Mixed Plate: The Last Days of 2010 and How I Learned to Embrace the Void

I'm likely still sifting through the Christmas photos I just took and probably prepping our New Year's Eve dinner, but that's not why I chose a photo from when 09 became 10 to herald the last post of 2010. If you're wondering what the heck this thing is, it's a tower of rice cakes or mochi, and a Japanese symbol for entering the new year. It's been said that life works in cyclical ways, and so it's got this Wasabi looking back as much as she's looking forward into 2011, and the magical, mystical tour called Life that lies ahead.

New Years mochi tower hollaback, when 2009 met 2010 - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Would it be safe to say it's been a hell of a year? Yes, I think so. We've all had our share of up's and down's, and while it's easy to dwell on the things that didn't work out the way we'd planned (what, no discovery of cold fusion yet?? PFAIL!), there's something to be said in placing value on what was accomplished and how that will shape the challenge of what's to come.

I can only speak for myself, but I can say 2010 has been memorable. Every day was like a little race and every month felt like climbing a small mountain...wondering if a Yeti was going to devour you come Monday morning. This was the year I went to work full-time for myself. The hours are long and the pay kinda sucks for the time you spend both doing and drumming up work, along with following extra pursuits like blogging, but it's probably been the most rewarding thing I've done. This was the year I learned to embrace The Void. That sounds scary and forlorn, but it's an eye-opening experience to step outside of a comfort zone and dare to pursue an unknown future where the only person you really have to answer to is the one staring back at you through the mirror. Cue Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror (Sham-on!). You make the choice to not view it as a dark, spooky tunnel ahead, but simply a blank book waiting to be filled with whatever shenanigans come your way, no writer's block allowed. The just-keep-moving attitude yielded several incredible things, including getting published in a cookbook, getting regular spots in different publications for my writing and photography, and continuing as a graphic designer.

The passion for food, while significant, is not the center of my world, and that's good, because I don't want to just be about one thing; I sorta enjoy being pulled in multiple directions at once, as it keeps my brain from going stagnant. Focusing on food was a great reminder that the enjoyment and pursuit of meaningful edible experiences is a great analogy for living well and mindfully every day. The greatest lesson I took from the year was to live as much in the present as possible. For me, the preparation of food forced me to slow down and take note of things. The distractions that a more comfortable but predictable life once offered had been removed, so when you stared into that nothingness of possibilities, a funny little voice emerged from the darkeness saying, What are you lookin' at? Get off your lazy backside and do something. Motivation can be a cranky bugger.
Sure, this Void sure sounds like a kooky place, fraught with as much reward as there is panic. And it's not been without a few sacrifices, but  it's both liberating and a bit of a relief to realize what you can let go of (vacations, hopes for a nicer car, extra booze money), in lieu of what you inevitably gain (resourcefulness, sense of well-being). So I don't have a lot of clear ideas for what the new year will bring, but that's okay. My only hope that I stare into The Void of 2011 and seek to achieve more creative goals while managing to keep the bills paid.

Last year around this time, I took the photo above of the celebratory New Year or shogatsu mochi, with a bit of fearfulness over what 2010 would bring. I bought this year's satsuma orange (with the stem and leaf this time!) and will place it upon the same eerily-preserved mochi tower. But this time, I'm glad to say, there's a lot less fear and a lot more hope. Happy New Year, everybody.

No Fear in the New Year - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Lazy Sunday of Lazy Chicken and Waffles

Whew. Another Christmas come and gone. It feels like tornado came and went; a storm of energy and fury, and then... nothing. But of course, plenty of leftovers and several more days of downtime to throw together creative ways to not eat the same things twice. Result? Chicken and waffles.

