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Things are changing around here! Look for an exciting new ingredient-driven project to take over soon!
I had just knelt down around the tree to demonstrate to my still new-ish husband the approved "Pam Way" procedure of stringing the lights. Brand new boxes of sparkly lights were stacked and ready to go, and I was eager to pawn off this nasty job and tackle other Christmas preparations. My Dear Sweet Helpful Husband was asking all the right questions which were showing me he was keen to the assignm
Chicken with 40 (or More) Cloves of Garlic Forget everything I said about The Beast. When I first moved in to the our "city house" last spring, I was sure that I'd forever detest the massive hunk of steel in my kitchen. While many of you were thrilled at the prospect of using a commercial Wolf range as your primary cooking heat source, I had done it before professionally and didn't find
Ready for the ovenThis week, a historic musical paragon passed away. Dave Brubeck helped shape the jazz scene back in the day, and introduced innovations that can only come from some secret source of giftedness. For 91 years, Mr. Brubeck's presence made a difference in this world, simply because he shared his gift. His most icon piece was this:This year, I'm adding Take Five to our holiday music p
Because life is short, we tend to do a lot of celebrating, and the entire month of October was devoted to commemorate our second wedding anniversary. Pulling out the precious bottle of Goldwater Sauvignon Blanc from our dwindling New Zealand stash demanded the just right food pairing. It didn't take too much imagination to refer back to our first Goldwater tasting adventure for ideas.It was a grea
Hot and Sour Soup: Sun La TangThe Adam Rapoport-ization of Bon Appetit magazine just hasn't worked for me. I shouldn't fault Mr. Rapoport, but rather publisher Conde Nast which has parlayed Mr. Rapoport's GQ background into a marketing circus. From hosted dinners pairing chefs with fashion designers to a "Desk to Dinner" fashion line in partnership with Banana Republic, the mood of the magaz
Veraison- Sarver WinerySouthern Willamette Valley, OregonThe first drop of ethereal wine poured from a vineyard’s debut vintage embodies years of continual evaluation, determined planning, unfailing toil, and dogged optimism. While Galileo’s conjecture, “wine is nothing more than sunlight held together by water,” makes the enterprise sound like wave-of-the-wand magic, knowledge is at the heart of
A Day at Amelie Robert The challenge of popping back in to the blogosphere after an absence is to try to explain where I've been, which is easiest said, in brief, that life is nothing if not one exciting change of course after the other. May I make the assumption that we can pick up like old and dear friends, the kind that only need a quick summary to bring them together again? In the l
The Beast I thought I was crazy when I only had two places of residence. Adding a third house to the mix of my already spread-thin life has only intensified the sense of never being where I should be for maximized productivity and efficiency. Let me explain.Late last fall My Baby and I undertook the huge project of rejuvenating a gorgeous, interesting house in a beautiful neighborhood in our neare
Chocolove Chocolate Bars How do I love thee? Enough to share news about a delicious find I recently made in time that you can seek it out before Valentine's Day, that's how much.It was instant attraction. Packages in a palette of pretty colors, a fancy stamp suggesting the chocolate enrobed botanicals, a "postmark" from the origin of the chocolate (Belgium), the clearly marked cocoa content of eac
Curried Paneer Scramble with Oregano Oil and "Whey Good" Black BreadI'm a Cheese Maker! It's uncertain whether the second time a person does something might make him or her an addict, but I think I might be hooked. Last week I made soft fresh cheese for the first time, and loved both the making and eating of it so much that I've already done it again. By calling it soft fres
Huevos Rancheros Dear Me,You've been blogging about food, wine, life and love for two years now. You've shared and overshared. At times, you've worked some things out in a self-psychoanalytic catharsis, at times you've been a goofball; at times you've tapped some great hidden memories of people you have loved; you've celebrated, grieved, and been racy, and sometimes you've taken the role of teache
I know I've hit a new place in my life (I refuse to call it a low) when I'm standing in the rice isle of the grocery after yoga (make a note of that; not all is lost if I'm still practicing yoga) trying to decide if I should buy quick-cooking rice so that I can have my dinner ready 10 minutes faster, before The X Factor starts. Is this even me, who rarely watches television? I don't even
