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PDX Food Swap: April, 2013

For those of you that don’t know, I organize and host The PDX Food Swap. The swap is a great way to connect (and barter!) with the local food community. If you’re in the Portland area, I highly encourage you to attend!

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Registration is now open for the PDX Food Swap, which is taking place at Sharp (the restaurant at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Portland) on April 14th from 4 to 6pm.

Head on over to the Sustainable Food For Thought blog for more information and registration.

Hope to see you there!

Wine Weekend

There are so many amazing things that exist beyond the city limits. Portland is a wonderful and beautiful city, but when you leave Portland it just gets better and better. We are surrounded mountains and rivers, trees and fields, forests and farms. When I drive outside of the city, I’m always struck by all the green. As I drive through the fields and forests of Oregon, I see shades of green that I didn’t even know existed. It’s kind of unreal.

With that said, I implore you to drive out of the city. Just take a day and get out of town. I escaped to wine country this past weekend, and it was nothing short of magical. I still can’t believe that wine country exists, just 30 miles outside of Portland.

I drove out after work on a Friday and stayed at my friend Mari’s farmhouse. (Yes, one of my best friends in the whole world lives in a giant farmhouse on a vineyard. It’s pretty fantastic.) If you don’t happen to have a friend with a farmhouse in wine country, I recommend the lodging at McMenamins Hotel Oregon in McMinnville. It’s affordable and has a lovely rooftop bar with a great view!

The next morning, I woke up to the sunshine pouring through the farmhouse windows. (If you are from the Pacific Northwest, you know how important this factoid is: Sunshine in February!!!) I spent the morning lazing about in the quiet of the farmhouse, curled up next to the fire with a cup of coffee and a book. I took my time and soaked in the quiet of the day.

Later on in the day, I met up with a group of Portland Food Bloggers for an afternoon of wine tasting. We stopped by three of my favorite Oregon wineries – Erath Vineyards, Anne Amie, and Soter – and we sampled a lot of wonderful Oregon wine. There was, of course, a lot of Oregon Pinot Noir (which is always amazing). But we also tried quite a few other varietals and blends, such as: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Rosé, Muller Thurgau, and Cabernet.

It was the perfect day.

Thanks to all of the wineries who so graciously hosted us, you were all so fabulous. I came home with a deeper love and appreciation for Oregon wine (I also came home with a lot of bottles of Oregon wine. It happens.).

With that said, I’ll leave you with a few photos from the day.

The view from Erath:

Tasting Pinot Noir at Erath:

The best dessert wine ever (at Anne Amie):

The last stop of the day, Soter Vineyards (and the lovely Mari):

Friday Favorites | 2.15

The best thing about today is that it is the day after Valentine’s day! The fuss is over and the teddy bears and heart-shaped boxes of waxy chocolates are gone. We can all go back to our normal lives and celebrate our loved ones with non-Hallmark sponsored goods.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I’d like to share a few of my favorite things. Here are some of my current faves, in no particular order:

1. Downton Abbey. I finally caught Downton fever, and there’s no going back. I just finished the second season (The Christmas special destroyed me!), and I’m eager to jump into the 3rd season and catch up with the rest of humanity. (No spoilers please!)

2. Cauliflower. I can’t get enough of this cruciferous vegetable these days. I’ve pickled it. I’ve roasted it with curry and garlic (Hint: roasted curry cauliflower is really good alongside my Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup.). I’m dying to try this mashed cauliflower with goat cheese and rosemary.

3. Lord Huron. I’ve been listening to the ‘Lonesome Dreams’ album nonstop. It’s lovely. (At the risk of sounding too cool, I’ve also been listening to Taylor Swift nonstop. I’m sorry, but the girl keeps churning out pop gold.)

4. Pok Pok Som Drinking Vinegars. Who knew that drinking vinegar could be so delightful? I’m obsessed. In my humble opinion, the Pineapple, Tamarind, and Honey vinegars are the best.

5. Girl Scout Cookies. Tis this season, and I’m a sucker for a Samoa.

6. My cat is now famous, thanks to my friends at Juliet Zulu and a gorgeous video they made for Puma. Check her out, she’s the fat orange and white cat that looks annoyed sleepy.

