Archives for March 2015

Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe in Astoria

March 31, 2015 by 19 Comments

Are you traveling to the Oregon Coast? Going to or passing through Astoria?

Let me share one of my favorite places in Astoria: the Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe. If the parking lot for Pig ‘N Pancake is full and there is a line out the door, consider going down just 5 minutes further to this gem. You can gaze at all the goodness of the menu on the chalkboards and the baked goodies lined up like treasures in the L shaped case as you approach the register, where you will order, pay, and get a number to get your food and drinks delivered and then bus your own table. Here’s what we had on our Saturday morning visit (same morning as the Fort George Festival of the Dark Arts, but that’s a future post).

exterior of Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe in Astoria Some of the baked goods you can ogle as you approach the register of Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe to order

Yes, the banners do say Pastries to Die For and Bread to Live For. We had 3 different pastries while we were there in Astoria for Valentine’s Day weekend/FODA and they were all moist, flavorful, and could easily use the adjective “to live for”. Let’s take a look at what’s behind the case. Is that a Savory Croissant that includes pesto, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, asiago cheese, and egg? Did that not even last 24 hours in my possession? Yes.
Some of the baked goods you can ogle as you approach the register of Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe to order Some of the baked goods you can ogle as you approach the register of Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe to order. Including a Savory Croissant that includes pesto, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, asiago cheese, and egg

What, Cubes of Deliciousness (gluten-free, it uses tapioca starch and potato starch, but contains hazelnuts)? F and I agreed after devouring one that the name is completely correct. And holy moly look at the size of the scones and rolls (ranging from mini  to regular size Cinnamon Walnut to Cardamon Almond) and Almond Bear Claws…
Some of the baked goods you can ogle as you approach the register of Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe to order. Including these gluten free Cubes of Deliciousness

Don’t worry, they have plenty of beverages for you to enjoy with your food, including various caffeines from $2-6 or smoothies, various lemonades and ice tea, kombucha, even beer or wine by the glass. Seating includes tables as well as a children’s play area with little couches and toys, and also some seats at a counter by the window to gaze out at the sea just a couple blocks downhill.
All the beverages at the cheery and homey Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe are written on the chalkboard above the register Interior of Blue Scorcher Cafe

Our breakfast included Almond Milk Mocha, fresh rosemary lemonade, and OMG this super moist merely $3 Chocolate Chip Applesauce Cake, SO good. So DELICIOUS.
Almond Milk Mocha in all it's beauty at Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe in Astoria, Oregon This super moist chocolate cake made with apple sauce at Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe in Astoria, OR. SO good. So DELICIOUS. This super moist chocolate cake made with apple sauce at Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe in Astoria, OR. SO good. So DELICIOUS.

And oh, just this lil plate of French toast with brioche, homemade whipped cream, and local boysenberry and a dusting of powdered sugar served with maple syrup.
Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe, French toast with brioche, homemade whipped cream, and local boysenberry and a dusting of powdered sugar served with maple syrup Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe, French toast with brioche, homemade whipped cream, and local boysenberry and a dusting of powdered sugar served with maple syrup Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe, French toast with brioche, homemade whipped cream, and local boysenberry and a dusting of powdered sugar served with maple syrup

We’ve only been to Astoria twice, but both times we stopped at Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe, and I’m pretty sure every future trip, we will also be stopping in. Blue Scorcher is open every day, 7 AM – 3 PM. To give you fair warning, this is a worker owned co-op so the people who serve you may vary on the knowledge of what’s in any of the food item if they were not involved in making it.

Everything here is sourced to be organic and mostly local. Everything is also vegetarian, so even on their pizza of the day or reuben, there will be no meat (the reuben is made of tempeh). If you are looking for big portions at a good value, you should go back to wait in line at Pig ‘N Pancake. It is a cafe so it might be hard to accommodate big groups, and there are times, just like any cafe, that you may be sitting at a 4-top and share the space communally (it’s seat yourself).

