An Odd Combination

Today I'd like to share with you two of my recent discoveries. One is an excellent (and easy) quiche recipe and the other is a fabulous new mascara. Random I know :)


Last Friday I made up this quiche when I came home from work and let me tell you...although Jeremy loves his quiche full of bacon and jalapenos, this one was equally as delicious! It also feels much healthier since it's filled with hearty potatoes and veggies.


Recipe of the Week: Potato, Leek, and Mushroom Quiche


Ingredients:


1 pie crust
1 yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into cubes
1 leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
3 cremini mushrooms, cleaned and diced
1/4 cup roasted red bell peppers, diced
1 cup swiss cheese
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk (I use half and half)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1 tbsp olive oil


Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and bake the pie crust about 14 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove and let cool. During this time, boil your potatoes for about 7 minutes. You don't want the potatoes to be fully cooked, but a little more than half way through. Drain and let cool.


2. Add the olive oil to a preheated saute pan, and add the leeks and mushrooms. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occassionally. To a bowl add the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and mustard powder. Beat well.


3. Layer half of the cheese on top of the pie crust. Add the potatoes, leek, and mushrooms. Then sprinkle the diced red pepper on top. Pour in as much of the egg mixture as you can fit, leaving at least 1/4-1/2 an inch of space between the top of the mixture and the edge of the crust (so when it bakes and rises it doesn't overflow). Top with remaining cheese.


4. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes (until you can insert a knife or toothpick into the quiche and have it come out clean).


5. Remove and let cool for a few minutes. Serve and enjoy!!

*Recipe courtesy of Simple Comfort Food.

Now on to the fun girly stuff! This is a recommendation for that moment when you are in desperate need of a good, show-stopping mascara...but don't have time to get to the department store or Sephora for my absolute favorite Dior Show Mascara.

L'Oreal has come out with a new mascara: Voluminous Million Lashes. It has the most perfect brush...that creates perfectly separated lashes that really do look a million miles long! The only downside it doesn't have quite the same volumizing effect that Dior's Show Mascara does. So this morning I layered! Easy solution! Million Lashes (first coat and bottom lashes) then Dior Show Mascara (second coat on top lashes). Poof! Perfect lashes :)

Thank Goodness It's Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!

I don't have anything life altering to share with you today. However, I think I'll have some good entries on Monday morning. This weekend my longtime friend Laura is coming up to visit from Huntington Beach. I've been trying to make some tentative plans for the weekend so she can get a taste of Portland (she's never been to Oregon!).

The one thing we will for sure be doing is attending Portland's Holiday Ale Festival. This five day event is taking place in Pioneer Square downtown all weekend. With over 100 holiday ales and the beautiful weather that is forecasted for Saturday, this event is a must! I'll make sure to fill you all in on Monday, but hopefully I will see some of you there!

Much love for the weekend. See you back her Monday!

Brrr!

Being the weather.com addict that I am, I couldn't resist sharing this with you guys!

For all of us out here on the West Coast this puts things in perspective...Here in Portland we are ecstatic (and the City shuts down) when we get 2 inches of snow. Well Buffalo, NY...where my lovely Katie lives...is pretty much in the midst of a blizzard! In less than 24 hours, they've received 2 feet of snow!

Trucks straded on the NY Thruway near Buffalo

The view from Katie's office...you can't see past the parking structure!

I'm thinking of you Katie! Hopefully you can stay home (doubtful) and curl up with a blanket, some hot cocoa, and reality TV. True Katie style! :)

I don't want to hear it skeptics!

As most of you who know me have figured out by now...I love fall and I love cooking for the seasons. With autumn quickly transitioning into winter here in the Northwest, I figured it was time to try a recipe I discovered on foodgawker.com a few weeks ago. Pumpkin Chili. Yup, that's right! Two very unlikely things are combined in this delicious and hearty meal. A lot of people I've talked to about making this dish thought it sounded disgusting, but I swear this meal is a must. The pumpkin doesn't make the chili taste like pumpkin, but rather it acts as a healthy thickener...making the chili more filling and the broth creamier (without milk for us lactose-challenged people!). I hope you guys will try this one, Jeremy swears it is one of the top-5 things I've ever made for dinner!

Recipe of the Day: Pumpkin Chili (Serves 8)
Courtesy of The Family Kitchen

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds ground chuck
1 - 15 oz. can light red kidney beans
1 - 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans
2 - 14 oz. cans of pure pumpkin (pumpkin puree)
2 - 28 oz. cans of diced or crushed tomatoes (recommend: fire-roasted diced tomatoes)
3 cups beef broth
1 large onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
3 teaspoons cumin
1 tsp. chili powder (I use 2 teaspoons)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 teaspoons dried cilantro
2 teaspoons dried oregano

Directions:

1. Add ground beef, salt, and pepper to a large soup pot. Brown meat. Add diced onion, green bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent.


2. Add the ground beef and vegetables to the crock-pot. Then add the dark and light beans, pumpkin, tomatoes, broth, cumin, chili powder, cilantro and oregano. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Happy December everyone and happy first day of Hanukkah!

I don't know about all of you, but I am extremely ready for December. November wasn't a bad month per say, but it's definitely time for a new one. November ended yesterday with waking up to my car being towed from guest parking and a $250 charge to free it from the devil itself....Retriever Towing Co. So Jeremy and I have decided December is going to be better, and how could it not be? December means Christmas, Hanukkah, pretty lights, snow, and all the holiday food!

