banana macadamia pancakes with orange butter

One of the things I felt obligated to do (and wanted to do) when my parents were out to visit was take them to a few of the popular tourist attractions. I've already told you about our excursions to Pike Place Market, the Dahlia Lounge (though I certainly wouldn't define it as "touristy"), and the Space Needle, but we also took half-day trips to Snohomish for antiquing, and to Snoqualmie Falls to see, well, the falls. I'm not really an outdoorsy person. Camping and hiking don't interest me much because, though I certainly appreciate the opportunity to admire nature's grandeur, I don't feel the need to hang out in it for extended periods of time. Snoqualmie Falls, however, welcomes impatient visitors like me. When you arrive, you can park your car and then walk just 50 yards to a large covered deck that overlooks the waterfall. If you're feeling particularly motivated, you can also hike one-half mile down to the base of the falls. If not, you can go back to the car (stopping at the gift shop on your way) or walk just another 50 yards to the lovely Salish Lodge and Spa for one of their famous country breakfasts. This, friends, is my kind of outdoorsy experience.

whole-wheat banana nut bread

My refrigerator is empty. That can mean only one of two things: either I have lost my interest in cooking, or I'm so wrapped up in other things that I haven't had a chance to do anything more in my kitchen than make a bowl of cereal or heat up a can of soup. I think we all know it isn't the former. However, since most of those other things that are keeping me busy are good things, I can't really complain. (Except about that soup, which was terrible.) I really thought about cooking something a little more ambitious this weekend, but life got in the way then, too. In fact, the only reason I was able to make banana bread today is because I bought the bananas -- lime green at the time -- over a week ago. They were starting to reach the use-'em-or-lose-'em stage, so I put down the stack of resumes I was pouring over and mashed up the bananas for my favorite quick bread.

roasted fingerling potatoes

Tom Douglas is a Seattle icon. Even those of you from other parts of the country (or world) might be familiar with him because, in addition to being the driving force behind multiple famed Seattle restaurants, Tom also makes occasional appearances on the Food Network. Having already experienced the glory of his culinary prowess, I couldn't not take Mom and Dad to one of his restaurants while they were in town. Though I truly wanted to try one of his other restaurants, when I was perusing the menus online, I once again succumbed to the tantalizing offerings of the Dahlia Lounge. It was, thankfully, everything I expected. In addition to the highly regarded Tuscan grilled bread salad (which I will soon attempt to replicate), I enjoyed their red dahlia cocktail, which is made with St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur. (For those of you who are a little behind on your culinary news, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur is *the* thing in cocktails these days.) After our outstanding entrées and even though we were really too full, we all sampled the Lounge's most popular desserts: triple coconut cream pie, for which Tom is rather famous, and the doughnuts with seasonal jam. The seasonal jam turned out to be rhubarb, and it was so fantastic that I'm still thinking about how I can make some of my own or...*ahem*...when I can just eat his again.

orange layer cake with strawberries & amaretto pastry cream

As much as I love cupcakes, I think there are still occasions that are better served with layer cakes. Layer cakes are, by nature, celebratory desserts. They most often preside over birthdays and weddings, but they are just as appropriate for lesser occasions. In fact, it seems to me that the only real requirement for a layer cake occasion is that you want the recipient(s) to feel special. For my purposes this week, the layer cake said, "Welcome! I'm so glad you're here!" And my recipients were, of course, my parents.

lavender cream-filled cupcakes with citrus cream cheese frosting

My cupcakes have been noticed. In the real world -- somewhere other than my blog. This week brought another board meeting, and with board meetings come cupcakes (or whatever treat I feel inspired to whip up the night before). My homemade edibles are always well received at the meetings, but this meeting was extra special for me. One gentleman, a director emeritus of the board of local orchestra (with a self-described sweet tooth, I might add), was the first to grab a cupcake. After he polished it off, to my utter delight he said the following: "Dana, how would you like to make cupcakes for us to auction off at our gala this summer?" Oh, glory be. Cupcakes are fantastic on their own, but cupcakes that benefit the arts -- is there anything better? Not in my world, so of course, with obvious glee, I said yes. He and I have since worked out the basic details. The orchestra's live auction will feature a Dulcedo package deal: one dozen of my cupcakes each month for a year, with a starting bid of $500. Not bad, huh? I can't wait to see what they actually go for.

swordfish with braised endive

I have apparently reached another milestone in life where something I once found mundane now holds a great deal of interest for me. Yes, once upon a time, things like bed linens, kitchen equipment, and -- gasp! -- antiques bored me to tears. Now, however, I take delight in coordinating my sheets with my duvet cover, in the usefulness of my kitchenware, and in discovering a well-preserved Shiny Brite ornament in an out-of-the-way antique store. Signs of adulthood? Yes, probably. And now I can add one more thing to that list: vehicle maintenance, or, more specifically, vehicle beautification. On Saturday I had my car detailed from top to bottom. I tend to be a bit of a penny-pincher when it comes to things like this, but much to my surprise, I found myself looking forward to the appointment with a great deal of anticipation. And I would be lying if I said I was anything but gleeful when DANA ND2* was returned to me on Saturday afternoon, all shiny and clean and just for me! I can even pretend that the whole package was free...until I get next month's credit card bill, of course.

apricot & caramelized banana clafoutis

It occurred to me the other day that anyone who has spent more than five minutes with me in the last two years probably knows I like to cook, either because I bring it up in conversation or because I'm pushing a homemade treat under their nose with a hopeful look in my eyes at the first available opportunity. I can't help it. Cooking just brings me so much joy. For me, being alone in the kitchen with a few fresh ingredients a couple of times a week is cathartic. As I stand there chopping, whisking, kneading, and sautéing, the things in this world that burden me most start to melt away. For a short while I can forget about that all-important career path, my progress on the Grow Up--Get Married--Have Babies scale, and those pesky little "what-ifs" that like to hide in the corners of my mind.

asparagus & gruyere tart

I've talked often on this blog of Seattle. However, most of the time -- and especially when discussing its many fantastic amenities -- I'm actually referring to the greater Seattle area. In fact, I'm rather partial to the area known as the "Eastside" -- all the cities on the east side of Lake Washington. The Eastside is perhaps most famous for being the home of Microsoft, but recently it has garnered national attention for another reason. In only a few short years, the Eastside city of Bellevue has grown from a sleepy suburban business community to an amazingly urban technology hub with a thriving cosmopolitan lifestyle. I love Bellevue for all the same reasons as everyone else who spends time in this area. Fantastic restaurants, unbeatable views (two mountain ranges and the Seattle skyline), a wide variety of things to do, and -- the one thing downtown Seattle can't offer -- an abundance of free parking. I was quite pleased and proud, therefore, to see that Fortune just named Bellevue the #1 place to live and launch a business.