Happy 75, Roger .................

Happy Birthday, Dear Iraj. 75 is looking really good !

Happy Birthday, Mike !

A Sad Loss - But A Celebration of A Life Well Lived

My dear friend, Rosanna, (pictured here) lost her mother this week at age 94. I always knew her as "Nonni" so I don't even know her first name so she was always Nonni, a truly strong willed and confident Italian woman who knew what she wanted and lived her life independently.

Our condolences go out to the Lutz and Tasano family for your loss.

Benessere Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars - Another New Portland Experience

http://www.portlandfoodanddrink.com/2010/07/benessere-olive-oils-and-balsamic-vinegars/

If you have an interest in exceptional olive oils and vinegars, you'll love this shop in downtown Portland. Even better, it's near South Park Restaurant so you can have an exceptional lunch and then enjoy tasting and buying their fabulous oils. It's only two blocks from the streetcar stop that brings you back to the condo so, after a manicure, lunch and shopping, it was a quick trip (and lots of fun, too).

This is a new concept for me so I started out with their "house blend" olive oil which is a multi-purpose cooking oil. For fish I bought a whole lemon infused olive oil that has an amazing flavor. For dipping bread, I got a pomegranate balsamic that I'll serve with the blended olive oil.

Shopping there is an interesting experience. There must be about 40 stainless steel casks, each labeled with a special oil or blend and customers can taste each one by opening a spigot and putting a small amount into a tiny cup. Then, there are about 20 casks with vinegar and a bar area where they feature truffle oils and other exotic oils.

I used a Groupon for my first visit so, not only was it a great experience, it was very affordable, too.

Sacramento Chef's Series Cooking School

My daughter, Lori, is the Cooking School Coordinator and Marketing Director of the Sacramento Natural Foods Coop in Sacramento and this is from another blog of a recent class that was exciting and interesting.

http://foodiddy.com/?p=4033

LAZY In Portland

Today was a "do nothing" day (at least for me). Well, I managed to cook a vegetable torta for breakfast but Roger barbecued chicken and made his fabulous saffron rice for dinner - so I had no choice but to sit in front of the fire with Bella on my lap and finish reading a really great novel. It's "The Crimson Petal And The White" by Michel Faber. It's the kind of book that, once you start, all you want to do is read - every minute possible.

Roger is preparing for Spring Quarter at PCC; his first class is tomorrow at 1 p.m. so he has his books and he's ready....................

We're looking forward to a great week, celebrating Mike's birthday (from a distance) on Wednesday and Roger's 75th on Thursday.

Future of Aging..............

Today I attended a City Club sponsored seminar and luncheon on new technology that will benefit our aging process. It was sponsored by Intel and, while, the technology is still in a prototype form, they are using research and innovative techniques to come up with very interesting and encouraging technology that will make our elder years more productive and rewarding.

Oregon is at the forefront of developing new technologies, services and jobs that address the challenge of global aging.

I'm new to the club but I'm already finding that the people who attend these functions are very interesting from many different backgrounds and I'm looking forward to making new connections and friendships.

Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton

Yes, we went again....... I think this is about the fourth time in the last two years but we still love the drive and the overnight experience. A beautiful room, dinner for two, a full bottle of wine and breakfast the next day for $79 just can't be beat and the food is nicely prepared. I had Chilean Sea Bass and Roger had salmon and both were delicious. They have "happy hour" in the bar so a beer and Manhattan cost $9. They have "dog rooms" so Bella enjoyed the experience with us. Even better was the weather - two whole days without rain and enough sunshine to feel like spring.

We're home now and still in a lazy mood so the "holiday feeling" still remains................

Roast Leg of Lamb With Honey Rosemary Marinade

It's Spring and nothing is better than a Leg of Lamb for a festive dinner. I used this recipe for our party last night and everyone loved it and wanted the recipe.

Start with a 4 to 5 pound leg of lamb

For the marinade, combine 1/4 cup honey, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, sea salt and black pepper (to taste), 1 teaspoon lemon zest and juice from one half of the lemon, 3 cloves garlic, minced.

Marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Place lamb on a roasting pan and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for about 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees. Roast until it reaches the temperature that you desire; For medium rare it will take about 20 minutes per pound but the temperature is the deciding factor when to take it out of the oven - medium rare temp is about 145 degrees. I roasted mine to 152 degrees for more of a medium temp. Let it rest about 10 minutes before carving.

Serve with a garnish of fresh mint and mint jelly.

People will rave and it's easy...............................

New Years and PARTY DAY.....................

It has been years since I've hosted a party for over twenty people and I was much younger then............

SO, I had forgotten how much work it can be - but also how much fun it is to celebrate with old and new friends.

Roger and I prepared some delicious dishes including chicken kabob, leg of lamb and smoked salmon plus at least 12 side dishes so there was plenty of food. Leftovers are in the refrigerator so we won't have to cook for a couple of days and we'll get the house in order tomorrow. Right now we're exhausted (but in a good way) so it's time for a brandy and some rest.

One of the couples is Virginia Smith and Josh Hatefi who will be married in Reno on October 29th and the other is the mom and dad of the groom-to-be, Caroline and Brian.

You probably know the cute old couple at the bottom..................

Good Grief - All I Write About Is FOOD.............

We are SO ready for a great day tomorrow. We've been in the kitchen most of the day and tomorrow will be a marathon of cooking but we are ready.................. The party room is perfect so we have two kitchens which is very helpful. The refrigerator there is already full - mostly beer and wine.

Have you noticed that all of my blogs are about food? Well............ it's true......... but that's not a bad thing.

Nowruz

It has been a busy week - mostly planning, shopping, preparing decor and food to celebrate the Persian New Year, Nowruz that occurs precisely at 4:21 p.m. on Sunday, March 20th.

The word "Nowruz" is a compound of two Persian words "now" which has the same etymology as the English word "new" and the word "ruz" which means both "day" and "time". Literally meaning the "new day", Nowruz is translated as "New Year". The Nowruz celebration is neither religious or national in nature, nor is it an ethnic celebration. Jewish, Zoroastrian, Armenian and Turkish Iranians and Central Asians celebrate the Nowruz with the same enthusiasm and sense of belonging.

We started the food preparation which will take four days due to the complex nature of some of the dishes and we have invited 24 people to join us for the celebration.

The guest list grew beyond the capacity of our condo so we rented the party room (conveniently next door) so we'll start with cocktails here and serve dinner there. (Iranians aren't happy with just one entree so we're serving chicken kabob, leg of lamb and salmon).

It's a lot of work but we're enjoying the experience.

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY !!

Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast...............

Sometimes I marvel at how much I don't know so after visiting our Portland peanut butter food cart I decided that it was time to learn something new. Recently I remember hearing about a restaurant that specializes in peanut butter / banana French toast so I figured "why not?".

Anyway, it's very simple starting with two pieces of bakery bread, spreading a thin bit of organic peanut butter and slicing a banana to make a "sandwich". I dipped it in an egg / milk recipe with a little vanilla and cinnamon and put it in a hot pan sizzling with butter.

A sprinkle of powdered sugar and some Vermont maple syrup and it's a fabulous way to start the day. We added fresh blueberries to make it extra decadent.

Mustard-Glazed Corned Beef

This recipe was given to me by my special and long time friend in S.F., Rosanna. It's delicious using your leftover corned beef (if there is any left).

1 4-5 lb. corned beef brisket
8 whole black peppercorns (and throw in some pickling spices if you like)
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar

Cover brisket with water, with the above ingredients, and cook corned beef about one hour per pound. After it's cooked, drain and refrigerate overnight.

Transfer brisket to heavy shallow roasting pan, fat side up. Bring brisket to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the following ingredients:

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup sherry wine vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Whisk mustards in heavy small saucepan. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Spread glaze evenly over top of brisket. Bake until heated through, about 45 minutes.

Whether you're Irish or not, this will become a favorite..............

