There is a whole lotta chasing going on in front of my TV
July 2, 2012
There is a whole lotta chasing going on in front of my TV
July 1, 2012
Shrimp in the air
Early Summer (Or Late Spring) In Seattle – Part 4
This was our last day in Seattle (boo). We drove from Whidbey through Deception Pass, Anacortes, and then on to the Ballard Locks to view the fish ladder because I’m a dork and the prospect of watching dinner run upstream was wildly exciting to me.
Deception Pass
According to Wiki, Deception Pass is a straight that separates Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island and connects Skagit Bay and the Puget Sound with the Straight of Juan de Fuca. The bridge spanning the pass is surrounded by Washington’s most popular state park; the 4,134-acre Deception Pass State Park, with 77,000 feet of saltwater shoreline, 33,900 feet of freshwater shoreline, rugged cliffs, old growth forests and plenty of wildlife that sees over 2 million visitors per year.
Anacortes
Anacortes is a small (15,960) town historically known as a fishing and lumber center, but more recently as an oil refinery, technology, retirement and tourism community. We visited on the suggestion of the barista at our morning coffee stop. She said it had great views and a cute little downtown – she was not wrong. We found great vistas and a good little brewery/grill – the Rockfish Grill/Anacortes Brewery in downtown. Apparently this place is bumping at night with live music – too bad we couldn’t stay later.
These pictures were taken from Cap Sante Park – the best place to get an overview of the marina, City of Anacortes, March Point, Fidalgo Bay and the Cascade Mountains.
Ballard Locks
The Ballard Locks (aka the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks) link the Puget Sound to Lakes Union and Washington and feature a fish ladder and botanical garden. Boats as large as 760 feet long travel this lock, which takes 10-15 minutes to switch over and can fill with 26 feet of water to bring boats even on both sides. The fish ladder is a critical link for salmon and steelhead heading upstream to spawn and for young fish (aka smolts) to return to the sound.
Can’t get enough Pacific Northwest? View the rest of the trip here, here, here and here.
June 30, 2012
Cheerwine & pig – a wholly satisfying lunch.
June 29, 2012
Heirloom beans from the CSA.
Roasted Corn Salad with Avocado Mousse
This dish makes the perfect accompaniment to any summer grilled entree, from veggie burgers to sausage or steaks. Yum.
Roasted Corn Salad with Avocado Mousse
4 ears corn, shucked
1 red bell pepper
1 avocado, halved and separated from its skin
2 limes, halved
1/4 red onions, diced
1 Tbsp. basil, diced
1 Tbsp. cilantro, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 c. creme fraiche
1 squirt sriracha
Salt & pepper to taste
On a medium-high flame, grill the corn until blistered all over and burned in spots. Don’t worry – slightly burned corn tastes great.
Grill the pepper until the skin has blackened on all sides and is starting to split.
Grill the avocado until well marked.
Grill the limes until well marked and juicy. This is the perfect preparation for limes that have gotten a little hard, as the heat brings the juices right back out.
Remove everything from the grill as it is done and set aside to cool.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the avocado, creme fraiche, juice of 1 lime, 1 squirt sriracha and half the garlic. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. If this mixture is thicker than you would like, thin with a little water. I wanted a mousse-like consistency.
When the veggies have cooled enough to handle, peel the pepper and chop. Stand the corn up on its cut-from-the-stalk end and run your knife slowly down the cob to separate the kernels, making sure to get down to the hard cob core. You may want to do this in a big bowl or on a big chopping board – things can get a little messy.
Combine the corn kernels, pepper, the juice of the second lime, basil, cilantro, second half of the garlic, cumin and chili powder in a bowl. Taste. Season accordingly and serve topped with avocado mousse.
Serves 2-4
June 28, 2012
Joker hand again. A bizarre incredibly itchy rash up & broke out on the last 3 fingers/outside portion of my hand yesterday evening. No idea what that’s all about and it can feel free to stop doing that any time now.
Early Summer (Or Late Spring) In Seattle – Part 3
Day 3 found us in Whidbey Island. Whidbey Island is stunningly beautiful, even swathed in layers of Pacific Northwest water-laden air. On this day, we took the Mukilteo – Clinton Ferry onto the island and made our way leisurely up to Coupeville (taking whichever direction looked prettiest on the way), where we were staying the night.
This was our favorite part of the trip – everyone was relaxed, and had time to dream the ‘what ifs’.
I would highly recommend at least driving through the island if you’re visiting the area. Whidbey is a blend of breathtaking coastal scenery, shockingly vibrant farmland, little artsy enclaves, rich maritime history, and supremely friendly locals (actually the whole area is chock full of supremely friendly locals – the type of locals that apologize for being in the way on the sidewalk – bizarre behavior to an East Coaster).
Why Whidbey and not one of the 99999999 other islands peeking its head above Puget Sound? Whidbey is home to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, where the hubbs spent some time early in his Navy career. He had fond memories of the beauty. He wasn’t wrong.
Can’t get enough Pacific Northwest? See more here, here and here.
June 27, 2012
What is this, the food/dachshund/travel photo blog? I know, I know, he’s my picture of the day a lot. But… he’s cute …. and photogenic … and there (almost) every day … and my other dog refuses to pose for pictures – looks like someone is threatening to murder him if you get the camera out, in fact.
June 26, 2012
Carapace! I “collected” this guy in Seattle, along with half the round river rocks I came across (only the pretty ones of course), buts of shell and now broken larger crab parts. I have issues.
Gastography 