Seattle Grocer's Getaway July 2015 - An adventure in Washington State

I LOVE to travel.  I'm very fortunate to be my mother's travel buddy on many Grocer's Getaways.

Associated Wholesale Grocers puts together a tour for grocers once or twice a year for education purposes and this trip was to visit the Fruit Packers of the great Northwest.  

Friday - July 10, we traveled to Seattle, arriving about 5:00 pm. We have come 3 days early for some extra time to explore. My high school girlfriend, Cathy, lives just north in Marysville, WA. We'll stay with her for 3 nights, before meeting up with the Grocers. Tonight we dined at Anthony's Homeport in Edmonds, Wa.   Ahi tuna is my choice.

 


Saturday - July 11, We got up early and headed north to Anacortes, where we took a ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. This Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington.  it's a little cloudy today.


 

When we arrived at Friday Harbor we took a shuttle bus to the other side of the island.  On our way we stopped at the Pelindaba Lavender Farm.
Pelindaba is a premier grower of Lavender plants, distiller of Lavender essential oils and handcrafter of Lavender products.  I can smell the lavender in the air.

Next, we headed to Lime Kiln Point State Park,
a 36-acre Washington state park on the western shore of San Juan Island.

The park is considered one of the best places in the world to view wild orcas from a land-based facility.  For that reason this park has a nickname of Whale Watch Park.

The peak whale-watching season is May - Sept, with June and July being the most likely months to see whales.The lighthouse was built in 1919 and still serves as a navigational beacon for ships in the Haro Strait.  The lighthouse was open and park rangers informed us that the whales were spotted that morning, but we did not see them on this visit.   The Whales and big wave pictures below, are 2 of many pictures they had on display at the Lighthouse.

 

I loved this little plaque on a bench.

"I like to wander through the woodlands in a place unmarked

as if I'm discovering the world"

We shopped all the little shops around Friday Harbor till our ferry returned for us.

Back on the mainland, it was just a short drive to Deception Pass. So Cathy drove us to see the bridge and explore the area.
Height from water to roadway is about 180 feet.
The roadway is two 11-foot lanes.
There are 3 foot sidewalk on each side
The total length is 1487 feet (more than a quarter mile)   An average 20,000 cars per day cross.

We were able to walk from one end to the other. Then there are stairs that take you down and under the bridge and back up on the other side of the highway.


The bridge was completed in 1935, connecting Fidalgo Island and Whidbey Island.    The area is just beautiful.

Sunday July 12 -  Cathy & I attended Mass with my mother at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Marysville before heading back to Seattle for the day.

Cathy, and her friend Marcella, went to the theater and mother & I met up with my cousin Kyle and his girlfriend Hannah and went to a Mariners Ballgame at Safeco field.

The Mariners were playing Los Angeles Angels, so we got to see ex-Cardinals Albert Pujoles and David Freeze.
We even wore our Cardinal shirts.



After the Ball game we met up with Cathy and Marcella and had dinner at The Melting Pot.

It was my first time at a fondue restaurant.  The six of us really enjoyed sharing everything dipped in pots of cheese, broth for dipping meats and chocolates for dessert.  Really Yummy!

Monday July 13 - 
10 am - Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour.   We toured the commercial jet assembly plant.

The picture below, from inside the plant, came from their website because 

we were not allowed to take any pictures inside the plant.  It was all very interesting.

 

Noon to 3:00 pm -  We gambled at the Casino till Cathy got off work (She works at Boeing) and we headed back to Seattle.

We are staying at the Westin just a few blocks from Pike's Market. 

Tonight we have a Meet and Greet with all the other grocers who have come to Seattle for this Grocers Getaway.   We meet tonight at Rock Bottom Brewery.

From Harter House, Barbara Bettlach, Michele Kauffman, Randy & Kathy Richards and their daughters, Amanda and Calli Richards are here. 

