What A Lovely Day for a Picnic : Around the Table : June

Peach Creme Caramel , originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

I almost can't believe I am sitting down here to write this post out. It seems a tad unreal. Scroll down, you'll see what I mean. There is a mere chocolate chip cookie post resting between the last Cooking Club post and this one. Something is really wrong with that. Wow, I must have really let this site go for nearly a month if I'm sitting down to tell you about 'Around the Table's latest culinary adventure. Plus, it took me over a week to get this post completed. I promise I will be more consistent. There's no fun in visiting a food blog that doesn't change on at least a weekly basis, trust me I know, I'm thoroughly food blog obsessed. My sincere apologies!

Brace yourself, if this post is anything like our dinner, it's going to be a long one. If you get bored of my ramblings, skip ahead to the juicy parts, that being the recipes. This was an 'on location' dinner, nobody hosted, we didn't sit down at a table, or eat on china with metal utensils. Nope. This was our picnic dinner. The food and the orchard in which we laid our blankets to relax and eat were as lovely as you could possibly imagine. So, not only do I feel obliged to tell you about the food, I feel it is my duty to share with you a bit about where we spent our evening. Therefore, an already generally long post, is going to have a few additional topics than normal.

Let's begin at the beginning. During our Brunch a few months ago the group mapped out it's course for the summer. We all agreed this season was the time to take advantage of the mere couple of months the Northwest sees a (somewhat) consistent offering of warm(ish) weather. For us this meant getting outside and pairing the sunshine with meals that would compliment it. We all agreed that at the first sign of summer, in June, we would have a picnic. Over the last couple of weeks we planned and plotted our dishes and gave little thought to location. The week before our dinner I realized that we did not have a spot picked out. Our lovely Ashley offered to host it at her house, as it would be her return to the group after having brought her beautiful daughter Aurora into the world a mere 8 weeks prior. As wonderful as Ashley's new home is, we decided that this may possibly be the only meal we could enjoy outside of someone's home, away from the stove, oven, and everyday kitchen gadgets we so heavily rely on. We agreed that we must grab this opportunity by the reigns and find a grassy spot somewhere to enjoy our meal together. Let all the hostesses off the hook and allow nature to be our host for the evening. There wasn't much input on where we should go so I picked a place. Somewhere between everyone's locations in Whatcom county, as well as one of the largest, and most foodie friendly parks in town; Hovander Homestead. This is a place I don't visit often, our dinner made me wonder why, because it's extensive, breath taking farm of sorts. One of my favorite features, a place that brings out my inner child (much like Christmas trees, and fireworks) is the area devoted to farm animals (chickens, bunnies, clydesdales horses, goats, pigs, cows, turkey's, chickens. .

Turkeys, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Velveteen Rabbit, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

DSC03153, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

The actual homestead is at the center of the park, a gorgeous home and barn built in 1903 by the Hovander family who immigrated to Washington from Sweden. In the back of the house, an extensive garden, with a wide variety of herbs, greens, lettuce, and vegetables. Quite impressive. To the North, just beyond the white picket fences that encloses the large home sits a gorgeous apple orchard. It is here next to the garden, and under the low hanging branches of the apple trees that we set up camp, laid our blankets and placed our picnic baskets. Before we got started we roamed the garden and the grounds. Smelling herbs, taking pictures, trying to pet the animals, and of course cuddling with Aurora. For any avid food blogging reader out there, this place may look familiar to you, particularly if you are a fan of miss Molly over at Orangette. Sitting amongst the sunshine in the orchard I found myself thinking "this is likely one of the best spots a foodie could host an outdoor dinner in our area", see for yourself.

