Food

come on.  you know you want some of that tasty green jello pie stuff up there!  it might be the most electric green food i have ever seen.  what about you?

that meal in the middle is the best, cheapest meal you can get inside the super mercado in san jose, costa rica, and it is delicious.  serious.

i did not try any of those colored drinks up there but they were offered to us.  everyone else was drinking them.

as for the fish heads and chicken feet mix.  well. i would be super stoked to have access to that here, at home in washington.  imagine the bone broths you could develop!

the spices too.  all kinds.  wish they were sold like that here and so readily available.

eating the way we like to eat was not easy in costa rica.  they are not known for their food and every meal is served with rice and beans, neither of which i eat.  it was difficult to get fresh dark leafy greens, even in the super mercado.  by the time i got home i was craving kale so bad i ate a whole 1.5lb bag in two days! i think having a "special" diet was the only thing that made traveling truly challenging.  when i get hangry, watch out. its not pretty.  and yes, it did happen a few times.  i admit it.  

suffice to say, i am happy to be home and back full swing into my no sugar, no alcohol, no beans, no grains routine.  it feels good.  my body likes it.  my gut loves it.  and i have so much energy i feel like i can leap tall buildings in a single bound!

what foods do you miss when you're not home? and do you take food with you when you travel?  is there a food you are never without?

  i took a large bag of homemade grain-free granola with me but i ran out a week in.  granola is one of those things i take with me everywhere.  its quick protein and an easy snack.  i will be heading to Esalen in early march for a week and you can bet i will tote along a gallon zip-lock bag of grain-free granola.  just in case.

although i am told the meals at esalen are outta this world.

i'm hopeful they go beyond rice and beans...

last night i made a nettle pesto that was outta this world. we had it over spaghetti squash with crumbled bacon, grilled chicken and kale that was braised with sun dried tomatoes. divine.

i am one amateur paleo foodie who loves food.

you had me a "dark leafy greens,"

xoxoxo

jennette

Strawberries

washed

hulled

sliced

jammed!

also have my annual summer solstice strawberry balsamic vinegar brewing.  and have put up enough strawberries in the freezer to keep me in berry chocolate cobbler for the coming year!

it's looking like this will be a fantastic year for blueberries as my shrubs are overflowing.  but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

raspberries are coming on and its time to pick, pick, pick!

what are you putting up this year?

dirty aprons and messy kitchens,

xoxox

jennette



The Pantry at Delancey Crab Dinner

Oysters on the half shell with apple mignonette

Pork belly confit with smoked salt

Johnnycakes with maple braised greens

...
Tomato-fennel soup with blue cheese toast

Boiled whole crabs
Roasted potatoes with sea salt
Melted butter, salsa verde and spicy aioli for dipping

Butter lettuce salad with radishes and chives

Lemon mousse trifle
Almond cake, toasted meringue and brittle

have you been to a family dinner at The Pantry at Delancey in Seattle?  this is where i have taken all the cooking classes i've talked about over the last six months.  chad took the pie ninja class because i was working here at the shop but then i got to take a french dinner making class, a moroccan street food class, a southern pies making class, and a candy making class. 

fun stuff, let me tell ya!

that's chad and i at the new england crab feast dinner a few weeks ago.  we didn't know anyone there but it didn't matter.  we had a fun time meeting people and stuffing ourselves!  plus there is a wine pairing with every course and they do not skimp, let me tell ya that too! wowza!

if this looks like you kind of thing, check it out.  the classes sell out really fast and so do the dinners so i highly recommend getting on their mailing list and finding them on facebook.

i cant wait for them to list more family style dinners!

getting hungry,

xoxo

jennette

2011 in Photos

January: Sayulita, Mexico!

February: You Are Your Own Muse, self portrait with fiddle and bee hive!

March: polaroid portrait of a self portrait!

April: Boys, Hotel Congress restaurant, Tucson!

May: vintage Fireball ready for camping!

June: Breathe Owl Breathe played our backyard stage!

July: opened Smashing Rubbish!

August: Pickathon!

September: still playing at the lake! 

October: Avett Brothers in Nashville!

November: honey extraction, from our bees!

December: Santa at Plaka!

as you can see, i choose one picture form each month of the year to sum up 2011!  it was a year of growth, challenge, learning, transforming, and fun!  i am looking forward to what 2012 might have in store but for now i will live in the moment and enjoy that tomorrow night i get to go eat the following meal at Delancey Pantry:

 Oysters on the half shell with apple mignonette

Pork belly confit with smoked salt

Johnnycakes with maple braised greens

Tomato-fennel soup with blue cheese toast

Boiled whole crabs

Roasted potatoes with sea salt

Melted butter, salsa verde and spicy aioli for dipping

Butter lettuce salad with radishes and chives

Lemon mousse trifle

Almond cake, toasted meringue and brittle

yeah, i think i'll stay in the moment for that!  and each course comes with a wine pairing as well.  oh yes, please!

what are your plans for the weekend?

hope you get some fun and good food in there!

our seating sale at Smashing Rubbish will run until closing on Sunday.

all seating: chairs, chair frames, stools, benches, etc are 20% off or more.  and we are having random daily sales as well that you can find out about by liking our facebook page or following on twitter.

sewing, sewing, sewing,

xoxoxo

jennette

Hotel Congress Cafe (kinda)

Hi Friends!

the boys and i are in Tucson for spring break again and i have a couple posts i am working on to show you our adventures and discoveries.  the posts will be out of order but i wanted to show you what it's like these days when i take my boys out in public.  it's a real blast, let me tell ya!  Here we are at the Hotel Congress, Cup Cafe, where we visit and eat every time we are here. and just look:

good times, friends.  good times.  oh yeah.  see.  see what i'm dealin with. 

these two are about to be half as old and twice as old as each other, for the first, last, and only time in their lives. 8 and 16.  in less than a month.  wish me luck my friends.  wish me luck.

xoxoxox

jennette.  in tucson.  alone.  with two boys.