Back to the land of the living!

While summer plowed forward around me I tried to just hold my own against the storm of nausea, food aversions and extreme tiredness. I desperately wanted to hold BBQs, go out with friends and have some sort of a normal life. And while I am very aware that what I went through is mild compared to what some pregnant women experience during the first trimester, this was all new to me.

I am the girl with 2 paying jobs, 1 volunteer job, a couple of “job hobbies”, three active dogs, a husband and lots of side projects. My days are usually packed to the gills with lists and activities. During these months I found that I could pretty much only do one thing a day other than work. On some days just going to work was all I could do. I would fall asleep on the couch at 8pm like an old lady. I would clean the kitchen and declare that I was done for the day. I have never been tired like this before.

Then came the food aversions. This was such a strange thing to me - I have never had an aversion to anything! Eggs were out for awhile, the idea of a runny yolk just made me terribly uncomfortable. Mr. Ramon brought home some oysters one night and I could not even look at them - I had cereal for dinner that night. Sometimes just a certain type of food did not sound pleasing. Nope - not pizza and not a burger. Weird stuff for sure. Cereal, toast and drinks with bubbles were my friends. And refried beans - what? Warm bowls of refried beans with salsa - bland, warm food - so comforting.

Nausea is my kryptonite. As a child I had pretty severe motion sickness. It caused my mom to announce on field trips as I entered the bus “My daughter has motion sickness and has to sit at the front”. Mortifying! I could not read in a car. Roller coasters seemed fun but left my brain scrambled and my forehead clammy. The idea of nausea makes me want to offer up a toe to be removed as a trade off. This was the one “symptom” of pregnancy that I could have lived without.

Finally I made it to the other side. I counted down the days and weeks until I was supposed to find some relief. And like a light switch it was off. I had a surge of energy that even surprised me. Food sounded good again - some things were and are a little weird for me but more or less I am back to normal. Nausea - gone!!

So onward I go into the next phase of this journey. I hope I can continue to feel this good!!

Wandering Goose Seattle

Mr. Ramon and I popped in at the Wandering Goose on their first day open. This cosy spot in Seattle's North Capitol Hill is the work of Heather Earnhardt. Heather is many things and one of them is an amazing baker. I know her work well from Volunteer Park Cafe - she is one half of the talent that brought us this amazing gathering place full of meals to remember. 

I have never met Heather but think I would like too. I love what she is creating here. She seems to have had a rich life that really shows itself in the atmosphere and food at Wandering Goose. The space is small - no more than 30 seats. It fills quickly and has a buzz about it that feels like a family gathering. The tables are raw blonde wood and butt up against pews that line the walls. Every piece in the space feels found and useful. 

The bakery case is full of gorgeous rustic delights. On our visit we enjoyed the Plum Galette. A superb crust and the delicious fragrance of roasted plums with a hint of almond. We fought over every last bite. 

Who am I kidding though - we came for the biscuits. We just missed breakfast and chose two things of the menu to share. "The Easy" a classic egg, bacon biscuit sandwich and "The Sawmill" a  fried chicken biscuit sandwich with the road house gravy. Both of these left me totally satisfied in buttery, salty goodness. 

It was nice to see some familiar faces within the staff and the service was genuine and warm. Both Mr. Ramon and I look forward to making it early for breakfast and trying a few other things off the menu. If you have not had a chance to go yet - do. I know you will enjoy it as much as we did. 

Sleepy Sunday Roast Chicken

Summer slowly wraps up here in Seattle. These last few weeks have been busy ones. Between friendly outdoor gatherings to enjoy these last sunny moments, or dog emergencies and of course regular life stuff, I can say we are tired. It is on Sundays that I always fully realize this. I try to spend Sundays in the store not doing any type of actual business work. No paperwork, planning or organizing. I try to catch up on a book or a mindless tv show between customers as I think about how to make the upcoming week successful. Today I feel like napping on the counter and cannot stop thinking about how nice it would be to sink into my soft cool pillow. 

It is these sleepy moments when it would be easier to put something bad into my mouth for dinner that roast chicken comes in handy. Roast chicken conjures up memories of crispy skin, moist meat and a type of salty goodness that is pure heaven. How to get this kind of roast chicken is a mystery to most. They think it will be hard or take to long. They are worried about flabby skin and overdone dry breast meat. 

