SOUR DOUGH STARTER

  2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon of sugar or honey (optional)

1 tablespoon or packet active dry yeast

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

Pour the water into a two-quart glass or ceramic jar or bowl, add and dissolve the sugar or honey and the yeast in that order. Stir in the flour gradually. Cover the jar and place it somewhere warm.
The mixture will begin to bubble and brew almost immediately. Let it work anywhere from 2 to 5 days, stirring it about once a day as it will separate. When the bubbling has subsided and a yeasty, sour aromas has developed, stir your starter once more and refrigerate it until you are ready to use it.

The starter should have the consistency of pancake batter.
The clear amber liquid that floats to the surface of your sourdough starter contains 12% to 14% alcohol. When yeast is in contact with air, it produces carbon dioxide; when it’s not, it produces alcohol. When you blend the alcohol back into the starter, it helps produce the unique flavor you find in good sourdough breads. (The alcohol itself dissipates during the baking process.) For milder flavor, you can pour off some of the alcohol if you wish, although this will thicken the starter, requiring a bit more liquid to return it to its “pancake batter” consistency.

 Sourdough Essentials from King Arthur Flour

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My husband and I wanted to try our hand at making a sour dough fire grilled pizza. I quickly learned this wasnt something we could accomplish in one night. I began my sour dough starter and about 8 days later used it to make the pizza dough .(that recipe will be in next post)

BUNNY IN THE BASKET ON EASTER SUNDAY

This is Rosie, my Easter Bunny.

She is very tame and social and has such a personality.

She really has added a joy to the family.

PIKE MARKET--SEATTLE TRIP 2012

I  love shopping at the Pike Market when we visit Seattle. It is definitely one of my favorite places. This trip  I found Moon Valley Organics lotion bars and lip treatments. They are made with all natural ingredients and they work. I went back and bought  more so I would have replacements when I use up the first batch, I am that confident these will be products I use daily. I also purchased Lavender Sea salt, Lavender sachets and Body Butter. I also purchased the beautiful Pepper and Garlic wreaths. They are so colorful and vibrant I buy several as gifts and to replace the one I keep in my own kitchen. Generally I am not into handcrafted jewelry but I came across a leather banded bracelet with polished brass and Peruvian etchings that spoke to me and became mine. I also found a bright yellow apron and market tote with colorful veggies and the Pikes Market Emblem on them that made me happy and now reside in my kitchen.
When I walk into the market and I see Beautiful artisan cheeses, wonderful baked gourmet crackers, smoked salmon pate, fresh seafood, meats, veggies, fruits and  I can't help but be inspired. I am so glad we had a few dinner parties to go too so I could bring and try these wonderful things.

marketlavender.com
moonvalleyorganics.com

FAIRMONT OLYMPIC HOTEL ROOFTOP HONEY

In Seattle, The Fairmont Olympic Hotel installed five rooftop hives
that are home to a half million honeybees once they reach full capacity in
2012. Executive Chef Gavin Stephenson spearheaded the hotel’s bee program with
Ballard Bee Company’s Corky Luster as a project consultant. With a hive
typically yielding 30 to 40 pounds, it’s likely the hotel will have over 150
pounds of honey to use by next year, with the hotel’s signature honey featured
on the menu in The Georgian restaurant by 2012.

In Seattle, Executive Chef Gavin Stephenson added: “Bee programs are
relatively new to Seattle so we are thrilled to be one of the leaders in this
charge, alongside Ballard Bee Company. Our culinary team is excited to taste the
first batch. Apparently the honey’s flavour is quite unpredictable at first –
bees travel up to six miles from their hive and bring back an array of different
nectars which is why ‘urban honey’ is so interesting and complex.”
Beekeeping has definitely taken off amongst the Fairmont family with honeybee
programs already in place at 13 properties

Asparagus Soup with Poached Eggs

Asparagus Soup with Poached Eggs

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 large leek, white and light green portions, halved
lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Hungarian paprika, plus more for sprinkling