Tuesday July 14 - 8:00 am the bus departs for Yakima where we will first visit Sage Fruit Packers.  Once we cross the mountains, we're into the desert.  The drive is absolutely beautiful.

We stopped at the Indian John Hill Rest Area.

We ate lunch at Miner's
               - Home of the Big Miner Burger.

Then on to Sage Fruit.

We saw the apple packing lines, cherry packing lines, 

and also the storage areas.

Then we went to their orchards.
We ate peaches from the trees.

Sage produces Apples, cherries and pears.  More than half of all apples grown in the United States for fresh eating come from orchards in
Washington State.  

Tonight the owners of Sage Fruit are treating us to a Barbecue at one of their offices near the orchard, Green Acre Farm.   We're even being served Tri-Tip tonight.  We think that's pretty cool.

 

The grounds are lovely.  

Everyone has been so gracious 

to our group of grocers.

 

The food is wonderful.

This Evening, we are dining

on part of The Yakima Reservation.

We are being entertained by 

The Yakima Tribal Dancers.

A Rain Dance

A Coming of Age Dance

The Harvest Dance

The Basket of Bounty Dance

Wednesday July 15 




After a great breakfast at the hotel,
we are back on the bus at 8:00 am.
to The Apple Tree Resort and Country Club.

The owners of Borton Fruit treated us to an opportunity to show off our golf skills.
We all rode golf carts to the famous 17th Hole.

Everyone who wanted, was able to take a turn at trying to hit the ball to the "Island " Green,
shaped like an Apple.

A few golfers made it to the Green.  Most did not.

This is Barbara Bettlach.  She has golfed before.
However, I'm pretty sure she did not make it onto the green today. 

Another short bus ride to the offices of Borton Fruit. 
They had 20 cases set out for us to see the different apple varieties  and each variety had 4 different grades.

We toured their Orchards. Then we saw and were educated about their Controlled Atmosphere Storage.  Each room holds 5,000 bins of apples.  Only Apples can be stored for a longer period of time in an atmosphere of no oxygen and added nitrogen.

We were told about grafting tree branches to a root stock they purchase.
These trees will produce fruit after three years. 

 Here you can see part of a wire trellis.

The tree will grow up the wires, making it easier for workers to hand pick the fruit at harvest time.

We rode back to The Apple Tree Resort and Country Club for a wonderful buffet lunch.

The Borton Fruit owners gave away a gift to one of the retailers in our trip.

 Airfare and 3 nights lodging, basically anywhere.

Our own Barbara Bettlach won!

View of the golf course from the 2nd floor deck.

After lunch, we're off again to Leavenworth, Washington.
Approximately a two hour ride and we arrive about 3:30 pm at
A very quaint Bavarian Village, with beautiful mountain views 360 degrees.

We checked in at the Bavarian Lodge and started off exploring all the little shops on Front Street.

Calli Richards took this picture from a bridge over the Wanatche River, while walking with Kathy and Amanda.
I never even saw this bridge.  Her picture is one of my favorites.

This is me and Marie on the bank of the Wanatche River..

Marie works for AWG and is in charge of this Grocers Getaway.

She's my very good girlfriend.!

Dinner tonight is at the Munchen Haus.

It's a very small outdoor dining area.  

Brats and sauerkraut

with 22 Sauces to choose from.

German Potato Salad & Chips

And of course BEER.

Thursday, July 16

Back on the bus and departing at 8:00 am.
Headed down the road to the next small town, Cashmere.
Here we visited Crunch Pak.  They package sliced apple snacks.
They also purchase from the orchards we just visited.

This large package of apples above,

is packaged for Walmart.

ONLY Walmart has this size package,

as well as other sized products

only they will carry.

Also in Cashmere,
is the very small manufacturer of
Aplets & Cotlets - a classic fruit-and-nut combination and a favorite since 1920. Real fruit in every bite!  They ship around the world.








Headed back to Seattle now, a two and a half hour drive.

Beautiful scenery on our ride as we make our way to The Westin, in downtown Seattle.