Cheater, cheater, chicken n' waffle eater - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I never grew up eating chicken and waffles and was somewhat confounded at the idea of the combination the first time I'd heard of it. But it's kind of awesome, with the mix of crispy, savory-sweet deliciousness. My at-home version was a waffle batter made up of whole wheat and oatmeal flours mixed with a bunch of pumpkin pie spice, hence it's darker color. Combined with the maple syrup, it makes for a richer flavor. And don't skimp on the maple syrup. The Mrs. Butterworths stuff is not, in fact, maple syrup, just a caramel-dyed plastic tube of corn syrup goo. I was raised on the corn syrup goo for so many years, and when I finally had the real stuff, I felt like a light from the heavens shined down upon me and slapped me upside the head and said, Stop buying that crap, Wasabi. Thanks, heavenly light. Duly noted.

The chicken, however, was a total cheat. It was just torn up leftovers from a store-bought fried chicken. Boo, right? Ain't no shame in not wanting your kitchen to smell like a fast food restaurant, coated in a light spray of fry oil. When I have leftover chicken, it tends to wind up in things like chicken salads and this was just a different way of enjoying it outside of the household norm. Most cold chicken tends to mysteriously disappear from the fridge, as Mr. Wasabi just snags pieces of it and eats it as-is. Yet another ritual of comfort food eating I have yet to appreciate -- cold chicken or pizza. I appreciate that it's a well-loved appreciation likely honed during college, I just have yet to acquire a taste for it. And I know I'll never look as good as Nigella Lawson when she does it during the closing credits of her cooking shows. That biyotch makes anything look good, even digging around the fridge in your jammies at midnight with a cold turkey leg wedged into your mouth.

Adding a bit o' spice to waffles - Photos by Wasabi Prime

It was nice to use the waffle iron again -- we so rarely do, so it's a treat to bust it out. This applicance was a windfall from a friend who had an extra one after her wedding. It's a Belgium waffle maker, so it makes those big, beautifully puffy waffles with the hefty divots. Although I like a bit of crunch to my waffles, so I'll make the waffles and then put them in either the toaster oven or whole batch in the oven for extra crisp time. At some point, I'll have to see about making a savory waffle, maybe doing a ham and cheese sandwich between fluffy bread, pressing it in the waffle iron and creating a strange waffle/panini hybrid. It sounds more like a hangover special, but whatever, I'll take my carbs however I can have 'em.

Looking at the week, I see one more holiday hoop to jump through -- New Years. We're keeping it local, as in our living room, likely with all three Lord of the Rings movies back-to-back. Maybe by the time the walls of Helms Deep are being stormed by the angry horde, we'll be chowing down on some ham and cheese waffle/paninis.

Mixed Plate: Keeping the Holidays Merry, Bright and on a Massive Sugar High

The decorative lights are aglow. The tree is festooned with the sparkling baubles of a seasonal gala. It makes one want to draw loved ones near and sing the Christmas carols of olde, such as: Jingle bells/Batman smells/Robin laid an egg/the Batmobile lost its wheel/and Joker got a-waaaaaaaaay....

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...cookies - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Oh, come on, like you totally didn't irritate your chorus teacher by swapping out the lyrics for every Christmas pageant. What, no chorus class? Not even a glee club...? Well, they probably don't even call it "Christmas pageants" anymore either. It's all holiday-this and nondenominational-seasonal-celebration-that. Not that I'm a regular visitor to God's house every Sunday. I think I'd probably go up in flames were I to step through the doorway of a church, or at least recoil in a sinister fit of hissing. But that doesn't mean I don't love Christmas, dammit.

I like the holidays because it's the one time of year from November on (and sometimes from October, if we're going by the retail calendar), where you feel the karmic tally coming due, and you have to make good on the friendly smiles to strangers, taking the extra effort to wish people well on their day, and taking time to remember the people who mean the most to you. You don't do this because you're concerned Santa will swap out that pony you've been asking for with a big lump of coal -- you make the extra effort to remind yourself that this state of mind can be a reality, and that it's never too late to live kindly. It makes other people feel good. It makes you feel good. And it feels possible that the old adage of keeping a heart full of goodwill doesn't have to be only one time of the year. At least until you jump on the scales after that second quart of eggnog and decide, oh eff it, I'm wearing grubby sweats and not leaving the house for two months.

