Born Free
January 30, 2010 at 4:04 pm | In Chick stuff, photography | 12 CommentsTags: backyard chickens, birds, chickens, pet chickens, photography
Mark built a “free range” area for the birds to roam within a confined area outside of their pen. This morning he decided to let them run completely free.
I was greeted by these curious faces on my back patio.
Mark is a bit stressed out–over protective if you will–and twice has said, “Well I should lock them up now.” I’ve talked him down a few times and they are still roaming free. He is acting like the father of teenage daughters right now
Life with Mark.
Life with chickens.
PS. My oven broke down! Yes, I’m sad. Times are tough right now, so I bought a little Cuisinart convection counter oven at Costco–I look forward to posting some of the cool things that have come out of it! Plus, I save on my power bill.
Hey Sean! Guess what?
Lavender Wine Jelly, Cranberry Conserve, and Mandarin Jam
January 8, 2010 at 10:41 am | In Food, Holiday cooking, Recipes, Vegetarian, cooking, photography | 10 CommentsTags: canning, clementine jam, conserve, cooking, cranberry conserve, flowers, Food, food storage, fruit canning, jam, jelly, Lavender, lavender jelly, lavender wine jelly, mandarin jam, photography, wine jelly, winter canning
I love to look into my pantry and freezer to find all the goodies I’ve stored from summer and fall. I have to admit, the heat in of summer and the physical demands of gardening can make it a bit exhausting to add canning to the list of things to do. I have found winter canning is much easier because I don’t have the physical demands of the gardens and cooking actually warms a cool kitchen.
I set out to find great deals on mandarins/clementines, pears, Meyer lemons, and other winter fruits. I still have a list of more canning to complete this winter.
Although it is not a “winter” choice, I had dried culinary lavender flowers leftover from this past summer. While visiting Lavender Hills Farm in Marysville, Washington, I picked up a small amount of culinary lavender to bake in a cake. I never got around to baking the lavender pound cake , but I did try my hand at some lavender wine jelly. I’m very happy with the results!
ABOVE: Clockwise from left- Lavender Chardonnay Jelly, Mandarin Jam, Cranberry Orange Conserve
My entire house smelled like lavender as the dried flowers steeped in hot water. I had a free aromatherapy session as I cooked.
The recipe called for food coloring, but the pink color was so pretty, that after adding one small drop of purple food coloring, I stopped and decided to back off.
For recipes and more photos, please click below…
Continue reading Lavender Wine Jelly, Cranberry Conserve, and Mandarin Jam…
The Day I spotted Curtis Stone “Take Home Chef”
January 5, 2010 at 9:07 pm | In Food, cooking, friends, my life, photography | 5 CommentsTags: celebrity, celebrity chefs, cooking, Curtis stone, Edmonds, Food, foodies, Puget Sound, Seattle, televsion, The Take Home Chef, washington
Hi everybody! This post is a re-post from my old Live Journal blog. This happened in November of 2006. I thought I’d share my adventure with you. I have severeal food blogs to get up and posted. The holidays and my son’s wedding kept me pretty busy in December. Hope you are all well. On with the story:
Yesterday I drove into downtown Edmonds for my dreaded monthly eyebrow waxing. I also had my brows tinted–which is something I’ve never done before. I left feeling very self conscious about my too dark brows, but life goes on so I persevered.
Afterward, I met my friend, “E” for lunch. We had a wonderful meal at Provinces–yummy Chinese food.
After lunch we drove to the ferry park on the waterfront. E and I are taking a beginner’s knitting course together and she had missed a class, so I was going to show her what I had learned. We decided to walk to the little coffee shop next door and grab a mocha to drink while we knitted. I was teasing E about drinking coffee–I don’t think I’ve ever seen her order coffee in the 14 years I’ve known her. I was joking that she was going to be too wired to cast on the yarn. I reminded her we were going to have a pasta making day at my house, when I looked out the window and saw what appeared to be a man and woman in heavy makeup–followed by a crew of camera men and giant microphones.
“Hey, what’s with the camera crew following those people? They must be actors or models….HOLY SHIT it’s the Take Home Chef guy!”
Yes, my friends, I may be the only person in my town who recognized the famous chef, well, me, E, and the barista! We all immediately ran out of the shop and stood there staring across the street. E realized they were heading toward the ferry park, but I was so star struck, I was standing there with my mouth hanging open, and repeating “Oh my God, Oh my God!”
An elderly couple was sitting in front of the shop on a bench. The woman asked me who he was, and I told her he is a famous chef. Her husband said, “He looks too young to be a chef, looks more like a race car driver”
