I recently went on a vacation to Seattle. I hadn't been back to the Emerald City in about five years, but just minutes into the drive to the hotel I remembered why it was one of my favorite cities to visit. The lush greenery, overcast skies, and the petrichor--it's like a familiar blanket that envelopes me. Not to mention the coffee...Seattle is a town that knows how to do coffee right. I think Mr. S. and I had at least 5 cups a day. Seriously. Nothing beats a great cup of joe. I'm a big Stumptown fan, but we also ventured out and hit up several other coffee houses this visit. FYI- In the midst of our caffeine quest, Mr. S. and I discovered that Fonte also makes an amazing Americano. Give it a go.

Has it really been 2.5 months since I've last blogged?  JHC, life these days has been...complicated, to say the least.  I transferred jobs, my mom's cancer came back and she's now in hospice and I've had some other personal issues that I've been contending with.  Some things like the job, involved making the big, scary decision to switch to another state agency and although the work is unfamiliar and it's a constant learning process, my new coworkers are wonderful and the fast pace of the work makes the day go by faster.  Other things, like my mom's health, that are out of my control...I've had to make my peace with.  I went out to Kansas City a few weeks ago, spent some time with her and said my goodbyes.  I strongly believe that it doesn't matter what age you are, you're never prepared to lose a parent.  It's one of those wounds in life that cuts really deep...luckily, I have a great father, boyfriend and friends to lean on during those times.  Especially on weeks that I have IVIg treatment...I guess I should explain what I mean....

About 6.5 years ago, I became very ill.  It's not something I talk much about on the blog (or possibly ever have?) but it's something I deal with every day.  I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called CIDP, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy.  I was lucky to be diagnosed relatively quickly by a terrific doctor at Kaiser.  It was a terrifying few months of CTs, MRIs and endless rounds of blood work.  Finally after a spinal tap came back with elevated proteins they were able to properly diagnose me and start me on the correct course of treatment.  They're pretty sure that the flu shot I got a few months prior triggered it.  Now CIDP is usually treated in one of three ways: IVIg (immunoglobulin infusions), plasmapharesis, or corticosteroids.  I was fortunate that the IVIg worked for me, for some people none of these treatments work.  By the time I started treatment, I was using a walker, couldn't drive and if I fell I couldn't get up.  It was a sad, frustrating and confusing time for me and there were days that I was angry. There was no definitive prognosis. My dad came out and stayed with me for 6 months.  To this day, I'm so grateful that he was able to help me in my time of need. 

When I first started the treatments, I was going to the Infusion Center at Kaiser every two weeks, four days in a row but as time passed, gradually my treatments were reduced to two full days back-to-back.  Then they were slowly moved out to every four weeks, then six weeks and currently I'm at every eight weeks (2 days back-to-back, 7 hours each day).  The treatment slowly brought back my mobility.  It didn't come back fast or easily however.  The IVIg infusion give me these horrific migraines and often cause nausea and vomiting, this doesn't occur with everyone just with people who are sensitive to these sorts of things...like those who are migraine prone.  In the beginning, I was visiting the ER after every treatment and pumped full of Duiladid and Phenergan. They barely made a dent.  Aseptic meningitis "migraines" are 10x worse than the worst migraine of your life...and this comes from someone who has a pretty high tolerance for pain.  Over the years my body acclimated to the treatment and I no longer have to go to the ER.  Usually I can medicate at home with Dilaudid, Butorphanol, and T4's.  Phenergan and Zofran are also my best friends on those days.  Not to mention strong black coffee, it helps ease the extreme pulsating pain in my noggin.  I still get "flu-like" symptoms from the treatment- achy body, fever, and all I want to do is sleep.  My treatments are usually scheduled for Thursdays and Fridays so that I can sleep and take it easy over the weekend. Mr.S. is great about cooking on those days, rubbing my shoulders and feet and tiptoeing around- usually I'm pretty cranky. :)

How does it all work? Well, CIDP involves the white blood cells attacking the myelin sheath on the peripheral nerves, if it gets past the myelin sheath and attacks the actual nerves you can end up with nerve damage.  The IVIg treatment basically floods the body with antibodies which act like a Trojan horse.  The white blood cells start attacking the antibodies and leave the myelin sheath alone.  This gives the myelin sheath and nerves time to heal.

The IVIg treatments are pretty painless.  They jam a needle into my hand or arm and run the infusion for about 7 hours.  I have to have it run at a slow rate or the migraines come on quickly.  It gets pretty boring sitting in the chair but the staff there is very kind and they give you a warm blanket and soda/juice/coffee.  I usually bring my lunch, some reading material and my iPad. A few years ago they moved me to the infusion center at Kaiser Roseville where they have free Wi-Fi.  The Wi-Fi is pretty spotty but it usually runs well enough that I can catch up on some Hulu or Netflix streaming. The second day is always the worst, I'm usually feeling pretty cruddy and antsy. (Have you ever tried sitting in a chair for 7 hours?) One of the suckiest things is that every time you need to go to the restroom you have to take the whole IV rack with you, what a PIA, and when they're pumping that much fluid in you, you have to go a lot!  Oh and I forgot, the IVIg treatments are crazy expensive! 10-20k each treatment. I have to call in before each appointment to confirm that I'm coming in, otherwise, they won't mix it up.



