Can I have a bite?

2007-04-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

mmmmm, easter

i love sausage.

if I weren't bursting at the seams...

2006-11-26T22:39:00.000-08:00

...from eating my face off (again) this holiday weekend, i'd write a whole long story about my first thanksgiving (the first one I cooked a lot for) and post the pix. but, i'm too full and the thought of talking turkey right now has me burping.

i'll be back tomorrow or the next day with a full (no pun intended) report.

Only 9 days left and it's hard to remember....

2006-11-21T08:25:00.000-08:00

...to write something here every single day. I have to do it when I wake up or it's a crapshoot as to whether I'll remember. Lately, the colder nights and rainy, dark mornings keep me cozy in bed later and later. That and I consulting gig I have requires late night work that makes me want to get off the computer as fast as I can.

Today is exciting because I get to pick up a monster sized turkey and some mashed potatoes & gravy. Now I understand why many moms I know have a second fridge. That turkey is going to dwarf my fridge, therefore it shall reside in Kate's welcoming fridge and I'll hold onto the mashed potatoes & gravy.

I can't believe how I'm getting so caught up in planning and cooking for Thanksgiving, but at the same time I'm so excited to be doing it on my own (with a friend, actually) for the first time. I feel like I have something to prove to my own excellent chef mom.

I have to go to work now, or I'd make this post better.

sample sublime

2006-11-19T21:54:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things of every weekend is doing the week's grocery shopping. I don't view it as a chore, instead a chance to do participate in two top activities: shopping (and I don't have to worry about jeans fitting) and FOOD! I dutifully make a shopping list before each trip, planning out the week's meals in the process. Ben happily participates too and it's a routine to go together Saturday or Sunday morning.

We usually try to get through the errand before noon on a given day, but we both put it off until 11 a.m. rolls around because store samples kick-off then. The past three weeks, New Seasons Market's sample counter has focused on holiday meal planning. There was turkey week, sides week and my favorite, stuffing week! This week, it seemed to be the prepared foods week, with deli-made corn risotto, brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce and bread.

You cannot beat the sample table at New Seasons. No siree, bob. Cookie day is the best one.

foodie cyberspace

2006-11-17T17:55:00.000-08:00

there are all these food websites and food blogs to keep up with out there.... from eGullet to local site Portland Food and Drink to FoodCandy, the new self-proclaimed "Foodie Friendster." I love going out and reading them, but it can seem like a full-time job to read people's comments on your comments, their recipe ideas, and just keep up with it all.

I wonder if this is a signal of where the world is going and we'll eventually all never leave our homes and just communicate virtually. I hope not. But, I did see the Matrix...

delicious invention

2006-11-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

I had a lot more to write when I was talking myself through the dinner I made tonight. Sometimes I just think I would like to have a cooking show. I like telling people what to do and not having a present audience who talks back. :)

I bent toward bulk comfort food tonight. I need lunch for tomorrow and dinner for tonight; I have romaine lettuce threatening to brown in the veggie drawer; and I like dessert. Here's what resulted (can you tell I like lists):

- An experimental vodka cream sauce for my Pastaworks ravioli di funghi (that's mushrooms) made with bottled Seeds of Change Puttanesca sauce (they've been underperforming) and sour cream in lieu of heavy cream.

- A lemony caesar salad with stale wheat sourdough croutons and homemade dressing (garlic mashed with salt to create a paste was the remembered trick, try to do that more often, takes the bitterness out)

- A big fat overpriced rice krispies treat from New Seasons. Ate the whole thing. Oops.

And with that, I'm off to bed.

Sorry that this is a food diary, I hope you like food.

i'm baaaa-aaack. and so is thanksgiving.

2006-11-15T23:21:00.000-08:00

Just landed from a trip to the Northeast, and have to excuse myself for missing two days, there was no internet where I was.

So, last year, I stuffed myself at Thanksgiving supper and decided that the holiday was dégoulasse (that's French for disgusting as hell). This year, I'm in charge of Thanksgiving, which is the way I think I needed to do it this year. Suddenly, I'm intensely interested in every element of the holiday. Well, my friend KP and I are in the aprons, both. She's hosting at her house, with hubby BenP & son Will, his parents and of course, PFE (Elliot).

We've ordered the turkey (we'll roast it), prepped mashed p & gravy. I'm in charge of all but turkey & stuffing I think. Hey, maybe I need to talk to Kate about that....Either way, I spent all weekend talking about it with a friend and I can't wait to have a kitchen party with myself to get ready. And because I like lists:

- Roasted turkey (deliver roasting pan & hot plate, what about carving/serving plate)
- Dijon & brown sugar-glazed carrots (carrots)
- Roasted green beans & shallots (green beans)
- Apps: Baked brie with jam and a flaky crust, sweet potato pancakes, mini-quiches, crackers & cheese
- Deliver white place setting, what about apple & leave votives? Placemats, or trivets and serving dishes needed?

Whoa, that's maybe too many appetizers. I just want to fit it all into one year.

Minty Goodness

2006-11-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

I'm going to make this quick as I'm missing some solid football in the living room, even though at home it is only 11:30 am.

