Pazzo Ristorante

OK, another tradition has begun. We just finished a very nice dinner at the Pazzo Ristorante in downtown Portland.

Laurae and I had a pre-race dinner here in 2001 and then last year, Jill and I enjoyed another one, even though we had to eat at the bar because the restaurant was full. This year we arrived at 4:30 and found the restaurant to be pleasantly quiet. (It wouldn't last!) We ordered and our waiter quickly had our salads presented. I had ordered a beet and cucumber salad, but I wasn't prepared for the sight of yellow beets? It was quite good and now I wonder where I can find yellow beets.

For entrees, we had ordered pasta of course; Laurae had a saffron pasta with smoked pork and prosciutto ragu while I had the black and white ravioli stuffed with salmon. All very good. And yes, we will be back. It's a tradition.

Dan & Louis Oyster Bar

... Family-owned since 1907

After a great breakfast, we decided to walk down to the Oyster Bar. Not to eat, but to see what was on the menu. With Laurae's allergy crisis only a few weeks old, we thought it made more sense not to tempt fate and so we were looking at the menu to see if there were items other than seafood on it. There were; a 5 ounce steak with 2 sides and only $11. This will be our destination on Sunday evening, after the marathon. This is where we ate last year, so I suppose we're trying to make it a tradition. Why not? It's great food!

Here's my photo

Mother's

Bistro & Bar
This was our choice for breakfast and it was a good one! I wasn't sure of where to go, so I Googled "Portland breakfast" and one of the first reviews I saw mentioned this place. It was only about 4 blocks from the hotel, a pleasant walk.

There was quite a crowd when we arrived, but it only took about 5 minutes for us to be seated in a pleasant sun-lit location. Laurae had the Grilled Portabella Mushroom & Asiago Cheese Scramble while I had a Beef Hash...not corned beef, but the real thing. The service was super and the food was excellent. What else would you need?

Give Mother's at least 4 stars.

Here's my shot of the exterior. See the people sitting at the sidewalk table? Our table was right behind them (but inside, of course)


And right across the street, this unique looking building.

Ah! Coffee!

I suppose I should mention some of the food we enjoyed while we were touring New Mexico, beginning with the coffee we found while shopping at…Trader Joe’s. Yes, even in the wilds of Santa Fe, you can find the Trader. We spotted a coffee with the name, “New Mexico Piñon Coffee”. A little investigation reveals the fact that the ingredients are High Altitude Arabica Coffee Beans and Piñon Nuts. Well, we were in New Mexico and the name of the coffee seemed promising, so we bought and ground a package of the beans. I can tell you that we all enjoyed it thoroughly! Each mornings brew brought fresh comments about the aroma and flavor.

And this morning, back home and shopping at Trader Joe’s in Chico…there it was! So I now have a package, freshly ground and will make a pot for tomorrow morning. Here’s the link to their website. And from what I just read, they have a new coffee, “Colorado Piñon Coffee.” I may have to order some of that!

A tale of two restaurants

Last Friday we returned to Grilla Bites on Cohasset and enjoyed a pleasant “birthday” meal. Since it was my birthday, I decided to splurge with the Organic Bison Rib Eye steak. (Is bison ever, not organic?) Anyway, the meal included fresh sautéed vegetables and garlic mash potatoes. We sat outside near the fountain and enjoyed the splashing sounds that masked any noise from street traffic. The restaurant is located so far from the street; there is very little noise anyway. The bison was delicious as were the vegetables. The garlic mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy…but where was the garlic? All in all, a good meal and the tab for the steak was $19.

On a different note, we tried the newest restaurant in Orland last night; the Farwood Bar and Grill. First, the surroundings. The building immediately to the south is condemned and has a large sign on it to indicate that it shouldn’t be occupied. Parking for the new restaurant was absent as the parking lot hasn’t been paved yet. So far, not so good. We were greeted courteously and shown to the table that had been reserved for our party of 5. Oops! That was going to be a tough fit. So we were shown to another, near the front of the restaurant. As it turned out, the table would fit two diners nicely; so why were there 4 chairs? And 5 diners make for a very crowded dinner. And since they hadn’t included window shades in the design, the two of us had to squint or shade our eyes with the menus. We ordered and I had a small sirloin, some vegetables and a baked potato, while Laurae had Mahi Mahi. (Dorado) We struggled to enjoy the appetizers which had taken up all available table space. Dinner arrived after a reasonable wait and it was fine. Except for the vegetables, which were al dente…but cold. The size of the sirloin was right; maybe 6 oz? Laurae said the fish was dry, a symptom of overcooking.

