Golden Fig: First Buy Cranberry Spices, Then Branch Out

Every time I reach into my cupboard and pull out one of my beloved Golden Fig enhanced sugars, I ask myself the same two questions:  

• Why don't more companies make sugar blends like these? 
• Why haven't more stores/people discovered Golden Fig, the maker of said sugars?

I initially found Golden Fig when I bought their "Cranberry Spices" mix in a cooking store while on vacation in Minnesota.  I can't find this heavenly blend on their website, but when I call, they usually have it and can mail me a few jars.  The "Cranberry Spices" is a blend of maple powder (see it sounds good already, right?), ground ginger, orange peel powder, thyme (totally the secret ingredient - it adds incredible depth), ground nutmeg, anise and cloves.  

The company intends for you to use this spice blend to make a cranberry sauce, which is delicious to be sure.  I want you to sprinkle this heavenly mixture over roasted acorn squash, roasted butternut squash, pureed squash - you get the idea.  It makes all of the harvest vegetables sing.  I joke that I'd sprinkle it in the bathtub if I could - it smells that wonderful.

First buy a jar of the Cranberry Spice, then once you're hooked, branch out to their other specialties.

I bought some of their enhanced sugars and I love them all.  They are a culinary indulgence; certainly not necessary for day-to-day living, but very fun to sprinkle with abandon when the mood strikes.

Making buttered toast? Shake on some "Cinnamon Orange" sugar.

Shortbread hot out of the oven? Sprinkle it with "Lemon Rosebud" and listen to the girls ooh and ahh

Non-fat Greek yogurt with berries for breakfast? Douse it with pink "Hibiscus" sugar 

Baking Christmas rolls?  They will be even better made with "Cardamom Sugar"

Fruit Salad need a little something? Sprinkle it with "Lavender Ginger" sugar
Honestly, you can't go wrong.  

I love my collection of special sugars from the Golden Fig. I reach for them all the time and feel like I am a sweet genius.

Cookbook Edition: Our Sorority Book Club Branches Out

My sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, has a pretty active alumnae group in Seattle and I transferred my alumnae membership the moment I moved, with high hopes of making friends out West.

I famously arrived at this Theta book club from the airport the night I moved here and now when we all introduce ourselves, one of the girls invariably remembers meeting me when I first arrived in Seattle...and tells everyone "and I mean when she first arrived!" It's fun and it tells the girls that connecting and showing up when I say I will is important to me. 

It was November 2015 and I had just flown in for my first extended stay in Seattle. The plan was that I'd be in our apartment with Dan from November to April, and then I'd fly back to Michigan with my mom to start packing and selling both of our houses over the summer.

It feels like just yesterday, but now we've built our house, are completely moved in and can start making big plans.

I have always loved to cook and I was particularly excited to hear that the book club was dedicating our August meeting to the love of cookbooks. The leaders suggested we check out fellow Theta and Seattleite, Heather Christo's blog for our recipes. Heather was the guest speaker at our holiday luncheon. We did and had a lovely meal. 

I think it is so interesting that most members went to different colleges in different parts of the country, but we all ended up in Seattle and have our sorority to help us connect. (finger snaps) Making friends as an adult is challenging, but leaning on your affiliations (school, church, volunteer) can really help you get a leg up.

I made Heather's Blueberry Maple Mustard Grilled Shrimp and a bowl of cheddar biscuit nibbles called Cheese Wookies (from a different cookbook). The sauce was simple and flavorful - win/win! and everyone ate their fill.

My friend Clara made this magnificent Quinoa Salad with Roasted Vegetables. 

Our hostess, Kristen made this satisfying Grilled Garlic, Rosemary and Mustard Shrimp and some gluten free cupcakes to satisfy our sweet tooth.

It was such a nice night! We were able to try new recipes and eat a lovely meal out on the patio. We even talked about the possibility of making an all cookbook book club, because we all like to cook and really enjoyed having a real meal at our gathering. Who knows, it just might happen! I look forward to whatever these women cook up.

#seattle #cookbookclub #bookclub #heatherchristo #finddelight

Cost Plus World Market: Super Cute Mixing Bowl Measuring Cups

When it comes to shopping for kitchen items, I am weak.  I absolutely love measuring spoons and dishtowels and cherry pitters and thermometers and...

You get the idea.  Well when I was living in a hotel for a few weeks in Seattle, I had a little kitchen where I was able to cook dinner for us.  I even had a convection toaster oven shipped to the hotel (thank you Amazon Prime) so that I would be able to roast and bake in the room, which was equipped with only a microwave and 2 burners.

Before I left for Seattle, I had fun at home planning my culinary adventure (cooking in a hotel room with limited supplies) and I packed up key spices in little ziploc bags and flew my favorite nonstick pan (a cross between a wok and a small stock pot) out in my suitcase.  But I forgot measuring cups. The room comes stocked with a liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, a spatula and that's about it.  