Mint Milanos may be the best commercial cookie available on the market. Period.

Or, discuss.

NaBloPoMo challenged

2006-11-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

I am writing from my father-in-law's computer in their part-time home in Williamstown, Mass. When I'm at home, it's hard enough to keep up with daily blog posting goals, but on vacation, it's even more difficult. When I do get to a computer, my instincts drive me directly to my work e-mail access page which usually inspires a flurry of activity after which I push myself away from the computer when the nagging voice in my head tells me it's time to relax.

It wasn't until we enjoyed an evening at local restaurant Mezze that I remembered my neglected blog. My in-laws are watching TV in bed, so I'd better get out of their bedroom (where the computer is) soon, or I'm spending the night in this chair. That said, I'll run down the highlight dish of our anniversary celebration meal....

Max (my bro-in-law) lucked out with the best when he ordered Sea Scallops seared and served over a cauliflower puree with hen from the woods mushrooms with a subtle truffle vinaigrette. It was at once rich and delicate, an ideal mix for the cool fall night.

I better go, and may post tomorrow, but I'll be computer-free from Monday through Wednesday. See you soon!!

anniversary bites

2006-11-09T16:23:00.000-08:00

Today's our fourth wedding anniversary. Normally, we might celebrate bigger, but we have to get on a plane to Boston tonight. Instead, we'll go grab a bite at our local (1/2 a block away) Thai haunt, Thai Ginger. We'll gorge on Pad Kee Mao with tofu & veggies. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Sometimes the simplicity of knowing we both enjoy this dish over and over again is as exciting as trying a new place.

My favorite breakfast

2006-11-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

If you know me well, or have ever lived with me for any amount of time, you may have heard of the famed "Eggie." It's a pretty complicated recipe (not), that my dear mom came up with when I was just a tiny tot in the seventies. Here's the story.

My parents are typically on the early adapter curve when it comes to electronic gadgets; this is because my dad originally wanted to be an engineer before my grandfather dropped law school in his path. He's brilliant in the category of how things work, and thankfully, he passed this interest and talent onto his four kids. Long story short, we switched to VCR before Beta had gone out of style, we had the Apple II computer in 1981, and we had a microwave in 1978.

Seeing as my mom had to feed four kids and get three of them off to school when I was just two, she needed to think fast in the morning. Her habit was to coat a microwavable bowl with canola spray, crack in a single egg, mix it and pop it in the microwave oven for two minutes. Slathered in butter and salt to finish it off, this produced a portable breakfast for me (the toddler) while mom trucked the entire carpool off to their respective schools. Mission accomplished. To this day, my brother's friend John teases me about bits of egg hanging from my mouth on those car trips. Who can blame me for salivating while eating? Them eggs was GOOD.

One day, when my mom was particularly harried and perhaps a bit behind schedule for my belly's liking, I blurted out, "Eggie!!" to demand my breakfast. This, friends, was my first real uttered word. Mom was so excited about little one's progress that I think I had to wait an additional 5 minutes for my favorite treat. I'm proud that my first word was culinary in nature, and I'd like to think of it as a sign of future interests and ideals.

Here's how you can make your own eggie:
1 whole egg
Canola spray
Butter (now Earth Balance soy spread)
Salt to taste

Coat a microwavable bowl with canola spray. Crack in a single egg and mix it with a fork. Pop in the microwave oven for one minute. If your obsessive, like I am, stop cooking 2 seconds shy of a minute for a fluffier egg. I don't know why I do this and don't just cook it for 58 seconds. It's more about the stopping than it is about the time. Add butter (or alternative) and salt to taste and enjoy. The Eggie also works well as an element of a breakfast sandwich, or with a little cheese sprinkled on top (add cheese 30 seconds into cook time).

Back in the Fridge

2006-11-07T23:01:00.000-08:00

There come some weeks when our fridge offers an abundance of ready to eat containers full of food—more specifically, food I've prepared. Ben's commitment to bringing lunch makes me jealous of the cafeteria kids sometimes (it's like being back in middle school), but it usually pays off in self-satisfaction. Here's a snapshot of today's menu:

1. Lunch: Veggie fried rice with bok choy, broccoli, peas, carrots and onions.
2. Braised parsnips and carrots that didn't make the cut last week.
3. Snacks: Fromage Fort from New Seasons Market, a delicioius blend of cheeses, wine and garlic. It takes some guts to eat.
4. Glorious golden beets. Used in tonight's dinner salad (recipe below) and ready for some vinaigrette tomorrow before Taco Salad.

Simple Beet Salad
2 medium beets
8 oz mixed salad greens
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 slices prosciutto, sliced (optional)
juice of one half of a lemon (about 1 Tbsp.)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper

Put beets in a microwave safe dish and cover. Cook on medium for 8-10 minutes or until tender to a fork. Peel beets (this is a mess, use paper towels and keep the trash can close by). Wash salad greens. Chop beets and put in salad, add feta and prosciutto. In the meantime, mix lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper with a whisk. Pour over salad and mix.

