My Oregon

Hi, again!

I have been busy this summer having some amazing adventures throughout the Willamette Valley. As a result, I have sorely neglected my blog. OOPS! I have all of these pictures that I took with the intent of sharing them here with you, and I just totally have not taken the time to sit down and write. So, I will be adding three new blog posts here in rapid fire succession in order to get current and share all these amazing adventures with you. I hope you don't mind too much.

One of my favorite things to do is learn something new. I love to seek truth and wisdom from all areas of life. Growing up, I learned a lot about the Oregon Trail because Oregon is where I hail from. The people of Oregon voted to decide if they wanted to be a part of the USA or not, and the decision was pretty close to split down the middle. The for's won in the end, but the place where it all took place, Champoeg, is located a mere six miles from where I live. I couldn't believe it. It was a beautiful July day, and I decided to hop on my bike and close the six mile between me and Champoeg State Park. And I'm so glad I did.

When I arrived at the park, I found a replica of a pioneer kitchen garden. Early pioneers grew much of their food in the rich farmlands that the Willamette Valley is famous for. The kitchen garden supplied a dependable source of food and was vital to the home economics of the day. The replica garden was very beautiful, full of life and birds! I had such a wonderful time wandering through it.

To give you an idea of what a pioneer garden looks like, I took some pictures.

I have been doing organic gardening this year in the community garden I am a part of, and it was interesting for me to note that the techniques I have been learning to use are not so new after all. Organic gardening is the way things were done before we had pesticides, before we had mass production of products and an accessible food supply. When families relied on what they could grow and the work of their own two hands in order to stay alive, it was organic farming that they used. Life was hard, but a lot simpler too. I sometimes question the sanity of our pace of life and our blindness toward where food comes from and what it goes through before it gets to us. Wandering through this historical site's garden made me realize that good things don't happen on accident. Everything grows in its season according to its type and with the proper care. I think people are a lot that way too. Maybe we've done ourselves a disservice by making our food sources so impersonal. In a way, we no longer know how to care for each other because we've failed to learn the lessons of cultivation from the earth. Just a musing...

Beauty and hardship seem to be inherently intertwined in Oregon. I think it's not just here though. When I got done wandering the garden, I went into cultural visiting center. They had a painting that a man devoted his life to of the event of Oregon becoming a state. The painter did a whole lot of research on the painting, spent his lifetime working on it on site working as a groundskeeper while painting. He ended up basically broke, never seeing his masterpiece sell. And now, it's on display at the State Park, along with his amazing story. I was caught by how much vision and strength of purpose he had to devote his life to a single act of greatness. His story touched my heart because I think we all want to be great and to be recognized for that greatness. Sometimes we get to experience the recognition in our lifetimes, and for some souls, the recognition comes after they are gone. I don't know if it is better to live in people's hearts while we are here or in their minds forever. I'm not sure which I would chose. Regardless, I think we should not withhold our very best from others. Here's a picture of the artist's best.

When I finished looking at the painting, I hit the trails the state park is known for and found a shady spot to eat my picnic lunch at. I enjoyed it so much. I live right by a busy highway, and the noise sometimes gets to me. Well, it was really nice to sit in the "silence" of nature. But I wouldn't exactly call it silence. It's more like a symphony of wild and unrestrained sound. I really enjoyed just relaxing in the summer heat and blowing bubbles into the branches of the trees.

And when I got done with all that and headed back, my back tire blew out on my bike and I limped it two miles down the road to a crossroads. My roommate picked me up half hour later, and I was left to muse on the beauty and hardship of Oregon. Adventure is never what we expect it will be. But the moments of pure joy mixed with the struggle are what make it worthwhile. I wouldn't have traded my trip to Champoeg for anything, not even a full tire. The beauty and the pain both let us know that we are alive and that we have so much to offer, to give, to love, and to strive for. This is my Oregon.

The week in review...

I've decided that I don't have a particular style of post. I am forever apologizing to you, my dear readers, for how unconventional I am being. This week has been especially crazy for me even in the midst of the restful days I've had off of work. I really want to talk about it, and writing always seems to help. So here's a bit of what has happened this week. All of it is food related in some way (or maybe I can just make everything about food...you decide).

