Northwest Specialties

If you live anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, you've probably seen them at your local grocery store, co-op, home improvement or gardening supply store; small pots with daffodils, Paper White Narcissus, crocuses or hyacinths, either blooming or with buds about to burst into flower. It's a lovely, fun way, to bring some bright spring color into a winter home as a reminder that spring really is on the way. Paper Whites and Hyacinths, in addition to their attractive colored blossoms, are also scented. Read more

I first discovered Tim's Chips accidentally; a local brew pub served them with a pint and a bratwurst. The sad news is that the chips totally made the meal; the beer was watery, and the brat was, well, let's be polite and call it "over cooked" (are they supposed to fall apart like that?). But the chips—thick cut, crunchy kettle-style and incredibly fresh chips with just the right amount of salt. Since then, I've dedicated myself to the thankless task of trying Tim's chips at every opportunity. Read more

Fisheries around the world are in serious trouble, with many facing a complete collapse due to unsustainable and destructive fishing practices that have wrecked havoc with the ocean's ecosystem and depleted many fishing stocks to near extinction. This can pose a dilemma for those seeking the important health benefits of including fish in your regular diet. So how can you still find ways to fit in the important health benefits of seafood in a safe and ocean friendly way?

To find safe, ocean friendly seafood you need to know three things: Read more

Mount Baker Winery is a local Western Washington winery in Everson, one that's been slowly increasing the number of cases it produces, year by year. The Mount Baker Winery began in 1978 when a career military man, Al Stratton, began making fruit wines, and German style white wines. He secured a contract to produce and ship plum wine to Japan, and used the proceeds to improve his winery. In 1989, Stratton sold his winery and small vineyard to Randy Finley, a local businessman, who, after a year in France, was inspired to become a winemaker. Finley continued making fruit wines, but began to concentrate on varietals suited to the Northwest. He also improved the winery itself, significantly increasing the warehouse space and improving growing methods. Read more

Nanaimo Bars are a Credit: Stephanie Spencerlayered bar cookie named after a small town in British Columbia, Canada. The bottom layer of graham cracker or wafer crumbs, butter, coconut and nuts is topped by a vanilla butter cream icing (made with Bird's Instant Custard, for Brits or Canadians, Instant Pudding for Americans), itself topped with a layer of dark melted chocolate. The seem to have been the creation of a woman named Mabel Jenkins, from Cowichan Bay. Ms. Jenkins submitted the recipe to the Ladysmith and Cowichan Womens' Institute Cookbook, a charity cookbook that became very popular in the region. The cookbook, and the cookies, were popularized elsewhere in rapid order. The best discussion of the Nanaimo bar history is on Wikipedia. Read more

The Dungeness Crab, Cancer magister is named for the town of Dungeness, Washington, because it's the site of the first commercial commercial crabbing venture for the species. Today, Dungeness is the home of a major annual Dungeness Crab Festival. You can usually find fresh local dungeness crab in coastal Oregon and Washington from December to February, and then again, briefly, in June. If you don't want to try catching and cooking your own dungeness crab, you can buy it fresh crab at most local grocery stores, directly from crabbers, or seafood specialty shops like VIS Seafoods or the fish markets at Pike Place Market in Seattle, and settlements around Washington's Hood Canal. Read more

One of my very favorite things to give friends during the holidays are gift baskets I've assembled for them, myself, using Northwest items. It's a great deal of fun, and not as expensive or time consuming as it might seem. Nor do you have to actually use a basket; I'm fond of those inexpensive brightly colored shopping bags, and more than once, I've taken an ordinary box of a suitable size with a lid and covered it with appropriately attractive paper. I also like to line the box, basket, or bag with attractive tissue paper. There's a great deal of fun to be had in picking out the items that suit a particular person. You want to think about what they're likely to like, and what might be a fun item for them to try, too. There are online sources too, if you don't want to "do it yourself." Read more

Bread machines, those machines that essentially mix a batch of bread dough and then cook it, are still awfully popular. I confess that even when I had spare counter space, I wasn't a fan of bread machines, and now, when my kitchen is on the tiny side in terms of counters and cupboards both, I'm even less of a fan. Bread makers, for someone like me, take up too much space, for too little reward. I do understand why so many people love them, though, and I could very well change my mind. That said, I am, very much, a fan of fresh bread. While I'm surrounded by lovely artisan bakeries (the Northwest seems to be a mecca for artisan bakers), and I do like to purchase their breads, their prices are a little steep for regular sustenance. Read more

Panettone is a traditional holiday sweet bread from Milan, Italy, that is especially favored at Christmas and New Years, and by the descendents of Italian immigrants who celebrate Christmas in an amalgamation of Northwest and Italian traditions. Panettone is visually marked by its shape—a cupola or other ornamental vaguely cylindrical and fairly large loaf, and studded with brightly colored candied fruits and citrus peels. The dough is a yeast-base sourdough type of dough, though it is usually sweeter than sourdough, and it rises twice. Panettone recipes typically include not only yeast but eggs, and recipes may also call for other ingredients, including marsala. Read more

Vodka is special. I love vodka in most of its incarnations. Cocktails made with the perfect infused vodkas offer flaver and verve. Best of all are icy little shots of pure vodka consumed with the spicy little Russian dumplings from the place down the street, or lovingly crafted vodka martinis in perfectly chilled glasses, with an extra olive for accent. The Russians have known that vodka was special for centuries, and icy little shots of vodka tossed back with vigor have served to ward off melancholy, and warm those long winter nights.

Prized for its purity, and the ease of infusing the spirits with various flavors, vodka has been traditionally flavored and aromatized with rowan, mint, fruit, nuts, acorns, sage, peppercorns, and nearly any other pleasing or interesting flavor you can imagine. (Including bacon, but that's another post.) Read more