Yum.

P.S. I'm feeling better today, in the brain. My sinuses on the other hand, have succumbed to recent stress. I can beat a cold, though.

A different kind of hunger

2006-11-06T23:20:00.000-08:00

I don't feel much like writing about food today. But this is the place I picked for NaBloPoMo, so here goes. I'm hungry to put an end to the head games that keep me up at night, worried about little details at work or whether I might be less than perfect. There's a super-sized anxiety chip in my head and it's been over-activated for at least the last two months, if not more. I don't think I was like this until I hit 20.

Unfortunately, no amount of comfort—whether in the form of kind words or mac n' cheese—can talk me out of this dark corner, at least until the next morning. And even then, I sometimes just feel like I'm faking a smile for the cameras.

I guess the best thing to do is just take a deep breath and try to get some sleep, but it just feels artificial in the face of all the annoying worrying that has me so pissed off at my own chemical make up that I can't even pretend to chill out.

P.S. Nobody call the psych ward or anything, as scary as this reads, it's just part of the roller-coaster ride I'm on. Thankfully, I do have some great support in my life to turn to if things really do get rough.

Mmmmm, mac n' cheese.....

Sunday baking

2006-11-05T23:28:00.000-08:00

It's the kind of day that you don't go outside if you don't have to. It was quite grey (I like the English spelling) and gloomy today, with nonstop rain. It wasn't actually cold out, which was nice, since I had to head out a number of times including one urgent trip to Target after I threw out my last shower curtain liner without a right-fitting replacement in the wings.

At any rate, I managed to be very productive in the kitchen today as a result of the lack of activity outside. In celebration of the season, I broke out a recipe from my mother-in-law for pumpkin chocolate chip cake. It's just about the easiest cake recipe I've ever seen because it doesn't require separate bowls for wet and dry ingredients. And no butter! It's almost a freak of nature. I got stuck mid-way through because I was 1/4 cup short on flour. Then I visited my neighbor (how suburban) and was back in business. I gave away half of the cake to hubbie's bandmates and still have more than I can finish on my own. But, I'll take one for the team.

It's delicious.

Don't even get me started on the crawfish (or crayfish?) pasta we had for dinner at ashod&erin's house.

Food Fight

2006-11-04T17:30:00.000-08:00

I'm happily warm & dry inside my friend Heather's living room and experiencing food porn nirvana; we've watched two full hours of Top Chef on Bravo (ooh, promotional cable season!) where 10 chefs compete for $100K, a spread in F&W and reality show celebrity status.

Tempers fly high and scandal is already rampant by the second episode (the lychee "situation") but above all the creativity explodes. Frog leg & chicken liver cakes, for one.

Soon, I'll return to Savoy for aperitifs for the second night in a row. Someday, I'll even stay for dinner. It looks delish.

Comfort Cheese

2006-11-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

Today I made, for the third time in one week, my new comfort food fave. Here goes. Pay attention:

1 Whole Wheat flour tortilla (sure, use white flour, but then you have no nutritional high ground)
1/4 cup or so Tillamook Mexican blend shredded cheese (any cheese will work, but i like this pepper jack & cheddar blend)
dijon mustard to taste

I put the cheese on one half of the flat tortilla, fold it over and then put it in the microwave on high for about 35 seconds. Remove, apply dijon mustard, fold again into a convenient pie shape, and eat! No plate necessary.

Now that's good eatin'.

Gum-dropping

2006-11-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

I just discovered a new trick that may make Orbtiz and other gum-makers millionaires:

Make half & half flavors! I put a half piece of Orbitz bubblemint in my mouth, then a half piece of new crystalmint too. Mmmm!

NaBloPoMo makes me hungry

2006-11-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

I found out about National Blog Posting Month (or NaBloPoMo) from my dear pal Laura. She's pretty stinking cool, actually, but I'll save that for another day. Basically, I have to write a blog post a day in order to participate. I think that was my plan when I originally signed up for Blogger over a year ago, but it didn't quite work out that way. Perhaps with the duty to a plethora of people I'll come through vs. when it's just being accountable to myself.

I'll kick off the month with a little story about why I'm so hungry. I'm the kind of cook who learns more about planning every time I make a meal. I'm getting better about having everything on the table at one time, but I still start recipes that require an ingredient I don't actually have on hand, resulting in my kind hubby walking to the store many times a month. Well, I've made a concerted effort to get better at planning this past year, and it was starting to pay off. Until forgetfulness set in.

Yesterday I dutifully rubbed a whole chicken with a simple blend of spices (garlic powder, onion powder, peppers—three kinds, and salt) and bagged it overnight to let the spices soak in. Then, I was supposed to put the chicken in a low heat oven at 250° about 5 hours before dinnertime. Well, here it is, close to dinner time and my chicken is still in the fridge. I wasn't thinking about dinner at noon, therefore no cooking occurred. And, frankly, I can't really blame NaBloPoMo for any of this, but I just liked the subject line.

So there.

happy hochzeitsfeier!

2006-08-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

i just returned to portland from a quick weekend trip to san francisco for a friend's wedding celebration. i added celebration because she and her hubby tied the knot in the spring and then held a celebration in august. i'm all for the wedding being a small, intimate event and then an ensuing party.

this party was held in the beautiful waterfront restaurant at pier 7 on san francisco's legendary embarcadero. a pretty nice address. with a view to match. the reason i'm mentioning this all here is because i loved how the food was handled for the party. we were treated to trays of passed hors d'oeuvres that served as dinner. i love variety. i also love when parties have the sense to not have too much food out. it keeps me from eating too much of it. as i learned later, the joint "ran out" of food at 9:30pm. to the contrary, i was happy with the amount i got and still had room for the melt-in-my-mouth german chocolate cake they served.

note to self: when i'm rich enough to cater parties like that, serve appetizers. it's elegant and it's a whole lot easier than picking one or two entrees that will work for everyone.

latenight dinner antics

2006-08-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

last night, i returned home from extended happy hour at around 8pm. i wasn't too hungry. but all week, with ben away in boston for work, i've been plagued by the fact that i bought too much food for the week and need to consume it, lest it be wasted (think of all the starving children in africa, my mom would protest).

so, i'd made a long to do list before going out to happy hour. probably not the wisest plan, but i'm good about over-committing. good news is, two drinks in the system makes even chores seem fun. on my list:
- chop cantaloupe for lunch fruit
- stem & sautee a mélange of mushrooms (shiitake and cremini) with olive oil, white wine, s & p and some butter to finish it off
- use fresh mozzarella before it goes bad: this turned into a simple salad of cut up mozz and multi-hued cherry tomatoes (yellow, orange, and red), dressed with olive oil, SALT & pepper and a touch of balsalmic

all of work i did to save vegetables from the garbage disposal produced great side dished for the rosemary garlic marinated lamb shoulder i'd sautéed in the afternoon to save it from the trash.

wow. this stuff tasted a lot better on my plate (at 9:30pm) than it would have smelled in a landfill.

i don't think the bowl of Target brand Golden Grahams at 10pm was necessary, though. hmmm.

summertime scrumptiousness

2006-07-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

so, i've been quiet lately. i guess i'm just not feeling that good about my writing for, say, the last five years. sometime between doodling and writing poems during class in college and the wonderful world of spreadsheets, i've lost vocabulary, confidence, and some creative flair. it's buried in there somewhere.

anyway, that's not what this is all about. it's SUMMERTIME. a year since i started this humble webpage. and, just as i gushed about it last year, it's time for me to love on summer again. it's still early, so i haven't been able to enjoy summer tomatoes yet. but, in the northwest -- the june/july treat is BERRIES. much to my delight, in late may, our little strawberry patch out front started to bud with little flowers followed by pints upon pints of sweet little ruby strawberries. impromptu strawberry shortcakes for 12 people on ben's 30th bday (6/18) were a breeze.

next, it's beyond my own backyard for raspberries, sylvan berries, marionberries, and blueberries. one thing is for sure, when you buy berries at the market -- be prepared to eat them in the next few days or you'll be sorry. and a good berry is a terrible thing to waste.

gotta run, lunch break's over.....

cooking for one

2006-05-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

after 6 years of living with my boyfriend now hubby, i've grown accustom to meal planning for two. over the last week and a half, with my sweetie gone off to boston for training with his new job, i have reverted back to scavenging for one.

it's funny, i used to relish in making meals for one and lament too many leftovers. now, i think i'm so out of the habit of cooking for one that instead of trying, i'm defaulting to buying. given the latest look at our shrinking bank balance, i'm not choosing the right path. i was forced out last weekend when i met up with friends in california, and we stuffed junk like pizza, chinese food with msg and sickeningly rich (and mediocre) french food in our mouths. i returned home, sick and in the mood for a homemade salad. that lasted all of one day. the rest of the week, i had people to see and things to do and managed to pile on more junk, culminating in saturday night take-out from a local italian joint. i ate for two even though i'm only one little person (so as to put to rest any pregnancy suspicion).

this week, week two of my "living alone" experiment, i've been much more focused on eating well. hell, i have to if i'm going to fit into the bridesmaid dress for my friend's wedding in three weeks. monday night, i made a delicious tofu, asparagus and red pepper stir fry over soba noodles. that's serving as lunch for half the week too. it was a simple stir-fry with a light rice vinegar & soy dressing. on tuesday night, i heated up a portabella gardenburger (tm) and added two slices of crisp bacon to the burger for added flavor. i only ate half the bun (that should undo some of my bacon sin). i also mashed some turnips, which was ok but would have been better with some cream. i was tempted to use soy yogurt as my thickening agent, but the more i pondered it, the grosser the idea got. tonight, i have a date with some girlfriends, but not before i put together a nice BLT salad for myself (ok, ok, more bacon, i know, but it's not carbs?). tomorrow night, it's girls' night in at my house, but i don't just what's on the menu yet.

i can't wait until ben is home because that boy is going to benefit from some exciting new recipes over the next few weeks. i'm bored with cooking for one.

