Archive for the 'Eating' Category

Spam Upside Down Pie Recipe

Published on September 1, 2010 in Eating, Life and recipes. 2 Comments Tags: cheese, comfort, food, Home, Hormel, nostalgia, recipes, sauce, Spam, special.

David is away on a fishing trip, Chloe is sick, neither of us got much sleep last night and I had Spam and eggs for breakfast. Yep, I said Spam. I know a lot of people have a problem with it, including my husband, which is why I rarely eat it. Sure, it is far from healthy and organic, but it brings back some good childhood memories. I actually like its meaty saltiness, in small, rare doses. I’m not even sure why we have a can in the cupboard, except I must have bought it on a whim, for a camping trip maybe? I can’t remember. You’d think that would make it pretty old, but the expiration date isn’t until 2013, which in itself is kind of suspicious. The last time I clearly remember eating Spam was in Hawaii during our Honeymoon in 2004.

Anyway, I was curious to read what wikipedia had to say about it and was tickled by the above Spam advertisement printed on the back cover of Time magazine on May 14, 1945. Is it weird that I’d love to try making a Spam Upside Down Pie? Except no one would eat it with me, which is too bad.

It’s kind of hard to read on the advertisement, but here’s the recipe:

The Original Spam Upside Down Pie

Line and 8-inch mold with Spam slices and fill with baking powder biscuit dough (prepared or home mixed) well laced with tiny cubes of Spam. Bake 40-45 min. at 425F. Turn it out on a platter, fill center with a tart cheese sauce (or one made with tomato or horseradish) and watch the family turn out and fill the table in a hurry!

Tart Cheese Sauce Recipe (from Ladies’ Home Journal, December 1946)

Blend 1/3 c. flour in 1/3 c. melted butter. Slowly stir in 2 1/4 c. milk. Heat and stir until thickened. Add 1/2 lb. grated American cheese, 1 tsp. prepared mustard, 1/8 tsp. Worcestershire, 1/4 tsp. lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt. Cook in double boiler, stirring to make the mixture smooth, until cheese melts. Serve hot over a Spam Upside Down Pie.

Le Pigeon

Published on August 26, 2010 in Eating and Portland. 4 Comments Tags: anniversary, dinner, le pigeon, Portland, restaurant.

Last night, David and I enjoyed an amazing anniversary dinner (only a month late) at Le Pigeon as a treat from David’s parents. Le Pigeon is probably the tiniest restaurant I know, and we had an excellent view of the food preparation from the bar seating that surrounded the kitchen area (the photo above was our same view from where we were sitting).

Since I like to try new things, I was happy to actually order pigeon for the first time (pan fried, with fois gras, grapes, and riesling). The meat was surprisingly dark and flavorful, just a little bit gamey, the breast better than the legs in my opinion. The pigeon starter was followed by a rich and tasty veal paprikash with gnocchi for me and prosciutto wrapped pork for David. For dessert David chose the creme brulee paired with chocolate shortbread cookie and espresso pot de creme (OMG!), and I ordered the creme fraiche panna cotta with blueberries and candied orange peel. While very beautiful and fresh, the panna cotta was too delicately flavored after my rich entree. David gallantly helped me out with it and I finished off his dreamy pot de creme. Such good food in every bite, and really neat to see the attention paid to each dish by the chefs. I hope we’ll get to eat here again.

Fabric | Greek food

Published on August 20, 2010 in Crafts & Sewing and Eating. 2 Comments Tags: coffee, fabric, food, greek, sewing.

……

I’ve been stuck in a sewing rut this summer. After this top for me and this dress for Chloe, I just put away the sewing table and have barely used it since. Then I went with a friend to Fabric Depot this morning. Just when I thought I was going to get away with only a couple of lengths of belting for Chloe, I saw a sign at the register for 35% off all Alexander Henry prints – one of my favorite brands (also used on Chloe’s baby blanket and crib skirt). So back I went to get some yards of the fabrics I’d been eyeing earlier. I’ve got a few project ideas in mind, but we’ll see if any of them come to fruition.

Then, this evening when David got home from work, we went to the nearby Greek festival for dinner and treats. It was my first experience with traditional Greek coffee. While the strength of it didn’t bother me, the gritty texture was a bit of a turn off. I did have the best kourabiedes (Greek shortbread cookie loaded with powdered sugar on top) that I have ever tasted though. Will definitely be looking up the recipe!

Fabric images from Funky Fabrix and Pink Chalk Fabrics.

Doing the Unthinkable

Published on August 19, 2010 in Eating and Portland. 4 Comments Tags: burgerville, fast food, food, nutrition, receipt.

This past weekend included the hottest day of the year in Portland. As a little treat after getting groceries, we stopped by our local Burgerville, an almost-but-not-quite fast-food restaurant that specializes in fresh, local and sustainable food. David chose a fresh blackberry Shake and I got my signature half hot fudge, half caramel sundae.

I don’t know what it is, but Burgerville’s ice cream is seriously delicious. So buttery and creamy. And their in-season strawberry shortcake? OMG. But what really shocked me about this visit was our receipt. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. Printed on the receipt was the nutritional break down for each item, including the calories. What!? That’s unthinkable! Aren’t they afraid it will hurt business once people are faced with that kind of information? Apparently not. I even asked an employee if she thought it was hurting sales and she responded that people seem to really appreciate it. And I’ll admit, I think it’s pretty cool myself. It just seems so unheard of and progressive. Then I got to thinking – would this information stop me from placing an order (or alter my choice knowing that I could save myself 90 calories if I skipped the caramel)? Nah. Nor would I choose the less caloric frozen yogurt as suggested on the bottom of the receipt. But its a great option for those who are trying to make healthful and informed decisions.

I’d be curious what others think about this.

Loading..Oops, I thought this was the kind of survey that lets you see on going results, but it isn’t. Not sure where to get one of those, but here are the results as of Fri. Aug 20 at 1pm PST:

Gooseberries!

Published on July 18, 2010 in Eating, Reading and recipes. 3 Comments Tags: fruit, gooseberries, gooseberry, recipes.

Look what I came home with! Have you seen these before? I hadn’t, and actually, since they weren’t signed, I didn’t even know what they were until I paid for them. Gooseberries! After reading Hungry Monkey (hilarious!) and now The Spice Necklace, I guess I’m feeling a little food adventurous.

So what, exactly is a gooseberry? Well, to me, it looks like a prehistoric grape, with a thicker, veined, and spiney skin (sort of like nettles). It also has a lot more seeds, and a somewhat sour flavor. They can be eaten raw, but most often I think they are cooked into desserts. In the end, I made a simple gooseberry syrup and used it to make a Gooseberry Fool (substituting sour cream for creme fraiche) and enjoyed the rest in a Gooseberry San Pellegrino soda.

Processing gooseberries takes some time. To make the syrup, you trim the top and bottom of each berry, and then slice it in half. Thankfully, they cook and mash down quickly, maybe 5-10 minutes. After straining out the seeds and skin, my pint of gooseberries yielded about one cup of syrup. Here are several gooseberry recipes that also look good:

Gingered Gooseberry Fool

Gooseberry Jam

Gooseberry Meringue Pie

Gooseberry Ginger Ale

Baked Gooseberry and Ginger Nut Cheesecake

Gooseberry streusel cake with elderflower syrup

Cashew Crusted Halibut

Published on April 5, 2010 in Eating and recipes. 4 Comments Tags: cashew, crusted, dinner, Eating, fish, halibut, recipes.

Having the grandparents around to help with the baby frees up a lot more time for cooking. Thanks to a generous trip to Costco, we enjoyed a delicious Easter dinner of cashew-encrusted halibut, organic broccoli sauteed in toasted sesame oil and mashed potatoes. We slightly adapted this recipe and David cooked the fillets to a crunchy golden perfection.

Cashew Crusted Halibut
4-8 oz. Alaskan halibut Fillets (skinless)
2 eggs
1/4 C. water

Breading
1 3/4 C. Japanese “Panko” breadcrumbs
1 C. roasted cashews
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
1 C. all-purpose flour

Crush the cashews in a food processor. Combine all breading ingredients in a bowl. Make egg wash with 2 eggs and 1/4 cup of water. Season Halibut with salt and pepper then dust with flour, dip in egg wash, and then in the breading. Sauté in canola oil over medium heat until golden on each side, then drain briefly on paper towels. Finish in a pre-heated 350-degree oven until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.

