Patxi's Ballard

While walking in the Balłard area of Seattle we stumbled on this quaint restaurant pub that offered a selection of spirits, beer, wine and unique menu items.  

We were feeling adventurous so my Husband Kurt and I decided to try a thin crust all natural garlic fennel sausage pizza with ricotta and mozzarella cheese.  

I have to admit I had never tried pizza with ricotta cheese but since I love lasagne how bad could it be?  Well, it wasn't bad at all, quite the contrary!  It was absolutely delicious!  The service was friendly and attentative...meaning they didn't make us wait from the time we walked in the door to taking care of the bill.  

We will go back again so that says something in itself.  The atmosphere, food, drinks and service got an A+++++. The only problem was walking the 2 miles home but that's another story.....

Visit their website at www.patxispizza.com for a local one near you or for your next travel adventure!

McMenamins in Mill Creek Washington

I had the opportunity to go to lunch at McMenamin's Brew Pub awhile back and they had this delicious cheeseburger on the special menu.  It looked so good when they brought it to the table that  I had to take a picture!  It not only looked good, it was perhaps the best cheeseburger I have ever had! 

The beer that I paired it with was their most popular Hammerhead brew which is a pale ale.  Usually I can't decide which beer to order since I happen to like them all.  They are all handcrafted brews that pair with their excellent choice of food offered on their main and weekly specialty menus.   The selection is great and so is the service. 

McMenamins has a lot to offer if you are traveling in Washington and Oregon.  They have many locations that also offer hotel accommodations along with their restaurants.

I highly recommend them so check out their website for more information:  McMenamins

Making Homemade Pasta Noodles!

Homemade Pasta

I bought a pasta making machine with the drying rack but let it sit in my closet close to a year before actually using it.  I had been so eager to buy but so reluctant to use!  I finally overcame my fear of failure when I pulled it out of the box and made the decision to try it.

Add the eggs in the center and beat them with a fork

Ok, there is really only two ingredients that are listed on the instructions that came with the machine.  How bad can it be?  Well, for starters instead of talking while measuring it may be better to stay quiet and pay attention!  I actually doubled the flour and didn't have enough eggs to compensate so my Husband being the hungry man he is obliged and went to the store to get the eggs.

Adding the seasoning

Now, I was ready to knead and knead until I got the dough the way I wanted it.  I used 4 cups of flour, 10 eggs (room temp) and even though the recipe didn't call for it I added lots of dried basil and dried Italian seasoning.

Dough is ready!

After the dough was the consistency that I wanted, all smooth and no lumps, I mashed it together sorta like a meatloaf and wrapped it in cooking paper.  I then cut it into slices to get ready to put in the pasta machine.

wrap in paper for easy cutting and no marks on your table!

There is a dial for thickness.  I started on 1 and worked up to 3

Dry for at least an hour before cooking!

Select a good red wine for your meal

My Pasta loaded with sauce and ready for dinner paired with a glass of red wine!!

  What I would do differently?  Well, for starters I would measure right and not make the noodles quite so thick!  The dial on the machine goes from 0 to 9 so I need to practice with making thinner type noodles even though I have to admit I LOVED the meal.

I  used my favorite brand of flour:

 I also picked a wine from my selection bought from www.nakedwines.com:  Arbor Crest - Cabernet Sauvignon!