Portlandings

"Time is very slow for those who wait Very fast for those who are scared Very long for those who..."

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:44:10 -0800

“Time is very slow for those who wait
Very fast for those who are scared
Very long for those who lament
Very short for those who celebrate
But for those who love time is eternal.”

- Shakespeare

Great lunch today at Powell’s Seafood Restaurant: seaweed...

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 19:38:16 -0800

Great lunch today at Powell’s Seafood Restaurant: seaweed soup, salt-and-pepper squid and mixed mushrooms. Cheap too, and the service was friendly. I’m coming back here next time I crave Chinese food.

"So early in my life, I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise."

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:20:46 -0800

“So early in my life, I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise.”

- Malcolm X

Fried clam strips, chips and slaw at The Fishwife in North...

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:07:27 -0800

Fried clam strips, chips and slaw at The Fishwife in North Portland. What a great place.

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he..."

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 13:25:56 -0800

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

- Nelson Mandela

Beautiful and delicious German chocolate cake from Papa...

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 20:52:43 -0800

Beautiful and delicious German chocolate cake from Papa Hayden’s at the Laurelhurst Winter Bazaar today.

"I like bars just after they open in the evening. When the air inside is still cool and clean and..."

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 22:01:00 -0800

“I like bars just after they open in the evening. When the air inside is still cool and clean and everything is shiny. The first quiet drink of the evening in a quiet bar — that’s wonderful.”

- Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye.

Thanksgiving week, I made triple ginger pumpkin bread twice. It...

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 15:48:00 -0800

Thanksgiving week, I made triple ginger pumpkin bread twice. It was really, really good - the best pumpkin bread I’ve ever had. I tweaked some recipes I found online so it would be less sweet and would have lots of ginger. (The ginger flavor is not too strong, however, and is softened by the orange zest).

Here’s the recipe. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan (I used two smaller loaf pans). Beat together in a big bowl: one cup pumkin puree, 2 slighly beaten eggs, 1/2 cup oil, 1 tb vanilla, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tb granulated sugar (I used turbinado), zest of two oranges, 1 tb + 1 tsp grated fresh ginger (I grated it with a microplaner).

In a smaller bowl, mix 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup regular flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp allspice. Beat into wet mixture until combined. Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 3 chopped dates (about 1/4 cup), 1/2 cup toasted and chopped pecans and 1/4 cup chopped candied ginger.

Pour into loaf pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. (I baked it in two smaller loaf pans and it took 34 minutes). Cool on a rack and slice. This pumpkin loaf tastes even better the next day.

I need to make this again soon.

A Spiced Heaven (bourbon and ginger, a perfect combo) at Noble...

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 14:25:27 -0800

A Spiced Heaven (bourbon and ginger, a perfect combo) at Noble Rot a couple of nights ago.

"Nothing goes so well with a hot fire and buttered crumpets as a wet day without and a good dose of..."

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:51:58 -0800

“Nothing goes so well with a hot fire and buttered crumpets as a wet day without and a good dose of comfortable horrors within. The heavier the lashing of the rain and the ghastlier the details, the better the flavor seems to be.”

- Dorothy Sayers, Strong Poison.

I had great, really great, tacos today at Uno Mas Taquiza on NE...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:31:44 -0800

I had great, really great, tacos today at Uno Mas Taquiza on NE 24th and Glisan. Best tacos I had were the pulpo (octopus), carnitas, nopales and fried cheese (four different tacos, not all mixed in). It’s a small unassuming taqueria with long metal tables and tall stools where you order at the counter and they bring your food to you. The food is thought-out and well made. Tacos are small but cheap, so order a whole bunch. I totally recommend this place.

"Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you."

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 16:51:54 -0800

“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”

- Thomas Jefferson

Banana daiquiri the other day at Pambiche - not as good as other...

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 13:45:51 -0800

Banana daiquiri the other day at Pambiche - not as good as other days, for some reason, and it did not come with the extra mini cocktail shaker on the side. Still pretty good.

"My gratitude for good writing is unbounded; I’m grateful for it the way I’m grateful for the ocean."

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 10:06:38 -0800

“My gratitude for good writing is unbounded; I’m grateful for it the way I’m grateful for the ocean.”

- Anne Lamott

Cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, braised kale, sweet...

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 20:12:00 -0800

Cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, braised kale, sweet potatoes and spicy cranberry relish. It was quite a feast.

Here’s the turkey. It came out great.

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:22:13 -0800

Here’s the turkey. It came out great.

Making more cranberry shrub!

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 22:22:42 -0800

Making more cranberry shrub!

"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important."

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:11:29 -0800

“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.”

- Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

Persimmon.

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:26:37 -0800

Persimmon.

"I’m not crazy about reality, but it’s still the only place to get a decent meal."

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 08:50:48 -0800

“I’m not crazy about reality, but it’s still the only place to get a decent meal.”

- Groucho Marx