If you are in Astoria, definitely consider stopping in!

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Easter Treat of a Spaghetti Nest Recipe

March 30, 2015 by 13 Comments

I was trying to think of something unique and fun for a Easter Recipe to share (I can’t believe it’s just this coming Sunday, April 5!). Well, as it turns out that I made a little bit too much wheat spaghetti when I was making my recipe for Spaghetti Pie that I wrote about last week to celebrate April Fool’s Day. That then brought me down the path of looking at recipes for fun twists on leftover spaghetti, and voila! I present ideas for a Spaghetti Nest Recipe!
Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!

First of all, there are several options in putting together your spaghetti nests. The original recipe I saw from Giada’s Recipe  for Spaghetti Nests uses 1 egg as a binding agent. However, for me I just used simple Parmesan and olive oil without the egg, and it still stayed together thanks to baking them in a muffin tin.

I can also imagine you could add some bacon and just make your spaghetti nest a carbonara sauced pasta – or you can use pesto instead if you puree your olive oil and Parmesan with basil and pine nuts (or other cheaper nut like walnuts). You could add more cheese so it’s more of a mac and cheese like spaghetti for your nest too – the possibilities are great!
Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!

Giada also added wilted spinach to her nests, which I love the idea but I didn’t have any more spinach on hand so left it out. I could also imagine throwing in Italian parsley as well to be the green of the nests. I used chopped sage in mine because that’s what I had on hand, but you could throw in seasonings and greens per your taste.

There are lots of fun ways to fill a spaghetti nest. Giada had little mozzarella balls – I had one big mozzarella ball that I just cut into small pieces for my “Eggs” in the nest after baking the nest. She uses marinara sauce, but you can also use pesto. Or, why make it cheese, you could also use little meatballs, right? Another version is to just crack real eggs and cook them in – the latter of which I also did.
Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!

I also pretty much am smitten with these three rabbit Easter decorations I recently found for 20% off at Fred Meyer. Or you can go more subtle with sprouts or salad greens…
Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 box of spaghetti – I used wheat pasta – and this made about 8 muffin-sized nests for me
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped basil or sage or seasoning of your choice
  • 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons of milk or cream
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • Optional- eggs, one egg per nest that you want a cooked egg
    OR
    18 small mozzarella balls (assuming 3 small mozzarella balls per nest)
    OR
    use 2-3 small meatballs
  • Your choice of sauce – marinara or pesto, about 1/2 tablespoon per nest if desired, and/or more for the plate underneath each nest if you’d like

Directions:

  1. Cook your pasta according to the directions until al dente- probably after putting the pasta into the boiling water this might be about 7-8 minutes in.
  2. Drain the water from the pasta and then add in the olive oil, cheese, and seasonings of your chopped basil or sage (I had sage on hand), Italian Seasoning, and the optional splash of milk or cream if you think the pasta is too dry as well as salt and pepper to taste. Toss until all the pasta noodles are coated.
    Spaghetti Nests - after draining the water from the pasta, toss with olive oil, seasonings, and parmesan
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a regular muffin tin and then with a fork, twirl some noodles and then place into each muffin well. Carefully with your fork now push some of the noodles to the sides so that each nest has a crater that you will be able to place items in later (there will still be noodles at the very bottom as part of your nest).
    By making the recipe for my Spaghetti Nests, you don't need egg as binder for the pasta nest because you bake them in muffin tins By making the recipe for my Spaghetti Nests, you don't need egg as binder for the pasta nest because you bake them in muffin tins By making the recipe for my Spaghetti Nests, you don't need egg as binder for the pasta nest because you bake them in muffin tins
  4. This is optional- if you are filling your nests with “eggs” of cheese or meatballs, then go ahead and go ahead and bake for the next 20-25 minutes. If you are baking eggs to go with your nest, crack the egg into a separate bowl, and carefully pour one egg each into each of your wells that you made. Sprinkle each egg with a little bit of salt and pepper or Parmesan if you’d like.
    Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!
  5. Bake your Spaghetti Nest for 20-25 minutes. If you are baking the nests with real eggs inside, check so that the eggs are just set with no uncooked whites surrounding the yolks, but it should still be liquidy yolk.
    Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!
  6. Since the cooking time is close with or without the egg, you can choose to do partial batches with some with baked egg and some without, and then remove the baked egg when it’s ready if it’s done sooner and then put the rest back in to finish off. When you are ready to remove your nests, carefully using a spoon pop each of your nests out of each muffin tin.
  7. If you are filling your nests with “eggs” afterward, spoon a 1/2 tablespoon of sauce (either marinara or pesto) into each well after they are done baking and then add your cheese or meat ball. If you’d like to serve it the way Giada did, she put her cheese directly into the nest and put the sauce on the serving plate instead – both sound great to me!
    Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter! Spaghetti Nests, Recipe on Pechluck.Com. Fill with egg and bake, or bake on their own and fill with mozzarella cheese balls or meatballs. Fun for Easter!
  8. Serve your nests warm or at room temperature with a salad.

