Rain, rain, go away

While the area we occupy is comfortable and spacious, there are no immediate windows... just a skylight reflecting natural light upon my desk, where the sound of the falling rain is amplified. It's peaceful and soothing, though not so conducive for a work environment. I wish I could hear the rain this clearly when I'm at home, snuggled up in bed.

Ken's Artisan Pizza for 6 + 1 booster seat

I am not a huge fan of pizza (I know, I know "boo Yen, boo"), but hey, I eat it ok! And I even at times enjoy it :) It's just not my "favorite" food and I would probably be the last person to suggest we eat it unless it's "gourmet" pizza (cue Mario Batali)(hehe)... or clam pizza (yum)(again, cue Mario Batali). But like with most relationships, you make sacrifices. You do things your partner likes to do and you try harder at enjoying things your partner enjoys. Most of the time, we're on the same page with our likes and dislikes. Michael is actually quite understanding about our differences, but because I won't rock climb with him, I compromise...

... by eating pizza :)

Two of Portland's most talked about pizza joints, Apizza Scholls and Ken's Artisan Pizza had been on our list of restaurants to try. But that's the problem with hyped up eateries - the wait can be excruciatingly long, particularly when reservations are not accepted. That coupled with my lack of love for pizza hindered our motivation to actually try it, even though I was already sold on Ken's Artisan's dough (see my post on its sister establishment, Ken's Artisan's Bakery), so when Allison invited Tram and I, along with our boy toys Tommy, Souk and Michael out for dinner the other night, it was the catalyst we needed to get into the two-hour wait.

But this entry is not really about Ken's Artisan Pizza or about long waits. It's about our new munchkin friend, Jenny! Besides my friend Thuy, none of my other girl friends in Portland have kids. But on this fateful night, Allison and Tommy brought along their three year-old cousin Jenny to dinner. Now keep in my mind, my friends and I are not accustomed to being around kids. We are all very much "single" when it comes to that sort of mindset :) But imagine my surprise when Jenny occupied all six of our attention! A tomboy at heart and not one to be messed with, she is extremely articulate, smart and well behaved. She prefers black All-Star Converse to pink ones and her favorite color is blue. She loves watching "The Grinch" and is not a fan of American food or pizza for that matter. She favors guys and doesn't care for girls, unless you got something good for her to eat. Lucky for me, I had a box of Girl Scout cookies in my bag! We all fought and climbed over each other to steal her for a moment. She is so clever, I am baffled every time she opens her mouth to speak. She even taught Michael a thing or two in Vietnamese!

Dinner was a complete blur to me. I vaguely remember a ceasar salad and calamari appetizer... oh and four pizzas, one of which had anchovies on it (another one of my preferred pizza toppings :) but the highlight of my night was hanging out with Jenny. Maybe because it was a new experience for me to be around my old friends plus a kid. We had always been kids ourselves! Or maybe because I got to imagine what great parents my friends would be one day. Then again, it might have just been because it was funny when I saw Michael dizzily walking out of of the Papa Haydn, a cake bar we had dessert at, looking as if he had gotten hit by bus. Being around Jenny was exhausting - even with six of us to take turns watching her. But it was so much fun and very endearing.

"Anh Hai [that's what she calls Souk], why are you bald?!"
:: rub rub rub ::

Michael napping while he's suppose to be watching Jenny. lol JK!

"Look, I've worn Michael out! Now I can eat his ice cream!"

O.C.B.T. Part 1 - Pets

A.K.A. Only Child Brown Thumb Syndrome

When I was a kid, my uncle bought me some guppy fish. While attempting to clean the bowl one day, I dropped a few on the floor, panicked and proceeded to step on them. They didn't make it under the weight of a six year old's body.

In high school, I had a fish tank in my bedroom with a a few goldfishes. A few days later, I woke up and found one of them belly up. I was so skeeved out by it, I didn't even bother scooping it out. I just left it there! Apparently, that screwed up the pH balance and killed off the rest of the fish in the tank. Traumatized at this point, I was too scared to tell my parents, but would have problems falling asleep with the dead fishies floating just a few feet away from my bed (until my mom finally discovered the incident a few days later).

Needless to say, I have never had a real pet my entire life. I don't think Michael has either. I can't even keep a plant alive! It must be dominant trait in only children. But we both would like a dog some day... me more so than him, but specifically a French bull dog. So when my friends Allison and Tommy went away to Mexico for 10 days last week, I volunteered to doggie-sit for their two dogs Elroy and Ellie.

I was nervous I'd lose them or kill them... but other than a few puddles of pee here and there and some mushy poop to pick up, it was really fun! It's amazing how smart dogs are - they can hear and understand the word "treat" about 20 blocks away!

The (Simple) Life

High of 59 degrees today.

Not a cloud in the sky.

Slight breeze.

Light sweater weather!

It's utterly and extraordinarily beautiful outside.

