I picked up Jesse last night from the airport. This time he was flying in from Alaska. We were both pretty exhausted, so I fixed a bite to eat and we collapsed in bed. Despite our exhaustion, neither of us slept very well -- Jesse's restlessness from anxiety about his presentation today, mine from excitement.
I got a phone call yesterday from the architecture firm where I have been consulting for the past few months. There's a new proposal that seems to be pretty perfect and they're going for it, with me as the historian. I can hardly express how excited I am at the prospect of more work (other than temping) and there's lots to be done between now and March 12th when the proposal is due. In fact, I may have to fly down to San Francisco for a couple of days to work with the marketing team. Rad! I spent most of yesterday afternoon reading through the materials and preparing for a conference call that I have this afternoon.
On the craft front, while Jesse was enjoying the breathtaking scenery of Alaska (I'll post photos tomorrow), I was busy finishing up a few books, but also working on a number of sewing projects. I initially started this one for someone else, but I like the color combination so much that I think I might just keep it for myself! It's the same pattern as Ava's quilt, but a very different color scheme. It occurred to me that I made our bedroom quilt a little over two years ago, so I've been thinking that we're due for a change. Or maybe it would just make a good throw for the living room? I haven't decided yet, but can't wait to continue making squares to see how it develops.
It's been cold and rainy for the past two days. I can only assume this is what February in Portland is supposed to look like (we've had such a wonderful winter that I find it hard to imagine what everyone complains about). However, I had things to do and people to see, so the rain and cold was unavoidable.
I submitted my resume to a temp agency today and hope to pick up some part-time work here and there to keep myself busy. Also, I really do want to get that house and yard sooner than later, so the more money we can put into savings, the closer we will be when the time comes. I kind of dread getting started though -- having to take those stupid typing and word processing proficiency tests is annoying, but I know once that's done, I'll feel good about bringing in a paycheck again.
After having a delicious breakfast of red beans and rice with an egg on it (hey I'm not the only one with great ideas), I headed out to the Portland DMV to get our car title transferred. The trip was successful, but took about 2 hours of waiting with a bunch of weirdos. Anyway, we're legit. The final step necessary to becoming true Oregonians is done! I then went over to Anna's for an afternoon of hanging out. She's in the final days of pregnancy and can't wait for the baby to finally arrive. It was nice to chat with her for a few hours. At this point, I feel like I need to get in all the socializing I can before she and Brian hunker down with the newborn.
I got home from Anna's around dinner time and fixed a bite to eat. Then, I decided to try and finish a photo book of our wedding that I started, oh, a year ago. It's shameful, I know, but better late than never right? One reason that I've dreaded working on it lately is that I have grown to detest my laptop that is plagued by Windows Vista. I'm not sure if I've ever shared the contempt I feel for my computer on this blog, but believe me, the hatred runs true and deep. Since the darn thing has trouble performing mundane tasks like opening the internet and saving Word documents without freezing, the added strain of editing a 600mb photo album is not pretty. In fact, it's physically painful. I think being run over by a dump truck studded with spears would be less painful than finishing this wedding album. Currently, I'm blogging on Jesse's Mac because we need a little time apart. (With that said, I feel I should launch a preemptive strike on all arguments stating that I should just get a Mac. We already have two in the house and I use them now on a regular basis. However, they're not great at EVERYTHING and I'm not ready to convert completely.)
Throughout the process, I keep reminding myself how awesome it will be to have a complete book of photos that contains memories from all three of our celebrations. I'm pretty excited to finally see it in print!
We both thoroughly enjoyed the gumbo that I made on Friday. After running errands in the afternoon, we didn't have much time for prep work, so Mamma's yeast rolls were quickly eliminated. I used the time to start the King Cake dough, which needed lots of time to rise. The gumbo was delicious. The andouille that I picked up at Whole Foods turned out to be nothing like what I expected, but it was still pretty tasty. Based on the color and taste (and smell), the roux was the perfect (almost black) darkness needed to make the gumbo rich and delicious. There's nothing better (and nothing worse) than a house that smells like a roux. The only problem is that it sticks to your clothes and hair and has a faint resemblance to a gnarly case of B.O. I remember as a kid my Mom would yell from the kitchen "I'm making gumbo!" and my sister and I would run around the house, flinging all of the bedroom doors closed and throwing open the windows. Sometimes, still, I'd go to school and classmates would ask me if we were having gumbo for dinner. There's nothing worse than being called out for your funny smell when you're 13 and awkward, with a southern accent in New Jersey.