Apologies in advance to dentists everywhere - Photos by Wasabi Prime

This Christmas, I set about to doing the usual rounds of baking like a crazy mofo. I think participating in the fundraiser, Will Bake For Food, back in November was a great Spring Training for getting my holiday game face on. It adequately honed my Eye of the Baking Tiger. Don't worry, I didn't bake any tigers. What I did manage to make were several batches of sugar cookies, some regular and some with cocoa powder. They were all iced and sugared with little decorative flourishes, packaged into cellophane bags tied with ribbon and unceremoniously shoved into a dozen Priority Mail boxes and shipped off to exotic places like Honolulu, Hilo, and Colfax. I also made a few batches of buttermilk pumpkin scones. I defrosted more of that massive supply of roasted pumpkin from Thanksgiving and managed to find a recipe that was both festive and manages to curb my craving for Starbucks pumpkin scones. I used this recipe from Epicurious -- everything minus the glaze, because I needed the scones to be mailing-friendly and a sticky gooey glaze wouldn't travel well. So if you do use this recipe sans-glaze, bump up the sugar amount to 3/4 to a whole cup, depending on how sweet you like your scones. The spice content of the scones are dy-no-MITE, in a totally good way, so don't skimp on the recipe's calling for such a large amount of ginger and cinnamon.

Have a scone, Santa, Baby - Photo by Wasabi Prime

So, I'll just leave you with my random sugar-addled thoughts on Christmas, the holidays as a whole, and wish everyone the best as we enter into the home stretch of holly-jolly merriment. Eat, drink, be merry and be safe this Christmas weekend! (And don't shoot your eye out)

UnRecipe: Great Truffle Butter Expectations

As always, the holidays yield rich, complicated dishes that remind us why we only make them for rare occasions. There's a reason the Whos in Whoville only had Roast Beast once a year -- can you imagine the cleanup? Oy. But for all the fancy-schmancy-ness of big celebratory dinners, sometimes the simplest comforts are what we appreciate the most. So to make something as basic as macaroni and cheese more holiday-festive, the Prime did it up right with a truffle butter challenge, pitting mac n' cheese from scratch versus The Blue Box.

Mac vs Mac - the rumble in the truffle butter jungle - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Don't look all innocent like you don't know what the Blue Box is. We all lived off the stuff in college, much like Top Ramen, due to its pocketbook-friendly abilities to be purchased in bulk and still have enough money leftover for beer. A narrow, tall box filled with elbow macaroni, a large sachel of alarmingly orange powder that somehow magically transforms into a cheese sauce -- sure, there's enough chemicals in there to preserve us like the pharoahs of old, but hey, it tastes good. On the opposite side of the spectrum, it's the macaroni and cheese made from scratch. Big shells of pasta, the perfect shape to coat itself thoroughly with the slowly-simmered bechamel sauce thickened with shavings of different cheeses. I know, I know -- how could I even think to compare the two?? Homemade with boxed/processed dregs?? Well, the great equalizer came forth in the form of... Truffle Butter. (Insert dramatic music here)

Truffle buttah makes it bettah - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Not like I buy this stuff regularly, as I'd likely horde it away, saving it for a "something special" dish that will never come. This jar was a bit of a windfall. I was browsing Williams and Sonoma with none other than Ms. Radish and Rose, when we spied a jar in their clearance bin. How ghetto fabulous is that -- truffle butter in the clearance rack? Jigga-yeah. We checked off the "yuppie cliche" box and Ms Radish was kind enough to buy the bottle and gift it to me in the hopes of inspiring a recipe. My mind immediately went to macaroni and cheese, and more specifically, to test the fabled powers of truffle butter -- could it make even boxed mac n' cheese into something truly special? To the Batcave!!!

I hadn't partaken of The Blue Box in ages, so it was a little naughty thrill getting one at the grocery store. Yep, still same packaging and the same waft of bright orange faux-cheese as you tear open the packet of powdered sauce. Call CDC, the contagion is airborne. I wanted to give the Blue Box a fighting chance against the Homeskillet advantage of a mac n' cheese from scratch. I crisped up some prosciutto and tossed that with the final dish. When making the sauce, I used the truffle butter, plus half and half, making it extra rich. I wanted it to have a crust, so it went from the saucepot to a small casserole dish, where it was topped with breadcrumbs to finish in the oven.