I always thought star struck groupies were beneath me. I was one of the people who asked why people scream and get excited over another human being.
I was still staring, when I heard a voice asking,
“Where’s your camera?” “Anita, where’s your camera?”
At this point I realized it wasn’t a voice in my head, it was my girlfriend E’s voice and she was shaking my arm trying to jar be out of my stupor. E was telling me to run to the car and get the camera! As a last ditch effort she grabbed my mocha and yelled,
“Run, Anita, Run!”
Immediately I started to run, but soon I realized I was running alongside the crew and the chef. My short little legs could only move so fast and I couldn’t make headway. I was also in a long dress, so I was running like a penguin due to the lack of leg room to make long strides. So there I was running like a penguin with my drastically too dark eyebrows, trying to get ahead of them to reach my damn camera before they left the park. The crew was staring at me and a policeman on a bike was trying to peddle slow enough to keep up with me. “What is this crazy middle aged spiked hair lady with the too black eyebrows doing?”, he seemed to be asking himself.
Finally, the crew stopped right in front of my parked van, and I could hear the chef asking the woman if she lived on the other side (pointing to the island). It was then I realized they were in the middle of filming an episode. I slid open my mini-van door and fumbled for my camera, lifted it from the case, and then immediately started snapping photos. They all looked at me–I’m sure out of concern and for the protection of the poor chef and his guest. It was as though I lost all sense of humility and kept snapping away, I followed them all the way out of the park, snap snap snap! And up the hill and beyond the coffee shop. Snap snap snap!
I entered the paparazzi zone.
I finally returned to the coffee shop , it was then I noticed the pain. I hadn’t ran very far, but I had been so tense with excitement that I pulled muscles in my back and neck. I hobbled into the coffee shop and shared the photos with E who was very proud of herself for shaking me into consciousness and helping me score the photos. As we strolled back to the van with our mochas in hand we had big grins on our faces–we had spotted a celebrity in our very own little town.
“They can never call our town “Dead-monds” again. Oh no, we live in an exciting little town.”
“Yeah, and we have photos to prove it.”
“Right, we aren’t all old and boring people here.”
We climbed into my white mini- van and pulled out our pink and purple wool yarns to begin knitting, I took some Advil for my muscle pain, and we watched the ferry pull away with the handsome chef –who “looks more like a race car driver”.
Middle age happens.
Pears Poached in Red Wine
November 19, 2009 at 1:40 pm | In Desserts, Flexitarian, Food, Holiday cooking, Recipes, Vegetarian, cooking, dessert, photography | 7 CommentsTags: cooking, dessert, Food, fruit, fruit dessert, How to Cook Everything, Mark bittman, pears, poached pears, poached pears in red wine, poaching
I’ve eaten a few poached pears in my life, but none like the one I ate in Napa Valley while on vacation with my husband.
The hotel we stayed in offered brunch every morning, and it was there where I discovered the beauty of fruit mixed in wine.
This is a simple recipe. Play with it.
Next time, I will experiment with cloves.
I used a Merlot for the red wine.
Pears Poached in Red Wine
Adapted from “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman
Time: Overnight , largely unattended.
A light simple and classic dessert. Use not-quite-fully-ripe Bosc Pears if at all possible.
4 Bosc pears, ripe but not mushy
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups red wine (I used Merlot)
3/4 cup sugar
1 lemon, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1- Peel pears; use a melon baller to remove the core from the blossom end, leave the stem on. (I did not, I halved the pears and removed the cores. I preferred halves to wholes.)
2- In a medium saucepan. Bring water, wine, and sugar to a boil. Turn heat to med-low and add the lemon slices, cinnamon stick, and pears. Cover pan, simmer until pears are very tender, at least 20 minutes.
3- Remove pears to a bowl and continue to cook the sauce, over med-high heat until it reduces by half and becomes syrupy. Strain syrup over pears and refrigerate overnight.
4- Serve chilled pears whole, with little of the syrup poured over them.
These would be excellent for the holiday table.
Julia Child’s “Poulet au Porto” (Roast Chicken Steeped with Port Wine, Cream, and Mushrooms)
November 18, 2009 at 7:00 pm | In Cakes, Desserts, Food, French Cooking, Recipes, baking, cooking, dessert, photography | 8 CommentsTags: baking, cake, chicken, Food, French Cooking, Julia Childs, Matering the Art of French Cooking, Pommes De Terre Sautees, potatoes, Poulet au Porto, recipe, upside down pear cake