Tram and I just got back from having brunch at Village Inn, a Dennys-like breakfast joint, famous for their pies. Everyone there, including the waitresses was seriously three times older than us. As we sunk into our booth by the window, letting the vitamin D soak in, we happily ate our chicken fried steak, eggs, bacon, hash brown, pancakes and simultaneously breathed blissful sighs of content. We could get use to this life!

"No pie?!" the surprised, but friendly hostess asked us as we paid the bill. Though old enough to teach even our moms a thing or two, she was full of life and looked as if she had so much more to live for! "We're stuffed... maybe next time!" I replied. Then a slight wave of sadness swept over me. I'm starting this thing called "work" at the end of the month and wonder when "next time" will actually be. Then as if to purposely distract me, a cute old man whizzed by with his walker exclaiming, "(Out of my way) I gotta' use the little boys room!!!"

For all those of who think you'd get bored if you didn't work, I suggest you think again :) It's all in the eye of the beholder. Ok I'm going to attempt to do some yoga in the sun now, then maybe jump on my bed and sing along to some "Please Mr. Postman" oldies jams.

Bamboo Sushi

Our friend Charlie is on a mission to discover and try as many different restaurants in the shortest amount of time possible - measured by his own personal clock. We use to think he only did this while on vacation (he once tried 13 different establishments in a single day while visiting us in New York) but it's apparently the case here in Portland as well, as made obvious by the happy hour run we made on Wednesday evening.

We started off at Tapalaya... but as I just discussed and agreed with a business owner friend of mine - if I don't have anything nice to say about an establishment, better to not say anything about it at all, so I guess we'll just leave this one at that :)

We then headed a few blocks down to Bamboo Sushi, the first certified, sustainable sushi restaurant in the world (they use 100% renewable resources for power, sustainable chopsticks, biodegradable to-go containers and even energy efficient toilets and hand dryers)! And with the growing demand of fish consumption in restaurants leading to over-fished waters, Bamboo Sushi has committed to serving the best and freshest fish while fostering partnerships with respected organizations to promote marine stewardship and oceanic sustainability. How cool is that?

Charlie and I were already full and intended to just swing by for drinks (their lychee martinis were made with muddled lychees - yum) but we ended up snacking on a spicy scallop handroll and grilled kobe flank with sweet potato,sauteed garlic greens with bacon, pickled mushrooms and herbed momiji sauce.

Both were on the happy hour menu (from 5pm to 6:30pm) and both were very well made buttery goodness. They have these specials called "Flights," which is their signature way of allowing diners to enjoy a specific variety of their in-season seafood. Currently, they have a crab flight consisting of six types of sustainable crabs ranging from king crab, snow crab, dungeness crab, all the way to stone crabs, all from Alaska, Canada, Oregon and Florida respectively. I am definitely heading back to Bamboo Sushi and dragging Michael with me since there were so many other things I wanted to try! Stay tuned for Michael and his experience with their uni flight!

Nong's Khao Man Gai

A few weeks ago, Michael and I were flipping through the November issue of Portland Monthly, reading a feature on Portland's 10 Best Restaurants of 2009 when we noticed a picture of a girl we thought we recognized as "Michelle." Michelle was a friend of friend who stayed with us in New York a few years ago when they both came to visit. "That looks like Michelle huh?" Michael said as I nodded absentmindedly.

Fast forward a few weeks, "That was Michelle!" confirmed Michael after talking to his friend. WHAT?! Michelle works in a food cart?!

Not only does Michelle work in a food cart. She owns that food cart. And it just so happens, that food cart is listed as one of "Portland's 10 Best Restaurants," amongst nine other (more) high-profile restaurants. Nevermind that Portland's food cart scene has been recognized by the New York Times and various men's magazines like GQ and Details, Michelle or rather, Nong's food cart beat out hundreds of other other Portland food carts (not to mention traditional sit-down restaurants) for that rank, with her simple $6 entree of chicken & rice.

So today before Michael headed off to school, we headed to Nong's Khao Man Gai (SW Alder between 10th & 11th Ave) for lunch and I wondered to myself if she would remember us since it'd be over two years since we last met her. But I should not have even doubted her though. She nearly hopped out of her small booth's window when she saw us!

"Omigod!!! Omigod!!! How are you?! How are you?!! How did you find me?!!!!" she elatedly yelled as she grabbed both of our hands and held them close as if we were her long lost relatives from Thailand. How did we find her?! I wanted to yell back, "You're only featured on every single newspaper and magazine in Portland!!! Dontcha' know you're famous?!" but instead, we just laughed at her super contagious joyfulness. We'd only hung out with her for a few short days that summer in New York, but her emotional smile made us feel like we were family who lost touch and was soooo happy to see us. It was really endearing. I'm smiling just writing this entry. That's the thing I've learned about Thai people when I visited Thailand a few years ago - they are extremely hospitable and very warm hearted - possibly the softest and nicest of all Asian cultures.