A good resource for other ways to cook halibut can be found here.

Berry Rhubarb Crisp

Published on March 26, 2010 in Eating and Garden. 2 Comments Tags: berry, cobbler, crisp, oatmeal, rhubarb.

Another week has gone by. Although there’s been a little rain, this week has been mostly sunny and beautiful. Chloe, Barkley and I have been spending some of every afternoon outside. All of our raised garden beds sit at the ready with rich, dark layers of compost. The rhubarb fills the back of the middle bed and they are already so big! It’s like they sprung up over night. I’m getting an early start on them this year by adding fresh rhubarb to frozen berries remaining from last year, and throwing some of this topping on it. Tastes like summer already.

Chocolate Chip Cookies :: Aussie-Style

Published on March 15, 2010 in Eating and recipes. 2 Comments Tags: australian, chocolate, cookie, eggless, nestle, recipes, sweetened condensed milk.

Every once in a while I get a hankering for a spoonful of sweetened-condensed milk straight from the can. My husband thinks its gross, and maybe it is, but I love the creamy sweetness of it. Afterward, I have almost a whole can left, so what to do? Sometimes, it goes in the fridge to be added to coffee, Vietnamese-style, or sometimes I’ll make a dessert with it, like 7-layer bars. But this last time I wondered about adding sweetened condensed milk to chocolate chip cookies. Turns out the Australians beat me to it, and they are delicious (both the Australians and the cookies).

In this recipe, the sweetened condensed milk acts as a substitute for eggs, and turns out a cookie with a finer crumb, more crispy than crunchy, with good flavor. The original recipe can be found here on Nestle’s site, but I’ve adapted it below the way I made it, with American-style measurements. I used my favorite Trader Joe’s organic sweetened condensed milk.

Australian Chocolate Chip Cookies
(about 36 cookies)

15 Tbs butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (basically 4 big handfuls)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line oven trays with parchment paper.

2. Cream butter and sugar together and then then beat in the sweetened condensed milk.

3. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl and then mix it into the above mixture until combined.

4. Add in the chocolate chips.

4. Spoon rounded tablespoons of mixture onto prepared trays, allowing room to spread.

5. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned around the bottom edges and golden on top.

February’s Recipe: Senegal Stew

Published on February 28, 2010 in Eating. 2 Comments Tags: dinner, Eating, millet, recipes, senegal, stew.

The new recipe we tried this month was Senegal Stew. I had been reading Organic and Chic and found a recipe with millet, which I had heard of, but never tasted. It is a healthy, whole grain, and a staple in many parts of the world. However, in the U.S. we mostly know it as a component in bird and cattle feed.

The other reason I chose this stew (besides the fact that I liked how exotic it sounded), was that the other main ingredients – yams and/or sweet potato, rutabaga, cabbage, carrots and chickpeas – seemed to make it an appropriate choice for February, the bonus being that it calls for a little peanut butter, which my husband loves.

Surprisingly, I found the meal to be rather average. The millet takes as long to cook as rice, plus the grains need to be dry roasted first, for best results. Personally, for the size and texture, I prefer couscous, which is much faster to cook, or quinoa which has a better texture. The stew itself was mild and sweeter than I expected. David thought it was very good, and Chloe enjoyed some of it, too. I have some leftover uncooked millet, so I might try adding it to bread or another recipe, to give it another try.

Related posts: January’s recipe, 2010 goals

Orange Leaf

Published on January 26, 2010 in Eating and Life. 2 Comments Tags: food, frozen, frozen yogurt orange leaf bar mall food, leaf, mall, orange, yogurt.

Photos by Joe H from Yelp. Click on the photos above to see more.

There is so much I’d like to be writing and sharing right now – Chloe turning 14-months-old(!), getting paid to photograph my first product shoot(!), drumming up the courage to submit photos for consideration in a juried art exhibit(!), working on a graphic design project for a service to benefit the low-income, elderly, and the environment(!) – but for some reason, I can’t seem to pin down my thoughts on any of those things right now, so instead…

I’ll mention our recent trip to the mall . We were so bored with the rain yesterday, and with Chloe bouncing off the walls we hoped it would at least be a dry place for her to burn some energy. I could also get my “free birthday gift” from Sephora, and David wanted to look at pearl earrings to replace one I lost (the original pair was the first jewelry gift he ever gave me, over 15 years ago. You can imagine how my heart broke just a little when I looked in the mirror to find one missing).

