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!

Spring-Dreaming and Big Plans Saturday, March 14, 2009

today i had a meeting with a Chef  i want to hire for my Annual Spring Dinner. Chef Tselani taught my French Provence cooking class in January. i LOVED that class and i learned so much. Tselani was fantastic and i was really excited to have my Cooking Bees meet her. She refers to herself as a Fig Whore…i knew i would love her. So she is coming to my house May 2nd to cook a 5 course meal with me. So far we have Pate, Spring Green Pea Soup, something with fava beans, maybe duck? and honey lavender ice cream on the list. YUMMMMY!

After Tselani left, i decided to get some things in the dirt. I planted sweet peas, fava beans, arugula and radishes in pots. In the green house i got my beets, onions, leeks, eggplant, zinnias, butterfly weed, basil, poppies, zucchini, melons, cantaloupes, and maybe i am forgetting something but that is a good start. I moved the chicken coop lights into the green house so that the seeds dont freeze. Last night the temp didnt drop below 50 in there so i think i am going to be ok! of course it is monsoon season today. We havent had rain like this in weeks and weeks.

So now i have a bit of a break between replanting the seedlings and getting the garden beds ready. right now, things are pretty wintered looking.

March 15, 2009

Garden, Pre-Spring beds

after i peeled myself off the couch yesterday, i caught some pics of the critters enjoying a day in the sunshine. sigh, where did that sun go?

 

Falling Down Monday, September 29, 2008

Friday night my girl friends and i got to check out a new restaurant and celebrate a birthday! The place was called 50 plates. It was perfectly pearl district in style but as we drank our champagne, we ate southern  sliders with pulled pork or fried chicken served in a waffle bun with syrup. the best part was that our bill included 4 spatulas with frosting on them, just enough for a lick. Kaatje thought that was disgusting so i ate hers too. The staff was pretty lame and slow but they make their own sparkle water!! We got like 4 bottles of it through dinner and it was free…seriously that is worth the trip alone…that and the chocolate spatula.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the flip side, i took Mieke to the zoo this weekend! I have a love/hate relationship with the zoo but when you have a little one with you, the love part is so much more predominate.

We got to see the baby elephant!

He is sooooo tiny and sweet and fuzzy. He is also quite attached to him mama now (thank god!) and it was so worth the hour long wait in line to see him. The weather was gorgeous, the animals were funny and the company was charming as always.

 

The Table is Set Monday, April 14, 2008

 

Where to even begin! My weekend was a whirlwind! I was fighting some lingering sinus infection so i felt about as low par as a girl can feel and still keep moving. I even took my temp at one point but discovered it was only from slaving over a hot stove all day, a couple aspirin and a shot of Pomegranate Liqueur and i was good as new!

So let me preface this post by saying that about February 1 we had a gorgeous sunny warm day and my entire being exploded. I was in love with the world and life and my house and my garden and all the little seeds and oh love was all around. i promptly decided to host a multi-course meal at my house to celebrate the rebirth of Spring. At that point I started to plan my menu knowing one thing; It had to involve all the fresh and amazing things of Spring. Lucky for me all of my Queen Bees were free that weekend sans the mini-beelets so i knew we would be in for a fabulous evening.

Here is our Menu

 

As the day of the event drew near i discovered, between snow showers and a broken furnace, that really spring hadn’t arrived and I was COLD! I still persevered and found that many local markets were lovingly brushing off the frost and also secretly celebrating spring so i collected fresh bunches of asparagus, wild mushrooms, long crunchy spring radishes . From the garden i collected all my fresh herbs, baby arugula and Leeks.

 

Appetizers

I wasn’t hot on my appetizers. The prawn was a little tough and the sauce was weird. Is that a professional term? well it was. I wonder if the Saffron was too strong with the garlic. I loved the polenta squares when i tested them earlier and baked the polenta off in the oven but when i was rushing around, i tried to fry them and they stuck..yeesh! they tasted great and the oven roasted tomatoes were fantastic! i would do those again for sure. Thank you Darlene for patiently toasting my polenta triangles for me
The picture is pretty and the Prosecco was great!

First Course

Cream of Asparagus Soup
Finished with a Parmesan Custard and Parmesan Crisps

 

YUM. that is all i need to say. This was amazing! i ate it for 3 days after and never tired of asparagus pee. This recipe was a delight and took 2 days to make, my favorite kind.

I took pictures of my kitchen because i had soup on the ceiling (still do) and all over the counters, cupboards. I should have gotten the quote i have printed in my kitchen on the wall, “only the pure of heart can make good soup” what does it mean when you cover yourself with the stuff?