The stuff is working it's magic though. Looking at me today you'd have no idea that I ever had mobility issues.  I know, of course, because I still have issues with walking long distances, walking on uneven ground and trying to go down steps that don't have railings.  Down escalators still freak me out a little but it's all getting better slowly.  I've learned not to push things...especially when it's really hot out.  The heat really seems to trigger nerve issues in my feet and legs, so I have to be careful not to overdo it.  Also, I've learned to speak up to friends and family and tell them when I need to take it easy.  It's taken me awhile but these days I "listen" to what my body tells me.

Anyhow, I had IVIg treatment last week and was feeling pretty craptacular all weekend; however, on Monday I ventured out of the bedroom for a bit.  I had a few Meyer lemons leftover from a giant batch that a friend gave me so I decided to bake some Meyer lemon blueberry bread for a friend (and one loaf for us as well).  It came out great, was easy to double and the cheery citrus taste of the bread was like a little bright ray of light on a cloudy day.  You know one of those moments when you set down the baggage you're carrying and just soak in the moment and smile.  So not to be cheesy or anything but I guess when life gives you lemons, make some Meyer lemon blueberry bread. ;)



Meyer Lemon-Blueberry Bread (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

2620 Fair Oaks Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95864. (916) 977-3997
http://www.theparloricecream.squarespace.com/

Sometimes I feel like Mr.S and the kidlets are Satan's little minions. Like this weekend for example, they "forced" me to go try this new dessert place, The Parlor, that took the place of our beloved Yogurt Monkey. They had gone earlier in the week, had been raving non-stop about it and were eager to revisit. So at 930pm on Friday night, we trek over to The Parlor on Fair Oaks Boulevard. There's a line out the door, a big huge line of teenagers. *Sigh* We stood in line for 20 minutes (listening to the latest high school gossip of who likes who, who's wearing what and the clicking of hundred cell phones taking selfies) and it moved fairly quickly. Once inside, a hyper-happy gentleman with a 1,000-watt smile greeted us and asked our order. For our "ice cream puffs" we had a choice of a regular donut, a glazed donut or an apple fritter. I chose the apple fritter- go big or go home, right? Next it was time to choose the all important ice cream...being lactarded, I should have gone with the mango sorbet but I couldn't help but be drawn to the coffee ice cream with Nutella swirled in (aka the "Midnight in Paris"). Mr. Smiley, sliced my fritter open and slapped a big scoop of ice cream on it and handed my order to his lovely assistant. She scurried off to the back room where...they did something?! I dunno, it was off limits to the public but a few minutes later she handed me my ice cream pressed inside a warm fritter. It was a bit Frankenstein-like as far as desserts go, but it was also flippin' delicious! Since then, I've heard that they started doing ice cream macaron sandwiches as well and plan to do ice creme brulee. Mmmm.....

This weekend, I ended up doing an insane amount of cooking. I was throwing Mr.S a poker party and doing all the food for that, as well as attending a Japanese sweets get together at my buddy, Misa's. I wanted to make a Japanese cotton cheesecake for Misa's party but didn't have time to try out recipes before Saturday. My cotton cheesecake was an epic fail. It didn't rise at all, it was flat as a pancake and hard as a hockey puck. There was no way I was bringing it to the party. Luckily there was enough treats (and then some) to go around. Misa made some delicious anmitsu. Anmitsu is a Japanese dessert consisting of small cubes of agar agar jelly (kanten), sweet azuki bean paste (anko), soft mochi (gyūhi), a variety of fruits, ice cream, and sometimes boiled peas. It’s usually served with a black sugar syrup called "kuromitsu" that you pour over the jelly. It's very refreshing and not overly sweet. Miki made my favorite childhood dessert, Japanese strawberry shortcake. It's a moist and airy, layered sponge cake with a fresh strawberry and whipped cream filling, plus whipped cream frosting. I'm not big on sweets but I love this cake!