Anyways, no luck at Sephora (they were out right now), and none of the pearl earrings we saw were quite right (the original ones were so perfect!), but we did check out a new self-serve frozen yogurt bar called Orange Leaf. I admit I was drawn into the bright and modern design of this little shop, and for 39 cents an ounce it was a decent deal.

The cheesecake was our favorite. It was one of two “low-fats” in a sea of “non-fats,” and where skinny-mini Chloe is concerned, more fat is better. Along with traditional toppings, they had some unusual options like a gummy rice flour candy popular in Asia that I had never heard of. There was a lot of fruit to choose from, too, including fresh options like mango and blueberries, which I got for Chloe. After the first cold bite, where she squinched her face up, she kept saying “more?” “more?” until the bowl was empty. A pretty healthy choice as far as mall food. And the crazy thing? I loved the spoons! They are orange and very modern shaped. Like contoured little shovels. I should take a picture. Anyway, we got two and we’re going to keep them (although they are biodegradable) for when we’re on the go. Cute and yummy!

Insta-breakfast

Published on January 2, 2010 in Eating and Life. 0 Comments

When I was a kid, my mother never made biscuits, so it was a rare treat to have the packaged kind that “popped” out of a roll-tube after peeling off the label. This morning we tried Immaculate Baking Co.’s all-natural blueberry scones that came in that same packaging. I thought they were good, but David says mine are better. Homemade always is, but they were a fast next-best-thing that even Chloe could eat.

Chocolate Covered Oreos + Label and Packaging Idea

Published on December 18, 2009 in Crafts & Sewing, Eating and holiday. 0 Comments Tags: chocolate, cookies, covered, dipped, download, easy, free, gift, holiday, idea, labels, no-bake, oreo, packaging, printable, quick, recipes, simple.

For other procrastinators like myself, I thought I’d share this quick and tasty treat I made earlier this week. A search for “chocolate covered oreos” provided several good recipes and instructions (1, 2, 3), but basically I just melted a package of chocolate chips in the microwave. The cool thing about these cookies is that you don’t actually have to bake in order to have pretty handmade treats to give friends and neighbors. For packaging and display, I found tall glass canning jars at our local New Seasons, covered the lids with fabric and attached a label, which you can download here. For more packaging inspiration, marthastewart.com has a nice slideshow on 13 beautiful ways to package cookies, my favorites being the cookie gift sleeve, and the cellophane-wrapped cookies.

The Most Amazing Buttermilk Chocolate Cake Update

Published on November 19, 2009 in Eating and recipes. 4 Comments Tags: baking, buttermilk, cake, chocolate, recipes.

I made this buttermilk chocolate cake again this past week. A perfectly wet and dreary week called for a little bit of baking to cheer the place up. Although, not wanting too much of a good thing, I decided to halve the recipe this time and used a 9×13 glass pan at 330 degrees instead. Then I sliced it in half and squared the edges for a double-layer cake. The ganache frosting got poured directly over the top with just a little smoothing at the end. Nothing too fussy, just simple, chocolatey goodness.

Chanterelle Season

Published on September 14, 2009 in Eating, Life, Oregon and outdoors. 0 Comments Tags: chanterelles, collecting, food, harvesting, mushrooms, Oregon.

With the clouds and rain that mark the closing of summer, comes the beginning of golden chanterelles dotting the forest floor. It was a good day for a hike in the woods, and David was a trooper for carrying Chloe on his back the entire time.

Things I like about mushroom hunting:
•   The thrill of the hunt
•   Enjoying the outdoors
•   Letting the dog run off-leash
•   Getting something for free
•   Knowing that they’ll make something tasty and delicious
Things I don’t like about mushroom hunting:
•   Walking through spiderwebs
•   Possibly getting lost
•   Possibly picking the wrong type (however unlikely)
•   Hearing the gunshots of hunters in the distance