Mt Baker, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Hovander Garden, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Hovander Garden , originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Picnic in an Orchard, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Picnic Spot, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Watermelon & Cucumber Cocktail, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Watermelon & Cucumber Cocktail, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

We started our dinner as we usually do, with a good drink. Laurel made an incredible concoction, a quintessential summer drink. She brought along a giant pitcher of cucumber juice, fresh lime juice, watermelon and white rum. She filled each of our glasses to the brim with ice, garnished them with sprigs of mint, as well as slices of lime and watermelon, then she topped the whole shebang with a splash of sparkling water. It was incredibly refreshing. Laurel thought there was too much cucumber (and she didn't use much), I did not agree, but if you attempt it, I suggest you start with a 1:2 ratio of cucumber and watermelon, perhaps even less, and decide for yourself how much cucumber juice you like in it. If you like it sweeter whip up a batch of simple syrup and sweeten it to taste. Either way, I thought it was incredible combo, not too sweet, very refreshing, just perfect for a hot summer day.

Tequila Soaked & Salted Watermelon, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Laurel also toted along gorgeous cuts of watermelon soaked in tequila, which diners dipped in coarse salt. Yum! What a great idea. . .

Appetizer Skewers, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

As we sipped our drinks Laura fired up her camping barbecue. That's right, a portable barbecue. She brought it along because she wanted her appetizer to be hot off the grill, not cold and sweated in a tupperware container. Laura brought along a variety of kabobs, from marinated mushroom, to fresh veggies with gorgeous shades of cherry tomatoes, shrimp with lemon, and of course chicken. She served her dish with a large bowl of her take on tatziki sauce, which we slathered over the length of our kabobs as we enjoyed them. It was one of those dishes, the ones that are fresh, simple, and incredibly satisfying.

Green Salad, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Arugula Blossom, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

After our appetizer course Alexis served the veggie. Out of her basket came a delicious and simple green salad, dark, leafy, earthy, just right. The dressing was near perfection, the right balance of light, creamy, and a tad spicy. A simply stunning dressing to toss with a plate full of romaine, green leaf, and arugula. And those gorgeous little flowers you see? They are arugula blossoms. Rachelle made a very valid comment while we were enjoying our salad about these blossoms. Have you ever purchased organic flowers, marigolds, pansies, you know what I'm talking about? Perfect to add color to any salad mix. The problem is, many flowers don't add much flavor, and sometimes can feel like a mouthful. The arugula blossoms on the other hand were delicate, but added an extra something special. It sounds as though Alexis has an extensive garden, since she was throwing in arugula, she figured 'why not add the blossoms too'. Garden and gastronomy genius. (Alexis if you read this feel free to leave a comment with a more specific dressing recipe, I know readers seeking recipes would appreciate it because it was incredible).



Imagine my surprise when post salad consumption miss Alexis pulled out two large jars filled with an incredible hot pink fluid. Fluid sounds odd doesn't it? It wasn't I promise. Come to find out Alexis had pickled a variety of garden fresh veggies, from beets (which gave the liquid it's bright color), to carrots, to zucchini. As you can see, the pickling liquid imparted it's brilliant beet pink color onto each vegetable. (Add this one too Alexis if you can, I've never pickled and wouldn't know where to begin).



What's a picnic without potato or pasta salad? As you can tell by the picture we were served both, even though Ashley was only assigned one side dish. It seems that multiples was the theme of the day. I really loved the potato salad, the thing that stuck out to me were the fresh peas that speckled the potato landscape. The vinegar was tart, the mayo light. I have to say I've never had peas in a potato salad and it was incredible, they pop against the softness of the potato. I urge you to give it a shot. So, so, so good. The pasta salad took another avenue. It was a bright reddish orange and filled with italian inspired ingredients, olives, garlic, mozzarella, basil, red wine vinegar, you get the gist. I'm not a major olive fan but I truly enjoyed the pasta. The sides paired so well with my sandwiches because, yes, there were two. Our picnic-ers got to enjoy a veritable playground of flavors in each dish and pair their side with their sandwich perfectly.

Recipe: Pasta Salad with Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives
       
3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 TBS oil from sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 1 garlic clove, minced
                                       
Mix in food processor, toss with hot noodles, let chill

• 1 pound fusilli pasta
• 12 ounces tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 8 ounces fresh water-packed mozzarella cheese, drained, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
• 1/2 cup sliced Parmesan burgandy olives 

Toss with pasta, season with salt and pepper, chill, serve at room temp.