I hope you have a great Easter weekend. Are you planning on doing any special food or recipe for the holiday? Have you had spaghetti nests before, and what was it filled with?

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A Visit to Cheese & Crack, Portland

March 27, 2015 by 11 Comments

I still remember my first meeting with Cheese & Crack in Portland, which was then a fledgling food cart a few years ago. Besides delicious offerings of cheese plates and also homemade crackers, the cart owner William Steuernagel really showcased a sense of presentation and style that helped them really stand out on the food cart scene.
Cheese & Crack's food cart offers cheese plates and homemade crackers Eat Mobile 2013: Cheese & Crack's map of their taste Eat Mobile 2013: Cheese & Crack's map of their taste

In 2012 he launched a successful Kickstarter which ended up with twice what he was asking for to start that little cart (and proving that the demand for cheese and the number of cheese addicts in Portland is real), and then grew up into a store on SE 28th by Burnside that opened around this time last year, though that also meant he sadly closed his cute cart. The snack shop is charmingly adorable.
Cheese & Crack Snack Shop in Portland, on SE 28th just a few steps south of Burnside Cheese & Crack Snack Shop in Portland, on SE 28th just a few steps south of Burnside Cheese & Crack Snack Shop in Portland, on SE 28th just a few steps south of Burnside

Their regular menu has about half a dozen cheese plates, and there may be a special cheese plate or special sundae or special snack on their Specials Board, so make sure you check it out. This is the only part about Cheese & Crack that I don’t like – in the multiple times I have visited, people assume that the only offerings are what is on the board, not realizing there is a printed menu once they reach the register that has a listing of more cheese plates and snacks. I wish they would make a large sign with their regular menu offerings for the wall as well. The service works in that you go up to the register to order and pay, and then they prepare your order and bring it to you, and then you bus it to some shelves with dish-bins.
Cheese & Crack Snack Shop in Portland, on SE 28th just a few steps south of Burnside. This is their specials board, they also have a printed menu with more cheese delights Cheese & Crack Snack Shop in Portland, on SE 28th just a few steps south of Burnside. This is their specials board, they also have a printed menu with more cheese delights

It’s hard to believe he was inspired by simple Lunchables and their little boxes of cheese and crackers into this.
Cheese and Crack plate of Shaft's Bleu and Cypress Grove Fromage Blanc with Marionberry Jam, plus an additional side of cheese I requested of the brie brulee on the right hand side

As you can see, there are quite an assortment on your cheese plate: rustic butter crackers they make in house, homemade savory oatmeal cookie, baguette slices, olives, cornichons, dijon mustard, honey, and even a dessert teaspoon of chocolate ganache. My favorite plate is to put together the Shaft’s Bleu and Cypress Grove Fromage Blanc with Marionberry Jam, plus an additional side of cheese. Below, I requested of the brie brulee on the right hand side, but I change out that cheese – I like the blue and the fresh cheese as a base. Make you you sip the blue cheese in the honey! Be careful with the dijon mustard, it is quite pungent – and make use of the olives and cornichons acidity to balance out your little bites.
Cheese and Crack plate of Shaft's Bleu and Cypress Grove Fromage Blanc with Marionberry Jam Cheese and Crack additional side of cheese I requested, the brie brulee

