We enjoyed dinner in the first night in our three-bedroom abode at The Lake House (the must-stay-at spot in Lake Chelan for the perfect home-away-from-home vacation). On day two, we were off to the wineries. Our first stop was Four Lakes Chelan Winery. Newly opened July 2009, we had to stop in and try their wines. A bit young they were… I would suggest giving them some more time in the bottle. The views, however, were spectacular.

Our second stop was Tildio Winery where we ran into an old friend… of sorts. We met Anton on our first official vacation to Chelan and he immediately recognized us when we walked into their tasting room. Check out their Tourmalet, a Pinot Noir, but snatch it up fast. They have ceased growing the grape and once this wine runs out, it is gone.

Hard Row to Hoe was our third stop – the name is a pun on the challenges of male miners in early Lake Chelan days and a nod to a tough harvest. It is fitting for viticulture and the history of the region, not to mention so ridiculously fun. This winery’s tasting room is dressed up as a brothel complete with room keys and kama sutra wallpaper. Don’t let the disguise fool you though; this wine is some of the best in Lake Chelan. The winemaker is a perfectionist and if a batch doesn’t aspire to greatness, it’s bottled under the Shameless Hussy label.

Saving our favorite for last, we ended our Saturday wine tasting tour at Benson Vineyards. We sampled through their new spring releases, tried a few old favorites, and some new red blends. Indecisive and feeling great at this point, we left a chunk of our paycheck behind in exchange for full case of wine. After tasting, we bought a bottle of Syrah and headed outside for picnic. We had packed a lunch with slow cooked ham, bread from the Anjou Bakery in Cashmere, and fromage from Mt. Townsend Creamery.

We had fun showing our family Lake Chelan and scoping out a spot to plant our vineyard. We will be back soon… in two weeks to be exact!

I waited until the last minute to throw together the menu and was afraid I would not be able to acquire my choice ingredients. I got up early on Saturday to visit the University District Farmers Market in search of a local ham to be the centerpiece of the meal. One vendor politely told me they had already ran out, and another looked at me like I had two heads. I felt defeated and a bit intimidated through the process, but I did manage to pick up a sack of potatoes from Alden Farms, some chives from an unmarked flower stand, and a tub of Fromage from Mt. Townsend Creamery.

I found my local ham at the Metropolitan Market, made by Hempler’s in Ferndale, WA. I also picked up milk from Twin Brook Creamery, some green beans (a staple at Lybecker family gatherings), and parmesan cheese. A few more items were contributed by my amazing mom-in-law and here is how the menu came together:

Mt. Townsend Creamery Fromage with Oregon Hazelnuts and Orange Zest
served with Eat Local camelina crackers

Mom’s Whole Wheat Bread
made with Twin Brook Creamery milk and Bluebird Grains cracked emmer

Bok Choy Salad
with green onions, chow mein noodles, slivered almonds, and soy sauce vinaigrette

Alden Farms Mashed Potatoes
with locally grown chives

Sautéed Green Beans
with fresh lemon juice, slivered almonds, and parmesan cheese

Hempler’s Slow Cooked Ham
with Rockridge Orchards spiced apple cider, stone ground mustard, and honey

Grand Central Bakery Coconut Cake
with vanilla bean ice cream

I felt the pressure to please everyone with dinner, but I relaxed the day of and had fun with it.  The meal received plenty of thumbs up and my husband’s mom even called me the Rockstar of Easter! I call that a glowing success.

The first course was a surprise; Charlie refused to tell me what he was preparing with the tomatoes and asparagus I saw him pull out of his grocery bag. While I did some prep work so my dishes were mise en place, Charlie put together a cheese plate with Mt. Townsend Creamery’s Seastack and Fromage, some water crackers, and dried cranberries. This was a freebie course – an oversized amouse bouche so to speak.

When I was finished rolling pasta, I sat and enjoyed a glass of sparkling wine from O.S. Winery in anticipation of the first course. Charlie brought to the table a ramekin filled with asparagus risotto set on a plate with a tomato and asparagus salad dressed with lemon vinaigrette. He served it with a Portuguese white wine we picked up from our local wine shop, West Seattle Cellars. How could I possibly follow this act?

I hand made ravioli for the pasta course. I completely botched the first go round, but luckily had prepared enough filling for a second try. I baked a salmon fillet from the Loki Fish Company and mixed it with Mt. Townsend Creamery’s Fromage, lemon juice, and dill. The finished raviolis were dressed in a dill butter sauce.