PBJ's Grilled, Portland

You have to check this out - the sandwich ingredients are weird - but the flavors are fabulous ! (They make the peanut and nut butters from scratch).

http://www.foodcartsportland.com/2010/07/06/pbjs-grilled/

Forktown Food Tours

This afternoon I joined a walking tour of an area called the "Alphabet Streets" in NW Portland. The purpose of the tour is to get acquainted with local food and restaurants by tasting their food and meeting their owners and chefs. Generally the tour has twelve people but, today, there were only four of us so we had a very personal experience and it was nice getting acquainted with the other three people; two from Mountain View and one from Auburn, California. Our tour guide was charming and knowledgeable.

We visited seven places; three restaurants, a sandwich cart, coffee cart, a cookie bakery and an interesting commercial kitchen where the owner prepares cooked dinners for pick-up using farm fresh ingredients. In the summer they sell farm produce baskets to subscribers who pick up the produce once a week.

We were served food at every stop so it turned out to be both my lunch and dinner. Fortunately, we walked almost two miles so maybe that helped. Did I mention the champagne, beer and old fashioned cocktail?

The most unexpected place that we visited is a food cart that serves peanut butter grilled sandwiches. What - you ask??? Yes, really, and you won't believe the ingredients. One sandwich has jalapeno peppers, with bacon and cherry jam (with homemade peanut butter), grilled on fresh baked bread. I hesitated taking the first bite, worried that it would be spicy hot and after that first taste, I didn't stop until it was eaten. It was definitely an unexpected pleasant experience. I'm looking forward to taking friends and family there when they visit Portland.

I'm also looking forward to introducing my friends to a cafe "Besaw's" where they serve what is called "comfort food" but made with fresh, organic and healthy ingredients.

It was a great way to spend an afternoon - and - it didn't rain, even though it was in the forecast !

A Visit to PERU and EGYPT............

Today started with yoga, then Allison, Rae and I went to lunch at Andina, a Peruvian Restaurant in the Pearl. Their menu is different from anything I've encountered with exotic sauces and interesting "small plates" that can be shared. The waitress suggested that we each choose two so we were able to sample, share and enjoy six different dishes. With Peruvian beer and Pinot Gris we relaxed and had a fabulous lunch eating every single bite.

After a short venture window shopping we headed to OMSI to see "Lost Egypt From Daily Life to the Afterlife". It featured modern technology and how it has opened secrets about mummies and ancient artifacts. The highlight was a mummy, "Annie" who has been photographed and examined by several x-ray methods. Using this technology, scientists have been able to recreate her facial features and determine her age and cause of death. She died at age 16 - 18 and it was fascinating to learn so much about a person who lived about 5,000 years ago.

A DOG and a BONE................

Roger cooked lamb shank tonight and Bella was rewarded with the bones. Happy, Happy................

City Club - Governor John Kitzhaber

Today five of us from the American Plaza Towers took the streetcar to the Governor Hotel where we enjoyed lunch and a forum featuring our new Governor, John Kitzhaber. Kitzhaber has an interesting history in Oregon, as he served in the Oregon House of Representatives and the Oregon Senate before being elected as Governor in 1994 and 1998. He ran again in 2010 and won the election for a third term so we're encouraged to have a man with experience and a vision for the future.

Bits and Pieces............

Sort of a ho-hum time of the year - cold - some snow in downtown a few days ago (gone now) - rain - slush and no sun........... sigh ...................

I'm in an Egyptian kind of mood after watching the movie, Cleopatra and reading the latest novel with the same title. OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) is featuring an exhibit about Lost Egypt, Ancient Secrets and Modern Science. Roger isn't interested in going so when he's in school Thursday, I'm going to check it out.

I'm still keeping busy with selling over 300 pieces of sterling - frankly, it's starting to get a little boring but there's still hundreds to go so I'll keep plugging along. Whoever collected this set of sterling must have added pieces for many generations because some of the pieces are extremely old and rare; such as 12 terrepin forks (used to eat turtle soup) and 12 individual sugar spoons (used in place of coffee or teaspoons). There's a waffle server, fish slice (knife), fish server, ice cream server (a flat piece used to cut through a slab of ice cream (before Baskin Robbins) and many more unique pieces.

Well that's about all for now - I'll continue to hibernate until the sun shows up again.......