The Taste Tourist

Taste Bytes – December 2018

December 20, 2018 by Kimberly Leave a Comment

Anticipation

It happens every year as soon as Thanksgiving is over – that sudden shift from the harvest season to the holiday season – and the countdown to Christmas is on.

December can be a busy month, a chaotic time, but it’s also one I look forward to, anticipating cherished traditions, immersing myself in holiday tunes, getting caught up in the excitement, and of course, savoring the distinctive tastes of the season.

There are the traditional tastes – the lemon bars I grew up making with my mom, the Danish pastry we devour on Christmas morning, a glass of rum-topped eggnog.

And there are the new favorites that I discovered this month, those that will become part of my repertoire, tastes to anticipate for future years. A roasted delicata squash salad, spicy sweet potato skins, chewy molasses crinkle cookies, and a melt-in-your-mouth peppermint bark cream doughnut.

Here is this month’s edition of Taste Bytes, a celebration of December’s top tastes….

Taste Trip – Seattle’s Fall & Winter Farmers Markets

December 14, 2018 by Kimberly 2 Comments

Visiting our farmers markets in the summer is a staple of life here in the Pacific Northwest. Lesser known, although equally alluring, are the delights of these markets in the off-season – the rich bounty of those that stay open after most others have closed up for the season.

As the last days of fall slide into winter, I love to get outside, to soak up the lingering bits of foliage, and to meander through the local neighborhoods. And there’s nowhere I’d rather explore than a farmers market on a late autumn day.

Favorite Markets

Seattle is blessed with an abundance of year-round markets, but here are two favorites I enjoy visiting on a regular basis. …

Taste Bytes – November 2018

November 21, 2018 by Kimberly Leave a Comment

Welcome to Taste Bytes

I’m excited to welcome you to this first Taste Bytes post, a collection of food-related bits and pieces organized around seasonal topics. All my favorites…recipes, taste tests, restaurants, travel destinations, and more.

It’s a gorgeous fall day as I’m writing this post…clear skies, a little chilly, the brilliant autumn foliage still on full display.

My favorite season – a season of change, of rejuvenation, of relaxation. A season of gratitude and appreciation.

And a season of such quintessential tastes. A cup of hot spiced cider. A handful of candied pecans. A scoop of savory herb-infused stuffing. A tart bite of cranberry sauce. A thick slice of pumpkin pie.

Fall, perhaps more than any other season, has such distinctive flavors, each bite putting its stamp of ownership on this special time of year.

Here is this week’s Taste Bytes, a celebration of fall….

Taste Trip – Southern Bites Part Two

November 17, 2017 by Kimberly Leave a Comment

On the Road…Charleston to St. Augustine

There’s nothing I look forward to more than a road trip, and this summer’s was one of the best!

Four days on the road, traveling from Raleigh to Orlando with my boyfriend Mark and his daughter, enroute to a writing conference – not much time to linger, but an opportunity to savor some of the South’s finest tastes and sites.

In a previous post, Taste Trip – Southern Bites Part One, I detailed our first two days on the road…

Day One: Seattle to Raleigh

Day Two: Raleigh to Charleston

And then it was on to our next destination… …

Taste Trip – Southern Bites Part One

October 30, 2017 by Kimberly 2 Comments

On the Road…Raleigh to Charleston

Just mention the words “road trip” and I’m all yours. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been fascinated by the lure of the open road, the adventure of the unknown, and the serendipitous moments to be found along the way.

This summer we were fortunate enough to take a quick jaunt through the South enroute to a one-week “working” vacation in Orlando, Florida. Four days on the road…a short trip, to be sure, but packed with noteworthy discoveries and new tastes along the way.

…

Taste Five – Joy the Baker Cookbook

March 5, 2017 by Kimberly 1 Comment

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

Magic

According to the old proverb, March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb – and this first week of March certainly lived up to that prediction.

The snow, which surprised us all on Monday morning, continued throughout the week, along with gusty winds that made for a stormy start to the month. While March in the Pacific Northwest can often be a bit rough on the spirit, this week’s weather was actually quite magical.

And I have to say, there’s also something quite magical about baking on a winter day.

As the snow flurries continued, I spent the week tucked in my kitchen – awash in flour and butter, cinnamon and sugar, chocolate and cream – baking from the Joy the Baker Cookbook – and enjoying the opportunity to cajole just a little more brightness from this winter.

In the foreword to her cookbook, author Joy Wilson writes, “If you have the power to coax something beautifully sweet out of your kitchen, it’s as though you have a magic wand in your hand.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Here is this week’s Taste Five. …

Cookbook of the Week – Joy the Baker Cookbook

February 27, 2017 by Kimberly 4 Comments

Northwest Winters

Our winters here in the Seattle area can be a bit bleak….prone to a steady drizzle of rain and gray skies. But despite their fairly dreary reputation, I have to admit that I love our Northwest winters.