I love it when I prepare a meal and people rave over the results.
Julia Child wrote , “It is the kind of dish to do when you are entertaining a few good, food-loving friends whom you can receive in your kitchen.”
…and Julia should know!
I wasn’t prepared to photograph the ignited cognac, but trust me, it adds a bit of excitement to the room.
Poulet au Porto
(Roast Chicken Steeped with Port Wine, Cream, and Mushrooms)
Adapted from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume One”, by Julia Child
WINE SUGGESTIONS
Serve very good, chilled, white Burgundy such as a Meursault or Montrachet, or an excellent, chateau-bottled white Graves.
For 4 people
A 3- 4 lb., ready-to-cook, roasting or frying chicken
The original recipe calls for roasting the chicken according to the instructions in her book, but I really like to butterfly and pan roast my chickens. I learned to do this from a Wolfgang Puck recipe for “Pan Roasted Chicken with Port and Whole Grain Mustard”. You may roast your chicken any way you choose, but I find butterflying and pan roasting gives me a crispy crust and a very moist chicken. Plus, it cooks much faster!
I followed these instructions for my pan roasted chicken:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold the chicken over high heat. Add a few Tablespoons of clarified butter ( or oil and butter ) and swirl it in the skillet. Carefully place the chicken skin side down in the skillet. Sear the chicken, undisturbed, while reducing the heat little by little to medium, until its skin has turned golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully turn the chicken skin side up.
Put the skillet into the oven and cook until the chicken is deep golden brown and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, 20- 30 minutes, depending on its size. When the chicken is done, remove it to a carving board and let it rest at room temperature while completing the sauce.
1 lb. fresh mushrooms (I mixed white and crimini)
Meanwhile, trim and wash the mushrooms. Quarter them if large, leave them whole if small.
In a 2 1/2-quart enameled or stainless steel saucepan-
1/4 cup water
1/2 Tb butter
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
Bring the water to boil in the saucepan with the butter, lemon, and salt. Toss in the mushrooms, cover, and boil slowly for 8 minutes. Pour out the cooking liquid and reserve.
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 Tb cornstarch blended with 1 Tb of the cream
Salt and pepper
Pour the cream and the cornstarch mixture into the mushrooms. Simmer for 2 minutes. Correct seasoning, and set aside.
1/2 Tb minced shallots
1/3 cup medium-dry port
The reserved mushroom cooking liquid
The mushrooms in cream
Salt and pepper
Drops of lemon juice
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan. Stir in the shallots and cook slowly for 1 minute. Add the port and the mushroom juice, and boil down rapidly, scraping up coagulated roasting juices, until liquid has reduced to about 1/4 cup. Add the mushrooms and cream and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the liquid to thicken slightly. Correct seasoning and add lemon juice to taste.
A fireproof casserole or a chafing dish
1 Tb butter
1/8 tsp salt
Smear the inside of the casserole or chafing dish with butter. Rapidly carve the chicken into serving pieces. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and arrange in the casserole or chafing dish.
1/4 cognac (I bought one of those tiny bottles at the liquor store)
Set over moderate heat or an alcohol flame until you hear the chicken begin to sizzle. Then pour the cognac over it. Avert your face, and ignite the cognac with a lighted match. Shake the casserole slowly until the flames have subsided. The pour in the mushroom mixture, tilting the casserole and basting the chicken. Cover and steep for 5 minutes without allowing the sauce to boil. Serve.
(*) Chicken may remain in its casserole over barely simmering water or in the turned-off hot oven with its door ajar, for 10 to 15 minutes, but the sooner it is served, the better it will be.
Julia Child recommends serving this chicken with
“Pommes De Terre Sautees” (Potatoes Sauteed in Butter) and peas
and so I did!