The King Cake, while delicious, didn't look anything like the cakes I have eaten before while visiting my grandparents for Mardi Gras. However, the taste was spot on. The dough was only slightly sweet with a hint of nutmeg. Next time instead of cutting the dough roll in half lengthwise and shaping into ring (or figure eight), I'll leave it intact so it looks more like the round bread that I'm used to. Of course, I took liberties with the shape, but a true circle of dough wouldn't fit on my baking sheet. Besides, I kind of like the figure eight. Also, I opted to not color the sugar glaze -- it just looked too gaudy for this beautiful baked good.
Last night, we enjoyed the red beans and rice that I made along with the gumbo on Friday. As a side, I roasted golden beets and mixed them with the sauteed greens (who knew, you can eat beet greens!) and mixed them together with pickled onions and toasted almonds. The salad was spectacular -- so simple and yet, so delicious. I can't wait to pick up another bunch or two of beets and do it all over again! Oh, and the pickled onions from this recipe are now my favorite refrigerator staple. The only change I made was to add a little sugar with the vinegar and salt -- at first a pinch or two, but then about another teaspoon after tasting (maybe 1 1/2 total). You can make them in about 10 minutes total and apparently they keep for weeks in the fridge. Try them. They're delicious.
Jesse is off to another business trip today and won't return until late Wednesday night. I have lots of planning to do in order to maximize my time alone in the apartment!
If I had a restaurant (which is completely hypothetical because I totally DO NOT want to run a restaurant), I would have an entire sidebar on my menu called "Throw an Egg on It." This would be a feature you could opt for anytime of the day, but mainly is intended for morning and early afternoon. The customer could order half-portions of certain entrees or double-portions of certain sides and throw on an egg, or two, or three and call it breakfast.
Eggplant Parmesan? Throw an egg on it! Enchiladas? Throw an egg on it! Collard greens? Throw two eggs on it! Or perhaps creamy lima beans? Add an egg, some pepper and a little Cholula and you have a mighty good breakfast. Jesse also thought that we might have another sidebar dedicated especially to hangover cures like cold pizza or any dish plus five strips of bacon -- nothing like greasy food to soothe a troubled tummy and screaming headache.
Jesse didn't land until 12:30 last night, so we're getting a slow start to the day. However, the sun is shining and the air is crisp, so we're going to ride our bikes downtown and run a few errands. We both have 40% off coupons to Borders, so I'm going to pick up a travel guide and Jesse is going to purchase his first beer guide for our September trip to Germany and Belgium. After that, I'm going to start on the King Cake and yeast rolls for tonight's Cajun feast!
Jesse comes home tonight from his three-day trip to Washington, D.C. From what I can tell, he worked hard, but he also played hard. Even though I joked with him yesterday that I could get used to the apartment being this quiet all the time, I'm really excited to have him back. Since he's managed to gorge on terrible food for the past three days (burgers, grilled cheese, pizza, and who knows what else), I've decided to cook a nice satisfying meal to celebrate his arrival. What's on the menu? Gumbo, Mama's Yeast Rolls (from Paul Prudhomme), and King Cake.
I've had King Cake (and my grandfather) on the brain lately and was sent over the edge last night when I started reading Calvin Trillin's The Tummy Trillogy. In his introduction he talked about scouring Louisiana for the best boudin (pronounced boo-dahn). While reading, I couldn't get my mind off of a trip we took to Louisiana last year to visit my grandparents. Jesse and I enjoyed some damn good boudin from Bourgeois Meat Market in Thibodaux, which my grandparents swear has the best around. I wonder if Mr. Trillin would agree?
