Wine Country

Memorial Day is almost upon us and here in Oregon that means wine tasting! Oregon is home to hundreds of wineries and vineyards and during the annual Memorial Weekend in the Wine Country many who don't usually open their doors to the public invite you to come and taste. Even better, during this weekend a portion of all proceeds from Wine Country Memorial Day events will go to Ecotrust's Farm to School program, whose goal is to get more fresh and local produce into schools for the school lunch program and teach kids about where their food comes from.

If you have something specific in mind, like a particular varietal or region, you can search wineries using the Wine Country Explorer. They have also done some of the work for you and have suggested routes to follow, so you can get the most from your time.

Happy tasting!

Buzz Buzz Buzz

Every week Ashley (friend and fellow blogger) and I check out a new café in Portland. We call these gatherings our “writing sessions”, and our objectives are to write a little, talk a lot and get to know Portland on a more personal level. These meetings have been going on since late winter, and we’ve probably frequented at least 10 places (NO STARBUCKS). So without further ado, here are the first three of many reviews to come, plus links to their Yelp! pages:

Three Friends Coffee House
201 Southeast 12th Avenue

This place was by far my favorite. Maybe it was the fact that I hadn’t seen Ashley in awhile and we had some great catch-up convo. Maybe it was the high ceilings and long bar of jarred loose teas lined up by the register. Maybe it was the sunny weather, allowing the place to be flooded with natural light (SIDENOTE: Get your act together Portland weather, it’s LATE MAY). It was probably a mixture of all these things that made the experience enjoyable and memorable. The coffee was decent, the regulars a little smelly, the owner a little off-kilter, but all in all a great place to sit and read or write (or talk for several hours).

Common Grounds Coffee House
4321 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

I was a little leery about visiting this place at first; the name was shared with an on-campus coffee joint that I worked at my freshman year at UO. Horrible experience. Then again, any place on campus open until 2am that offered paninis, smoothies and other stoner-fare is not a good place to be. Anyways, once I got over the gross stigma attached to the name I found the place to be quite enjoyable. If I ever owned a bakery or coffee shop, I’d want the layout and size to be quite similar. Not only did they have coffee, but they also offered pastries and a small menu that included bites like caprese salad and vegan cookies. Great atmosphere, a must-see.

Papaccino’s
4411 SE Woodstock Blvd.

Had way too much of a corporate feel for me (it had a kid’s play area for god sakes) but there was a lot seating and comfy chairs for reading. There were limited outlets as one of the walls was all glass and most of the seats were in the middle of the room, but I did see a power strip for those sitting on the side of the room with a wall. The glass did make for good natural lighting and a nice view of Woodstock. One great thing about this place is their Happy Hour on weekdays starting at 5pm. $1.00 bottomless house coffee!!! Woooooooooo - that caffeine buzz will make anyone looking to cram for finals happy.

Portland goes Ethiopian

Last week sometime my man and I visited Jarra's, a long time standing Ethiopian restaurant on Hawthorne. As we walked in we were greeted by what seemed to be the owner helping his daughter with her homework. We were shown to the empty dining area and had quite the selection of seats to choose from. We decided on the what looked to be the dark side of the room, but soon found out it was just a light bulb on it's way out. As we browsed over the simple thirteen item menu, the light continued to flicker making us get a bit giggly. I decided on a Heinkeken and Jonathan got a draft IPA. The man said, "people, prepare your i.d.'s." His charisma and proud energy made me really comfortable and excited, despite being the only customers in the restaurant. Following our drink arrival we got a brief history on Ethiopia and reasons to love the country. He told us of the beautiful people, diverse regions and the misconceptions of his country. At first, I was a bit saddened by his explanation of America's idea of African-American people. Not that we are racist, but think of only Africa and not the 53 nations that exist. He explained to us that people just see him as someone from Africa and not the mountainous country he is from. We could tell he loved speaking of Ethiopia, but not necessarily that he wanted to return, just that he wants all to know about it.
After our lesson, Jonathan and I were more and more talkative and starving for our food. I decided on the vegetarian combination(easily made vegan) and he chose the mild chicken dish. We had read reviews before we went and heard of the awesome spice. I was ready for the heat, but Jonathan was not. As my plate was set in front of me I could smell the unknown spices that were about to hit my palate. Aesthetically, it was not the most beautiful of plates, with the dark colored sections meshing into one-atop a white colored sponge looking pancake, but that didn't stop me. Ethiopian food is served on a thin crepe-like bread made from teff called Injera. The owner explained that there was a hot and a mild sauce on each side of the plate, surrounding our vegetables and proteins. There was chopped lettuce and tomatoes on top to cut the heat of the dish. He told us to tear the bread around the outside of our dish and simply scoop the food up with our hands. We were provided with a plate of extra bread to finish the whole dish. My combination included two different kinds of lentil blends, collard greens, spinach and rice. I was surprised how clean I kept my hands and plate.

