Things I love: prosciutto.

This week has kind of turned into a "can I put prosciutto on that?" sort of week. This is something that I am very happy about. I ate a pizza with prosciutto, fig, and basil (delicious), but perhaps the most exciting was yesterday's prosciutto extravaganza. Is there anything that isn't improved by being wrapped in prosciutto? Probably not. After buying 1/4 pound of prosciutto di Parma at Whole Foods, my partner in the appreciation of cured Italian meats and I proceeded to pair it with not one, but two delicious cheeses: mimolette (which caught my eye because of its bright orange color), a semi-hard, aged French cheese, and Mt. Townsend Creamery's trailhead tomme, which was softer than the mimolette, mild, and tasty. Also, there was a perfectly ripened plum and pear, half a loaf of Campagne bread, and a 74% cacao Theo chocolate bar. We tried every configuration of these items, all while enjoying a surprisingly good bottle of rose (Belleruche cotes-du-rhone m. chaputier rose, 2007) that we had chilled previously. It was probably the best snack I have had in weeks, not only because of the excellent food, but because of the delightful company.

Huckleberry

I feel like I blog about cupcakes with some regularity. I guess it is because I really like cupcakes, and because Cupcake Royale has a cupcake of the month that is particularly delicious pretty much every month--and every month my hajj is not to Mecca, but to Ballard, where I drink coffee and savor the newest offering at my favorite cupcake place. Today, after what felt like ages of anticipation, I finally had the huckleberry cupcake, the deliciousness of which was matched by its beauty. The frosting was a gorgeous fuschia/purple with bits of huckleberry in it, and the vanilla cupcake had bits of huckleberry in it as well, lending a dull purple color that was very pleasant and tasty (and moist!). The frosting was sweet, with just enough tartness added by the berries. I savored it for a long time, eating half of it, drinking my latte, then finishing the cupcake--smacking my lips with relish. If you want one... you have until the end of September to acquire one. I highly recommend you do.

Exploring Trader Joe's

I recently moved, and have been, as a result, poor. I don't like being poor. I like spending money on things like food, going out, clothes, travel... the usual!
However, I am taking it all in stride and experimenting with cheaper eats. Today I tried Trader Joe's pasta shells in white cheddar sauce--aka, Mac n cheese in a box. I found it to be less tasty than Annie's white cheddar sauce with bunny shaped pasta, but perhaps that is just nostalgia. I did like the way the small pasta shells clung to my wooden spoon like limpets on a rock, though.

it's been a while...

Rest assured, I have been living the lifestyle of a foodie all summer, per usual. Just haven't had time/energy to write about all the delicious things I have been eating... Because I have been spending so much time eating those things.

Last night's dinner party was really lovely. We started with Mt. Townsend Creamery camembert with campagne bread (from le panier, natch) and fresh sliced peaches and a bottle of delicious Malbec, then had moist, delicious roasted chicken, lemony roasted veggies (I used lemon juice and lemon zest), asparagus, and couscous with a (sweet) late harvest Riesling.

pizza, again

This weekend was the cheese festival at Pike Place Market. At lunchtime, I avoided the bulk of the crowd, going back to DeLaurenti for another slice of their pizza.

This time, it was goat cheese, arugula, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper pizza. Just sit and think about that for a while. It was probably even more delicious than you've imagined.

I felt as though I was celebrating the spirit of the cheese festival by eating a pizza that had a slab of goat cheese on it, which was infinitely better than battling throngs of pedestrian tourists, slack-jawed in wonderment and delight at the cheesy deliciousness. Also, it was 75 and sunny in Seattle, so I couldn't be bothered to hang around downtown. All in all, a gorgeous weekend.

Chocolate Scorcher

It is no secret that I love Cafe Verite and Cupcake Royale. The Ballard location is one of my favorite places to go and study--can you blame me? Amazing stumptown coffee, delicious cupcakes, friendly & cute baristas, good music, and art? What's not to like?!

This month's cupcake of the month (which I have sampled twice... no, three times, I think) is no exception to the deliciousness that they're rolling out on a regular basis.  The chocolate cupcake base is moist and tasty, but the real treat is the frosting, which is a chocolate cream cheese frosting that has a blend of spices including garam masala in it, topped with shavings of Theo's ghost chile chocolate. Ghost chile is the world's hottest chile, and hails from the Assam region of India. It provides the cupcake with about a 30 second burn of spiciness, in the best way, but isn't too much for my pansy ass to handle. 

downtown lunch

I am constantly trying to think of new ways to fill my belly when I am working downtown and through laziness, forgetfulness, or a combination of the two, have forgotten to bring anything for lunch. Today, I stumbled upon a gem.

I have been to DeLaurenti's many times to get sandwiches, cheese, cookies, wine, you name it. I have never tried their pizza, until today. I wandered in the door, peered over at the fresh-out-of-the-oven pizza, and saw a marvelous looking slice that practically danced in front of my eyes, so great was my hunger.

This slice of pizza, which I procured for about $3, was topped with gorgonzola, pear slices, arugula, golden raisins, and deliciousness. My coworkers watched jealously as I ate it, proclaiming its deliciousness after each bite. One coworker was moved to go out in search of this divine pizza, only to return empty-handed, as they had no more of this variety available when she got there.

My only regret? That I did not get a picture of the pizza in all its glory.