The from-scratch macaroni and cheese was done in the classic way, making a basic bechamel sauce, with shreds of  cheese - I used a mix of Asiago and Fontina. Truffle butter was used, and then the final dish was baked off with the same crumble of breadcrumbs. This one was without the prosciutto; I figure give the Blue Box as much of an edge as possible.

The Cheesiest? You betcha. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I had Ms Radish in attendance to be a taste tester of the two mac n' cheeses. Is there really any doubt which tasted better? Of course not. But I think because we have such a strong taste memory of many Blue Box meals, as nutritionally enigmatic as it is, there's always a little bit of comfortable familiarity in its taste. And definitely saltier -- Valley of the Kings, here we come. The truffle butter gave an overall earthy roundness to both dishes. If I dress up another Blue Box mac and cheese again, I will make extra sauce, as it really dries out fast.  But both dishes were enjoyable in their own ways, neither felt overly better than the other, likely because of our shrink-wrapped, overly-processed childhood food memories. But does truffle butter make things better? Hell yes.

Mixed Plate: Have a Holly Jolly Holiday Madhouse

Tis the season for holiday stress. Can you believe it's all descending upon us already? We all have those days where you feel like Chuck Heston, stranded on a planet that has inexplicably been overrun by sentient, British-accented apes, only to realize, OM Freakin' G, it's our own planet, and oh hey... is that Malcom McDowell under all that fake fur? But hey, it happens to the best of us, even C-dawg with his giant toothy grin and love of firearms. I don't have a grand finale set against a long, dystopic lonely beach with Lady Liberty's arm sticking up from the sand like a giant popsicle stick. Instead, I will deal with the pressures of a marathon holiday schedule the best way I know how -- pasta. And lots of it.

Take THAT, Salmonella - I ain't afraid of no food poisoning - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I didn't make the pasta from scratch. And this isn't a meal for anyone else but myself because these days, I'm very much on-the-go and dinner is often the only break in the day I can enjoy. So this becomes the cure for busy, stressful days, maning I want to do as little work as possible and reap the greatest returns in the smallest amount of time. It's the American Way, dammit. I don't really know why carbohydrate dishes inexplicably become that go-to dish to provide instant relief, they just do it. Like magic! And it doesn't even matter why a day was bad/busy/stressful, only that it wasn't anything serious, nobody died, the itching and burning will subside, and multiple arrests do not equal multiple convictions. Tomorrow, after all, is another day, as Miss Scarlett would say.

For many, pasta-nirvana is an ooey-gooey plate of macaroni and cheese (that's coming up!). Which I'd heartily agree if I wasn't the one making it, as it can take more than a few steps, and I needed comfort -- stat. My go-to pasta 911 dish that helps me crawl into my Hobbiton happy place after bad mojo is a basic pasta carbonara. Pasta, bacon, shreds of parmesan, lots of pepper, and a big ol' fat raw egg on top. Salmonella threat be damned, I'm not letting a food scare rain on my pity parade.

Pasta: heeere I come to save the daaaaaaaay! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

If that bad day inevitably multiplies into a bad week, made sure to follow with the same course of medical attention: pasta, cheese, a bit of booze, repeat as necessary. At the time, I had the added benefit of an issue of InStyle magazine arriving in the mail, so a rapid recovery was assured, especially with glasses of bubbly on hand. As comic book antihero Hellboy would say, "I want hot noodles." The wisdom of the damned spoke true, so I got my hot noodles, tossed with homemade pesto and a raw egg for richness. This combination of comfort food with a new magazine full of pretty, shiny pictures seemed to quiet the demons in one's head and fight back the nefarious deeds of a day gone wrong. And despite the x-number of days till Xmas, I'm shutting my brain off just so I don't have to think about the massive to-do list that's looming over my head right now. Happy place, happy place, happy place...