I must say I have never tasted food that made my ears burn. It was a whole new experience for my mouth and body. It was the kind of spice that clears your sinuses, but yet you don't shed a tear or a drop of sweat. My chest seemed to be warm too! I see Mexican food spice as me sweating, Japanese wasabi like spice as me with my eyes wide open and Indian and Thai spice as my throat and mouth burning. This was nothing like any of those. I kept looking up at Jonathan and saying, "Oh, I'm done, it's too hot." Then a couple bites later he'd say," I thought you were done?" Haha, I couldn't stop eating it, it was so amazing. What I thought looked to be a small portion, thinking I could finish my plate, ended up being more that enough. The bread, being made of Teff, is extremely filling. Teff has a high amount of fiber making you satisfied faster and soaks up a lot of flavor.

The food was far from what I expected. The awkward ambiance was very reasonable after my first bite and conversation with the owner. Sometimes I think us foodies expect a little too much. It was kind of a nice break from the usual swanky expectation many of us portray when going out to eat. Don't get me wrong atmosphere does matter, but sometimes all you need is good company, culture and delicious flavors. Come on, give it a try, Jarra's. They serve lunch and dinner! I could have guessed they don't have a website, but the address is on the link.

Freshman Fifteen

While in Phoenix a few months ago, I was taken to a self-serve frozen yogurt shop. This place was like an ice cream lovers dream. There were probably about twenty different flavors. Everything from fruity to nutty to chocolate-y to coffee-y, etc. In addition was an incredible slew of toppings. More than you could ever imagine. You mix and match whatever feels right. And when you’re done building your monstrosity of a masterpiece––all happy and proud––you swank on over to the weighing station where you pay for your heavenly creation by the ounce. (And while you felt like a pig when you were loading your paper cup with five different flavors of yogurt and heaping on all your favorite toppings, you really want to say Oink! when you see the price you have to pay for your nearly one pound cup of deliciousness).

I’ll interject here that just because frozen yogurt is yogurt, doesn’t mean it’s without calories. While dorm food and alcohol may have been the culprits in my weight gain as a Freshman at the University of Oregon, they weren’t working alone. Consider YoCream the getaway driver. While frozen yogurt was an absolute necessity after eating dinner at Carson Dining Hall, sometimes I’d go way over the top and bring in my own pint size to-go cup. I’d fill that puppy to the brim (maybe even a little more) with layers of chocolate vanilla swirl and Oreo cookie crumbles. Yum!

Hey!… it’s only yogurt... That was my justification.

Well, truth is: yogurt may be less fatty, but it still has all the sugar and all the calories. Not to mention, three servings of dairy a day is all the body could possibly need. One pint is really enough. So, if you want to eat a pint of frozen yogurt a day, you’ve got to adjust your diet and activity level to accommodate for those extra calories. It’s just the way it is.

But going back to this frozen yogurt shop in Phoenix… the moment I set foot in the joint, I was in heaven and only wishing that a shop like this existed in Portland. Well, recently came to find that one does. In fact, I’ve been by it a million times since it opened a little over a year ago but never realized the extent of what it was. I thought it was a normal frozen yogurt shop like TCBY. Not a self-serve. This makes all the difference in the world. There’s just so much satisfaction and fulfillment in creating your own. No limitations on what you can combine and how much of each thing you can have. God––Yes!

If you like the DIY concept (Do It Yourself), go to:

Swirl
SE Hawthorne & 35th

They rotate out their flavors, which is a cool concept. Although, I suppose it could be sad if you have a favorite that suddenly disappears…
Well, at least it will push you to explore.

As I’ve read in some reviews, it’s a tad more expensive than other frozen yogurt shops around town. But, price is really no object when it comes to ice cream (gelato, frozen yogurt).

Swirl’s frozen yogurt is made by YoCream International, a local Portland company. And though it would be cool if they had reusable bowls and spoons for sit-down customers, at least they’ve made a green attempt by using paper bowls and biodegradable spoons (made of corn starch, the quality of these things is superb…that’s a topic for another time though).

I wish you the best with your exploration of Swirl! Try to contain yourself though... it can be unkind to your waistline!

Big Organics

I watched Food, Inc. again last night, this time with my mom. I’d been trying to get her to watch it for a while. It’s funny how when you watch things multiple times, different parts stand out each time. It had me thinking about big organics this morning. There is a portion of the film where this once super hippie, now CEO of Stonyfield (big time organic yogurt company) is talking about how if we decided that we were only going to buy products from a perfect food system – where everything is local, organic, animals are outside, we can meet our farmers, etc. – it would be futile. I seek out these sources when I can, my eggs and a lot of my produce during the summer months I don’t get from the store, but local sellers. Buying that way is not always feasible, unfortunately.

