How well do you know Seattle?

For all of my dear friends that have wandered away, and all of my friends who want to call Seattle home, test your knowledge here. I must say, I've been away for way too long.

Dad's Cucumber Salad

May is upon us and Los Angeles is struggling to shed it's rain coat. Those new to the city keep asking when summer's going to arrive. I feel like I am back in Seattle, making excuses for the clouds and claiming that all will be forgotten once the sun and summer heat make their grand entrance.

And so, with our new friends and budding Angelenos, we escaped this last weekend to Palm Springs for a few days of intense heat, sunshine, and laying by the pool. A reminder to our bodies that we are almost there; that our semi-translucent ghostly skin tones will soon begin to golden; that our sweaters and boots will soon retreat back into the depths of the closet and our sandals, stilettos and tanktops will unearth and become staples once more.

When it's 104 degrees outside (or really, anything over 85) I get a craving for my dad's cucumber salad. It was a summer staple in our family; from June through September, there was always a huge bowl of freshly sliced cucumbers floating in their sea of sweet and spicy vinegar on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Requiring almost no work at all, this is a perfect light lunch, snack, or side dish for those unbearably hot days that I know, I know, are just around the corner.

Dad's Cucumber Salad

1 large hothouse cucumber, peeled (ours were homegrown and are definitely preferred if possible)
1/2 C. rice wine vinegar
1/2 C. water
1 t. sugar
Salt and pepper
1/8 medium red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Slice the cucumber into thin rounds and combine with the vinegar, water and sugar. Gently stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Add the red onion about 10 minutes before serving (it will turn the mixture pink if added too early).

The salad can be made up to 2 days ahead of time (without the red onion).

24

I think it's time for the clock to slow its ticking. I don't want more seconds in a day. I simply want the seconds to stop their mad hamster wheel sprints at midnight and break for a nice glass of Pinot Noir.

I have no idea how I suddenly arrived here. Two years out of college. Six years out of high school. Two and a half years into marriage. Six years of living in Los Angeles. Seriously people, where was I while all of that time was sneaking by?! Regardless, it has happened, and I am officially 24.

And if my birthday week (yes, I got a whole week this year) is any sign of the year to come, I am elated to be 24. I stumble into this year with the most darling husband, wonderful family, and the very best of friends. Time better relax a little, because I want to savor every minute.

And maybe just one more bite of that sinful cupcake from Malibu Kitchen.

Thank you all for the phone calls, cards and plethora of gifts. I am completely overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness and generosity.

Finally! A sigh of relief.

Finally, after several months of hard work, I could not be more thrilled to announce the birth of 4 Tables.

After numerous dinner discussions, the members of TND have decided to combine our blogging efforts into one culinary-exploring masterpiece. Cleverly named after the four tables that serve as center stage for our dinner club, 4tables.net will share the great successes, attempts, planning and stories that come of our favorite weekly meal.

Our hope is that this blog will give you a chance to get to know each of the members a little bit better. We will take weekly turns updating the blog, as our week arrives to prepare TND dinner. I believe you will find our different writing styles quite insightful into our different personalities.

I just finished my first post over at 4tables.net, please feel free to check it out.

Thank you for all of your support and encouragement - I will continue to sporatically update this blog, but 4 Tables is going to be my main focus now. I hope you enjoy it!

A New Year in the works

Please forgive me for my absence. With the New Year and some new goals set, a very exciting surprise is in progress! We (yes, we) are almost finished, so please bear with us.

I hope your New Year has already brought you health, happiness, and many delicious recipes!

BBM3 and a dangerous discovery

As I rounded the corner to my apartment the other evening, my eyes fell on something on the ground at the end of the hallway. A box on my doorstep! The 6-year-old girl inside me urged me to drop the groceries and run to see what this box could be. As the distance between my precious package and I grew shorter, I realized that the box was addressed to Chef Kristy. Could it really be? Oh horray! It was my BBM3 box!

My tastebuds grumbled impatiently as I struggled to find the right key amidst my armfulls of grocery bags. I struggled to get the groceries through the door while gently urging the box through the doorway with my toe. Marshall apparently knew the box's contents, as he immediately pounced on the box and attempted to slyly nudge it into his crate.

After much scolding and a few relieved breaths, I retrieved the box and sat down to open it. According to the return label, the box had traveled to me all the way from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. An envelope taped to the front contained a wonderful letter and pictures from the Culinary Bookworm of Weekly Dish--including pictures of her two cats, Chester and Carmela and her asparagus-green kitchen. She even noted that she uses wine corks as hooks to hang dishtowels and her apron on. I have to admit that before I delved any further into the box, I went in search of an old wine cork and began measuring screws to try to figure out how she did that. I still have no clue. Perhaps someone can advise?

The first package I opened was wrapped in newspaper and tied with a bow. The newspaper gave way to a layer of wax paper and finally to a layer of snowflake-shaped cookies; the recipe attached called them "Spicy Sweet Potato Cookies". I couldn't resist the urge to bite off one of the spokes. They were in fact wonderfully spicy, with a hint of orange playing against the sweet potato backdrop. The crystallized sugar from the glaze gave the slightest crunch which led to a dense, almost chewy cookie. I ate my way around the cookie, spoke by spoke, savoring each bite. The irony of the warm, spicy flavor hidden beneath the icy glaze and snowflake shape contributed to the depth of this incredibly intricate cookie. Who knew what fun can be had with sweet potatoes and snowflake-shaped cookies?!

The second package was wrapped in foil with a recipe card tied to it reading "Christmas Cracker Candy". My interest was peaked. I read the ingredients: saltine crackers, butter, sugar, chocolate. I opened the package slowly, not sure quite what to expect. Inside the package of foil and wax paper lay several (ok, tons) chunks of chocolate with, sure enough, saltine crackers and homemade caramel. I took a bit of one of the pieces and just about fell over. The perfect blend of salty and sweet, I can see what the Culinary Bookworm takes this recipe to parties! Even the toughest skeptic has been blown away so far.

The box also contained such wonders as homemade salsa (which unfortunately did not survive the trip as well as everything else. But it sure smelled incredible!), a bag of River Road coffee from Baton Rouge, Beignet Mix and a recipe for her mom's Spiced Tea.

Thank you so much, Culinary Bookworm, the treats are (errr, were) absolutely divine. I have already bought the ingredients to make both the Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies and the Christmas Cracker Candy for co-workers for Christmas. They are certainly unlike anything we have in LA. They are a dangerous discovery that I know I will turn to time and again.