Another Year Younger Tuesday, September 8, 2009

If i keep saying that, it will be true right? I always love birthdays, no matter where you are in life, having a birthday always makes me feel special. Yesterday was no exception. I spent the morning with Mieke making friendship bracelets, watching sponge bob and drinking cocoa. in the afternoon, i went to see Julie and Julia with my girlfriends and we LOVED IT! it was so much fun to watch it with friends who love to eat and cook as much as i do and Julia Child is really incredible. I hope someone writes a movie just for her some day. she certainly deserves it.

After the movie, we were all starving (big shock) and went to eat at Andinas, my second favorite restaurant in Portland. Andinas is a delicious peruvian restaurant my friend Heather introduced me to after her visit to Peru. Most items are made with Quinoa in some magical fashion, or yuca or fresh seafood, like crab and shrimp stuffed avocados… We stuffed ourselves with such goodness. We ordered several dishes tapas style and picked at what we wanted to eat. i love to eat this way!

I do have a picture of me with the girls coming but in the meantime, here is a sampling of our meal of course

we have quinoa stuffed peppers with cheese and jamon.

Next we have succulent beef, raisin and spice stuffed empanadas with lime juice. the pastry was sooo light and flaky

this is my favorite…cheese stuff yuca with cheese crack sauce. i LOVE these things!

we had several other dishes but i was too excited to take pictures i guess.

I did get a picture of dessert. How absolutely beautiful is this?

3 Creme Brulees; orange, cinnamon and caramel.

 

this is a collection of all the desserts we ordered. So lovely. i will have to remember the chocolate and fruit puree on the plate idea. that was fantastic!

the desserts are a goat cheese custard with lemon cake and a mango canoli with mango lemongrass sorbet. YUMM!!

 

Bon Appetit!

A Summer Wedding and all it Entails Tuesday, July 14, 2009

This summer my dear friend Sami got married…2 days ago to be exact. It is always so special when someone you love marries someone you adore and respect and you are invited to participate in their lives as they prepare for the big event.

It has been ages since i posted on my blog but i am back and am dedicating this to Sami and her enormously amazing event.

In June, i had the honor of hosting a garden party in my back yard from Sami and her close girlfriends. With Stacey, Heather and Kaatje’s help we transformed the weed patch (my back yard) into a beautiful oasis of tea cakes, cucumber sandwiches and lots of champagne.

 

2 weeks later Sami and Kevin were married in their beautiful backyard. i have never weeped at a wedding but this one caught me in the right mood and i watched most of the ceremony through a curtain of tears and eyelashes.

Kaatje, Stacey and I got to decorate the cakes! Sami set us up in the basement which at first i thought was weird but as more and more people arrived and it got crazier upstairs i was so relieved to be hidden in our secret den. Sami is a smart cookie. We decorated 8 cheesecakes with flowers and blue glaze it was GREAT! 

so the night was spent dancing under the stars and twinkle lights laughing and celebrating with friends and family. What a HOOT!

For the Love of all Things Asparagus Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Last weekend my friend Megan and I co-hosted a little gathering of friends to celebrate Asparagus! All we asked from the invitees was to create a dish made with the key ingredient. Ohhhh we were blessed! We had it in quiche, puffed pastry, wrapped in filo with brie, in amazing salads and pastas. The company was wonderful and we sat out in the garden  late into the evening with a fire, some dogs, some chickens, a banjo, a singing ax man and a little whitney houston.  It was perfect.

 

i made Asparagus pasta and it turned out really great!

here is the recipe if you are so inclined.

Asparagus Pasta

2 cups of Cake Flour (very important for light soft pasta)
1 cup of regular flour ( i used more)
zest of 1 lemon
Tbs fresh thyme
1 cup of blanched pureed asparagus (make sure it isnt over cooked to keep its beautiful color)
4 egg yolks.
pinch of salt

toss all of the above in a cuisinart. if the dough is sticky, add more flour.

dump on a surface and knead dough for about 5 minutes until smooth

wrap in plastic wrap and set on counter for an hour

use your pasta roller as instructed to make the pasta.
i let my pasta sheets sit for about 30 minutes to dry up a little before i made my noodles

this pasta was a little bit stickier because of the asparagus but it tasted AMAZING!

i just added a sauteed onion, chopped proscuitto, asparagus , white wine and vegi stalk to make a light sauce with parmesan of course.