I have found myself in this predicament in the grocery store on more than one occasion: I am looking for X product, thinking it should be easy to find a suitable product that meets my standards, but I’m standing in the store presented with two choices: big organic (meaning industrialized organics) from out of state or conventional. (Or even worse, I’m presented with big organic or a conventionally produced local product, how do you decide which is more important?) At times I’ve left without either, frustrated. I’ve had to learn to be ok with big organic. It’s not ideal, I’d rather support farmers in my neighborhood and I’d rather send the message that I want to have a connection to my food, to know what’s in it, who grew it, and that it’s safe to eat. I’d rather save all that fossil fuel that’s used to transport big organic to my grocery store. I’m trying to vote with my dollars, here, people! How can I vote without the option I want being presented to me?

But I must remember that at least big organic means that all that land, all those animals, all those workers, aren’t being bathed in hormones or chemicals – and those nasty things are staying out of my body, too. All those food dollars spent on big organic are dollars that would probably otherwise be spent on conventionally produced food products. We’re talking about thousands of pounds in chemical pesticides saved. And that’s what’s important, right? Sure, there will be those who just meet minimum standards required for organic labeling because they know organics command a higher price, but there are a lot of great organic companies, too, who are in it for the right reasons and don’t just meet, but exceed standards.

Pasta, Pasta, Pasta!

I remember as a little babe just gobbling down bowls of enriched semolina pasta. My mother made a mean marinara to top these easily chewed strings and I enjoyed every mouthful of it. Lately, I have been sticking to healthier choices such as, gluten free and sometimes whole wheat. I can't remember the last time I ate regular pasta. After eating whole grain pastas I find white pasta a little awkward to chew and not to mention how I feel afterwards. Following a trip to an Italian restaurant my family slowly moves to the car, then upon arriving home, they slowly move to the couch. I can relate to the feeling of heaviness and sleepiness. Whole wheat pasta, I do not care for as much as some of the fabulous gluten free options. Fortunately, with quinoa or brown rice pasta you do not sacrifice nutritional value as say white rice or tapioca. My personal favorite is quinoa.

Last nights dinner was a platter of quinoa linguine, topped with a creamy marinara and green beans. It was by far the quickest dinner I have made in a long time, and produced very little dishes. Yeah! I have forgotten the trouble-free practice of pasta dinners. Considering I am vegan, the sauce was made creamy with some leftover mashed potatoes and some olive oil. I have found that the fattiness of a luscious cream sauce can be mimicked so easily with a starch and a high quality fat, such as olive oil. After I sauteed the green beans I tossed them in the sauce to complete the dish. I have also blended cooked rice, steamed cauliflower and rich grapeseed oil into marinara to concoct a sort of voluminosity. Try one of these tricks, I know you will like it! Not only are they much lower in calorie and fat content, but energy to boot too. The reason quinoa pasta tops my charts is because of it's intriguing bite and great nutritional benefits. Quinoa is high in complex carbohydrates, protein and fiber. After eating a preferred 2 oz. serving I feel full and energetic, rather than ready for a nap or a doze on the loveseat. With the low fat and sodium content how could you not feel good about eating quinoa pasta. This, "Mother Grain" as the Incas used to call it, provides a nutty and rich flavor. My favorite brand to buy is Ancient Harvest Quinoa Supergrain Pasta. I like the linguine and the garden pagodas. Unfortunately, if you have a corn allergy need not eat this brand, there is a bit of corn in their recipe. Do try pure brown rice or flax enriched pasta. You will surely enjoy it's natural texture. Explore the world of pasta and tell us what you like!

Here are a couple more brands to try: Food for Life, Heartland and a much heard favorite Barilla Plus. These are easy choices to make at the supermarket and home. When you are out for dinner don't be afraid to ask your server for a healthier option to your pasta dish, you might be surprised. Just because Olive Garden isn't there yet doesn't mean that everyone else isn't. Many restaurants are recognizing the popularity and demand of gluten-free and health concious individuals. Untraditional pastas might take longer, but they are definitely worth the wait. I hope your next dinner consists of some sort of nutitious pasta dish, laughs and make sure to try recipes on the brand name websites, delicious!

¡OBA!

Last week my boyfriend's first student got his pilot's license. To celebrate, his student treated us to dinner and drinks at ¡oBa! restaurant in the Pearl District. Woah-wee! Because I am a foodie, along with the other foodie's of this blog, I had to check out the menu beforehand to get an idea of what I was up against.

Looking at their website, ¡oBa! touts their food as "neuvo latino". What the heck is neuvo latino? Well, executive chef Scott Neuman describes it as:

"...cultures and cuisines of the Caribbean and Cuba, go through South and Central America, up through Mexico to my roots in the American Southwest, interpreting these foods so that they may be enjoyed by people in the Northwest."

New York Times named ¡oBa! the best restaurant to eat at while in Portland, and Willamette Week named it Restaurant of the Year. After eating there, I can see why. This is how the night went:

Eric and I arrived early to have a drink at the bar and take the edge off since I would essentially be having dinner with strangers. He ordered a Hefeweizen (his favorite) and I was eager to try one of their mixed drinks. The Prickly Pear Margarita and Passionfruit Mojito were recommended to me, but I was drawn to the Cucumber Mojito. It was the perfect balance of mint and cucumber, not too sweet and not too strong. I got to munch on the cucumber slices and get a buzz! Definitely a must for warm weather (if Portland ever gets it).

After we finished, Eric's student Bobby and his wife arrived and we were seated at a table in the main dining room. It was very dark in the restaurant, and the noise level was at medium - but a perfect ambiance for the theme and style of the place. We all hit it off right away, and Bobby brought a couple bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon that the waiter uncorked - and continued to keep our glasses full all night.

For appetizers, we ordered the Crispy Coconut Prawns and the vegetarian Queso Fundido. Both were delicious, although the Fundido made me the happiest and there was plenty to go around.

Being the vegetarian and quinoa-lover that I am, I ordered the Enchiladas de Calabaza: roasted butternut squash enchiladas with a creamy walnut sauce and black quinoa salad on the side. I almost orgasmed upon taking the first bite - the suttle flavor of the squash combined with the texture of the corn tortilla and the rich, creaminess of the sauce made for one flavor explosion in my mouth. I was in food heaven. The quinoa salad was the perfect compliment; it was slightly tart and oniony, had a crunchy texture and cleansed my palate after eating a bite of the enchilada. Perfect.

With the wine almost gone and a steady flow of happy conversation, dessert was the natural next step. Bobby and his wife shared the ¡oBa! Baked Argentina, which they had had before (they said the meringue was what did it for them). Eric and I ordered a Coconut Cake drenched in dulce de leche, topped with toasted coconut and a zesty lime sauce. Again, perfect combination of flavors and textures. Cake: super moist and creamy, coconut: crunchy and suttle, lime puree: tart!

What a dinner. Think of all the best foods you've eaten in your life and multiply that by a million! Six days later and we're still talking about it. I plan on going back very soon to try as many drinks on their menu as possible, as well as try their happy hour menu (4:00-6:30pm daily,late night happy hour: 9pm-close daily, all day Sunday).

In case you haven't yet been convinced, here are some more reasons to eat at ¡oBa!:
1. Great atmosphere both at the bar and in the restaurant that makes you comfortable; not pretentious at all.
2. There are several options available for vegetarians, vegans and celiacs - woohoo!
3. ¡oBa! has been recognized by the city of Portland for their effective recycling and composting programs.
4. Chef Neuman and associates use local, farm-fresh Northwest products to create their fare.
5. IT'S ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!

Go With What A Place Is Known For

You hear great things about a place, but end up gravely disappointed when the server sets your plate before you. Everyone else’s plates look amazing. Everyone else is making the “Mmm!” “Oh!” “Yum!” harmonies. You take a bite, hoping that looks are deceiving. And your bummed. But you continue shoveling small bites into your mouth, hoping that maybe, just maybe, it’s going to get better.

But it doesn’t. Your meal sucks. There’s just no getting around it.

You ordered the wrong thing!

This can happen. Even fabulous restaurants can have these temperamental dishes­­, or better yet––bombs. Little neglected runts. The menu’s description sounds so good! It lures you in by containing everything you’re familiar with and fond of.

Here’s a perfect example: I’m a sap for veggie-loaded omelets. Yum! The perfectly seasoned, perfectly sauté vegetable medley; the salty, ooey gooeyness of the cheese; the creamy fluffiness of the egg swath; maybe even add a few chunks of sausage––Oh! But then, you get it. And it’s bad. The veggies are tasteless, undercooked. The egg wrap is… less than fluffy to say the least. And the only decent thing about it is the cheese. In fact, if it weren’t for the cheese, the thing would be gagging. Ugh.

But, hold up, rewind: before ordering, you heard the place was known for something in particular, like maybe their benedicts or their hashes or their pancakes. So why didn’t you just go for what it’s known for? Because you (we) are creatures of habit. We like to stick with what we know. But then, what’s the point of eating out? What’s the point if we always go for the same damn thing?

The lesson: Order whatever a place is known for. You’ll likely save yourself from major dissatisfaction.

P.S. Hot Cakes: located on the south side of SE Powell right before crossing the Ross Island bridge. Order the pancakes! Delicious. Maybe even their hashbrown plate or omelets, but steer clear from the corn beef hash! It’s cat food––in both taste and texture.

Gardening in small spaces

I would love to have a huge garden where I had room to grow all my own fruits and veggies. Unfortunately, I live in a townhouse. We have a reasonable yard for the size of our home but I certainly won't be growing all my own goods until we have a bigger place, if even then. This doesn't stop me from growing my own fruits and vegetables, and it doesn't have to stop you, either, no matter how small your space.

There are a lot of good options for the apartment or townhouse dweller. Dwarf varieties of many plants are readily available, like this dwarf blueberry bush in my little yard:


Strawberries are perfect for containers and will return year after year if treated well. I have three strawberry plants and a dwarf blueberry in the same large pot. They have been very happy together. No blueberries last year, but it was a very young plant. I enjoyed a few strawberries and am looking forward to more this year as the plants are bigger. I can already see berries that I'll be enjoying soon.


Even tree fruits are available to the apartment dweller as many dwarf varieties can do well in large pots. Grafted trees can allow you to have many varieties on one tree (I've seen up to 6 different kinds of apples on a single tree!).

I think by far the best thing a home grown garden can offer is tomatoes. Tomatoes fresh from the garden are so much sweeter and more flavorful than anything from the store. Even full size tomatoes make very good potted plants. If I had room for nothing else, I would have a tomato plant (or two!). Here I have two, a cherry and a roma (along with two pepper plants).


Then, of course, there are herbs. These little guys are happy in your windowsill if there is really no room to garden.


Knowing I didn't have much room to grow food of my own, I made my flower beds serve a dual purpose. Rather than just filling them with decorative plants and flowers, I put my food plants right in the flower bed. They're pretty and you can eat them!

Eat Raw? Why? I Could Never?

I love talking to people about different diets and seeing their reaction to the raw diet. This word is often followed by looks of shock and gruesome. I also hear a lot of, "Oh, I could do vegetarian, but never vegan and absolutely never ever raw." Well, I say never say never. I, myself am not on the raw diet, but do see many reasons why this diet is beneficial and why the idea is appealing. I like to correlate raw meals into my menu to try to keep things balanced and exciting. With beautiful summer produce coming, now is the time to prepare yourself. Many individual's bodies sort of freak out when they convert to eating all raw, mainly because the massive amount of fiber and nutrients is a shock to their system. A change can also make a person nauseated and experience headaches if their prior diet consisted of heavy amounts of caffeine, sugar and meat. After a couple days their body thanks them and adjusts. Fortunately, our bodies are very adaptable and try to make the best of whatever we are doing. That's why so many people eat so badly, because they don't see what is happening inside of them. Our bodies just go with what they get and later on you will see what actually was happening or the outcome. Raw food diets are proven to show an increase in energy, better digestion, weight loss and a pure looking complexion. I have also heard a friend mention that her eyes became brighter and more clear. As well as some hair color change.

I am attracted to the raw food diet because of it's overall intensity and concentration on whole plant foods. When you think about it this is probably how humans started eating. Talk about getting back to basics. Heat wasn't always available, which forced our ancestors to eat things raw or dried. Raw foodists believe that heating foods above 116 degrees depletes them of vital nutrients, enzymes and minerals. So the only form of heat or cooking that is done is dehydrating. It is also believed that one will absorb nutrients better and digest them better if they are not put above this temperature. The properties of the raw food diet lower risks of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity and high cholesterol. Now, it is obvious that raw foods are good for your health, but would you really want to make all that food? It does include a lot of time "massaging" vegetables. I'm not kidding, some vegetables like kale you have to massage before you dehydrate to break down the cell wall. Truthfully, I only make raw foods sometimes, but when I do it is very fun.

Some of the equipment used for raw food preparation is a blender, dehydrator, juicer and some sort of sprouting jar. I love challenging recipes that test my patience and are really good for me. I enjoy incorporating green drinks and raw smoothies into my repetoire. They are easy and filling. Today, I made a smoothie for lunch with leaves of kale, lemon juice, one apple, agave nectar, flax seeds and water. I'll tell you after 16 ounces of that you are full! Although this was quick, some raw recipes require days to prepare for one dish, therefore it can be kind of tedious, but still benficial. Just by adding a couple of meals a week you can still notice a difference in your digestion and energy. I know I have. Here is an example of a 3-4 day long recipe for hummus that was very good, but did take a bit of preparation. You might begin to understand my reasoning for making quick smoothies and juices. This chart may aid your curiousity, if you are still thinking what the heck you would eat? Here is another recipe, this one a bit quicker, for an Avocado Chocolate Mousse. I have made a version of this one many times and it seriously satisfies my sweet tooth. I like to use orange juice instead of coconut milk and omit the oil, just my preference. Also, if you're not a vegan go ahead and try raw honey instead of agave. If you would like to try some of Portland's raw fare, here are the few. For a quick lunch and casual atmosphere go to Prasad, located downtown close to Powell's and Deschutes. I usually get their raw soups and leave very satisfied. They are not open that late so I suggest going for lunch or an early dinner. Also, try Blossoming Lotus for a nicer atmosphere. They have much to choose from, my favorite Live Nachos, to a Live Pizza, which I have yet to try. I hope that my talk of the raw food diet at least makes you curious and maybe a bit excited? Next time you make your morning smoothie throw in a handful of salad mix or spinach, add nutrients wherever you can. Your body will thank you in the long run.