The custards were a savory Creme Brulee with all the goodness of cream and cheese. i think i could just eat those for the rest of my life too. The combination with the asparagus was perfect!note the pug.
that garbage bag was toast when i ran to the liquor store

 Second Course
Ricotta Gnudi
Served with wild mushroom Ragout and Fresh Herbs

I have two things to say here, one, i have no idea if this is a mushroom ragout i just thought it sounded fun and second, this entire meal is based on this course. I LOVE Gnudi, which are little ricotta dumplings and now that i know how to make ricotta, there is no turning back. The mushroom sauce was incredible with the delicate dumplings. I will make this again too!

Third Course
Chicken Saltimbocca
Served with French Beans and Spring Carrots

Need i say more?

I chose this recipe From Cook’s Illustrated at the last minute and am so glad i did! The meat was tender and the Prosciutto was just the right saltiness. It was also a good excuse to use some new sage that popped up in my garden! I was able to wrapped the beans in the leek stalks i had used for the soup base.

Fourth Course
Fresh Greens
Fennel, Celery Root, Baby Arugula and Spring Radishes with an herbed Goat Cheese

I wanted this course to cleanse the pallet. I could have gone on and on and on but what i really wanted to focus on was Spring greens. I found these gorgeous Radishes at Pasta Works. The gal was just putting them out. I also just happened to have a 20 year old Balsamic to drizzle over the top. mmmm
I also took fresh goat cheese and rolled it in Zaatar spices.

 

This is my favorite picture. I like to think they are admiring something, but it makes me laugh more to think of them saying,
“Um, What the hell is that”? “ 
” I dont know, do we eat it? You eat it first”
“I dont want to eat it, what if it is just for decoration? It isnt on the Menu”
“Lets wait and see if Sarah eats it”
“Wait, did she eat it or give it to the Pug? damn!”

OK enough. I am sure they are admiring Sami’s GORGEOUS embroidery work on the napkins! Seriously, custom embroidery work for our Spring Meal? How special are we?

  Thanks Sami! I will Cherish them forever.

Fifth and Final Course
Cheese and Port Poached Pears
with a salt caramel truffle for fun

 

The cheeses were amazing. I had a Roquefort that i was told to eat with butter. so we whipped up a batch of fresh butter and the different textures together were really lovely.  With this last course i also offered some amazing digest-ifs. To poach the pears i needed to peal them and slowly steep them in a port mixture. I didn’t actually know if i had Port but i did! i somehow obtained this mystery bottle from a friend of mine a few years back and thought, OK well lets see what we have. OH MY GOD. It was divine! It was so beautifully smooth that i went on-line to find out how pricey this little bottle i was cooking with came to…$60 for about 16 oz of Port. fortunately, i didnt need too much and we were all able to have a small glass of Port. I also had a gorgeous Moscato that i painstakingly peeled the label from this weekend (and not so well) so i could keep it as a reminder. YUM!

  

 

All in all the meal was so special and such a delight to have my friends in one place for a lovely evening of my favorite thing…food. I will do it again for sure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The glutonous side of life Thursday, January 3, 2008

OHHHH so i returned from Costa Rica where i ate fresh mangos, passion fruit, weird globual looking things that were super yummy, pineapple, papaya..oh i could go on and on. Needless to say, the Ticos eat what they grow and lucky for me, they share. They are also the masters of a perfectly grilled steak. I ate and played for a week…then i came home. Now i loved this fresh local food side of life but i missed my cheese products. So what is a girl to do? after several days of napping for almost 14 hours a day she stumbles around for a few hours readjusting to being vertical again and makes cheese! I have always wanted to make cheese. I even bought a book! but i read and read and got nervous about all the dos and donts and did you know that cheese is much like bread making? it takes a lot of patience! I should know because i also decided to make bread too. I initially thought Martha was working through me but it occurred to me that i didn’t need Martha, i had the blood in my veins of generations of  magnificent women who made sure i didnt kill myself in the learning process. And i am sure they were just as excited as I was. I know the cats were purring at my feet under the steaming vat of milk and cream.

So after mustering the nerve, i went to it. I mixed and stirred and curdled and danced around in excitement. Each step of this process is a magic to behold.  It really works! that is all i could say, it is working! I am making cheese! so fun!Next time i will channel the zen of Buddha and slow down a bit, my mozzarella balls looked a little “organic” in form but YUMMMMMMM!!!!

For the first time i really felt connected to my thought process about growing my own food and making products that are really simple and pure. I dont feel overwhelmed by the idea of my garden this coming spring, or raising my chickens. I am just excited! i want to grow as much as i can for myself and my loved ones. i want to eat figs and goat cheese and fennel and arugula with fresh eggs and homemade bread. i am not sure why it all seems so simple to me now but it does. i finally feel like gardening and cooking aren’t supposed to be complicated, they are just part of a process which of course involves a lot of learning and um did i mention patience…it is calming to me. i cant wait! i am still eating from my garden and the other night i cooked mounds of kale, added a little bacon and tossed in some Mozzarella! The stuff even melts right. YUM! Next time maybe i will make the pasta too Bon Appetite!

sitting on my overturned soapbox eating chocolates now Wednesday, January 2, 2008

my my my was i upset or what? i am now humbly sitting in my overturned soapbox, asking for your forgiveness for my rage (although my points are still valid to me) and thinking happily about chocolates and snow instead.