FoodTrek: Have a Very Merry LUPEC and a Happy NovoFogo Year

Is it wrong that I ring in the holidays with booze? Naaaaah... I didn't think so either. It is wrong, however, that I had been such a stranger to Seattle's LUPEC Ladies and their monthly meetings of celebratory cocktails. But I braved deadlines and work-related obstacles to attend the final LUPEC meeting of 2010. It was held at one of my favorites, Chantanee's bar, Naga and hosted by the talented folks of Novo Fogo, who distill the heavenly sugar cane spirits of cachaça. Ready to jingle all the way with a cocktail in hand? Jingle bell rock, my friendos.

Say it with me now: ka-SHAH-sa. Now drink. - Photo by Wasabi Prime

So what the heck is cachaça and more importantly, how do I pronounce it, because that little squiggly thing below the "c" is freaking me out. Firstly, it's a spirit made directly from the extracted juice from sugarcane, unlike rums which are made from molasses, a by-product of sugar. Because of that, cachaça has a little more of a crisp, clean flavor, but can also take on flavor notes of the barrels it ages in, much like other spirits or wines. And it's pronounced ka-SHAH-sa, and the little squiggle is called a cedilla, in case that Double Jeopardy question comes up anytime soon. Take that, Trebek!

Dragos Axinte of Novo Fogo, most definitely having the most awesome name in the world, presented both their silver and aged cachaça, both organic and both delicious. We were able to sample them on their own to appreciate their unique flavors before they were mixed in cocktails. The Silver was refreshing and crisp, smelling of floral and banana notes, with a really clean finish. Very summery and made me wish I was on a beach. The Aged is a golden hue, a sign of its two year nap in bourbon casks. Mellow, rich, a bit smoky -- absolutely sippable on a cold winter's night. Both the Silver and Aged are perfect for the signature drink of Brazil, the Caipirinha, but the talents of Chantanee's Evan Martin had other plans for the cocktail menu.

Eat, drink, be merry. Repeat. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I have much love for Chantanee's food. Their Thai food makes me crave it fortnightly, wanting to do the insane Scottish accent from Mike Myers' dad in So I Married an Axe Murderer, when he rants about craving KFC at unseemly hours. So it was double, triple, quadruple happiness to have beautiful food paired with beautiful cocktails. And you'd think the strong flavors would have to battle it out, but it all went marvelously together. Evan composed a drink menu that included a Negroni Doce (Novo Fogo Silver, Aperol, Rose Vermouth, grapefruit bitters), Brasilian Grog (Novo Fogo aged, Pimento Dram, honey, Cointreau, orange, lime, coffee tincture), and the Quentao (Novo Fogo Aged, ginger syrup, hot mulled cider, cinnamon). The Negroni Doce was picture-perfect, fragrant and tart, going well with the fresh salad rolls and pumpkin samosas. The tropical citrus of the Brasilian Grog paired nicely with the kick of garlic chicken, pad ki mao and spicy tofu. Dessert was the Quentao itself, which was a warm, holiday-perfect drink. Maybe it's the time of year, but the Quentao was my favorite of the night, only because it totally fit the Christmas frame of mind I was in. I would have never thought to use cachaça beyond more tropical cocktails, and so -- as always -- the LUPEC meetings are both educational and inspiring for my liver.

I kept the spirit of the holidays in my heart and admired some of the Christmas decorations around downtown Bellevue. I wandered to the nearby Bravern to admire their lights and giant Christmas tree. It was a good reminder to slow down, take a moment to take in the twinkle of a sparkly light, and don't get too wrapped up in the madness of the holidays. Which I know I'll completely forget five minutes later as I throw myself into a hissy fit over my holiday to-do list. But at least I took one night to just be a person taking in the sights on a cold winter's night.

Be merry and bright  this Xmas - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Big Wasabi Thanks to LUPEC Seattle for organizing a great end of year gathering, and to Novo Fogo and Chantanee for making it such an incredible evening.

FoodTrek: Getting My Xiao Long Bao Groove On

I came, I saw, I waited in a long line, and I had xiao long bao. Din Tai Fung, purveyors of the "juicy" soup dumplings known as xiao long bao, is open and ready to rumble in downtown Bellevue. Or, more to the point, to stop the rumbling of stomachs craving this unique and delicious dish.

