Devon's Cooking....Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs and Honey Cake

Phew! It has been an insanely busy summer, as you can see on this blog. We came back from the East Coast, had 4 days back and then we were off running again! First up was Dave Cam and Amy's wedding in Irvine, California (ah, finally, a local wedding!). The rehearsal dinner was an absolute blast (with great live music), tanning by the hotel pool while the boys got ready for the wedding was relaxing and lovely, but the wedding truly took the cake (har, har... my punning is superb). Dave and Amy got married at this amazing venue called Rancho Las Lomas...there was a white tiger roaming (his cage), parrots squawking, and a mariachi band to help us get in the mood for a beautiful wedding ceremony. We danced the night away after the wedding and then enjoyed a delicious brunch the next day. No cooking for me all weekend unless you count the microwave popcorn I made Sunday night.

Gordon came back with Dave and I on Sunday to spend a couple of days in San Diego. We had so much fun with Gordo-- on Monday while poor Dave had to work, Gordon and I explored the beaches. We went to Ocean Beach for fish tacos at South Coast Bar & Grill (the best!), headed over to Wavehouse in Mission Beach for beers, sun and fake-wave-surf-watching, and finally to Sneak Joint (a great new little spot in Pacific Beach featuring the former sous chef from Oceanaire) for cold beer and yummy snacks. We then met Dave at our old favorite downtown haunt, The Neighborhood, to complete our San Diego journey! Tuesday was leftovers and farewell to Gordon, and then we were off early Wednesday morning to Vancouver.

Dave and I have been to many different places around the world, but have never been to much of the Pacific Northwest... so we decided to go on vacation (because we so desperately needed a trip somewhere??) to visit Vancouver and Seattle. In Vancouver, we had a great time eating wonderful food and enjoying a beautiful city! We took the train down to Seattle on Thursday night and, after a gorgeous journey with some amazing scenery, we headed to our old San Diego friends, the Frisches, new house in Seattle. While there, we saw Pike's Place Market, downtown Seattle, a few of the cool and trendy neighborhoods... and bees! Bees, you ask? Yes, bees! Kevin and Margaret's neighbor has bee hives, so he lent us some bee suits and let us watch while he inspected the hives-- we even got to see a Queen Bee laying eggs! And we got a bonus jar of honey--Dave's favorite! More on the honey later.

On Saturday, the four of us got in the car (with our reckless chauffer, Kevin, leading the way) and headed up to wine country to meet up with my old Boston roommate, Kate, her boyfriend Matt, and their dog, Barlow. We checked into a great little boutique hotel that, conveniently, was next door to various wine tasting rooms and Red Hook Brewery. We went to Columbia winery, where we got to meet up with Dave Camarillo's aunt who works there (thanks, Linda!), to 2 additional winery tasting rooms and then to Red Hook for the brewery tour and beer! Great times. From then on, Kate, Matt and Barlow were responsible for us.

We journeyed to Bainbridge Island, where Kate and Matt live, on Sunday and I decided to cook for us Sunday night (finally, the recipe is almost here). I made spaghetti and turkey meatballs (the picture of Matt holding his shirt in a ball is supposed to symbolize the meatballs in his stomach-- we forgot to take a picture until all the meatballs were gone!) and a caprese salad.

CAPRESE SALAD
Ingredients:
2 cartons grape tomatoes
1 carton balled mozarella
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp balsalmic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions: Mix all ingredients in large bowl and chill unti ready to eat.

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS
Ingredients:
6 portions lean ground turkey (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 egg whites
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup water
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven broiler. In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, egg whites, breadcrumbs, water, onion, garlic, parsley, basil and black pepper. Mix ingredients thoroughly and then shape into 1 1/2" diameter meatballs. (makes approx 30 meatballs). Arrange meatballs on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 10 to 12minutes, turning occasionally until they are browned on all sides. Serve with cooked spaghetti (or any other pasta) and marinara sauce (see earlier blogs for my sauce recipe).

We also decided that instead of shipping that delicious fresh honey home, we should use it in Seattle...so I made a honey cake for dessert... this is SO good!

HONEY CAKE
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups honey
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup strong brewed coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar

For the glaze:
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 12-cup Bundt pan or 13 x 9-inch rectangular cake pan. First, make the cake: Combine the honey, oil, coffee, and vanilla in a small saucepan and heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is well blended. Remove it from the heat and let cool. Place the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, coriander, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir to blend. Place the eggs and sugar in a medium-size bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until the mixture is pale yellow and very thick, 5 minutes. Pour the honey mixture into the egg mixture and beat until well incorporated, 2 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides until fully incorporated, 2 minutes more. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until the cake springs back when lightly touched with your finger and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert It onto a rack to cool while you prepare the glaze. Place the honey, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove the glaze from the heat. To glaze the cake, place it on a serving platter, Use a fork to gently poke holes all over the top of the cake. Brush on the glaze, letting it seep into the holes and down the sides. Serve the cake at room temperature.

After this meal, we needed some serious exercise. So the next day we got on the ferry, headed into Seattle and then made our way to Mt. Ranier. Awesome. We had a great 5 mile hike that Kate insisted would have "very little snow on the trail, if any." She lied, but we're sure glad she did! We had fun falling on our butts, learning to ski in tennis shoes, and otherwise enjoying the amazing scenery at Ranier. Five hours later, Dave and I, and a pound of sweat each, boarded our plane and headed back to Home Sweet San Diego. Thanks Margaret, Kevin, Kate, Matt, Barlow and the nice Canadians ("take off you hosers") for a wonderful five days!