If you are looking for more to fulfill your appetite, get their Seasonal Sandwich. When I visited below it was a Coppa Sandwich with Alps Provisions Dry Cured Pork Collar, Swiss Cheese, Apple Butter, and Greens all on a Grand Central Baguette.
Cheese & Crack Portland's Seasonal Sandwich, a Coppa Sandwich with Alps Provisions Dry Cured Pork Collar, Swiss Cheese, Apple Butter, and Greens all on a Grand Central Baguette Cheese & Crack Portland's Seasonal Sandwich, a Coppa Sandwich with Alps Provisions Dry Cured Pork Collar, Swiss Cheese, Apple Butter, and Greens all on a Grand Central Baguette Cheese & Crack Portland's Seasonal Sandwich, a Coppa Sandwich with Alps Provisions Dry Cured Pork Collar, Swiss Cheese, Apple Butter, and Greens all on a Grand Central Baguette

Add a side salad for $2 or Mornay sauce for $2 – but I think you should add the Macaroni and Mornay instead of putting the Mornay on your sandwich. Go ahead and get the salad so you get some veggies in with the large amount of cheese you are eating.
Cheese & Crack Portland's Seasonal Sandwich, a Coppa Sandwich with Alps Provisions Dry Cured Pork Collar, Swiss Cheese, Apple Butter, and Greens all on a Grand Central Baguette. Add Mornay sauce to your sandwich for $2, but I recommend adding the Macaroni and Mornay instead! You can also add a side salad for $2 Side Salad at Crack and Cheese comes with pickled lentils for fun texture

For the Macaroni and Mornay, they make it with Trofie Pasta to make it even more melt in your mouth, along with Sauce Mornay made with Gruyere & Beecher’s Flagship White Cheddar and then topped with a touch of garlic, herbs, and olive oil.
Cheese & Crack's Macaroni and Mornay, with Trofie Pasta to make it even more melt in your mouth along with Sauce Mornay made with Gruyere & Beecher's Flagship White Cheddar and topped with a touch of garlic, herbs, and olive oil

Alternatively, get your Mornay fix on in the form of “Nachos”, that is Potato Chip Nachos with Sauce Mornay and Pickled Lentils
Cheese & Crack Portland's Snack of Potato Chip Nachos with Sauce Mornay and Pickled Lentils Cheese & Crack Portland's Snack of Potato Chip Nachos with Sauce Mornay and Pickled Lentils

Another visit, they had a Special Snack of Grilled Halloumi with seared halloumi cheese, toast, honey, lemon and greens. I thought it was well worth the price as I assembled by little bites with bread, arugula, warm seared halloumi, a tiny squeeze of lemon and smear of honey.
Cheese & Crack Snack Special of Grilled Halloumi with seared halloumi cheese, toast, honey, lemon and greens. Cheese & Crack Snack Special of Grilled Halloumi with seared halloumi cheese, toast, honey, lemon and greens.

Perhaps you even have room for dessert? I tried the seasonal dessert of a Port Wine Cheese Sundae with Vanilla Soft Serve layered with Ruby Port Wine Reduction and Hazelnut Granola, and then there’s the grated Beecher’s Flagship Cheddar.
Cheese & Crack dessert of a Port Wine Cheese Sundae with Vanilla Soft Serve layered with Ruby Port Wine Reduction and Hazelnut Granola, and then there's the grated Beecher's Flagship Cheddar Cheese & Crack dessert of a Port Wine Cheese Sundae with Vanilla Soft Serve layered with Ruby Port Wine Reduction and Hazelnut Granola, and then there's the grated Beecher's Flagship Cheddar