A short stop on the way to Seattle.

Arrive at The Westin at 2:00 pm and had lunch provided by Aqua Star, a Shrimp and Seafood Company. A very short presentation and then an opportunity tp gp to our room and rest for a bit.

Aqua Star then hosted cocktails at 5:30 and dinner at 6:00.  Each table had a Aqua Star Representative.

We're not done yet.  Tonight we take a cab to the waterfront to watch the sunset.  We rode the "Great Wheel".  That would be me, Marie, Rich & Pat Carr.  Mother is with us, but she chose not to ride.





 










 
 
Friday, July 17
 Our last full day.

We met in the Hotel Lobby at 10:00 am.  Me, Marie, Mother, Gary Smith, Deb and Wayne walked about 5 blocks downhill to Pikes Market.

 First on my list was a stop at Starbuck's to purchase a coffee mug.

The Starbuck's at Pikes Market is 

The Original location.

 This is the ONLY Starbuck's store that sells my mug and other products

showcasing the original 

Naked Lady Logo

You probably already know that a part of the movie, Sleepless in Seattle, was filmed at Pikes Market.  
Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner have lunch at the Athenian Inn, inside Pikes Market.



















Next is lunch at The Space Needle.

Randy, Kathy, Amanda, & Calli Richards.
Barbara, Michele, and friends Ed & Julie.

                      

A view from the top.

View from the top.
If you look closely here, you'll see a
Daddy Long Leg Spider.
It is painted in 3D.  It looks real!

Another view from the top.

The Cruise Ships dock here.

We intended to visit The Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, but time is slipping away.  

We sit for a minute and listen to the music from across the path.

Randy has rented us a Limo for this afternoon.

A tour of the city.

  

First we drive to Kerry Park.

This park sits high above the city,

located on the south side of Queen Anne Hill.

A beautiful view of the city of Seattle.  

If you look closely in this picture, today we can see Mount Rainier in the distance.















After driving by the waterfront, and stopping for a toast,
we headed to Alki Beach in West Seattle.

Another view of the city from a totally different location.

Tonight my mother and Marie will join Kathy, Randy, Amanda & Calli for dinner at
Blue Acre Seafood.

Because we couldn't add to the reservation, I decided to have dinner with Cathy and Rex at
Queen Anne Grille. 

Saturday, July 18th


I'm actually ready to head home today.
I miss my home and my husband.
But I sure enjoyed this trip.

I checked with Cathy, and she told me the snow capped mountain in the front is Mt. Baker and the mountain farther back is Mt. Rainier.

Thanks so much for allowing me to share my adventure with you.

~ Michele (Shelly) Kauffman

Roasted Vegetables and Goat Cheese Fillo Tart

 




I found this recipe and I was excited because
I am focusing on adding more vegetables to savory dishes. 

I made it and it was a big hit!








6 cups of seasonal vegetables (cut into 1 inch diced pieces)

eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, and peppers

1 whole garlic bulb
2 Tbl. olive oil
9 sheets fillo pastry
1-2 Tbl tomato paste
4 oz. Goat Cheese

Put the prepared vegetables into a roasting dish, slice the top off of the garlic bulb and put it in the pan with the vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for around 30-35 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Put the vegetables aside to cool.  Meanwhile prepare the pastry.

Lay the sheet of fillo pastry on the counter, brush sparingly with oil and put another sheet on top.  Brush that sheet with oil and finish with a third sheet of pastry.  Grease an ovenproof dish big enough to hold all the cooked vegetables and line it with the fillo pastry.

Mix the tomato paste with 1 Tbl of boiling water then brush it over the base of the pastry.  Put the cooled vegetables and chunks of goat cheese into the filo lined dish.  Squeeze the roasted garlic forcing the pulp from the skin, then mix this into the vegetables and goat cheese.  You can drizzle a little more tomato paste if you like.

Lay out the remaining pastry sheets and brush each sparingly with oil.  Cut each piece in half and crumble them up, putting them on top of the tart to cover the vegetables.  Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden.  Serve with salad.

