Why do people walk in twos? You give 'em four feet!

That was my first memory of portland.  Some crazy lady yelled that sentence to us on our first walk downtown.

I don't have any picture to post just yet.  I need to load the software for my new camera onto the computer.  Suffice it to say that I had an amazing time in oregon.  There was so much to see and so many things to do there.  Plus, it was amazing to just relax and take in the surroundings. i tried a lot of new things, foodwise, including rabbit, latkes, moroccan food (yes, we ate with our hands, sans utensils) blood sausage, oysters, and roasted grapes (weird, huh?).  amazing, AMAZING, coffee and espresso, great beer, and the best public transportation I have ever seen.  I also had sausages that were on a par with my own, so that was really nice.  

We walked almost everywhere, sometimes taking the light rail and trolley.  I think that we figured we had walked about 30 miles.  Ten of those felt like they were straight up.  We also saw a japanese garden and a chinese garden, both of which were stunningly beautiful and made you feel like you were not in the states.  

There was a jewish deli that we ate at almost every day that we were there.  They had awesome breakfasts that I am still thinking about (and still full from!)  Their corned beef hash had big chunks of brisket and potato with caramelized onions and tomatoes.  I had a hard time veering away from that stuff.  We celebrated our birthdays while we were down there.  I bought wife a sweet pair of boots that she had actually been wanting for a long time (we were walking by a shop and they just happened to have them in the window.) Amy bought me a new staub dutch oven (8 quarts of potential bliss!) and some really nice clothing and I treated myself to a new global cleaver (watch out, chickens, your non-segmented days are numbered!)  All in all, It was a much needed, blast of a trip.  Better load that software now.  peace

Open Mic Night??? I'm totally there!

Pork Chops...Pork chops.  Oh, sweet pork chops!

Bake the Yukes of the most golden variety

Chayote, Chayote, O ancient Squash 

knife. fork. taste. chew.

The Food Cocoon cracks 

The Food Butterfly Emerges

New life flutters its glistening wings

Taste. Drink. Eat. Swallow. Stomach.

Happy is the Frog who spots the helpless butterfly.

     He is the lucky one.  Today...for now...goodbye frog.

      

...and Dewey holds a special place in my heart.

made some get well soup (viking stew) last week to get me out of my exhaustion funk.  Never lets me down.  I think this gets better every time I make it.  This time I used beet tops as the green.  Wife swears that this version is the best.  I think that there are three variations that have become my favsies.  Beet tops, Kale, and Dandelion Greens.  Ideally, it would be kale in the winter, dandelions in spring, and the beet tops in summer/fall.  I think that a lot of people do not realize that they are actually edible.  They're quite good, really, and not just in soup.  I actually like them sauteed with shallots and simply seasoned.  Try them out.  they'll rock your face off.  The roots are good too.  Try those matchsticked and tossed in a salad with some feta and raspberry vinaigrette.  I am so excited to be going somewhere new in a couple of days.  We have sort of a loose schedule, a lot of food stops, naturally.  It's going to be pretty sweet.  I just hope that we can enjoy it and slow down after all of the overtime we have been putting in.  

ps.  I got a new Camera (nikon dslr...super sweet.)  expect righteous pics very soon!

Whoa...Whoa...Whoa, pump the brakes, son!

ok, so it's been forever since I last posted something.  I have an excuse...trust me.  Last week I worked 78.5 hours.  yes, you read that right, almost 80 hours in one crazy, exhausting, ridiculous week.  7 days straight, with almost 12 hours (sometimes longer) every shift. i still haven't had a day off yet (Not until thursday and then I go on vacation!) and I am somewhat surprised that I am still able to function.  It was rough, there were a couple of times where martha and I were so tired that we got the sillies and were laughing uncontrollably.  I think, for the most part, that we did an awesome job this past week.  It was definitely a challenge, but we overcame it and I think that we became better bakers for it.  Amy even came in on sunday to help out.  I don't think that she will be seeking a career as a baker anytime soon:)  She said we were crazy for liking that job, but she was a great help to me in that one set of footprints time.  The other thing about this last week that rocked is we have been eating like kings at the bakery.  We got sick of making sandwiches all the time so we started bringing in different vegetables and making things with eggs to snack on.  Tasty squared.  To the food:  This picture is from last monday when we had our friend angela over for dinner.(she is going to watch buster while we are on vacation, he can't wait.)  I shredded some red cabbage and sauteed it with thinly sliced onion, salt and peps, a little sugar and some balsamic.  I also grilled some super thin pork chops and made a gastrique (reduction of balsamic vinegar and pomegranate juice) to drizzle over the meat.  The potatoes are simple roasted tates with heavy cream and parmesan.  Pretty good food all around.  ok, more posts...

High steaks...big breaks.