Not enough soup for the droop, but still tasty - Photo by Wasabi Prime

The enjoyment of food is as much in the texture as its flavor. Chewy, soft, crunchy, delicate -- all these different sensations really enhance the experience of eating something and provide a memorable mouth-feel that really leaves an impression. That's the aspect of trying new styles of dishes that I enjoy, the promise of discovery. The joy of eating soup dumplings is the sensation of both solid and liquid, with the soft wonton skin holding both hot, flavorful broth and a small morsel of ground meat, usually pork. It's not a typical combination for American palates, and so I think people being drawn in to the novelty of a new restaurant like Din Tai Fung will walk away with something fresh, and hopefully it leads them to investigate other places that serve this style of cuisine. For those who are familiar and well-versed with the wild and crazy world of dumplings, the debate continues over whether Din Tai Fung is worth the hype, long wait times and so on. I'm  not jumping on either side of the argument, mostly because I'm not versed well enough to weigh-in with the dumpling pros. I'm a cheap dumpling date -- I like eating 'em any which way I can, just because they always taste like comfort to me. And really, the best way to enjoy food is when it's shared with good company.

Pork chop fried rice and sweet taro buns - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I was able to visit Din Tai Fung twice in one week, right after its crazed weekend opening that had people waiting in three hour lines and setting the local foodie scene ablaze with discussion. I didn't have nearly enough time during the first visit, just grabbing a quick seat at the bar (yes, there's a full bar in there -- weirdly wonderful, right?), and ordering up the small, bite-sized pork juicy dumplings and the sweet taro-filled buns. I liked being able to just sit and eat, but it was of course much more enjoyable to go a second time with Jay Friedman, Seattle's intrepid Gastronaut explorer, and his lovely co-pilot, Akiko, where we were better able to navigate the menu as a group.

Xiao long bao party - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The company was grand and of course the nice thing about more people is you can order more items. I definitely enjoyed the delicate flavor of the pork soup dumplings, even if there wasn't enough broth to give it the signature "soup-droop." That's not an official term, I just like it because it rhymes. I was just pleased at the tenderness of the pork inside. In terms of notable flavors, the pork and shrimp shao mai were my favorite, along with the pork dumplings served in a spicy, lightly sweet sauce. The pork chop fried rice is a popular crowd favorite, but I may just order the pork on its own the next time. I love rice, but the crispy texture of the pork chop was what I enjoyed most.

Don't just order the soup dumplings - plenty of other yummy things - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I look forward to visiting Din Tai Fung again, mostly to accompany other friends who have expressed an interest in going, but I'm not in a hurry to go during its honeymoon fever pitch and long lines. I'm happy to bide my time visiting my old favorites for dumplings, where I meet with friends and we share tea, company and food -- in the end, that's all I care about. I think like a lot of restaurants, things will develop with time. I'm mostly hopeful that having a place as well known as Din Tai Fung will be the spark that inspires people unfamiliar with the cuisine to continue exploring beyond the foods that offer a side of fries. If that can happen, then I feel like Din Tai Fung is doing some pretty great work.

Mixed Plate: Flipping the Bird at Tradition and Frozen Turkeyday Travails

Do you still have Thanksgiving leftovers? We're still picking at the last scraps of November's festive edible sendoff as we enter the December holiday binge. Where's the Shake-Weight when you need it? Or better yet, just say the hell with it and get some drawstring pants. It's so hard not to enjoy every last morsel, especially after looking through the Thanksgiving That Was...

Turkey in the key of Mediterranean - Photo by Wasabi Prime

We extended our Turkeyday festivities across a couple of nights. A bird was cooked in Kitchen Stadium Wasabi, but the deed was done on Saturday night. I had it in my head to make a fragrantly-spiced bird, so I used an ample sprinkling of My Spice Sage's pumpkin pie spice to give the turkey a rich flavor and a nice bit of color. I was also basting the turkey in a glaze of reduced pomegranate juice and molasses, just to nudge along the caramelizing of the skin. What helped give the meat itself a nice flavor and tenderness was brining the bird in a long, several-day soak of salt, sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns and citrus rinds. It's worth the extra step, as it will guarantee meaty moistness (giggle) and infuse the turkey with a flavor beyond its surface seasoning. I like to break the turkey down into its delicious parts, versus cooking it all at once, mostly because I have no vessel large enough to brine a whole bird and in general, I just prefer the faster cook time once it's dismembered like a Dexter victim. Despite the missed Norman Rockwell photo opportunity, slicing a just-cooked bird and burning fingers ain't fun. Less fussing, more eating. I further tossed aside tradition by making a citrus and garlic-flavored couscous mixed with the vegetables roasted in the turkey's bastings, mixed with dried fruit, nuts and chickpeas. Even the cranberry sauce got a reboot, with a healthy dose of fresh pomegranate. Tradition be damned.

Own the Bird, especially at breakfast - Photos by Wasabi Prime

On Thanksgiving Day proper, we went to an epic meal cooked up by Mr. Wasabi's friends from the Crossfit Eastside Gym. Don't worry, we didn't eat in a gym, dinner was served at the lovely home of K and M, who were kind enough to invite us over, along with several others. There were two turkeys -- one smoked and covered with a blanket of woven bacon, and the second bird was deep fried and glazed in a spicy hellbroth of Buffalo Wing sauce, making it a Buffalo-Turkey. Bet Darwin never saw that one coming. You'd think it was crazy, but it was brilliantly delicious. Everything at this huge dinner was fantastic and all I have to show for it is the next-day turkey breakfast hash made with the leftovers they sent everyone off with. I know, I should have brought the camera, as this was a true feast, but I figure I'd give this meal its own holiday break from the nonstop clicking of a digital shutter. Tradition be double-damned.

There will be pie, little gifts and a snowy-faced dog - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The turkeyday festivities were also marked by the first snow of the year. Or more like, the first Seattle-gets-shut-down-by-weather of the year. Maybe it's the Thanksgiving Gods reminding us to be really flippin' thankful, but I know Mr. Wasabi was happy to be home after his five-plus hour commute home from downtown Seattle in frozen road conditions when the snow and ice first hit at the beginning of the week. We were fortunate not to lose power, even in the wilds of Duvall where we live, and the snow days gave extra prep time for making the pumpkin pies I said I'd bring for Thanksgiving dinner. The last of my fall holiday decor suffered the fate of becoming pumpkin pie filling, landing squarely into Wasabi Mom's vinegar shortcrust recipe, which is a never-fail favorite that always yields crispy, flaky crust. Topped with cardamom-infused whipped cream and I had unhealthy breakfast options for days.

Walkin' in a Winter Blunderland - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Despite the poop-tacular weather, I have to say when snow falls in Duvall, it's a pleasant winter wonderland, as long as you don't have to be anywhere. If you do, then it's a frozen hell on earth trying to get in and out of the city. The snow lasted long enough to pose for some countrytime photos before melting enough to make the roads passable for Turkeyday. Despite the very early chill and some slick road conditions, this Thanksgiving had to be one of my favorites in that I felt like I was able to enjoy a little bit of everything I love to do over the extended holiday weekend, even if it was as simple as eating, sleeping in, and reading books.

Dateline, Duvall - Old Man Winter goes berzerker - Photos by Wasabi Prime

OMG a Recipe: Let Them Eat Spice Cake (with Bacon and Goat Cheese)

Admit it. You look in the spice aisles with a glazed-over stare and think, What do I do with Grains of Paradise..? Or you’re on the opposite end of the spectrum -- you’ve run through the gamut of familiar spices and are craving something more. You are a Spice Daredevil, a cook born without fear, craving new, delicious challenges and superhero status. In either case, there’s an impressive online resource to make navigating the spice world easier and conveniently – meet MySpiceSage.com. Call them a flavor emporium… a Spicecapade… the go-to if one is ever in need of 50 pounds of adobo seasoning. You want it, they got it, and they helped inspire the Prime to create a new tasty nibble.