Boudin is one of those truly regional foods that -- Mom correct me if I'm wrong -- I have yet to find on a menu outside of Louisiana. We picked up boudin in the three varieties available that day; white (pork and rice), crawfish, and red (pork blood sausage). Boudin is cooked inside the casings, so you just have to heat it up before eating. The only way I can describe it is a delicious, thick, meat stew made into a sausage. We also got homemade beef jerky that was out of this world. Served with a side of red beans and rice, you have a respectable dinner or supper.
In this photo, Jesse is enjoying four pounds of crawfish. The waitress said her boyfriend could eat that much and still have room for sides, so that's what he ordered. Four pounds proved to be almost too much, even for Jesse. Anyway, in addition to crawfish, shrimp, and hushpuppies galore, Jesse also got to sample my grandparent's gumbo, which was awesome. It's not the fancy-pants gumbo you get in restaurants, but simple, rich, delicious, and made with just a handful of ingredients -- I have yet to perfect it myself. It's the kind of gumbo that I grew up on and as a result, I now a very low tolerance for anything that doesn't meet the mark. So, I usually just eat it when I go home (and make it occasionally myself).
Since finding boudin in Portland seems to be a long shot, I'll have to settle for a giant pot of chicken and sausage gumbo. I'm pretty sure there's a shop down the street that sells andouille sausage, so my mission today is to seek it out. I'm also going to have to perfect my roux for just the right flavor. It's going to be a fun afternoon!
I'm a bit embarrassed to say that we haven't yet changed over our car registration from California to Oregon. I nearly got busted for it when I was pulled over in January for my broken headlight, but the police officer let that part of my violation slide. You'd think that after an event like that I would have rushed out to rectify the situation. Nope.
In the spirit of being productive during my economy-imposed hiatus, I decided that I'd go ahead and take the first step -- having the emissions tested and VIN inspected. I think one of the reasons that I have continued to drag my heels on this issue is that we just paid to have the emissions tested in California in August (in addition for two years of registration fees). California is one of the strictest states as far as environmental quality goes, but Oregon will not accept our test data. But, enough is enough. I need to be an adult about this whole thing and just suck it up. So that's exactly what I'm doing today, sitting in line at Oregon DEQ in order to have my squeaky clean emissions given the thumbs up.
I have to admit, sitting in the car with nothing else to do will be a nice break from the chores I've imposed on myself around the house. I only made it outside briefly yesterday for some fresh air, so hopefully the sun will shine all morning while I'm in the car inspection line. The potential wait will also give me the chance to finish up In Defense of Food so I can move on to The Omnivores' Dilemma and finish another book I started this week. After talking with Jesse on the phone yesterday, I picked up Calvin Trillin's The Tummy Trilogy in search for an essay about a tour through a town in Germany that involved lots of sausage and beer. I haven't yet found the essay he referenced, but as I was flipping through, I found quite a few others that sparked my interest -- one about the Breaux Bridge Crawfish festival in Louisiana, another entitled "Spaghetti Carbonara Day," and a third "Fried-Chicken War." We're a carbonara-loving household, so a day full of the stuff sounds amazing. I'll likely read these essays first and then make my way through the rest of the collection from start to finish. Who knew this great book was sitting on our shelf for ages and I never bothered to pick it up!
This morning I drove Jesse to the airport for his second business trip this month. Believe it or not, he has one more before February is over! Traveling by plane is always hard, especially from one coast to another. We always pack lots of food -- tasty sandwiches, nuts, apples, and chocolate for emergency airport meltdowns. This trip, Jesse is also traveling with several slices of fresh banana bread that we whipped up after dinner last night. If the bread makes it through the 7-hour trip to Washington, D.C. (without succumbing to his stomach), it will be a tasty treat tomorrow morning before his meetings. This time I sprinkled a little sugar on top to make a nice crunchy crust. Jesse said it reminds him of the tops of some of his favorite Emily's muffins. I'll take that as a compliment! 
In more baking news, I'm also going for round two of the homemade granola that I tried out last week. The recipe came from Mark Bittman's blog and turned out to be quite tasty and versatile. In this particular batch, I used 6 cups of rolled oats, 2 cups (total) of pecans, sliced almonds, and raw pepitas (which sort of look and taste like pumpkin seeds), 1 tsp. of cinnamon, 1 tsp. of vanilla (not called for in the recipe), 1/2 cup (total) of honey, brown sugar, and some leftover maple syrup. I mixed the liquids and sugar together and heated it slightly to make it easier to mix, poured it over the dry ingredients, and stirred it around until it was all coated. I have to admit that the mixture appeared to be a bit dry, but once the nuts heat up in the oven and release their oil, it makes a nice crunchy granola. After I baked the granola, I stirred in a cup of dried blueberries.
The final verdict is that the granola is delicious with a delicate, slightly sweet cinnamon flavor, and nice crunch and chew. Seriously, give it a try. You'll never buy the bagged stuff again. Jesse thinks the dried blueberries are lost on him (especially since they're twice as expensive as a bag of raisins) so I'll leave them out of the next batch and throw in a few when I eat the granola with yogurt in the morning. It's so nice to know that with just a basic outline of ingredient proportions, I can throw in any nuts I have on hand and will definitely play around with various sweeteners. For the next batch, I think I'm going to try something totally different and sweeten it with some fruit jam. Jesse also thinks that dried apples will be delicious to try. I agree!
I had a nice long weekend and I'm sad to see it come to an end. Although we didn't really do anything spectacular, it was nice to just hang around the house with Jesse and relax. Tomorrow he is off on another business trip and I have the apartment all to myself. That means I have a list of things I want to accomplish while he's gone.
The Pecan Shortbread Strawberry bars were a hit at the office, but were trumped by a lemon cake. I never saw it coming. Oh Lemon Cake!! Why!? (shaking fists). Jesse got second place and took home a cute little box of truffles from a local chocolate shop. It was a valiant effort, but next year we're going to have to whip out the big guns. 
In preparation for a busy week around the house, I maximized relaxation time this weekend. Most of my days were spent in slippers and sweats, only getting dressed when leaving the apartment was absolutely necessary (like beer and wings night for Valentines day). 
We had a Risk extravaganza and Jesse kicked my butt again. I didn't really mind that he annihilated my army because I was "practicing" for our Belgium/Germany trip with Trappist ale. I think we will have to play Risk more often. It was a lot of fun.
The rest of the weekend pretty much revolved around sewing and cooking. My work space at the beginning of the week was a mess, so I started by cleaning up a bit.
I found out this week that my grandfather was diagnosed with leukemia. He's been sick for a while, so the diagnosis is more of a definite answer to a series of symptoms than a surprise -- nonetheless, it was shocking. I don't think the news quite set in until this weekend and as a result, I spent a lot of therapeutic ironing time, just thinking. There's something incredibly calming and satisfying about a giant stack of ironed, folded fabric. Don't you think?
I started playing around again with circles and some new color combinations. I've always been drawn to more primary and secondary colors for quilts, but decided it's time to branch out a little. I've been inspired lately by greens and browns and even orange. So, welcoming the tertiary spectrum into the sewing room has been a nice change. I have no idea where this one is going, but I am the queen of multiple projects!
Finally, finishing up the long weekend, I made a delicious dinner. I cheated a bit on the fish (it was marinated at Trader Joe's and quite tasty), but the sides were all homemade with love. We've been on a bit of a dark leafy greens kick, so accompanying the fish was swiss chard sauteed with mushrooms and onions, and creamy lima beans. The beans were made with the The Picayune's Creole Cookbook recipe and were even tastier than the first batch I made a few weeks ago.
Speaking of the Picayune, Fat Tuesday is on February 24th! That doesn't give me a lot of time to experiment with King Cake before the Lenten season begins. Not that I participate in Lent, but maybe it will be a motivator to try out some baking this week. I also have to make another round of granola, as Jesse has nearly made his way through my first batch. Needless to say, it's tasty!
