Plum Upside Down Cake
Serve with Blossom Nectar Cider

Serves 8

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided

2 pounds fresh red plums - halved

3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour  

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon

Spaghetti
Serve with Cherry Blend Cider

Serves 6

I very seldom make the same recipe twice…there are so few meals and so many options, but this recipe I make over and over again.  It is so satisfying to me.  I found it reading the Food Section of the San Francisco Chronicle one Wednesday.  Make it as soon as the tomatoes

Pizza
Serve with Wild Washington Apple Cider

I bought the dough at Pasta & Co. It is so delicious and convenient.  You can use any recipe you are comfortable with, or premade dough you like, or a frozen shell.  After this dinner, Craig wanted to go to Via Tribunali on Capitol Hill and watch how pizza dough is rolled and pulled by the pros.  

I make my sauce with fresh or canned tomatoes, depending on the time of year, I add tomato paste, red wine, garlic, onions,

Tepary Bean Tacos with Buffalo and Bacon
Serve with Cherry Blend or Wild Washington Apple Cider

Before we talk about how to make the tacos, let me introduce you to Rancho Gordo

All of my friends have received gifts of beans from Rancho Gordo, and the beans are fantastic.  This recipe is from Heirloom Beans by Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington – the cookbook for Rancho Gordo beans.

6 Slices high-quality

Cheeseburgers
Serve with Wild Washington Apple Cider

This is America!  We know how to do hamburgers.  Key ingredients:  great ground beef or ground chicken topped with a rich cheddar cheese, delicious whole wheat buns; fresh lettuce, tomatoes and onions; avocados, pickles + mustard and ketchup.

Yum!  Don’t forget the oven roasted potatoes dusted with a smoky salt!

Summer Salad
Serve with Cherry Blend Cider, Wild Washington Apple or Tieton Blend

Composed plates for 12
As I remember it from Clyde Common, Portland, Oregon 

Be creative and go with the season.  Whatever baby vegetable is looking fantastic at the Farmer’s Market or Grocery Store give

Our Second Dinner

All American Dinner Redux:  pizza, spaghetti, hamburger and tacos!

We started with charcuterie and cheese from DeLaurenti’s – I had help from Yost and he was terrific.  Everyone loved the soft cheese with Blossom Nectar Cider and the meats and harder cheeses with Wild Washington Apple Cider. I had help from some of my favorite cookbook authors.  Jamie Oliver’s Italian book has the best pizza suggestions, and I love the

Berry Galette
Serve with Blossom Nectar Cider

Serves 6
When I learned to cook, the hardest and the last feat for me to conquer was pie crust.  And after I found one that I could make, I continued to make it.  The recipe that follows is so good and makes my old recipe pale.  Use this recipe for galettes, double crust pie – make and

Broken Jellied Cider with Summer Fruit
Serve with Blossom Nectar Cider

Serves 4 – 6
One ¼ ounce envelope unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup organic sugar
½ cup cider
1 ½ cups sparkling cider – I used Blossom Nectar
2 tbls fresh lemon juice
1 to 1 ½ cups of fruit cut or sliced into small pieces

Flank Steak with Ginger Marinade
Serve with Wild Washington Apple or Tieton Blend Cider

Serves 4 – 6
1 flank steak, 2 – 3 pounds, trimmed of fat and silver skin
 For the Ginger Marinade
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup mirin, sake, or sweet sherry
½ c peanut oil or vegetable oil
1 tbls Asian sesame oil