all this talk of food has me hungry. time for my morning shredded wheat with almond milk. mmmmmm.

back yard crab cake

2006-04-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

no, not a crab bake. crab cake.

last night, i carefully unwrapped and cooked my favorite new food luxury. a linda brand crab cake from new seasons. succulent and spicy, the $3.50 bargain buy has a strong peppery bite, crunchy green onions, polite parsley, crispy golden bread crumbs and of course, deliciously local dungeness crab. i sautéed it with medium-high heat in some olive oil and a bit of butter in order to really feel regal. i added some leftover steamed broccoli to my plate, poured a glass of smoking loon viogner (i'm a sucker for the label), and headed outside.

i enjoyed my dinner at our new wrought iron bistro table and watched dusk creep in.

i missed my man, but the meal made me quite happy in the moment.

passing on passover

2006-04-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

i'm a little upset this week because i had planned to hold a passover seder this coming wednesday after sundown. but, upon looking at the menu and my week's work schedule, i've decided that putting together a seder would be more stressful than inspiring.

i'm making a quick note of this feeling because i'd like to promise myself to participate in or plan a seder next year, in 2007. i promise to make good use of the recipe booklet given to me by my generous grandmother-in-law.

aye done it

2006-03-19T12:06:00.000-08:00

the corned beef was delicious. i love the idea that i can put meat, water, beer and brine into a slow cooker and leave it for 5 hours (maybe a smidge too long) to cook itself.

i made a corned beef hash with the meat, which means we had red peppers, onions, and garlic to round out the food groups. i was supposed to include potatoes (hello, irish!) but forgot in the excitement. we still have another pound of cooked corned beef left, so there will be lunch leftovers to enjoy.

we shared a 22oz bottle of Guinness with our corned beef, with mashed rutabagas and green beans on the side. it was a pretty good way to celebrate st. patrick's day for someone who's never been into green beer.

then, yesterday morning, i made the potatoes along with scrambled eggs as we watched our college basketball team lose to duke. they could have played much better, but didn't. oh well, most teams i like seem to choke when it comes to the big games. i'm pretty proud of gwu for getting this far.

first pre-food post ever

2006-03-17T13:34:00.000-08:00

i'm in the process of making corned beef for corned beef hash. i wanted to skip the cabbage because i don't have real irish cabbage. and it's no good to me without that veiny bland green/brown stuff.

i'm not vell-versed in stewing, roasting, slow-cooking or anything like that. I work largely with skillets, then sauce pans, and baking sheets. i don't feel comfortable in this world of wet meat.

we'll see what becomes of my first attempt at honoring st; patty's day with something other than green beer (or fish and chips, yum!).

and hell, if it doesn't work out, i'm always in the mood for fish n' chips.

oscars + grilled cheese = award-winning fun!

2006-03-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

ben and i hosted a small oscar get together for his band mates & their sweeties last weekend. this was no glamorous affair with diamonds and gowns. no. instead, we went for an interactive "grill your own cheese sandwich" party. it was quite easy and successful (nobody burned the house down). if you want to go all out, get the book "Great Grilled Cheese" by Laura Werlin and i'm sure she has plenty of great ideas. i opted to visit the Greatest Grilled Cheese contest website to get some free ideas. here's what i put out for the sandwich makers:
- white bread & wheat bread
- white american cheese (orange is worthless, take it from a philly girl)
- swiss cheese
- goat cheese
- tomatoes
- red onions
- chopped bacon
- roasted garlic
- apricot preserves (that's for the goat cheese, great with fig too)
- salad
- and what's a grilled cheese party without tomato soup (canned for authenticity)

and in homage to the northwest:
- shredded sharp cheddar
- pears
-hazelnut meal from Freddie Guys Filberts

no one went for the goat cheese with apricot preserves. but that means i have plenty for leftovers. yum! the best part about this event was that i prepared everything ahead of time, didn't worry about being stuck in the kitchen, and everyone can eat what they like. unles she is vegan (i would have had soy cheese, honest). also, we spent the night noshing on grilled cheese sandwiches and heckling the tv. it's like high school all over again without the social angst.

left nav PR and other ponderings

2006-02-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

here i am, monday morning, surfing the web, catching up on the RSS feed from my top news source. is it nytimes.com? no. is it the bbc worlds news service? nah. the oregonian? um, no. sadly, or proudly, i side-step all that worldly stuff for news that hits home -- from none other than portland-famous nick zukin's news feed. he's the prolific keeper of extramsg.com and portlandfood.org. i visited extramsg.com today (to read the full café voila menu, even though i still have yet to go there) and i noticed my very own little blog listed in his left nav. how did i earn that privilege? and more importantly, how the heck am i going to discipline myself to write here more so that my random musings appear often enough to justify "blogginess"? and maybe i don't belong there since i have only written once about a meal out in portland.

i'm thinking about food & drink all the time. unfortunately, i'm too poor lately to go out enough to enjoy it, but the necessity of staying in has inspired me to cook a whole lot, to the point that i prefer a home-cooked meal to one in a restaurant. i guess my time in should also inspire me to write. i'm writing in my head all the time, it's just a matter of being in front of a computer when the mood strikes. i'll work on that more in the coming weeks. promise.