Bacon and spice cake - these will amuse your bouche and Rock your Amadeus - Photo by Wasabi Prime

It’s a bit astonishing to look through MySpiceSage.com’s offerings. Picture Keanu Reeves’ Neo from The Matrix, with his monosyllabic utterance of awe: “...Whoa.” Berbere Spice. Epazote. More masala than you can shake a stick at. There are literally hundreds of different spices available. Plus you can pick a free sample with every order and they add in a little extra sample of whatever is in season or something special for that month. My tastebuds were doing a happy dance. I like that there are options for whole spices like cardamom pods, as well as a library of spice mixes that read like a world traveler’s passport. I wanted to go wild, but for my dish, I decided to go with a combination of unique and familiar.

The Prime was given the opportunity to play around with a spice-themed recipe, more specifically, to participate with foodie site Kitchen Play, who is literally celebrating the spice of life by sampling the encyclopedic offerings from MySpiceSage.com. Selected food bloggers are tasked to come up with a unique menu for their monthly Progressive Party, which is a bit like a virtual dinner party, and I was asked to bring an appetizer.

I wanted to create a little nibble with big flavor. I also wanted elements of sweet and savory, so I used MySpiceSage.com’s Pumpkin Pie Spice blend to help bridge the gap with its full-bodied mix of fragrant spices. Their blend is a familiar blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves that enhance the mild sweetness of pumpkin, but it can be used in other things, like cookies and breads, or even a dry rub on a pork tenderloin. That’s the great thing about spices in general – it’s less about sweet versus savory and more about interpreting the fragrant undertones of each spice.

For my amuse-bouche, I adapted a spice cake recipe I’ve used for -- funny enough -- a whoopee pie,
and balanced its spiced cake sweetness with the creamy richness of goat cheese blended with ground
cardamom. Then I topped it with a savory/sweet hunk of maple-glazed bacon.

Did Somebody Say CONTEST? Feel inspired to make one of these spicy lil’ gems? KitchenPlay is holding a contest for anyone wanting to cook this recipe or any of the others on this month’s Progressive Party menu. The winner will receive $100, so head over to KitchenPlay for the full details, how to enter, and a look at the other recipes to recreate. You can have a total of 6 entries, trying any of the courses in the December menu, and the contest goes through December 31, 2010. So get cooking and get inspired because, as they say in the Dune books, “The spice must flow!”

Spiced Cake Bites Topped with Cardamom Goat Cheese and Maple Bacon
(makes 24 to 36 bites, depending on how large you cut them)


Spice cake recipe
3 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tblsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1.5 c brown sugar, lightly packed
1 c vegetable oil
1 c plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla


Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. Mix the sugar, oil, vanilla and yogurt together until blended and then slowly add each egg until fully incorporated. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, a third at a time, mixing until incorporated for each third. Do not over mix. It should have the consistency of a thick cake batter.


Lightly grease and flour a rectangular cake pan or casserole dish and pour in batter. Make sure there are no air bubbles and surface is smooth. Place in oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until fully baked, where sticking a toothpick in the center of the cake comes out dry.


When the cake is done, cool and carefully unmold. Let it fully cool before cutting into small bite-sized pieces. You can use special cutters for decorative shapes or make simple squares. You can make the cake bites a day ahead and keep in an airtight container until serving.


Topping
1 cup of goat cheese, softened
2 tsp of ground cardamom
6 to 10 slices of thick-cut bacon
2 tblsp of maple syrup


Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the bacon on the sheet in a single layer. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bacon begins to brown. Remove the pan and brush the slices with the maple syrup. Return the pan of bacon to the oven for another 5 to 6 minutes until the bacon is crisp and fully baked.


Let the bacon cool before breaking into small pieces. While it’s cooling, fold the ground cardamom into the softened goat cheese until fully combined. To construct each bite, you can roll the spiced goat cheese into little balls before placing on each cake bite, and then finish with a small bit of bacon.

The Fine Print: the contest is sponsored, but don't be hatin' because the dishes are all really yummy