I have the perfect solution. Simple and easy this roast chicken recipe will leave you with the perfect meal for those sleepy Sundays and some to spare. 

You will find no vegetables here, no herbs under the skin, no oil. trust me - this is going to be amazing. My goal is to not add anything to the chicken or the cooking that produces steam or moisture. We want crisp skin!

Roast Chicken

• 1 whole roaster chicken - at room temperature
• kosher salt 

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, placing a rack in the lower part of the oven.

Take your chicken and remove the organ meat and neck if stuffed inside the cavity (If you have a dog around - hand out that chicken neck like it is a prize. Great for Fido’s teeth). Rinse chicken under cool water - inside and out. Dry with paper towels and place into a roaster or shallow baking pan. 

Use some kitchen twine to tie his legs together. 

Grab your kosher salt and sprinkle heavily over skin front and back and inside the cavity as well. I good dose of salt is important for the crunchy skin you are looking for. 

Place your chicken in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn down to 350 and roast until temperature in the thigh is 155-160 degrees. If your chicken starts to get too brown, tent a piece of foil and loosely place it over your chicken. 

Remove your chicken from the oven and let rest for at least 5 minutes before carving. 

And here you have a super juicy, flavorful roast chicken for dinner and leftovers for lunch! Enjoy!

No Sugar Update

I lasted 1 1/2 weeks. In some respects I think I failed. In others I know I won. 

In the failing category I love dessert and after 1 1/2 weeks of no sugar was presented with an opportunity to taste the new ice cream at Cupcake Royale and could not resist. This led me to understand that a purposeful dessert is important to me. 

In the winning category I have been drinking my coffee without sugar for 2 weeks now. And loving it. I have not had any sugar laden snacks instead choosing whole grains and protein and vegetables instead. I have lost 3 pounds without even trying. I am sleeping better and have more energy throughout the day. I fell like I am more aware and conscience of what I am eating which is a huge win for someone who eats when stressed. 

Apricot Jam

Its hot here in Seattle and as much as I would like it about 10 degrees cooler I know my garden needs it and fall is around the corner. So I will not complain. With sun comes stone fruits. My favorite time of year. I still had about 2lbs of apricots left from the box I split with my friend so I decided to make some jam. I got up early before it got warm - sticky jam and a hot house is my kind of nightmare. 

When I was growing up we ate a lot of jam. My mom was an expert PB&J maker. I also love toast and peanut butter and jam on crackers as a snack. Strawberry and raspberry were my favorites as a child. I thought my mom was so weird putting apricot jam on her peanut butter and toast. Weird chunky globs and a more tart than sweet taste. How could that be good. Well times have changed. Some years ago I found that I loved apricot jam. Not sure of the exact moment that happened - but now that tart flavor and hunks of cooked apricots drive me wild. In Paris this breakfast place we went to a few times had the best jam and I think I polished off the whole bread basket myself smeared with their apricot jam. 

I had great success with my strawberry jam this year. I decided to go the route of not adding commercial pectin. The recipes call for more sugar but have a cooked down quality that I love. I went the same route with the apricot and it came out great as well. 

Mr Ramon and I stopped for coffee on his way to work and I picked up a croissant from one of my favorite pastry places Ba Bar. Karen is magical and does things to laminate dough I only dream of. I could not wait to get home and smear this buttery, crispy croissant with my jam. 

Apricot Jam 

• 2 pounds fresh apricots 
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Chop them to your desired size. I like good sized chunks of fruit so I cut them in about 1/2 inch pieces. 

Place the apricots in a very large stockpot, and add the water. Cover the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until the apricots are tender and cooked through. I smash some of the cooking apricots to add more texture to my jam. 

Add the sugar to the apricots and cook, uncovered, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Continue to stir frequently to make sure the jam isn’t burning on the bottom.

A lot of people use the chilled plate test. I go right for the candy thermometer. I like to be precise that way. Jam is ready when it hits 220 degrees. 

Once done, stir in the lemon juice and  ladle the jam into clean jars. This jam will store for 6 months in the fridge. Alternatively you can preserve this jam in clean sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 5 minutes to produce a product that lasts for 1 year on the pantry shelves. If you need support in this process you can go to the Ball canning site. 

Enjoy!