I heart beef...I heart steak.  This was a most definite juicy ribeye.  I made a melange of rootin tootin root vegetables.  I also tried something new and made a simple vinaigrette with mirin (sweetened sake).  It was really good, but you have to be careful with it, it's super sweet.  like type 2 diabetes sweet.  other news:  Martha cooked a beef heart the other day.  I tried it and it was actually very good.  I almost didn't, but I figured, hey, how often do you get the chance to eat something like that?  I have more posts, delicious, exciting posts, but I have no time and I'm hungry.  don't worry, things will be back to normal soonish.

It's Jazzy! Pizazzy!

I made some shepherd's pie the other night.  Although, it was with ground beef, so maybe it should be called rancher's pie.  Either way, it was delicious.  I layered the top with VERY thinly sliced potates and grated some parmesan on top.  really nice.  I am not going to write a lot on these posts, I am wicked tired.  I have only worked three days this week and already have 34 hours.  do the math.

ps.  scored those super cool mini coquettes at the TEEJ.  definite max moment.

I wonder if Peter was related to that Pied guy?

so, I was out of batteries for quite some time.  I finally had a chance to get some the other day so we are back in business, as the kids say.  The farmers market is over so that means I will have a little bit more time to do things now, well, at least once November gets here.  John is on vacation for 9 days, and then I go on vacation for a week after that, then martha goes after me.  So, It will be crazy for a while, but eventually it will settle down and we'll hopefully have a more relaxed pace.  This picture is pepper steak with some leftover stovies from the day before.  It's pretty simple.  just a melange of peppers, onions, garlic (all thinly sliced)  and seasoned with chili powder, cumin, coriander, and cilantch.  Of course, there are tomos and beef stock in there also.  Pretty tasty dish.  If I have leftovers of this they usually become nachos or tostadas.  Well, I do have lots more to post, but I am really tired so hopefully later if i feel up to it.  peace

i shall have my glory day in the hot sun

I did a little bit of experimenting yesterday.  I bought a silpat over the weekend and had recently viewed a show on pbs on how to make tomato "powder" using your oven (to dry out the tomatoes).  So, I sliced some tomatoes super thin and then laid them on the silpat and stuck them in the oven at about 200 F, maybe a little less.  Let that go for about 6 hours and voila!  Dried tomato slices.  Ground them up in my coffee grinder (the one I only use for spices, of course) and got about 1/4c yield of intense, tomatoey powder.  the show I was watching that explained this process recommended sprinkling it over pasta or salads.  I seasoned some chicken breasts with it, along with salt and peps and then wrapped the chicken breasts in bacon and baked them.  It was really good and kinda neat.  The tomato flavor was there, without the tomatoes.  I also will be trying this process with other things in the near future (onions, citrus fruits, etc).  I think that there are a lot of possibilities with this technique.  The potatoes in the picture are called scotch stovies.  It's basically potatoes cooked with onion, thyme, celery leaves, s&p, and water.  really tasty, simple stuff.  the celery was a nice addition to the potatoes, wife found it refreshing.  likewise.

I had every intention of working on the book today, but i am super tired.  I hope I can find the inspiration soon, but right now, I need some zzzzz's.  peace.

Where are thee cheeps?

I love mexican food.  REAL Mexican food.  Not stuff like tasteless meat jammed into a crappy, flavorless tortilla, or dishes topped with piles of shredded cheese.  I like the good stuff, the real stuff that layers flavors so expertly that it makes you feel like there's a symphony in your mouth and your tongue and teeth are conducting it.  That's where Cochinitas (or "puerco")  Pibil comes in.  It's a dish from the yucatan combining pork with very pungent spices and an acidic marinade and slow roasted in banana leaves.  It's face meltingly good.  Serve it up with some homemade mexican rice and tortillas, garnish with cilantch and call it good.  Here's your do:

5 T annato seeds

2t cumin seeds

.5 t cloves

8 allspice berries

1 T peppercorns

grind all of these in a coffee grinder until fine and set aside.

2 habaneros, de-veined and seeded

1/2 C oj

1/2 C white vinegar

8 cloves garlic

2 T kosher salt

juice of 5 lemons (around 1-1.25 cups)

splash of the best tequila you can afford

put all this stuff in a blender, add your powder and whizz on high until combined

cut up around 5 pounds of pork butt(  only pork butt, everything else is too lean, and leave the fat on!  you can take it off later if it's not your style)

put the pork in a big ziploc (or a big pan would work, ziploc is preferred)

pour marinade over and let sit 4 hours or up to overnight.

roast, in a foil- covered baking dish at 325F for four hours.

tip:  if you want to be old school, and you know I'm all about being old school, you'll pick up some banana leaves and layer them on the bottom of your baking dish, hanging over the edges.  pour the pork mixture in, and fold the edges back over the pork, covering the entire thing with foil, tightly.

I'm so livid with you turkeys...you're like a cool bunch of idiots!

I made some cornish hens the other night.  I really like the texture of these little guys.  It's kind of like chicken but a bit stringier, for lack of a better word. Not in a bad way though, more like the texture of goose.  I actually ended up "spatchcocking" or cutting the bird down the spine and flattening it out so it would cook faster and more evenly.  It seems kind of horrific when you are doing it, like maybe it should be in one of those lame saw movies, SAW 6 1/3...you'll never believe what he does to the chicken.

