One Night of Tom Douglas, The Dahlia Bakery & Macy's Culinary Council: Getting Baked in Washington

As a blogger, there are many aspects of my job that I love.  

However, blogging?  It can be lonely.

You forge wonderful friendships on the internet with people with whom you most likely will never have the opportunity to meet. 

Sniffle.

So that said, I jump at local opportunities.  JUMP!  You mean this mom gets to interact with real live bodies?  Who talk?  There will be yummy food?  I can make it a date with my husband?  There will be celebrity chefs?  All in Seattle.

Dream come true!!

Just such a dream was offered to me recently all wrapped up in a Tom Douglas bow.  Yes, the Tom Douglas.

You know.... 1994 James Beard Award for Best Northwest Chef. 2012 James Beard Award as Best Restaurateur. Best American Cookbook author Award...

Victor against freaking Masaharu Morimoto in an episode of Iron Chef America...

Top Chef Seattle judge...

Seattlite...

Teddy bear....

image source

How could I resist??

I frantically made my way through rush hour traffic to get there.  Navigated the downtown Macy's escalator in heels.  Then luxuriated in the wry humor and delicious bites of Toooooom.  Ohhhh Tom!! My friends, the repartee was flying.

Oh it started with his straight man...errr lady, the prim and proper Macy's assistant.  Tom swigged straight from the wine bottle.  Forthwith, the straight-laced Macy's rep brought him crystal.  So what does he do?  Serve some guests wine in a stainless steel measuring cup for knowing the name of Chinese broccoli.

The look on the Macy assistant's face was priceless.  He started the night by keeping it real.
  

Then it got juicy when he referenced fellow chef Gordon Ramsey.  My friends, I am guessing there is no LOVE LOST between those two. Apparently Tom is of the more kindler, gentler of kitchen bosses.  A quote, "That's as Gordon Ramsey as I get...could you please hurry sir." Juicy!

As he whipped together a gorgeous pear tart, he continued the his down to earth style. Another gem we enjoyed,  "Stick your finger in it to see if it's ready. Like my dad poked me at the Christmas table for my manners. Joking!! " Nope, this was no stuffy chef.  No airs.  All about the food and entertainment!!

A few great tips:  Use a melon baller to core ripe pears.  Just like buttah!  Don't forget to poke puff pastry with fork.

My kind of chef!!

He continued to tease his pastry chef about savory chefs being real. Still he gave her some serious credit as as his head pastry chef at the Dahlia Bakery and honored the precision required of pastry chefs.  He repeated his cookbook The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle has been tested many times by his pastry chefs.  

 

Lots of schnecken 

Then we started to get a littttle bit naughty.  He's talked about soft squishy Schnecken German Pull-apart bread and their....erm....similar texture to soft, squishy bewbies.  Hence why his then teenage self learned to make them.  Heh!

Then we moved on to the turkey.  As Tom says, "It's all about being the better cook than you neighbor...or sister."

Well isn't that the truth!!

Someone in peanut gallery just said she put vodka in her gravy in place of sodium. Omg!! Tom suggested cayenne.  Then he proceeded with another gem, "I OWN gravy."

Having tasted his gravy, I had to agree.   Almost as good as mine!

While we waited for our plates of turkey and gravy, we learned he had roasted it with coffee beans inside.  Oh the yum.  Even better, my husband won a freshly roasted bag to put in our turkey  for knowing the last three restaurants opened.  Go CG!!

Mmm hello cheesy lovah

Another delectable treat?  Mmm hello Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Broccoli Rabe with Fontina. Yep, it was a paleo cheat night if you didn't notice...it was worth every bite! I had some serious acid reflux later, but worth it.

In the meantime, we bought the book, got it signed by the man himself (squee) and plan to have a few more gluten-free cheat days. We even checked out his Serious Pie restaurant the following week.  Now that is a story for another day, but I can't leave you without flashing you some pie porn:

OMG!

OMG Times 2!

Drooling yet, my friends? What??  That was cruel??! You don't live in Seattle?  No worries.  We bought the book.

That grilled cheese?  Page 248.  That serious coconut pie recipe??  It's in there!!

The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle

Want to learn more? Seek out  @Macys @CulinaryCouncil @TomDouglasCo @DahliaBakery on Twitter.

I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with compensation for this post about Macy's Culinary Council.  However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.

Bounce Dryer Bars: Oh Noes!

I was sent this Bounce Fabric Softener Bar to review.  "Yay,"  I thought.  As a blogger and mom, I love to try new products.  However, when I saw that this product was meant to glue itself to the inside of my dryer, I'd be lying if I didn't say I had second and third thoughts.

