I love lists. I enjoy making lists and they make me feel half accomplished. I also love organizing lists, Things To do, Life Lists, Things to do in year 2010, Places to go to, etc. I also have a list of things I’d love to someday make/cook/bake. So. In the tradition of Maggie’s Mighty List and as an extension of my Mondo Beyondo List, here’s my ever growing list of things I want to make from scratch — without harming anyone in the process, and with results that are actually edible, worth repeating, and most especially, non-toxic:

1. Croissants
2. Turkish Delight
3. Puff Pastry
4. Oreos
5. Mozzarella Cheese
6. Other homemade Soft Cheese
7. Lavash
8. Sourdough Starter
9. Fruit Leather
10. Peanut Butter Cups (with homemade peanut butter)
11. Canned Fruit Jams
12. Ratatouille
13. Graham Crackers
14. Fortune Cookies
15. Baked Donuts (it was a fail this past January)
16. Authentic Black Forest Cake
17. Chinese Congee
18. 

    A failed attempt at baked donuts at the beginning of 2010. It was nothing close to a donut, except for the shape.

    The next items on the list are Filipino dishes and delicacies.

19. Sans Rival
20. Puto (Filipino Steamed Rice Cake)
21. Puto Bumbong (Filipino Steamed Sticky Rice Cake cooked in bamboo tubes)
22. Sapin-sapin
23. Ube Halaya
24. Bibingka
25. Pastillas
26. Bopis
27. Cassava Cake
28. Pichi-pichi
29. Sisig

This are just the ones off the top of my head. I’ll add more to this when I have time. :

Here are the things I’ve already crossed out since I’ve started this blog:

Mamon, Marshmallows, Scones, Flaky pie crust, Palitaw (Filipino boiled rice cakes), Filipino Empanada, Food For the Gods, Igado, Frozen Yogurt, Macarons, Biscotti, Raw Cake, Kinder Surprise Eggs, Homemade Pasta and Lasagna, Vegetable Stock, Roast Turkey, Neapolitan Style Pizza Crust, Wine Lollipops

Care to share YOUR Mighty Make-From-Scratch OR Cooking/Bakings lists? C’mon now. :) Maybe we can all share recipes and techniques to get through each others lists. I’d love to cross out at least 10 off mine by the end of this year!

• Rustic Figs and Almond Cream Galette [recipe]
• Baked Caramel Apple Donuts [recipe]
• Raw Multiseed Crackers [recipe]
• Chicken and Rice [recipe]
• What Does Politics Have To Do With Food? [article]
• Blueberry and Lime Cupcakes [recipe]
• Savory Cheddar Biscotti [recipe]

We just finished a family feast of roasted spare ribs, cheese-filled pasta shells, and peanut butter brownies with vanilla ice cream, all inhaled dutifully. Yum. Sit-down meals on the weekends with the family is something I look forward to and I think it’s something we appreciate more now as adults. Are you the same way? Or is my age just showing? :)

This cake wasn’t served on the table today, but will make its way there again in the near future. I made this back in March and featured it in our monthly newsletter (that I have yet to resuscitate), so I apologize for those of you who are subscribed there and have seen it. It’s Autumn, the scent of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are on high demand, and I may be in the minority for someone yearning for my citrus, but I’m a summer child and I welcome it at any season. If you’re like me who need a break from all the usual Fall flavors, here’s my treat for you.

Beginning today, I will begin putting that massive copyright watermark on the photos on this site. I’ve resisted and battled with it because it’s distracting, but our photos have been blatantly used by other sites with the copyright information cut from either the top or bottom of the photo — I mean, are those people for real? Although I don’t do this professionally, they’re still my work, hope you understand. Sorry we have to stare at these. If you have a better solution, let me know.