  I was looking for some white wine to use in this dish when I stumbled onto a little four pack of wine "boxes."  I bought them, they're about the size of a juice box, and actually perfect for using in recipes if you don't want to open a whole bottle.  So, while they may not be the best quality (they are not too bad though), they work pretty well for recipes.  I think that it's a good idea to have a few of them on hand.  (Steve pauses to go make some coffee)  In other news, markets are almost over, vacation is almost here, I sold my mountain bike and am going to use the money to get a sweet new camera, and I had 101 hours on my last paycheck.  Lots of information...too much maybe?  I'll give you a while to let it all sink in...

I made a huge pot of beef vegetable soup over the weekend to take to my pals house and watch the nebraska game.  ( I don't want to talk about it...the game) It was very spicy and very good.  I hadn't made or eaten that soup in a long time.  It is a recipe that everyone in my family makes, everyone having their different variation.  So, naturally, every time that I make it it reminds of growing up.  It was always my favorite thing that my mom made.  There was a stretch when I was living alone that my friend lance and I made that soup like every other weekend.  So, I guess if I need someone to be an accurate judge of the outcome, he is probably the one to do it.  that's where I took the soup to watch the game and he and my friend riley said it was tasty, so I was glad that I hadn't lost my touch.  well, I need to split, more posts.

The picture of "Durian" Grey

No food stuff today, just thought that I would post a picture of gus when he was a puppy.  Man, he was cute.  I can't even believe that we are almost done with the market season.  Only two left.  It seems like it went so slow at the beginning, but now they (weekends) seem to be flying by.  

Wife and I went to dinner last night, Thai Food.  I had this idea that when I went out to restaurants that I would start trying new things, but it is so hard to branch out when you have found something delicious (like panang curry!).  However, I did live a little and had a nice glass of pinot noir.  Although I don't condone going out on a regular basis, I do enjoy it if the food is something that I can't or don't have the tools to make at home.  Otherwise, what's the point.  Most of the time, that is the basis of us (amy and I) going out or staying in.  with some careful planning and basic knowledge/skills you save yourself a lot of money and develop some decent cooking chops along the way.  Always think about ways to increase your kitchen prowess.  We are tigers, lurking through the pantry, ready to pounce!  

(Anyone who makes the connection between the title and last sentence is super savvy)

The reitz stuff

that's what wifeshow calls this "german" meal.  It is basically a braise of onion, cabbage, potatoes, sausages, and beer.  How could that even come close to being bad???  It is a very comforting, soothing meal (at least for those of us with european backgrounds) that never disappoints.  Here's how you do:

In a heavy casserole or dutch oven, brown some brats or kielbasa or any other mild garlicky sausage on all sides.  Once browned, remove from the pot and set aside.  add a little more oil to your pot and saute a very thinly sliced onion and some minced garlic until just getting color.  Add a small, shredded head of cabbage and cook for about 5-7 minutes until starting to become soft, translucent.  Season all of this with a generous amount of pepper, and salt to taste.  Pour in a bottle of beer and add your sausages back on top.  Cover and set in a 350 degree oven for about an hour or until the potatoes are quite done. Tasty.  I like to take the leftovers and make a sandwich with the sausage and top it with the cabbage/onion mixture.  

I made a spur of the moment bread at work today.  Martha and I were doing ciabatta and we forgot to stop making tiny rolls.  We had made four extra, accidental "whole rolls" (100 g of dough folded over once on itself and sealed, ready to be cut in half to make a tiny roll.) and instead of throwing them away, I stretched them out and braided them into a nice braid and we spritzed it with water and sprinkled it with sesame seeds.  It was pretty delicious and looked quite nice.  I wish that I would have had a camera with me.  All I had was my phone, so I took a picture with that, but haven't figured out how to post those yet.  If anyone wants to see it let me know I'll send you a pic.  Tastewise, it was really nice and nutty, perfectly complimented with a simple topping of fresh tomato, sea salt, and black pepper.  I hope that we get to a place where we make them available at the shop.  Maybe a bread of the month or something.  peace

"You're getting flour on the dog."

So, I thought that it would be fun to make some fresh pasta the other day.  I hadn't done it in a long time.  Either I was feeling very rushed, or it had slipped my mind how "in the moment" you have to be when you make something like this.  While I am very fond of fresh pasta, I will admit it is not an average weeknight dinner.  I think that is what spoiled it for me, the fact that I had to go to work that night.  I ended up making raviolis with a creamy acorn squash filling (roasted acorn squash, roasted garlic, olive oil, thyme, sage) and topped with a red pepper alfredo sauce.  I think, as my wife pointed out, that I like this dish better using butternut squash as the filling.  It seems to be more rich and the texture is a little smoother.  Still, it was a pretty tasty dish, nonetheless.