Chai Pumpkin Breakfast Brûlée @font-face { font-family: "Cambria";}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1 All my creative energy has gone into my work lately; launching new projects, hiring new staff, assuming new responsibilities. I love every minute of it, but often my days
Warm Applesauce Sundaes with 5-Spice Shortbread Leaves Wanted: Rookie farmers seek assistance with pruning, organic pest control, weeding, harvesting, and most importantly turning all this stuff into something. No help required with planting and growing, as everything we stick into the dirt seems to thrive without much more from us. Hours flexible. Pay comes in the form of edible foodstuffs a
Apple Sage SausageSpaghetti with Browned-Butter Sage Sauce, Mizithra Cheese and Winter Squash Once I got over my little seed tantrum, the rest of my home alone day was so nurturing, so satisfying and so productive. The discipline of the seeds reminded me of my favorite job I ever had, which was being a stay-at-home mom to my three children. I had convinced myself then that I was doing it for them,
Pumpkin Seeds, right, and Kabocha Squash Seeds, leftI won't say never, but I hardly ever am home alone. Today was different. I kissed My Baby goodbye this morning, and had the whole day at home to myself. The day in the making started with the faint scent of woodsmoke in the crisp air, the kind of morning for which fuzzy warm slippers and a cup of hot coffee are made. This was going to b
Europe was fantastic! It is difficult to summarize one of the most sensational times of my life, and I don't use the word sensational lightly. In Europe, all of my sensory faculties were exercised in new ways: Textures, colors, sights, sounds and scents-- there is really just no way to report to the dynamism of this adventure in one blog post. I've grappled with how to share this great experience,
Wake up! Wake up, everyone! Wake up Venice!We arrived in Venice last night just before sunset, in time to revel in the evening's pink sunset falling on the Grand Canal, to sip Chianti, and enjoy the bustle of people coming and going on the vaporetto. We watched the piano nobile in the huge mansion just across the canal from our hotel being prepared for the night's party, complete with footme
Mom's Favorite Chewy Molasses Ginger Cookies The fall Nordstrom catalog arrived the other day. There are very few things about which I get excited enough about to be willing to kiss warm, dry, social summer goodbye,but boots and grey sweater dresses definitely are on my buh-bye summer list. Thank you Nordstrom, for easing the transition. These uber-special ginger cookies are another item on t
Tomato Water MocktailsBy mid-September, most of Oregon has entered a definite early autumn. Usually. But not this year.For the longest time, summer refused to come. I took the flannel sheets off of the beds in early June, and it was a month too soon. The flowers took their sweet time coming into robust bloom. The vegetable garden languored to the point that we anticipated our gardening effor
"Roy G. Biv," my 6th grade science teacher, Mr. Rowles, said. "Memorize that, and you'll always know the colors of the rainbow. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet." I remember my mind wandering off into prisms of light; dreaming about white light splitting into the Roy G. Biv spectrum; imagining millions of tiny raindrops each refracting white into many colors making up one huge r
This is the Best Dessert of Summer 2011, hands down. And there are a few people who had something to say about how it came together.Admittedly, my favorite food blogger, Tim Mazurek, at my favorite Lottie + Doof tossed me a few bones. His recent post about "weird" sweet corn ice cream was a gift. Claudia Fleming's Sweet Corn Ice Cream was already on my list of things-to-make-if-I-could-only-
I gave up saying grace at the table some number of years ago. I didn't like how the practice could unintentionally appear sanctimonious by excluding others or cause them to feel awkward; other family members grew reluctant; and for a while I was angry at God for how things turned out and didn't feel like talking.My earlier orientation toward thankfulness and gratitude hasn't changed, only the way
Once we hit forty, women only have about four taste buds left: one for vodka, one for wine, one for cheese, and one for chocolate. ~ Gina Barecca Cheese. Even though I'm not scholarly on the topic, it is an incredibly fun world to explore. I find myself regularly purchasing cheeses just because the name sounds interesting as well as some that became early favorites. While Oregon has its sh
A review of Anthony Bourdain's Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, along with a photolog of a wonderful evening I had at the restaurant Piccolo in Minneapolis on a short stop last year. It was a phenomenal experience that I never got around to writing about, but is definitely worth pointing out. I've been hanging out with Anthony Bourdain this w