These are quite satisfying. Cooking the potatoes in clarified butter made them extra flavorful!
I’m not sure I cut them up the the book advised, but I we all enjoyed them anyhow.
I will make these again and again.
Dessert was served hot out of the oven. One of my favorite cakes. You can get the recipe by clicking on the link below the photo.

The Upside Down Pear Cake baked while we ate, and I pulled it out and served it nice and warm.
“Day of the Dead” festival in Seattle (2009)
November 10, 2009 at 1:15 pm | In Family Fun, Food, my life, photography | 8 CommentsTags: art, dance, Day of the Dead, entertainment, festival, Food, holidays, Mexican, photography, Seattle, Seattle Center

“The ”Day of the Dead” (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls’ Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st, and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints Day which occurs on November 1st and All Soul’s Daywhich occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.” (Wikipedia)
I am in love with this celebration. I love the colors, the music, the dancing, the makeup, the food, the costumes, the decorations, the art–the ART !
As much as I whine about longing to live on a farm in the country, I feel blessed to live so close to Seattle. I have learned more about different cultures by attending the free festivals, than I had ever known before.

Many more photos plus a wonderful Youtube video behind the cut…
Continue reading “Day of the Dead” festival in Seattle (2009)…
Pressing Apples into Cider with Friends
November 10, 2009 at 12:10 pm | In Food, friends, photography | 4 CommentsTags: apple cider, apple juice, apple press, apples, Food, friends


A few weeks ago I was hunting for a pumpkin or two to give to my son and his fiancee. I ended up at a roadside produce stand, found the pumpkins I wanted, bought them, and loaded them into the trunk (don’t tell my chiropractor!). Just as I was loading the pumpkins a gentleman approached me and said something along the lines of, “Hi there, I think I know you.”
As a woman, my first thought was, “Are you kidding me? Do you have to hit on me while I’m loading huge pumpkins into my trunk, and what is up with the “I think I know you” line!”
I looked up and realized he was serious–especially when he asked, “Do you write a food blog?” Followed by, “Angelnina?”
“Well, pleased to meet ya!” I nearly shouted it–I was both relieved that he wasn’t hitting on me or asking for money–you never know in the Seattle area.
As it turns out, Wally is a very nice man, and he should have his own food blog! I can learn a lot from this guy. After introducing me to his wife–via Facebook– they both invited Mark and I to press apples into cider at their home the following weekend. We hit it off immediately. His wife, Lucinda, and I have quite a lot in common. I felt like I’d known her for years. It is always nice to meet good people.
On our visit, we were greeted with hot bowls of Wally’s homemade Borscht, homemade yogurt, parsley from the garden, toasted homemade bread, AND beer–yes, you guessed it–Wally makes the beer too! Normally I don’t drink beer, but I really wanted to sample his home brewed beer, and I have to admit, this was not the high school beer I had remembered–this beer had a hint of herbal, floral, taste–great stuff!
Lucinda served us and amongst many wonderful talents, she is also a very friendly hostess

ABOVE: Wally’s Beer
Wally wasn’t wasting any time with pleasantries, and before my last bite of borscht was down, he announced “These apples will not peel themselves.” ,and with that he set 4 cutting boards, knives, and a huge box of apples. We had a great time visiting and chopping.
Next, we went out to the cider press Wally built–yes, he made it. He and Lucinda also raise chickens and mason bees.
When the apples were pressed we drank coffee, apple juice, and ate some pignolis I had packed up as a hostess gift.
Nothing is better than meeting new friends and enjoying great food and drink.
Chipotle Grilled Chicken With Avocado Sauce
November 7, 2009 at 5:07 pm | In Food, Mexican Food, Recipes, Weeknight Dinners, cooking, photography | 8 CommentsTags: Avocado Salsa, Baha Cooking on the Edge, Baha recipes, chicken, Chipotle, Chipotle Grilled Chicken, cooking, Deborah M. Schneider, grilled chicken, grilling, Mexican Food, recipe, roasted chicken, spicy

Fall weather makes me crave spicy foods!
I found a wonderful recipe for Baha Mexican grilled chipotle chicken.
The chipotles give the chicken a smoky and “call the fire department” fiery flavor that makes this anything but a ho hum grilled chicken dish.
I use a 4 lb chicken, but the original recipe calls for 3 small chickens. I prefer more heat–if you do not, use more chicken.
The avocado adds coolness to balance it out, so be sure to make the salsa to go with.

