Seattle...

...is the city of Nordstrom, REI, Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Kurt Cobain, Owl City, Macklemore, and the best coffee ever (just to name a few)! Seattle just so happens to be one of my favorite cities for those things, and also because two of my best friends live here. And what's even better about having friends living in a city you're visiting, is that they will take you to all the local food and hang out spots, and not a day will go by without you eating good food. Here's a quick recap of my trip so far:

View of Seattle bright and early from Kerry Park

Grabbing some latte's at the original Starbucks at Pike Place Market 

Daily Dozen Donuts - the best donuts in the downtown area. We ate half a dozen plain donuts in one sitting...yes, we're fat. :P

Lunch from Off the Rez food truck (Native American Food) - Pork Tacos with a Mango Frybread

  A day trip to the Museum of Flight

We even got to climb aboard the original Air Force One that JFK, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Johnson used during their presidency

Grabbing a cup of Joe at Espresso Vivace (aka the best cup of coffee I've ever had, I'm not lying!)

Then we took a day trip to Bainbridge Island. I was so excited to ride the Washington State Ferry!

And we found amazing ice cream at Mora on Bainbridge Island. We had their signature Blackberry ice cream (as seen on the bottom) and a scoop of their Rose Petal ice cream (you can even see the petals)

Lastly, HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!!! I hope everyone had a safe and fun day. My best friend and I made Bourbon Whiskey Chocolate Buttercream and Bailey's Cupcakes to celebrate. :)

Pan Seared Honey Glazed Salmon with Browned Butter Lime Sauce

I'm gearing up for my week long trip to Seattle, and I can't wait to eat all the fresh seafood in the Pacific Northwest! I'm especially looking forward to getting some delicious smoked salmon, because there's so many varieties that are sold in the state! In heavy anticipation of salmon, I just had to have some before heading out.

Something that really resonates with me about cooking is using the same philosophy that my mom used when I was growing up. As much as I love cooking, I don't want to be spending hours and hours in the kitchen just to cook one meal. I'm not a fan of using a thousand ingredients to make one dish taste good - I like preserving the integrity of whatever it is that I am cooking by using as few ingredients as possible. That's why I liked this recipe. Majority of the ingredients are also things you would probably already have in your pantry. It's like killing two birds with one stone!

Please note: these do not well as leftovers. The flour will make the salmon soggy when you reheat it.

Recipe (serves 4):
4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets, rested at room temperature for 20 minutes
8 tablespoons flour, divided
2 tablespoons honey, divided
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1-2 limes, for garnish

Browned Butter Lime Sauce:
6 tablespoons butter, diced
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
1. Use 2 tablespoons flour to coat each piece of salmon, front and back. Evenly drizzle 3/4 tablespoon honey on both sides of each salmon fillet. (I drizzled one side before placing the salmon in the pan, and I drizzled the other side while the salmon was in the pan to keep it from getting too messy)

2. Use a medium saucepan over medium heat and heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook salmon, 3-5 minutes per side, until thoroughly cooked through and the bottom has browned.

3. Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Swirl pan occasionally, until butter is fragrant and has turned a tan shade. Remove from heat, and add browned butter, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.

The only reason I wouldn't make this recipe again is because of the amount of butter used. I know that the amount of butter poured on top of the salmon is solely at my discretion, but I can't help but feel very unhealthy eating this dish. Until next time salmon!

Earl Grey Vanilla Tea Pancakes with Honey Tea Syrup

London Fogs are my favorite drink. It's a mix of Earl Grey tea, vanilla syrup, and steamed milk. It's a very English thing that I love. So when I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it out! This recipe does not disappoint, it just takes more labor than normal pancakes.

Happy Daylight Savings!


Recipe (makes 9-10 pancakes):
1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk
4 Earl Grey tea bags
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons canola oil or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Honey Tea Syrup Recipe:
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons water
1 Earl Grey tea bag
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Directions:
1. Prepare the Honey Tea Syrup. Combine honey and tea in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Add 1 Earl Grey tea bag, and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bag, scraping as much honey off the bag, then discard. Add vanilla. Transfer to a small container and place in refrigerator to cool and thicken.

