This week I was back it, in the kitchen that is. After taking a hiatus after all of the cooking I did for the Bank’s Lake trip I had suspended my time in the kitchen, limiting it to only side dishes for potlucks or baked goods because I have been craving them lately. But this week I got back in the kitchen and it felt good!
Sunday night Bryan and I tagged team dinner, making an excellent bolognese sauce, albeit fairly quickly, to have with spaghetti and my favorite salad, simple lemon juice and olive oil. Monday night I wanted to use up the rest of the spinach, asparagus and cheese ravioli we had picked up and put in the freezer. I also bought a good looking sockeye salmon fillet on my way home from work. I tossed the ravioli with sauteed mushrooms and long Chinese broccoli with a homemade walnut and parsley pesto I whipped up in the blender and served that alongside a simply seasoned and seared salmon filet for each of us. Oh, and we also had bruschetta to make use of some of the blooming basil we have growing in our garden now!
Tuesday night I had plans for girls night out with Marika so after work we carpooled to the U District to dine on sushi at Gaba Sushi and then hit up the theaters for the $5 ladies night. My Gaba Bowl was fantastic with sprouted brown rice, quinoa, sashimi pieces, edamame, seaweed salad, avocado and some fantastic sauces. And the movie, Amy, about Amy Winehouse, was also extremely intriguing. Wednesday night we had a last minute kickball game for playoffs (see photos here), since we finally one a game on Monday night. Our 6:15 game was brutal . Thursday was Thursday meaning FareStart night but boy was it good! Scallops are rarely on the menu but you know I like my scallops! Oh and I also had some impromptu wings from Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch one day this week and our staff meeting on Friday provided lunch a la Taco del Mar.
But then Friday night I got my first stab at being a chef’s assistant for Hipcooks. Bryan and I took a class there not long ago and had a blast cooking. When I found out you can assist the chef for free classes I jumped at the offer to learn more. My first class went great. I could practice my knife skills prepping ingredients, I could follow the chef in her instruction and help assist the students. My job was mostly to help clean up throughout the night, washing dishes, grabbing cooking equipment and dishes but I got to eat the amazing meal we cooked and got to take home the recipes with me. This class was titled Healthy, Fresh, and Zingy III and we learned to make veggie spring rolls, oyster mushroom stuffed salmon wrapped in rice paper (really good and interesting), a very delicious warm salad of potatoes, artichokes, and pinenuts and finished with a very berry souffle!! I was excited to learn how to make a souffle! I spent over an hour after class cleaning up and talking with the instructor and then Bryan graciously came to pick me up.
This weekend was the annual Seafair weekend and technically Bryan and my first date. We honored the occasion with a revisit to our first date spot, Both Ways Cafe, for brunch before heading to the banks of Lake Washington to watch the Blue Angels air show (with the Cafe’s delicious biscuits in hand) that I had been hearing practicing every day this week from my office. Brunch was delicious and leisurely with refilled coffees and I had the Northwest scramble featuring smoked salmon, green onions and mushrooms plus fruit. The air show this year was phenomenal with perfect sunny and calm weather. This year we also stayed for the hydroplane races which we watched from the Mt. Baker dock and was awesome! Saturday night Bryan and I grilled up some sirloins along with a corn and zucchini hash and ate on our deck.
Really great week with some really good food!
Chelsea
Evolving in the Emerald City 