I hope your weekend is lovely, and if it’s Monday where you are, enjoy a good start of the week.

xo,
Joy

   Get the recipe for the Lemon Poppy Seed Sour Cream Cake

Earlier this week, one cool afternoon when the sun was still up and the nearby running track oval was empty, I was doing my usual afternoon jog, getting back to my regular schedule after a couple of weeks break. It was just Mother Nature and I. You know when dogs stick out their faces out from a moving car and you can see happiness on their faces (and a shampoo commercial in there somewhere)? That’s sort of how outdoor running feels to me, wind against my skin and combing through my hair, foot to earth one step at a time. I was on my 8th lap, feeling all Zen and going with the flow, when I opened my eyes in slow-mo and my brain started screaming: “HOLY SH**…IT’S COMING AT YOU!!! WATCH OUT DON’T OPEN YOUR MOUTH…!!!” SPLAT. PBBBTTTT. Gigantic dragonfly recomposes itself mid-stumbling-flight and I in the verge of punching my fist up to the skies and breaking into insane laughter. Way to ruin the moment Mother Nature!

So that’s one of the simplest, grounding things I do: jog or run. After completing a beginner’s running program similar to Couch to 5K and running my first 5-km race, I’ve transitioned from being all about yoga to someone who craves running. I can slip into my shirt and shorts, lace up my shoes and I’m good to go. No fuss, just get up and go. It’s easy. Sometimes, I just get smacked right in the face by bugs or insects.

And that’s how I like my Fridays, too, minus the bugs and insects.

It’s an ongoing life project to balance work,  having a life outside of work, and then blogging. I love doing all three. I don’t want to be flighty or have any one of them become a chore, because they all require time. So, in an effort to balance what could sometimes be a very insane blogging schedule when I get so much into it, I’m going to start doing what I call Fuss-Free Fridays. This is when I’ll post easy recipes. Those that you won’t have to stress about — and let’s face it, some could trigger fears just from a quick glance at the length! I won’t have to sweat writing long and winding step-by-step procedures and you won’t have to bug your eyes out reading all that. Fair deal?

If you want to join me for Fuss Free Fridays: leave a link to your easy recipe blog post in the comments OR if you don’t have a blog, leave the recipe in the comments. If there’s enough participation, perhaps we can do this on a regular basis. What say you?

Now here’s an easy one to make and something that you can just use as a loose guide for creating your own vinaigrette. Admittedly I’m not a huge salad person, but when I do fall in love with a dressing or a salad, I become loyal to it.

Let’s start the weekend right and relax. Happy Fuss Free Friday!

   Get the recipe for the Red Wine Vinaigrette

Imagine this: It’s the middle of the night. The windows and door leading to the patio are open, the air is crisp, and you’re leisurely reading a book (the only time you have to do so is at odd hours of the eve) while you wait for something baking in the oven. Chocolate laced with summers of your childhood eating spoonfuls of peanut butter wafts in the air; something good’s almost ready. The timer beeps and you make your way to the kitchen to shush the persistent timekeeper. You open the oven door and the aroma of warm peanut butter cups makes you smile, and pause, before reaching out your mitt-covered hands. Helpless, you cross the fine line of reason and stupidity, immediately dunk a spoon — not even a knife — into the hot baking pan and taste it. Curses of euphoria and a shot back to reality ensues.

Hmm. That may or may not have been me. The tip of my tongue is  also not slightly numb right now. {big grin}

I could blame it all on this: A few weeks ago, I sat in the makeshift large conference hall at Theo Chocolate in Seattle for IFBC on a Sunday morning, listening to Shauna of Glutenfreegirl.com as she talked about blogging for specialized diets. Even from afar you can tell that this woman lives with her half glass full. Instead of soliloquies of I-can’t's, her approach to celiac disease is inclusive: What can I eat? That talk was huge for me and I was drawn to learn more about gluten-free cooking and baking. I just started and I’m hooked.

Say hello to these peanut butter brownies. I would devour a whole pan of it if I knew I could live after such gluttony.

You know you want some. Wink, wink.

Clearly, as someone who can choose not to be on any special diet, I was the one missing out! These are insanely good. Will you forgive me if I keep baking GF brownies like this for a while?

I have Shauna (Gluten Free Girl) and Danny (the Chef) to thank for generously sharing the recipe for this. I’m happy in the belly. :-) Their 2nd book is just hot off the press and I highly recommend you check it out, whether you’re on a GF diet or not. Take a look at Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: A Love Story with 100 Tempting Recipes and if you pick up a copy you’ll find these brownies!

