Since I've had more time to experiment with food, I have found myself perusing the shelves of the public library for new and interesting ideas for meals. Last week, I checked out two books after doing a pretty extensive internet search on the best authentic Mexican cookbooks. With that said, I'm about to write a review of two cookbooks without ever actually cooking any of the recipes. This blog entry isn't nearly as useless as it sounds, really.
When searching for the perfect cookbook, my first thought was to check out the reviews for Rick Bayless' many editions, since I used to love watching his show on PBS (his shows have sort of strayed off the cooking bit lately and tend to be a little new-age-self-finding for my taste). I seem to remember purchasing one of his cookbooks for my mom a long time ago that had a really simple, yet delicious recipe for red Mexican rice. Bayless has traveled extensively throughout Mexico and really takes pride in sharing the customs and food culture experienced over the years.
After contemplating over which one of his books to request from the library, I decided on Mexican Everyday, because many reviewers said that the recipes were authentic, but the ingredients list was simple enough to find just about anywhere. I feel like I can't really give this book an adequate review, because it just doesn't live up to my initial search -- authentic Mexican recipes. While Bayless uses traditional ingredients and techniques, I feel the recipes contained within the book are sort of pared down for the average cook; something you'd turn to for a quick, yet tasty, weeknight meal. There are a lot of sections that are "rifts" on a traditional application, such as "rifts on yellow mole". This time around, I'm not interested in a rift on anything, I want the real deal (even if it takes me 5 hours to prepare). Don't get me wrong, the recipes look delicious, but it's going back to the library for someone else to enjoy. I think I'll try Mexican Everyday again when I'm back to work full time, or otherwise occupied during the day.
The second book I picked up looks like it's right on target. Susana Trilling's Seasons of My Heart: A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, Mexico is also a companion book to a PBS television series. The book is divided into the seven regions of the state of Oaxaca and provides a wonderful context to situate the culture, food, and varied ingredients. I actually sat down yesterday and read the book almost entirely from cover to cover. For each recipe, Trilling gives a brief description of how she first encountered a food, or how it is traditionally prepared and eaten, and what other foods and drink should accompany the different courses. Her index of Mexican terms and descriptions of essential ingredients is an invaluable resource.
One of my favorite chapters was her section called "Traditions Evolve," where Trilling talks about her own variations on traditional recipes that incorporate her cooking background as well as her husband's. I also appreciated that she included this at the end after I was able to absorb all of the regional variations from Mexico and have a better understanding of the cuisine. I can certainly relate to this section, as I rarely cook a meal without altering it in some way that usually swerves toward Cajun or Southern-style preparation.
So why all the talk about these two recipe books that I have yet to put into use? Well, Jesse has been away since Friday on a business trip, which means he's eaten rich restaurant food (or take-out) for nearly a week. For the past three days, I have been in the throws of planning my first authentic Mexican meal and have hardly cooked a thing for myself. As a result, I am dying to get back into the kitchen. Also, it's a way to show my love and help him kick-start the post-work-trip detox. I won't tell you which recipes I'm going to make, because Jesse probably will read the blog before getting home tomorrow.
Stay tuned for photos and more!
Jesse left for D.C. for a work thing, so this weekend I was left all alone. Saturday afternoon I gave my first talk to an audience of about 12 people about researching their historic house. I think it went pretty well -- they still want me to teach the longer 2-hour workshop in August, so I didn't screw it up entirely. It was one of those afternoons that I probably would have gone out with Jesse for a celebration beer, but instead, I headed over to Powell's and sat in their coffee shop for a couple of hours researching places to stay in Brussels.
My plans for Sunday were a little more nebulous and a lot less fun. I was determined to spend the afternoon at the mall combing the department store racks for a cute raincoat and a pair of jeans. I have been on a search for a good-looking raincoat since we moved here way back in September, but had not been able to find something that fit all of my requirements -- somewhat stylish, doesn't hide my figure (the dreaded tube torso), and has a hood (preferably detachable).