As excited as I am about the coming weeks, I also wanted to look back and share a bit about my Thanksgiving weekend. Although Jeremy and I couldn't be together, Buoy and I had an amazing trip up north to visit his grandparents and aunt Brittany. :) Thursday morning we dropped Jeremy off at PDX and headed for Bellingham. About an hour north of Portland it began to snow...beautiful light snow flurries accompanied me all the way to Seattle. Then things really picked up and it started to snow much harder, the plows weren't keeping up, and the lines dividing lanes transitioned into mountains of snow that marked where each lane's edges were. When I finally arrived at my parents' house there were about 5 inches of gorgeous powdery snow covering everything! They live up a smallish mountain, so they were hit pretty hard by the sudden snowstorm. Everyone loves a White Christmas...but we loved our White Thanksgiving!

The highlight of the day was without a doubt playing with Buoy in the snow. Below you will find some of the pictures of him discovering how much fun snow can be! I hope you enjoy them.

Dinner itself was also wonderful. My whole family was together, including my grandparents. My grandmother had a special treat for me as well. She gave me my paternal great-grandmother's cookbook. It is particularly special because my grandpa's mother died when he was only 6 years old. It's one of the only things we have that can tell us a bit about her. It's filled with her handwritten recipes and a number of recipes cut out of newspapers. The dates range from 1901-1927. Pretty incredible! Although most of the recipes aren't for meals most people today would enjoy eating...we've come a long way from the North Dakota farm she lived on...there are a few that I will be experimenting with just for fun :)

I tried to pick out one to share with you that I found in tact and might actually be delicious! The other challenge...finding a recipe that doesn't use ingredients we can't really get anymore (i.e. suet...don't look it up, but it's in most old recipes). I finally settled on a recipe for ginger snaps...pretty appropriate for this time of year! So I haven't tried this yet, but here ya go:

Recipe: Great-Grandmother Carrie's Ginger Snaps

Ingredients:

1 cup of molasses

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of lard and butter mixed (I would sub shortening)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground pepper

2 tablespoons of ginger

1 tsp of soda mixed in molasses

Directions:

Most of my great-grandmother's recipes don't include directions...just ingredients, but because this is a pretty straightforward list of ingredients I would just combine the dry ingredients and then add the molasses and shortening. She does say to mix the ingredients with as little flour as possible, roll out the dough thin, and then bake in a "quick oven". My guess is 350 degrees for 6 or 7 minutes. (Depends on what shape and how thick you cut your ginger snaps!)

Aside from Thanksgiving itself, the whole weekend was a blast. Spent time down in Seattle with my Mom and Britt doing a bit of Black Friday shopping. It's a bit of a tradition for us. Britt and I realized we have braved the Black Friday crowds all over the country...Orange County, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle! We are going to make it our goal to hit-up Black Friday in every major city!

The last thing I wanted to share with you all was what we did on Saturday. Britt and I drove down to Burlington, WA to the big movie theater. We saw Love & Other Drugs and Burlesque. Both were incredible! I highly recommend seeing them. I just purchased some of the songs from Burlesque on iTunes...definitely going on my workout playlist!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now it's time to prep for the upcoming big holidays! Top of my holiday to-do list...go chop down my own Christmas tree! One of the perks of living in Oregon...you can go pick and actually cut down your own tree out in the forest :) I'll make sure to share that adventure with all of you as soon as it happens :)

Thankful for my Surrogate Family

As I was driving to work this morning I realized what I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving. It may sound cheesy, but I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends here in Portland, and even more blessed to have made friends all over this country who will come visit Jeremy and I all the way up here in the tundra (shout out to Maeve, Veronica, Ray, and Laura!).

By far the greatest thing to come from Jeremy and I going to school in NY and then Jeremy's career in the Coast Guard has been the friends we have made all over. I honestly think we could go to any major city in the country and be able to call on one of our friends. THAT is an amazing feeling. Jeremy and I have spent the majority of the last 5+ years away from our families, so to have such amazing people in our lives is something we are truly thankful for. (Brittany--I know if you're reading this right now you're probably rolling your eyes!)

Last night Jeremy and I spent the evening with our good friends/Portland family...Tyler, Lauren, and Dani (Jared you were there in spirit!). On a night with sub-freezing temperatures, it was great to go out for burgers with our friends and then sit around playing Pop-5 and watching Dancing with the Stars. And if anyone is only reading this for the food recommendations, you should try Little Big Burger--122 NW 10th St., Portland.

For everyone reading this...travel safe this weekend and enjoy your Thanksgiving with your families and/or surrogate families! Love you all.

Veronica in the PDX

Oh what a weekend! I don't think I could begin to recall all the various twists and turns this weekend took...but I'll try my best to share the highlights.

Starting things off right, my very lovely and feisty fellow Trojan Veronica came to visit me this weekend in Portland. Flying into PDX Thursday night, the first thing V said when she stepped into the car was, "I can't believe how fresh the air is!". Well if there's one thing Oregon does better than California...it's air. After Jeremy gave V his world famous history of Portland-- including how the city got it's name (a coin toss between being named after Boston, MA and Portland, ME), Lewis and Clark's involvement, and the geographic and demographic breakdowns--we headed to Widmer. A lovely place to start your first night in Portland, even when surrounded by Trailblazer fans.

