Under a Red Roof

Cheated, Redeemed, and Always Delighted

March 6, 2009 in Eating, Listening, Spotlighting by Colleen | 2 comments

If you are one of my Facebook friends (I’m everywhere!), then you know that I went to see Itzhak Perlman with the Oregon Symphony this past Sunday. Above are the slightly blurred lights of the marquee at the Schnitzer, and the photo below is of the lovely interior. Man was I excited about this, having bought the tickets ages ago. The hubster and I got dolled up and everything. Then came the cheat, Mr. Perlman played beautifully for exactly sixteen minutes. Sixteen. After that, he sat in the conductor’s chair and led the symphony. Now I don’t care too much for whining, but as the sweet lady in the seat ahead of me said (and she’s been going for seventy years), “I paid to hear him play, not conduct.” Amen to that!

I wish I didn’t feel this way because the music was quite good and the rest of the players very talented in their own right, but, honestly, I’d rather cozy up on the sofa and listen to my favorite Schubert CD set, which I’ll tell you about in just a minute.

However, now is about redemption, and that is thanks to the bar at Higgins, my very favorite in town. After the symphony disappointment, we walked rather swiftly up the Park Blocks, hoping the place wouldn’t be packed. Thankfully, we were quicker than the rest of the bunch, nabbing the last booth. I ordered a Maker’s Ginger and felt much better, not that the experience drove me to drink. I’m not that kind of person, but when in Rome or a good bar, I do enjoy a cocktail.

Then, as is always the case, we enjoyed impeccable service and some pretty stellar food: smoked Northwest seafood (sturgeon, black cod, and salmon), a delicious salad, house made pickles, and a key lime tart with a hot pepper marmalade (the perfect balance to the sweet filling). I savored every last bite! Thank you Higgins for making our okay night at the symphony a super night on the town!

Now for the Spotlight I promised. It is Friday, after all.

I am a girl who likes all kinds of music, good music that is. Jazz, rock, funk, ska, rap, punk, country, classical, opera – if it is done well, I am all for it! So it should come as no surprise that today’s spotlight is on a classical composer, the always delightful Franz Schubert. He is one of those great prolific writers – composing over 1000 works in his short thirty-one years on this earth (1797-1828). I get a little weepy thinking that what I am listening to is nearly 200 years old. That’s something.

As I am a person who much prefers cheeriness over gloom, the Complete Works for Piano and Strings of Franz Schubert fits me like a glove. Robert Schumann famously said of Schubert’s Piano Trio in B-flat, Opus 99: “One glance and the troubles of our human existence disappear and all the world is fresh and bright again.”

I could not agree more. This is the perfect music for a sunny day or one where the clouds make you wish for it. Additionally, the total playing time for both discs is more than two hours and twenty minutes. You can easily while away an afternoon or evening, happily dancing about. Give it a try; I have on more than one occasion and am much better for it.

On the Streets Where We Live

February 17, 2009 in Eating, Exploring, Loving by Colleen | 3 comments

Golly, yesterday was a banner day! Not only was it a holiday (thank you Presidents), but a sunny and dry, perfect for being outdoors kind of day. Greg and I took full advantage and walked to our favorite Asian restaurant, Stickers, where we enjoyed our usual Scallion Pancake, Kung Pao Chicken, and Satay Sampler, before heading north to New Seasons for a slice of cake and coffee, and home again, collecting four varieties of pine cone, assorted plant life, groceries, and left-overs along the way .

For fun, Greg made a map of our journey – almost nine miles of beautiful Portland splendor!

Here is what we saw while we were out and about:

The lovely and rather idiosyncratic Reed College – a study in contrasts, yes indeed.

A fitting display of President’s Day patriotism on Milwaukie Avenue. I love America and this town.

This sight is always worth a chuckle while noshing at Stickers. I admire the owner’s fantastic sense of humor, but not nearly as much as the handsome man. I’m no fool.

The lovely old clock for William R. Johnson jewelers.

We don’t tend to enjoy walking on very busy streets, preferring the sound of birds and our own voices over the din of automobiles, but I was pleased as punch that Milwaukie was our only option after we stumbled upon this beauty. Oh my goodness! It is the finest example of a 1958 Thunderbird I have EVER seen. I was so excited that I got misty eyed. Silly girl.

Why yes, I am a tourist attraction – at least that’s what my hubby says!

Above my head was this perfect sky. Hello beautiful.

Heavens to mergatroid – a 1940’s Studebaker Champion with suicide doors!

But wait, there’s more! A gorgeous 1960 Corvette and a 1942 Chief Plymouth. Will you look at that hood ornament? How amazing is that? I thank my lucky stars for all the wonderful automobile sightings, and this isn’t even all of them. I gave the dear hubster a break and skipped snapping a photo of a rather fine example of a 1964 Ford pick-up. You’ll just have to take my word for it on that one.

After all the excitement of the cars, it was nice to come across this stand of bamboo. We stood for a few moments and enjoyed the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. Ahh, bliss.

I think this is the cutest chicken coop I’ve ever seen.

Here are the occupants, happily pecking away…

We cast a long shadow.

Aw, gee Buddy, this is a super supper!

February 11, 2009 in Cooking + Baking, Eating by Colleen | 3 comments

Though we never actually call it supper, the alliteration is rather nice. Here are two recipes that are grin worthy and very delicious together, the sweetness and crunch of the bread a perfect match for the spicy soup:

Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup

1 cup white beans (navy, cannelini, or great northern), soaked overnight in 3 cups water

1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled

1 medium onion, diced fine

2 cloves garlic, diced fine

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (don’t use regular – the flavor isn’t the same)

1 teaspoon dried sage

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1 piece dried kombu seaweed

4 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

Drain beans and set aside. Heat a medium size soup pot (mine is a 4 quart), adding a teaspoon of oil or some of the fat rendered from cooking the sausage. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the salt, and cook on very low heat for three hours or until beans are soft. Remove the kombu, add salt, and serve.