Portland is the land of rain, and yet every single store that I've gone visited has had absolutely hideous raincoats for women that, I swear, were fitted on male athletic models with no hips, waist, or chest. However, I hit the jackpot at Nordstrom department store. In fact, I actually had a hard time deciding between THREE different coats. Shocking!
So, thank you Michael Kors, for making multiple feminine water-resistant jackets (with detachable hoods). Also, thank you Nordstrom for holding a summer blow-out sale so I didn't have to spend my whole week's grocery budget on said raincoat -- I spent the remainder on this cute jacket and shirt. It seriously took me about 20 minutes to find, try on, and purchase the raincoat. I thought (foolishly) that the clothing gods were on my side and with all the good shopping mojo, I'd coast through the jeans searching process.
Reality hit when I walked into the jeans section of the juniors department (juniors pants fit me better than ladies for some reason) and found that a bulk of the inventory looked like this. I actually smelled a pair because they looked so worn and dirty that I was convinced they had occupied the legs of a homeless person. Honestly? Why would I buy a $70 pair of jeans that look like they've been mauled by a rottweiler? Also, there's a very good chance that I might rip them on my own (the reason that I was in this jeans-buying predicament in the first place), so I don't need industrial rotors tearing my pants to shreds before the point of purchase. Hopefully this trend, along with skinny and stirrup jeans, will soon fade into oblivion for another couple decades.
I did find a pair of jeans down the road at a Nordstrom Rack store. Did you know that there are $225 jeans floating around on the clothing market? I had to wait in an enormous line to try on 15 pair of (Euro size) jeans and managed to find one pair that fits well. However, they need about 14 inches hacked off the legs. I could probably build an entirely new outfit out of the remaining fabric. However, because I bought them at Nordstrom Rack, the price was pretty awesome. Luckily, I am handy with the sewing machine, so the alterations should be a cinch. I can't wait for a (rainy) night out to wear all of my new finds.
Next step? Finding comfortable, but non-hideous shoes for the upcoming trip to Belgium and Germany!
The Bridgeport Stumptown Tart release party last night was a lot of fun. We met a few friends from kickball for a drink or two before heading over to PGE Park for a Beavers game. The beer was not exactly what I expected -- it's partially my own fault though. Whenever I hear cherry beer, my mind immediately jumps to Kriek beer. I knew going into the night that we were getting a cherry wheat, but I couldn't help but be a little disappointed when I took that first sip.
It was tart and refreshing, and probably one of the best cherry beers that I've had in a while. I just expected it to be little more complex given that it started with Bridgeport's Fallen Friar, which I love. Don't get me wrong, just because it wasn't a Kriek, didn't stop me from enjoying a bottle and a half. It's a great summer drink.
After happy hour, we walked over to the ballpark. Miller Light apparently sponsored the evening and declared it 80s night. I didn't really have anything that resembled 80s attire, but I did have a military style jacket and found a white glove at Goodwill. My homage to Michael Jackson. It's the best I could do in just a couple of hours. I think on any other night my effort might go unnoticed, but given that the city was abuzz with the news of his death, I was quite popular at the ballpark.
Overall, it was an awesome night. Good beer and great new friends.
I am totally excited to report that Bridgeport Brewery's new seasonal beer is a Belgian! YAY! (Also, how awesome is it that the Oregonian has a designated beer writer?) Jesse and I are going to swing by the release party tomorrow night to try out samples and pick up a bottle (or eight) of the Stumptown Tart Cherry Wheat Ale. According to Bridgeport brewmaster, Karl Ockert, the Stumptown Tart is their (excellent) Fallen Friar Trippple that has been aged an additional three months and then infused with 2,000 pounds of Oregon sour cherries. Here's a video of the interview from today's Oregonian (for some reason the video wouldn't embed). In other beer news, Jesse discovered on a recent business trip (from a bartender in San Francisco) that Belgium has a beer weekend every year. Guess what? We arrive in Brussels on the first day of the 11th Annual Belgian Beer Weekend. What luck?! I had no idea about the festival when I booked our airline tickets to Belgium way back in February. This afternoon I'm doing some research to find a room in Brussels for the weekend. I hope it's not too late, given that we're only about three months away from the big trip. Three months! I can't wait. I just got a newly released edition of the Rough Guides travel book for Belgium and Luxembourg. The festival is a good reason for me to crack it open and read it from cover to cover.