After a pretzel, some buffalo wings, and a sampling of our favorite carb, we headed to Deschutes for a nice little taste comparison. Finally finishing up with a quick stop at Bridgeport. When we got home Buoy was very happy to see his Aunt Veronica and V was very happy to be out of the cold. :)

Friday morning V and I prepped for our lovely tailgate Saturday. (We should seriously be professionals at tailgate planning). We picked up the BBQ and purchased some hand-warmers and thermals. Then headed out to Multnomah Falls. The falls were beautiful, but I'm fairly certain V was more in awe of the fashion choices many of the tourists had made. Fashion in the Pacific Northwest is always a bit interesting.

On the way back towards Portland we stopped at McMenamin's Edgefield, or as Maeve calls it "Disneyland for adults". Edgefield is one of my favorite spots in Oregon. We were able to wine taste for $5 and V smoked her first cigar...I wish I had thought to get a picture! It is definitely a great location to spend a rainy day, full of fireplaces and cozy corners. Not to mention, the food is delicious. I recommend the Shrimp Wontons and the Beef Stew.

Friday night V, Jeremy, Pete and I headed to Departure. This restaurant/bar on the top of the Nines Hotel is amazing. It feels like you're on a space ship! The food is absolutely amazing. V described it after as Asian tapas, and I think that's a very good description. Definitely recommend this place for great views of the city and amazing food. Off the menu, must-tries include: Pork Springrolls, Shrimp Har Gau, and the Kobe Meatballs.

So Saturday morning, we packed up the car with all our tailgate supplies and made our way down to Corvallis. The tailgate was amazing. I'll leave it at that. The game itself was horrible and I'll probably never go back to OSU, ha!

Sunday was V's final day in PDX...sad! But we finished things off right with a trip to one of the best breakfast spots in town...Besaw's. V had the Prosciutto Scramble and I had the Breakfast Sandwich. Both were delicious. My sandwich consisted of 2 over-easy eggs on a brioche bun with avocado, bacon, tomato, and goat cheese (perfect for us Lactards!). Amazing!

Now it's Monday and I wish V was still here, but on a positive note--this morning she said when she got to work everyone told her she looks very refreshed! As V puts it, "Portland = Oxygen Facial!" That would make a great postcard :)

Here's hoping by tomorrow Portland not only has great oxygen but a few inches of snow too!

Recommended in this post:

McMenamin's Edgefield-- 2126 SW Halsey Street, Troutdale, OR 97060

Multnomah Falls-- 50000 East Historic Columbia River Highway, Corbett, OR 97019
Departure-- 525 SW Morrison St, Portland 97204

Besaw's-- 2301 NW Savier Street, Portland 97210

Thank You

I just want to say thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes yesterday. I would also like to say an especially huge thank you to Jeremy, who sent me the most beautiful flowers at work! :) There's nothing like a fall bouquet on your desk to make work enjoyable!

Two Weeks is Way Too Long

Wow, no excuses...I can't believe I haven't written in two weeks. I am going to do my best to get back "up to speed". I've actually missed writing on this blog everyday!

First I'd like to share with you a nice night out I had the other day. Jeremy's good friend from college, Ray, came out to Portland from Tennessee for a visit. Being a merchant mariner he was the perfect friend to show-off all Portland's wonderful microbreweries to! We decided to take him for samplers at a number of the best breweries in town, and I'd like to share them with you so you can enjoy them too!

One-Night Beer Tour of Portland

First on our list was my personal favorite...Deschutes. Widmer has the best beer, but Deschutes has the most amazing food. If you are going to go here the one thing you MUST order is their pretzel. All of Portland's breweries serve the classic soft pretzel with spicy mustard, but Deschutes' version is almost like a croissant. Served with a cheese dip and mustard, you can't miss this twisted delight. Oh, the beer is pretty good too!

Deschutes - 210 NW 11th St., Portland 97209

Next we went down the street to Bridgeport. Basically it's safe to assume the beer at all of these places is really good. Personally, I think if you're going to navigate the breweries you have to get a sampler at each. That way you can compare each brewery and each beer within their selection...AND it's a cheap night out! Most samplers run for about $6-$8 a piece. Beer of choice at Bridgeport is the Hop Czar...even hoppier than the traditional IPA, be prepared! As for the food, they have great burgers and pizza.

Bridgeport Brewing Company - 1318 NW Marshall St., Portland 97209

After Bridgeport we headed over to New Old Lompoc. I had never been to this bar/brewery, so it was a new experience for me too! The atmosphere was very far from Deschutes and Bridgeport (which are architecturally awesome brewpubs), New Old Lompoc has much more of a "dive bar" feeling. The beer was good, but we also ordered a Hot Apple Cider cocktail...disgusting. On the upside, Tuesday night is trivia night out on their heated patio!

New Old Lompoc - 1616 NW 23rd St., Portland 97210

Fourth on the tour was MacTarnahan's. Okay...new favorite! This place was DELICIOUS! The beer was so refreshing and the atmosphere was great...they even had a fireplace! I especially loved their apricot ale...I can't remember the name but it was amazing. I highly recommend this place for a big group, dinner, or a date. The food is also worth a trip to this Taproom.