For their 1 year birthday recently they had a Birthday Sundae with vanilla soft serve, cake mix dusting, sprinkles, and almond whipped cream. This month, I believe it’s a new sundae called Ten Dollar Banana Split boasting Brûléed Bananas, Buttered Chocolate Sauce, Freddy Guys Hazelnuts, Sea Salt, Brown Sugar Whipped Cream and Local Bordeaux Maraschino Cherries. Yep, they are pretty fun with their sundae of the month. This is dangerous to have on your Instagram feed.

 

A photo posted by Cheese & Crack (@cheeseandcrack) on

Their usual Cheese & Crack sundae boasts their vanilla soft serve with torched marshmallow, cracker crumb crumble, and chocolate ganache. Their regular soft serve, a steal at $3, was very popular in the recent wonderful spring weather with the vanilla soft serve with the cone bottom filled with chocolate ganache and optional espresso dust sprinkle on top.

I enjoy following their Instagram @CheeseandCrack which continues the charm pictorially even when I’m not at the shop, and the Cheese & Crack Facebook page is usually the one updated with specials (and food porn images of those specials).

Cheese & Crack Snack Shop on Urbanspoon

 

Have you been to Cheese & Crack? Have you heard of it? What do you think you would try if you visited?

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April Fool’s Recipe for Spaghetti Pie

March 23, 2015 by 12 Comments

I know April Fool’s Day, which is April 1, is not until next week, but next week is also Easter so I have to get this one done first!
Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957

I admit the April Fool’s is a bit of a stretch here, since this looks like a pie yes,  but it’s pretty clear it’s not any type of regular dessert pie. But, I like the call back to my favorite on the Wikipedia list of April Fool’s jokes, the BBC’s Panorama Programme reporting about spaghetti crops in Switzerland.

I was also inspired to make this Recipe for Spaghetti Pie by this great recipe by Bobcatsteph3, which itself is a copycat recipe for Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom’s Oh My Spaghetti Pie. The description on the Old Chicago website describes this as “This Old Chicago exclusive starts with spaghetti tossed in Alfredo sauce made from scratch daily with Parmesan, mozzarella, Romano and provolone cheeses, topped with even more cheeses and slow-baked to toasty perfection. Served by the slice over our house marinara.”

This is a dish I have never had, and also a restaurant that I’ve never been to, even having lived in Chicago, because it doesn’t actually exist in Chicago – the 3 locations in Illinois are in Peoria,  Rockford and Champaign which are all significantly *outside* Chicago. There are 3 locations here in Portland though I’ve never been to any of those either! I’ve actually only seen Old Chicago when I’ve been in Colorado, which seems to be where they have the most franchise locations since they started out in Boulder in 1976.

While I respect the true alfredo used to make the pie in the BobcatSteph3 copycat recipe (and which Old Chicago Pizza probably makes in its own kitchen),  the “calories, schmalories” concern me too much so I did a different white sauce. I could have used the cauliflower alfredo that I shared in a previous recipe post, but this time I tried a different cheese mixture that uses low fat ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan along with Tofutti Sour Supreme (or you can use light or regular Sour Cream). If that sounds like something you might put into a lasagna, that’s where I got my other part of this inspiration.
Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957 Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957

And here I go again, making a savory pie (the last one I did was the bacon cheddar potato one using Michael Smith’s recipe). I think this pie serves 4-8 people depending on what else you are serving the slice on the plate with.

Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna so it's both creamy and tangy, and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957

Ingredients:

  • 20 ounces of spaghetti noodles (I did not use all of my 13.5 Oz box), cooked to al dente and drained from pasta water. It will cook again when you bake it, and further soften so it’s ok for it to be less than al dente. I personally like wheat or veggie noodles so mine are not the same color as normal noodles
  • 2 cups of  shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 ounces)
  • 8 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 8 ounces Tofutti Sour Supreme (or you can use light or regular sour cream – I think using 1 beaten egg would work too as the binding agent here for the cheese)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • 4 cups of your own marinara sauce, be it from a jar or your version of homemade, your choice. I put quite a bit of red pepper in mine to make it spicy, you might consider adding mushrooms, or even your choice of crumbled meat if you don’t want it vegetarian

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. While the pasta is cooking to al dente, mix together the 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella, all 8 ounces of the ricotta, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan aka 1/4 cup (you will use the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan for topping later), and all the Tofutti Sour Supreme/sour cream, Italian Seasoning, basil, garlic, and to taste the salt and pepper.
    Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957. This cheese filling is a mix of shredded mozzarella, ricotta, Parmesan and sour cream with seasonings
  3. Mix the cheese sauce to the al dente spaghetti until it is well incorporated, and then place the cheese and spaghetti into the greased pie plate.
    Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957 Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957
  4. Cover the pie dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the pie briefly to spread the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese that is left on top of that pie and then bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is all melty. If you wanted to, you could add a bit of panko or breadcrumb while adding the mozzarella and Parmesan topping if you’d like a bit more crunch.
    Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957 Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957
  5. After you remove your spaghetti pie, let it cool for at least 10 minutes so it can solidify and stay together when you cut your pie slices.

To serve, make a layer of the red marinara sauce onto a plate, and then on top of that serve a slice of the spaghetti pie, sprinkle with a bit of fresh basil chiffonode or chopped basil or some crispy fried sage if you’d like. Or add another layer of sauce on top of your pie!
Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957 "Recipe Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957

I usually see this dish served with a side salad and also some garlic bread, which you can use to further dip into the sauce. The key here is that this mashup lasagna spaghetti dish is a taste of both creamy cheesy white and tangy (and in my case spicy) red sauce. Plus you are having spaghetti but without having to slurp it up and get the sauce on your face and clothing.
Recipe for Spaghetti Pie for April Fool's day. It's a mashup between spaghetti and lasagna and a nod to the April Fool's joke of the Spaghetti Harvest in 1957

Are you doing or making anything for April Fool’s Day? Have you ever had Spaghetti Pie or been to Old Chicago Pizza?

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March 2015 Stitch Fix review

March 20, 2015 by 11 Comments

I was surprised as I opened up my box of Stitch Fix to see at the top that my March 2015 box was Stitch Fix #15. Thanks to Stitch Fix, for the past year I’ve now spent less time wandering between and inside stores every season to see what I might want to add to my wardrobe to keep it fresh. During this time while subtracting my shopping time they have been  adding the times I have received compliments on some of my outfits because they have unique stand out pieces. And, the stylists have challenged me to try things and find out I like them, even though I would have never thought to even pick it up from a hanger – but once I try it on, I discover a new love!
Stitch Fix #15 March 2015

If you haven’t heard of Stitch Fix before, Stitch Fix is a monthly styling subscription service personalized for you. You go online and they ask you questions, including showing you images of various outfits, to get an information on your size as well as your preferences in style. If you’d like you can also make a Pinteret board of fashion inspirations for the stylists to also check out and get an idea of what you like.
Stitch Fix Style Profile questions Stitch Fix Style Profile questions

Then, based on that, a stylist will pick out 5 pieces to ship to you that are mailed to your home. There is a $20 styling fee that is applied to your order as soon as the box is shipped to your home. You can choose whether you want to exclude anything (such as outerwear or jewelry or certain colors), or ask for certain things (I wanted pieces that were not too casual that I couldn’t wear them to a business casual office). You also get to choose how often you get your Stitch Fix boxes – monthly, quarterly, on demand if you want your Fix sooner or at a certain time because of an event.
Stitch Fix scheduling