Remember, you will find everything you need to make this savory dish at Harter House and Harter House World Flavors.

                    ENJOY!

 

 

Walnut-Crusted Pork Chops with Autumn Vegetable Wild Rice

This week at Harter House Supermarkets in Springfield, we have featured in our Ad, Boneless Sirloin Pork Chops for $1.99 lb. (Aug 19-25, 2015). So here I have found a wonderful recipe to share with you featuring our famous Sirloin Pork Chops.

Ingredients
• Sirloin Pork Chops from Harter House
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup walnuts, finely ground
• 1 bacon slice
• 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

• Rice
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 2 teaspoons diced seeded jalapeño pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 cups finely trimmed chopped Swiss chard (or spinach)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped peeled Granny Smith apple
• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


Preparation
1. To prepare pork, place chops in a shallow dish; drizzle evenly with Worcestershire. Combine salt, sage, and black pepper in a small bowl. Reserve 3/4 teaspoon salt mixture. Add walnuts to remaining salt mixture; toss well. Press walnut mixture onto both sides of pork chops. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. Cook bacon slice in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add pork chops to drippings in pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove pork from pan.

3. To prepare rice, heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and next 3 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; cover and cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in reserved 3/4 teaspoon salt mixture, chard, mushrooms, and apple. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until carrot is tender. Stir in rice and 1/2 cup broth. Bring to a simmer; cook, uncovered, 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in bacon. Place 1 cup rice mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 pork chop. Drizzle each serving with pan drippings, and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon parsley.


Enjoy!

Thai Shrimp and Carrot Salad

I am always looking for new recipes for myself and for my Harter House friends. Today I found this fresh Asian Salad compliments of Whole Foods.

A light and refreshing salad served over a bed of rice noodles, this dish can easily transform into a vegetarian side by leaving out the shrimp. It's best eaten the day you make it.

















Serves 6
Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked rice noodles
1/4 Cup lime juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red chile pepper
1/2 pound cooked, peeled and deveined medium shrimp with tails removed
3 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup sliced shallots
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint



Method

Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse until cool, then drain and place in a large bowl. In a separate large bowl, combine lime juice, vinegar and crushed red pepper to make a dressing. Toss noodles with 2 tablespoons of dressing. Toss remaining dressing with shrimp, carrots, peanuts, shallots and mint. Serve shrimp mixture over rice noodles.

Nutrition

Per serving: 290 calories (70 from fat), 8g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 75mg cholesterol, 160mg sodium, 61g total carbohydrate (8g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 24g protein

Hot Wings with Habanero–Honey Sauce

While scouring the internet, I found this recipe.  I love chicken wings and I love hot and spicy, so this recipe called out to me.  It looks pretty easy, so I want to give it a try!  ~Shelly

Potent habanero peppers add an undercurrent of heat to the sweet and buttery sauce that accompanies these wings. It's recommend wearing plastic gloves when handling habaneros. 
Visit Harter House and Harter House World Flavors.

Habanero-Honey Sauce

• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 5 medium (about 1 1/2 ounces) habanero peppers, stems removed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks butter
• 1/2 cup honey

Tempura Batter:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups water
1 cup ice

Seasoned Flour:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons paprika
Wings:
Peanut or canola oil for frying
2 pounds whole chicken wings, drumettes and wings separated and tips removed

Yield: 4 servings
Method:

To make the habanero–honey sauce, combine the lime juice, vinegar, habanero peppers, and salt in a blender and purée until smooth. Strain through a sieve and discard the solids. Set aside. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. Cook until the butter turns golden brown and develops a nutty aroma, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and scrape into a medium bowl. Whisk in the honey and a tablespoon of the habanero vinegar. Taste and add a little more vinegar if desired. Set aside until needed. Discard the vinegar or save for another use.

To make the tempura batter, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and ice; mix well to smooth out any lumps. Set aside.