The first thing that happened this week was a baby bird flew into the bushes by our house, causing the upstairs tennant to have a small heart attack (figuratively...everyone is out of the hospital, it's ok, nobody went to the hospital in the first place...relax!). So, bird was retrieved from the bushes and caged in a small box outside. It looked like this.

So, we (as in me and my house mates and visitors) researched baby starlings and their care, and found out that it needed catfood and a heating pad and gateraide to survive. So, I procured said items, and got an old shoe box and towel for the bird to nest in and made it a new little home. It even let me feed it with a straw! What an awesome experience! 

Pretty stinking cute! If that doesn't melt your heart, I don't know what will. So, I had an overnight guest in my room. But the problem was, he or she kept trying to fly away. It was at that point that I considered the possibility of the bird being a fledgling. And it was then I knew I had to let it go. A bird should not be caged if it is trying to learn to fly. It has to fly or die trying because it is a bird and a bird without flight is like a person without a heart. It can live, but the existance is pretty pointless.

The next day, after I let the bird go, I finished my book, The Secret Life of Bees by Susan Monk Kidd. It was a really good read for me. Not only did the story revolve around three sisters who kept bees for their honey (how can a story about honey ever be wrong?), but also talked about racism, forgiving yourself and others for past and present wrongs, and dealt with the fallout from abuse. I didn't cry, but maybe that was because I was too much in awe of the Mexican food that helped me polish off the book.

If you are EVER in Newberg, you have to eat the Mexican food that the locals call the best in town. And it doesn't come from one of the three restaurants that line the strip of downtown. No, my friend, it comes from a taco truck. GLORIOUS! That's all I have to say! Here's a picture so you'll know you found the right place.

And in case you are wondering, this place is called Pastorcillos Tacos. I can't give you the phone number, but you can look it up on google. You found me; you can find them if you want them bad enough. They're that good!

What makes them so amazing? Aside from tacos for $1.50, they have an assortment of combination platters that are simply phenominal. Everything is warm, fresh, and delicious. Oh, and I ordered the torta with chicken. I was in HEAVEN, and eating it so fast, I got half way through before I remembered to take a picture so I could show you what I mean by amazing food. Here's what amazing food looks like in Newberg.

You're jealous now, aren't you? That little baby had beans, avacado, sourcream, jalepenos, lettuce, chicken, and rice all on a soft white bread with a sauce that would make the Lord Jesus glad he created the earth (ok, maybe I need to stop reading Southern novels for a bit and act like the Northwest girl that I am). But you get the picture. It was incredible. Emphasis on the EDIBLE.

Well, inspired by that meal, I have been cooking Spanish food all week. I made chicken empanadas for my sister when we had lunch together, and for the weekly potluck I share with my fellow gardeners after we have taken care of the community planting and weeding, I made a Spanish Tortilla. It's a really easy dish to make, just takes a little bit of time and effort is all. The group liked it so well, they asked for the recipe, which I obligied by sharing this link. You want to know what you'll be getting yourself into with this one? Check out the picture below. This is the view from my frying pan, anyway.

As we were enjoying the view of the garden and eating, one of the gardeners asked, "What's one thing you've learned this week?" I couldn't think of anything at the time, but now, my brain is on overload just thinking about everything I have learned. I learned how to feed a baby bird. I learned to let that baby go and fly. I learned that sometimes, we need to forgive ourselves more than anyone else in the world. I learned that there are some amazing jewels hidden in Newberg just waiting for me to enjoy them, that sisters are great friends even if it's hard, and that I have something unique and valuable to offer my community. Most importantly, I learned that being myself, even if it is a little too much or over the top at times, is worth it. I'd rather be loved for me than for what I pretended to be. So here's to a great week of learning, growing, cooking, eating, caring, and letting go. I can't wait to see what the next adventure will be.

Oh, and the garden looks spectacular by the way! I brought home lettuce and a smile from my gardening night. So much fun. Eden looks like this.