Manger français

A few years ago I went to France to study the language and explore the culinary wonders of the country. To sum it up, “c'était parfait”. Fellow blogger Ashley joined me on the adventure, and la première importance was to eat as much food as possible; inexpensive bakery food, moderately priced crêpes, somewhat expensive bars of chocolate. We weren’t able to experience pâté de foie gras or escargot, but our taste buds did collide with some wonderful treats.

In Paris, we walked around for hours searching for the perfect bakery, or patisserie, to pick out our daily pastries and breads. One day we frequented La Reine des Blés‎ (The Queen of Wheat). Ashley settled on a simple baguette to accompany her hummus fetish, while I had my eye on an éclair hybrid: le divorcée. A chocolate éclair and a maple éclair connected by a clever piping of the pâte à choux. It was delicious. We took our treats next door to Les Vendanges, a restaurant with an owner kind enough to allow us to devour our treats while enjoying une tasse de café.

Eventually Ashley and I made it down to Nice in the south of France. We ooh-ed and aah-ed at the macarons, drooled over les gâteaux and ate enough crêpe to gain five pounds in three days. Although the possibilities are endless, I favored le crêpe citron, a crêpe doused in lemon juice and sugar (although le crêpe avec Nutella was equally delicious).

Before my dear friend and I met up for our culinary quest, I stayed with a host family while studying in Angers, France. They knew of my passion for baking, and allowed me to bake a special treat for them: a tart! My host mother Térèse picked up some kiwis from the market, and had little strawberries that she picked herself. I made a flaky butter crust, cream cheese filling and topped the tart with the fruit. It turned out well. My host family and roommates were very happy, and we even indulged in an aperitif of kir (white wine and crème de cassis).

Although I wish I could share the true memory of France with you, it is impossible to put into words how amazing the sights, smell and tastes were. In lieu of this life-changing experience, I’ll share the tart recipe with you to make anytime you are feeling especially francophile. Bon appétit!

la tarte française

1. First make the French tart dough found at David Lebovitz’ site. He is an amazing author and food critic living in Paris, and is full of knowledge about French food and good French recipes.

2. While the crust is baking, cut up different varieties of fruit to top the tart with. I challenge you to do two things: Choose fruit that is in season and choose local. Try the Portland Farmers Market, your town’s farmers market or Spicer Brother’s Produce – all great choices! If the fruit is too tart for you, toss it with some sugar.

3. After taking the crust out of the oven, make the cream cheese filling:

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

4. Once the crust is cooled, assemble the tart by spreading the filling in the bottom and topping with the fruit. Enjoy with a glass of wine, or champagne, or beer – it’s all good!

Happy With Fratelli

The food: tantalizing. Char grilled halibut, cooked to a flaky perfection––two hefty cuts stacked and parched atop a bed of pink rhubarb compote. A moat of olive oil casts out from beneath the pink isle, spanning out to the ridges of the plate’s brim. Roasted sprigs of asparagus drape over the white tower of halibut. This is an explosion of flavor in your mouth. The earthy asparagus and smoky halibut paired with the silky sweetness of rhubarb compote create the perfect balance between sweet and salty. And the textures lilting throughout your mouth… Oh! Your tongue will be such a happy camper!

Another great dish: House-made pappardelle cooked al dente, bathing in the juices of red wine braised beef and truffle oil; pieces of hazelnut laced throughout. A very pleasing dish. You wont regret this one, either.

Allow me to rewind back to a few of the appetizers. Order the crostini with chicken liver mouse. This is delicious. Three mouse shmeared crostinis are plated atop a uniquely flavored mix of pickled julienne vegetables. I can’t be sure of what they were, however. It might have been red bell pepper and parsnip. The flavoring reminded me of pho. My only nag would be the texture of the crostinis. They may have been a tad too toasted. They weren’t as hard as biscotti. But they were pretty darn hard. I would still recommend trying it, however. Then chicken liver mouse is wonderful. I wouldn’t order the couscous. Boring. But I would order, over any other appetizer, the nettles; braised in duck confit with plump chunks of pancetta, splashed with a balsamic-like vinegar called Saba, and sprinkled with pine nuts. Perfect-o.

Fratelli is little Italy in Portland. Simple Italian fare derived from locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. It’s farm to table. Delizioso!

But here’s what I really wanted to say about the whole experience: The space Fratelli occupies is very reminiscent of true Italian restaurants. And most European shops for that matter. It’s narrow from side to side and looong in length. Just like a shoebox. High ceilings. Cement walls. Exposed wood ceiling beams. Open kitchen. Wood burning oven. Rustic wooden tables. Floor to ceiling windows at the front of the restaurant creating just the right amount of airiness. And a few oriental rugs sprawled out across the cool cement floor. It’s sophisticatedly cozy.

The wait staff is great, too. Please, go!

