Chukar Cherries

It’s no secret that I love chocolate, especially dark chocolate. One of my favorite ways to enjoy this treat is when it is used to cover other yummy things like dried fruits such as apricots, blueberries and cherries. So imagine my delight when my mom and I came across Chukar Cherries in the Pike’s Place Market in Seattle.

Based in Prosser, WA, Chukar Cherries began in 1988 from a family cherry orchard and uses no preservatives, no sulfites and no gluten. Essentially, their mandate is nothing artificial. Not only does Chukar Cherries specialize in chocolate covered cherries, but also in mixed nuts and dried fruit mixed which incorporate . . .cherries.

They also make all kinds of other gourmet treats such as Curried Cherry Chutney (trying saying that a few times fast!), and Peach Cherry Salsa, as well as a variety of fruit fillings and preserves. All the items feature beautiful and well thought out packaging (always something I’m attracted to)such as reuseable baskets, jars and tins and are perfect for gift giving. Perfect for Valentine's Day. My favourite is the Grand Assortment, which has Amaretto Rainiers, Classic Dark, Cabernet, Pinot Noir, and Black Forest cherries . . . all in dark chocolate.

. . . Hello Yummm!

Penzey's Spices

Spice truly is the variety of life . .and at Penzey’s Spices, there is a lot to choose from. Specializing in gourmet spices and seasonings, if you are looking for something particular, they are sure to have it; from Adobo Seasoning (a traditional salt free Mexican spice mix) to Zahtar (a popular Middle-Eastern seasoning blend of sumac, thyme sesame and salt), with everything in between. Penzey’s also carries a variety of natural liquid flavourings such as single and double strength Pure Vanilla extracts.

Penzey’s prides itself in a variety of house blended spice mixes, such as their BBQ 3000. This blend works as a spice rub for meat for grilling and is a blend of (ready?) . . . .salt, paprika, black pepper, nutmeg, powdered mustard, allspice, powdered lemon peel, garlic powder, ginger, sage, thyme, white pepper, cinnamon and natural smoke flavour. . . .whew! That’s a whole bunch of flavour!

Being big salad eaters, we purchased the Buttermilk Ranch mix, which when added to sour cream and buttermilk was much lower in fat than any of thee popular store bought brands and we could make as little or as much as we wanted so that it was always fresh at each meal.

We also picked up a gift set for some friends. The gift set, called the Salad Lover’s Gift Box, contained one 70gr or 2.5oz jar each of Buttermilk Ranch, Creamy Peppercorn, Green Goddess and Italian. Again, our friends were able to make as little or as much as they needed, ensuring the dressing was fresh.

A great wedding gift idea is Penzey’s Gift Crates. These are deluxe gift sets that include an overall selection of spices and seasonings, perfect for setting up a new home together. For the couple just starting out together in the kitchen the original The Wedding Gift Crate is ideal; with one jar each of Chicago Steak Seasoning, Chili Powder, Basil, Rosemary, Garlic Salt, Pizza Seasoning, Oregano, Jerk Chicken and Fish rub, Parsley, Cocoa, Taco Seasoning, Italian Herb Mix, Cinnamon, Country French Vinaigrette Mix, Dill Weed, French Thyme and Pure Vanilla Extract. The crate also includes a beautiful wooden salt and pepper shaker set as well as whole nutmegs, cinnamon sticks and star anise pods. Definitely not a boring wedding gift the bride would want to return.

The staff were very knowledgeable, providing tips on how to use their products, the shelf life of the spices (did you know most spices should be used within two years?) and whether or not we could bring them across the border into Canada from the United States. We also discovered that Kosher salt has a sodium level of less than half of that of regular table or sea salt. For someone with a family member on a sodium-reduced diet, this was a great bit of information, and we have since switched to Kosher salt.

Penzey’s Spices are located in Wauwatosa, WI, but we visited their store at Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA. There are Penzey’s store locations in 27 states (check their website for store locations).They are also available to order online and ship throughout the United States including Hawaii and Alaska. Sadly, they do not ship to Canada.

Penzey’s: Love to cook – Cook to Love

Seattle Weekend with Mom

During our Mother-Daughter Weekend to Seattle, my mom and I ended up having a number of things we wanted to see and do. It didn’t start out that way. The original plan was to drive from Vancouver to Seattle on the Friday night, check in, do some shopping on the Saturday and then go see Itzhak Perlman on the Sunday afternoon before heading back home Sunday night. At least, that was the plan.

Sure enough, we left after a quick dinner on the Friday night. We arrived in Seattle and checked into the W Seattle Hotel at around 10pm (yipee for complimentary upgrades and corner suites overlooking the city !). We then headed out to Purple Wine Bar, which came as a recommendation from a good friend and her hubbie at CinCin in Vancouver. The place was bustling and noisy as was to be expected on a Friday night. We shared a couple nibbley plates of soft brie, fig jam and wonderful crusty bread.

After a sound and restful sleep in our luxury suite and a good breakfast, we ventured out to a glass blowing shop and studio. We then headed to Pike Place Market for a little shopping. This is the home of the famous thrown fish, where you tell the fish vendor what you want, he picks it out for you, then tosses it up to another guy who wraps and packs it for you. This is also where we found Chukar Cherries. But Pike Place Market is not simply the market building, it is all the stores on the surrounding streets as well, such as Penzey’s Spices, Beyond Threads, Thailand Junkie, Dragon's Toy Box and Maggie's Shoes. . . . . .

I had something in the back of my mind that told me there was an opera taking place that weekend and I was correct. Lawrence Brownlee was performing the lead role of Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville. Now, I had seen him perform this role at the Gala Season Opening of the JFK Center for Performing Arts last September, so I wasn’t surprised to find that tickets were scarce to come by. Sad to say, we were not able to get tickets and had to settle for dining at Canlis.

Sunday morning we were back at the market, and afterwards we went to the beautiful Benaroya Hall to watch my mom’s lifetime idol perform the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. It is an experience to sit quietly and watch brilliance being performed in front of you. The audience was on its feet before the final bow was off the strings.

After the performance, I managed to pull a gentleman in performance tuxedo aside and explained that we were visiting from Vancouver and asked if Mr. Perlman would be so kind as to sign my CD. He asked us to wait and then disappeared around the corner, then came back and asked us to come around to the side door. There we waiting a short while until he came back and told us that yes, Mr. Perlman would see us (it turns out my tuxedo’ed friend was actually the Artistic Director). I thought my mom was going to burst into tears! Turns out, we were the only guests he granted an audience to that day. He was warm and cordial and exactly as we expected him to be (his home videos on Youtube and Facebook are always so charming). My mother had a hard time getting her words out so I explained that she had actually seen him perform once before in Vancouver when she was a teenager, and that the Queen Elizabeth Theatre had suddenly gone on strike the day before and that the concert had been forced to move into a high school (and here Mr. Perlman and I said in unison) . . . “gymnasium with a basketball hoop”. Mr. Perlman completely remembered the experience and we all had a little laugh.

What an amazing experience, and the perfect ending to yet another Mother-Daughter weekend.