 Until next time, happy eating!

Feed me Belly!

Last Thursday was a very sentimental day for me. My friend Christopher Lee Hanson went to be with the Lord eight years ago by the hand of my ex-boyfriend on that day. While the tragedy of it all has shaped who I am, I felt like celebrating his life on that day. He dreamed of receiving a bass guitar made of pure light when he got to heaven, and wanted to protect me from the damage my ex had been causing in my life. It's funny, because it's taken me all this time to really start letting go of him, the past, and some bad mindsets that have been destructive to me. But, I digress. Chris was from Eugene and a street kid. So, as fate, coincidence, or God would have it, eight years to the day, I found myself conversing with a street kid in Eugene. And then my friends and I went to eat at Belly, a restaurant in Eugene.

Belly is well known in Eugene. It has won best restaurant twice. I ate way too much food with way too many calories for my small body, but I enjoyed the wait staff, the food, and the atmosphere in general. It was a charming place, and my one unfulfilled desire from the experience was simply that I wanted to see the back of the house. But then again, I am obsessed with kitchens!

So, to start out my meal, I ordered a beautiful Oakshire Espresso Stout. I have one rule on beer and only one: go dark or go home! Being a coffee lover as well, this stout won me over at first sip. Cool, refreshing, dark, mysterious, and coffee? Yes, please! I was thrilled with the quality of this particular drink. I highly recommend it if you enjoy your beer with a bit more intrigue than most.

Next, I went with bacon. (This was probably a HUGE mistake as far as my body was concerned. I have to be careful about how much fat I consume or my body pretty much takes me down for a day or two. But I threw caution to the wind and just went for it. It was worth it.) But not just any bacon. This beauty is bacon wrapped manchego stuffed dates with hazelnuts and apple cider gastrique. OMG! Sweet, salty, creamy, sour, crunchy: this is the place to be. As far as I'm concerned, this is a culinary masterpiece not to be missed. SO GOOD! Perfect little bites of culinary perfection like this don't come around often. I tip my hat to whomever dreamed this bacon love child up. Thank you!

To keep with the dark, warm, pub food theme of my night, I chose the shepherd's pie made with lamb, peas, carrots, and mashed potatoes. When it got to the table, it was steaming hot. Wow! I really liked it. There were huge chunks of lamb under wonderfully creamy mashed potatoes. This is not a saucy dish, but it is wonderfully filling, and incredibly comforting. A great take on the traditional shepherd's pie. I liked it so much, I ate the whole thing!

Finally, dessert time came. And I was intrigued that the only selection on the menu with chocolate was a lavender cake with pistachios and salt sprinkled over it. The balance of flavors tickled my palet and delighted me in general. But I had stuffed myself so completely that I could not finish it. The wait staff graciously accommodated me by adding more chocolate sauce than I needed, and I was stuffed before I realized that I had forgotten to take a picture of this delicate little dessert. It was that good.

So, if you are in Eugene and looking for a place to dine, I highly recommend that you try Belly. They have lighter dishes too, but I was just in the mood for comfort food. As I ate, I thought of Chris and his bass of pure light, of the table of love that is my portion every day of my life, and of the joy that is ahead of me. There is so much to be thankful for in this life. Eat it up, and be grateful.

Until next time, happy eating!

Fava Beans!

So, this is an unusual blog entry because I haven't actually cooked anything yet. But I learned something really interesting that I thought I'd like to share with you, and maybe you can use that knowledge to cook something delicious and share your witty and insightful recipe with me. ;)

On Thursday, I went to pick up my usual haul from the CSA I am a part of, and they had these great big beautiful beans. When I asked what exactly I was looking at, Emily (the staff member who was manning the pick up sight that day) said they were fava beans. She said I could saute them in butter or make a paste from them and use them as a spread. I grabbed as many as I could without appearing greedy (ok, maybe I looked a little greedy...a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do) and proceeded home with my new found beany friend. They look like this.