You can cut up the chicken and serve it in a tortilla with the avocado salsa, or simply serve it as is–I ate it both ways.
We served our chicken with the avocado salsa, homemade pinto beans, and Spanish rice.
I really love this chicken! It was nice and moist. This will probably become part of my weekly menu.

First you let it marinate in the sauce for hours (at least 2, but better overnight)

Chipotle Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa
(Greatly) Adapted from “!Baja! Cooking on the Edge” by Deborah M. Schneider
SERVES 6
7 oz can chipotles in adobo
2 large cloves garlic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1- 4 lb chicken, quartered
Avocado Salsa
3 ripe Haas avocados pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Kosher salt
1 juice of one lime
1/4 cup finely diced white onion
3 fresh cilantro stems, stemmed and chopped (I did not use)
In a food processor, puree the chipotles, garlic, oil, and salt. Wipe the chicken pieces with paper towels. Thoroughly coat the pieces on all sides with a layer of the chipotle paste.
Place in a non-reactive baking dish or in re-sealable bags and refrigerate for 2 hours, or as long as overnight.
Heat the grill to medium. With the lid open, grill the chicken on both sides until well marked – about 7 minutes per side. Turn the heat to low, close the lid, and cook the chicken, skin side up, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees. (Alternatively, bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 to 40 minutes.).
NOTE: we place a drip pan under the chicken to prevent flare-ups–we learned the hard way.
Serve with tortillas and salsa.
Avocado Salsa: Place the avocados in a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and lime juice; mix gently with the onion and cilantro (don’t mash; it should look diced).
Note: this salsa should be served within 3 hours. To help it keep its color, press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the avocado and refrigerate until needed.
ANGELNINA’S NOTE: Original recipe calls for 3 small chickens, cut into halves or quarters. I prefer it with one 4 lb chicken. Obviously this adds to the heat, so if you don’t want it too spicy, use more chicken.
Light Pumpkin Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
October 28, 2009 at 7:43 pm | In Cakes, Desserts, Food, Holiday cooking, Recipes, baking, cooking, dessert, photography | 11 CommentsTags: baking, cake, cooking, cooking light, cooking light magazine, dessert, Food, Frosted pumpkin cake, light recipe, low fat, pumkin, pumpkin cake, recipe

My good friend gave me a subscription to “Cooking Light” magazine this year, and I have enjoyed combing through all of the light recipes inside each edition.
In the November issue, I spotted this recipe from a woman in Eagle, Idaho (A quick SHOUT OUT to my Idaho friends!) for a Frosted Pumpkin Cake.
Autumn brings with it a craving for all things pumpkin and spice. Throw in a light cream cheese frosting and I’m all over it.
Still, if I’m being honest, I worried about a low fat cake. At least it wasn’t non-fat, and the recipe looked like it had all the necessities needed to meet my yum factor.
So, it is my pleasure to share with you, the lower in fat, Pumpkin Cake.
I rate this cake a 4 out of 4 stars. I’m rating it as a “light” cake. I can’t really say this is a 4 out of 4 star cake in the same way I would rate a Hummingbird Cake, because lets face it, it’s not a Hummingbird Cake. Hummingbird Cake rates a 10 out of 4 out of 4 stars
Seriously, I think this is a fabulous cake. It has the flavor of autumn, it’s dense and moist–all the more reasons to bake her up!

Frosted Pumpkin Cake
Adapted from November’s Cooking Light Magazine
Cake:
- 10.1 oz all purpose flour (2.25 cups)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon ( I used more)
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree (Pure–check ingredients)
- Cooking spray
Frosting:
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz package 1/3 less fat cream cheese
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- To prepare cake, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuirng cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, other spices,and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
- Combine brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 tsp vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, to sugar mixture, beat well after each addition. Add pumpkin puree; mix well. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter into a 13×9 inch baking ban coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20- 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- To prepare frosting, combine 2 tbsp butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Spread frosting evenly over top of cake.
Yields 24 servings; serving size: 1 piece
Calories 178, Fat 5.5, Protein 3 g, Carb 30 g, Fiber .09, Chol 32 mg, Iron 1.2mg, Sodium 135 mg, Calc 62 mg














































