07.07.08
Sand, sun, and strawberries
Fay Bainbridge was on the agenda for today. Here are all three kiddos trying to get their driftwood log launched. “That’s far enough!” I called when they actually did get it afloat. I know, I know, but they didn’t have life jackets on and I didn’t want to go fishing them out of the water.
On our way back, we stopped at Suyematsu Farm on Day Road and bought a flat of raspberries. The farm stand lady told me about U-pick strawberries over at the Manzanita Road farm, so we headed over there and picked a flat in under half an hour–thanks to my three great little pickers! They’re going to keep it open for U-pick throughout this week, and we may be back for more later. There can never be enough strawberries in the freezer in February 
.
05.26.08
In praise of artisanal ice cream
The last time I visited Mora, I’d had a hearty dinner and the weather was dicey.
Go hungry on a hot day and singing angels appear as they hand you your cone. My coconut ice cream was by far the best I’ve ever had, creamy and chock full of fresh coconut. B’s chai ice cream was perfectly spicy and sweet, and best of all for him, they make gluten-free waffle cones!
K. got strawberry and A. got raspberry ice cream–both of them tasting just like fresh berries and cream. Soft frozen, atop a cone. I didn’t taste the rest of the kids’; they were busy talking to a couple of dog owners who’d brought their animals along to Mora. These weren’t ordinary dogs; they were puppies in training to be guide dogs, and the owners/trainers were quite friendly and told the kids all about training the dogs.
Meanwhile, I kicked back on a sunny bench and licked my platonic ideal of an ice cream cone and savored the moment.
05.24.08
From mushrooms to marshmallows
Look what our Canuck friends brought us, fresh from the organic farm:
We grilled some for dinner tonight, and after the 9 of us ate, there’s still a ton left. Mushrooms for every meal! Hmmm. Omelets, quiche, salad, spaghetti….such pleasant brainstorming.
Low tide today drew us to the seashore again. With a superabundance of energetic kids and sunshine, there’s no place better than the beach. Here are some of our finds:
After dinner, the marshmallows were simply begging to be taken out and roasted, so we very kindly obliged.
You know it’s a full day when the kids need 2 full scrub-downs within 8 hours. Or when you’ve sat down with the latest New Yorker 4 different times and never made it past a page turn.
05.10.08
A few restaurant reviews
The Treehouse Cafe in its lovely location next to the Lynwood Theater is one of my favorite places. They serve a really good Cobb salad with bleu cheese dressing; unless you like lox in thick-cut hunks, stay away from the bagel and lox sandwich. (Maybe they thought extra lox is a good idea, Seattle and all?)
We tried San Carlos on Friday (when they’re open for lunch), and they served superb grilled halibut tacos, the best B’s ever had. My order was quite good too, a really satisfying grilled veggie quesadilla with goat cheese. We’ll be back for sure.
Last weekend we took the kids to eat at Aladdin’s Palace in Silverdale. It’s mediterranean/Middle Eastern cuisine, so I loved just the idea of it. We ordered the appetizer platter, which included pita bread, hummus, baba ganoush, spiced cauliflower, tabbouleh, stuffed grape leaves, and falafel. S. got an order of soup (lentil and fava bean, I think), and we all shared an order of chicken shish kebab.
The fact that we were sharing everything isn’t because their portions are too big, it’s that everything was so incredibly good (and oh yeah, the kids had eaten a lot of candy at a party earlier). The host was really attentive and wanted to know if everything was perfect — I felt a little as if I were a guest at someone’s home. That’s a good thing. On the way out, their Lebanese chef heard B. speaking French, so he and B. conversed a little in their second tongues. As for my tongue, it’s been happy for days. I can’t wait to go back!
04.23.08
A plot of earth in April
I harvested the first crop of spring spinach from the garden this afternoon. We put up this almost invisible lightweight deer netting last month, and it’s done the trick! I feel crazy clever.
Buoyed by my agricultural success, I decided to make a spinach lasagne for dinner:
The bowl contains chopped spinach, ricotta cheese, shredded Romano, minced garlic, and onion (I’ll leave the onion out next time, actually; the kids weren’t exactly begging for more onion). A jar of basil and tomato pasta sauce, whole wheat lasagna noodles, and lots of grated mozerella ed è squisito!
03.02.08
Lunch in the Grand Forest
Happy, chilly day!
The smile is because I had just eaten the best sandwich in the whole world–a baked Italian sandwich. You start with some crusty French or Italian bread, spread a layer of pesto, some provolone, a little Black Forest ham or some mushrooms, a few slices of tomato. Wrap it in foil and bake it for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Take it with you on a chilly hike–it’ll taste twice as good there.
Strange bud, no? Looks like a tiny ear of corn bursting out of its red, red crown.
02.10.08
Chinese New Year Parade
It’s the year of the rat! We hiked into Winslow around 11 this morning, in time for some sun and gusty weather. The parade got going around noon, and it was a blast! (Lots of blasts, actually.)
While police tape held everyone at bay for the opening firecrackers, after that everyone pressed in to form a gauntlet that the dragon danced through, followed by drummers and lots of other kids and community members.
K. got some pot stickers from the outdoor booths, and the rest of us traipsed into Blackbird Bakery for some lunch in a warm spot. I love their happy chalkboard menu: Welcome to Blackbird Bakery–Fresh, Seasonal, Local. And their cup of soup with fresh, warm bread is a steal at $2.75. What’s seasonal and local in the Northwest in February? Think greens and cellar bins: split pea or potato kale soup.
12.29.07
Those midnight munchies
A: Oh! I’m really craving melon and hashbrowns right now.
B: Huh. I’ve never heard of melanin hashbrowns.
A: They’re really well-browned.
11.21.07
Second-try pie
Note to self: don’t start a heart-to-heart with spouse when daughter’s pies are in the oven! (Or at the least, set a timer that actually requires walking to the kitchen to turn it off. That microwave timer that beeps once? No good.)
Yesterday evening, S. and K. made an apple pie and a pumpkin pie largely by their lonesomes, and they were *so* proud of their work. Bedtime came before the pies were out of the oven, and I promised to finish up the baking…
…well, you know the rest of the story.
Here are the overbaked pies, which happened to be good enough for breakfast but not good enough to take to the 2nd grade feast today.
And here is S’s gallant second attempt. They look great, no?
11.14.07
Not gonna get scurvy
These are like candy at our house. I’ve set a limit of 5 at one sitting, per kid. Seriously, we wait all year for clementines to come back into season.