I’m eagerly awaiting for my package from Amazon so I can try more recipes and tell you about them. For now, this Wordless Wednesday turned out to be very wordy. Ah!

FACT: I’ve never made white chocolate chip/chunk cookies until two weeks ago.

Don’t give me that look.

I do, I do love them! But. I’ve always bought them. There’s no logical explanation or acceptable excuse for such behavior. Let’s just leave the past behind, shall we?

I opened a new chapter in my life since the inception of these disappearing cookies in August. Come September, I baked 66 of these and they were rightfully distributed among a dozen people in less than 24 hours, reaching 2 countries and 4 cities.

Say Hello to the border-crossing sweet treats.

Mmm-mmm. nom-nom-nom. yummers!

These were part of the Dana Treats we enjoyed during our stay in Seattle. They are her husband’s favorite and it was clear to us why. They are chewy, munchy, and whatever delicious cliché adjective you can think of.

If you know what’s good for you, use the best white chocolate you can find. I used white Callebaut chunks. I don’t usually try to twist your arm to use a particular brand, but trust me when I say this: People notice the quality of the chocolate. Almost everyone commented on it. Yes, dear loved ones, only the best for you.

Simply put, these are damn good.

I, hereby, propose that — unless you abhor any of the ingredients — you should, oh you definitely SHOULD make these. Now.

I take photos of bitten cookies because I want to show you what you'll be sinking your teeth into.

You can thank me later. Or not. Really, just enjoy it. That’s good enough for me. These cookies bring me joy like no other. I have to thank my friend Dana for sharing the recipe for these. Also check out my fellow Seattle crew Tracy’s step-by-step photos.

   Get the recipe for these Chunky White Chocolate & Almond Oatmeal Cookies

A few Sundays ago, Denise, Dana, Megan, Kristina and I headed out to Chef Ethan Stowell’s new restaurant: Staple & Fancy Mercantile.

Set in one of Seattle’s oldest neighborhoods, Ballard Avenue, one wouldn’t expect to find such a fancy restaurant when driving through that particular block. Walking along the sidewalk at night, the brick walls of this industrial area give way to faint amber lights, peeking through Staple & Fancy‘s glass-walled entrance.

We arrived early and gave in to the lure of the adjacent shop first. It was closed, but what we saw through the display window was enough to have us dreaming of cute old-style bicycles and a breath of Europe. We wanted to take them home if it weren’t for the price tag. Hah.

De La Louisianne: Rye, Benedictine, Pastis

Still in dreamland, we meandered back into the sea of tungsten lights, greeted by the host and…

Hello, bar!

We sidled into it, were offered the cocktail menu, and do what sensible gals do and order a different drink each to entertain us while we wait for our other partner in crime, Megan.

Mine was called De La Louisianne, which I picked for its Benedictine ingredient (a toast to my high school alma mater — odd reasoning, I know). It tasted faintly of Jägermeister. Yum.

I loved the cherry in it, which was smaller and darker than the usual bright red maraschinos. It tasted so much better than those, I couldn’t help but ask the bartender what kind it was.

“They’re from a brand called Toschi,” he said, and gave more for the whole gang to try. I inquired further, and the only things he could tell me was that they come in a big jar, and procured through their supplier. Of course.

We are wee alcohol minions, but I will get my hands on them at some point, you’ll see. That’s what the Internet is for. I’m just not sure if it was the amarena or vignola, but I’m betting on the former. Help.

A few minutes later, we were led to our table with the menus. The note on the rightmost column says:

“Thanks for joining us at Staple & Fancy Mercantile. Please feel free to order as much or as little food as you like. And, if you would like to avoid the trouble of ordering altogether, please feel free to hand your menu back to your server and let the kitchen prepare you a family style supper served in four courses for $45 per person. Participation by the entire table is required. We would also like to inform you that you really should do this.“

It was the last evening of our girls retreat, and frankly, the less we have to think, the better. Chef’s tasting menu FTW (for the win)!

