Fat and Crafty.com

Looking around Seattle, there are more and more businesses  poised to help you put dinner on the table.
Have we forgotten how to feed ourselves?

These are what we have in our area.
1. Restaurants. Pretty straight forward. They range from the fancy pantsy to the grab and go. it could be a burger from the King, or it could be a three course dinner at Canalis. Most of the time its about feeding ourselves, though  the restaurants will often encourage us to splurge.

2. We prep, we assemble, you pick up or we deliver.
My how the numbers have multiplied.
Month of Meals, Zone Seattle , Dancing Women, Lucky Palate, Delicious Planet , Tumeric’n more, Julia’s Indonesian Kitchen.
You can’t complain for a lack of variety here. From Indonesian to Vegan to Diet Specific. Costs range, delivery options range. From a $40 minimum to a $40 per day cost (minimum of 5 days)

2. We prep, you assemble, you cook.
Dont feel like taking it too easy? Get involved a  bit with assembly line meals.
This is similar to Once a month cookery, except all of the work is done for you. You go to a public location, where they have a menu of meals for you to choose from.
Dinner’s ready, and Dream Dinners are two  of them in this area.  The prices vary as does the quality of ingredients. (i hear that dream dinners has a contract with sysco, good for consistency, but i cant say that quality excites me.  More customizable, since you are the one packing the food together you can leave out what you need, and add extra if they allow.

So many options, so many profitable businesses centered around assisting us in feeding ourselves at night. is it that rare to sit  down to dinner with your family each night? Is it that rare to have dinner made that is something other then cereal with milk?

I’ve gotten 2 new cookbooks recently. Rachael Ray’s 2,4, 6,8 and Heidi Swanson’s  Super Natural Cooking.

I’m not a big fan of Rachael Ray. I think Ray-Ray is more then a little obnoxious with the Yummo and EVOO.
But i knew she did low carb, and I know her meals are supposed to be quick, so I picked it up.

I’m a big fan of Heidi Swanson. I read 101 Cookbooks and
Mighty Foods. I preordered Super Natural Cooking and I’ve had a copy of Cook 1.0 for a while.

This week  I pulled out both cookbooks to try recipes. From Heidi it was the Amaranth Souffle. An amaranth crusted cup filled with puffy cheese amaranth souffle. Except the Amaranth on the outside was hard and got in your teath, and even the softer stuff inside had an interesting firmness. While Leah and I would try it again, Aron said it was a no go. All in all not really worth it.

I’ve tried two Rachel Ray recipes. One a thai chicken with veg and ginger lemon rice had a subsitute of pork insead of chicken, and it turned out tasty.  Tonights chicken almond under a brick turned out tasty as well. Both were easy dishes with ingrediants i usually have in the pantry. While both need tweaks (smaller pork pieces, and the toast the almonds first for the latter They were both well recieved.

And I feel bad. I really wanted to be as pleased with Heidi’s recipe, but it just wasnt to be. I’m pulling out the cookbook again and will try something else this weekend, and maybe even try her older cookbook first to figure out what my problem is.

The doorbell rang at 8:30 in the morning, at least I was dressed and half caffinated,  and nearly ready to go.
“Hold on Melissa , I’m almost ready. ” I grabbed my pcc bag, my camera,  and glugged down the last of my coffee.  Out the door we went, leaving my copy of the passport behind.
Dangit!

Friday Saturday and Sunday were the Destination: Yarn! Local Yarn Shop Tour here in Seattle.  20 shops banded together, created cute little passports and inspired nice ladies, young and old to drive around like lunatics for these free patterns and the chance to win $400 in free yarn.

i began my journey on Friday with 2 stops alone. First was Weaving works in the University District. Then on the way home i decided i would bike by the Fiber Gallery and see what their one skein pattern was.

Saturday morning began the real  tour. Melissa and I had decided we would not be stupid and attempt all 20 stores. The gas and hassle involved, particularly when you only have one driver, for the “chance” to win $400 didnt make sense. (Had the stores banded together and had a prize for those who had hit all 20 I might have been more willing. Perhaps a special bonus pattern or something.

We first stopped at Red Twig for Eggs Benedict  and hot strong coffee. Edmonds was also our first yarn stop of the morning.

Spin a Yarn is a shop I’ve been to many times and the service has always been a little weird.. She’s moved to a new location  an old house and its very quaint.

Stop number 2 was Bellingham, JanJ NeedleArt

Set in a stripmall, it is jammed full of yarn and needlework supplies.

They had a cute pup named Saucy, he was about 8 and looked like a sausage.

I’ll be honest, they were a little eccentric and we were glad to make our escape.
(ok crazy was the term we came up with but yeah)

NW Handspun was GREAT! Friendly shop, great location, and a fantastic array of yarn and weaveables.

The owner was cute and funny, as i took pictures from the landing above she said “Is that lightening? in the store” Nope just me with the camera.

Our lunch stop was a place in Bow Washington,  It was an old barn/ country store/ restaruant that had the best beef barley soup i’ve  ever had. We picked up apple Empanadas and then headed to our last yarn shop.

No pictures of Anacross, but I swear they had the biggest selection. Big Big overstuffed yarn cubbies where balls of muppet yarn came cascading down on me. Again, no purchase from me, but I’ll be back.

We finished our day in Washington Park, overlooking  the islands and the water, and just contemplating what a great day we had.

Life is good.

Dinner for 1… and lunch for three.

I’m home alone tonight, and I have a craving.  The andoullie sausage in the freezer , my new pressure cooker and  some pantry ingredients will yield the best dinner ever or so I hope.

The pressure cooker was a surprise, and its one of the things I consider to be my birthday gift for this year. We had just finished the tour  at Theo Chocolates and were wandering through Fremont  and the Fremont Fair As Miss Thing dodged from both to booth looking at the shiny jewelry, the shiny that caught my eye was a small  4 quart pressure cooker. 

i love pressure cookers. My  fagor pressure cooker has been out of service far far too long, I had it too close to the burner once and melted the top.

The new pressure cooker represents so much to me. Quick Chili, Fast Sauces, Super Soups, Fantastic Beans, and Lightening Fast Brown Rice!

That is what we are making tonight.  Brown rice, pinto beans anduollie sausage, homemade chicken stock. simmered together in my pressure cooker.  A  side of spinach and a small can of V8 will round out my dinner, and there will be plenty of leftovers