Come wintertime and the photo blogger looks for opportunities wherever she can. Produce works. In my imagination these squash looked like they were all cuddled up together.
Pity the poor soul that wants one from the bottom.
Category: Food
Delicata squash
Have you ever eaten delicata squash? No? If you haven’t you’re missing a treat. These aren’t like your typical big, pulpy squashes that rely on other ingredients to taste good. These guys have “yum” down solid. They have earned a revered place in my garden and I look forward to them every year. (These were at Sunny Farms. I’ve eaten most of my 2015 crop.)
Cut them in half lengthwise and scrape out the pulp and seeds. Then cut them into inch thick half rounds. Toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them evenly on a roasting pan in a preheated oven at 425 degrees. Roast for about 20 minutes, then flip them over for another 15-20 minutes. The naturally sweet squash carmelizes beautifully and the skin is completely edible.
Oh, fudge!
This is almost too easy for a chocaholic. Lucky for me it’s never been open when I’ve passed by.
Dockside Grill
I did a little holiday celebrating recently and went to the Dockside Grill. It’s Sequim’s only waterfront restaurant and has a nice view of the John Wayne Marina. (Yes, it’s named after that John Wayne. He boated here and owned land which his family donated for the marina.) It was a memorable meal for all the right reasons.
Sluy’s Bakery
Back in Poulsbo again, here’s Sluy’s Bakery, a Poulsbo institution. Established in 1966 it offers classic sweet pastries, cookies, and breads that keep people coming back for more. Last week its windows were decorated with gingerbread houses made by owners and employees.
Lots of little houses were on display. Look carefully and you can see some of the sweet rolls displayed in the front window.
On my earlier post about Poulsbo on Wednesday a couple of comments expressed curiosity about the attraction of the Pacific Northwest to Scandinavian settlers. Authors Ruth Kirk and Carmela Alexander address this in “Exploring Washington’s Past”: Conditions on the Kitsap Peninsula paralleled Norwegians’ home-country landscape: a long coastline with many harbors where they could pursue fishing; dense timber for logging; and, once the trees were cut, stumpland to transform into farms.
Yum Central
Here’s Alder Wood Bistro, one of my favorite places to eat in Sequim. The menu is heavy with locally sourced ingredients. It’s pricey enough for us that it’s not an impulse dinner out but our meals there have been memorable. And their Chocolate Bliss is aptly named.
Super soup
I think soup is underrated, especially to start out dinner on a grey autumn evening. I try to make this soup, tom kha gai, but haven’t nailed it. It’s a chicken coconut soup that has a few ingredients I generally don’t have in my pantry: galangal root, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass. Oh, drat! We’ll just have to keep going out to dinner.
Here’s where I like to go for a good bowl of tom kha gai.