"Two chicken & rice please!!" we ordered. Not like there was much anything else to order. Michelle's cart serves just this one dish - khao man gai - and this dish alone. Why give people the option to choose? It just confuses them :) I don't mind not being able to choose (in this instance) one bit. Sometimes, you just want the decision to be made for you. Especially when the decision is made by someone who knows better.

"O.K! AWESOME! Two chicken and rice! AWESOME!" exclaimed Michelle eagerly, inviting us to take a seat in front of her cart. Michael and I look at each other - why did we choose to eat lunch at an outdoor food cart on the coldest day of the year?! As hateful of small talk as I am, I would have loved to sit at one of Michelle's tables and chit chat with her. Just being around her enthusiastic bubble was fun, but we politely declined due to the brisk weather and Michelle then offered us some free chicken skin (think popcorn chicken, but with a Thai twist).

When our order came, we saw that our meal, slices of simply boiled chicken placed on top a pile of seasoned rice, complimented with a ginger soybean chili sauce was wrapped in butcher paper, tied with a simple rubber band and accompanied by a small cup of winter squash soup - what a lovely little lunch package!

We talked a little more, but all I can remember is her saying, "AWESOME!!! OK! AWESOME!!! OK!!!" :: thumbs up :: Not wanting to hold up the line, we finally said our goodbyes, promised we'd be back again soon and noticed the guys behind us despite the wait, were smiling appreciatively as well. The food is simple and good enough to bring people back, but I'm sure Michelle's earnest candor and bouncy sparkle help out a bit too.

Crème Brûlée

After not seeing eye to eye last week, Martha and I decided to take a break :)

But that doesn't mean I've taken a break on baking... yet. I'm keeping my word on baking at least once a week and today, ventured out of Martha's book and made one of my favorite desserts - crème brûlée - did you know that's French for "burnt cream?" I didn't :P I use to almost always order it at restaurants if I saw it on a menu, no matter how full I was from dinner and other times, would roam the streets looking for a bakery or dessert shop that would sell it to satisfy my craving. I never realized how easy it was to make at home! If you invest in a small kitchen torch and some ramekins, you're good to go and can make it just the way you like. Personally, I like it in a shallow ramekin with an extra thick crispy layer. Yummmm! The torch is fun to use too. I could definitely get use to "no-flour" baking... this is definitely something I would be more comfortable making for you all, so long as you're ok with eating just egg yolks and heavy cream!

Pine State Biscuits

Just when I thought I couldn't look at one more biscuit this year, Charlie and I swung by Pine State Biscuits (since it was just down the street from Happy Sparrow) to try our luck, since our individual attempts in the past to eat at Pine State Biscuit had been unsuccessful (the lines are usually out the door). But today proved to be a fruitful one as we not only scored a coveted seat in this eatery, we also got our hands on some of Portland's most famous biscuits!

"The Reggie" - fried chicken, bacon & cheese topped with gravy. This was Charlie's dish.

Biscuits with sausage gravy. This was also Charlie's dish :)

Pine State was originally a food stall at a local Farmer's Market back in 2006 and while it's still there, they've opened up shop on SE Belmont just early last year and already, have earned kudos from SeriousEats.com, Esquire and Oprah's website along with numerous local press coverage. The next time you're up earlier than usual and want a fairly fast, no nonsense bite to eat in a cool neighborhood, be sure to check out Pine State. But be warned, the place is small and the lines can make it feel even more cramped, so this isn't a joint where you can leisurely sip your coffee and read the paper. However, there are a ton of awesome coffee shops nearby that you can head to after you've filled your tummy... like Happy Sparrow (see previous post) and oh, I saw this place called Opposable Thumb Gallery + Cafe and it looks like a cool spot if you want to get some work done but need a new environment for some inspiration (everyone seemed to have a laptop though so bring yours if you don't want to feel left out :)

Happy Sparrow

Happy Sparrow on S.E. Belmont is indeed a happy place, with happy people, serving happy snacks! I'm quite happy myself, since I discovered kolaches today!

What are koh-la-cheeeees, you ask? They're bun-like pastries filled with various fruits, meats and/or cheeses (think Eastern European hot pocket)! The Czechs and Slovaks invented them, but Texans (arguably) have made them famous in the U.S. (due to the large Czech population there) and more recently, right here in Portland!

Natives of Houston & Austin Texas, owners Danny & Mary Quach fell in love with Portland (no big surprise there - GO Ptown!!!) and moved here just a few months ago to set up shop, quickly and successfully making Happy Sparrow the warmest, most welcoming coffee shop on the Eastside, specializing in none other than kolaches!

Their kolaches range from $1.75 to $2.50 - cheap and cheerful enough for you to try all their flavors (I hear they're always experimenting with new fillings) but hurry, word is spreading fast so don't be surprised if they run out of your favorite kind (they also close by 2pm). I tried their Tillamook cheddar & sausage kolache, but I'm not going to post a picture of it in this entry since I didn't get a good shot, but I will be back soon to try their nutella filled kolache and rasberry & cream cheese kolache (they ran out when I went because another customer went in just before me and bought a few dozen)!