2. Prepare steeped milk. Add vanilla almond milk and 3 Earl Grey tea bags in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat, and allow to simmer for another 3-5 minutes. Remove tea bags, squeezing as much milk out of the tea bags as possible, then discard. Let milk cool in refrigerator.

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and contents of 1 Earl Grey tea bag in a bowl. Whisk together. Be sure that the tea leaves are finely ground. If not, place the contents in a food processor to chop them up.

4. Once the milk has cooled, combine steeped milk with the egg, oil, and vanilla extract.

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together until well incorporated. Do not overmix.

6. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with non-cooking spray. Spoon 1/3 to 1/4 cup batter onto the pan and use your fingers (or whatever utensil you choose) to spread the batter out into circles. Cook until bubbles begin to form on the surface, then flip over and repeat until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

7. Serve pancakes warm with syrup.

 

I halved the recipe and was able to make 4 sizeable pancakes using 1/4 cup batches of the batter. Next time, I would definitely double the amount of syrup because it was just so good!

Lavender Panna Cotta

I have a soft spot in my heart for Panna Cotta. It reminds me of when I worked in Maui and the Executive Chef of the hotel I worked at would make batches and batches of different flavored Panna Cotta's for the staff to try. He made ones with flavors of basil, passion fruit, coconut, etc. But my favorite was lavender.

There are a good number of Lavender Panna Cotta recipes online, but I decided to try this one. I wanted the most traditional recipe I could find, and I think this one is a fairly good choice.

Recipe (serves 8):
5 cups heavy cream
1 1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
1 1/2 cup sugar
Two 1/2 ounce packets powdered gelatin
Honey, for garnish

Directions:
1. Combine cream, 1 cup of the milk, and lavender in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Take pan off the heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Strain out the lavender.

2. While cream mixture is cooling, pour the remainder of the milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let stand for 5 minutes.

3. Stir the dissolved gelatin into the cream mixture. (If the mixture becomes too cool to dissolve the gelatin, set it back on a low flame, stirring continuously, until the gelatin is completely incorporated into the cream.)

4. Pour the mixture into individual serving vessels or one large dish. Let it sit for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator, undisturbed, on a flat surface. Drizzle with a few drops of honey for garnish, and enjoy.

 My apologies...I had no flowers to garnish my dessert with, only strawberries. So though it may look like a Strawberry Panna Cotta, it is indeed a Lavender Panna Cotta. Cheers!

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken

I love fried chicken. And I mean in the finger licking way. Fried chicken is so sinful, yet so delicious. It is absolutely worth breaking any diet for, especially if you can get your hands on the good stuff!

The recipe is very simple; the only tedious part is measuring and sifting together the dry ingredients. Other than that, this recipe is a piece of cake! (I suggest serving this with some veggies, so there's not too much guilt leftover at the end of the night *wink*)

Recipe:
4 Large Chicken Breasts
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons pepper
3 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground thyme
2 teaspoons ground sage
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Canola Oil
4 eggs
8 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Please note: The flour and spice mix is enough to make multiple batches of the chicken. I managed to only use a third of the batch for 4 pieces of chicken. If you have any leftover mix, stick it in a Ziploc bag and freeze it for the next time!

Directions:
1. Make sure that each chicken breast is roughly 1/2 inch thick. (This ensures that the chicken will all cook at the same speed) If not, place the chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap, and use a meat mallet to pound it to a 1/2 inch thickness. As an alternative, you can even slice the breast in half horizontally instead of using a meat mallet.

2. Sift together your flour, salt, pepper, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground thyme, ground sage, paprika, and cayenne pepper.