Made in Oregon

I wrote last week about the impact of choosing local, this week I thought I’d share some local gems with you. These food makers all operate out of Portland area or at least in Oregon (a couple aren’t officially Oregon companies, but are produced here). With Oregon having the highest rate of unemployment in the entire nation, it’s worth choosing local brands when you can, success for these businesses means they can provide more jobs for people right here in our area.

Arico Natural Foods – gluten free and dairy free goodies from Beaverton

Bob’s Red Mill – based in Milwaukie, Bob’s line of more than 400 products includes whole grains flours, cereals, and mixes

Boyd Coffee

Carlton Farms – this pork producer buys from small, local farms and they have very high standards for humane treatment of their animals

Dave’s Killer Bread

Kettle Foods – delicious kettle fried potato chips and nut butters from Salem

Kobos Coffee

Mission – not an entirely local company, but their McMinnville plant is likely the producer of their tortilla products sold locally

Nice Cubes – maker of frozen organic baby food, products are not only produced locally but most are also locally grown, available in Whole Foods and New Season’s stores

Norpac – this Lake Oswego company offers an extensive line of frozen fruits and vegetables under the brand names Flav-R-Pac, Westpac, and Santiam

Oregon Chai

Ore-Ida – this Pittsburg, Pennsylvania company employs over 1,000 workers at it’s primary production facility in Ontario, Oregon

Organically Grown Company – the largest wholesaler of organic produce in the Portland area, use their Organic Food Finder to find their produce in your neighborhood http://www.organicgrown.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=finding

Pacific Natural Foods – this Tualatin company makes a complete line of broths, soups, and non dairy milks, among other things

Painted Hills Natural Beef

Stash Tea – if you haven’t visited their Tigard retail store, it’s a must for tea lovers

Stumptown Coffee

Tazo Tea

Tillamook Cheese – not just cheese, a full line of dairy products including sour cream, butter, and the best ice cream you can find anywhere

Yogi Tea

I haven’t even scratched the surface here, Oregon has TONS of great food companies, not to mention all the fantastic local wines and microbrews.

Next time you're in the grocery store, be on the lookout for these local brands!

The Best Cinco De Mayo Ever!

Today was amazing! It all started off with an 11:00am red wine mimosa and a couple hours of transplanting/ gardening. The weird day of weather brought me to doubt my planned walk to the 26th annual waterfront Cinco de Mayo Fiesta. Rain, steaming ground, then rain, then sun, a little thunder, oh my goodness what should I do? As I ate my, "day-off" chocolate chip pancakes and sipped my soy quad mocha I thought to myself, "should I really venture out to experience an amazing festival full of great food, a beautiful culture and amazing dancers?" After three thoughtful bites of my maple syrup drenched pancake and Jonathan saying,"you better belly up babe" as he cracked open a beer, I thought...why yes! I shall go! Not only will I attend the waterfront festivities, but I will also attend my hermanas(sister's) fiesta later on. Following some planting of beefsteak tomatoes and mesclun mix lettuce blend, we were off!
Walking along the water smelling the roasted corn and peppers mixed with a hint of cigarette smoke, I was immediately glad I chose to come to this occasion. I heard the Mariachi style guitar strumming and saw colorful dresses swirling about. Though the rain pelted my face continuously, I was sure I was in for a treat. Upon entry I was dumbfounded why a creperie or a pasta shack would dare show their face at a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta. Then I saw the leashed children screaming, "spaghetti, spaghetti" and remembered where I was. Sure, we gotta keep it diverse, but really? After getting over that, I settled in with a mojito and a giant array of grilled veggies from Casa de Tamales. Local asparagus, potatoes, green and red bell peppers, button mushrooms, succulent spinach, sweet onions and even beets were handed to me by a smiling face and not to mention a true cook. She had a dirty apron, fast moves and an obvious true love of cooking. Who knew there would be a delicious vegan basket full of goodness at such a fiesta. As I mowed down on my veggies, my love, Jonathan enjoyed a Tecate and a grilled bell pepper quesedilla topped with an amazing smoked tomato salsa and a circle of sour cream. I knew he enjoyed it when I heard nothing until there was an empty plate, " That was f*^%ing good" he concluded. We were then joined by friends and more margaritas. I learned to love tequila today, despite past experiences. Looking at all the booths I found a new delicious candy, a mango sucker covered in spicy chili powder. I saw many people walking around enjoying fresh mangoes on a stick with chili powder on the outside. Apparently, this has been a favorite of many for quite some time, but I have just been out of the loop. After a trek through the well lit carnival it was time to head to the sis's party at her casa. Thank goodness for the failure of rain this afternoon for we would have been drenched with all of our walking. So we mosied on with our mango lollipops.
Our arrival was welcomed by yet another margarita, I must say a bit stronger then the festivals, and a wonderful spicy black bean dish served up with chopped cilantro, avocado and salty yellow corn chips. The best part was the filled pinata on the table ready for a beating! After a game of Cinco de Mayo trivia to see who would start the game, we went at the colorful donkey pinata with a broomstick and discovered godzilla like finger puppets, kazoos, dum dums and everyone's favorite, strawberry pop rocks. Which disappointedly enough have milk in them! Observing my finger puppet as I got a tequila scented kiss on the cheek, I realized I was very happy. What more do you need then friends, family, great food and excellent music. In 1862, the people of Mexico came together to fight for their country and now they invite us to celebrate their liberty with them. Let that be an honor to you all and take advantage of these kind of events. It is a lot of fun and a fabulous party. You will learn a lot and support what matters. If you didn't enjoy it this year then there is always next year. If you love Mexican food as much as I do then you will not regret it! I hope you all had a fantastic Cinco de Mayo and enjoy your night.