Danny and Mary are the sweetest, friendliest and most enthusiastic people in the entire world (ok, S.E. PDX world)! Still, I felt like I was visiting their home and had known them for years! They make an effort to get to know all their customers, so go visit them and support our small and local businesses (you'll rarely find me blogging about chains - not that I have anything against them but they don't need the publicity)! The only thing they might be missing is a couch :) but they make up for it with a huge bay window (great for people watching), board games, wi-fi, a nook-and-cranny back room, a sparrow mural (painted by Mary herself) and of course, their one and only, kolaches!!! <--- I feel like doing a song and dance when I say that word :)

Baking Is TOO a Science

Disclaimer: I did not successfully make this. Picture courtesy of Martha Stewart & Team.

"Baking is an art, not a science," a friend said to me the other day when I refused to stray away from a recipe.

Well then how come the one time I slightly modify a recipe, it turns into a catastrophe?!

I was telling Michael the just other day that even though I was really into baking these days, it would probably take just one disaster to turn me off of the whole darn thing. I think today was the day.

In an effort to finish off the buttermilk, I attempted to make these Cream Cheese & Chive Biscuits. Yup, more damn biscuits. Some of Martha's biscuit recipes called for biscuit cutters (to shape them), while "dropped biscuits" (similar the ones at Red Lobster) are shaped using two spoons to drop them on a pan, which is what I did for the Spicy Cheese Biscuits. These CCC biscuits however, required rolling out the dough into 11x8, folding it twice like a business letter, then rolling and folding it again, before cutting it so they appear more squarish (see above picture).

I was really excited to use my new French rolling pin and pastry blender and even agreed when Tram suggested I add more zing to it by doubling up on the chives and the cream cheese.

Mishap #1 : Pastry blenders suck!!! It's suppose to help you loosely blend flour and butter with less effort, but it was exhausting to use and harder on the dough then it would have been to use my fingers, which also would have been way more efficient!

Mishap #2: : Doubling up on cream cheese is not a good idea. Who knew a few extra ounces would make such a difference! It made the dough extra sticky and rendered it un-rollable. It ended up looking like that (see picture below) when it was suppose to look like this (see right picture). Yes, I floured my work surface. And yes, I floured my rolling pin :(

Mishap #3 : Instead of adding more flour (I thought it would make the dough too heavy and thus not rise), I abandoned the rolling pin and decided to make drop biscuits instead! I later realize, I should have just went with sprinkling more flour because it wouldn't have mattered - it didn't rise anyway!

Man, today was a bad baking day. I was bummed all afternoon. I think Martha and I need a break from each other (that was fast huh). Poor Charlie came over and left all chivey-smelling but with nothing to eat. Ah well. At least I got to practice my still photography!

Nanana But

In case you're wondering, I am still excited about baking this week, just as much as I was last week (much to even my own surprise - judging from my previous track record of hobbies)!

In the oven right at this moment is Martha Stewart's former brand manager, Deanna Caceres Cahn's Banana Nut Bread... 30 minutes left to go and it smells wonderful! Now if only I can make it taste wonderful.

I was in the process of using this recipe, when Tran emailed me her co-worker's banana nut bread recipe which called for butter (instead of vegetable oil) and three times more buttermilk. Does anyone know the advantages or disadvantages of the three ingredients? And if I have a convection oven, when should I use that function versus just regular "bake?" HELP.

To ease myself into the art of baking, I've been choosing the most simple recipes from Martha's book, based on ingredients I already have in the *kitchen i.e. a half gallon carton of buttermilk, leftover from the last batch of biscuits I made for Thanksgiving. My plan is to experiment with all the recipes that call for buttermilk as much as I can, so I never have to buy buttermilk ever again! lol Hence, this banana nut bread.

OK. Fiiine.

*Who am I kidding? I've spent more time in a grocery store (buying ingredients) the past two weeks than I have in the last five years combined. Michael said to me last night as we were roaming the grocery store aisles, "Isn't it funny that you have to buy more ingredients just so that you can use your existing ingredients?" o_O

On top of that, I don't even eat the things I bake! Not because I'm afraid of food poisoning or anything like that :P but fruity bread and biscuits just don't do it for me. I'm more of a chocolate/cake/cupcake/ice cream kind of a gal. But I'm not sure I'm ready to venture into the realm of cakes. Even cupcakes. And 0h how I would looove to be able to whip up Italian Panettones (traditional Xmas bread cakes from Milan) for everyone for Christmas, but I am deathly afraid of yeast!!! Don't ask me why. I have no idea. I'm guessing I overheard a group of women complaining about yeast when I was a kid (maybe it was a different kind of yeast - haha juuuuust kidding :) and apparently, I was affected by it. Hopefully by Christmas 2010, I will have overcome my fear of yeast and start on those Panettones!