Well, not for a long entry today, but I'm definitely back to the blog. It's been a great two weeks. We've had so many friends in town that I have literally not had an extra second to blog about all of the fun I've had.
Kyle and Sally were in town last week for work and play. I think we've convinced them to move to Portland. Of course, I think that I've convinced everyone we know to move to Portland. Why wouldn't they want to? It's awesome here. Not only would it be great to have Sally and Kyle here because they're great friends, but I also forgot how awesome it was to have a couple to play cards with on the weekends. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
As K & S were leaving, Lauren was landing in PDX. It has been really wonderful to catch up with her this weekend and show her all around our new home town. I'm sad that she's leaving today, but it was nice to know that we can just pick up our friendship where we left off last -- it kind of felt like we were neighbors again, if only for the weekend.
This afternoon, I have a babysitting date with Anna & Brian's little dude while she attends one of her first grad school classes! Speaking of classes, I registered for an Urban Planning course at Portland State University today. Since I've officially been under-employed for over nine months, I'm thinking it might be a good time to rethink my career path. I'm not giving up on preservation, but exploring some broader options. More on my class later though.
After babysitting, Jesse and I are off to a kickball game where we will hopefully make lots and lots of friends. It's a busy Tuesday, but it feels good to have lots of things to do! Now I'm off to hang out with Lauren for the morning before dropping her off at the airport.
As I mentioned earlier, June has been (and will continue to be) the month of guests. Saturday night we had Larson, Serena, Brian, and Anna over for dinner. I was incredibly excited not only to hang out, but because this was the first dinner party that I've had since we've moved to Portland.
I spent most of Friday afternoon prepping for the meal, so I could actually enjoy the company rather than slaving in the kitchen all night. With my farmers market finds on Wednesday, I made a Greek Mixed-Green Pie (like a giant Spanakopita) with kale, arugula, fennel, and fresh parsley. On the side we had a Tomato, Cucumber, and Pita Salad, and fresh watermelon. The watermelon was a last-minute, yet incredibly tasty accompaniment. For dessert, we had a strawberry tart with mascarpone cream filling that I found in the Oregonian. It was delicious!
Of course I failed to take very many photos, so no picture of the Greek pie or the strawberry tart. They were both pretty easy to make and not terribly heavy. It was a great summertime dinner. Today, I'm knee deep in laundry and tasks around the house. Our fridge is pretty bare, so I'm off to the grocery store for some grub. I certainly could use a slice of the strawberry tart to get me through the afternoon!
Last night Jesse's good family friend, Tracy, was in town on business. After her meeting, she met us over in our neck of the woods for a walk and dinner. We took her up to the International Rose Test Garden and the Japanese Garden (I know, I was just there last weekend, but I could definitely go every weekend this time of year). The sun finally broke through the clouds and all of the roses were glowing in the sun and smelled delicious. This time, I remembered my camera and found a couple of contenders for Jesse's mom's garden:
The Grandifloria "About Face," Winner of the World's Highest Rose Award. It has a bi-color pedal and is absolutely gorgeous. It has a nice smell too. Definitely worthy of Mary Ann's garden.
The Floribunda "Julia Child," also a winner of the Worlds Highest Rose Award. This rose is a beautiful buttery color and has the most amazing fragrance. The AARS describes as licorice, but I thought it was more like a spicy banana. It's amazing how rose scents can vary. After the gardens, we walked around the Pearl District, stopping to peer into my favorite tile shop, Ann Sacks. For dinner, we decided to check out a Vietnamese restaurant that I'd been eyeing for a while and it was delicious! I had such a nice time last night just walking around in the nice June weather and getting to know Tracy a little better. It felt a bit like a kick-off for the coming weeks ahead. Larson & Serena landed in Portland this morning, our friends from D.C., Kyle and Sally arrive on Monday. We won't actually have anyone staying with us for now, but there will be lots of activities! I can't wait!