4 pieces (uncooked) thick bacon, diced

1 small white onion, finely diced

1 jalapeno, (stemmed, seeded and diced )

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1 (12-ounce) bottle Negra Modelo beer

4 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder 

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

 Queso Fresco as a topping (optional)

"You can't just eat good food. You've got to talk about it too. And you've got to talk about it to somebody who understands that kind of food.”  - Kurt Vonnegut, "Jailbird"

I love going out to dine with friends but equally fun in my book is attending a potluck, a dinner at a friend's home or just getting together for a cooking night. I've always felt lucky that I have so many friends that enjoy talking about food and cooking as much as I do. Mr.S. is great about indulging my endless chatter about articles I've read in Saveur or my intent search for a hard to find ingredient; however, nothing beats getting together with my amigos and shooting the breeze about new recipes, techniques and restaurants over a table full of good grub and a few glasses of primo vino.  This month was especially full of fun food-centric activities. I attended a tamale making party at my friend Amanda's where we made Mississippi Delta Hot Tamales. I had never made tamales from scratch before so I found the event fascinating and not quite as daunting of a task as I thought it would be.


I also attended a soup swap at my friend Sarah's (of Undercover Caterer). Yes, I know National Soup Swap Day was back in January but with the erratic weather Sacramento has been having, holding the soup swap this weekend made perfect sense. As a result, I now have a freezer full of some fantastic soups to dive into during the upcoming week of inclement weather (Michelle's pasta fagioli, Sarah's $800 chili, Lacy's hot and sour, Ellen's red lentil-coconut curry and my mushroom barley). Can't wait!


Have you done any fun food-centric parties or activities with your friends? Anything unusual or that you particularly enjoyed? I'd love to hear about it!

Below is a recipe for a goat cheese and apple tart I threw together to take to the soup swap. It's super easy to make and if you want to save even more time you can use a ready-made pie crust (Trader Joe's makes a great one that tastes almost homemade). The best part is that if you're lactose-intolerant this creamy filling won't bother your stomach.



Goat Cheese and Apple Tart

Ingredients

1 pie crust (your favorite recipe or store-bought)
2 Fuji apples, cored then thinly sliced
1.5 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons lavender honey (regular honey works just as well)
1.5 tablespoons cinnamon
8 oz. goat cheese, softened
1/2 cup coconut milk creamer (So Delicious makes a good one and is available at most grocery stores in the Natural Foods section or where the coffee creamers are)
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Press your dough into your tart pan. Cook as directed in your recipe. (Mine requires 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes.) Usually halfway through I check in on the pie crust and if it's puffing up, I give it a couple of stabs with a fork to aerate it.

3. While the crust is baking, you want to prep your apples. The easiest way to do this is to use an apple corer, like this:


Push it down, remove the core and then slice each wedge into thin slices. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss. Set aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine goat cheese, coconut milk creamer, egg, sugar and vanilla. (I used my mixer so that I could get it nice and smooth- you don't want any chunks.)

5. Pour the goat cheese mixture into the crust. Smooth it out in the tart pan so that it's spread evenly. Arrange your apple slices on top of the goat cheese.

6. Sprinkle with cinnamon then drizzle with honey.

7. Place tart back in the oven and bake at 450 degrees for another 15-20 minutes.

8. Remove tart from oven and allow to cool. Serve. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge.

Plink! Plink! Plink! I can hear the rain falling outside my living room window. What started out as a soft pitter-patter is now a full fledge symphony of raindrops hitting the glass and street. The air outside smells so earthy and clean. I think it's called petrichor...the scent that is, I read that somewhere once. I don't remember where. Anyhow, inside my cozy cottage, it still smells spicy...almost autumnal, from the persimmon cookies I baked this week. The aroma has been lingering, enveloping me each time I walk into the cottage. I don't mind, it's kind of a comforting smell.


My friend Dawn gave me a large sack of persimmons about a month ago. She had a tree that was overflowing with a bounty of persimmons according to her. Her generosity was much appreciated. I've slowly been using them up in various recipes as the mood strikes. I even puréed some and froze it, to be used in upcoming baked goods. One of the persimmon recipes I've made during my "Persimmon-fest" was a cookie recipe from a book that I had laying around called, Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook. If memory serves me correctly, I won it in a contest a few years ago. The recipe itself is simple enough and uses common spices that most of us have in our cupboard. So far everyone I gave some cookies to has enjoyed them immensely. The recipe called for Hachiya persimmons which I find a bit astringent in taste, I used Fuyu persimmons (the flat bottomed, squat ones).  I also subbed in pecans for the walnuts but other than that I followed the recipe as printed. The cookies have a subtle sweet persimmon taste which is balanced by the tartness from the dried cranberries. They're also more cakey than crunchy, so if you enjoy cookies of the cakey nature these will be right up your alley.

Enjoy and stay warm!

Persimmon Cookies (slightly adapted from Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups Fuyu persimmon pulp (roughly 2-3 soft persimmons)
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1 cup pecans, chopped fine
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two baking sheets or line with Silpat.

2. Remove the stems and seeds of the persimmons, cut in chunks (no need to peel) and purée in a food processor until it's smooth.  * Be sure to use soft persimmons.