I had a lovely weekend and sunday was the cherry on top! i should preface this by saying GO KICKER CHECK! when the sun shines in Portland in December and the mail brings fourth free money, it is a good day.

Sunday i took my little wad of cash and did some christmas shopping. I got down to our little Pearl district and headed straight to my favorite store in the world Anthropologies. i like to touch every single thing in there twice and then try on things i cant afford and then buy some little happy trinket for my efforts. I am sure they love me in there and assume i am a wandering lunatic as they count the laps i make. And it was snowing! And i was drinking an eggnog latte and feeling quite festive!

After finding a cute top, i went down to In Good Taste for the most gluttonous wonderful day of chocolate. we baked and whipped and melted and froze a variety of chocolate wonders, which we then got to eat! our plates were the size of chargers and we got full slabs of each delectable treat.  i wanted to take mine home and they looked at me like i was insane…i thought eating 8 full pieces of dessert was insane, even in the snow.

of course…i wrapped them in a very special tinfoil box that left people oohhhing and aahhing and maybe rolling their eyeballs, tucked them into my car for the ride home and after a sudden and unexpected stop on the freeway, i had a  chocolate in every form, all over my car…SO SAD! if you are lucky, i will remake my recipes for you and your loved ones

Let the Cooking Commence! Monday, November 5, 2007

 Sami, showing us her mastery of the dough

This weekend was a bevy of food delights. Friday night my girls and I got together for the Queen Bee Cooking Club November event. Our theme this month was Pizza, which i then pushed out to the pizza,  tarts and galettes. It ended up being some incredible pizzas and one sweet galette.

Sadly i was in charge of taking pictures as well as showing people how to get around in my kitchen and the pictures leave a girl with more questions then answers…

example #1…

Are they happy? Are they concerned? Secretly i know they are happy because while one is pregnant and over morning sickness, and the very thought of food is appealing, the other spent the rest of the night with her hand in the bowl…both very very good qualities in my opinion.

The food was great, the company was even better and i wish i had gotten a picture of all of us at the end of the evening each wrapped in a blanket curled up on the couch talking about unmentionables.

 On Sunday, i was invited to attend a brunch for people who are involved with the development of the Portland Public Market. The very thought of this market produces small involuntary sounds from my throat. I cant image a better project! I want to quit my job and spend my hours figuring out how to produce the money to get it off the ground. If you are interested, please get involved! it is going to be so worth our time and efforts and the board members have enough passion to drive us all into foodies heaven.

Italian Harvest Dinner Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Last night my friend Kaatje and I went to In Good Taste for a dinner class. It was perfect. Although i have never had a bad class there, this one stood out as truly perfect. I am hosting a dinner party in a few weeks and plan to recreate the meal for them.

the Gnudi are little dumplings made from Ricotta cheese instead of typical potato dumplings and are so light and fluffy. They are also 100 times easier to make. We talked our chefs into frying a couple up to see what would happen and they were GREAT too!

we also had wonderful wines and great tips on where to get ingredients. Did you know Trader Joes has the best Buffalo Mozz? who knew? This was also the first time i have truly enjoyed a beet. YUM!

here is our menu;

 

Bruschetta with Ricotta, Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Olives and Arugula

Crusty Italian bread toasted with olive oil and garlic & topped with fresh Ricotta cheese, sweet oven-dried cherry tomatoes, olives and arugula

Shaved Fennel and Endive Salad

with Burrata Cheese

Belgian endive, celery and fennel paired with lemon and luscious cow’s milk cheese

Ricotta Gnudi with Wild Mushroom

and Truffle Sauce

A specialty in Florence, gnudi are creamy feather-light dumplings made from fresh ricotta cheese topped here with a wild mushroom sauce

Roasted Game Hens

with Thyme, Balsamic and Honey

Succulent guinea or game hens marinated in honey, balsamic, fresh thyme and red onion and roasted to perfection

Roasted Beet Farrotto

with Pomegranate and Parmesan

Farrato is a similar preparation to risotto but using farro or wheat berries instead of Arborio rice. Here we toss roasted beets in pomegranate molasses and then add them to our farrotto creating a beautiful accompaniment to the roasted hens

Almond Crusted Fig Crostata

with Honey Mascarpone Cream

 

 

bits and pieces Thursday, October 11, 2007

Most of the time I feel like a little girl , trying to be quiet but trembling with delight to see what new discoveries lie in wait, my fascinations also needed a place to sit patiently, anticipating their grand entrance into the world.