MacTarnahan's - 2730 NW 31st Street, Portland 97210

Last but not least, we headed to another new spot...Tugboat Brewing Company. This place takes the prize for unique atmosphere. The bar is all old wood and red booths, surrounded by floor to ceiling bookshelves. Every wall is covered with books. Me being a huge bookworm, loved this place. The ales they brew are all extremely bitter...I mean way too bitter even for Jeremy and Ray. But, they did have the most delicious cider on tap, called Spire Mountain Draft Cider. This cider was so good, it's worth a trip to Tugboat just for a pint.

Tugboat Brewing Co. - 711 SW Ankeny Street, Portland 97205

Thursday's Random Recipe

So first I need to apologize to my millions of blog-reading fans for taking the day off yesterday. I went home sick from work and didn't do much more than curl up on the couch and try to stop Buoy from pestering me. That being said, I will try to make up for it today.

First I'd like to share with you Jeremy's absolute favorite thing I make--a Jalapeno Monterey Jack Quiche. Random right? It's probably the easiest thing in the world to make and it has all of his favorite things in it...so needless to say it's an instant pleaser. I've made this recipe a dozen times or so, and over the past couple of years I've baked it with some variations which I'll share with you.

I can honestly say this has become my own recipe. It originated from a recipe in Country Magazine, but it has long since evolved into something that I can call my own.

Recipe of the Day--Jalapeno Monterey Jack Quiche

Ingredients:
1 9-in pie crust*
1 small jar of sliced jalapenos, drained
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese (I use 1 cup Pepper Jack and 1 cup Monterey Jack)
4 eggs
1/4 cup half and half
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled (if desired)
fresh cilantro for garnish

*For the crust...I began by using frozen Marie Calendar's crusts, but one time I made the mistake of baking a homemade crust...and now I can't get away with the frozen ones. Pie crusts are very easy to make and I'll include a recipe after the instructions.

Instructions:

1. First you need to either make your pie crust or get out the frozen one. Drain the jalapenos and press them all along the bottom and sides of the pie crust. Be careful! I've put too many and it will make this a very spicy dish...it's up to you how spicy you want this to turn out.
2. Grate the cheese and spread over the bottom of the pie crust. Press down gently.
3. If you would like to add bacon (an experiment I tried that turned out delicious) add the crumbled bacon on top of the cheese.
4. Next whisk together your eggs, half and half, salt and pepper. The original recipe didn't call for the half and half, but it makes the quiche a million times better. Trust me!
5. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the cheese.
6. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. You just want to check to make sure the egg is cooked throughout before taking the quiche out of the oven. Use a fork or knife to test, it should come out clean.
7. Add the chopped parsley if you so desire and serve!

This recipe is perfect for almost any occasion--dinner, a picnic lunch, pot-luck, or even breakfast. There are a million quiche recipes out there, but for anyone who likes spicy food this one is perfect.

Quiche Crust Recipe:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
2 tablespoons cold water

Instructions:

1. Sift the flour with the salt.
2. Cut in the shortening using two knives. The pieces should be the size of peas.
3. Add the water and then mix with a fork.
4. When it all gathers together, leaving the bowl clean...you can chill the dough in the fridge or roll it right out. I actually just press the dough with my hands into the pie dish!

I hope you guys will try this recipe out. A lot of people are skeptical of quiche, but it is so easy and it's really just an omelet in a pie crust!

Expect another entry this afternoon. I'll be writing about one of my favorite barbecue spots in Portland :)

Cooking the Cowboy Way

A few months ago I was perusing Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, when I stumbled upon the best cookbook I've ever seen. It's called Cooking the Cowboy Way. For those of you who know me you probably understand why I had to have it. I love to cook and I LOVE ANYTHING COUNTRY. This book was created for me.

I definitely haven't tried as many of the recipes as I would of liked to by now, but I am going to share with you one that Jeremy and I love. It's a beef brisket recipe that was originally intended to be roasted, but I've modified it by making it crock-pot friendly. This cuts down on the amount of time you are actively cooking this meal to about 20 minutes!

King Beef Brisket

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 (4 pound) brisket
64 oz. beef stock

Instructions:
1. Mix together in a small bowl all of the dry ingredients.
2. Cover the brisket on both sides with the dry rub.
3. Place the brisket in the crock pot and add enough beef stock to just cover the top of the brisket. (Don't worry if the spices come off the brisket, the flavor will still be cook into the meat.)
4. Cook on low for 10-12 hours.

See how easy that is? I put the rub together and set the crock-pot going before I left for work. It took about 20 minutes, start to finish, and now when I get home there will be a delicious dinner waiting for me!

Let me know how you like this recipe if you try it!

A Weekend in Bellingham

Good morning November! It's officially my favorite month of the year :) To start things off right, I will be sharing with you all the great weekend I had up in Bellingham, Washington. Hopefully it will inspire you to take a little drive up North!

As most of you know, my sister is a sophomore at Western Washington University, located in beautiful Bellingham. As you may also know, my parents recently retired and moved to the same town. Bellingham is about 90 minutes north of Seattle, an hour south of Vancouver, B.C. By the time you get up there, you see as many British Columbia license plates as you do Washington state. I've visited this gem of a town about 5 times and each time I find new things to do and explore. Bellingham is one of those places you can only experience in the Northwest. From downtown you can be hiking in the mountains, visiting the San Juan Islands, skiing on Mt. Baker, or shopping in the historic Fairhaven district all in less than 30 minutes.

