BKD Cookbook Club......Cookbooks from the PNW

It's time again for  Jo Tracey's BKD (Brookford Kitchen Diaries) Cookbook Club. I've followed Jo for awhile and have read several of her books, including one of her most recent which features a group of ladies who have a cookbook club. If you haven't read any of Jo's books, you should.

This month we were tasked with choosing a cookbook from the country we reside in. Well, I live in North America,  in the United States so that's a pretty HUGE area and there are so many cookbooks that come out of here. I decided to focus on the Pacific Northwest where I've resided most of my life. I found 4 cookbooks that I got from the library and all of them were great. 

I will share photos from each one and then finish with the book I chose a recipe from along with that. I did struggle to decide what to make. I'm not really sure why that was. Maybe I was too much in my head about what PNW cooking should involve. Ha!

 Even though this months challenge wasn't about a region. 

This cookbook is a collection of recipes that have been in the Oregonian newspaper over the course of many years in their Food Today section. There were A LOT of great sounding recipes, so this would be a cookbook I wouldn't mind owning. 

This one redeemed itself somewhat with a few colored photos. This recipe looked good. 

This one was just beautiful. I love a cookbook with stories and beautiful photos. I would say the percentage of recipes that caught my eye and made me want to make them was low enough that I probably wouldn't buy it but it was worth lookig through and "reading". 

I almost made this recipe, but I procrastinated and now it's just my hubby and I home this week so there wouldn't be enough people to eat it even if I cut the recipe in half so maybe I'll try this another time. I really wanted to because I have SO MANY BLUEBERRIES from my bushes. 

This was another one that maybe I wouldn't buy but it looks like a great book. 

I really wanted to try this, Gingered rhubarb tart, BUT rhubarb is more of a spring veggie/fruit (hmmm what is it actually?) that I couldn't find any.. I do have an ugly rhubarb plant out by my berries, but I didn't know if the stalks would be any good and I am not one to waste ingredients. I'll try it another time. 

This one was hilarious. I for one have never watched the show Portlandia (or whatever it is), but this caught my eye. The pages are fun, colorful and I would probably buy this just because it's unique. Check out some of these pages. 

This recipe did look good and I may make it this fall. 

Drum roll please. The book I settled on a recipe from was from the Pike Place Market Recipes. I grew up near Seattle and we would go to Pike Place Market when company would visit. It is a very unique place and experience. 

Visiting this part of Seattle is worth it. Take your time, there's a lot to see and do. It has been several years since I've gone. 

The famous gum wall...You can literally smell the sugar and sweetness the closer you get...several years ago they pressure washed all the gum off but it hasn't kept people from adding more. I just looked it up...and it says the gum wall started in the early 1990's when people visiting the Market Theater started sticking their used chewing gum on the wall while waiting for shows. Hmmm.

There will always be street entertainment. 

Back to the cookbook. I really enjoyed the pages and photos in this book. It would be one I would own. I love cookbooks that not only are beautiful and have great recipes, but that teach me something new. This one did that. 

Throughout the PNW there are Lavender Farms. I've been to one in Hood River, Oregon and the town of Sequim, Washington has a yearly Lavender festival. I haven't been to it, but last year we stayed in the area and one of the shops was basically an all things lavender shop. One of my favorite coffee drinks, especially iced is either a honey lavender latte or a Lavender white mocha. 

With all that said, as I was browsing the cookbook, I found this recipe for Lavender Shortbread. The Portlandia Cookbook had a recipe for it as well. I think part of what I was really looking for when trying to pick a recipe was finding one that highlighted an ingredient that is known in certain areas, and while I'm sure there are lavender farms all over the world...there are many farms here and it's about that season. So without further ado, here are the cookies. 

This recipe came together very quickly (minus the time in the fridge to chill). Otherwise it was easy and fairly quick. 

Once mixed, the dough was rolled into a log and chilled for a few hours until very firm. I cut the recipe in half because I did not need 3 dozen cookies...ha!

I thought I had cut these to 1/4" but I would maybe cut them just a little thicker. 

I cooked them on the temperature listed, but then upped it to 350 for just a few minutes to get a little color on them. They were very pale looking and I just felt like they needed longer. 

Before I sliced them, I rolled the log in some of this lavender sugar that I picked up in Sequim. These cookies were really good and light. I wasn't sure how the lavender would taste, but it was very subtle. I would totally make these again. I was thinking they might be good with a bit of lemon in it. 

Coming in September we're sharing Holiday memories...and that is meaning "vacations", rather than actual holidays...I love that other countries say holiday instead of vacation. I love how it sounds and I have a story to tell with that next month. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin