planetdanika

It’s blueberry season around here and I’ve been baking up a storm. Thus far, I’ve made a Blueberry Coffee Cake, Blueberry Gingerbread Cake and last night, Blueberry Crisp la Mode. This last was my favorite, by far. I think I could have eaten the whole pan. Added bonus- it only took about 20 minutes to put together. Now that’s my kind of baking! G’s comment was that it was very good, and not super sweet as he had feared. We both prefer fruit desserts that aren’t excessively sweet and this was perfect.

Notes: We used Ben and Jerry’s vanilla istead of the frozen yogurt that’s called for. Honestly I don’t think it needs anything but I’ll never say no to ice cream.

Blueberry Crisp la Mode
Source: Cooking Light, July 2000

6 cups blueberries
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup regular oats
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 1/2 tablespoons chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
2 cups vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl; spoon into an 11×7-inch baking dish. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine 2/3 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon, and cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over the blueberry mixture. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Top each serving with 1/4 cup frozen yogurt.

Note: Topping may also be made in the food processor. Place 2/3 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon in a food processor, and pulse 2 times or until combined. Add butter; pulse 4 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Yield: 8 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 288(26% from fat); FAT 8.3g (sat 4.8g,mono 2g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 4.2g; CHOLESTEROL 22mg; CALCIUM 77mg; SODIUM 96mg; FIBER 3.8g; IRON 1.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 52g

G and I have been busy trip planning. Everything from weekend trips to a big road trip and Thanksgiving. Last week, we decided (somewhat last minute) to head off to Victoria for a couple days. We had been 2 years ago for our anniversary and had a great time. We set off Friday afternoon on the Clipper. It was 97 degrees in Seattle and the boat was a welcome respite- it was air conditioned and whisked us away from the most brutal heat.

By 6 pm, we were in Victoria and quickly check into our hotel, the Grand Pacific. It was very nice and we lucked out with a corner room on the 2nd from topmost floor. Best of all (note my theme), it was air conditioned. The weekend was a scorcher, although a couple degrees cooler than Seattle itself. We didnt do a whole lot but managed several walks, a lot of food and a couple tours.

Saturday morning we dodged the crowds at Butchart Gardens. The gardens were lovely, packed with tourists, and weve had our fill of them for the next 40 years or so. In the afternoon, we ate, napped, walked the seaside, and spent some time in the hotel pool. We set out early for dinner and stopped for a drink en route. G got massively crapped on by a bird- completely gunking his nice, new shirt. So we took a quick cab back to the hotel and still managed to arrive at Brasserie Lcole at our exact reservation time of 8:30. It would have been pretty hard to top our last experience here. It was probably one of the better meals out weve ever eaten and expectations were high. This time was maybe not as spectacular but still excellent.

We each started with salads and they were both fantastic and substantial. I had an endive salad with hazelnuts, bacon, apple slices, and a mustard dressing. Gs greens came with local golden and red beets, and Stilton. For entrees, G went with the venerable Steak Frites- the NY strip was nearly perfect and the frites were salty and crispy. So much so that I ate at least half of them. My entre was probably the weakest dish of the night. Rock sole with tiny shrimp, morels and English peas in a cream sauce. I was swayed by the uniqueness of the dish and ordered despite the cream. Bad move. G has been given explicit instructions NOT to allow me to order a cream sauce again- just way too rich for me. In any case, we capped off the meal with a crme brule and one chocolate truffle.

Sunday was another lazy, hazy day. Other than a little harbor tour, we didnt do much. The boat ride home was notable because we had the misfortune of sitting beside by a very loud, boisterous group of older ladies. On the plus side, we met another young couple sitting across from us who live 2 blocks away in Ballard. We shared a cab ride home and returned safely by 9 pm.

Upcoming trips include a road trip to Montana and Alberta. Any recommendations are welcome!

We had this for dinner tonight. It’s a very quick weeknight meal but has some of my favorite flavors. I usually serve it with rice but roasted potatoes work well too.

Chicken Saut with Provencal Sauce
Serves: 4
Source: Eating Well Magazine, Jan/Feb 2005

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 c chopped basil
2 T chopped black olives

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow glass dish. Dredge chicken breasts in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned and no longer pink in the center (4 to 5 minutes per side). Transfer to plate, cover and keep warm.

Add onion, garlic and anchovy paste, if using, to the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Add broth, wine and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in basil and olives. Return the chicken and juices to the pan; reduce heat to low and heat through. Spoon sauce over the chicken.