From the Oakhill Organics Newsletter, Week 19, May 29 & 31, 2012: Fava beans are another less common, but delicious, spring vegetable. These have been growing in our fields since we planted them last fall. They grow slowly all winter and then blossom and set fruit once it's warm enough in the spring.

Now, I had an interesting task to complete. Dear friends, most of us would rather that someone else deal with nature when it comes to our food. I am just as guilty as anyone else is. This week, in an effort to avoid grocery shopping, I found myself eating out, just not cooking, and eating the cafeteria food at work even though I know that the food I make for myself generally is healthier and tastes a heck of a lot better than all of that.

Know that if you get yourself involved with a fava bean, it's a long term relationship. Fava beans have layers of things to deal with before you get to partake in the prize that they are. You can take the process in stages, or you can buckle down like I did and complete the task start to finish all at once. My small stash of beans took me 40 minutes to process. I might get two servings out of the deal. But all of that time and effort burns calories, helps me to learn about the food I am eating, and teaches me things about life and myself. Namely, good things in life take time, are full of surprises, and aren't exactly what I think they should be. But if I can let go of my expectations and embrace what I have in front of me for what it is, then I will enjoy it so much more.

So, how do we get to the bean in fava bean? Well, first you have to remove the bean from the pod. It's easiest to crack the top and then pop the beans out of one side or the other. The inside of the pod has this white protective "bubble wrap" like layer to keep the beans happy and healthy. The inside of the pod looks like this.

This was an enlightening process. Anyone who has seen a fava bean knows how big the pods are. Some of them were close to ten inches long. However, the most beans I found in any one pod was 6. Six little beans! Can you believe it! I was shocked! When I was all done with taking the beans from their podded homes, they looked like this.

Now, fava beans are supposed to have a beautiful bright green color. Well, these are kind of dull and shiny. Pretty, but not the famed bright green I am after. In order to get to the edible part of the bean, there were two more steps in the process. The first involved parboiling these babies.

To parboil something, you must heat water to the point just before simmering. You start to see little bubbles form around the edges and lift ever so subtly to the surface. Then you add your beans. Keep the water temperature at this point. When I added my beans, every last one of them was floating on the surface of the water. As I watched them cook for the few minutes it takes to complete this process, I noticed that they all clustered together, and then one by one, started to sink in the water. When about half of them had done this, I removed them and shocked them in cold water to keep them from cooking more. I didn't really want to cook the beans, just remove the tough outer layer to get to the good stuff. Life lesson number two, sometimes you have to apply heat in order to crack the tough stuff of life.

After parboiling, I popped the beans out of their exterior protective layer one at a time. It was easiest to squeeze the top or bottom off of the bean and then squeeze the other end. Out came the beans. And when I was all done, I had two piles: one of shiny dull husks and the other of beautiful bright green beans.

Like I said, not a whole lot of yield on these babies. I followed the first rule of cooking (taste everything) and found that the bean has a nutty, sweet flavor. Definitely good for experimenting with. I think I am going to saute mine with garlic and butter one of these nights and stop being lazy about cooking.

Life is a journey, a process, and so is food. Good food, the kind that tastes good and is good for you, takes time to grow, process, and prepare. The wait is good for us, helps us to appreciate what we have, and actually helps our bodies to take in and utilize what we consume. So, if you're looking for a special spring treat, look no further than the fava bean. Just remember, slow down. Enjoy the journey.

Until next time, happy eating!



Dressing

She's named after food and lives where I work as a pantry cook.  And yesterday, with her compliment to the chef and request for a recipe, she made me feel like a celebrity chef today. She asked for the vinaigrette recipe that I made for Mother's Day.

It was a simple vinaigrette. I jazzed it up a bit because we were out of a particular kind of mustard that goes into all of our vinaigrette and mixed oils because I wanted a hint of the olive oil flavor without the overpowering effect that can often be bestowed by having too much of that kind of oil in a vinaigrette, but still, I stuck to the code. 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil. Really simple, yet she liked it. So, when I went out in the dinning room to talk to her about cooking and instruct her on how to put together this recipe, I thought of you, dear blog reader, and I smiled inside.