Then, in the comfort of your own home with real mirrors and normal light and while looking/working it out with your own clothes already in your closet, you can try everything on and decide to keep any, all,  or none of the pieces in your Stitch Fix box. A $20 styling fee is charged when the biz first ships, but is credited  to the cost of the clothing if you do purchase anything, and if you purchase everything in the box you get 25% off.  If you return anything, there is already a postage paid envelope in the package and you will not be charged anything besides the styling fee. The most important part is to always leave feedback when you check out, whether you like or don’t like an article they have sent, so that the stylists understand what went wrong/right and can adjust accordingly. That’s how you get successful Stitch Fix boxes. Here is what I got in my March Stitch Fix:
Stitch Fix #15 March 2015 Stitch Fix #15 March 2015 Stitch Fix #15 March 2015

I don’t have a photo of the Henry & Belle Abana Skinny Jean – it’s just a black pair of jeans that have a good stretchy factor. They are more expensive then I would like, so usually I would have sent them back except that they also are high waisted. A lot of my jeans sit at my waist, so the fact these look hip but are not mommy jeans but tuck me in is appreciated. Then the fact with the simple black color these jeans could even pass possibly as pants felt like a good addition to my wardrobe. I hate jeans shopping, and so I debated in my mind whether I was willing to pay a little bit more than I normally would in order to trade off not going to multiple stores and trying on multiple jeans in the dressing room, and the addition of black jeans. Yes, I am willing to pay a little more to not go through wondering if jeans will go up my hips or button/zip fully.

When I first pulled saw the Honey Punch Ana Marie Mixed Material Top, I didn’t really like the pattern as it seems so preppie and conservative, and it requires I wear this a specific smooth bra as it shows bra lines easily and I have a weird thing with that. But, then I felt the shirt- it feels so incredibly soft, like a well loved well worn jersey knit T-shirt. I can wear it to work or casually. Sold, keeping.
Honey Punch Ana Marie Mixed Material Top from my March 2015 Stitch Fix -"Honey

I think I squealed after I pulled this Yumi Mckinley Printed Dress out of the box. I looooove it! The color is great for spring, the little bird pattern is adorable and very Portland, and the material is nice and thick, which is great since the spring weather is still pretty chilly in the morning and evenings. Love it! Love it so much!
Yumi Mckinley Printed Dress from my March 2015 Stitch Fix box

So this Gilli Auden Ikat Print Dress from my March 2015 Stitch Fix may not look like much on the hanger, but it’s form fitting but not too tight on the top while the pop of color as part of the skirt makes it stand out from just wearing a little black dress or black/white dress. I also have this one set of earrings and necklace from Target already in a similar turquoise color that I love but don’t get to wear much, and they went perfectly with the colors in the skirt. I wore it 4 hours after I received it to attend TOAST 2015, so a keeper because it isn’t so low on top that I can’t wear it to work, but also great to go out in. And for someone who doesn’t have much of a chest, this dress creates an impressive illusion. Sorry that my selfie game is very, very very weak.
Gilli Auden Ikat Print Dress from my March 2015 Stitch Fix Gilli Auden Ikat Print Dress from my March 2015 Stitch Fix

Given that I was keeping all those pieces above, it didn’t make sense to just send back the Skies Are Blue Devon Lace Back Blouse. I loved the color and lace back, but didn’t like the fit because it is very boxy. But I was pretty much getting it for free with the 25% discount if I got the whole box, so it made sense just to keep it too.
March 2015 Stitch Fix find of Skies are Blue Devon Lace Back Blouse March 2015 Stitch Fix find of Skies are Blue Devon Lace Back Blouse

In my other Stitch Fix Friday post, I share some of my favorite Stitch fix matches I’ve gotten over the past other 14 boxes. I will also try to keep up a series monthly or so  with my latest Stitch Fix box review.

Have you heard of Stitch Fix? If you are not a Stitch Fixer, and are thinking of trying it, would you mind using this referral link that gives me a small credit? And, then become Stitch Fix friends with me so we can share what we have in our boxes, I’m always curious to see what others are getting based on their style information!

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