Recipe: Potato and Pea Salad with Chive Aïoli

• 3 pounds small red-skinned new potatoes, unpeeled - boil 25 minutes - cool - chunk
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar - toss with potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups green peas - add
• 1 cup miracle whip light
• 5 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed -- mix together then with potatoes
•               Top with 1Tbs chives

Sandwich Presents, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Langostino Roll Open, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Langostino Roll, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Steak Arugula & Gorgonzola , originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Onto my dish, the main which consisted of two very different sandwiches. The first was such a classic combination of flavors; thinly sliced barbecued flank steak marinated in a well aged balsamic, fresh green arugula, garlic/chive mayo, soft and pungent St Agur blue cheese all spread on a thin ciabatta. The next sandwich was a mixture of dungeness crab, langostino, fresh dill, lemon juice, thinly minced shallot mixed with a thick rich mayo all placed atop one butter lettuce leaf and placed on a soft brioche sesame bun. One sandwich had earthy deep flavors, the other was light and fresh. Each was individually wrapped like little christmas presents in brown wax paper and chocolate brown raffia ribbon. Although both were extremely popular the steak won out. The classics are such for a reason I suspect.


Recipe: Classic Flank Steak Sandwich on Ciabatta

Ingredients:

1 flank steak
6 Tablespoons good balsamic
2 Tablespoons good olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
(place above ingredients in a bag or bowl and marinate overnight)
3/4 cup fresh baby arugula
1/2 cup St Agur blue cheese (or other soft blue cheese)
1/3 cup of homemade or other good mayo
3 cloves of fresh garlic, pressed
1 Tablespoon fresh chives minced
(mix the mayo, garlic and chives in a small bowl and mix well)
1 long thin ciabatta carefully sliced in half (I purchased mine from Avenue Bread here in Bellingham)

Directions:

1. Barbecue flank steak. This is the technique I used to get tender meat with a great sear/crust (I had a little over a pound): Heat up grill on high (you want it to be very hot) my grill takes about 5 minutes to get really hot. Place steak on hot grill and sear one side for about 3-4 minutes (you should see good blackened grill marks when it's done) flip and sear other side for same amount of time. Reduce heat to medium/low and cook an additional 7-10 minutes. Remove steak from grill and allow to rest at least five minutes. Slice thinly at an angle. Viola! Perfect flank steak!
2. Slice and slather both sides of bread generously with mayo mixture
3. Place meat evenly along the bottom slice of bread
4. Crumble and spread cheese over the meat
5. Sprinkle fresh arugula over the top of the meat/cheese
6. Press top of bread over all of that and cut into servings. I got about eight with my ingredients.
7. Wrap in brown wax paper and secure with ribbon.

Recipe: ASITK's Version of a Lobster Roll

Ingredients:

1 lb langostino
1/2 lb crab, cleaned (I used dungeness)
1/4 homemade or other good mayo
4 Tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 Tablespoons fresh dill finely chopped
2 Tablespoons minced shallot
1 clove of garlic, pressed
salt and pepper to taste
butter lettuce
4 nice soft rolls or buns (I used a sesame from the Bread Farm in Edison, WA)

Directions:

1. Mix first eight ingredients in a bowl.
2. Place one large leaf of butter lettuce on the bottom of your bun and scoop a generous helping of 'seafood salad' mixture into the lettuce.
3. Top with other half of the bun, wrap and secure with ribbon.

I would have to say, both of these recipes are an incredible picnic companion.

Steak Arugula & Gorgonzola , originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Peach Creme Caramel III, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Well, here we are at the end, a very sweet end at that. I am kind of breath a sigh of relief. This was quite the post, no? If you're still with me, it's worth it. Trust me. The ever lovely Rachelle over at one of my favorite food blogs, Use The Good China, was in charge of dessert. Although it wasn't planned, by any means, with the tradition of this picnic thus far she brought not one, not two, but a variety of sweets for the group to nosh on. Two were homemade, the others were jars of peachy flavored candies to enjoy. Rachelle, inspired by a post over at Canille et Vanille decided to tote along gorgeous little peach and vanilla bean creme caramels in little glass jars. They looked utterly stunning. Oddly though, once we broke through the top, we found the interior to be like a sweetened peach milk, not the custard any of us, including Rachelle, were expecting. Now, it was still quite delicious, especially when dipped into with the giant homemade ginger cookies dusted in sugar crystals she also brought along. But, understandably, Rachelle was bummed by the creme caramel. It's always a bit frustrating when a dish doesn't go your way. However, it's really the only way to learn in the kitchen, something goes wrong and you find a way to fix it. Am I right? We all loved each of her desserts no matter, plus, they were the perfect little models for me don't you think? If you want a Rachelle's insight and recipes head on over to Use the Good China.