On Saturday morning Jeremy and I packed up the car with an extra set of clothes, Jeremy's guitar, and Buoy. It was pouring rain all the way through Seattle, but by the time we got to Bellingham the sun was actually out! We stopped at Britt's apartment first and picked her up for lunch. The three of us (and Buoy) drove down the hill to Fairhaven. What an adorable spot! I've included a couple pictures so you can get the idea. All old brick buildings, bookstores, tea shops, cafes, and art galleries...Fairhaven seriously looks like it belongs in some little English or Irish town. We ate lunch at the Colophon Cafe, an adorable little spot where we were able to sit out on the patio. It is on the bottom floor of the bookstore and faces the Farmers Market. This is the spot for delicious soup, quiche, sandwiches, and hot apple cider!

After lunch Jeremy and I headed up the mountain to my parents' house, where we explored a bit and then headed down to Lake Whatcom for a hike. The lake is huge and surrounded by beautiful homes. With the autumn leaves covering the trail it was the perfect afternoon activity! Buoy loved it as well because he knows Lake Whatcom means lots of time to swim.

Saturday night ended with watching the USC v. Oregon football game (I don't want to talk about it), and beef stew my Mom always makes on Halloween.

Sunday morning before we left town, my family all got together for breakfast at Avenue Bakery. The bread here is delicious and they use incredibly fresh eggs and bacon. I definitely recommend this spot. Although, if you're only in Bellingham for the weekend Diamond Jim's is the spot for a classic diner breakfast.

I could make a number of great recommendations to anyone visiting Bellingham, but I'll spare you a million details. Just go! It's a great town with great food and unbeatable outdoor adventures. Not to mention, you always have a place to stay!

Courtesy of Greg

I have been trying to think of a way to close this inaugural week's blog entries. I've been sifting through some of my favorite recipes and trying to think of must do activities, but what I stumbled upon in my Gmail Inbox was a recipe of my Dad's that he sent me last year. Now that I live up here in Oregon, the cold and rainy capital of the world...I seem to gravitate towards a lot of "comfort food" type recipes. This is a perfect recipe for one of those cold, gray days. I'm giving you this recipe word-for-word the way my Dad sent it to me.

Greg's Famous Pot Roast and Noodles:

Shopping List:
Beef...usually a cheap London broil, but most cuts are okay since it goes in the pressure cooker...since it's the 2 of you and you have the smaller pressure cooker I'd say about 3 lbs
1 Box (2 envelopes) Beefy Onion soup and dip mix
1 cup or so of flour
1 stick butter
2 cans beef broth or get a jar of "better than beef" (kind of like a bouillon in paste form) and use water to make broth then you can make as needed
1 or 2 bags of noodles (biggest egg type noodles you can find)
1-2 tablespoons of oil to brown the beef (veg oil or olive or in a pinch butter)

Instructions:

1. Trim and brown the beef on all sides in the pressure cooker w/o lid (in the oil mentioned in your shopping list)
2. When browned, add 1 or 2 envelopes of soup mix and water as per soup instructors (about 1 cup per envelope)
3. Add water and better than beef or broth til meat is covered or a bit more (total liquid should be about 4-6 cups depending on how much meat and room in pot). Pot should not be more than 2/3 full.
4. Put lid on and heat up to pressure...once it starts hissing, NOTE THE TIME and begin to gradually lower heat til it's gently hissing.
5. Let cook for about 50-60 min.
6. During the last 10 minutes of the cooking, melt the butter in a sauce pan and add about 1 cup of flour. Using a fork, mix and de-lump it (technical term).
7. Remove pressure cooker from heat and bleed off the pressure til you can open the lid (if there is any doubt how to do this call me!)
8. Open and remove meat and set aside. Put flour/butter mix in the broth and heat while stirring til it thickens.
9. Cut or shred meat and add to 'gravy'.
10. Make noodles and cover with meat/gravy.
11. Eat...

Note: You can start noodles while you're making gravy.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe! Can you tell it was written by a man? I especially love the orders to call him if I have trouble opening the lid of the pressure cooker! Dads always look out for their little girls :)

I think you could probably do this same recipe in a slow cooker if you don't happen to have a pressure cooker. Just put all the ingredients in the crock-pot and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8-10. Then make the gravy and noodles! I haven't tried this idea out, but I'm sure it would still taste delicious.

Our Sunday Morning Ritual

Since it's Friday and in honor of the weekend, this entry is dedicated to the good old-fashioned All-American diner. Jeremy and I love diners, especially on Sunday mornings. So our quest to find the perfect spot in Portland started months ago. But as wonderful as Portland can be...its culinary scene tends to be a bit too gourmet for the type of diner we were looking for. That is, until we discovered Fuller's Coffee Shop.


Spotlight on Fuller's Coffee Shop:

As Jeremy said on Sunday morning after about 6 cups of coffee...we need to come here every Sunday. I agree! This is it. That diner that serves the perfect plate of eggs and bacon, omelettes stuffed full of deliciousness, and that fabulous coffee you can really only find in a diner.

Fuller's has been around a long time, you can tell by the pictures of the same spot decades ago. It has that charm of a true American diner. Everyone sits at the counter and the coffee flows non-stop. I don't think there's much more you need to know, but if you need a little more convincing...their bread is homemade. The wheat and white toast is absolute perfection.

If you're ever looking for Jeremy and me, chances are you can find us at Fuller's Sunday morning around 11.