Even though I'd been promised a breakfast of lox and bagels with the works, while lying awake in bed in the wee hours, thoughts of lemon buttermilk pancakes kept popping into my head. I tried to push the pancake thoughts aside in between thinking and fretting, contemplations both anxious and excited. We've not been sleeping well at night here lately. Yes, there are lots of exhilarating future poss
Toast: Drop a couple of bread slices in the slots. Wait a few minutes. Pop. Butter. Eat, right?Not so fast! I realize that it's only toast, but since so many terrific nibbles begin with toast, including a summer radish tea sandwich, perhaps it deserves a more careful look.Everything I learned about great toast I learned from my Grandpa, and in order to understand why, it would help to know a littl
Brown Sugar-Molasses Ice Cream and Apricot GalletteMy grandmother was a serious, focused woman known for her attention to detail and lack of tolerance for silliness. She was a spectacular seamstress who made things like tailored suits from the best wool, complete with welted pockets, satin linings and bone buttons. While my mother and I sewed so that we'd have lots of fashionable things to wea
Orange and Herb Grilled Oregon Rockfish It only made sense that I had lost custody of one of the finest grills ever made in my divorce. Yes, I'd flipped a few burgers and steaks and grilled the pizzas over the years, but the grill was for the most part man's domain. So I left behind the gargantuan manly three-element gas grill with an ancillary side burner and all the bells and whistles in exchang
Snout-to-tail eating has been the rage, but let me tell you about my recent experimentation with another eating concept I hereby deem Leaf-to-Root Eating.My wheels first started spinning on this idea after reading Lindsay over at rosemarried a couple of weeks ago. She made a radish leaf pesto pasta salad that sounded pretty good, but made me realize that I didn't really know what radish leaf taste
Glorious Copper River SalmonIt's the end of June and the flannel sheets jut came off the bed today. The grill is finally ready for full-on action, not just the occasional use between rain showers it has received in the last couple of months. The indoor table is being passed over for one of the al freso dining rooms available on our property, with every meal, morning noon and night being take
Spelt Flour Chamomile Apricot Cake Inspired by Kim Boyce, and a Few Other PlacesThe change of seasons is always provides a huge inspiration to me in the kitchen. For this reason, it is shear delight that we have four very distinct seasons in Oregon. Summer, though, is late in coming this year, which means I'm still waiting for plums, apricots, cherries and berries which I've been dreaming about si
Deconstructed Eggplant ParmesanCountry living, with all of its upside, comes with a few disadvantages. The one-hour round trip to the nearest full-service grocery has put a halt to my former habit of running to the market on a whim for a few ingredients. I've always loved having a well stocked pantry, but living in the country, it becomes essential.On the recommendation of Bon Appetit magazine (Ap
Kim Boyce's Cherry Crumb Bars ...Or, as in the case of our recent house guests, a grulla mare, her buckskin filly and a black walnut tree. This post could also be subtitled: Things I Never Expected To Happen In My Lifetime.Born on the infamous March 11, Shez Tsunami Slick (Tsu for short) Several weeks ago My Baby got a call from our neighbor Kay of Joel-and-Kay, with whom
Home-Made Spicy Fennel Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Sauced Gemelli There were years of my life, decades, really, when I was an ace at multi-tasking. A baby on one hip, a preschooler attached to my hem, chasing a 7-year old daredevil while swinging the 'fridge door shut with the other hip; a phone perpetually pinched between my ear and shoulder; a spatula in one hand and car keys in the oth
Fried chicken and waffles. Pop rocks and champagne. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Pizza and Pinot Noir.Yes, that's right. Pizza and Pinto Noir.Don't all fantastic non-traditional pairings have at least one common element in the midst of the unusual match? Fried chicken and waffles both have crispy exteriors which give way to tender insides. Pop rocks and champagne both bubble up in your mouth. R
Vacations can be great. And I'm on one. Family; royal wedding sleepover (yes, we stayed up all night) shopping; wine tasting; hanging out; thinking about life. Since I've only got one more vacation day left in which to relax, let's get right to the short and sweet of it, shall we?Here is a divine, simple dessert that showcases fresh fruit and perhaps one of the best, most buttery pastry crusts I'v