We had an incredible meal so I must reiterate that it's so nice to have a solid group forming that's consistently surprising and delicious. In a couple of weeks we have another summer inspired dinner, so be sure to check back for all the details!

The Cookies of Champions

Chocolate Chip Wheatie Cookies, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Just a quick post. I know I haven't been consistent with my blogging, at least not as much as I had been over the last couple of months. I really enjoyed writing and sharing recipes on a regular basis. However, with the mix of my tooth debacle, the end of Spring quarter that included a gaggle of graduations (and family that followed), not to mention a lovely visit last week from two amazing Norwegian relatives, all made it difficult for me to focus on my biggest passion, creating in the kitchen and sharing that here on my little site.

As of this morning life has begun to slow down a bit. I'm back in school and as the hot summer heat rolls in, the pace of everyday life seems to relax, allowing me to refocus on blogging, baking, and cooking.

Is it just me or have the last couple of months been inundated with post upon upon post on many a food blog claiming to have the ultimate chocolate chip cookie? I'm not going to claim that the recipe I'm about to share with you are the ultimate chocolate chip cookies, I won't even hint at it. I will, however, attempt to share with you how ambrosial and worth your time they are. Completely worth the 15 minutes it takes to whip them together. They have an incredible golden crust with deep crevices and cracks of gooey goodness running along the exterior. The chips and cereal pieces pop through as if to say 'hello, please eat me'. Every time I bake these cookies up they come out of the oven an appealing golden brown color with a texture that almost can't be beat. Soft on the inside with an amazing light crisp-ness on the outside. It's all about balance when it comes to chocolate chip cookies for me. I don't like them too soft (some people enjoy them almost uncooked soft) and I don't want them to be totally crunchy throughout. It's about gradual balance, a crisp exterior that as you work your way in remains so, yet caves into the soft interior. I like to add a little something extra to my cookie dough on occasion that may sound a bit odd to you at first, but is oh-so amazing, Wheaties. Like I said, I love the balance of soft and chewy with crisp and crunchy. When you add Wheaties you will find that you get an unexpected mysterious crunch in almost every bite. When the edges of crisp cereal bits that stick out of the dough roast up they almost resemble the flavor of toasted marshmallow. I can't explain it. All I can do is urge you to give it a shot.

Chocolate Chip Wheatie Cookies, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies of Champions

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups Ghiradelli milk chocolate/white chocolate chips mixed (or whatever kind of chocolate you prefer)
1 cup Wheaties cereal lightly crushed

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. I like to use an ice cream scoop to portion out drops of cookie dough. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Don't forget to enjoy warm, with a tall glass of cold milk.

Let's Roll : Dinner Club : June

, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Perhaps I mentioned this already, but it's official. It took a while to get to this point, but 'Around the Table' (what we've dubbed our dinner/cooking group) has officially made it! Although I wouldn't mind one or two more girls in the group, to make up for those who can't make it once and a while, the food, conversation, and experience has far exceeded my wildest dreams! It truly is such a treat to get together once a month and enjoy a huge, delicious meal.

