tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50228785432367685012024-03-04T22:10:42.364-08:00Kernels and SeedsVenessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-17871096619367542662012-01-12T14:50:00.000-08:002012-01-12T14:50:53.202-08:00A Little Change Can Be GoodHey Friends! If you've been following me here at Kernels and Seeds, it's time to update your feed or what have you. I moved the blog and it's kind of in love with it's new surroundings, at least for now.
I have a few new posts up there, but if you have any catching up to do from last year you should continue to read old posts here for a while. Transferring the archives over is a slow and Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-82677671496570829452012-01-05T19:54:00.000-08:002012-01-05T19:54:04.455-08:00Good NewsYou know how when the sun comes out in the middle of winter it's like you've never seen it before? Even if it was out the day before? (But especially if like here in Seattle it was raining cats and dogs?)
You know also, how when you actually get to go outside and let your totally bundled up self absorb some of that sunlight it makes you feel really warm and happy and want to skip around Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-51501300199314184372012-01-02T15:19:00.000-08:002012-01-02T15:19:25.546-08:00Traditions Made NewA couple of years ago we started having people for New Year's Day brunch, which was I guess some sort of weird indication that we were becoming grown ups or whatever. It was the year after we bought a house, so maybe that had something to do with it. The first couple of years we spent the entire day totally hungover, but the hangover has slowly become less and less.
This year instead of aVenessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-54655085241440119772011-12-25T09:31:00.000-08:002011-12-25T09:31:00.374-08:00A Latke PrimerI don't really know anything when it comes to most "Jewish" food. I don't do gefilte, I dislike both pickled herring and lox, and I've never made most of your Bubbie's famous dishes. But give me a frying pan and some potatoes and I'll make you a latke to write home about.
We got a piano for Hanukah!
Two nights down...
Since there are still a few days left of Hanukah,Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-78809089666838347382011-12-17T21:18:00.000-08:002011-12-18T10:12:54.090-08:00Your New FaveSometimes I have no idea what to make for dinner. Sometimes when I'm planning the menu for the week (Yes, I plan a menu. Or else I would go insane.) I just put "veggies" "salad" "pasta" and then make up the rest later.
This past week I put something like "roasted squash" which could actually just be that. Roasted squash. But we were eating it with pasta so I wanted to jazz it up a bit. (Joe wasVenessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-71563496187802223292011-12-16T15:59:00.000-08:002011-12-20T16:24:46.856-08:00The Results Are In: Marx Foods Capricious Chocolate ChallengeUpdate: The polls are now open at Marx Foods, so be sure and stop by to put your vote in for my Chocolate Trio!
A couple of weeks can fly by so fast when you aren't looking. Weeks filled with playdates, family holiday parties, Drs appointments and colds.
They've also been filled with testing. I was selected to participate in a contest Marx Foods was holding: to create an original recipe basedVenessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-66710869298660598402011-12-16T10:34:00.000-08:002011-12-16T10:34:25.741-08:00Opening the WindowI'm not usually susceptible to winter time blues, but I have been in a funk this week for sure. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that a lack of sleep has had something to do with it, as well as it being cold but refusing to snow.
Yesterday though, I got determined to get myself out of that mood. You know how they say that sometimes it has to get worse before it can Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-3313308299018275512011-12-05T19:39:00.000-08:002011-12-05T19:39:08.532-08:00Wild BeastsI recently took on a project that I've been meaning to do for a while and I've been putting off and putting off, mostly because it's kind of high maintenance and I'm kind of a low maintenance type of girl. The project was to grow a wild yeast culture using the organic grapes that grow in our P-patch.
This year the grapes were ripe right before we were due to go out of town for a week, Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-66661984993243205922011-12-02T10:47:00.000-08:002011-12-03T20:04:50.292-08:00The GoodiesRecently I decided that my plate wasn't quite full enough and that I should take up a new hobby. One that people get obsessive over and do for ever and ever and love.
Knitting.
Yeah, I know. It's kinda cliche and all that, but honestly, I have this little cutie who totally deserves to have all kinds of awesome things knitted for her, but not too many people to knit them but me. Things like Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-65661665015792241852011-11-30T15:15:00.000-08:002011-12-03T20:11:32.620-08:00Cookie DayFor Thanksgiving, most everyone has traditions related to food. Usually they are related to the Thanksgiving meal itself. For me it's to go over the top and make some fancy dessert. For Joe it's the unfulfilled desire for marshmallows on the candied yams (because I refuse to make it that way). But for my friend Jacey the best part of the holiday is the day after. In her family they have Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-47096933226005433492011-11-29T23:05:00.000-08:002011-12-03T20:10:59.786-08:00Having Given ThanksI have vivid memories of being at the kids' table when I was a little girl. This would have been at my Grandma Vernice's house for holiday dinners, probably Christmas because we mostly spent Thanksgiving with my mom's family. But still, a holiday dinner nonetheless.
I remember feeling very grown-up getting to sit in a totally different room from the real grown-ups. We even got out own Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-21253503446042574952011-11-24T10:00:00.000-08:002011-12-03T20:10:05.954-08:00One for every yearOur family wrote lists of the things we are grateful for, one for every year you have been on the planet. Here's my list. It's not complete, but at the same time it's really hard to write a list like this without adding a whole bunch of little silly things.
I hope you all have lots of things to be grateful for, because the world sure is full of beauty.
1. Joe, who’s my best friend and whom I loveVenessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-85805843653114660932011-11-23T21:33:00.000-08:002011-11-23T22:01:47.758-08:00Not Your Grandma's Caramel CornI am unabashedly in love with popcorn. It's pretty much a perfect food. It's sorta plain on its own so it can be flavored like anything. It's always crunchy. It's easy to make. It's easy to make totally fattening with loads of butter, or it's easy to make very healthy with just a little olive oil.