If the food is good enough to eat and ask for a recipe afterwords, if I can teach someone something new about my beloved art form, the craft of beautiful food, then all the hours spent in isolation are somehow worthwhile. The majority of my time is spent chopping vegetables and placing cold foods into containers. Yet the joy that one person gets out of something in one of those containers can make me feel like a super star. I did that! Yes, it was me that made your taste buds sing for joy. I like the feeling more than I can say. It makes standing on my feet for 8 hours in a hot kitchen risking being bitten by sharp objects suddenly seem like the most rational use of time.

So, for those of you wanting the recipe, here it is. And, I will explain what I told her, the woman named for food, about this particular operation.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 teaspoon stone ground mustard
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a blender, combine first three ingredients. With blender running, slowly add the oils until you hear the motor of the blender tighten. More or less may be needed depending on the emulsification. Add salt and pepper to taste. You may want to add more or less sugar. The trick is to taste it and see what you think. Also, the mustard is the emulsifying agent. It will make the vinegar and oil stick together instead of separating. Finally, you can change the recipe by using a different type of mustard, substituting lemon, white wine vinegar and poppy seeds for the red wine vinegar to come up with a lemon poppy seed vinaigrette. If you would prefer to have a white color to your vinaigrette  (in the lemon poppy seed case) add a 1/2 teaspoon or so of egg whites with the oil. It will astound you.

Crab Puffs OR Crab Rangoon

Confession: I am a total American girl when it comes to food. I find it difficult to be loyal to any one ethnic flavor, have a soft spot in my heart for the All American Meal (you know what I am talking about; a big fat juicy burger, french fries, coke or milkshake. Yes, Please!), and don't generally say no to pizza. American Chinese food (I lived with a woman from China this past year. She didn't recognize the food we call Chinese.) is one of my all time favorites. I have celebrated many a birthday at a Chinese restaurant.
My Uncle Stephan used to work at one of these restaurants and introduced our deeply Italian/Mexican/Scotts/Irish family to the tradition of Crab Puffs at Christmas time. Stephan was an addition to our family by marriage, and he has since remarried and moved on with his life. But the food he brought to our family still remains. All this to say, making Crab Puffs is a part of the culture of my family.
Living in a small town last time I decided to get Chinese food, I went to a place downtown. OUCH! The food was hot and fresh, but my stomach kicked me for eating there. The next day, I missed class I was so sick. All of this happened because I was hankering for Crab Puffs. When I told my chef friend, Ogie about it, he said, "Girl, you know better. You don't eat there! Make you some of your own crab puffs. You know how to make them. Don't pay someone else to do it for you."
So, yesterday, when I felt like celebrating learning something new at work, I decided to get my butt to the grocery store, buy the ingredients for Crab Puffs, and make them myself.
Well, some of this is easier said then done. I found the cream cheese and imitation crab meat (the real stuff was in a can and way expensive, thank you small town) easy enough, but I went through the whole store twice looking for won-ton wrappers. (These are little squares of pre-cut dough that you wrap your filling in and fry or steam. Delicious.) Finally, I went to the deli, and they told me they would be in the produce section with the tofu. Wow! Shows you how much tofu I eat, no? Anyways, after spending way too long in the store, I finally had the fixings for the Crab Puffs. So here's how.
This recipe was taken from About.com on 3/2/2010 via the link http://chinesefood.about.com/od/crabragoon/r/crabpuffs.htm?p=1.  

Crab Puffs by Rhonda Parkinson, About.com Guide with italics by me
1/2 pound cooked crab meat or smoked salmon, lightly flaked (you can use imitation crab too)
1 teaspoon green onion, finely minced (go to town and kill it, it's all good)
1/4 pound cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon steak sauce (I used fish sauce, worked great)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves minced garlic (I used fresh, you can't beat the flavor)
1 pound won ton wrappers
1 beaten egg or 2 egg whites
3 cups vegetable oil

Here's the scoop: You are going to want to get your mess in place for this one (mise en place for all you high class cooks out there). Don't just add the ingredients as you go. Do this one like a pro. Take the time to actually dice the ingredients, flake the crab, beat the eggs, and surround yourself with your ingredients ready to go. This is a messy process. You're not going to want to beat the eggs after you get going. Take the time to set up, and it will go so much better for you. Just try it. PLEASE.

