Filed under: Places to Eat | Tags: breakfast, Pacific Northwest, photos, Washington
The population of Edison, WA is 133. But we decided to take the northern route 20 heading east across Washington because we wanted to stop in Edison for breakfast. We met friends who drove down from Bellingham and explored town: a couple galleries, a bakery, a handmade furniture maker, a local artist wares shop, and Tweet, said breakfast place. Tweet looks to be in an old garage and it now peddles veggies, coffee, and scrumptious meals to locals and visitors. I’d venture to say it’s a two hour detour worthy place. We ate our last extravagant northwest breakfast there before reluctantly turning the car eastward toward Chicago.
Filed under: Places to Eat | Tags: cafe, friends, photos, restaurants, Tacoma, Washington
My friend Chaela has influenced many delicious habits of mine (tahini on toast, molasses on granola and yogurt), but I am now taking also taking inspiration from her parents. We got to visit with them in Chaela’s home state of Washington, and now, I’m determined to replicate their rhubarb sauce and red lentil hummus. Her parents also bake awesome pies (I feel I owe the success of the Paonia Peach Pie to them). Her mom, Tamie, has honed her kitchen skills for over 30 years at the charming Antique Sandwich Co. in Tacoma, WA. Check out some of the photos Chaela took of the place last summer. Her mom’s cafe was an absolute must-see of our NW road trip this summer, and it was certainly a highlight. At this point in the trip I was beginning to have eating out overload, so I didn’t plan to order this milkshake, but it looked too darling to pass up. No regrets. Espresso + Chocolate + NY Times crossword.
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Crepes
1 1/2 c buttermilk
3 egg yolks
1 Tbs vanilla extract
3/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
3 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbs melted butter
1. Whisk together buttermilk, egg yolks and vanilla. Add the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter and mix together. You might need to add some more liquid (buttermilk or milk) to make the batter thin enough for crepes.
2. Pour a spoonful or a ladlefull of batter into a large nonstick pan and tip the pan around to spread the batter to the thinness that crepes require. Let cook until bubbles form and the underside is golden. Flip over and let the other side cook until lightly browned.
3. Put the crepes in a cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven to warm while you cook the rest of the batter.
Lemon Curd
3 large eggs
juice from 3 lemons
1 T lemon zest
3/4 c sugar
4 T butter
Create your own double boiler by placing a stainless steel mixing bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice in the bowl. Keep stirring constantly for about 10 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and pour through a strainer to remove clumps (You should do this if you want perfect lemon curd, but I have never done it). Cut the butter into pieces and add to the hot lemon curd, mixing until it melts. Finally, add the lemon zest. Let the curd cool.
(This stuff is amazing. I’ve loved having it around the house, especially knowing that it usually costs about 6 dollars in the store. In addition to the Sunday morning crepes, I’ve especially enjoyed adding a small spoonful to a morning smoothie.)
I have fantastic coworkers who graciously allow me to take photos of their food before they eat. How could I resist, with a breakfast this beautiful!?
My mom is the best cook in the world, obviously. Nothing is spared when the kids come home, and we really eat like kings, especially for breakfast (love!). On Christmas morning there was grapefruit, cinnamon rolls, cheese, sausage, smoked salmon (from my last trip to Bellingham, WA), crackers, quiche, pear pie, and of course, bottomless coffee.
Christmas day also brought a huge ice storm to southwestern VA, which meant that directly after breakfast we lost power. This left us without water, stove, or lights. Mom barely blinked. She hooked up our generator to provide some power (not enough for the stove) to the toaster oven and cooked the roast in that. She covered potatoes in tinfoil and threw them in the woodstove we all huddled around in the living room. And she pulled out some frozen turkey soup she’d previously made and put it in a big pot on top of the woodstove. We feasted, argued, drank, and laughed like nothing had changed.
I was never a huge fan of spaghetti (much to the dismay of my mother who could eat it every night), but sometimes you just need some pasta (and beer) for dinner.