Oh darn, I "have to go shopping" for some measuring cups.  And boy did Cost Plus World Market exceed my expectations! I have been finding more and more things that I like there. Items that are cute and fun.

Look at the teeny-tiny "mixing bowl" measuring cups I found! They were about $5 and I absolutely love them.  They look so cute sitting on the countertop that I have yet to put them away.  So far I have made my blueberry gateau twice!

Mise en place

Mise en place is a French phrase meaning "everything in place."  It is most often used in kitchen as an organizational philosophy before beginning a recipe.

If you have "everything in place" (measuring bowls & spoons, specialty tools, serving/baking dish, spices and all of the ingredients) out on the counter, you are improving your chance of success with a recipe.

I like to follow this ideal because I am notoriously distracted in the kitchen.  People are my priority and if anyone is within earshot, I can't help but talk, tell stories and gesture.  This leads to the inevitable question...Did I actually put the salt in?  I doubled the flour, did I double the baking powder?

Usually these questions come to mind after the blur of white powders is in the bowl.  So lately, I have taken mies en place one step further.  After I measure and add an ingredient, I place the container of it on the other side of the counter.  It becomes evidence of my progress and has reassured me many times.  

Do you follow mise en place in the kitchen?      

Patricia Wells in Paris

Can you believe that it has already been one year since I spent a magical week in Paris with Patricia Wells? It seems like just yesterday I was sitting with Patricia at her kitchen table shelling fresh peas - heaven!

If you ever have the chance to take an "At Home with Patricia Wells" class, I highly recommend it. You'll find yourself talking, cooking and laughing alongside the most delightful icon of cooking. It is the epitome of delight!

Chili Night

I have a new favorite way to serve chili. I make it on the stove in an oven-safe pot (I love it in my Le Creuset French oven) and then top it with corn bread batter and bake it in the oven!

It is like a cowboy version of Shepherd's Pie and it is delicious!

My chili recipe is a little of this and a little of that, but I will list the ingredients and you can tweak it to your taste.

Shepherd's Chili

• ground turkey, browned & drained
• 1/2 an onion, chopped
• few stalks of celery, chopped
• large can of Dei Fratelli chopped Italian tomatoes
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• can of red kidney beans, drained
• can of corn, drained
• chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, garlic powder
• beef broth, add enough to reach desired consistency

• sliced green onions - white and green rings
• shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 box of Jiffy corn bread mix (plus egg & milk per the box)

Brown the turkey and drain, if necessary. Add onion and celery and saute. Add tomatoes through beef broth and simmer. Mix up the Jiffy corn bread batter per the instructions on the box. Top the chili with sliced green onions and shredded cheddar cheese. Top with uncooked corn bread batter, spread gently to cover surface, place on a cookie sheet (to catch any drips) and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until corn bread is ready.

Serve with hot sauce & sour cream. Yee haw!

Iron Chef

For years each Summer, my parents and I held "camp" at the cottage for the grandchildren. One week for the girls; one week for the boys. I have never had so much fun as when I could be "Aunt Anne" all day long. We baked cookies & cakes. Swam in the lake. Ate ice cream cones and did crafts. I have lots of stories from this era, but today I want to tell you about how we re-created "Iron Chef" at girls' camp.

The girls divided into two teams (the 8 & 11-year-old challenged the 13 & 15-year-old) and poured over children's cookbooks to create three dishes from scratch. The "Iron Chef" ingredients they had to incorporate were chicken, chocolate and sour cream. My Mom provided paper chef hats (which the girls wore the entire time they were cooking!) and I was to remain in the kitchen with each team as a consultant.

The morning of the competition, my Dad took them to the tiny grocery store in town to shop for the meal. While they were off grocery shopping, my Mom and I drove to the next town to pick up a few things and ended up stopping at a local carry-out lunch spot for a ginger lemonade. Guess who was standing next to me waiting to order lunch.

(Wait for it) Mario Batali!

I knew that this famous chef had a vacation home in northern Michigan, but I never thought I would actually run into him. I couldn't think of anything to say, so I simply smiled. When we got home, the girls had started cooking and I burst into the kitchen with my exciting news.

Now what did they say to me?

"You didn't ask him to judge our Iron Chef?!?!?"

Ooops. The one day I actually had something relevant to say to Mario Batali and I had blanked. The girls were sure that he would have come if I had only asked. I must say, the whole thing made the cooking competition even more "real." My mom set the table with beautiful Caspari paper goods and we all ate 6 courses that night (2 appetizers, 2 main dishes and 2 desserts). The food was judged on everything from taste to appearance and it was wonderful. The younger team won (see their Minted Pea soup above) and everyone was happy.

If only Mario had been there...