2009 « A Bellingham Foodie Blog

March 8, 2009

Garlic: How I love thee

Filed under: Bellingham local,local,Pacific Northwest — Bellinghamster @ 9:46 pm

My son came home from school today and gave me a big hug. He said, ‘Mom, you smell like an everything bagel toasted with butter!’ My cold remedy has not offended him, it has reminded him of a favorite treat!

Yes, the plague is in my house and many of their classmates homes, too. My solution is to wear a necklace garland of garlic to ward off the evil spirits and vampires that would infect me. No, seriously, since I have a cold I’ve included, with my vitamin C and chicken soup remedies, roasted garlic. Not a pill supplement or a clove every couple of hours. Beautiful heads of garlic roasted in olive oil salted and smeared on toasted baguettes. I may never be ill again, and I may forever smell like an everything bagel.

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February 18, 2009

Genmai Brown Rice Tea – Genmaicha

Filed under: Bellingham local,Bellingham Restaurants,local — Tags: Genmaicha — Bellingham Diner @ 4:39 pm

Genmaicha Brown Rice Tea

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Kuru Kuru Sushi

Filed under: Bellingham local,Bellingham Restaurants,local,Pacific Northwest,restaurants — Bellinghamster @ 2:52 pm

Sushi is a delight. Beautiful little dishes, perfectly sized portions, and variety galore. I am remembering Ajian Japanese restaurant in Watchung, NJ. A small elegant restaurant with tables and twelve foot sushi bar. I love watching a man cook; especially if it’s for me. So a sushi bar is heavenly. If I remember correctly, my partner indulged the sushi chef by eating fried prawn heads – eyes, antennae and all CRUNCH. A very funny memory!

Which brings me to Kuru Kuru Sushi restaurant. Location location location – I’ll travel for this restaurant. It’s food is fresh and delicious. It’s atmosphere bright; all windows. It’s servers are very happy and the sushi chefs readily indulge my requests. My favorite is unagi nigiri (smoked eel on white rice wrapped with seaweed).

Here’s the REAL rundown. Tables and chairs sidle up to a black and gold laquered conveyor belt at shoulder height. Little dishes topped with clear plastic domes filled with several varieties of sushi meander around and around waiting for you to reach out to try one. Yellow red blue purple and black plates travel by – it’s like being a kid at the miniature train store. Except here you can reach out and take the car and play with it!

We ate staples like edamame and very fresh seaweed salad. I drank a fantastic tea (see pic) and stared fascinated at the sushi chefs expertise. Do you really need to know all the things we ate? Well: unagi, tamago, seafood spring roll, gyozo (pork), soft shell crab. They also serve udon or miso soup and mochi ice cream. Lest you think a vegan would pass on dining at this lovely place, rest assured there are items to satisfy: edamame, asparagus, avocado, cuke, tofu, seaweed salad and fresh fruit plates, too.

Sam and Judy Min opened the restaurant in Febraury and have Ray Lee, the former owner of The Loft Japanese restaurant in Lynden, helping with food preperation. Sam Min and Ray Lee worked at The Loft until a fire destroyed the building in Delft Square last June. I am very happy they decided to open another sushi restaurant in Bellingham.Â Arigato. Thank you.

11 Bellwether way, Bellingham 360-392-8224

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January 21, 2009

How I make a pizza:

Filed under: Bellingham local,local,Pacific Northwest — Bellinghamster @ 3:14 pm

Many ways, but the standing favorite is served with a mini pita crust. The crust is a challenge for me. I can’t pull dough to save my life; even after watching videos, it is a lost cause. So, I search and test various breads to see which will bake up a good pizza. Corn tortillas come out perfect. They are the right serving size and crisp well when baked. Mini pitas are smaller in diameter and need to be toasted before adding toppings. So: toast your bread crust of choice to your preferred crispness before adding your toppings. My toppings are simple. Either leftovers broiled or tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella. In my house, simple is IN as is eating IN.

PSÂ The more veggies you eat with your pizza, the better. It adds to the crispy crust crunch factor: raw carrots, sugar snap peas, little broccoli florets, endive, toasted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

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A pizza too big for your oven?

Filed under: Bellingham local,Bellingham Restaurants,local,Pacific Northwest,restaurants,Seattle — Bellinghamster @ 3:13 pm

Everyone knows what Costco is. It is a bulk retailer as in “bigger is better”,Â “more is better”,Â “gimme gimme gimme” + “consume consume consume”. It just follows a typical American consumer pattern. It is the same as a diner meal. Low cost for mega servings.

I really got my money’s worth there!’

For instance: have you ever purchased a Costco pizza? How about their sicilian (square) style? Does it fit into your oven completely without touching the sides? Well, it didn’t fit into Wendy’s oven, so I cut it in half (and forgot to put a pan underneath to catch the dripping cheese – I’ll never live that consequence down). Almost had to call the fire department for the smoke during the oven cleaner cycle (just ask Kevin).

Someone I just met offered the obvious solution: the oven should have been purchased at Costco! Bigger is better!

How about Papa Murphy’s pizza? Does the family size pizza fit into your oven without touching the sides? The directions for baking a Papa Murphy’s pizza says to place it in the oven making sure the paper tray does not touch the oven walls. Why is that? Will it catch fire? or is it so the air can flow all around it?

I want to know why, not just how.

BTW, I have passed on buying another Costco pizza – the Wendy memory haunts me ( I think they had to clean the oven more than once – I’m afraid to bring it up). And I am forbidden to bring pizza to their house ever again. I do buy Papa Murphy’s pizza and the family size does fit into my oven. No, I did not buy the oven at Costco. But, if I was in the market for an oven…