Scrub-A-Dub-Dub

Personally, I have never been a 20-minute shower kind of person. Do you remember those surveys on MySpace you'd fill out when you were bored? One of the questions was always, "How long are your showers?" I was always appalled when people would reply with any number above 10. How in the world can you spend more than 10 minutes in the shower? I get bored. If I’ve gotten all my shampooing and conditioning done, and a quick graze of the razor over the pits, I’m out of there. So, long showers not being a faux-pas of mine, I thought of other ways to make my shower time as “green” as possible.

For years I’ve been using Dove Body Wash. For a product that claims it is a, “refreshingly light sensation that’s an uplifting moment for your skin” it sure does have a lot of hard-to-pronounce ingredients in it. There are 25 ingredients listed on the back of the bottle, one of them being ammonium laureth sulfate. This is used as a foaming agent and cleansing agent, but is also a skin irritant and a possible carcinogen. Considering I have extremely sensitive skin and I really don’t feel like getting cancer from soap, Dove had to go.

I went to the drugstore to find a new body wash, as well as new loofah. Out of all the products in the beauty aisle, I found EcoTools to be the best. I decided to purchase an EcoTools Loofah Bath Sponge, which is made out of natural loofah (a vegetable) and is condensed to conserve energy during shipping. I also purchased EcoTools Polished & Protected Body Scrub. There are 14 ingredients in the wash, which is substantially better than Dove. To exfoliate, there is walnut shell powder. To thicken the product, xanthan gum is used. Sunflower oil is used to nourish your skin with vitamins A, C, D and E, and is also a natural ingredient that relieves skin irritation like acne.

EcoTools does not test on animals, while there is a large debate as to whether or not Dove (part of the Unilever brand) does. In addition, EcoTools has joined an organization called 1% for the Planet, and donates 1% of their sales to environmental organizations.

Although EcoTools is a great company and their products smell yummy, they manufacture their stuff in China!? This kind of cancels out the whole organic/natural aspect of it. I’ve been looking at local companies for natural soaps, and I hope to make the switch as soon as the bottle runs out (I threw away my Dove bottle half-empty). Any suggestions?

Sources
http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Ltoxiccosmetics.htm
http://www.10acne.com/acne_treatment_article10.html

Do It Yourself

A couple years ago, I was baking and needed some regular granulated sugar. Of course with my luck and oversight, I only had Sugar in the Raw on hand. I suppose I could have made a quick run to the store, but that might have been too easy.

So, being the clever and resourceful one that I am, I figured Hey! I’ll just refine it a tad in the food processor, and it will work perfectly… Mm-hm. Long story short––I learned how powdered sugar is made! Really though. I always just kinda thought powdered sugar was its own special thing. Like it just existed as a powder in its natural form. Needless to say, though I had over-processed the large flecks of sugar into powdered sugar, I was quite amused by the outcome of my error.

Well, recently while baking my special Chocolate Chocolate Cake for my Dad’s birthday, it came time to make the frosting and, Oh guess what? I didn’t have any powdered sugar. I was in a major time crunch, but I thought, No biggy. I know just how to make powdered sugar! So, I went ahead and processed some fine granulated sugar. And… Presto! powdered sugar…

Yeah… almost. Basically, I learned this: the reason they sell powdered sugar in the store is because it’s not that easy to make. My first two batches of frosting flopped. This actually wasn’t because of the sugar. I had forgotten to add the cream. I realized this mistake on my second attempt and quickly added the cream. Appearance-wise, the second batch looked normal. Taste-wise… Yikes! Not only was the sugar itself horrible tasting (I used Wholesome Sweeteners brand; an organic, fair trade sugar), but it also felt super grainy on the tongue. The clock was ticking; I was broken out in a panic sweat. I realized I was either going to serve an embarrassing tasting cake, or I was going to have to be late and get some powdered sugar from the store.

I chose the latter. It was a good choice.

Here’s the moral of the story: be prepared when baking. Check to make sure you have all of your ingredients before hand. And for god’s sake… just buy powdered sugar.