Oooh! The BNB is done now! Aha! Two slices for Michael, my unofficial taste tester! I can actually tell if something is good, by the amount of time he spends chewing on it and what his expression is like when he's swallowing it :)

Everett Street Bistro

After checking out the Monique Lhuillier Trunk Show today, which resulted us swaying our bride-to-be friend away from a dress that would have cost five times the amount of any average bride's gown, Allison, Lydia, Tram and I headed to Everett Street Bistro in the Pearl for some brunch.

Whether day or night, this European-style charcuterie always seems to have a nice comfy crowd of people who seem to really know how to enjoy their food.

Since Tram and I usually each order one sweet and one savory dish to share, we agreed on the Eggs Benedict and the Grand Marnier French Toast. But once we heard the Special of the Day - Danish Aebleskiver, we quickly reverted to these pancake balls from Denmark, topped with fresh fruit, powdered sugar and creme fraiche! The Grand Marnier French Toast will have to wait for another day :) Both Lydia and Allison ordered the breakfast panini, made up of fried eggs, Black Forest ham and Tillamook cheddar, served with a hashbrown casserole.

Everything was good except I thought the hollandaise sauce on the eggs benedict was a bit too salty, but it was nothing a nice, spicy bloody mary wouldn't have taken care of. I'll have to order one next time - I secretly believe you can judge the quality of most brunches based on its bloody marys and mimosas :) Allison, a frequent guest at Everett Street Bistro, recommends the Wild Mushroom Scramble, which features roasted wild mushrooms, leeks and goat cheese. I didn't realize until after we'd eaten there that, that particular dish has been highly rated on countless reviews and as one girl from California on Yelp.com commented, it sent her on a "humming/moaning chair dancing taste bud orgasm."

Wow. That just might be enough reason for me to start eating mushrooms!

Turkey Day

Growing up, my folks always made an effort to ensure I had the experience of a turkey on Thanksgiving and even at times, on Christmas as well. But something happened as the years went on (I think everyone in my family would fighting over the turkey legs) and so one year, my aunt decided to just make turkey legs! A whole platter of turkey legs! Something about that practice turned me off of turkey from that moment on. Yech.

But that was probably a relief for my parents since they never had to worry about making me turkey ever again. And once I moved away, turkey was last thing I wanted to eat when I came home to visit. I didn't care what holiday it was - all I wanted was Vietnamese food! Vietnamese food for dinner. Vietnamese food for lunch. Vietnamese for breakfast! I had resolved that I was simply not a fan of turkey, no matter the occasion, no matter the form - I didn't even care for turkey deli meat... until I met Michael. He waits all year to eat his uncle's turkey and thought it was pretty ludicrous that my family didn't have turkey at all on Thanksgiving.

This year, I finally had my first taste of his family's renowned turkey... and man, it was deeeee-lish!!! Now I know why he rants and raves about it all the time! Not surprisingly, there were no leftovers. The meal was accompanied with a honey baked ham (from Chi Chau), stuffing, scalloped potatoes (from Kathy), mash potatoes (from Kim), gravy and variety of other side dishes, topped off with a pumpkin creme brulee (from Anh Minh). I looooooooooooove creme brulee - it's my favorite dessert!

Per Michael's request, I made spicy cheddar biscuits (from Martha's book) and non-spicy for the kids, which sadly, were not that spicy or cheesy :/ Everyone was nice enough to extend their compliments though :) At least they looked ok! haha I think it's time I steadily move on from looks to taste!

Pre-baked kids' cheddar biscuits.

We also made Rice Krispy treat turkey legs for the kiddies! I'd been planning to make something a little bit more special for them from my cousin My's book of recipes, but after running around town, I could not find all the ingredients for the finishing touches, so unfortunately, they will have to wait till next year!

Already, I am looking forward to my next turkey!

Julie & Julia

My friend Tram never ceases to amaze me at how she crafts and cooks so effortlessly.

FYI: There is a Tram and a Tran - it's not a typo - it's two different people. I know, gosh darn those Vietnamese people huh?! We all have either similar names (Tran & Tram), same names (Yen & Yen) or names that rhyme (Huong & Phuong) and we all have the same freakin two last name (Nguyen & Pham)! Trust me, I understand your confusion :)

For Tram, cooking is a stress reliever. For me, it's anything but!

So this past Tuesday, Tram invited me over for dinner and a movie. We watched Julie and Julia, a film based on two true stories about blogging and cooking! How fabulously appropriate! The night started off with some delectable olives and cheese, complimented with a bottle of pinot gris, which she picked up while wine tasting at Anne Amie Vineyards in Carlton, Oregon. I eat pretty much everything except for eggplants, mushrooms and until recently, olives. I know that sounds insane since everyone I've ever known loves mushrooms, but I can't stand the texture of the aforementioned. However, I believe it'll only be a matter of time before I start liking them since over the past few years, I have a acquired a taste for many other things I use to hate i.e. onions (where have you been all my life???), fresh mint, basil and cilantro in my pho (I use to eat pho like a 5 year old), tofu and as of two years ago, olives (while at a bar in Ibiza, Spain - there was nothing else to eat)! More recently, I discovered that I loved these bright green (see pic), Castelventrano olives, which were introduced to me by Tram.