I have to preface my post by apologizing. I have had these pictures up for almost, if not over, a week. I have to explain (quickly though, I promise). Let's start with the beginning of last week; finals. Business 101 was easy peasy, but my entire business class was a walk in the park regardless of the final, so I had no worries there. A+++. American Literature was another story. I will spare my dear reader the details, and rant. Let's just say the teacher was incredibly disorganized, and armed with impossibly high expectations. Trust me, I know. We're talking about a girl who has, until this class, only received one B outside of an average 4.0 GPA in the last two years she's been in college. I know hard work, I know hard teachers, I understand high expectation. I did nothing different, worked just as hard, did just as well and got a lot of flack from the teacher. On top of that she rarely responded to questions and concerns, never participated in discussions with the class, and lacked any kind of guidance a teacher should exude. B-a-d. Worst teacher thus far. Thursday has been my only day off in, oh, about a week. I took the opportunity to drive me, and my broken car (fingers crossed it would make the trek) up to Lynden o visit one, no make that two, of my favorite girls in the whole wide world, Ashley and her new gorgeous little girl Aurora. It was the light of a hectic week. We had lunch, walked to town for treats, ate ice cream in the backyard, and I did a sufficient amount of baby hogging. I'm happy to say, Aurora and I have found our little niche, or, I have found a way to hold her, at least for now, that she really seems to groove. It was nearly impossible to tear myself away from the two of them late that evening, but I managed to do so, and my green beetle managed to get me home with no problem. Friday, was Rayne's graduation (the boyfriends little sister). A ton of his family from around the country attended the graduation, which was held down at the marina in a gorgeous little building. Rayne attended an alternative high school, and compared to mine, I preferred her graduation. The 60+ people in attendance brought a gaggle of mexican food, and we all pigged out while listening to each child make speeches about what they had learned. Besides the 'how's the weather' chit-chat with their fam and the 6 hours in total the graduation took, it was great. I'd spent all day that day cleaning, and cooking 100+ mini hot chocolate mexican cupcakes, so needless to say by the time we all got home I was tired. But we weren't just going to head off to bed, it was her only high school graduation! So, we picked up a bottle of champagne, threw a bunch of dead eucalyptus wood on the fire, toasted and relaxed the night away in front of the fire until almost 4am. Which was a bit of a disaster because the next day I was up at 8am for another round of graduation party madness. A cousin of mine had worked very long and hard on her teaching degree and was up with my family for the graduation at Western. I offered to host a little party for her. So I spent my entire morning cleaning, cooking, assembling, and getting ready. The rest of that day entailed feeding and entertaining another sect of my family. Whew. Talk about a LOT of work in two days. Sunday I had off. Except not really, because I was mentally preparing myself for the oral surgery I had yesterday. So, here I sit, in a bit of pain, tired, a little drugged up, and with a swollen face to boot! Yet, I wanted to get this post finished.

June's theme for the cooking group was 'Sushi'. One of my favorite things in the world. Everyone brought a bunch of filling, whatever they felt sounded good to them. I provided snow crab, avocado, cucumber, and prawns (which were skewered, battered in tempura and fried). I also made the sushi rice, which I thought turned out perfectly. I got the recipe from Sushi Day, which is a site full of incredible information, technique, and recipes for any sushi aficionado. I also made a cocktail, a mango lemonade martini which was killer good. I will say, each of us probably had our fair share of cocktails, after the mango lemonade got dusted off we moved onto the raspberry lemonade, then much later in the evening, a concoction created by Rachelle which featured (and stay with me here) Malibu Rum, Sparkling Water, Strawberry Daiquiri frozen juice, and lots of fresh lime. Might sound odd, I haven't had Malibu since high school, and feel a tad skeptical about it's coconut-y sweetness, but was pleasantly surprised by how refreshing the cocktail was.

, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

We started our meal off with Rachelle's homemade pork dumplings or Gyoza. As well as a slew of freshly fried tempura. For the tempura we had carrots, zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, and mushroom caps. The favorite consensus on the veggies was hands down mushroom, broccoli, and zucchini, my personal favorite being he zucchini. Rachelle's Gyoza were heavenly, in fact, I think I could've eaten simply that and tempura for dinner. So good! The wrappers were perfectly chewy, the filling incredibly tender and salty, the dipping sauce was indescribably good. I could go on for days about how perfect her two dishes were.

, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

After that, Laura served us a brine-y dish full of cucumber and seaweed. She prefaced it and I must repeat this, it's not the most appetizing looking of dishes. However, it tasted much better than it looks. The sauce was simple, if I remember correctly is was a pairing of Mirin, Tamari and a bit of sugar drizzled over fresh cucumber and seaweed. Laura used nori for the seaweed. After some discussion it seemed clear that using a different, heartier seaweed leaf like Wakame would've held up better to the moisture and dressing. Because while the flavor was there completely, the texture was a wee bit mushy.

, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Dear Alexis couldn't be there with our miso soup course, so after our salad we headed into the kitchen and began rolling. To simplify I will give you a list of what we stuffed our sushi rolls with. This is a slight list compared to the millions of things one could roll up in rice, but we were all quite pleased, and stuffed, with the final results!

We used:

- Snow crab mixed with a little mayo
- Smoked Salmon
- Tempura Fried Prawns split in half
- Cucumber
- Unagi
- Avocado
- wasabi
- Mayo mixed with a bit of 'cock sauce' (ie super spicy red chili paste I can hardly say or spell)
- low sodium soy sauce
- and of course Nori

We each took turns placing a wad of rice (with wet hands) over sheets of Nori placed upon bamboo rolling sheets. Each roll had a different combination. We found that we each gravitated towards the rolls that were packed to the gills with a variety of fillings and flavor. All I know is that I've never eaten such terribly delicious homemade sushi. It was complete success.

, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

After rolling, eating and drinking copious amounts. We plopped down upon the adorondaks around the giant fire-pit and enjoyed a good hour or two of smoky relaxation. Our bellies each needed a break for an hour or two before even thinking about dessert

, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

After a bit of lounging we were itching to try Laurels incredible dessert. She had created a dessert ice cream cake tower of sorts. Layers of homemade lemon ginger pound cake rounds were smothered with vanilla bean stewed ruby red plums and stacked with one very large, creamy scoop of homemade ginger ice cream. Swoon. The ice cream was smooth, rich and creamy. The plums were tart, but the vanilla bean syrup imparted just the right amount of sweetness to them. The cake itself was moist and light, the ginger and lemon flavors came through almost ghostly, which was perfect, as to not compete with the other flavorfully intense components of the dish.

, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

What can I say? All in all, another triumphant success for our cooking group. Stay tuned, June 27 we partake in our group "Picnic" dinner. I feel we may see some incredible food and recipes that may aid you all summer in packing perfect picnic dishes!

Happy National Doughnut Day

, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

That's correct. Yes ladies and gents, the first friday of every June has been dubbed 'National Donut Day' since 1938. It was started by the Chicago Salvation Army, created in honor of World War I Salvation Army volunteers who prepared doughnuts and other baked goods for thousands of soldiers in France during World War I, as well as to raise funds during the great depression.

So, if you did not enjoy a doughnut this morning, be sure to pick one up on your way home. What a wonderful excuse to eat one of my favorite, but not often indulged upon treats.

* Doughnuts pictured are from Rocket Doughnuts here in Bellingham. Super Yum! If you catch them before they close on National Doughnut Day they'll give you some cool free loot (rocket ship key chain anyone?)

Barbecue Sauce of A Different Kind

Emerald 'Barbecue' Sauce, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Okay. Dubbing this sauce 'barbecue' is a bit misleading. It's certainly not your mamma's traditional tomato, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar barbecue sauce. However, it is incredible on barbecued meats and veggies alike. So I ask you, why not call it barbecue sauce? When I placed the little white bowl full of this emerald green sauce on the table it was gone in mere seconds. Everyone was slathering it all over, quite literally, everything. . . their potato salad, green salad, and of course grilled meat. It was the raving of harmonious 'mmmmm's' heard round the backyard. This simple sauce is comprised of a few easy to acquire ingredients; italian parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and a pinch of red pepper flakes. So incredibly easy, ridiculously addicting. Of all the delecacies on the table last Sunday, I would say this was by far the unanimous favorite.

If you're looking for something a bit different to serve your guests this summer then I would highly suggest giving this recipe a try. Not only is it tasty it's quite beautiful too, once blended it becomes a gorgeous shade of green. Essentially it's a simpler version of chimichurri sauce, which is a popular dressing for meats in Argentina. However, many chimichurri's rely on heavier spices for flavor like cumin and herbs like cilantro. This sauce is just a bit 'cleaner' in flavor and complexity. It's incredibly fresh, healthy, easy and delicious, what's not to love?

