July 2011

Tough Love (or More Tart for Me)

29 July 2011
Apricot Almond Tart

My cell phone rang, but my sticky fingers kept arranging apricot wedges in a circle around the tart pan.  I have a hard time tearing myself away from projects once I get going, especially when nap-time’s fleeting window offers me some uninterrupted time.   But then my phone buzzed again;  I wandered over to read [...]

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Birthday Bug

24 July 2011
Lady Bug Cake

My daughter’s very first island friend wanted a lady bug birthday cake.  Her mother Rita, my very first island friend, started asking me questions about fondant and cake decorating. Rita bakes amazing chocolate cake.  She makes amazing jewelry.  She paints amazing flowers and bugs on the walls of her daughters’ bedrooms.  I knew she could [...]

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The Pits

22 July 2011
http://flourarrangements.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/cherrygingerbreadcake66x66.jpg

I broke my cherry pitter this week.   Over the years, it’s mostly pitted Kalamata olives with the occasional cherry here and there.   I guess  it couldn’t handle the sudden stress imposed by nine pounds of cherries. Let’s  just say I’m glad my husband talked me out of ordering my own  18 pound  box from [...]

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“Chicken” Noodles

18 July 2011
Fresh pasta with lemon, parsley, and pine nuts

Every week or so, my friend asks me if I need eggs.  If I say, “Yes,” I often find a carton on my kitchen table when I get home from work.   I feel like a little kid opening it up to find out  what different shades and sizes it contains.  Sometimes the the lid isn’t [...]

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No Frills Cheese Balls

13 July 2011
No Frills Cheese Balls

Over an impromptu picnic dinner, our friends explained how they reverse-engineered a grapefruit-basil martini they’d enjoyed last summer at Backdoor Kitchen, one of my favorite restaurants in Friday Harbor.  When they found themselves home in the Bay Area craving their favorite island cocktail, they headed to the internet to find a recipe, and then another, [...]

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