for now, i'm sipping on my delicious vanilla latte from my downstairs neighbors, Bakery Bar, in order to keep warm while my office heats up. I highly recommend all of the scones that they serve up for $2.25, especially the surprisingly delicious fennel-raisin one.

lunch, smushed

2006-01-22T18:06:00.000-08:00

i sit here, aching, in awe of how i spent the last 48 hours. my husband and i went snowboarding for the first time in our lives. i had never, to date, been atop a snowy mountain and now i have fallen/ridden down a big, powder-packed mountain about 10 times. b and i escaped the city and headed to redmond, oregon & mt. bachelor for our adventure. it was wildly snowing when we approached the mountain for the first time and i marveled at the snow-covered pines and chair lifts that seemed to head into heaven.

one of the most lovable things about my man is his commitment to sack lunches. he's disciplined about planning and making to-go lunches for work, travel, and now, adventure. we packed a traditional set of soynut butter (no pb for me) and strawberry jelly sandwiches, Mariani dried fruit (the moistest, though likely packed with preservatives, tsk, tsk ), baby carrots, and some great organic apple pear juice boxes. ben wore our lunch in a pouch fastened around his waist both days and naturally, fell on our food a couple of times before lunch. but, without fail, i rejoiced in my smushed sandwich at lunchtime in the lodge when others were scarfing down greasy nachos, gravy-covered fries, and overcooked burgers. how do these people find the energy to pick themselves up from a pile of snow with the weight of that lunch in their bellies? i'm glad i didn't have to find out. i had a hard enough time trying to pick myself up at all. now off to a warm bath.... well, maybe after a dinner of turkey burgers, sweet potato wedges, and roasted asparagus. mmmmm.

lunch, interrupted

2005-12-21T22:28:00.000-08:00

so, i'm from the mid-atlantic/northeast corridor. i should know about snow. but, because i was forced to walk to school in the snow, or unhappily driven, i don't really know how to drive in the snow. worse yet, portland's famous "ice storm" a là "the storm of the century" on FOX news, engendered fear in me in 2004 (even though I didn't live here yet).

the day started with a little memory. my friend said she loves butternut squash ravioli. i have that chinook book coupon for $2 off at pastaworks. it's nearing the defunctifying 12/31. oh yes. i called ahead and yes, they would put some triangola di zucca aside for me.

i bought some sage leaves, veggie broth and i just knew my host would be holdin' (earth balance). i put some brussel sprouts in my basket for good measure. you gotta have something green. so, we talked through a quick meal prep (and a smokin', fried-finger stovetop) to end up with a drippy sage butter broth for the pasta and some parm-tossed sprouts on the side. it was going to be legendary. that's not the appropriate word, but it's fun. and then, we looked outside. it was snowing, twirling, and... sticking.

we (i) gulped down my luxurious lunch and headed home on a slow highway. i listened to something intriguing, i'm sure, on NPR (the call it OPB here) on the drive home.

tuesday night dinner & forgiveness

2005-12-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

i have been remiss in my writing. i assure you (dear one reader), that i think about food a lot more than i write about it here. i guess i am still a little shy about my writing. at any rate, last night, just your regular ole tuesday, i pulled together a tasty meal that reminded me that planning isn't the only way to go. every week, my husband and i determine our weeknight commitments and plan our shopping around how many nights we plan to be at home during dinner. still, we don't plan out all the components to every meal.

so yesterday, as i wondered what we'd have for dinner, i remembered the idaho rainbow trout that would need to be consumed soon or tossed. i'm not a fish-cooking expert. i almost always overcook it. it seems i would have made that mistake only once and not again, but somehow i manage to continually overcook fish. i think it's because i try to multi-task and fish requires your undivided attention, if only because it takes about 2-3 minutes to cook a thin filet. last night, i began with some sweet potatoes and onions (about 2-inch pieces), doused them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder (sorry mom, i used powder) and threw them in a preheated oven at 425 for 35 minutes. then, i steamed some broccoli and finished it with earth balance (have you gone out and bought it yet??) and some salt and pepper. finally, i melted some butter, coated the fish with old bay, sea salt, pepper, and a little cayenne, and sauteed it on medium-high heat, 2 minutes on each side. i was careful to remove it from the heat before i thought it was actually done. that's been my trick lately. when in doubt, under cook since it's my tendency to overcook. the dinner was colorful, delicious, and aside from the butter, pretty light. my culinary wizard of a mom always made sure that our meals contained a multi-color palette. i guess that comes from her art history background. and she is right. the orange, white, and green meal last night was gorgeous, but that didn't stop me from devouring it.