Recipe: Emerald 'Barbecue' Sauce
* Recipe adapted from Giada at Home

Ingredients:

3 cups italian (flat leaf) parsley stems removed roughly chopped
1-3 cloves of fresh garlic peeled (each clove will add more 'spice'. I used two)
2 tablespoons of merlot vinegar (any wine vinegar will do, I had merlot on hand, champagne might be really nice too)
pinch of red chilli pepper flakes
two pinches of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. In a food processor (I have a large kitchenaid, so I used the smaller bowl/blade attachment for this one, if you have the same setup I suggest using the smaller bowl as well) place first six ingredients and blend together.
2. While the mixture blends, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the processor (as you would to make a dressing) until everything has incorporated and the sauce takes on a saucy/creamy appearance.
3. Place in a small bowl and refrigerate or serve immediately at room temp.

Grilling of the Potato Variety

Grilling Potatoes, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

As I mentioned in the previous post I grilled for the first time this year, last weekend. A little cliche now that I reflect on it, grilling memorial day weekend that is. In my house we generally break the grill and the firepit out as soon as the first signs of nice weather arrive, generally sometime in April. This year has been kind of a busy one, so the weather needed to smack us upside the head before we realized that it was time to get outside and grill. We kept it pretty simple for the most part. For the meat we wanted steak/pineapple/onion kabobs and sweet teriyaki chicken. With a menu chock full of deliciously grilled protein you need some starch. Potato salad sounded particularly yummy, and I knew exactly which potato salad recipe I wanted to try first this year. During a particularly slow afternoon a couple of weeks ago, I needed to unwind a little so I curled up on the sofa and turned on the tele. Who else but Bobby Flay was yapping away on my screen. Now, I must admit, I've had a slight disdain for Mr. Flay ever since I laid my eyes on him years ago. I don't know what it is. . . his face, his voice, that inherent cockiness. . . something about him just put me off, enough that I didn't care to watch him really. I wouldn't put him in the 'things Mallory likes' column of life, but for some reason I've been open to watching him grill and cook over the last couple of weeks (maybe I just relished in the fact that he had propane and was able to grill, and that I as of yet had not). So, I opened my mind and my heart and watched him do his thing. Mind you this wasn't his 'regular' grilling show, nor was it his 'throwdown' program, this was some combination of the two. There he was, with some older gentlemen (a fire fighter from Florida if I remember correctly), the camera switching back and forth between the two. But it wasn't a competition. At the end, they sat down and ate together. What really caught my eye, and probably why I continued watching, was this incredibly gorgeous red/orange potato salad. Come to find out it was roasted red pepper and paprika potato salad, paprika and roasted red pepper happen to be two of my very favorite things. I was hooked. So I bided my time, and come grilling weekend I made sure I had everything to whip it up.

The reviews were mixed. I would say it didn't meet my visual expectations, but I'm also not giving up on this recipe quite yet. The one thing that shocked me, something I think might quickly take this recipe from simply okay to simply amazing, was heat. Bobby Flay missing heat? The paprika wasn't enough. It needs a roasted green chile, jalapeno pepper, or even a charred serrano thrown in the mixture. I'm almost a tad shocked bobby flay didn't have some spice in this recipe, you know, a flavor to warm the tongue and the belly, something that just slightly leaves your tastebuds curious and hungry for more. The sauce was also a tad watery, I think this was due to the water that tends to come out of bell peppers after they've been roasted, drying them out on a towel for a few minutes would've likely solved this issue. Like I said, I'm not ready to give up on this potato salad just yet, with a little tweaking I believe it could become one of my favorites. Afterall, it's nearly impossible to go wrong with potatoes, mayo, freshly fire roasted red peppers, and smoked paprika, especially when pairing with freshly grilled meats and veggies. Am I right?

Grilled Potato Salad, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Recipe: Bobby Flay's Roasted Pepper Paprika Potato Salad

Ingredients:

2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 red bell peppers, grilled, peeled, seeded and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon champagne or white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Spanish smoked paprika
• Canola oil
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

Directions:

Heat the grill to high. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover by 1-inch with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, bring to boil over high heat and cook until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain, let cool slightly and halve.
While the potatoes are cooking, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, peppers, garlic, vinegar, paprika and salt and pepper in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
Brush the cut sides of the potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill cut side down until lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes.Toss the potatoes with the red pepper mayonnaise while still warm, mashing slightly to break them up. Fold in the parsley and season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Roasted Red Pepper & Paprika Sauce, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Sun Tea & Salad

Sun Tea, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

It's officially a gorgeous day here in Bellingham. The sun is hot, the sky is blue, there is a slight breeze and the birds are chirping in full force. The Ski to Sea festival is bustling a mere four blocks down the road. I can tell it's a busy year because the neighborhoods are filling up with vehicles. I just finished a massive cleaning spree, mostly out on the back deck. I busied myself sweeping, getting wood piled up neatly, setting out a lovely outdoor cloth on the table, pulling a few weeds, wiping down the grill. . . you know the drill. Tonight we shall drink beer (in my case ice cold Lillet), barbecue, and host our virgin fire of the year. I'm actually quite giddy about a relaxing evening in the back yard. I deserve it after the stress over the last few days. Happily, a very dear friend will be joining us, he is quite seriously a pro at grilling chicken. I will be making Bobby Flay's paprika and roasted red bell pepper potato salad, which I have been itching to try out for weeks (but more on that later this week).

What better way to enhance a lovely Sunday such as this, than with an exquisite salad and tall, ice packed glass of freshly brewed sun tea. I'm sure most of you are acquainted if not very friendly with sun tea during the summer months. I actually didn't realize until recently that some people make their iced tea in the their kitchen, with tea bags, hot and tap water. Iced tea has always started out for me with a gaggle of black tea bags in a giant jug resting out in the sun. I swear, the sunshine imparts some magical depth of flavor to the tea soaked water, something that all other ice teas lack. But I suppose this could just be my imagination.

Cabbage Chicken Salad, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

This salad is quite simple really. The greens are a mix of arugula and green cabbage. But the little chicken gems that sit on top are something special (and were a bit of fluke). I started out wanting to make baked almond coated chicken that I could pop onto a bowl of greens and drizzle with Cardini's sesame dressing (one of my favorite dressings of all time, just the right mix of vinegar and sweet). What I ended up with was a much more flavorful and exciting chicken. A few strips I ate just like one would at a bar, like chicken fingers with a little dressing dip (now that I think about it, 'chicken fingers' is kind of a gross moniker). The remainder rested on the lettuce and were drenched with that incredible salad dressing. So, what's so special about the coating on these little (all natural organic, of course) chicken tenders? A mixture of flour, coconut, cayenne, sesame, and almond. The coconut with the spice and the almond is just so, oh-so, incredibly delicious! Sweet, spicy, and nutty. This is quite possibly the perfect lunch for a day like today. So get out there, eat well and enjoy this amazing May weather! Happy Memorial Weekend everyone, I hope that you are all enjoying yourselves (and your barbecues) immensely!

Recipe: Almond Coconut Chicken Tenders
Preheat oven to 375 F

Ingredients:

1 lb. (appx. 12) organic, all natural, chicken tenders rinsed
1 cup of flour
1 Tablespoon cayenne
salt and pepper to season
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup shaved sweetened coconut (you could easily used unsweetened as well, I just grabbed what was in the cupboard)
1/4 cup shaved almonds
2 eggs

Directions:

1. Mix flour, cayenne, s&p, sesame seeds, coconut, and almonds together in a mediums sized (preferably shallow) bowl.
2. Beat eggs in a small bowl
3. Prepare baking sheet
4. Dip chicken in egg wash then flour, egg again and finally flour (four dips total, yep ladies and gents you're double dippin')
5. Place tenders on prepared baking sheet
6. Bake in oven for appx. 15 minutes then flip the tenders (you want a golden brown crust on both sides, flipping will help to ensure this) and bake another 15 minutes.
7. Cool, and enjoy! Serve however your heart desires! Just be aware, they're kind of addicting. . . . yum!