That’s why I’m so excited for The Urban Pantry to come out! This book by Seattle author and foodie Amy Pennington (also known as the “Go Go Green Gardener”) is destined to be loved and cherished by many urbanites who want “tips and recipes for a thrifty, sustainable and seasonal kitchen.” Heck, she could have just put my name on the cover with a big “BUY ME” sticker.

I got to take a sneak peek at the books contents (it will be in stores in April) and immediately added it to my Amazon wishlist. Pennington stresses the use of local and seasonal ingredients for the best meals, but it was her practical use of those pantry-lurkers that really brought me in. You know, the weird grain you bought for a 1/4 cup for a random recipe and the rest of it has been lurking on a shelf since then because, dang it, it cost like $10 and you can’t just THROW IT AWAY. Well Pennington likely has a recipe that uses it up. Along with some of those random spices that you accumulated. And she shares her tips for making sure you’re stocking your pantry with items you’ll actually use.

Sure, there were a few items I raised my eyebrows at (four kinds of flour, NOT including all-purpose?) but she follows up with great explanations of what each pantry-essential is used for and why. Do you know what kind of sugar is best for melting? Pennington does. And she has a recipe that will use it.

But this isn’t just a big shopping list (although she does have great time-saving tips like keeping a pound of bacon in the freezer for when you just need a bit for flavor, or keeping smoked fish on hand for when you are too busy to cook something BEFORE adding it to your pasta salad). She has a whole chapter on “kitchen economy” – using up the bits and pieces of every ingredient you buy. She also has great advice on how to properly store things like fresh herbs that might otherwise go to waste. And my favorite, a chapter on canning and preserving food, so the fresh strawberries you pick up this summer at the farmer’s market can still be enjoyed next December.

I can’t wait to get this book and read it front to back (even including the recipes and the gorgeous photography by Della Chen). This will really come in handy when we start harvesting from our little garden too! Interested? You can pre-order the book, or just wait for it to hit shelves this April.

Note: I did not receive any payment for this post or for links. I didn’t even get a free book. But if I do, I’ll be sure to get an extra one and definitely do a giveaway!

Just finished flipping through my issue of Country Living that arrived today (I always do a good flip-through before settling into the articles I want to linger on) and just adored this photo of a simple bright kitchen. My favorite part? The antique cutting boards. I love how their warm patina looks against the stark white walls. Don’t they just make you want to whip out a loaf of oven-warm french bread and cut through it’s crustiness right then and there?

I may be waxing poetic about food because I also just finished watching the film “Julie and Julia” which is not only a very romantic love story about Julia Child and her husband Paul, but a love story about food. And of course, a story about blogging (although I slightly felt that it gave blogging a bad name). But the food… the food was to die for. Every pan and dish looked absolutely delicious. Meryl Streep said she gained 15 pounds during filming! Made me want to melt some butter just watching it.

Of course, since moving in together and really since the lay-off, Ryan has been the cook around here. Tuesday night he tried a pad thai recipe that I found on A Chow Life, another Seattle-based blog that is rather addicting and equally butter-melting tempting (seriously gorgeous pictures of food!). And we had our “first cooking disaster of 2010″ as Ryan has dubbed it. I think somehow the sauce got screwed up, like our tamarind wasn’t the same kind or something. The sauce was bitter. Or sour. Or something. We ended up making pizza.

But it got me thinking about it tonight, watching Julia Child suck it up chopping onions for the first time. And watching Julie Powell drop a whole stuffed chicken on the floor. Cooking is full of mistakes waiting to happen. You just have to pick up and move on. Dust that bird off and stick it in the oven, so to speak. Kind of the way life can be too. So we’re going to try the recipe again sometime, make a few tweaks, and experiment.

Today was just a cooking-themed day, I guess, because I also finished the book “Kitchen Confidential” by Anthony Bourdain. And let me tell you, the floor isn’t the only place that chicken has been. Yep, the one you just ordered for dinner. But Tony is another one of those people that loooooves food. And that butter-melting urge totally comes through in his writing. (Side note: I have a totally gross crush on Anthony Bourdain considering he is twice my age and the quintessential bad boy. But a guy that can cook, loves food, loves travel, and can WRITE? Call me, Tony!).

It’s been a tough week, heading back to work for my first “full” week since the holidays and since my “full” week turned into four days due to staff reductions. I am definitely not a morning person and my current commute requires that I be one. So I’ve been grumpy and not very productive. But nothing beats the nights that I come home, open the door while totally exhausted, and smell whatever wonderful concoction Ryan has going on in the kitchen. My favorite time of day is coming home.

What about you? What cooking experiences have you had lately? Do you wish you did it more? And have you ever made anything from Mastering the Art of French Cooking?

(If you haven’t had enough “Julie and Julia” lately, Design Sponge’s ‘Living In’ series just featured the same film! Check it out.)

My hostess secret? I get my appetizers from Costco. Mini quiche, mini egg rolls, tomato and feta tartlettes, and the spanakopita are all good but not always in stock. If you go the frozen route, be sure to enlist an extra pair of hands to be pulling stuff out of the oven while you can greet guests. But if you go the make-it-yourself route, here are some suggestions for pretty easy and really tasty (sounding) appetizers that I’d love to find at my next gathering.

