Portlandings

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Here’s the turkey. It came out great.

Persimmon.

Good snack: a burger at Little Big Burger on N Mississippi in NoPo. You get good meat, nice brioche buns, spicy ketchup, a manageable size.