Fuller's - 136 NW 9th Street, Portland

Since I know not all of you live in the Portland area, I figured I'd also give you a couple recommendations that might be closer to where you live. (I've sought out good diners all over the country!)

Diner Spotlight - Huntington Beach, CA: Steve's

Owned by a very sweet Greek family, this is a great spot for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. No frills, just good food and very sweet servers. I went here for breakfast with my family and friends my entire 20 years in Huntington Beach. Highly recommend the Breakfast Special: 2 eggs, bacon, toast, and hashbrowns for about $4.

Steve's Charburger - 6033 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach

Diner Spotlight - Los Angeles, CA: S & W Country Diner

This adorable spot has the atmosphere of a classic diner and the food to back it up. Expect a long wait if you don't get here early, but located in Downtown Culver City, there is plenty to keep you busy as you wait. Highly recommend the Breakfast Burrito.

S & W Country Diner - 9748 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA

Diner Spotlight - New York, NY: Bruce's Restaurant and Bakery

Bruce's is not a typical diner, it's actually more of a Jewish deli...but if you ever happen to make your way out to Long Island Bruce's is a must. The owner Bruce has pictures lining the walls of all the celebrities he has baked for and dozens of others who have stopped in to visit his restaurant. Every meal comes with a delicious assortment of his pasteries, and you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. My recommendation would be to stick with what it's famous for...corn beef sandwiches, matzoh ball soup, and rye bread. Trust me, you won't be sorry you made the trip out to Long Island.

Bruce's Restaurant and Bakery - 34 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY

Recipe of the Day

Today was one of those lucky days when I had a meeting downtown at the Dept. of Environmental Quality and did not have to drive to Wilsonville. It was especially nice considering the accident on I-5 they were reporting this morning. The icing on top of the cake was the fact that Jeremy was able to meet me for lunch! After debating whether or not we should try somewhere new, we ended up at our favorite spot...Deschutes. Jeremy had a weird craving for a lamb burger (seriously!) and I l love their pretzels :) Anyways...he asked me what I planned to write about today and we decided to share with you two great entries.

The first thing I'll share with you is the recipe I used last night for dinner. Back before Jeremy left for Alabama, I was in the habit of making us dinner each night. One night I knew we were running low on groceries, but decided to try to make the most of what we had left. I found this great recipe on the Food Network's site for Shrimp Scampi with Artichokes. Random I know, but we had artichoke in the fridge and shrimp in the freezer, so it was perfect! Since that night, Jeremy's asked me to make this four or five times. It's delicious, only takes about 30 minutes (start to finish), and is pretty healthy! I highly recommend this recipe and it can be served on top of pasta if you need your daily carb fix.

Jeremy's Favorite Dinner: Shrimp Scampi with Artichokes

Ingredients (serves 4 --or 2 if Jeremy's eating over!):

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced (if you don't have shallots, 1/2 of one large yellow onion works)
1.25 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined*
1 (11 0z.) package frozen artichoke hearts, or 1 (14 oz.) can, drained
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

*I have used raw shrimp, but when I'm lazy I just buy the already cooked kind. If you opt for this, just put the shrimp in about 5 minutes before you're done cooking everything else. All you need to do is make sure all the ingredients are hot before serving.

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots. Cook until softened (2-3 minutes).

2. Add shrimp, artichoke, wine, and lemon juice and cook until shrimp are cooked throughout, 3-4 minutes. If you are using pre-cooked shrimp, just place over the heat until everything is hot enough to serve.

3. Stir in parsley, salt, and pepper.

4. Enjoy!!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as Jeremy and I both do. I've even made it when Jeremy's been gone. You can cut everything in half and it's the perfect size meal for one!

Reason #12903481 I Love Fall

I have to share this recipe with all of you. I found this last year in Martha Stewart Living, but have altered it a bit since then. Below you will find the original, which is delicious but requires a lot of special ingredients. Following the recipe you'll see my modifications, which still create a perfect cup of hot apple cider!

Delicious Fall Recipe: Warm Vanilla Cider

Ingredients for 6 servings:

6 cups fresh apple cider
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (packed)
2 whole nutmeg seeds
1 vanilla bean (split and scraped)
3/4 cup bourbon (if desired)
whipped cream and caramelized walnuts (for on top, if desired)

Directions:

Combine apple cider, sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla in a saucepan. Gently simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add bourbon if desired. Remove and discard the solids. Divide into mugs and add the toppers!


Allison's Version of Martha's Hot Apple Cider:

Ingredients for 2 servings:

3 cups Trader Joe's Spiced Apple Cider
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
cinnamon to taste
Jim Beam Bourbon (if desired)

Directions:

Combine the cider, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a saucepan and heat (medium temp.) until you reach your desired temperature (about 5 minutes). If you would like to add the bourbon, put 1 shot in each mug and then add the cider. Stir and add whipped cream if desired!

Both versions are delicious. I've found the Martha version to be a little too expensive and hard to make when you have the impulse, because honestly...who has vanilla beans in their cupboard?? The TJ's spiced cider adds enough flavor that you can get by without adding too many ingredients and is just as yummy :)

If You Ever Find Yourself in Alabama

A few weeks back I took a trip down South to visit Jeremy. I flew into Gulfport, Mississippi (never thought I'd see the day)...and then we briefly visited New Orleans before heading back to Alabama. I just wanted to make a quick post about this incredible BBQ joint we discovered in Mobile.