Blue Cheese and Walnut Spread

White-bean Dip

Baked Brie with Pecans (shown above, from Martha Stewart)

Cheesy bread

Layered Bean Dip (easy to make before, because it’s served cool)

Carmelized Onion Tarts

Or I always like an easy guacomole. Here’s how I make mine (serves 3-4, depending on how much they like guac!)

1 avacodo, peeled, pitted, and mashed with a fork

1/2 cup salsa

1 TBs sour cream (not necessary, but tasty!)

1/2 tsp lemon juice to keep it’s color

salt to taste, about 1/2 tsp

Mash and stir together, but leave it a little thick and not too creamy. Perfect for chips, pita or french bread. Could also be used as a dip for other crudites like carrot sticks or celery.

Ryan made a ridiculously good dinner on Saturday and I asked him to share the recipe with you guys. It was a roast pork tenderloin with cinnamon apples and a cider reduction sauce. Add some buttery mashed potatoes and a dinner roll, and I’m swooning. Sorry ladies, he’s taken.

The recipe, however, is here for your enjoyment. Ryan said it was surprisingly easy. And as a spectator/devour-er, I can tell you it is a delicious tender roast with spicy fall flavor.

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Cider Sauce (from epicurious, with a few changes below)

(makes 6 servings)

• 2 (3/4-pound) pork tenderloins
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 2 (1/2-pound) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and each cut into 16 wedges
• 1 cup low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 2/3 cup unfiltered apple cider
• 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot (Ryan subbed cornstarch)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar (Ryan skipped this)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Pat tenderloins dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown tenderloins on all sides, turning with tongs, about 5 minutes total. (If the handle of your skillet is not ovenproof, wrap handle in a triple layer of foil, shiny side out.) Transfer skillet to upper third of oven and roast until a thermometer inserted diagonally into center of meat registers 155°F, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 15 minutes before slicing.

While meat is standing, heat butter in same skillet (handle will be hot) over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Add apple wedges and sauté, turning occasionally, until tender and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer apples to a plate, then add chicken broth and cider to skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat and meanwhile whisk together arrowroot and water in a small bowl. Whisk arrowroot mixture into sauce and boil until thickened and reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar, measured salt and pepper, and any juices that have accumulated on platter.

Cut meat into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve topped with apples and sauce.

The goods were quite tasty and melty:

YUM

The decor (equally yummy mix of mid-century modern, academia, and industrial. I wanted to move in)

Double yum

And then we had dessert. Ryan’s reaction to the Plum Crumble with creme fraiche? “OH MY GOD MMMMMMMM”

Heavenly.

If you live in the Seattle area, Delancey is in Ballard, located at 1415 NW 70th.

If you don’t live in the Seattle area, check out Molly’s book, A Homemade Life, that I recently featured on my booklist.

(All photos by me and my iPhone)

Champagne Truffle

Blueberry Pate de Fruit

Thai Princess

So check out Schoggi Imported Swiss Chocolates if you’re in need of some pampering! Yum!

You may remember that last fall I was doing Weight Watchers and lost almost 20 pounds. I’d totally recommend it to someone who needs to get on the weight-loss bandwagon. Trouble was, after about 5 months I’d plateaued and got bored and discouraged. I started skipping meetings (a big no-no) and eventually the monthly fee was just too much to be spending on something I wasn’t using. Since then I’ve mostly stayed the same weight, only creeping up about 3 pounds in 6 months (not bad!).

But the old swimsuit season cliche is true: now that it’s getting too hot to bury my tummy rolls in bulky sweaters, I’ve been more and more motivated to make some changes. I knew I didn’t want to go back to WW at this point, but I need some structure to keep me going.

So yesterday I signed up for Body by Glamour. This 12 week exercise and diet program is designed to get you active and eating healthy–this isn’t a fad diet but a way to reorient your body to eating fruits, veggies, whole grains, and a treat every day It has kick-butt workouts and Jillian from The Biggest Loser is the motivational coach. I can record my workouts and food in an online journal (tracking is a huge motivator for me).

So I got up early this morning and did a 30 minute elliptical workout! Tomorrow I start the strength workouts and am prepared to have my butt kicked. And on the way home from work I stocked up my fridge full of veggies and healthy snacks. Wanna peek?

On the top shelves: lowfat yogurt, feta cheese for salads, salsa, hummus, cucumbers, juice (and sparkling cider left over from my birthday!), low fat cottage cheese (a snack with fruit slices), eggs (I plan to hardboil half for pre-workout fuel), strawberries, red peppers, baby carrots, my leftovers from dinner tonight: asparagus with seasoned shrimp and couscous!

Bottom shelf and drawers: String cheese for an afternoon snack, regular cheese (I love it too much to give it up), diet coke that I’m weaning myself off of, bagged mixed leafies, watermelon, iced tea, my brita filter!

Anyone wanting to lose weight and want to join me in BBG? We can be online workout buddies!

What a lovely idea for a spring or summer wedding – portioned out strawberry shortcake. This would be fabulous at a picnic style wedding in a park or backyard.

And you don’t have to use this idea fo rjust weddings. A birthday party or graduation party would be just as appropriate. Although for a wedding I do think it would be cute to stencil a heart or your new initial in powdered sugar…

See this and more wedding inspiration at snippet & ink.

I tried this recipe for stuffed bell pepper last week and it was really good, cheap, and healthy. I made some slight changes to the original recipe, but below is exactly what I used. Makes enough for 2.