Preparation: Combine crab meat or smoked salmon, green onion, cream cheese, steak sauce, and garlic. Place 1/2 teaspoon of mixture in center of won ton wrapper (I was a little more liberal with mine; after all, the filling is the star of the show.); fold square over to form a triangle. Lightly brush the center with the beaten egg. Bring opposite corners together and press gently, so filling will be secure. (I wrap mine different. I make a frame around the filling that I put in the center of the won ton with beaten egg. Then, I bring the corners together like folding a blanket with the filling in the middle. Finally, I take the two ends, and join them in the center, making a cross shape over the filling. I think it looks pretty. If this is too complicated, just make sure your filling is surrounded by dough and not peaking out. If you're the only one eating it, it's all good.) Place the oil in wok and heat to 375 degrees for deep-frying. Deep-fry one crab or salmon puff and adjust heat downwards if necessary. Fry the rest of puffs until delicately brown, less than two minutes. Serve hot.

They were pretty much bomb! And I have so many left over, it's way better than going out to eat. So, if you're in the mood for some crab puffs, give this recipe a try. Remember, a recipe is a good place to start. If something isn't quite 100% like the directions say, it's all good. This is your food, so let your creativity flow. And until next time, happy eating!

Visiting Angels

I don't have any pictures for you this time, so sorry. School has ended, and I officially have one more year before I get my bachelor's degree. I will have done it a year shy of 30. Why 30 should be such a big number in my head when I live with a 70 and a 67 year-old, I do not know. There is life after 30, and a good life to be sure. And I don't feel that old, at any rate.
Well, my best friend Melody and her husband Todd came up to see me a couple days ago. I really enjoyed our time together. I took them to my favorite coffee place, the Coffee Cottage. We sat and talked about my favorite two subjects, food and Jesus.
Then, we came back to my house, and I finished getting dinner ready.
I think I am a food addict. No, seriously, it's a sickness, and I need help. The day before they arrived, I went shopping with my landlords at Winco, came home, and went right to work getting everything ready for dinner. I was up until midnight putting the finishing touches on the pie (that then slid off the plate when I tried to detach it from the foil it was resting on~ I managed to save it though). I built the whole menu around Melody's favorite 3-citrus-butter-sauce from Northwest Essentials: Cooking with Ingredients that Define a Region by Greg Atkinson. If you are in the Northwest, my suggestion is that you get this cookbook (I got mine from the BookBin in Salem, Oregon) and just try one recipe in it. You'll be hooked for life. I made a salad with greens from my CSA farm, Oakhill Organics, strawberries, almonds, goat cheese fritters with almonds, and a dressing that goes with Strawberries. Todd sauteed the squash medley to perfection. I made dutches potatoes with some nutmeg, broiled red snapper (and forgot to take the pin bones out! bad idea!), and a strawberry rhubarb pie with whole wheat pastry flour (word to the wise, use white flour). It was delicious, but not perfect. And you know, that's a lot like life.
I love my friendships, but none of them are perfect. I love to cook, but no meal I have ever made has been free of some sort of issue. That doesn't mean life cannot be savored to the fullest degree while accepting what is not perfect as good still. Those who seek perfection will never find the beauty that heals the soul. These flaws, happy mistakes, are a part of what learning forgiveness, love, and hope is all about. And I am finding that the flaws are easier to deal with if I give myself and others the grace that is needed to hold Topsy-turvey pies and unexpected character development together. We grow and learn through these conflicts, and I am grateful for them.
So, my friends, if you come see me, I'll cook you  a less than perfect meal, and share my less than perfect self with you. And somehow, I know, we will both be the better for it. And if not, remember next time something doesn't quite go according to plan, that's why we have grace, forgiveness, and good friends. Life gets better, and there is beauty to be found in the less than perfect places of life.