To make the seasoned flour, whisk together all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.

Add about 6 inches of frying oil to a deep pot. Heat the oil until it reaches 350°F.

While the oil is heating up, prepare the wings for frying: dip one wing in tempura batter. Shake off any excess batter, then coat in seasoned flour. Place the wing on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wings.

Working in batches, fry the wings until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. (Make sure the temperature of the oil returns to 350°F before frying a new batch, or the wings will be greasy.) Transfer the fried wings to a paper towel–lined plate or baking sheet.

If needed, whisk the habanero–honey sauce again to make sure everything is well combined. Toss the wings in about a cup of the sauce, or serve the sauce on the side for dipping.

How to Peel Garlic & Garlic Salsa Verde Recipe

If you don't know how to peel garlic you might end up doing it the long, hard way. You can use packaged peeled garlic, but personally, I prefer to buy my garlic fresh at Harter House Supermarket and peel them myself.

I think it's more economical and sustainable this way - the garlic comes direct from the market without any plastic packaging, and has less carbon footprint because the garlic wasn't processed by machines and then shipped to supermarkets.
Here is quick and easy technique for peeling garlic.
First, pick off your cloves from the bulb, and lay the flat side down - the side that was closest to the "heart" of the garlic - on your cutting board with the curved side up. Then, take your chef's knife and with one hand holding the knife handle, lay either flat side of the knife on top of the garlic clove. The garlic should be closer to the knife handle than the center of the blade.

With your free hand, slap the heel of your hand down and smash the side of the blade against the garlic clove. Voilà! The outer skin is magically detached from the clove, and you now have a perfectly peeled clove ready for chopping.

On their first try, most people don't hit the blade hard enough and end up hitting it two or three times. With enough practice, you'll get the hang of figuring out how much force you need so you only have to smash the knife blade once. In no time, you'll be a seasoned pro, pounding away at garlic and quickly getting enough peeled cloves to make Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic without breaking in a sweat. Oh, and don't forget to sweep the skins in your compost bin!

How To Mince Garlic
Some folks will tell you that the best way to mince garlic is with a garlic press!

A garlic press is certainly handy, but if you don't have one or just feeling like doing it the old-fashioned way, here's one method that works well!

After peeling your garlic clove, lay it on the cutting board on one of its flat sides so it's stable and doesn't roll. Trim off the tough roots from where the garlic clove was attached to the head.
Cut the garlic in thin strips along its length -- from root to tip.
Carefully turn the garlic 90-degrees and cut strips in the other direction. You'll be left with a little pile of thin sticks.







Sprinkle the pile with a pinch of salt. This is a little chef's trick that helps keep the garlic from sticking to your knife!

Run your knife back and forth over the pile of garlic until it's as finely minced as you like it. It's easiest to do this if you hold your knife in front of you parallel to your body. Set the tip of the knife on the cutting board just to the left of the pile of garlic (to the right if you're a leftie!).
Leaving the tip of the knife against the cutting board, use the heel of the knife to chop the garlic. Use a rocking motion and move the heel of the knife a bit when you lift up so you cut into the pile at a different place each time.
If you think cutting the garlic into sticks fussy, you can certainly start with a whole clove and just keep chopping until it's as finely minced as you like it!

********************************************

Now to use our new skill, lets make some Garlic Salsa Verde.
This is another personal favorite salsa. It's simple, easy, and punchy - cilantro, garlic, and lime. It's hot and spicy and sour all at once.

We like it straight up with chips, but it's also excellent with grilled chicken or black beans and rice. I think that proper salsa verde includes tomatillos, but this is another version that we like a lot.

Garlic Salsa Verde
makes about 1 cup

2 large bunches of cilantro
6 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno
Juice of 2 limes
Olive oil
Salt

Take the cilantro off the stems and chop fine. Mince the garlic and jalapeno. Whiz everything in the food processor or blender, adding a drizzle of olive oil if it is too thick. Season with salt.