Although the restaurant is lovely to look at; the back bar is magnificent! There are too many failings for us to try it again this year. The place is extremely noisy; as there are no soft surfaces anywhere and the bar is separated from the diners by a low wall. Maybe, after they have had some time to correct things, we might try it again. But, with the $$$ dollars that they have invested in the place, they may not make it till next year.

A Review

The Shipping News…

A very good movie. We were pleasantly surprised by it and found it enthralling. But here I am finding it difficult to describe?…There was some profanity, but it served its purpose by shocking us when we heard it. Sure, some parts of the story were not credible, but overall I would give it 4 stars out of 5, and I wish we could find more films just like it.

A Review...

This time it was the Has Beans coffee house in downtown Chico. I stopped by about 8:30 this morning and found a not very crowded scene. But by the time I had ordered my latte and muffin, there were 4 or 5 people in line behind me. The place is comfortable but dark. I had to change my seat when I couldn’t read the comics in the CN&R. (Tom Tomorrow) There were two seats in the window section that had plenty of light, but since they put you on display for passerby’s, I wasn’t interested. There is some art work on the walls and that’s always appreciated. Plus, there was reading material; a sign of smart management!

OK, here’s the review: The coffee was good. I would return for it. The service was pleasant, but the muffin had seen better days. They need a better selection of pastries.

And speaking of reviews...check out this site; Yelp. Just Search for your city and see what comes up.

The Deep South

A “good old boy” dinner…shrimp and grits. Probably best for a winter night but I tried it tonight and it was great. Now I have had shrimp and grits before; even had them for dinner. Most memorable was a dinner in Charlotte, North Carolina. And I believe the origin of this dish is from that state.

I started with a package of frozen Tiger shrimp (20-25 count) from Trader Joe’s. First, defrost and then use scissors to cut off the shell on the tail, rinse and pat dry. Set aside.

Buy regular grits, not “quick” grits. Now pour out one cup and then heat a pot with 4 cups of chicken broth. Once it’s boiling, pour in the grits, stir and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

In a large frying pan, cook 6 slices of bacon until browned. Set aside to cool. Now add to the frying pan; ½ cup of sweet onions, chopped fine and 1 clove of garlic, minced. Crush the bacon into bits and add them to the pan. Now it’s time to add the shrimp to the frying pan and cook until just turning pink on both sides. While the shrimp is cooking, turn off the heat for the grits and add 3 tablespoons of butter and ½ cup of sharp cheddar cheese. Stir them in.

Now it’s time to pour the grits into a large serving bowl. And add the shrimp, bacon, onion and garlic mix from the frying pan. Yes, there are some bacon drippings in there…you bet! Mix well and serve immediately.

OK, it’s not exactly heart healthy fare, but I didn’t use butter; I used a substitute. And I cut the amount of cheese in half. Feel free to experiment. For instance, I will only use half the bacon next time.

TJ and Me Redux

Trader Joe does it again…this time it’s the “new” Corn and Chile, a salsa without tomatoes. I’ve tried it on a few things now; the latest being some tuna burgers. It has mild heat and a sweet tang to it. Definitely worth trying.

And speaking of tuna burgers; these are a lot of fun to make. I go with a basic recipe of tuna, mayo, egg, bread crumbs and then improvise. Tonight I threw in some French’s fried onion rings, chopped sweet white onion, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, bread crumbs with Italian seasoning, etc, etc, + Corn and Chile…shaped it into patties and cooked for 4 or 5 minutes on each side.

And the next time I make them, they will be different once again!

Cafe Mondo

It's a coffee shop review and I may have hit paydirt here. I stopped at the Cafe Mondo because of a recent CN&R review of coffee shops, plus my daughter had told me it was worth trying. It's not much to look at from the outside and inside, it's decor is junkyard chic. Comfortable would be a good word to use, but service was great! The coffee, a latte, was right on! Temperature and taste were all to my liking; and they encourage reading at this store, with plenty of newspapers and magazines to choose from. To eat, I had a great orange and white chocolate scone. ("Would you like me to heat that up for you?" Yes!)