Gem of the Month: The Brick Pit BBQ

As many of you know I'm a Yelp fanatic. I am also a true believer in putting in the effort to find local favorites when I visit any new place. Mobile, Alabama was no exception. I used my Yelping skills to find the best barbecue spot in Alabama...possibly in the South (although this will take much more research to confirm!).

Brick Pit is a little hole in the wall place with a meat smoker out front. When you walk inside the first thing you will most likely notice is the sharpie graffiti all over the walls. Don't let this deter you! Jeremy, our friend Ray, and I had the best barbecue pork EVER. As one yelper deemed it, Brick Pit is the "holy grail of barbecue". Both the ribs and the pulled pork are must tries. And of course...like any good southern bbq spot...you can't forget the coleslaw, beans, and sweet tea to tie it all together.

The Brick Pit BBQ - 5456 Old Shell Rd., Mobile, AL

Bone Marrow and Barrels of Wine

Last week Jeremy came home from a very long trip to the Gulf Coast. He was given orders to report to Mobile, Alabama for two months to help inspect the ships coming back into the port from out in the oily waters. Although the two months felt pretty endless at times, I am happy to report he is home now...happy and healthy :) Of course, one of the very first things we did to celebrate was go out to dinner with our friends! We decided to try out this restaurant in the Pearl called Irving Street Kitchen.

Restaurant Spotlight: Irving Street Kitchen

Located on NW 13th Street, this restaurant is absolutely beautiful inside. It has a great vibe to it, lots of wood and a pretty fireplace. Our group of 6 didn't have a reservation, but showed up at 7 and didn't have any trouble getting a table. Our waitress was wonderful, she was able to explain in great detail every wine and entree on the menu in great detail (which is helpful because there are some pretty "out there" options!). I had heard prior to trying out ISK that it was known for serving gourmet southern comfort food, but I would definitely argue it has more of a French influenced menu.

One of the major "pros" about this restaurant is the wine. They had a great selection and all of the wine comes directly from barrels. Meaning instead of ordering by the bottle, you are served the wine in carafes. Our group shared a delicious Riesling from Kings Ridge, in the Willamette Valley, and a Pinot Nior from the Stoller Vineyards in Dundee Hills. We also shared a number of appetizers (Warning: They were not for the faint of heart). The boys in our group were gung-ho about trying the Herb Roasted Bone Marrow. Served with toasted bread, the marrow is spreadable. The boys and Lauren loved it (she was very brave!). I did taste it, but couldn't get past the idea of eating bone marrow. So I stuck with Dani and tried the Meatballs and Marinated Olives.

When it came time to order half our group had the "Cacciucco" Seafood Stew...absolutely delicious. Dani sampled the Draper Valley Fried Chicken (probably the only safe thing on the menu for picky eaters), which was also phenomenal. I don't remember exactly what Jared and Tyler had, but I think Jared tried some sort of Hare and Tyler had the Fillet. I know they both enjoyed their meal. Last but not least, dessert. We tried three different desserts and by far the best was the Lemon Tart. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but the flavor was incredible. Definitely worth saving room for dessert.

All in all, this restaurant was a fun experience, but overall probably not worth the cost. I would go back, but only for drinks or happy hour. It was a great night with friends, but we could of had three dinners at Bridgeport for the cost of this one meal.

Irving Street Kitchen - 701 NW 13th St. Portland

The Little Gentile Who Could

As many of you know, Jeremy is Jewish. As you probably also know, Jeremy loves good food. What this means for me? Perfecting staple Jewish dishes is a must. Topping the list of dishes I need to learn, perfect, and customize is matzoh ball soup. Jeremy has been eating matzoh ball soup with his family every Friday night at Shabbat dinner for the past 24 years, but (I'm just going to say it) they use boxed matzoh balls. Nothing against boxed matzoh balls, but I am determined to do better. So last Friday night I pulled out the matzoh ball recipe I have been testing the past few weeks and got to work. Now, what you probably don't know about matzoh balls--I just found this out too--is that there are serious food wars between those who prefer fluffy and those who prefer doughy matzoh balls. (And yes...I know how bad a conversation about fluffy and doughy balls sounds.) Nevertheless, the recipe I've found and that both Jeremy and I love lands among the doughy ball fan camp.

This recipe is easy to make and I have a feeling will be a staple on our Friday night menu. I add celery and bowtie pasta to make this soup a little more filling.

Recipe: Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls

Ingredients:
3 eggs
6 - 9 cups chicken stock (I actually use about 96 oz./12 cups)
1/4 cup minced or grated onion
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup matzoh meal (more if your dough is too wet)
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Preparation:
1. Beat together the eggs and 1/2 cup of the chicken stock.
2. Stir in the onion, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the matzoh meal (the dough will be moist).
3. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for at least an hour. When you're ready fill a large pot with the remaining chicken stock and place on the stove to boil. Using wet hands shape the dough into small balls (about an inch in diameter). While working on this, place the carrots into the boiling broth.
4. As you form each ball drop them into the boiling stock. Once all of the matzoh balls are placed in the pot, turn down the heat to medium/low, and add the pasta and celery (if desired). Let cook about 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

*Original recipe comes from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.

Apparently I make good bait...