Portland's Wednesday downtown farmers market started back in May, but it wasn't until this afternoon that I finally got a chance to check it out. The weather was pretty grey and drizzly, but the lure of fresh veggies and fruit got me out of the door. Luckily, the market is located a park space along Main Street under a great grouping of giant trees. Even with giant drops pouring down, I stayed relatively dry while drooling over all of the gorgeous greens.
I love greens and this has to be one of the nicest bunches of kale that I've seen in a while. Next to it is fresh basil, tomatoes, a red onion, and fresh garlic. I've never actually seen garlic in this form before, which is probably due more to the fact that I haven't been to a lot of farmers markets rather than a testament to it's rarity. At first, I thought the bulbs were small onions due to the lack of papery skin, but then I picked one up and felt the clove lumps inside. I'm kind of curious about how difficult it is to grow garlic around here? I think it would definitely be a staple in our future garden.
I'm thinking that my farmers market finds will definitely be a part of a delicious meal this weekend! In addition to the veggies, I picked up two pints of strawberries that will make a delicious summer tart. MMM. I can't wait to get started cooking!
This weekend, Jesse's cousin and wife stopped in to visit on the way up to their new home in Seattle, WA. It was great having them all to ourselves, since our visits are usually confined to a couple of hours during a quick visit to California. They arrived around dinner time on Friday and stayed until the late afternoon on Saturday. Since they had been in the car for hours on end, all they wanted to do was walk around and explore.
Friday afternoon, we walked around the Pearl and grabbed dinner at Bridgeport Brewery. After a hearty breakfast at Biscuits Cafe, we headed up to Washington Park and the Rose Garden. This weekend happened to be the Portland Rose Festival, so there were large groups of rose admirers milling around. All of the flowers were in bloom and fragrant, so I was incredibly excited to go row by row and smell each variety. I found a plant that I thought might be perfect for Jesse's mom's garden, but when I pulled out my camera, I found that I had left the memory card at home in my laptop. Sadly, I managed to go on another outing without taking a single photo.
After the Rose Garden, we walked up the hill to the Japanese Garden where I found a spectacular exhibit on textiles of the Aniu of Hokkaido, Japan and the Tlingit of the Pacific Northwest. Due to my lack of memory card, I'm borrowing images from the Japanese Garden's online exhibit, Parallel Worlds. I'd really like to go back before the end of the month to take a little more time to read through all of the exhibit and maybe snap a few photos of the textiles that are not featured online. However, I don't think a photo could do justice to the real thing. They are truly works of art.
The exhibit did an interesting job of examining the handmade ceremonial robes of two native cultures on both sides of the northern Pacific Ocean. Each piece displayed beautiful, rich colors applied in distinctive geometric patterns, yet called to mind similar motifs. The Japanese textiles were intricately appliqued with hand embroidery, while the Pacific Northwest textiles were primarily woven. I think I was most taken with the Aniu ceremonial robes because the technique used is most familiar to me. I was able to fully appreciate the time and skill it takes to hand applique and embroider.
Of course, anytime I see a beautiful fabric creation the wheels in my head start turning. I'm currently scheming to find a way to take some inspiration from these ceremonial robes and apply it to quilting. I got the graph paper out this morning and doodled a bit. It might take a while to plan, but I think it could be really beautiful!
Jesse and I got up around 7:30am today, because his cousin, Jeremiah, and his wife are coming into town. Naturally, we didn't really get inspired to clean the apartment until the very last minute. Also, I had delicious bagels resting in the fridge. I couldn't wait to get started (after my morning coffee kicked in).