So while I munched away and drank to my hearts content, she waltzed around her kitchen and made a Venetian squid linguine (that she bought from Pike's Place in Seattle), with smoked salmon and clams in a creamy vodka Sauce, served with a side salad and crab cake, topped off with some parsley which she plucked from her own garden!

Note to self: Start buying seeds to plant an herb garden (I already asked my Dad to section off a piece of land for me to garden in our back yard this Spring. He did a double-take, as I'm sure many of you would. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself wanting to dig in the dirt for "fun." Especially while living in New York, I thought I'd be perfectly content living in an 800 square foot apartment forever, with no yard work to ever worry about or cleaning to ever do (everyone had a cleaner - even if you lived in a studio and could barely afford rent, you had a cleaner :) But they say as you get older, you feel closer to the earth.

After dinner, Tram brought out dessert, which she picked up from the gourmet bakery at Freddy's on her way home from work (we can't expect her to hand make it all - the girl works too)! I've been reading up on how to take better food pictures. See me practice?

After finishing our bottle of wine, picking away the last of our desserts, and watching our flick, we ended the night in high spirits. Prior to the movie, all I had known of Julia Child was through re-runs of her show with Jacques Pepin (that French chef that doesn't seem to have very clean hands and spits in his foods all the time) and she never seemed to do anything besides hover over him and talk real high pitched. But Meryl Street did a wonderful interpretation of her. Who knew Julia Child was such a sanguine soul, with a certain liveliness to her that made her all the more interesting and a pioneer in French cooking for Americans?! She was nearly 40 years old when she went to cooking school in France, basically stumbling upon her talents and empire. That gives me and Tram some hope in our lives. Maybe someday I will start cooking! And like the other main character in the movie, Julie, maybe one day Tram will start blogging!

A New Hobby

My second cousin My in Texas, who is my age, is the mother of a toddler, works full time, attends grad school for her MBA, plays the piano, has 4+ dogs, takes photography classes, and runs an online bakery!

So it shouldn't be much of a wonder that I feel the need to pick up a new hobby :) Especially during these more boring winter months.

With the inspiration of My and after my faltered attempts of baking during Gourmet Dinner Club, I decided it was time I learned to properly bake. After all, with Michael quickly becoming quite the cook, what did I have to contribute in the kitchen (besides clean dishes)?

As a kid, I tried my hand at baking, if you call Jello's No-Bake Oreo Cream Pie "baking." I've also attempted to make brownies and cookies a few times, but always with the help of Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker. At the time, I didn't even know there was a difference between baking from scratch and baking with pre-mixed packages - wasn't adding an egg to them enough?!

So to begin my endeavor, I decided I needed a mixer. After hearing from Kathy that I'd need a stand up mixer, preferably the KitchenAid one, I thought, Shoot, I have to have it! For those of you that don't know, I feel the need to have any and all possible equipment before taking on new hobbies :) Take for instance...

Exhibit A: my snowboard
Exhibit B: my softball cleats
Exhibit C: my shin guards and soccer cleats
Exhibit D: my $500 golf clubs (and that does not include any woods)
Exhibit E: my $99/month gym membership in New York... to support my $80/hr personal trainer. Oiiiiii, I regretted that one.

So barring my snowboard (which I now no longer have an interest for) and maybe my golf clubs, everything else has gone virtually unused. So I can certainly understand as my friends and family looked at me with a hesitant eye when I exclaimed I wanted to spend $300 on a stand-up mixer! My friend Tram (bless her) wasn't even sure I should spend $40 on a hand-mixer, much less anything more!

But after I wouldn't shut up about it, Michael went and surprised me with one last week. Woohoo!!! He also bought me all the basic pans and this totally awesome Martha Stewart recipe book (corny I know), but it's great for beginners and experts alike and it has a super helpful section on basic baking techniques. I love it!

Thus, I'm gonna' bake at least one recipe out of that book every week! They say if you tell people about your goals, you are more likely to accomplish them (since you don't want to disappoint anyone). And already, I've used it twice yesterday - a simple oatmeal raisin cookie and pumpkin bread recipe. Sorry, no pictures since my next task is to learn to take better pictures of food :)

Sweet Treats

As my dental bill would prove, I have a major sweet tooth.

I'm not kidding about the dental bill either. A few weeks after I moved home this past summer, I had a toothache and ended up spending $1k on my teeth. Of course, I didn't have it taken care of while living in London where I had universal health care. Why would I do a sensible thing like that?! It's in my cards to spend ridiculous amounts of money on dental hygiene the second I become unemployed and uninsured. In fact, every time I move or am about to move somewhere, I end up spending obscene amounts of money on my health - circa February to April 2008 when I spent $1800 on a root canal and that's WITH dental insurance (goddamn NYC dentists), when I could have waited to get to London to have it taken care of for close to free. I swear I brush my teeth religiously at least twice a day and floss daily!!! I even use a prescription toothpaste! Why me???!!!

