Seattle Foodies

My sister (the notorious environment-saving Crunchy Chicken) has discovered a way for me to drastically reduce my carbon footprint. No longer will I need to drive all the way to Portland to buy Everclear to make Limoncello. It’s now available in Washington State liquor stores!

Happy zesting, and remember to pick up the 190 proof (and not the “watery” 151).

Does this finally make me a locavore?

UPDATE: See Everclearly Disappointed before running to the local liquor store!

Having just (happily) blown a wad on $30/pound morel mushrooms this weekend, imagine my envy when Crunchy Chicken sends me this link to forager Langdon Cook’s blog Fat Of The Land showing off big, beautiful bowls of morel mushrooms, with a bonus embedded YouTube video of the author snapping them up in a way-better-than-Easter-egg hunt. Somehow his soundtrack captured only the crunch of fallen leaves, and no excited, rapid breathing, as I would have done.

With the small supply of dearly purchased mushrooms in my kitchen, I made a quick morel butter (from James Peterson’s Fish & Shellfish): Saute 1/4 pound sliced fresh morels in a tablespoon of unsalted butter until dry. Salt and pepper to taste, and food process, adding a 1/4 pound butter until mixed. Super simple, and refrigerates for weeks, or freezes for months. We’ve been stretching our mushroomy investment by melting small dollops on grilled halibut, grass-fed hanger steak, and roast Cornish-Cross chicken. Can’t wait for tomorrow.

Oh, and I nearly died when I read Cook’s monster puffball post, complete with pictures of his nearly ten-pound western giant. Not sure what shocked me more: its size, or the beast’s take-me-to-your-leader-style landing—on a slope overlooking MLK Jr. Blvd. in Seattle.

No wonder the bears are moving to Seattle.