One of the things I always loved about going to college in the Hudson Valley was autumn. The colors of the trees all over campus and along the Hudson River were breathtaking, and I've dearly missed Vassar this time of year ever since. Southern California has her fair share of positive attributes, but fall in Los Angeles just can't compete with the rest of the country. Which brings me to Portland! Who knew this city has such a beautiful autumn?! The trees outside my office building are as vibrant as the ones outside Rockefeller Hall! So in celebration of my favorite season I've been on a hunt to discover the best of Portland's autumnal offerings. I'll share with you what I've found so far:

Fall Must-Do #1: The Haunted Corn Maize on Sauvie Island

Friday night Jeremy and I went with our friends Dani and Jared out to Sauvie Island for a little Halloween fun. Every year they put on a Haunted Corn Maze throughout the month of October. Tickets to enter cost $10/person and plan to wait in quite a long line to buy your ticket and then enter into the maze. BUT it is totally worth the wait. The maze takes about 20 minutes to walk through and it lives up to the hype. There are dozens of haunts waiting from behind the wall of corn and the maze is elaborately decked out to be incredibly spooky and thoroughly terrifying. Jeremy may try to tell you he wasn't scared, but the truth is...after about the third zombie jumped out from the corn...he was yelling, "Take her, take her!" Yup...my boyfriend used me as bait. Perfect.

This is a great activity to do near Portland in the fall. To get directions or find out more information just click here.

And here we are at the Maize:

Fall Must-Do #2: The Hood River Fruit Loop

A co-worker of mine came into work last week and told me all about the great time she had apple picking out in Hood River the weekend before. Being a total sucker for this type of thing, I thought it would be the perfect outing for me to do with my parents the following weekend! So that's what we did. A couple weekends back my parents and I spent a beautiful day driving out to Hood River and exploring the "Fruit Loop". The Fruit Loop is a 35-mile drive through the valley near Mt. Hood. Full of orchards, fruit stands, lavender fields, and wineries...it doesn't get much better than this. The best part about this outing is it's versatility. If you have kids there are adorable farms with pumpkin patches, but if it's just you and your friends or a date there are great barbecue joints, country stores, and roadside stands selling the best produce the valley has to offer. My personal favorite was a stop along the loop called Cody's. They had the most delicious apple cider and a wide selection of produce.

I highly recommend this drive, the views of Mt. Hood all along the way are spectacular. Although keep in mind, most of the farms start to close up shop around the end of October. The next time I head out there will hopefully be for a train ride on the Mt. Hood Railroad. They have a Christmas Tree Train!

For a map of the Fruit Loop and additional information click here.

A Taste of Morocco

Restaurant Find: Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant

Saturday night Jeremy and I went to dinner with a group of our friends to celebrate our friend Jared. He's a Canadian (crazy, I know) who's being shipped back to the motherland this week. We're all going to miss him like crazy, so to say goodbye we went out to Marrakesh. It's a fun little Moroccan restaurant on NW 21st that spares no details as they attempt to recreate a true Moroccan dining experience. Think less Casablanca, more pillows on the floor and belly dancers! We decided to go for the Royale Feast Dinner, perfect for a larger group. All five courses are shared family style and there is PLENTY of food. My favorite was the Chicken with Honey & Prunes, but others in our group swore by the lamb dishes. Everything was delicious, the entertainment was excellent, just be ready for your butt to be numb by the end.

Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant - 1201 NW 21st St., Portland

Prohibition Era Portland

A Bar Must: The Secret Society Lounge

Anyone who knows me would understand why I have fallen in love with this little gem in the Northeast. This bar is located right next door to Toro Bravo on NE Russell Street. It was created to feel like an old speakeasy...very reminiscent of my favorite downtown Los Angeles bar, Varnish. All dark wood and candlelight, this bar is the perfect place for a date or a late night happy hour (every night 10 pm - close). The lounge is small, but we showed up with a group of 4 at 10:00 pm and found seats at the bar. The bartender was a true mixologist, and I highly recommend the Bee's Knees, a delicious lemony cocktail perfect for sipping in a venue like this one!

Secret Society Lounge - 116 NE Russell St. Portland

Welcome!

Well, they say the third time's the charm. I sure hope that's true, because this is officially the third blog I've started...and if all goes according to plan (fingers crossed) this will be the first I actually keep up with. The idea of starting a blog has been nagging me for weeks. At first I was held up by that pesky voice in my head that said it wasn't worth my time, but at the very sweet encouragement of my boyfriend Jeremy, I decided to go for it! Unlike in the past, when I've had a very specific idea for what I wanted to write about, this blog will be like my life at the moment...chaotic, all over the place, and exciting!

Over the past three months my life has taken innumerable twists, curves, and bends in the road...some have been easier than others, but each and every one was part of a bigger plan. This blog will be about those adventures. I want this to be a place where I can sit down and share with you all of the little sources of inspiration, excitement, adventure, and love! I have a funny feeling my life is far from settling down. As the girlfriend of a U.S. Coastie there will be a fair share of unexpected life changes, as I have already found. That's how I ended up here, in Portland, Oregon! One of the most beautiful and inspiring cities I've ever been to. As Jeremy and I travel the country and get to know our new hometown of Portland even better...I will share with you the hidden gems, funny stories, and must-do's we find along the way. I also plan on using this blog as a place to share the adventures of "moving in together"! The ups and downs and all of the day-to-day steps and missteps as we start our life together. Hopefully this blog can become a collection of stories, lessons, and useful advice for anyone who needs a good book, a good recipe, or a good restaurant here in Portland or beyond!

Love, A