Chili and Mancakes: Ingredients for a Perfect Weekend

We woke up on Saturday morning and prepared ourselves for an epic day of errands. J needed another pair of pants and I wanted to get a new pair of sunglasses (since I've managed to destroy three pair in the past couple of months). And of course, we needed toilet paper etc. As a treat for doing the boring shopping stuff, we took a ride over to Penzeys Spices on 82nd Avenue. Since we got rid of all of our spices before our move from D.C. to Portland, I have slowly been trying to build up a good stash again. Penzeys is one of my favorite companies, but I've always had to use mail order. I was excited to visit an actual store and see the range for myself. Both J and I sniffed so many jars that our noses burned afterward and Jesse swore that his raisin croissant from Ken's (that we picked up as a snack before heading out) tasted strangely like curry. As you can see, we've already broken into the Chili 9000 and the Jerk spice.

J was almost giddy over the idea of making food as soon as possible with our new found gems. Saturday night he took charge of making Jerk chicken wings and I filled in with potato salad and sauteed greens. The meal was delicious and felt very much like a summer picnic (despite the cold rain outside). While J slaved over the chicken wings, I started working on a pot of chili. The Chili 9000 is so much more complex than any chili spice blend that I've ever had. I can't imagine how I ever managed a good batch without it!

This weekend, we also met up with an old friend from D.C. who was in town for a local comedy festival. It was great to see him and hear all about how he's doing in L.A. When Ed called to meet up for brunch on Sunday and said that he wanted to find some good pancakes, we decided on a nearby diner that is known for their "mancakes". These legendary pancakes are said to be so large that it takes a true man to eat just one, let alone a whole stack. If you manage to down a full stack, they'll put your picture on the wall. Naturally, we all agreed that this was a place that could not be missed. Jesse ordered a full stack (with the intention of sharing one with Ed), but could only eat one and a half. Toward the end, he was just picking blueberries from the fluffy flapjacks. After breakfast, we were both ruined for the afternoon and I took a nice, long nap.

It was a great weekend. A refreshing way to recharge and start another week!