On the edge of 50

Seems Fortuitous Hiatus was true to its name for a while, but I am back with a host of backlogged posts, they may be a little out of order, but oh well.  I will strive to improve my productivity going forward.  :-)

Late summer is a birthday bonanza at the Czerwinski household, Mike's on August 21st and mine on September 14th. First of all, thanks to all of you who sent me warm birthday wishes.

As some of you are aware we have spent the month of September in Seattle house sitting for some friends who were on a several week European vacation. They did not mentioned seeing Clark Griswold on their travels...but you never know. It was a win/ win for us.  We got to enjoy their magnificent home with expansive views of the Cascade mountains, Mt. Ranier and Lake Washington.  The house also included a fully outfitted kitchen, multiple outdoor grills and the sweetest Welsh terrier named Sophie.

Short ribs braising down to yummy goodness.

Back to my birthday. As you know from my previous posts, we have been eating out at restaurants a lot. The aforementioned kitchen was full of Le Cruset cookware of various shapes and sizes and just about any kitchen tool or gadget you could buy from Sur La Table. This bountiful kitchen bonanza prompted a homemade birthday dinner.

Now before some of you get out the lanterns, pitchforks and rakes to come after my husband for not taking me out to dinner, let me say that part of my birthday enjoyment was spending time planning the menu, shopping, using the best kitchen ware I have ever had access to, spending time together prepping in the kitchen and then enjoying a delicious meal.  A very special bottle of wine and yummy desserts from 65th Street Bakery rounded out the dinner.

My birthday dinner menu:

Zinfandel Braised Short Ribs

Puréed parsnips

Steamed broccoli

Lemon bar (Janice)

Bottle of 2003 Joseph Phelps Insignia Cabernet

Birthday Dinner

In the end I got my cooking fix, the meal was at least restaurant quality (maybe better) and there were some kick-ass leftovers for the next day. Knowing that in our upcoming trip to Mexico minimal food preparations would be required, ie: dunking some raw fish in lime juice with a little jalapeno and cilantro, this hearty meal was perfect.  Happy Birthday to me. 

When you turn 50, you get two posts

The day of Mike on August 21st began with a homemade pancake breakfast with two toppings and bacon.  Topping 1 was a pureed blackberry syrup I made from some of the remaining seasonal berries available from the farmer's market.  Topping 2 was a caramelized bourbon syrup recipe that we had on our list to try.  Who would not enjoy, butter, brown sugar and bourbon melted down to a rich amber glaze.  It was not 5 o'clock anywhere, but we ate it atop our hotcakes.  I did not have a candle to light for his birthday wish, but the breakfast was enjoyed fully without it.

Bob's Red Mill pancake mix made fluffy, substantial pancakes.

For those of you worried about our caloric intake and my obsession with food blogs, after such a large breakfast we skipped lunch in preparation for a special birthday dinner.

We did however walk downtown at lunch time to listen to some live music.  Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys played a rockin; set of roots and country swing.  Not the type of music we would normally go listen to but these guys had the audience dancing and every foot tapping.

Outdoor concert in the courtyard on a sunny Seattle afternoon.

Staples and Fancy is a simple italian-inspired restaurant, one of several establishments owned by local chef Ethan Stowell.  One of the unique options at this restaurant is a chef's choice "Fancy" menu which provides a multi-course feast of seasonal dishes just for your table on that night. It was a reasonably priced option so we agreed to put ourselves in the hands of the chef.  The restaurant, located in Ballard is in a funky old building with an exposed brick interior and an open kitchen where you can see the food being prepared.  

After the server opened our "special" bottle of Amarone we brought with us, the family-style meal began with several tasty appetizers.

Arriving right on time after the final ceasar salad leaf had been delightfully consumed came a bowl of homemade pasta with a salty pork red sauce...they had me at salty pork. It was delicious.

The main course was a beautifully prepared and presented plate of seared sea scallops.  They were large, perfectly crusted on both sides and sweet as lobster or crab. I know they are known for their pork and beef entrees which were not part of the chef's tasting menu on this night, but neither of us felt like we were missing out because the scallops were just that damn good.  Of course there was a birthday dessert for the birthday boy.  A fig tart topped with gelato with candle arrived to top off the meal.

Thanks to all of you who called (some who sang), e-mailed and sent birthday cards and wishes.

Happy 50th Birthday, my love

In preparation for Michael's 50th birthday today, I asked him to finish the following word groupings.  They came from an old Amex advertising campaign where famous people did the same.  As I said in the note to him, I wish I had done it 20 years ago so we could compare. I was not thar sharp though.  I am posting his responses with his permission.

If any readers would like to comment back with their list, feel free.  A little reflection is good for the soul whether it is your birthday or not.

Childhood dream - to be an architect

Fondest memory - Bills beating KC Chiefs in the 1993 AFC Championship game.  (I was living in KC at the time and flew back to Buffalo to see the game.)  The following game however, not so memorable.

Favorite Soundtrack - The Big Chill

Retreat - any beach

Wildest dream - trip around the world, mostly to places without a lot of other tourists.

Proudest moment - Not one moment but overall, my long term friendships and marriage

Biggest challenge - being patient.

Alarm clock - try to avoid them, find them to be a barbaric and unnatural way to wake up

Perfect day - Family and Friends sitting around a villa in Tuscany eating great food and drinking great wine

First job - dishwasher at Bonanza Steakhouse

Indulgence - 2001 SLK Mercedez (yes, my last indulgence was 12  years ago)

Last purchase - root canal (proving my point above)

Favorite movie - To Kill a Mockingbird, (a close 2nd is: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)

Inspiration - You don't want to get me going about the over use of that word (I will sound like a grumpy old man)

My life...is a little over half done, so far I think it's going good.