I also am pretty sure that gingersnaps are another perfect food. They're spicy and sweet, chewy Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-90030226787269065502011-11-17T15:38:00.000-08:002011-12-03T20:07:23.749-08:00Getting ReadyFall is definitely a food lover's season. I mean, along with summer and spring and winter of course.
In this crisp, cool season, there is much to look forward to as a person who enjoys spending time in the kitchen and at the table. There is the promise of a warm kitchen when the oven is on to bake or roast. There is the beauty of a steamed up window when you are cooking a hearty soup or a big Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-58976310475308357532011-11-12T21:24:00.000-08:002011-11-23T22:04:00.338-08:00A Sweet WeekendIt's funny how when autumn comes to the NW, people really get good at holing up inside in the best sort of ways. Movies, too many library books, and of course, tasty food. I am totally guilty of this. I think I have about 4 library books right now, which is way more than I can read in 3 weeks. Good thing now I have a lot of treats to go with. Hmmm...
Ok time to be serious. One thing Seattlites Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-27098467289025223382011-11-06T16:20:00.000-08:002011-11-23T22:05:44.009-08:00It Comes NaturalI don't think I'm a natural born writer. I've never been one to keep a journal, and even keeping up a blog once a week or so is tough for me. I just never feel like I need to write. Take pictures or eat a cookie, sure, but writing is something I have to put a little effort into.
But there are things I can say I am a natural at. I am a natural blonde. I am a naturally good swimmer. I have a Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-1446039491511919142011-10-27T11:16:00.000-07:002011-12-03T20:06:43.080-08:00A San Francisco Treat(Sorry, I couldn't help that one)
While we were in San Fran last week I got the chance to do something I am totally jealous of my past self for getting to do, which is eat and cook with very fresh citrus fruit.
Our first night there we walked up to a lookout point in the neighborhood were our friends live, Cole Valley. I never caught the name of the lookout, but it had truly breathtaking Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-57387595620473117672011-10-23T20:16:00.000-07:002011-12-03T20:09:02.198-08:00Heading South for the WinterWe spent most of this last week vacationing in San Francisco, which might be about as far south as we get this year. (I'm still going through the 600 or so photos we took in 4 1/2 days, so this post is going to be just a recipe.) It was beautiful and so much fun and I really hope we get to go back soon.
We've been trying to get there pretty much since we met, and now, 6 years later, we finally Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-37152646495712847132011-10-13T10:51:00.000-07:002011-12-03T20:14:43.839-08:00A bumper cropNext week we are going to be out of town, so of course, this week is the week that I have two largish orders for custom cakes, a bushel of tomatoes to deal with and 75 lbs of fruit coming on Saturday.
The cakes are easy--they require a bit of work, but should come together smoothly and almost without thinking. That's my job, after all.
The fruit, 50 lbs of apples and 25 of pears, will Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-20209788697334465382011-10-08T22:07:00.000-07:002011-12-03T20:17:39.416-08:00The Easiest Challenge of the SeasonI am going to come right out and say it. I really really love fall. I love all the spices, I love drinking hot things, I love soup. I love the leaves changing, I love the pumpkin patch, I love windy rainy days. And I love pumpkin.
A week or so ago I challenged myself to something that I knew wouldn't be very challenging at all. I went with it anyway, because sometimes you have to let Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-91211393495120308322011-09-26T22:33:00.000-07:002011-09-26T22:33:01.756-07:00The PartyThis is Lilli.
She is my little lady. She's quite a character already at just a year. Walking, babbling all the time, playing the silliest games she can make up, and forever curious and loving.
Last year on this day we were celebrating with champagne and trying to get some sleep between visitors. Last year on this day we were cooing over a 6#4oz baby with blue gray eyes and a lot Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-4940435118735223902011-09-20T20:55:00.000-07:002011-09-20T21:14:53.598-07:00Finally, FallFall has arrived in Seattle, and I have been throwing it a welcome party for the past couple of weeks. Party games included freezing tomatoes, clearing out patches of garden to make room for winter crops, making corn salsa and taking a trip to our local state fair.
The party also has had lots of good food served at it, including the macaroni and cheese I made tonight (with a few Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-73006117504227269052011-08-31T21:20:00.000-07:002011-08-31T21:20:43.209-07:00Doing the Can-CanAugust is my birthday month. For the past six or seven years, I have celebrated my birthday month by spending most of it canning. This year, thankfully, August has been pretty warm, and it's been even warmer in our kitchen since I've been canning or baking almost every day. Between the 50# of apricots, the figs, the crab apples, the birthdays (not just mine), the weddings, and I can't even Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-83254711156316209862011-08-20T22:18:00.000-07:002011-08-20T22:18:18.921-07:00The Day That Should Have BeenToday was supposed to be the happiest day for two people. One person: A beautiful, witty and truly unique lady. The other: A fantastic, generous, wacky, brilliant guy.
Spike, today was going to be your day. You finally found your dreamboat, Grace. Who seemed to come from nowhere into your life and we, your friends, welcomed her as your soul mate.
Grace, today was going to be your Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022878543236768501.post-63760765967663592832011-08-15T22:51:00.000-07:002011-08-15T22:51:11.974-07:00It has begunWe had a busy busy weekend here. We attended a wedding; we hosted an out of town guest, took her to pick raspberries, and shared a scrumptious picnic with her; I baked some delicious cakes; and oh yeah, I competed in my first triathlon. No biggie.
So because it was such a busy weekend, I was surprised how many raspberries survived through it. They don't last long once they are picked, and Venessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17404953443765403128noreply@blogger.com0