along with the pilot, he and three other passengers swam to shore and were later rescued. Here and here are interviews recounting the ordeal. This line gives me chills: "The feeling of stepping, or just kind of sliding out of the plane into bottomless water, it was a feeling I won't forget."

This takes some serious dedication and talent to accomplish.

At night, if I can't seem to turn my brain off, I love to watch these clips (#7 may be my favorite).

Finally, for those of us who enjoy a well-placed cuss word, "The Social Benefits of Swearing."

Happy Thursday Friends!

halibut salad melt

Please do not imagine that dinner time at my house always finds us enjoying impeccable meals. I can make some real stinkers. Almost more frustrating than a dinner that completely bombs is one that is just like okay. If dinner is a full acknowledged disaster, we can move on and enjoy a bowl of frosted flakes. But when dinner is just okay, we trudge through it. I found myself in such a situation recently when I tried a new recipe for Provençal halibut. It was pan fried halibut steaks with a sauce of tomatoes, Kalamata olives, capers, a splash of balsamic vinegar, and basil. Except I forgot to add the basil. But I don’t think that’s what doomed the dish. I wanted to try something different with halibut and landed on this and it did turn out to be different, we just didn’t like it that much. I served it with parmesan roasted cauliflower, which I liked better than anything else on my plate.

The next day, I was going to have the leftover halibut with sauce for lunch and realized I was really not excited about it. Also, most of the time, fish is terrible reheated. I once worked in a building with a sign in the breakroom stating that microwaving fish was not allowed. No matter how fresh the fish, the smell of it reheating is pretty unappetizing. So, here I was, not looking forward to lunch and I decided to cut my losses. Rather than doctor up the Provençal sauce further, I pulled the halibut steaks from it, made a little halibut salad, layered it on thick slices of sourdough bread, and broiled it with a lid of cheddar and parmesan cheese. It was the opposite of okay. It was like, brilliantly good.

I am a little tempted to call this a tartine. I basically live to call an open-faced sandwich tartine. (I never mind a little pretension.) Tartine is the French word for an open-faced sandwich, but, while this includes gorgeous halibut, it’s roots are more diner. I think melt sandwiches are the hero of leftovers. This sandwich could easily be made with leftover salmon, canned tuna or grilled chicken. I think the success of a melt hinges on two items: some type of pickle element and a good amount of toasted cheese. Without a vinegary bite, it is almost too luxurious- all that gorgeous mayonnaise and cheese is best enjoyed with a little relief for the palate, be it from relish, pickle or caper. I happen to really love capers with halibut but feel free to substitute what you enjoy best. As for cheese, I use whatever is in the fridge. The only requirement being it needs to melt well and also there should be enough of it. This is not time to skimp.

Which brings me to a note about the bread. One of the things I was just sure I was going to have to give up when moving to small town, was artisan bread. My Trader Joes in SoCal spoiled me and I was used to boules and long baguettes. Post-move, I thought it would be Orowheat and wonder bread from here on out and that good bread was something I would need to learn to make. I made my peace with that. Dang, was I wrong. About a 5 minute walk from our rental house is Vinman's Bakery and the folks there make the most gorgeous bread. They have their classics (multi-grain, sourdough, etc) and then everyday there are additional bread specials with names like German Farm Bread and Orange Raisin Rye (both excellent). I am slowly making my way through it all. My routine is the dogs and I walk Josh to work and then once or twice a week we stop back at the bakery. I tether the dogs outside and step in to a space filled with the smells of yeast and flour and pastry filled with cream and rhubarb compote (heaven). When you buy a loaf, the helpful bakery staff offer to slice it up on their fancy slicing machine. The other day when I picked out my selection, the gentleman behind the counter apologized and said the bread was too warm for them to pre-slice for me. I grinned like an idiot at the thought of someone apologizing for warm bread. The puppies and I returned home to a second breakfast of fresh bread with butter.

Halibut salad melts

Makes two large open-faced sandwiches

Halibut salad:
2 cups cooked halibut, broken into bite sized pieces
¼ cup good mayonnaise
¼ cup chopped celery (about 2 small ribs)
scant ¼ cup chopped scallions (about 1 scallion)
1 ½ tablespoons drained capers
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper

to assemble:
2 large slices of thick bread, lightly toasted
½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 medium tomato

1) Mix together the halibut salad. To avoid smashing the fish too much, gently toss all the ingredients together with a fork.

2) Move an oven rack to the highest placement and turn the oven broiler to high. 

3) On a rimmed cookie sheet place the two large slices of toasted bread (I toast mine in the broiler, but you're welcome to use a toaster. The key is to just lightly toast it, as the bread will get another dose of heat from the broiler). Top bread with generous scoops of the halibut salad and then distribute the cheese.

4) Place under broiler and broil until cheese melts and starts to bubble. Keep an eye on it- it only takes moments under the broiler to go from toasty perfection to inedible charcoal.

5) Remove from heat and let stand momentarily. Serve topped with slices of tomato. Sprouts are also good.