Productivity was the name of the game this week. In the absence of an office job, I have been concentrating on things to occupy my time here in Portland. In addition to the list of incomplete projects and tasks that I need to attend to, I have also signed up for some volunteering positions with local preservation organizations. I'm hoping that by mingling with other like-minded community members that I might get more leads on potential projects -- or at the very least make a few new friends and become more informed. As I continue to read about preservation issues in Portland, I am beginning to understand the growing need for the city to incorporate policies into their smart-growth plans that include provisions for historic buildings and districts. I'd like to be able to put my free time to good use and maybe find a job while I'm at it!
Also, though, I have set my mind to doing tasks that will help make Jesse's life easier while he is working for two different companies. I still haven't gotten around to doing laundry or cleaning the bathroom (ugh), but I did take Jesse's suits to the dry cleaners on Wednesday and took care of some administrative tasks that would have otherwise sucked out an hour of his workday. If I can put some of my skills to work for him -- like editing and writing when necessary -- then maybe he can feel more relaxed during the week and we can have more free time to go out and do fun things.
Today, Jesse is downtown at the office, so I'm going to try and finish up a few tasks that would prove distracting to him at home -- like vacuuming out our new credenza and moving our office supplies into it's drawers and cabinets. I finished the runner on top and it looks quite spiffy, so now the only thing left to do is make it functional! Also, I need to arrange a few more decorative items on top so we stop using it as a collection point for miscellaneous papers.
After the work is done, I'm hoping to have a little bit of free time to do some fun things, like continuing to expanding my Portland Love Quilt and tackling a small pile new fabric that has been lurking on my ironing board all week.
Even though we just went to Anna and Brian's for a Trivial Pursuit game night on Wednesday, I think I'm going to also try and convince Jesse that we should have our own game night tonight. After all, it is Friday. I'm thinking a Risk extravaganza is in order.
All eight of my blog readers (including me) voted on the dessert of choice for tomorrow's office contest. Unfortunately, it's a dead-even tie between the pear tart and strawberry shortbread. As project manager of the February 2009 Kick-Ass Office Dessert Contest, I will weigh in and choose. And the winner is: Pecan Shortbread Strawberry Bars!
Why? Because they are delicious and easy. Jesse has insisted that he make them, so that he can honestly take credit for (what certainly will be) the best-tasting non-chocolate dessert. I will play sous-chef for the evening, working my fingers to the bone to finely chop the pecans and melt the butter to the Master Chef Jesse's stringent guidelines. Also, I will play behind-the-scenes-supervisor to keep Master Chef Jesse on task, as he tends to develop early-onset senility in the kitchen. Organizing iTunes and setting up the proper cooking soundtrack often takes precedence over mixing in all of the proper ingredients and setting the oven/stove at the correct temperature.
After spending most of the morning editing articles for APT's online publication, creating delicious things in the kitchen will be a welcome relief. In addition to the Pecan Shortbread Bars, I plan on whipping up a batch of homemade granola. I have found several recipes online (both from Mark Bittman as well as other sources) that are much healthier than the stuff we buy in the grocery store. Needless to say, the homemade stuff is also a lot cheaper.
I'm excited to experiment with flavors and find a recipe that is just perfect!
I finished our federal and state taxes this past weekend (we had to file in DC as well as OR) and was pretty happy with the results. Since we moved and our income for 2008 was greatly reduced from the previous year, we are expecting a pretty nice refund. Before you start to hate me too much, the refund doesn't come anywhere near the amount of money it cost to move across the country. And no, we won't use our refund to stimulate the economy, it's going right back into savings.
Even though I kept meticulous records (multiple spreadsheets and organized receipts), it took about a month of sitting down for a couple of hours at a time to get it all entered into TurboTax. I usually fill out the state tax form on my own, but this year since we were partial residents in two states, I decided to spring for the state software as well. It was surprisingly easy after completing my federal forms. Both Oregon and the Federal government have already emailed to verify that they received my forms. I expect that we should see our federal rebate deposited in the next week or so (if all goes well like last year). However, I'm not holding my breath for the DC return. I expect that I'll have to make some phone calls like last year, it's just the nature of the beast. Luckily, I know what to expect this time and will make notes on how to walk the DC tax representative through the steps of properly filling out the 2008 form.
Well, I'm off today for round two of the roman shade project with Anna. Last week she introduced me to Fabric Depot (my new favorite store) where she picked out fabric and we loaded up on supplies. Today, we'll be cutting and sewing and sawing. I love projects, so this one should be pretty exciting!
After browsing online for ways to redeem our frequent flyer miles yesterday morning, I sent an email to Jesse at work hinting that maybe we should take the plunge and book a trip to Belgium and Germany. Luckily, Anna and I were out for most of the afternoon, so I was able to contain my excitement about the prospect of a trip until dinner time. Jesse got home a few minutes before me (enough time to decompress from the office) and I immediately started bubbling over with ideas. I thought he'd be a harder sell, since planning for a giant trip hardly seems like the prudent thing to do while the economy is totally in the shitter. However, he was on board -- maybe not as insanely excited as me, but pretty darn happy about the prospect of finally going on our honeymoon.
We discussed potential dates over a delicious bowl of vodka pasta and decided that anything less than a week in each country would be inadequate. This morning over coffee, I perused the airline website and before I knew it, we were looking over our calendars and settling on the exact dates. Then, click, click, click, we booked two round trip tickets to Belgium (leaving September 3rd and returning September 18th). The decision to just take a trip was impulsive, yes, but in reality we've been planning on this vacation for nearly two years (and when you have the opportunity to fly overseas practically for free, you kind of have to jump at the chance). Also, it will coincide with our second wedding anniversary and I can't think of a more awesome way to spend it!
After booking the tickets, we grabbed our bikes and rode straight down to the library to pick up some travel literature. There are so many guide books out there that it was hard for me to choose just one or two. I think after sampling several from the library I will have a better idea of which ones provide the kind of information on the kind of experience we want. Then, I'll narrow it down and purchase a couple for us to carry around.
Jesse also has a few books that he wants to purchase that deal solely with the highlight of this trip -- beer. I've already perused a couple of the Belgian guidebooks and picked out a few breweries and an abbey to tour and, of course, sample the fares. At this point, Germany is still a bit up in the air. We're having a hard time deciding whether to focus our time just on Munich and southern Germany (with a side trip to Austria), or to split our time equally in Munich and Berlin. I think as I read more the answer will probably be pretty easy.
I'm not exactly sure how I will even sleep for the next seven months anticipating this long awaited vacation, but somehow I'll have to manage!
Right about this time last year, I wrote my first posts on our future plans and my exciting first visit to Portland. One year later, we're here and settled. I thought it would be a good idea to revisit the past year and realized that Jesse and I have accomplished a lot! I sat and read through my blog archives this morning and realized that my posts in February last year looked a bit different than they do now. While work, moving boxes, and tape were the focus of my attention last spring, it seems that food and projects (whether for work or pleasure) have dominated my daily routine since my arrival in Portland.
My life has changed a lot since our move and I'm just now starting to feel comfortable with my contributions to our household. Monetarily, I am not contributing in the way I did in D.C., but I am cooking a lot more and we're eating a lot healthier than before. As a result, we feel better, and I've been able to pare down our budget considerably. Also, I realized that instead of obsessing over having a full-time job that I should enjoy my time off and volunteer, continue experimenting with food, and dream about fun things in the future.
So today, that's exactly what I'm doing -- dreaming of fun things in the future. I talked with my good friend, Lauren, on the phone last night. It was good to catch up with all of her news and mine, but it was also wonderful to hear her talk about the trip she is planning to Italy with her husband, Ken, this spring. They're flying into Milan and visiting northern Italy, hitting Venice and Florence along the way. It sounds divine and I can't wait to get all of the details about their travels. It made me think about that trip that Jesse and I have been planning since before our wedding (a trip that we hoped to take as our honeymoon). Since our love was founded on beer and grilled cheese at Toledo Lounge happy hours in the early days of graduate school, we decided that a beer tour of Europe would be the most awesome honeymoon ever. Belgium and Germany produce our favorite brews, so our itinerary is pretty much set -- one week in each country. Of course, life happened and our move to Portland was much more important than a trip overseas. Life is still a bit hectic now to think about a big trip, and neither of us really want to travel to Europe in the summer, so this fall seems like the soonest that we could even think of going anywhere.