7. Sunshine. My favorite thing about today is the sunshine, and I’m going to go outside and enjoy it. Happy Friday, everyone!

Treat Yo Self: A Trip to Los Angeles.

Sometimes, in the middle of January, you’ve just gotta get out of Dodge.

Plane tickets are cheap this time of year and the weather in LA looked awesome, so I decided to go. It was fantastic.

It was a blitz trip, but I made the most of it. I visited with old friends. I stayed up late (and I slept in late!). I ate a lot of good food. I went to the beach and it was 80 degrees outside and I remembered exactly why people choose to live in Los Angeles.

Oh, and I did get the chance to eat dinner at Animal and it was everything I hoped it would be: it was meaty and indulgent and really, really good. (Oh, and it didn’t hurt that I was literally sitting next to Aziz Anzari. It took everything in my power not to shout “Treat Yo Self!” at him. I love him so much.)

That being said, I’ve been out of town, which means that I haven’t been in the kitchen for awhile. (I miss it!) I do have a few recipes that I plan to share in the coming weeks, but for now I’ll leave you with a few photos I took on my trip.

And last (but certainly not least), a little Tom Haverford for you all.

TREAT. YO. SELF.

A Few Of My Favorite Things: 2012

I’m a big fan of year-end lists.

Writing a year-end list gives me a chance to really think about all that I’ve seen and done in the past year. To relive things I’ve eaten, places I’ve been, and people I’ve seen.

So, I am going to attempt to share a few of these things with you.

Here are some of my favorite things from 2012 (in no particular order):

1. Tanuki. I thought about this long and hard, and I think that Tanuki is my favorite place to eat in Portland. I crave the kimchi bacon croissants, the squid jerky, and the seaweed salad. The atmosphere is odd (at best) and the food is not for the faint of heart. But if you’re feeling adventurous, I highly recommend that you go to Tanuki and order omakase (chef’s choice). You’ll leave full and happy. I promise. Runners up: Laurelhurst Market. St. Jack. Little Bird. Ox. Yoko’s. Bunk Sandwiches. Screen Door. Ned Ludd. Apizza Scholls.

2. Cheap Eats. There are so many amazing food carts and affordable eateries in Portland, it is hard to pick a favorite. But, let it be known that 2012 has been the year of Du’s. I eat Du’s Teriyaki far too often, but I just can’t help myself. I order the same thing every time: the chicken and beef combo teriyaki plate (with extra sauce!) and a side of kimchi. It is so stupid good. Runners up: Taqueria Su Casa on 82nd, Whole Bowl, Chaba Thai, Los Gorditos, Little Big Burger.

3. Having my kitchen featured on The Kitchn! The lovely Leela Cyd photographed my kitchen for Apartment Therapy’s The Kitchn. The photos were stunning (I promise, my kitchen isn’t actually that clean and sparkly!) and I gained a lot of new blog readers afterwards.

4. I was laid off from my job, and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Getting laid off enabled me to drive across the country with my sister when she moved to Minneapolis. So, that was awesome. And now I have a new job with Stumptown Coffee Roasters and I really love my job (which is also awesome).

5. Beasts of the Southern Wild and Les Miserables. These movies made me cry, a lot. In the best way.

6. Damien Lillard. He’s gonna be rookie of the year. He makes the Blazers an enjoyable team to watch. I love him.

7. There are too many good things to drink in Portland. But, if I had to pick favorites it would be the following cocktails: (1) Pedro Martinez at Rum Club: it’s boozy, it’s rummy, and it has a big ice cube. I’m obsessed with giant ice cubes. (2) The Alaska: The Sapphire Hotel (specifically: bartender David S.) makes the best Alaska cocktail in Portland. But, the Laurelhurst Market’s version of an Alaska is also quite lovely. Try em both! (3) Barrel Aged Negroni at Clyde Common. What can I say, I’m really digging the barrel aged cocktail trend.

8. Game of Thrones. Everything related to Game of Thrones is my favorite in 2012. The books. The TV show. The cookbook. Direwolves. Jon Snow. Winterfell. You get the idea…

9. The PDX Food Swap. The founder of the PDX Food Swap has been away all year, traveling the world with her husband, so I had the privilege of organizing and hosting the PDX Food Swap all this year. I loved every minute of it!