For the meat course, Charlie put forth one of his Chef signatures. Marinating a t-bone steak for hours, letting it come to room temperature, then grilling on each side for a calculated amount of time to achieve the perfect doneness. He served it with a red wine and balsamic reduction that I was mopping off the serving plate. The dish was accompanied by a glass of Cuillin Hills Cabernet Franc.

I chose an old standby for dessert, the same one I made last Valentine’s Day – Chocolate Decadence. I couldn’t resist the heart-shaped cake oozing from the middle with chocolate. I topped it off with a dusting of powdered sugar and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Sharing the kitchen with my husband, showing off our cooking skills, spending hours eating and drinking wine; we should do this more often. I wonder how Chef and Cook will celebrate Valentine’s Day next year?

I made it through the market with a ten-dollar bill and a crisp twenty, picking up an acorn squash and sweet carrots from Stoney Plains Organic Farm and a round of Seastack cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery.

I found sweet potatoes and Braeburn apples.

The big splurge was a 3-pound grass-fed chuck roast from Stokesberry Sustainable Farm.  The vendor gave me a bit of a deal of the beef so long as I promised to cook it slowly.

My meal plan for the week? With items in my pantry and freezer, this is what I hope to create in my kitchen this week:

•    Roasted chicken thighs with carrots, apples, and red onion
•    Pot roast with sweet potatoes and onion (seasoned with cinnamon)
•    Pot roast, round two, with roasted acorn squash
•    Fruit and cheese plate featuring Seastack

I can’t wait to share with you the results.

In year’s past I have made bread rolls from scratch using my Mom’s Whole Wheat Bread recipe and I was asked to contribute the same this year. Knowing I could not source all of the ingredients from the state, I felt I had to make one more dish.

I wandered the West Seattle Farmer’s Market with my husband contemplating what to make. “Does your family like swiss chard? What if we do a fruit and cheese plate? How about glazed carrots?” The answers I got were, “Nope. Nah. Uh uh.”

We finally settled on a salmon spread served with locally made crackers. The ingredients – Fromage cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery, rosemary from Stoney Plains Organic Farm, and salmon from the Loki Fish Company. After we made the purchases, my doubt began to take back over. The salmon wasn’t technically from Washington State; it was caught in Alaska. I was beginning to think I failed the challenge.

Discouraged, but determined to complete the dish that was decided, I moved on to the bread. Surprisingly, instead of dwelling on the fact that it was not a local dish, I saw this recipe as an opportunity to incorporate local ingredients. I added Bluebird Grains’ cracked emmer to the recipe and the liquid mixture contained milk from Twin Brook Creamery. I was feeling positive… until I killed the yeast.

I was working way too quickly and not measuring temperatures diligently. I poured the liquid into the bowl with the whole wheat flour and yeast when it was twice as warm as it should have been. Steam rose up from the mixture, but I was hopeful. I kneaded the dough and left it on the counter to rise.

But it didn’t. I formed the un-risen dough into small round balls and crossed my fingers they would miraculously rise up for the second round. They didn’t. The bread had failed.

We showed up at grandparents’ doorstep with unleavened bread and the salmon spread.

My mother-in-law thought they were both delicious, the brother-in-law went back for seconds, and our family friend raved over the round little bread balls. I wanted to share my accomplishments of incorporating local ingredients. I wanted to wave from my boat saying, “Look at me, look at me. I may have failed, but I certainly tried.” But I didn’t have time to take pride; there were turkey, mashed potatoes, and grandma’s dressing to be devoured.

Of course, being a lover of food, I had to serve some bites to go along with the drinks. I assembled a cheese plate with Rogue Creamery’s Smokey Blue, aged Gouda, and Mt. Townsend Creamery’s Fromage. They were accompanied by some La Panzanella crackers, dried cherries, and walnuts.

I made some pizza dough from scratch, topping one pie with home made tomato sauce (using my canned tomatoes), slices of fresh mozzarella, and basil, and the second pie with a combination that is quickly becoming a favorite of my hubby and friends. I brushed the dough with olive oil and baked on the lowest rack in the oven for eight minutes. Then I layered on mozzarella, red onion, sliced apples, grilled chicken, smoked blue cheese, and chopped walnuts.

For dessert we had to have cake for Chris and Renee to slice into, but I couldn’t stop there. I also baked up some mini cupcakes and dressed them in Bella Cupcake Couture.

The table was complete when Chris and Renee arrived with a chocolate loaf and their infamous cheese ball made with Old English, blue cheese, and walnuts. The food didn’t last for long.

The food was delicious, the drinks were flowing, and bride- and groom-to-be were glowing.