Love Nest Pasta a la Heidi SwansonPerhaps I over-dramatize on occasion. Like the time I told you about our cute little Love Nest. Yes, it's cute and yes, it's little, and it's all the nice things I mentioned a year ago. What I didn't share then is that once a week (usually Monday mornings), I crawl out of bed at the uncivilized hour of 5:30 a.m. to drive the hour-and-a-half to the office, ot
Tea and Ginger Steamed HalibutWe called ourselves the Taste Buds. Each of the twelve of us had an above-average interest in learning more about food, wine, and cooking so gathered every other month to cook and share a meal. Together we ventured into untried territory to grasp new skills, new flavors, and to deepen our appreciation for fine wine. The rotating host house conjured up
Budding Red PlumOur Oregon countryside acreage is a breathtaking place from which to observe changing seasons. If I'm privileged to live a good long life, I'll have maybe 85 or 90 spring seasons to experience which, in my sense of time, is not that many. And with 51 of them now gone, I'm motivated to pay really close attention to each gift of a northwest spring. Last summer, during the dog d
Before I met My Baby, I had never known anyone who could bring an orchid to blossom a second or third time after the initial bloom.My Grandma was great with African violets, and always had lush pots of the frilly pink and purple blooms on her windowsill. But that’s not quite the same as an orchid. My Baby just has a way. His secrets seem to be along the lines of doing not much more than enjoying t
Chana Masala and Indian-Style Mustard Greens“Is there anything specific anyone would like to work on today? Mary? Stacey? Pam?”, my yoga teacher inquired at the beginning of a recent practice.Up went my hand and out popped the words, “Yes, my shoulders.” I’d noticed my shoulders riding higher than usual, and a sort-of-but-not-quite pain radiating from the center of my back and shoulder blades thro
Simplest Chicken and Leek StewIf it's true, as the fashion designer Givenchy once said, that hair style is the final tip-off as to whether a woman really knows herself, them I'm one mixed up lady. Though, if my confused and confusing hair style is due to the work of a stylist, am I to be held responsible for my lack of self-awareness?Ever since my pigtails got chopped off when was five years old,
Dear Mr. Jobs,It was good to see you at this week's unveiling of the newest iPad2. Those little devices are amazing, and I can see it fitting in nicely with my life. If only your iPad could make and receive phone calls, you and I could have a deal. I know this may sound like a step backward in terms of size, but have you seen my handbag? I schlep. That is what I do.While a iPad/telephone may not f
A Flaming Bananas Foster in New OrleansLetting the good times roll is a way of life in New Orleans, even if you're attending a serious work conference. My Baby and I recently had the delightful experience of mixing work and pleasure when my organization sent me off to toil in The Big Easy. Ready to Start CookingWe happened to be there at the beginning of the Mardi Gras season, missing the first p
Pizza Diavolo, Father Dominic's WayI loved the old CBS News bit Everyone Has a Story. Correspondent Steve Hartman would head off to wherever in America the dart landed, flip through a phone book in a booth with his eyes closed, plop his pointer finger down on any old name, and pay a visit. His premise was that everyone has a story, and I remember several times his difficulty in explaining to the q
Apple-Rosemary French Toast and Honey Butter SauceI wake up hungry. Sometimes I even wake up in the night with some quick inkling of something nice in the kitchen waiting to be made breakfast, at which point I'm able to settle back into peaceful dreams knowing that come morning, the path to The Most Important Meal of The Day will be swift. And, sometimes, I start dreaming about a special breakfast
Roasted Lobster Tail with Champagne Vanilla ReductionIt's no secret how much I adore My Baby, and I wanted to treat him to something mind-blowingly unique for Valentines Day. I'd been dreaming up this dish for months, ever since I surfed across the 1995 New York Times recipe for Lobster in Vanilla Sauce. I could image a few adjustments to the recipe (I'd want to swap the the white wine for a more
Michael's PaellaA person gets only one chance to choose how she (or he) will spend her (or his) 5oth birthday, and I chose well. But I didn't know how well until the day actually came.My birthday happens to fall on December 25. My family of origin always made a wonderful splash of it sometime the week or two beforehand (thanks, Mom,) and for many years after moving away from home the tradition car
