March 2017 Archives | The Taste Tourist

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

Magic

According to the old proverb, March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb – and this first week of March certainly lived up to that prediction.

The snow, which surprised us all on Monday morning, continued throughout the week, along with gusty winds that made for a stormy start to the month. While March in the Pacific Northwest can often be a bit rough on the spirit, this week’s weather was actually quite magical.

And I have to say, there’s also something quite magical about baking on a winter day.

As the snow flurries continued, I spent the week tucked in my kitchen – awash in flour and butter, cinnamon and sugar, chocolate and cream – baking from the Joy the Baker Cookbook – and enjoying the opportunity to cajole just a little more brightness from this winter.

In the foreword to her cookbook, author Joy Wilson writes, “If you have the power to coax something beautifully sweet out of your kitchen, it’s as though you have a magic wand in your hand.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Here is this week’s Taste Five. …

Northwest Winters

Our winters here in the Seattle area can be a bit bleak….prone to a steady drizzle of rain and gray skies. But despite their fairly dreary reputation, I have to admit that I love our Northwest winters.

For me, it’s a season of rest, rejuvenation, and reflection.

It’s the opportunity to hibernate – to throw on a pair of sweats, snuggle in, slow down, and rest. It’s the opportunity to enjoy the comforts of home – to turn on the fireplace on a stormy day, light a candle, and settle into the couch with a good book. It’s the opportunity to spend time in the kitchen – stirring a simmering pot of stew, kneading dough for cinnamon rolls, roasting a pan of winter vegetables.

But I have to admit, there’s one thing that I love the most about winter – the one feature that really makes or breaks it – snow.

We woke up to a surprise today, on this first week of March – to a fresh blanket of snow coating the Northwest. It was a magical drive to work, with thick flakes falling onto my windshield, rapidly transforming the streets from the mundane to the magical. I spent the day at school, along with my students, trying so hard to focus, yet looking out the window every few minutes …watching the flakes fall throughout the day, hoping they wouldn’t disappear. And the day didn’t disappoint.

This winter has been a gift, and we’ve had more than our share of snow. And when the snow comes out, there’s one thing that I always want to do – bake.

This week’s Cookbook of the Week is Joy the Baker Cookbook. …

Taste Five – Joy the Baker Cookbook

Magic

Cookbook of the Week – Joy the Baker Cookbook

Northwest Winters