to get back to my under cook philosophy, it annoys me from time to time that i can't just learn how to pay attention to what i'm doing. i almost always over-broil everything (burnt garlic bread is a specialty of mine). i will leave the kitchen and come back to a half-empty bubbling pot of water i started and forgot about. i've served brown green beans much to my dismay. to another, less appreciative eater, this might be acceptable, but i simply cannot stand it. so, i have spent years fist-clenching and growling at myself when i fail to learn. the last bit of burnt garlic bread launched me into an unreasonable depression (that lasted a good 20 minutes -- and that's a big commitment for me). lately, instead of getting angry at what i know well to be my patterns, i've just tried accepting them and setting timers, not allowing myself to get distracted, and forgiving (that's the hardest one) my mistakes. it's a whole lot easier than fighting my unchanging patterns.

thank goodness thanksgiving is over

2005-11-25T11:21:00.000-08:00

so, i may be unpopular for saying so, but: thanksgiving makes me sick and i don't like it. this year, i spent a wonderful afternoon with friends and good food rather than suffer the travel time it takes to travel 3,000 miles home for one weekend. i was pretty sad to be without my family, but at least the digitized version of all our family films from 1972 - 1982 kept me feeling close to home this weekend. my parents just took the time and money to put all the super8 footage onto DVD and it arrived wednesday. what a wonderful surprise. i especially loved witnessing my older brothers and sisters as little kids. it was an experience i never had as a caboose child who burst on the scene in 76.

anyway, i digress. i enjoyed a fun thanksgiving celebration, but the actually gluttony of this all-too-ironically american holiday made me ill. we spend hours upon hours preparing food that will be consumed in a mere 20 minutes, two plates per person, and we spend the rest of the evening ready to (pardon the expression) puke. i love food, don't get me wrong; i even love turkey, stuffing, rolls, green beans, and mashed potatoes with gravy. but i am no longer excited about stuffing my face for one day. i think i'm going to make next thanksgiving a non-traditional celebration of gratitude, togetherness, and perhaps, salad.

oh.....my.....sushi

2005-11-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

so, i kept hearing raves from my friend Liz about Yoko's sushi on SE Gladstone. when ben and i decided, last friday night, that we were once again not in the mood to make dinner, we headed there in search of sushi heaven. and did we ever find it. the rumors are true. first of all, i'm impressed to learn (for whatever reason) that yoko's has the only female sushi chef in portland. there must be a level of sensual enlightment a woman lends to sushi, because i literally tasted the love in this food. i think the main differentiator (you can take the girl out of marketing, but not the marketing out of the girl) is the attention to ingredient detail:
1. taka's tuna - finely chopped scalllions crumbled over chunky tuna soaked in spice, on an avacado-sheeted bed of a crispy, fried rice.
2. the rasta roll - a philly roll on vacation. it's the unexpected combo of smoked salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, AND mango. I think my insides tingled with delight with every bite. seriously.
3. nigiri - we had maguro tuna over rice with the PERFECT amount of sinus-clearing wasabi. i'm sure anything would have been just as good, but we're clearly tuna-obsessed. we put in a second order after our main course just to be sure we were in love.
4. the walla walla roll - unfortunately, a slightly fishy crab was paired with an amazing walla walla onion tempura. i wish this was done with another fish, maybe yellowtail or a snapper. i love tempura and this worked for me, on a conceptual level.

there's nothing that beats some sushi and a shared kirin (the budweiser of japan, the label makes it elegant) on a friday night.

laid-off luncheons

2005-11-11T19:16:00.000-08:00

since i got laid off three weeks ago (the experience was so not as dramatic as it could have been, besides the lead-up stress of not knowing my fate), i have become a happy lunch date for just about everyone i know. i am really thrilled to have the time off. aside from the occasional what-will-become-of-me stress, i take well to the lack of routine. i have dined on thai, sushi, comforting breakfasts, tuna melts, and more at home. my favorite new in-home treat is a quick brie, dried cranberry, and onion quesadilla. I sautée some onions with shallots & salt, then butter up a pan for my tortilla, and load on the brie (first so it melts), cranberries and then onions. i believe strongly in buttering the pan before laying down my tortilla. quesadillas from the oven just don't have the same crisp. since i use earth balance vegan spread, i don't have cholesterol guilt.

this weekend, b and i are celebrating our anniversary by way of a welcome trip to hood river, a sleepy town on the columbia river gorge about 40 miles from here. i can't wait to see what culinary culture we find there. i know sunday morning involves some free wine tasting, though. :)

tonight, we're treating ourselves to yet another meal out. this makes for more times out this month than usual and i'm pulling in about $1000 per month LESS in income. something isn't adding up, but somehow the equation feels right at the moment.

the famous cheese heart

2005-09-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

wow, i've lost track of time yet again. we had a party at our house on 9/17 and this brought many culinary delights to the table:
- i used too much mayo in my artichoke dip. lesson learned: never skip measuring the mayo because it will make the measuring cup dirty. that or learn to eyeball measurements better.
- rice chips are good. a friend brought them and they were tasty. and supposedly good for you too!
- let someone else man the grill at your next party (unless you're obsessed). it was nice to sit back and let a guest run the show. secret: don't turn on the gril and eventually a hungry man will do it for you.
- get some sort of party gimmick serving device. the salsa sombrero some good friends brought as a house-warming gift in 2000 STILL gets the most compliments of anyone at the party.

