Food and Crafts for All Occasions

Spicy Miso Soup with Chicken, Mushrooms and Soba Noodles

I’m introducing a new category into my blog: quick fix. I already have one called  “easy peasy”, but easy peasy doesn’t always equal to quick. Some simple things can take quite a while to cook. Like, for instance, a majority of braised meats, which, as a rule, take no more than a half hour of prep work, but up to 5-6 hours of actual braising time. Quick fixes, on the other hand, are really fast, but not necessarily super easy to make.

Yellowtail, Scallop and Octopus Ceviche in Jalapeno Leche de Tigre

Another warm week in Seattle and again I’m planning to battle the heat with my favorite weapon - food and drinks. My today’s arsenal consist of yellowtail, scallops, limes and hot peppers and I’m turning all these beauties into ceviche, which is, basically, fish or seafood marinated in tart citrus juice.

Mussels with Andouille Sausage, Fennel and Garbanzos in Vermouth, Paprika and Saffron Broth

With some foods, it can take me several attempts to start to appreciate their flavor. Like it happened with raw oysters and soft goat cheese, of which I cannot get enough now. With others, it is love from the first bite. Like it was with steamed mussels.

Decadent Diet: Sliced Fennel Roasted with Garlic, Olive Oil and Lemon Juice

Who said that diet cannot be decadent? There’s no oxymoron here. You can eat food that will let you lose several pounds and still maintain high gourmet standards. Like that Japanese style salad below. Or what about roasted fennel? It’s just what the dietician ordered: it’s lean, it’s not starchy and it’s full of health benefiting nutrients. At the same time, it’s a perfectly decadent dish - unique flavored, moist, crunchy, fragrant and absolutely delicious.

Japanese Style Salad with Bitter Greens, Tuna and Edamame Beans

As it often happens in life, happy periods of binging on pasta, potatoes and chocolate are followed by sad periods of remorse with one major question to answer - whether to buy a pant button extender kit or switch to healthier and leaner foods for a while?

Squids Stuffed with Ground Chicken and Spinach in Herby Tomato Sauce

If you love the combination of seafood and meat in one dish, this recipe is for you. Regularly, for the stuffing I would take quite fatty pork, but since during the fall and winter our summer clothes seems to have significantly shrunk in the closets, I temporarily replace fatty pork with leaner chicken or turkey. But you can take pork, beef or any combination of meats you like.

Dungeness Crab Season: Crab, Onions and Rau Ram Omelet

Every time I go to the store these days and see that whole cooked Dungeness crab hasn’t disappeared from the fish and seafood display, I’m about to hop on one leg and joyfully shout “It’s still here! It’s still here!”

I thought that after more than a month of crab cakes, crab dips, crab salads, crab ravioli, crab melts and just simple whole crab with butter on the side I would be literally fed up with this little sea creature.  Nope, didn’t happen! As with any addiction, the more you get, the more you want.

So instead of only having crab for dinner, I now also start my day with it (can half an hour on elliptical count as extenuating circumstance in my case?). For breakfast, I often love to treat my lovely self with an omelet. Not an aristocratic French-style un omelette -  pale, thin, and elegantly rolled into a tube, but a robust looking, golden-brown, thick omelet with fluffy, delicate and light exterior. Just the way I like it!

Simple Salad with Tomatoes, Avocado, Olive Tapenade and Fresh Basil

Continuing the salad theme, here’s one I make often for myself for a snack. It takes mere minutes to make and is quite filling, so you can spend next half an hour  without thinking about food. ;)

Dungennes Crab Season: Crab Cakes

While our local Dungeness crab is still in season, I’m here to share with you a couple of my favorite recipes featuring this wonderful seafood.

Morel Mushrooms Sautéed with Asparagus or Green Peas

Hurry, hurry, guys! Morels are in season right now. I won’t lie to you, they are quite pricey - around $50 at Whole Foods and $40 at Central Market – but the good news is, being hollow inside, they are very lightweight, and you don’t need that many of them because of their strong earthy flavor. Today, for dinner for two us, we needed less than a quarter of a pound.

Chawan Mushi, My Favorite Breakfast

Eggs are my favorite breakfast meal. I like them in all styles - fried sunny-side up or over easy, soft boiled, poached, baked en cocotte, scrambled.  Chawan mushi, a steamed Japanese egg custard, is one of my recent favorites. Extremely light and airy, with silky mouth feel and delicious, delicate flavor  - what's not to like?

Traditionally, it is served as an appetizer, hot or cold, but I prefer to have it for breakfast or lunch.