For me, it’s a season of rest, rejuvenation, and reflection.

It’s the opportunity to hibernate – to throw on a pair of sweats, snuggle in, slow down, and rest. It’s the opportunity to enjoy the comforts of home – to turn on the fireplace on a stormy day, light a candle, and settle into the couch with a good book. It’s the opportunity to spend time in the kitchen – stirring a simmering pot of stew, kneading dough for cinnamon rolls, roasting a pan of winter vegetables.

But I have to admit, there’s one thing that I love the most about winter – the one feature that really makes or breaks it – snow.

We woke up to a surprise today, on this first week of March – to a fresh blanket of snow coating the Northwest. It was a magical drive to work, with thick flakes falling onto my windshield, rapidly transforming the streets from the mundane to the magical. I spent the day at school, along with my students, trying so hard to focus, yet looking out the window every few minutes …watching the flakes fall throughout the day, hoping they wouldn’t disappear. And the day didn’t disappoint.

This winter has been a gift, and we’ve had more than our share of snow. And when the snow comes out, there’s one thing that I always want to do – bake.

This week’s Cookbook of the Week is Joy the Baker Cookbook. …

Taste Five – Weeknight Wonders

February 26, 2017 by Kimberly Leave a Comment

Pork Tenderloin With Sweet and Sour Cabbage And Dried Cherries

Balance

Although I aspire for “balance” – both in the food I eat and in my life – at times I struggle, as I tend to lean more toward the “all or nothing” side of the fence.

So, I was especially drawn to this week’s cookbook and to author Ellie Krieger’s “usually-sometimes-rarely food philosophy” and her golden rule that “no food is ever off limits.” In the introduction to Weeknight Wonders, Ellie writes, “The idea is that there is no need to deprive yourself or go to extremes to be healthy. In fact, extremes are usually unhealthy and trap us into a dieting mentality. Rather, balance is key.”

I enjoyed preparing meals from her cookbook this week, and of taking on the new challenge of preparing healthy dinners on a busy weeknight. As Albert Einstein said, “To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

Good advice – whether “moving forward” means taking on a challenge, doing things differently, or simply trying out new recipes.

Here is this week’s Taste Five. …

Cookbook of the Week – Weeknight Wonders

February 20, 2017 by Kimberly Leave a Comment

Cookbook of the Week February 20

Challenges

I love a new challenge…and cooking provides plenty of them. Learning to carefully pipe buttercream frosting onto a layer cake, roasting a chicken until it’s perfectly tender and moist, neatly slicing a pile of basil into a fine julienne. There’s always something new to learn, and that’s one of the many reasons I’m drawn to this culinary adventure.

But I have to admit, one of my biggest challenges in the kitchen, is also one of the more basic ones – cooking dinner on weeknights.

I absolutely love cooking – and I spend a good part of my weekends and vacation time immersed in a sea of recipes. But weeknights are a different story. After a long day working, writing fiction in the early hours of the morning and then teaching for a full day, there are many nights when I just want to grab a quick bite – a bowl of bran cereal, a piece of peanut butter toast, a pre-packaged salad – and relax.

While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, lately I’ve found myself dissatisfied with this weeknight routine, and wanting to get back to what I grew up with – home-cooked dinners.

I have a busy weekend coming up, with absolutely no time to cook, so this week seemed like the perfect opportunity to take on this new challenge. I dove into my cookbook collection looking for a book that would fit the occasion. One with delicious and healthy dinner recipes that could be made on a busy weeknight.

And I found the perfect one.

This week’s Cookbook of the Week is Weeknight Wonders by Ellie Krieger. …

Taste Five – Theo Chocolate

February 19, 2017 by Kimberly 2 Comments

Theo Coffee and Cream Chocolate

Chocolate

I have loved chocolate for as long as I can remember, and while my tastes have changed a bit since I was a kid, my love for chocolate hasn’t. While I still enjoy my childhood favorite – the classic Reese’s peanut butter cup –it’s been fun expanding my horizons, and so many of my favorite food memories seem to include chocolate.

Popping into Rococo Chocolates off King’s Road in Chelsea, London and entering an entirely new world of taste. Sitting in a hotel room overlooking La Grand Place in Brussels and nibbling on my first “real” Belgian chocolates. Discovering Fran’s gray salt chocolates when I moved back to Seattle.

And now Theo Chocolate.

I enjoyed cooking from Theo Chocolate – last week’s “cookbook of the week” – immersing myself in the world of chocolate and learning far more than I had expected – a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s week.

As Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz stated, “All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”

Here is this week’s Taste Five. …