In trepidation, I attached the bar to the inside of my $2000 HE dryer. The bar itself? Left chalky stains on my darks and didn't smell great like regular Bounce sheets. It left towels feeling waxy. My husband HATED it. 

Worst though is the softener bar only lasted a week or two before if detached and made a mess. 

Finally, I am stuck with an applicator glued to the inside of my expensive machine that I am afraid to take off because it is so tightly adhered that it feels like it will take the painted enamel with it. Grrr...not cool. It sits empty and snags clothes instead. 

I am now cautious to ever, EVER try a new P&G product again. Clearly, enough testing was not done. If this does permanent damage to my dryer? 

Believe you me, EVERYONE and their dog will hear about it on my blog. For now, please beware and use only as last resort.

Best,

Scout/Heather Murphy-Raines

Update:  Sorry, but still PO-ed.  Ugh hate #Bounce Fabric Softener bar...I was finally able to remove applicator after months of snagging my clothes and fear of breaking the ceramic on my $1000 dryer.

Ta-da!  Stinks like monkey poo, doesn't it?!

Now what? Guess I will be scraping the dryer for the next hour or so. Kinda defeats convenience of a bar, dontcha think?

My Beauty Resolution

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://www.discoverbeautywithin.com/.

 As a woman, mother and wife about to hit her fourth decade this year, I am finding maintenance becoming more and more of a sensitive issue.  From rogue hairs showing up where they shouldn't, to sags, wrinkles, and dreaded sun spots adorning my face. 

Time to grow old gracefully?  No way.  I am fighting.

In my twenties and brand-conscious, I would have bought expensive products at department stores.  However, now the good thing about being almost 40 years old?

I've discovered expensive does not always equal quality. In fact, some of my favorite products have come at crazy reasonable prices and rave reviews:

My favorite cleanser?

This is it!  If any of you have the indignity of having both fine lines and breakouts like me?  This takes care of them both!

From Neutrogena:

"Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Anti-Blemish Cleanser fights blemishes and the signs of aging every time you cleanse.

This unique anti-aging cleanser is formulated with a combination of the #1 blemish-fighting ingredient and a wrinkle-fighting ingredient to help give you clear, younger-looking skin. Salicylic Acid treats and helps prevent blemishes by penetrating deep into pores to remove dirt and oil.

Alpha-Hydroxy Acid works to help smooth fine lines. Formula rinses clean, with no pore-clogging residue.

Skin is clearer, softer and smoother. Fine lines and wrinkles are visibly reduced.

My favorite night cream? 

I found this cream a year ago and have never looked back.  Super impressive. Olay's says:

"This luxurious cream has the highest concentration of our signature amino-peptide + B3 complex infused with intracellular fortifier and a touch of precious marine proteins. Intercellular hydration regenerates volume and shape across skin's 10 million surface cells, progressively lifting and micro-sculpting to help:

• Firm sagging-prone areas, even the jaw line
• Smooth skin's surface
• Restore elasticity"

I am not alone in loving this one. Good Housekeeping Magazine blind-trialed it against other prestigious (read: pricey) face creams and Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream outperformed them all, even the $350 one! It beat its pricey competition, keeping skin more hydrated, and for a longer time, than the fancier creams--even the $350 one!

Now for my favorite daytime cream and sunscreen for my face:

When we move into daytime and Olay has a purty cousin to the Regenerist Sculpting Cream to do the job. Yep, we love Regenerist DNA Superstructure UV Cream with SPF 30.  I like that it combines a daily moisturizer and stronger sunscreen in one because I can be super forgetful about doing both, but we will get to that later...

I also bought a bottle of this for my daughter  going through puberty since sunscreen is not even on her radar.  However, most studies show the majority of the damage done to our skin happen in our childhood.  This just gives me the peace of mind that we are protecting her skin now and she'll thank me for it later!  Better yet, it does not break her out like other creams have done in the past.  Win-win!

So, yep, you guessed it.  All these products are readily available at your local drugstore and inexpensive enough to by a second bottle for your daughter. That said,  knowing the right products, does not exactly translate into using them in a daily regimen.  

Even with the best of intentions, I am horrible at washing off my make up at night.  I am even worse at hydrating my skin with a nightly skin cream. The death knell?  While I remember to put daily sunscreen on in the summer, I admit Seattle's dark winters make me lazy, lazy, and more lazy.  What sun I lament, but we all know that sunshine or not, UVA and UVB penetrate cloud cover and add to the dreaded brown spots congregating on my forehead.

So, my friends? It's a new year and I am making a beauty resolution to do better.  To be better. Skin care is part of the resolution. Nothing makes one feel better than healthy, clean, bright skin to put your best face forward.

How about you?  What are your beauty resolutions this year?  Better yet, share some of your favorite drugstore finds!  I need all the help I can get fighting forty!