Hola! Well I am still recovering from the “Holidays”….they should call it the “un-Holidays” because holidays are supposed to be fun and restful. I can’t complain for the most part but there is always something or someone that makes things more complicated…thus is life, but it still exhausts me to the max. I did this year have an outstanding birthday, which didn’t happen last year, and I am so pleased that it is 2016 and the people, places, and things of 2015 are in the rear view mirror. Continue reading “Sopa De Tortilla (weeknight gringo version)”
As a young child I remember one thing about Sunday nights in my hometown….Chicken Gumbo was the soup du jour at China Nite. It was my favorite thing in the whole world, and once I saw what a traditional gumbo actually was, the only resemblance to my my childhood fav was okra. Continue reading “Chicken Gumbo China Nite Style”
We have a few different tofu factories here in Portland, they are both really good and many a trendy restaurant offer them as an option, many times as one of my all time favorite Japanese dishes, Agedashi tofu. Continue reading “Grilled tofu + Nuac cham”
Lighten up!
With the weather in full blown rain mode, it is officially soup WEATHER! (cue the trumpets). It took me a while to get used to several months of rain, but now that I have discovered vitamin D capsules, and got an incredibly, unfashionable rain coat, I relish it! Soup is one of my favorite ways to receive nutrition, and I can’t think of a more comforting food when it’s blustery and wet. Continue reading “Lighter Corn chowder”
Today I have teamed up with Chocoley Chocolate to bring you a delicious recipe, right in time for the holidays. I don’t fancy myself a baker whatsoever, but I do make a mean Baklava! I did a rolled version today, which simplifies the process a bit, and infused some new flavor combinations that rival any of the traditional versions I have made. Continue reading “Chocolate drizzled pistachio and cherry baklava”
I grew up in a quirky place, it’s of a particularly high altitude, it was once a booming train stop across the great plains, and it has a high demographic of LDS (Latter Day Saints). Yes, I grew up in Ogden, UT. If you know or have any LDS kinfolk, you will recognize the subject of this post quite well. “Funeral potatoes” are often served potluck style…at well, funerals, usually afterwards in the Stake center with the ward members of the loved one’s life that is being honored. Served with ham, salad, and those sweet, yeasty, homemade dinner roles, and if you’re lucky.. Jell0! This meal is one of my childhood, nostalgia favorites. Not all funeral potatoes are created equal, and it is always interesting to taste the variations, today I will give you mine, and feel free to eat these whenever you feel inclined, Easter, Wednesday, Christmas. I took out all the “cream of ….” soups and made a Mornay (Cheese Bechamel) sauce, par boiled, peeled, and shredded Yukon gold potatoes, and added a few more tricks. So next time you need to bring a side dish or want a delicious casserole, test out this version and let me know what you think. Continue reading “Funeral potatoes…modernized.”
WOW! What a week it has been! After several months of planning…then replanning, finding a space, getting plane tickets, shopping, and finally preparing, our dinner was a success! I’m not going to tell you it was easy, because it wasn’t, but I can’t tell you how good it felt to go above and beyond our goal and even after reimbursing food costs for what wasn’t donated we were able to give $800 to my nieces school’s special needs program. After fighting a bit with Mom about how much food we needed, we ended up running out a bit too early on a few things, but we did have enough rice to feed a few hundred more folks by the end…LOL! In all it went great, there are always annoyances, like those folks you expect to show up and support you that blow you off, I have a hard time not feeling snubbed. Continue reading “Autism Awareness Pop up in O-town”
Personal morality and business just don’t mix….it’s honestly way too subjective, and limiting your clientele based on dogma is really selling the business owner short. I have patronized businesses that probably don’t agree with me politically, socially, or religiously. Continue reading “Oven “fried” chicken sliders”
Fall is drifting in as Summer exits stage left, and it’s a stunning change for sure. If you are hoping for a post about pumpkin spice flavored things, or to see a picture of a set of hands and canvas aproned torso, forming savory scones, you have made the wrong turn at Albuquerque (Bugs Bunny reference, in cause you are a reader under the age of 30) and find the 10’s of 1000’s of other posts available with that. Continue reading ““Chi-town” style Italian beef for slackers.”
I have great memories of spending time with my grandmother Marion. She was always glamorous, impeccably dressed, and a 40’s era independant woman. She was never big into cooking, as she grew up in a very traditional, Mormon family where roles were very singular, so I think she tried to go a different route than her own mother had. Continue reading “Hatch sofrito rice with pork and pintos”