1 1/2 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed, spears cut into 1-inch
pieces
2 Tbs. chicken or vegetable stock concentrate
3 cups water

1 cup baby spinach leaves

6 poached eggs

Fresh tarragon leaves, flat-leaf parsley leaves and chopped
chives for garnish

Directions:
In a heavy soup pot over high heat, warm the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the
leek, season with salt and pepper and cook, stir occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and the 1 tsp. paprika and cook, stir occasionally, for 2
minutes. Add the asparagus, stock concentrate and water and cook, stir
occasionally, until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes.Place the
spinach on top of the soup mixture and cook for 1 minute. Using an immersion
blender ,blend on the highest setting until the soup is smooth.Season
the poached eggs with salt and pepper and lightly sprinkle with paprika. Pour
the soup into 6 warmed bowls and top each with 1 poached egg. Garnish with
tarragon, parsley and chives and serve immediately. Serves
6.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

*****

Cooks Notes:

I made this as the soup course for my family Easter Dinner. It was fabulous. The only changes I made were: I used fennel leaf instead of leeks, I used 2 cans of asparagus pieces with juice, instead of fresh and I used vegetable broth instead of water. I also made it ahead of time and froze it- It kept very well. I defrosted it the night before , put it in the crockpot to heat for Easter Dinner.

Kathy's Perfect Roof Top Lemon Drop Martini Recipe

Kathy's Perfect Roof Top Lemon Drop Martini Recipe

3 oz Grey Goose® vodka

1 1/2 oz triple sec
1 1/2 oz Peach Schnapps

1 tsp lemon drop sugar (minty sugar)
4 tsp honey
1.5 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

Garnish
Mint sprig and Lemon twist
Mix the Grey Goose vodka, triple
sec,honey, sugar and lemon juice in a mixing cup whisk til everything is
dissolved and blended then add to a cocktail shaker half filled with ice cubes.
Shake till chilled. Pour strained liquor into a sugar-rimmed martini glass and
garnish with a twisted peel of lemon and a mint sprig. *Sugaring the rim
of the glass: actually wetting your finger rubbing it on the rim of the glass
and then dipping the rim in sugar worked best.
* I got my Lemon drop sugar from ABC catalog, but I
think you can get it at Spec's and World Market also. The sugar is bright
yellow, very fine and has a mildly lemony-minty taste.
*******
While staying at the FAIRMONT OLYMPIC HOTEL IN Seattle, my husband and I
would have Roof Top Lemondrops as a nightcap. Its called Rooftop as the hotel
has a bee skeep on it roof and it produces its own honey for use in the
restaurant, and in the bar for cocktails. They also sell honey to the Pike
Brewery for the making of some of their honey ales. This is one way the hotel is
being Eco friendly and keeping Seattle sustainable.

I fell in love with the Lemondrops and the Honey Bee's and wanted to
perfect the recipe.

The Easter Bunny--Free Range

Our dog Sally absolutely loves anything baby.

Whether its a kitten, bird or bunny,

she wants to play Mommy to it.

I have been wanting to get to a

bunny or a chicken

for the garden for awhile now
With Easter on the way this

seemed like the right time.

My garden makes me happy.

Its like a peaceable kingdom,

they way all my pets get along.

I have dogs, cats, a bird, a turtle

and now the bunny

My plan is that the bunny will be free range. I am going to have my husband build a cute little bunny hutch. That the bunny can enter and exit at will. I fully expect that she will get into the garden and nibble my plants but there is enough for everyone so I am not overly concerned. I like the whimsy she will bring to the garden and I want her to have an enjoyable life with plenty of socialization, variety in her diet , fresh air, and freedom.
Ironically she is asleep in her basket in the house with the dog sleeping beside her. She is to tiny to leave outside just yet. Truthfully I do not know yet if bunny is a male or a female. If male I may name him Winston Churchill, Female its a toss up between Margaret Thatcher (Maggie) or Rosie Veneretta ( Rosie).

The bunny seems to follow the dogs lead, It would not surprise me if she starts using the doggie door. She already drinks from the dogs dish.