It is hard to capture boiling, steaming bagels in a photograph. Despite my best efforts, they all came out a little fuzzy. In case you're wondering, that's a 9-quart dutch oven. Those suckers are big!
After boiling, Jesse expertly topped the bagels with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and half with salt. Then, I put them in the oven for about 10-15 minutes to crisp up. They turned out to be exactly what I was going for when I first looked for bagel recipes -- New York deli style. They're shiny and crisp, yet chewy on the outside, and the inside is dense, moist, and perfect. They're not bready at all, unlike the other recipe I tried.
I truly feel that if they were a little more uniformly shaped, I could throw them in a nondescript brown paper bag and nobody would know that they didn't come from an authentic NY bagelry. Hands down, the Bread Baker's Apprentice nailed this recipe. I have a feeling that this book might be a keeper.
I spent most of the morning reading through the first few chapters of the Bread Baker's Apprentice that I checked out of the library last week. I love this book because it literally has 100 pages of reading material on the process of making bread before the recipes are even revealed. Sure, it may sound tedious (especially if you want to jump right in), but I thoroughly enjoyed learning about bread classifications and stages.
After my crash course on the mechanics of bread making, I decided to try the bagel recipe first. Since I had such success with my first batch of bagels, I thought I'd give them another try with a recipe that promises to produce a "bagel for the ages." In my mind, that's a tall order. I hope I don't mess it up! Apparently, the secret to making bagels that are so close to New York deli-style is the proofing overnight in the fridge. Personally, I like the idea of this recipe for no other reason than the fact that I can do a bulk of the dough work the day before I actually want to serve the bagels. This means that we could potentially eat them for breakfast instead of brunch.
Around noon, I whipped together the first step: The Sponge. According to Peter Reinhart, the sponge is a wet pre-ferment that prolongs fermentation time, thereby necessitating a smaller amount of yeast and maximizing the grain flavor. The sponge for my bagels looks like a thick pancake batter. In about two hours, I should have a foamy, bubbly goop that has doubled in size. It's a little cool today, so I'm thinking that it may take a little longer, but who knows! This is an experiment.
Afternoon Update: The Dough
Shortly after mixing up the sponge, Jesse and I headed out to a concert. I thought it was going to be finished by 3pm (just enough time for the 2-hour rise), but the band showed up late (naturally) and we didn't get in until 4:30. So, my sponge percolated for about 3.5 hours instead of 2, but it didn't seem to be a problem. Oops. After about 20 minutes of kneading, the dough was ready to form into rolls. 
With very tired arms, I used the technique to make dough rolls with the palm of my hand and it worked perfectly! Jesse helped out because my arms were literally approaching muscle failure. Who needs running when you make a batch of homemade bagels over the weekend?! Calorie burning with carbs. I love it.After rising for 20 minutes, I shaped the rolls into bagels and popped them in the fridge for their overnight rest. Stay tuned tomorrow for the final results....will they live up to our expectations? I certainly hope so!
Eric alerted me to the fact that today is National Running Day. I felt obliged to participate (partially because I ate a lot of cake this past weekend and satisfied a rather large ice cream craving last night).
The run started out at a nice steady pace and I managed to keep it up for 15 minutes. I probably would have gone a little longer, but I reached the point in my route where I am confronted by a giant hill (one that makes me huff and puff just walking, much less running). After walking up the astoundingly steep, yet short hill, I decided to run again on flat ground. I was marveling at all of the roses in bloom in our neighborhood and how wonderful they smelled in the hot afternoon sun. Then, I hit a wall.
Around minute 9 of my second stretch of running, my legs turned to lead and my lungs shriveled up into raisins. So, I stopped, walked it off, and stretched a little. I tried running again and after only 2 minutes, I was halted by a wave of nausea (from hunger, not exhaustion). I had run completely out of fuel and my body was plotting to digest my legs. Thankfully, I was only about a half mile away from home. With engine lights flashing and my gas tank on empty, I dragged myself up the three flights of stairs and downed a glass of water, a grapefruit Juice Squeeze, and some leftover pasta from last night.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I felt like Old Mother Hubbard this morning when I opened the fridge, so I made a grocery list and purchased an entire cart full of produce and basics like oatmeal, crackers, and milk. Apparently, I went on vacation a week early and managed to not buy an ounce of food before we left for Santa Cruz. While out, I also picked up another window fan, which is working overtime in our living room. Today peaked at 90 degrees, but was very tolerable inside. Thank you Holmes for manufacturing a cheap, yet effective way of not melting in the summer.
You know what is still on vacation (besides my brain)? My camera. I have yet to pull it out of the suitcase. What kind of blogger have I become? In lieu of a photo of all of the roses that were in bloom on my run today, here is a photo of a lovely flower at the Japanese Garden in May. It isn't a rose, and didn't really smell like anything, so you'll have to use your imagination.
Thursday morning we were up before the sun and on the way to the airport. This was the first time we've flown down to Santa Cruz in the morning and thought it would be a nice change. However, getting up at 3:30am for our 6:30am flight had the same effect as when we would fly all day across the country and arrive in California tired, grumpy, and jet-lagged. We dragged along most of the afternoon and then I finally relented and passed out for an extended nap. The rest of the weekend was awesome though (hence my lack of posting). I took my vacation time so seriously that I only took three photographs -- two at Daphne & Ben's wedding and one of Jesse's eye that became swollen and red from allergies on Sunday night. He's better now, but it was fun to joke that I had socked him in the eye, causing it to nearly swell shut.
We saw lots of friends while we were in town, including Larson & Serena. It was great to catch up, especially since I haven't seen either of them since we found out that they are going to have a baby. Serena is an adorable pregnant lady with just a little bulge in front. We all marveled at her appetite, wondering how on earth such a small person could manage to eat so much! She must be doing something right, because she's healthy and happy and glowing. I finally got the chance to give them the baby quilt that has been sitting in the closet, taunting me for several weeks now.
As for today, I'm planning on getting back into a normal routine again. I have a few errands to run and some new projects to plan. One of my favorite food blogs, Pinch My Salt, has embarked on a mission to bake every type of bread in the Bread Baker's Apprentice. I've been following the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge for a couple of weeks now. I picked up the book at the library, just to have a look, but I think I'm going to try a recipe or two before I have to return it. I'm particularly intrigued by the bagel recipe, which is slightly different than the one I tried a few weeks ago. I also would like to try the marbled rye. New baking projects will certainly mean a more regular blogging schedule again!
After contemplating over which one of his books to request from the library, I decided on Mexican Everyday, because many reviewers said that the recipes were authentic, but the ingredients list was simple enough to find just about anywhere. I feel like I can't really give this book an adequate review, because it just doesn't live up to my initial search -- authentic Mexican recipes. While Bayless uses traditional ingredients and techniques, I feel the recipes contained within the book are sort of pared down for the average cook; something you'd turn to for a quick, yet tasty, weeknight meal. There are a lot of sections that are "rifts" on a traditional application, such as "rifts on yellow mole". This time around, I'm not interested in a rift on anything, I want the real deal (even if it takes me 5 hours to prepare). Don't get me wrong, the recipes look delicious, but it's going back to the library for someone else to enjoy. I think I'll try Mexican Everyday again when I'm back to work full time, or otherwise occupied during the day.
The second book I picked up looks like it's right on target. Susana Trilling's Seasons of My Heart: A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, Mexico is also a companion book to a PBS television series. The book is divided into the seven regions of the state of Oaxaca and provides a wonderful context to situate the culture, food, and varied ingredients. I actually sat down yesterday and read the book almost entirely from cover to cover. For each recipe, Trilling gives a brief description of how she first encountered a food, or how it is traditionally prepared and eaten, and what other foods and drink should accompany the different courses. Her index of Mexican terms and descriptions of essential ingredients is an invaluable resource.