10. Queso dip at Trigger. I would like to thank Tommy Habetz and the Bunk Dudes for opening Trigger and for changing my life for the better. I’m going to eat a lot of queso in 2013.

11. Bob’s Red Mill. I’ve always loved Bob’s Red Mill, as they make an amazing array of flours and natural grains. And then, Bob gave away his company to his employees. Such generosity and selflessness is downright inspiring.

12. My Wusthof chef’s knife. I’m not sure how I lived without one for so long, but the husb got me one for my birthday this year and I’m obsessed.

13. Buzzfeed’s list of 26 Moments that Restored Our Faith in Humanity This Year. Because, sometimes, you need to be reminded that it’s not all bad.

14. Oregon Wine. Remy, Anne Amie, Soter, Argyle, Illahe, Vincent, Abacela, JK Carriere, Erath. I could go on forever. We have a lot of good wine in Oregon.

15. Lil Omar! While I got him in 2011, he continues to be the best bunny on the planet.

And I think I’ll leave it at that.

There was a lot of good in 2012. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2013.

Happy New Year, everyone!

A Handmade Holiday, Volume 2: Cork Coasters and other Crafts!

As promised, here is the second volume of my “Handmade Holiday” series…

I am not sure what possessed me to do write a “crafting” post. I’m just not the crafty type.

I can’t knit, sew, embroider, or crochet. I can’t paint, sculpt, or draw. No, my crafting largely depends on a can of spray paint, a good pair of scissors, a roll masking tape, and some glitter and glue. (And by a “good” pair of scissors, I mean a pair that I got at the grocery store for $3.00.)

But, I wanted to provide a few more Christmas gift & decor options for those who aren’t culinarily inclined (or, for people like myself who like to make a whole bunch of different things). So I’ve included a big list of ideas and crafty projects, as well as a tutorial for making cork coasters. I know that Christmas is rapidly approaching (eep!), but these coasters are a quick and painless craft. If you are still looking for simple (and awesome) DIY gift ideas, look no further!

DIY CORK COASTERS
Inspired by Martha Stewart

Note: I cut out all my cork circles by hand, because I like doing things the hard way. (Plus, it gives me an excuse to watch horrible Christmas movies on Lifetime while I’m crafting.) If you don’t want to do things the hard way, you could skip a lot of steps and just buy blank cork circles on Etsy.

What you’ll need:
Cork Board: I bought cork wall tiles from Target.
Masking tape
Spray paint (A variety of fun, festive colors)
Scissors
4″ Circle Stencil (I used a cardboard coasters that I got at a bar.)
Other options: Stencils for coaster designs. You can buy them in craft stores, or print them for free from this site!

How to make em:

First, trace circles onto the cork tiles using your stencil (aka bar coaster!). Fit as many as you can onto each tile (I was able to fit 6 4″ circles onto one square tile), and then carefully cut out each circle with scissors.

Once you have cut out all the circles, use masking tape to create geometric designs. (Or, tape stencils to the coasters). Spray paint the coasters outdoors (or a well-ventilated garage or craft space). Allow to fully dry before removing the masking tape. It’s as simple as that! I am packing the coasters together in sets of 4, and tying them together with yarn or ribbon.

AND NOW FOR THE REST!
A HANDMADE HOLIDAY, VOLUME 2: HANDMADE GIFT & CRAFT IDEAS!

*Chalkboard Mugs
*Geode Bottle Stoppers
*Yarn Wreaths with Felt Flowers
*Jersey Knit Bracelet
*Awesome DIY Animal Bookends
*Wine Cork Trivet
*Cute Little Marble Magnets
**The Cutest Little Holiday Snow Globes
*Moss Terrarium | Tiny Terrarium | Hanging Succulent Terrarium
*Painted Wooden Bead Necklace
*Gold Leaf & Paper Mache Bowls
*(Really Cool) Vintage Tin Candles
*Vintage Postcard Calendar/Journal
*Chalkboard Globe
*DIY Wood Butter