Under a Red Roof

Short and Sweet

January 19, 2010 in Being, Eating, Feeling by Colleen | 1 comment

Great Tuesday greetings blog friends! I have a killer headache from some nasty head cold I can’t seem to shake. I feel well for a couple of days, and then it sneaks in through the back door, and I feel terrible for another day or two. So much for the super-hero immunity I thought I had. Boo.

Anyhoo, I can’t think very clearly, so you get some random thoughts about me.

1. I cry while watching award shows. So much sincerity and the love of telling and sharing stories, for aren’t we all a collection of words, experiences, and emotions?

2. I love peanut butter. Have I told you this before? I can’t remember. With jelly or chocolate, in a spicy satay, on a pancake, sprinkled with smoky salt, or slathered on a rye crisp.

3. I believe in the power of architecture: wood, steel, glass, concrete, and LOVE.

4. I love ruffles, pearls, velvet, and brooches – all the trappings of a woman with a girlish heart.

5. I love smoked fish – sardines, salmon, trout – best when purchased in early morning, at a shack by the sea, dearest friend at my side, the scent of the sea and warm smoky fish filling the air. A slice of heaven, for sure.

A Chinese-Irish Kind of Day

January 12, 2010 in Drinking, Eating, Exploring, Gardening + Nature by Colleen | 3 comments

The Portland Chinese Classical Garden, in celebration of ten years in the heart of the city and the changing of its name to Lan Su (Garden of Awakening Orchids), offered free admission for ten days, starting after the new year. The hubster and I took advantage, as we hadn’t visited the garden since it’s inaugural season. It was as beautiful and tranquil as I remembered, and quite thankfully, they limited the number of people in at a time, so it did didn’t feel at all crowded, save in the line out front.

The flow of water creates the unique shape of a Lake Tai Rock.

The dragonfish swallows all evil influences and protects the building from fire.

I have always admired paths like these, so beautiful and precisely laid. And, just in case you were wondering, no one stepped on my blue suede shoes.

Bamboo is a friend of winter, bending in storms, but not breaking – a reminder of perseverance.

The Chinese believe that a view within a view creates the illusion of infinite space.

The Yin reflection of the sky is mirrored on the Yang of the earth below.

I have always loved this sign, but it would not be our final stop for lunch.

Being who we are, we decided an Irish meal at Kells was on order. Fish and chips (the BEST), soup, and salad.

And, of course, a little Guinness, too, with hard cider to make a Snakebite. A fine winter day.

Hey brother. Happy Birthday!

Tags: Portland, Restaurants

You Can’t Have One Without the Other

December 5, 2009 in Celebrating, Cooking + Baking, Drinking, Eating by Colleen | 5 comments

My friend Carolyn and I hosted a party and gift exchange for a group of our best girlfriends. I came away with an adorable flower brooch – just my style. It was a fun evening of chatter, drinking (delicious cranberry punch), and, of course, eating. I contributed artichoke dip (Bridget’s favorite!), cranberry pecan cookies with a white chocolate glaze, and the best mint filled sandwich cookies I’ve ever tasted. EVER. This is saying a lot. I am very particular people!

This mess is totally worth it!

Mint Sandwich Cookies

– adapted from Martha Stewart Holiday Baking 2002

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cups cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

10 tablespoons butter

1 large egg

Peppermint Cream Filling

1 1/2 candy canes (six inch size)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

For the cookies

Preheat oven to 375. Grease two baking sheets, set aside.

Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add egg – beat to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture, beating until dough is well combined.

Divide dough in two, so it is more manageable. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a 2″ round cutter and space about 1 1/2 inches apart on the greased baking sheet.

Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are firm, about 10-12 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Cool cookies completely.

For the peppermint cream filling

Pulverize the candy cane until it is nearly all powder. I kept it in its wrapper and whacked it with a hammer – satisfying! Cream butter and shortening until well combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar and pulverized peppermint, beating until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, and beat to combine.

Place cream filling in a pastry bag fitted with a coupler or a sandwich bag with the corner cut off, and pipe about 1 tablespoon filling onto the flat side of half the cookies. Place remaining cookies on top, and gently press on each to squeeze the filling to the edges. It’s a good idea to match up cookies with their best mate to avoid having uneven looking cookies. Makes about 30.

Enjoy!

Tags: Cooking and Baking, Recipes

Fall Muffins

November 25, 2009 in Cooking + Baking, Eating by Colleen | Permalink

These are perfect seasonal muffins, delicious plain or with butter and honey.

1 cup flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (or use all regular – I like a little extra fiber)

1/3 cup sugar (these aren’t very sweet, so if you like a sweet muffin, use 1/2 cup)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup chocolate chips (I made this addition for the hubster – add more cranberries and walnuts, if you prefer)

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup orange juice

zest of 1/2 of an orange

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, set aside. Blend milk, egg, oil, orange juice and zest. Pour into flour mixture and stir until moistened. Mix in walnuts, cranberries, and chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups (greased or lined, your choice), and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Makes 9-12, depending on how you fill your muffin cups.

Enjoy!

Tags: Cooking and Baking, Recipes

Favorite Restaurants

October 28, 2009 in Admiring, Eating, Exploring by Colleen | 1 comment

We just got our highly anticipated list of Willamette Week’s 100 favorite restaurants, their yearly focus on yummy goodness in all five quadrants and beyond (yeah, I said five – we’ve got the Keep Portland Weird bumper stickers for a reason). Of the 100, we’ve eaten at 53. Yikes! Do we really eat out that much? Yet, why haven’t we tried all of these?

In this same spirit, here is our list of favorite restaurants and some of our favorite dishes. Places we go often, places we itch to go more frequently but must restrain ourselves for fear of bankruptcy or obesity. What are your favorites?

Asian:

August Moon – Sesame Chicken and Szechuan green beans

Chaba Thai – Som Tum Salad, Pad Kee Mao, Red Curry with Pineapple

Stickers – Anything on a skewer, Scallion Cakes, and Kung Pao Chicken

Latin Flavor:

El Tapatio – Eddie is the sweetest server ever, but I would not eat him. That would be wrong.

Pambiche – Ropa Vieja, Maduros, Tostones, anything with ham.

Pata Negra – scrumptious tapas of every stripe, but go when it is warm – this place can be downright chilly.

Viva Italia!:

La Buca – Abituale (number nine, number nine…), Caesar salad, Fettuccine Alfredo with a side of red sauce.

Vincente’s

Southern: