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Friday Favorites: 4.05.13

Pardon my bragging, but I’ve been on a roll this week.

First, there was Easter Sunday with my family, which was wonderful. I got to hang out with my youngest sister and her husband and adorable child. I took my niece to the zoo, and we got to see polar bears and bats and baby elephants. And, there was a lot of sunshine this past week which resulted in general merriment and sunburns (and an impromptu potluck on a friend’s porch).

Then, my friend Mari got us courtside seats to the Blazers vs. Memphis game on Wednesday. It was epic. We hollered and cheered and heckled Marc Gasol and had ourselves a grand ole time. (Note: the game was awful and the Blazers lost in the most horrific fashion, but we still had a blast.)

To top it all off, the morning after the game I attended a small blogger brunch at Imperial. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Imperial is a new restaurant from Vitaly Paley (Paley’s Place) and Ben Bettinger (formerly of Beaker & Flask). The menu is a stunning tribute to the region, with an emphasis on Native American cuisine and locally grown and sourced food. They make nearly everything from scratch – the barrel aged hot sauce, the bread, the cheese – and it all tastes perfect. We were treated to a gorgeous brunch spread, complete with coffee, cocktails (and mocktails!), the prettiest fruit plate I’ve ever seen, strawberry french toast, house made sausage patties and links, coddled eggs in spicy tomato sauce, fry bread with house made ricotta and grilled pears, and so much more. The brown butter beignets (served with Bee Local Honey from Montavilla) were one of the highlights of the morning – it was like biting into perfect little doughy pillows.

See, I told you that it’s been a great week. I feel so thankful (and spoiled).

And since it’s Friday (hooray!) I thought I’d share a little goodness with y’all.

Here, in no particular order, are some of my current favorites.

FRIDAY FAVORITES: APRIL 5, 2013

Actresses Without Teeth. This site is terrifying and hilarious. And it makes me want to take care of my teeth so that I always have a full set of pearly whites.

Oaxaca. Nich and I have been trying to plan a summer getaway, and I think we’ve settled on Oaxaca, Mexico. It looks like an amazing place, and I really (really!) hope we’re able to go. (If you’ve got the travel bug, I suggest you read The New York Time’s 36 Hours in Oaxaca. I promise, you’ll drool over all the good eats.)

Arrested Development is back (!!!). This is the best thing to happen to television in a very, very long time. (Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled that Game of Thrones and Mad Men are back on the air. But Arrested Development is the best TV show of all time.)

The new Justin Timberlake album. Cannot. Stop. Listening. To. It.

Sprouted Kitchen’s Kale & Slivered Brussels Sprout Soba Salad. I’ve made it a million times in the past few weeks. It’s so simple and delicious.

I implore you all to go rent/watch/see the documentary, “A Place at The Table.” I’ll write more about this next week for my Food Bloggers Against Hunger post, but I had to include this on my favorites list today as it’s an amazing and powerful film. Watch it.

Pope Francis. I don’t often pay much attention to the Pope, but Francis is making me pay attention. He seem humble and down to earth. He cares about the poor. And he’s doing away with a lot of the papal pomp and circumstance and I like it. (Also, I read this article about him washing the feet of a Muslim woman and it brought me to tears.)

The PDX Food Swap. We have a limited amount of spots left for our swap on April 14th. Visit Sustainable Food For Thought for more information (and come swap with us!).

Lastly, good friends of mine gave birth to a health baby boy named Henry this morning. I’m so excited for their family, and cannot wait to kiss his little cheeks. Henry is definitely my favorite thing about today, so I think I’ll leave it at that.

Happy Friday, friends!

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.