Macaroons at Two Tarts

But despite all that, I still think it's worthy to mention a few of Portland's sweet treats that I've discovered recently (especially since I wrote a whole long blog on savories), starting with my favorite boulangerie, St. Honoré, a lovely bakery & cafe where I went for the first time right when Autumn began when the air was crisp and sunny for some coffee. Michael and I sat outside reading US Weekly :) next to a group of stay-at-home moms and their BMW station wagons. Close by is Two Tarts Bakery, a hidden goodie on NW 23rd. My friend Tram took me and Michael there on a Saturday afternoon, right after we had just eaten, couldn't possibly eat anymore and were each on our way to various dinner parties to eat some more! Yet, we couldn't resist picking up a selection of bite sized treats! Then there's Bakery Bar where I got Michael's last birthday cake. They've got 2 locations (NE & SE) and are my favorite when it comes to clean and bold cake designs. With free wi-fi, I like chilling out at Bakery Bar (especially on sunny days when you can sit outside) with a cup of joe or some breakfast! For my own birthday, I got 3 treats! It's tradition in my family to get a Jamoca Almond Fudge ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins (I'm not even gonna' bother hyperlinking that one :) but Michael also got me cupcakes from Cupcake Jones and Allison & Tram got me a super delicious chocolate cake from JaCiva! Yumm, so divine!!!

I think Cupcake Jones' cupcakes might slightly be more fluffier (although I can't say for sure since I've only had it twice), my favorite place for cupcakes is actually St. Cupcake. I discovered them years ago when I was looking for a creative Valentine's Day gift for Michael. At the time, he was still living in Portland and I was in New York. After a lot of Googling, I found St. Cupcake, who for the occasion, had a Valentine's Day special where if you ordered a certain amount of cupcakes, the owner himself (I think his name is Matt), would deliver the cupcakes straight to your Valentine (within various zip codes) and sing a song you chose from his list for like $30 (not including the cupcakes) or something totally worth it like that :) It's like a singing telegram, but with a sweet treat at the end! Matt sang "How Sweet It Is to Be Loved By You" (I was tempted to choose Britney's "I'm a Slave for You," for the comedic factor but we all know that's not true :) and Michael later reported that Matt surprised him by showing up in a pink t-shirt, cupid wings, and entertained his entire (and usually quiet) office by singing at the top of his lungs in a capella! For his reaction, I would have paid that amount three times over! Not only does St. Cupcake hold a special place in our hearts for that particular occasion, but my best friend was proposed to earlier this year by her boyfriend, using six of their cupcakes (also her favorite) in the form of "Will You Marry Me?" Of course she said Yes! For your sentimental moments, go to St. Cupcake :)

And finally, in the midst the frozen yogurt craze (I love you Pink Berry), I recently discovered Tart, which serves a delightful frozen custard! But other than the neat take on this frozen treat, they don't have anything on Skinnidip. Skinnidip has an unbeatable selection of toppings, all of which are freshly cut (not frozen, ugh) (my favorites are pomagranate, cream puff and cookies n' cream) and they take great pride in making their yogurt from unadulterated products (not artificial flavors like those other guys - bleh). Eh, perhaps I'm biased since I know the owner, but hey, with or without my recommendation, they're still rapidly growing! Check out their third and newest location downtown (opening right before Christmas) by Nordstrom, across the street from the Max line!

Mojo Crepes

Ok, so I looooove crepes. My love of crepes started in college when I use to hike, yes, hike down to a crepe stand at the end of the PSU park blocks (that is far for campus standards)! I think it was across the street from Bush Garden and behind Nordstroms... does anyone remember that? Is it still even around? Ok, I just googled it. It's still around and it's called Snow White Crepe Cart (has it always been called that?...right over my head).

Anyway, I realize there are a few other creperies in town, but the one that I think deserves the most attention right now is Mojo Crepes on SE Division. Have you heard of it? I'd be surprised if you hadn't, since I heard about Mojo's from three different people on the same exact day! My friend Tran has already beat me to the punch by posting a blog on her experience there. They've only been opened for a few short months and already, their reputation far precedes them! Owners Mo, Jon (rumored to be from San Fran) and their mascot Mojo are quickly becoming the talk of the town.

And like with any town, you get tired of the usual fillers. You meet up with friends for a quick hour or two to catch up, but you're not in the mood to drink, it's too late in the day for a coffee, it's too cold for frozen yogurt (sorry Skinnidip), you're not hungry enough to eat a full on meal, but you want something more satisfying than a tapioca pearl.... the new alternative on the east side?! Crepes!