No Knead Sage, Raisin, and Pine Nut Toaster Bread

3 cups flour (you might not use all of it)

1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

2/3 cup milk

1/8 cup water

1 package yeast

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup pine nuts

I used the sweetened condensed milk because I had some left over from another recipe. If you don’t happen to have any, no worries. Use 1 cup milk and 1-2 tablespoons sugar. Grease an 8×4 loaf pan, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups flour, yeast, and baking soda. Place the milk, water, sugar (if using), and salt in a small saucepan and heat until warm, about 120 degrees. Do not allow to boil. Pour into the flour and mix until incorporated. Add raisins, nuts, and sage, mix well. Add remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time until well incorporated. You want the dough to be slightly sticky, so don’t add all the flour unless you need it.

Place in the loaf pan, cover loosely with a towel, and place somewhere warm for about 40 minutes. It should be about double in size. Twenty minutes before the dough is finished rising, turn the oven on to 400 and place an empty roasting pan on the lowest rack. Once preheated, place the bread on the rack above the roasting pan. Quickly add a cup of hot water to the roasting pan and close the door pronto! We’re using the steam to make it extra hot and get a crispier crust. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool for about five minutes before removing from pan.

This bread has the texture of an English muffin, so it really is better toasted, hence the name. Before serving your soup, toast up a slice or two of the bread, and serve together. We didn’t use any butter, but it would taste mighty fine with it.

This probably makes enough for six big bowls of soup paired with six thick slices of bread. Happy eating.

Tags: Recipes

Breakfast Bowls

January 14, 2009 in Cooking + Baking, Eating by Colleen | 1 comment

When we lived in Denver, there was a great breakfast place, since gone, like so much of our past, where we would enjoy these simple, but utterly delicious breakfast bowls. We walked from our apartment on 11th to Cherry Creek and enjoyed every bite without guilt because we exercised too! They had a more glamorous name, but I don’t remember it because we always called them the bowls. I made them this past weekend and thought I’d share the recipe with you. This makes two, but it is easily adapted.

Breakfast Bowls

2 English muffins, sliced and toasted

1 small can green chiles (you might not use all of them)

4 slices bacon, crumbled, or equivalent in breakfast sausage

grated monterey jack or cheddar cheese – to your liking

3 eggs, poached or or cooked to your liking – make sure they are a little under-done.

4 tablespoons heavy cream

salsa

Preheat your oven to 375. Cut the toasted English muffin into cubes. Also, if you can find Australian toaster biscuits, use them instead. They’re great. We haven’t seen them around here in a long time – like the restaurant where we first got these, they may be gone. In an ovenproof bowl, layer the muffin, cheese, green chiles, and bacon or sausage, repeating several times. Top with the egg (I use two for the G-Man). Put a final sprinkling of cheese over the top. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream over all.

Bake for about five minutes – until the cheese is a little bubbly. This is why you want your egg underdone. It will cook a bit more in the oven. Remove from the oven, top with a little salsa, if you like, and eat carefully. The bowl is hot to trot!

If you’ve toasted your muffin well, the texture will be slightly crusty and creamy. So yummy!

Tags: Cooking and Baking, Recipes

Sweet Sensation

January 8, 2009 in Admiring, Eating by Colleen | 1 comment

I knew, just knew I should bring my camera with me today, but I didn’t, and you know this because I wouldn’t start the post this way otherwise. Anyway, I met my ever-so-handsome hubby for a little lunch at Bridgeport Village today. He works nearby (oh how I wish he were closer – hey Amber, is your hubby’s place of employment hiring? – that would be a stellar commute) and I occasionally visit for the California Pizza Kitchen salads and a little stop into J. Crew. BIG SALE! I bought wool pants, two wool cardigans (one in Bronco Orange!) and a super cute tee for $80. That’s what I call a bargain.

Gosh, I’m turning into Virginia Woolf – should I buy the flowers? No, the pants!

Finally, getting to my point, because, seriously, there is one; we also ate at our favorite sweet spot, Pudding on the Rice. Alas, as I was saying in the beginning, I have no photo, so the bridge that is zooming by like my random thoughts is going to have to suffice.

The very modern and polished interior is run by a wonderfully kind and enthusiastic husband and wife team – though we’ve only met the wife and seen her talk to the hubby on the phone. They’ve both quit their jobs and put everything they’ve got into this place, trading shifts so one of them will always be at home with the kids, which I think is grand. Also, even more family oriented, the recipe for the heavenly pudding is her Swedish grandmother’s, and holy smokes is it good. It is the best I have ever had – creamy, not too sweet, with a perfect texture and great flavor. We’ve tried the chocolate, cinnamon, peanut butter, mint chocolate chip, cherry, and pistachio (mixed together makes Spumoni – Colleen’s favorite ice cream ever – just in case you wanted to know!). If you can’t decide on one flavor, like me, she’s happy to put two in a cup. By the way, the little cup looks rather wee, but it is plenty, unless you plan on skipping dinner.

If you are a local or plan on visiting the area, please give them a try. And, if you are like my friend Sarah, and do not care for rice pudding – no worries mate! They also have crepes and frozen yogurt. We haven’t tried either, but can attest to the heavenly aroma and the smiles on the faces of those eating a crepe.