Sweet T’s Summer Cut Saturday, May 23, 2009

Today was the day for Timmy’s annual hair cut. He just seems sooooo happy after it is over. They left a little hair left unlike last year when he was just a long pink doggie. So Handsome!  looking back at last year, Timmy has also gained some weight! YEA!!!

My chairs are multiplying so if you want to join me for drinks and sunshine, there is room for you now too. I am pretty sure this is going to be my favorite spot this summer.

Kudra is just lounging and keeping an eyeball on the chickens.  i suppose someone needs to eh? I think if she were human she would be more beautiful then Angelina Jolie. She already has the, ‘yes i am perfect, gaze away at my loveliness although i will look slightly bored” gaze down perfectly.

i want to Rock with You (all night) Sunday, May 17, 2009

Last night we celebrated Stacey’s 4-0. She wanted a potluck type party at home with her family and friends and an 80’s theme!

As i sit here writing this i am downloading 10 cd’s full of 80s songs that Noele burned for the event. I took them all home so i could update my ipod.

i decided to bake Stacey cupcakes for the event with 80’s themes on top…After really wanted to put little piles of powdered sugar and a straw on each top, i went with something a little more user friendly. Ms Pacman (because she is cuter) and Purple Rain (for my unending love for prince)

The best part were the outfits! i am shocked that the 80’s are making a comeback but it made it so much easier to find the props.

i couldn’t get big hair in the 80’s either!

we didnt have karaoke but we did have Amber!

the family that plays together stays together, isnt that an 80’s motto?

i loved those fishnet arm things                   we even put eyeliner on the boy, and look at those big blues

Nothing Changed Here Sunday, May 17, 2009

i just found this picture of me when i was 3 and realized not much has changed.

i still always have my fingers in my mouth and something spilled down my front.

i still stand with my belly sticking out too

Paddy O’Hare Monday, May 11, 2009

this past winter i went to Honolulu to visit my dear Paddy.  On Friday, i got an email from him which said the following;

Dear Sarah,
To see me on TV. Type in    damien.edu   on Google, for the school homepage and then click on “view all stories” Look for Br. O’Hare  and you can read the article and view the TV clip.

                                     Love,         Paddy

 i had to include the articles for you to view too.
My heart just swelled to see him honored for 70 years of service as a Christian Brother, 40 of which have been in Hawaii teaching at Damien High School.

Here is the article  and  Here is the video.

Le Printemps est Arrive! Monday, May 4, 2009

The Menu has been planned

  
the fridge is stalked,

 
the wines are chilled

and the table is set with my grandmother’s china and fresh lilacs from the garden.

I had spent the evening before watching Twilight for the third time (i am not ashamed) sampling a bottle of wine to make sure it is ok,  while I shucked peas and fava beans. I also made my chicken liver pate. I knew saturday was going to be a whirlwind and i wanted to prepare for the marathon event. When Tselani arrived at 3 she looked at me and said, I hope you are ready to work your ass off.

I WAS READY!!!

Tselani was amazing to work with. She made sure i had my hands in everything and had a soup spoon in my apron at all times for tasting, always tasting and seasoning. I think more then anything else, this was a lesson in seasoning and not being afraid of the salt. We had such a good time.

When i was in Provence I got to stay at a small farm outside of Orange. We spent a very wet day in the kitchen with an incredible 3 star Michelin chef and his wife! While we were prepping our meal, a HUGE thunder and lightening storm swept across the fields. This was one of those storms that make some people nervous!
While Tselani and i were prepping our meal back in Portland, the sky went black and BOOM!  we got the same storm! maybe there is something about me, french cooking and storms. it was fantastic! thank god the power didnt go out!

    

We had 3 hours to prepare our meal and had at least 3 things going at all times. Stacey was put to work when she arrived.

 

   

We began with our lavendar honey custard. That had to steep and then cool completely before we could put it in the ice cream maker.

Following soon after, we made our Amuse Bouche; puffed pastry with goat cheese, creme fresh, basil, lime zest and cherry tomato.

We then tackled the carrot soup YUM! this ended up being one of my favorite things because we started with a very simple base of carrots, onion, ginger and chicken stalk. Then added flavor boosters. We added a bit of cream (of course) salt and lemon juice to brighten the flavor. it was awesome! we topped the bowls with a mixture of creme fresh, cardamon and cream. it was perfectly smooth. Carrot soup doesnt need to be strained! such a novelty. The Cardamon was an awesome combination with the Carrots and Ginger.

Next we worked on the pasta. I had never made pasta with cake flour before and with less gluten, the noodles were very light and delicate to compliment the lemon zest and spring veggies. we steamed the peas in vegetable stalk and pureed them with cream (of course). this we set aside to mix into the pasta before serving. the pasta was the most amazing bright yellow from my own chicken eggs! it was AWESOME!

 

Next we made the profiteroles and popped those in the oven. to keep the edges of the parchment paper down in the convection oven, we put a dab of pastry under each corner…great tip! we washed them with egg before baking.

next we prepped the rabbit for braising. this was the most informative for me. we used the extra bones for a very rich stalk and picked rosemary from the garden before popping the whole pan into the oven. We placed the rabbit over the fresh pasta and added fresh fava beans and asparagus. YUM!

after the rabbit and before dessert, we had fresh arugula with walnut oil and cheeses.

 

 

 

 

 

 We love cheese

As everyone arrived, Tselani and I were still busy in the kitchen. I got out a gorgeous bottle of Champagne to accompany the pate to keep people amused.

While we ate, we put the custard in the ice cream maker and settled in for the feast.

 

I was so lucky to be surrounded by many of my best girlfriends and we all had a great time!

  

   

   You can tell which of us were cooking by the flush of our cheeks

We had some wonderful wines, but this was my favorite! i have had it before and i still LOVED IT! it was the hit of the party.

We decided that to serve this wine on a first date would lead to amorous events. It is the most seductive wine i have ever tasted.

 

 After dinner, i caught Sami in the soup pot with the only clean spoon in the kitchen, i think it is a baby spoon left from another event.

The next morning, with a wicked hang-over, i got to wash 40 wine glasses and all of the china and silver by hand…and every pot, pan and bowl i own.

It was totally worth it!

When the sun came out on Sunday and with the last bit of energy i could muster, i built myself a chair and napped and read the day away.

The Palm Springs of Washington Monday, April 6, 2009

This weekend i went to Yakima to visit my brother and sister in law and attend Drew’s big #3 and Reid’s Baptism…phew! We left early Saturday morning and the drive was gorgeous! There are so few times that the Dalles is surrounded by green hills. They look like soft velvet pillows. When we were climbing up the Washington side of the gorge we got over the ridge and a baffling mystery for me was solved! I cant tell you how many times i have driven by a huge flatbed semi with an ENORMOUS white propeller on the back. i thought, largest plane prop in the world? NO! they are for  Wind Energy . These huge silent windmills all spinning in slow motion crossed the span of the hills as far as i could see in every direction. They are so beautiful and it was really exciting to think of all the energy they are creating without doing any damage to anything! Freen Energy from something the gorge provides best…too much wind!

 

Yakima was so warm and sunny. I loved visiting my family and reading my current obsession series (TWILIGHT) in the sunshine. i was so engrossed in the book that i went to bed last night with a wee burn on the nose which i got to enjoy until 130 when i finally forced myself to close the book and flip off the light. sigh.

Mr Big Pants Monday, March 30, 2009

My sweet old pug has been sick now for a couple of weeks. i thought he was slowing down but he got REALLY sick this weekend! it has been a complete challenge keeping up with him these past few days and i am exhausted!  he is on antibiotics now and eating again

I just dont know what i would do without this little critter snorting and tooting and snuggling, sometimes all at the same time.