I dragged my friend Yen (yes, this is Yen blogging, not Michael and in case you guys didn't know already know, we have a friend who's also named Yen) there today since we needed a place to hang out while she did some reading and I (pretended) to job hunt. Their menu consists of a variety of fruit toppings, spreads and ice cream flavors where you can make your own, but if you're feeling indecisive, order any of their signature crepes and you won't be disappointed. Like Tran, I ordered The Mojo, which had strawberries, bananas, vanilla ice cream, and nutella topped with a chocolate Pocky! As if that combination isn't already mouthwateringly blissful, they allow substitutions and even have complimentary coffee (with the good kind of creamer)! To top it all off, they're very moderately priced. You can hang out there as long as you want (well, Yen and I did anyway), play board games (Scrabble, Connect Four, Othello, Battle Ship, etc.), take sticker pictures (for free), post them on their wall, then chat it up with the owners who are super friendly and laid-back (not that I'd personally know since I'm anti-social and just grunt at everyone, but that's what I heard from Yen ;) which in this day and age, joints with that sort of leniency (substitutions and free coffee???) are pretty far and few in between (they're so nice there, you'd want to pay for the coffee)! So if you're in the neighborhood (doing your weekly shopping at Fubon next weekend - you know you are), make sure to swing by, grab a crepe and say hello!

Zell's Cafe

Being unemployed undoubtedly has its perks. You sleep in, you take naps, and you eat leisurely breakfasts on weekdays. But unfortunately, 12.2% of Oregon is in the same boat as us and they all seemed to be at Pine State Biscuits yesterday morning!

I suppose it didn't help that the place was dinky and it was also Veteran's Day. People were jam packed in there. Usually, I wouldn't mind waiting for a seat (if the place is packed, it must be good right??) but we were starving and it didn't look like we had much hope of getting a seat even before dinner time!

So we whipped out an old issue of Portland Monthly we had in the car, which had a feature on breakfasts and found the next closest restaurant on the list - Zell's Cafe, known for their omelettes and corned beef hash. There was a wait, but not nearly as long. I was disappointed we couldn't eat at Pine State Biscuits, even though I'm not a huge fan of biscuits, but the place had great reviews, so I had mentally prepared myself for it all morning. And when I have my heart set on something, it isn't so easily reconciled with an alternative. But Zell's was a pleasant recourse, making amends with me by serving us complimentary fresh, hot scones as we sat down. I don't even usually like scones, but I like them at Zell's! I wonder if Pine State will make me feel the same way about their biscuits...

Bombay Cricket Club

I heard about this restaurant years ago, but recently, my friend Allison was raving about it. After reading reviews on Citysearch and Yelp however, I wasn't so sure what to expect. It seemed like diners either hated it or loved it, but the reviews were split almost evenly down the middle. Nevertheless, I was craving Indian food and with such limited choices for Indian cuisine in Portland, a few bad reviews weren't about to stop me (so long as there was an incremental or equal amount of good reviews too). If anything, bad reviews have helped managed my expectations so that I'm usually pleasantly surprised afterwards! Plus, I really liked the name of the place :)

So we ordered a greek salad (dunno' what that was doing on the menu, but it was good so who cares), chicken tikka masala, fish vindaloo and jhinga jalfrazi (prawn curry) with garlic naan. It wasn't bad (I think I'm having a hard time straight-up dissing a restaurant since I'm new to the food blogging scene), but if I'm honest, it wasn't great either. Please bear in mind however, my last few Indian food experiences have been in the two most Indian populated cities of the world (outside of India of course), so I have certain expectations. And while I've not been to India (I'm dying to go), I did eat enough of it in the last year to know the difference between masala and marinara <---- yep, that's what the fish curry tasted like. Good thing I was with great company, so I didn't mind the food so much at the time :) So what. They didn't knock my socks off (like Indian food is suppose to), but let's put it this way - if it was horrible, I probably wouldn't bother blogging about it.

OMSI

The Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI) is popular for kids interested in natural sciences, human development, lifestyle issues, and technology. There's even a submarine that's actually submerged in the Willamette River! But I wonder if many know about OMSI After Dark (an event held after hours on the last Wednesday of every month) for adults only?! Folks over 21 can leave the kids at home, get drunk and explore the exhibits themselves!

So after Ping last night, Michael and I ventured over to OMSI (he's never been!!!) and spent the evening solving puzzles, learning about wind & water, played in the physics lab, experienced an earthquake (in their Earthquake House), built a bridge, and played Connect Four with robotic arms (yes, Michael's a NERD!!! not me though :) haha

There were tons of labs and games, with various Portland vendors in between giving away samples of beer, vodka, juice, chocolate, etc. Their feature exhibit Scream! was on the science of fear... and we experimented with common fears - fear of falling, fear of animals, fear of shock, etc. which examines why our knees shake, our body sweats, and heart races when we're scared and how society affects our fears! It was pretty cool!... especially since I love being scared :D And so appropriate before Halloween!
The exhibit goes on until January - you guys should check it out!