3. Whisk together the eggs and water to create an egg wash.

4. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides before dredging in the flour mix. After dredging in the flour mix, dip the chicken in the egg wash, and dredge one more time in the flour mix. (Thus the double crunch)

5. Heat a skillet on the stove with about 1/2 inch of canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature as you do not want the chicken to brown too quickly. Just below medium heat works best. I kept the stove between 4-4 1/2 on a 10 dial stove and fried them gently for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy. 

Hint: Make sure that both sides of the chicken are still fully dredged before frying. Sometimes after dipping the chicken in the egg wash, the egg wash absorbs the flour. In that case,  just dip that chicken right back into flour mix, then into your pan.

6. Drain the chicken on a wire rack for a few minutes before dipping into the Honey Garlic sauce.

7. Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil and minced garlic. Do not let the garlic brown.

8. Add the honey, soy sauce, and pepper and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch the sauce as it simmer because it can foam up over the pot very easily.

9. Coat the chicken in the sauce and serve immediately.

Roasted Black Cod with Korean Flavors

I've been craving some Asian flavors these days, so I was lucky to have found this recipe in...wait for it....the Williams-Sonoma Weeknight Fresh + Fast cookbook. (It never fails me!) Seriously though, if you're cramped on time, this recipe is perfect!

The sauce was so delicious, I'm saving the excess to make stir-fry and if there's some left after that, I may try it with chicken or beef!

Recipe (makes 4 servings):
1 tablespoon Olive Oil, plus more as needed
1 Large Shallot, minced
2 teaspoons Fresh Ginger, peeled and minced
1 1/2 teaspoons Serrano Chile, minced
1/3 cup Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
3 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
3 tablespoons Water
1 tablespoon Asian Sesame Oil
4 (about 6 ounces each) Black Cod Fillets
2 Green Onions, white and green parts, sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the shallots, ginger, and chile, and saute until tender (about 3 minutes). Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and water, and simmer until the mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup (about 6 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Set aside a small amount of sauce for brushing.

3. Brush a small baking pan with olive oil, and place the fish, skin side down, in the pan. Brush the fish with the reserved sauce. Roast until just cooked through (about 10 minutes).

4. Transfer fish to plates, sprinkle with green onions, and serve right away, passing the remaining sauce alongside.

Limoncello Mini Cakes with Limoncello Glaze

Busy. Busy. Busy. That's how I like things. So, in terms of getting over a breakup, it's more like cook, bake, work, do it all over again. I'm staying busy over here searching and finding yummy recipes in lieu of moping around the house and eating masses of chocolate (aka Reese's Peanut Butter Cups) that could equal my weight. And trust, with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, anything is possible.

So, last week, I made Lemon Crinkle Cookies. I was so disappointed in the flavor that I feel the need to to find an amazing recipe to remind me how great lemons really are. I guess we can call it Redemption Week? I am fully aware that Limoncello is not the equivalent of lemons, but it is a lemon liqueur, and that's close enough for me!


Please note: I do not recommend using muffin pan for this recipe like I did.

Cake Recipe:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
4 large eggs
lemon zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup Limoncello
1 teaspoon lemon extract or lemon oil


Glaze Recipe:
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
2-3 tablespoons Limoncello
fresh raspberries or any berry for garnish, optional

Directions for Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour the muffin pan (I used a king size muffin pan, which makes 6 muffins), mini bundt pans, or 1 regular sized bundt pan. You can also use non-stick spray in lieu of butter.

2.  Mix together sugar and butter until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add to the batter, alternating with Limoncello. Mix in lemon extract/oil and zest.

4. Bake king size muffin pan and regular bundt cake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Bake mini bundt cakes for 20-30 minutes depending on mini pan size, or until toothpick comes out clean.


Directions for Glaze:
1. Combine confectioner's sugar and 2-3 tablespoons Limoncello and stir until smooth, or to desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cakes. Garnish with berries (optional).

Needless to say, the lemon has been redeemed. :)

**These cakes can be freezed. If freezing, defrost the cake before glazing**