However, that hasn't stopped me from doing research on the feasibility of a vacation in September. I checked online and found out that we have enough frequent flyer miles to book round trip tickets to either Brussels or Munich. Throughout our move, we have been very careful to not touch the travel fund that we saved before our wedding, so our two weeks in beer paradise would not really affect my iron-clad budget. This afternoon (after going on a fabric-hunting trip with Anna to make a roman shade for her baby's nursery) I am going to the library and parking myself in the travel section. I'll probably also make a pass through the stacks to see if I can scrounge up a few books for Jesse on Belgian ale.
I know, I know, it's a long shot, but a what's so wrong with a little daydreaming?
Jesse found out on Wednesday that his office in Portland is going to have a dessert contest next Friday. Anyone who wants to participate can bring in a sweet treat of their choice that should fall into one of two categories that will be judged: Chocolate and Non-Chocolate.
We have decided that chocolate, by nature, makes just about anything decadent and someone could very easily win the contest by bringing in a tray of fudge or kick-ass brownies. So, Jesse and I have decided that we are going to compete in the non-chocolate category. I am not a huge dessert person (I'd much rather blow away my guests with a savory meal), however, that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate a good last course. I am not a huge pie fan (although married to a pie connoisseur) and quite frankly, I'm not very good at making them. So, pie really isn't an option this time around.
The first two desserts that immediately came to mind were ones that I could not stop eating -- to the point of feeling sick. The third is one that I've never made, but think would knock the socks off of any taster:
1) Poached Pear and Almond Tart
I made this tart last year when our friend, Sharon, was visiting. It was delicious. Not only is it beautiful and tasty, I think it would hold up well while being transported to the office and is probably at its best at room temperature.
2) Pecan Shortbread Bars with Strawberry Jam
I've made these several times and they are always a hit. They aren't nearly as beautiful as the pear tart, but are quite decadent with gobs of butter. Mmm. I think they would appeal to a wider audience -- who doesn't love shortbread and strawberries?
3) Spiced Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake
This is one that I haven't made and is not illustrated anywhere. The recipe is not as involved as the pear tart, but still takes a bit of work. We're going to make one this weekend to test it out and I will likely make a final decision by Wednesday next week.
Any thoughts? What non-chocolate dessert would send you over the edge? Vote for your favorite on the right side panel. (I also included an "other" category if you have something that sounds even better. Just leave a comment with your recipe!)
How did that happen? So, where did the week go?
I survived traffic court on Monday (although I was there for three hours waiting to be seen by the judge). When called up, he didn't even let me plea guilty or no contest (I had been practicing in my head) and immediately dismissed the ticket. He didn't even look to see the proof of my fixed headlight. It was very disappointing. Luckily, I picked up Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food at the library before heading to the courtroom. I'm now about half-way through the book and really enjoying the read. I'm sure I should have probably read The Omnivore's Dilemma first, but it doesn't seem to really be an issue.
Pollan's motto is "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." When I first read it, I thought, "Ha. Duh." However, as I've continued to read, he makes a lot of good points. In what he terms the "Nutritional Industrial Complex," food scientists and the food industry have convinced us that what matters most is not the food, but the nutrient. We have become so obsessed with nutritional value, that we have lost sight of what's important -- whole, healthy foods. We all have seen the effects of food marketing in the grocery store with all of the "Low Carb" and "Low Cholesterol" and now "High in Omega-3" food products. Food manufacturers have kept pace with the newest "health" findings by simply adding another nutrient to its long list of ingredients. This is something that I had already been grappling with before I even picked up Pollan's book, trying to make our meals healthier by simplifying and starting with fresh, unprocessed ingredients. It certainly gives me a little extra boost when I don't feel like cooking.