And boy did S&F not disappoint.

Let me just begin by saying we had a ton of food. Was it 10 courses? More. I can’t remember. We did pay over the cost stated above**, but really who wants to count? I wouldn’t be able to get all of that this side of the border. We were in dinner heaven.

[** I just want to clarify that in case you went there and wondered why you didn't get as much food as we did!]

The lights were dim and the tables glowed in candlelight. It was relaxing. We were having fun, and when the food started coming to our table, we were in for a treat.

Deep fried clams

Liver paté...offalbulous!

The pretty vegetarian fare had us meat-eaters drooling

Kari Brunson, formerly of Anticiplate.com., briefly left the kitchen and came by our table to bring an appetizer. At that point, we were bulging our eyes out with food. Kari, who some of you food bloggers know, retired from professional ballet to pursue her passion for cooking. Now that’s balls.

Deep fried peppers, which I was able to eat in spite of my low capsaicin.

Spotted prawns

What happens at S&FM, stays at S&FM. Or did not stay, I suppose. :D My lips are sealed.

Blue fish crostini

More vegetarian dishes

Green beans

Burrata

Chef Ethan Stowell was there, and so was his lovely wife and business partner, Angela, both of whom we’ve met the previous evening at the IFBC dinner. It’s always nice when the chef/owners take a moment to say Hi.

Chef Ethan Stowell

I’ll tell you now that my short term memory fails me, and that I enjoyed myself too much. Between talking and laughing our bellies off, my brain turned to mush and I fully relied on photos to help me recall the evening of food. So instead of trying to refresh a blurred memory of all the names of the dishes that we ate, I’ll let you be a spectator, a voyeur at the next table, and enjoy the photos. They’re not well lit, but I did my best. And hopefully I did their food justice.

Panna cotta with peaches

People watching at Staple & Fancy Mercantile

There’s a story behind this photo of Denise and Dana, and forgive me, but I honestly forgot. Refresh my memory, ladies! ;-)

Denise and Dana

I can’t wait to hang out with my Seattle IFBC crew again. And go back to Staple & Fancy. Mmm…good food, good friends, good memories. Now that’s a wonderful dinner.

• Sourdough Starter [How-to + recipe]
• French Butter Cookies [recipe]
• How to Run a Successful Organic Restaurant [article]
• Big Sur Bakery [food + travel]
• Almond-Apricot Granola Bars [recipe]

Lately I’ve been getting weird Facebook Friend Requests like this:

A new kind of Facebook virus? Hee.

If that was possible, I’m sure I would have received a lot already, because I’m usually one to oblige.

What really happened was:

“Have you baked gingersnaps?”

“Hmm. I’ve never made gingersnaps.”

“You don’t like them?”

“It’s not that. I just have no opinion of them.”

“Oh, ok.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

And then I asked on Twitter for recipes. Twitter, you see, is like a search engine that talks back to you. Real people replying to your queries. Ultimately, I was looking for one that doesn’t require too much work or ingredients I don’t have on hand. I received a handful of good suggestions, and honed in on one. That same evening, however, I pulled The Craft of Baking off the shelf just to check if it has gingersnaps, and I was won over when I didn’t see any freezer time required. It wasn’t those times when I want to make my life difficult.

Hello, instant gratification.

I’m still getting over the fact that I ate 5 of them already, in their 3-inch diameter glory.

I think that pretty much sums up how I feel about them now.

They made the kitchen–heck, the entire 2nd floor and the stairway–smell like Christmas morning. Please don’t crucify me, I’m one of those who LOVE THE HOLIDAYS. LOVE IT. I’m already thinking about things to make for family and friends, food- and craft-wise.

These cookies start out as soft balls of dough that flatten into beautiful dark rum-colored circular planes during baking. The edges stay crispy, but the centers become chewy. I’ll try making them again after freezing and cutting into thin slices to see if they become crisp. Until then, I can’t vouch for their snappiness.

Let me know if you do try it. I always love to hear how it turns out for others. If you have tips on making gingersnaps crispy, please share!

Have a great weekend!

   Get the recipe for Gingersnaps!