Jul 14, 2013

June KTC: Condiment-a-palooza with Rick and Anne!

Kissers! It's July! And for a change, around here that means gorgeous, glorious summertime weather, nary a cloud in sight, and warm temperatures which have all of Seattle displaying more pale, pasty skin than should be considered socially responsible. As a matter of fact, we even had a recent spate of 90-degree temperatures which had everyone in Seattle suffering...Even the local critters weren't able to manage:
An unpleasant side effect to nice summer weather is that, somehow when it is nice outside, one's priorities get all out of whack. As an example, I have been able to successfully think of a million other things to do instead of updating our blog recently. That makes for a mounting feeling of dread as the days turn to weeks..."I need to do that..." I would tell myself. "It's really overdue..." Finally, I carved out some time and present to you our latest blog update! (Insert fanfare music here!)

We met in June at Rick and Anne's home for a crash course in the creation of crazy condiments. We had a few snacks...
OK folks - full disclosure time. I know the published date says July. But it is actually September. That's right, September. September 8, to be exact (Happy Birthday, Anne!!). I just hate for the posts to be all bunched up on that little calendar thingie on the website, silly reason...

I will tell you this: I (surprise) don't actually remember very well the rest of what the heck we did and talked about, so this won't be the most complete post. But I'll do my best to recreate. At least in a sort of hurried, partially half-assed way. After all, I have plenty more blog updates to do!

Sebastian was thrilled to be among our Kissers, as always. And as I write this and see this photo, it's astounding how much he has grown over the summer!
Anne had quick-pickled some onions, and boy were they yummy. Mustard seeds, a hint of clove, no idea what else OR where on earth I've put all the notes and recipes I collected for June's event. But Anne, feel free to pass on the recipe and I'll post it here. Smiley face!

Meg attacked a collection of yummy aiolis - modern-day style - in a food processor. The general consensus was that, for as easy as they were to do in the food processor, and for the superiority of the final product as compared to store-bought mayonnaise, we were all stupefied that we didn't do this more often.
No summertime meal al fresco would be complete without a potato salad, so we prepared potatoes for that. We planned to prepare Frank and Damian's Made-Up Potato Salad Recipe for this dish. (And we were glad we did - it was delish!)
We'd whirred up some housemade chimichurri - a pungent mix of olive oil, parsley, garlic, and some other herbs and spices...
I had several photos of this, so I am pretty sure it must have been important, but to tell you the truth I don't actually recall what it is. So there you have it. I blame the leftover mom brain, but if you remember and want to pass on the scoop, I'll update here.
Here's Anne, showing why she's too sexy for her kitchen...
Gratuitous Father/Son photo:
Roasted tomatoes for our homemade ketchup:
Maybe that stuff is for the ketchup, actually? Here it is again.
Now, a basil aioli:
From another angle, a great Sebastian photobomb using the Inquisitive-Baby-Cam:
And a big-ass box of olive oil!
Sebastian enjoys a cured meat treat:
Ketchup time!
Megg's Eggs - for our potato salad!
Straining the ketchup (I think):
This was a fun part. It's our assembly line for filling condiment jars for everyone.
Herbs!
Ketchup!
OK I know the recipe is hard to see, because that photo is terrible. But I just don't have the energy to edit it and re-upload it. Please forgive! I'll type out the most important part anyway... 
 And here it is:

Three words: Chocolate. Bomb. Shell.

Courtesy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home. 

This was the secret sneaker item on the day's menu, and several months of delay in scribing our experience still hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for this stuff. It was amazing. Heavenly. Unusual. Unexpected. And best of all, extremely EASY to make.
So you take 12oz of bittersweet chocolate (at least 80% cocoa if possible!) and combine it with 1/4C coconut oil (We used Trader Joe's) in a double boiler on low heat.

I'm guessing the microwave would also work. Stir frequently and remove from the heat once it's smooth and lump-free. Allow to cool a bit.

Next, you'll want to run out and purchase some life insurance, because you might actually die of delight after you pour this stuff all over your favorite ice cream. 
Meg can vouch for this.
The only quotes from that day that I managed to type into my phone for later were from her, and I quote:
"I don't know what you're doing but I want to watch...Because I like to watch!"

"This would be great to lick off of body parts!"


"Somebody spatula that while I finger this."
Rick, meanwhile, got back in touch with his underage-boy side...
Here are the spoils:
Of course, life wasn't all chocolate that day. We are a reasonable bunch, after all, and had to eat some vegetables, too. Plus, we have to set a good example for Sebastian, right?
Frank and Damian's potato salad masterpiece:
This was salmon, readied for the grill:
Hi Max! I think he heard the word "salmon."
What a cutie!
Frank helps Sebastian discover the backyard fountain...
And we readied the table for our meal.
Here's a fun selfie in the outside mirror window thingie on the garage wall:
Our sliders-fixin's look pretty tasty, don't they?
Salmon slider with basil aioli and a dot of homemade ketchup, you say? Pickled onions, avocado, and asparagus, you say? Homemade potato salad, you say? HELL YES, I say!!!
Mmmmmm....
Rick shows us how it's done.
Here's a second plate. Or a second plate full. I don't know. Or I'm not admitting to anything, anyway.
Sebastian approves of our inclusion of the asparagus.
Lovely afternoon...
Meg had time for a few snuggles after we wrangled Sebastian into his PJ's for the car ride home.
Then, it was dessert. We all forgot ourselves just a little bit. Sooooo yummy! And that stuff will keep in your fridge for up to a few weeks supposedly....just leave out to room temp or nuke it for a few seconds until smooth again to use. We've made this stuff twice more already, and it's never lasted more than just a few days, though. Not that it goes bad, we just eat it all up!
Here is some drunken cherry ice cream of some kind that Anne had made. I forgot exactly what it had in it (cream cheese? something?), but I recall that it was yummy...
And here, it is even yummier...
Damian, as seen through a pair of wine goggles:
At least Sebastian thought it was funny...
Poor kid, Shawn assaulted him for Huge Booger Removal.
Successfully, I might add. Here, he's still wondering what the heck just happened. Many apologies to the table-mates who had to witness the aftermath!
Max patiently waited his chance at the vittles and/or for all of us to just go home.
Finally, that's what we did. With full bellies, and having enjoyed one of our very best meals in at least the last few years of our KTC meetings. No lie. Sooooo good!

OK. So there's June. July and August to follow, and then our fabulous slightly re-worked September plan, which is happening in two weeks on 9/21! Surely I can be caught up on our other entries by then....I hope...!? Hasta pronto, Kissers!