3. Cream the butter and both sugars until it's nice and creamy. Add in the orange zest, egg, vanilla and puréed persimmons. Mix well. Then add in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Mix well. Finally, add in your pecans and dried cranberries. Then guess what? You got it- mix well (also scrape down the sides of the bowl so that all the flour, etc. gets incorporated).

4. Drop the dough on your prepared cookie sheets. Roughly two tablespoons worth. The dough will be soft and kind of sticky, that's ok.

5. Bake for 15-25 minutes depending on the size of your cookies. Mine took about 17 minutes.

6. Remove from oven. Allow to cool. Serve.

Cornelia Walker Bailey's Pear Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups AP flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup ( 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups peeled and finely grated ripe but firm pears (Seckels, if you can find them)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• Heat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease and flour two 9″x 5″loaf pans.
• Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of this mixture and combine it with nuts to coat. Stir the coated nuts back into the flour mixture.
• In a separate bowl, combine butter, eggs, sugar, grated pears, and vanilla. Mix it well then add the this mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until the flour disappears and the batter is evenly moistened.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the bread is browned and firm on top. A knife inserted into the center should come out clean.
• Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, remove from pan and place top side up on a plate or wire rack to cool completely.

Received the email below today and for those of you who used to order Kira's pies and picked them up at Corti's back in the day, you know how delicious her pies, galettes and quiches are.


Dear Valued Customers and Friends:
 
It is with immense happiness that I announce the rebirth of the Real Pie Company.
On Friday, August 30th, I will begin offering a limited menu of Real Pies two afternoons a week to my customers. The pies will be available on the 30th at East Sac Mercantile (http://eastsacmercantile.com) from 2:30pm to 5:30pm. The pies will then (after the 30th) be available every Thursday and Friday afternoon from 2:30pm to 5:30pm. The Mercantile is located at 3257 Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento, and has ample street parking. I plan to expand my baking days in October to include Saturdays.
 
(*Note: I will NOT be baking Thurs/Fri, September 19/20).
 
(* Note: I cannot take credit cards until the first week of September! Cash or checks only on the 30th. Sorry about that).

As always, our menu will change weekly depending on the produce we are able to source from our region's wonderful small family farms. Each week, I will send out the menu of available pies to subscribers of my email list. (Important: If you would like to be removed from our email list, please unsubscribe below).
 
In addition to our ever-changing seasonal pies, tarts and galettes, “staple” items that will (usually) be on the menu include our Jumbleberry pie (packed with blackberries, blueberries, cherries and raspberries) and some version of our rustic apple galette (or pie), simply because there’s always such a high demand for these items.
 
Unfortunately, I cannot take pie reservations at this time due to my limited production. Sorry about that.
 
I look forward – with much joy – to be baking for you again. If you have any questions or comments, please email me at kira@realpiecompany.com.
 
Warmest regards,
Kira O’Donnell
Real Pie Company
East Sac Mercantile
3257 Folsom Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95816

www.realpiecompany.com (website under construction at the moment!)

Ahhh, sugar plums. I always look forward to those tiny plums coming into season but at the same time lament that they signal the end of summer. You start spotting them around the end of July/beginning of August and their availability is short-lived (usually around 3 weeks). This year I decided to purchase some (I got mine at the Co-op, they're from Full Belly Farms I believe) and make Marian Burros' famous Plum Torte. Marian Burros is a cookbook author and a food columnist for The New York Times. Her plum torte recipe has been the most often requested and the most republished recipe in the NYT for twenty years. Crazy, huh? You know it's got to be a pretty good recipe with a track record like that. I think most of you will really like this torte- it's quick to prepare, requires few ingredients and it makes your house smell phenomenal. The cake portion is crusty and airy, the plums sweet and there's a whisper of cinnamon and sugar. You could make this recipe with any old plum; but trust me, if you want to bump up the flavor profile of the torte and truly make it shine, use sugar plums. These bite size plums have a wonderful honey taste that can't be beat. The whole shebang is absolutely delectable but it tastes even more fantastic served warm with a side of vanilla ice cream or topped with some sweetened whipped cream. Best of all (gasp!), this torte freezes well so you can enjoy these juicy, sweet plums in the dead of winter.




Sugar Plum Torte  (New York Times)

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
24 halves pitted sugar plums
Sugar and cinnamon for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream sugar and butter in a bowl. Add flour, baking powder, salt and eggs, and beat well.

3. Spoon the batter into a spring form of 8, 9 or 10 inches. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter (I didn't, it doesn't really matter). Sprinkle lightly with sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, or to taste. (I mixed some sugar and cinnamon together and then sprinkled that across the cake.)

4. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired (but first, double-wrap the tortes in foil, place in a plastic bag, and seal). Or cool to lukewarm, and serve.

5. To serve a torte that has been frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.

Yield: 8 servings.