However, yesterday, I did not feel like cooking at all! I spent most of the morning cleaning up and sewing, so by the time I picked up Jesse at the airport (from his Boston work trip), I was exhausted. I was also hungry, which totally ruins me if I don't eat right away. We ended up going to Laurelwood Brewery for a happy hour beer. Jesse opted for a healthy Mediterranean sandwich, but I went for the fish and chips. Oh god, they have good fish and chips. The halibut they use is so fresh and delicious and it's cut more like halibut steaks than the flimsy fillets that you usually get at other restaurants. Yum!
Today, I had a final meeting for the report I just finished and I'm off to the grocery store to stock up on some food -- not too much and mostly plants!
Today I have to go to traffic court. It's not a huge deal, it's to get a ticket dismissed. Just after Christmas, one of the headlights went out on the car and I got ticketed for driving at night. It was one of those situations where we already had an appointment to take in the car, but I got caught. Luckily, the police officer said that if I brought in proof that we had fixed it to my court date that he'd dismiss the ticket. I have a feeling that I might not have gotten a ticket if we had Oregon license plates. Don't worry, we're remedying that situation too. Hopefully my appearance in court will be quick and easy.
However, I'm thinking that my court date might be pretty stressful (wink wink) and that I might have to go and decompress at the fabric store. I pulled out my fabric stash last night before taking Jesse to the airport to examine some things that I have in progress and to reassess a couple of projects that are just in the planning stages. Jesse will be in Boston until Wednesday afternoon, so I have two whole nights to sew up a storm. First, I'll finish the runner for our newest addition. Then, I'll get to the fun stuff! Maybe I'll work a little more on my Portland Love Quilt (that I had grand plans to finish this fall), or maybe I'll start something entirely new!
This weekend had been all about furniture. After much thought, I decided that we needed a bookshelf in our bedroom to hold some of my office supplies, but more importantly to contain some of my fabric and sewing machine. I want my desk to double as an office space when I have work and a craft table when I need to do projects. So far, it's been difficult to switch between the two tasks because I have to dig out all of my crafting things from the closet. Jesse will be traveling a lot this month, so I'll have lots of time on my hands.
We headed out to Ikea on Saturday morning and got there right around 9:45 (just in time to get a quick breakfast). Unfortunately, this weekend was the annual Ikea mattress sale. Also, they were giving out free breakfast. There were probably 150 people waiting in line for a $.99 eggs and bacon. I nearly died. Jesse and I had to try our best to hold it together, since we both arrived at the store really really ready for food. So, we meandered silently through the store, picked up the Billy bookcase and headed straight for the checkout. Thankfully, the snack bar was open on the ground floor and we had a nutritious breakfast of $.50 hot dogs, a coke and a cinnamon roll. The day was much better after we ate.
Today, we went to SE Portland to pick up a piece of furniture for the living room. For a few weeks now, I've been poking around Craigslist looking for a small sideboard or chest of drawers to go under the big window in our living room. Not only does the space feel empty, but Jesse desperately needs some storage space near his desk (otherwise his "office" starts to take over the whole living space). This piece was at the upper end of the price limit I set for myself, but it's solid and couldn't be more perfect in terms of size. Oddly enough, the lady I bought it from turned out to be a classmate from undergraduate school. I'd say we were more acquaintances than friends, but it's kind of a small world to meet someone (buying furniture on Craigslist of all places) that I never expected to see again.
It needs to be cleaned up a bit in terms of vacuuming and tightening the drawer pulls, but overall I'm really happy. I'm thinking of making a runner for it this week out of fabric that I picked up at Urban Outfitters this Christmas on super clearance. I think I'll bring a nice bit of color in the room (and it'll hide a water mark on the top until I can get around to repairing it).
I'm pretty excited to get started!
The little A-frame building is actually the entrance to a very long tunnel that runs through the mountain in the background. It leads to the town where everyone lives in the same building.
The eight-passenger prop plane that took Jesse and a few other passengers on a tour of the area.
3-2-1. Take-off.
Even the locals on the plane (who take this trip often) were snapping photos of the beautiful scenery.
About halfway through the flight, J just stopped taking photos because he said, "there are only so many breathtaking views a person can possibly capture." 
Crystal clear skies. Another breathtaking view.
On the way home at sunset.