finally, i learned that it's a good idea to invite someone who graduated from culinary school to your event. i did and she brought the now famous cheese heart: a simple blend of cream & blue cheeses coated in parmesan and molded into the shape of a heart (she said it's the only shape she had on hand, but i suspect she was sending a subliminal message to make people love her creation). to top it off, D (the "she") brought barely-toasted rounds of baguette with a touch of basil oil to accompany her masterpiece. it had depth, it had creaminess, and it had flair. it was perfect. i'm waiting for the right moment to purchase my own mold (a little cow perhaps?) and spring the culinarily advanced cheese heart on another party i attend soon!

almost september, almost autumn

2005-08-31T22:27:00.000-07:00

interesting that i post on the 18th and 31st of every month at the moment. i've been thinking food always as usual, yet somehow i've dropped 3 more pounds in the last couple of weeks. it must be my steady tomato diet. ;-)

this week, i made the first dinner that signals autumn. richer flavors, everything warm. here's a picture:

it had rained heavily that day and the high was only about 70 degrees. the night called for something cozier (and indoors since the grill has no shelter yet, we're working on it).

- i broiled chicken successfully for the first time; i learned that 6 - 8" from the heat source is better than just under it when your meat's coated with olive oil. i know it seems elementary, but i thought broil meant "close to heat" all these years. then i slathered on some bbq sauce in the last few minutes. it was delicious.
- side dish number one was my first successful attempt at smashed potatoes. i finally paid attention to my milk/butter combo and didn't boil it for once. i put cilantro butter in and it gave the organic, farmer's market potatoes a nice fresh twist.
- side dish number two was another first success. beet greens sautéed in olive oil, garlic, and red onions with a dash of balsamic to finish it off. yum, earthy goodness.

i took a photo of this dinner because i felt i accomplished a lot of firsts. i also feel like i am beginning to "get" my new stove and we work well together.

this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship....

too tired but eating well

2005-08-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

i am so beat from a whole new level of busy at work. it's sometimes energizing, but i'd rather been hanging out at home any day. the best part of our new house and summer has been the grill. i'm calling this the "summer of corn" because i discovered how to brown the golden beauties in husk (after a silk-peel and soakin'). mmmm. i love august. it's my moms' birthdays and the fresh food is colorful, juicy and always earthy:
- tomatoes are ~finally~ starting to show up at the farmer's market
- stone fruits of all types dripping juice down my thumb
- did i mention the corn?
- dinner salads keep you cool
- grilling with that evening breeze is so much nicer than standing over a hot stove
- i like to pop berries (1. blue, 2. black, 3. rasp) or cherry tomatoes after a quick rinse

my friend tricia brought me tomato plants the other day -- some nicely progressed romas, and two sauce tomato plants. i just hope i can keep them alive.

here's a recipe from reba that is caling my name:
tomato pie though it may not be fair to skip my mom's tomato gratin (slow-roasted tomatoes or raw ones, topped with goat-cheese, olive oil, garlic, and parm)
how about both?

Campfood

2005-07-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

It was a great weekend camping. The hilarity of my friend Laura and I sitting among pillows and propane tanks the whole ride there put us in stitches. Then yesterday, we sat by the river, only managing to put our feet to sleep in the icy water. But it was perfect; right down to the cheap beer (Hamm's!) and bad-for-you food....

The highlight of the junkfest was rediscovering Smartfood. It's a superfood, indeed, soft popcorn covered with a white cheddar powder that melts on your tongue. I first tasted it as a sample handout at my sister's college "Little Siblings" weekend in 1987. Then, we had the requisite hotdogs, donuts, Ritz (whole wheat) and Tillamook cheese, and yes, even cheesy poofs -- I nearly cried with joy when I saw some nectarines, bananas, corn, and bell peppers by day two.

The pinnacle of any campfire experience need be the s'mores (and Ben says it with that Boston-accentdrawl, sum'mooahs): and this time we went Special Dark. Dark chocolate puts milk to shame any day and this treat is no exception.

We came home buried in blankets (we surely hadn't lost any dead weight, maybe gained some) sun-weary, and ready to return to normal, more healthful food. The first thing I ate after the adventure was a salad after. Thanks, L&M.

The first bite

2005-07-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

I have long wanted to create a food-lovin' blog; well, I've always wanted to be a paid food critic (or a psychologist) but this works. I have been procrastinating and waiting for "just the right moment," but am learning that in life, the right moment doesn't come along if you don't make it happen. Which is why I'm here. Since I spend a lot of my free time reading other writer's words about food + drink, I thought I should try my hand at writing. My family is full of talented writers--my dad is a retired lawyer skilled at using language to debate, my mom is a poet and essayist who can call on you to think and feel deeply in the first few sentences, my eldest brother holds a wealth of family knowledge and is a great storyteller and humorist, my other brother is a professional persuader who writes to thousands of peope each week through his brilliantly simple email newsletter, and my sister specializes in charming rhymes to mark special occasions.

My goal for this "publication" is to share my food and drink finds, experiences, and stories of my culinary adventures at home.

Here goes...