Of course I will have to try it again, just to make certain. I've been fooled before. (Higher Grounds) Then I have to try Has Beans in the downtown area...

Burt Munro and

The Worlds Fastest Indian

A great movie! You should rent it, really! Anthony Hopkins stars in this true story and you know that Sir Anthony wouldn't work in a bad movie. I know the title might put you off, so this link shows you some more information about it. Go ahead, rent it. You won't be sorry.

Pizza!

Last night we tried out a new Trader Joe’s item…Basil Pizza dough. It was easy to work the dough into the required 16” circle and then I had some fun deciding what to place on it. You start with a light coating of olive oil and in this recipe; I followed that with some ground turkey. I had already cooked the turkey (rare) with a liberal dose of Greek Herbs. Then I added slices of baby zucchini, halved cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper slivers and chopped onions.  

After 18 minutes in a 400° oven, it was ready to slice and eat. And surprisingly good. We’re going to try it again and vary the toppings to include spinach and other fresh garden items.

Chinese

A great lunch…the food and the service were just right. We were in Roseville yesterday and it didn’t take us long to make up our minds as to where we should eat; Roseville Gourmet!

The lunch menu has been updated since the last time we ate there and now included my favorite, the Gourmet Chow Mein. That’s a dish that I usually ordered when having dinner there. The lunch version includes a chicken wing, fried rice and Lemon Chicken. It was the right sized dish and so you didn’t have to worry about taking one of those little white boxes home with you. And all with no salt and no MSG, just good tastes.

The service was quick and unobtrusive; the dining room spotless. And lunch for two was under $14.

Zahtar

Here's a recipe that I just found and it looks like a keeper. I haven't tried it yet but it does have all the good ingredients. And I suppose you don't need to use Halibut; I imagine that Tilapia would work as well.

Halibut with Zahtar and Mint Couscous
"Zahtar is a Middle Eastern seasoning made with sumac, a dried sour berry.Dried tart cherries have a similar tang.
3/4 cup dried sour cherries1 tablespoon dried oregano1 tablespoon ground cumin1 1/2 teaspoons paprika3 tablespoons olive oil6 tablespoons lemon juicesalt1 cup couscous1 1/2 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned halibut (1 in. thick)1 cup finely chopped English cucumber1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
In a blender or food processor, combine dried cherries, oregano, cumin,paprika, oil, and lemon juice. Whirl until pureed, scraping containersides as necessary. Add salt to taste.In a 1 1/2 to 2-quart pan, combine couscous and broth. Bring to a boilover high heat, cover, remove pan from heat, and let stand until liquid isabsorbed, about 5 minutes. Keep warm.Meanwhile, rinse halibut, pat dry, and coat with cherry mixture. Set eachpiece of halibut on a slightly larger piece of foil. Cut foil to fit fish.Have barbecue ready with direct heat at hot. Set foil with fish on grill.Cover barbecue with lid (open vents for charcoal), and cook until fish isopaque, 8 to 10 minutes.Stir chopped cucumber and chopped mint into couscous; spoon onto plates.Cut grilled halibut into equal portions and set onto couscous. Season totaste with salt.Makes 4 servings."

TJ and Me

We tried the quinoa last night and it was as promised - almost. I really like the flavor, but I think I used too much water/broth to cook it in. That seems to be a problem with rice as well. Alton Brown (FoodTV) had a great show on rice awhile ago and made the observation that you can cook rice with far less water than the amount indicated on the package. I have a feeling that it's the same with quinoa.

For this meal I cooked a turkey thigh with Greek seasoning, 45 minutes in a covered casserole dish at 375. Then I dissected the thigh, removing all of the remaining fat and skin and setting the meat aside. I chopped up about 1/2 cup of red onion and 3 cloves of garlic and placed them in the casserole dish. I sauted that for about 2 minutes. I cut up 2 small zucchini and added those to the pot. I also added the cut up turkey and 1 cup of chicken stock to the mixture and let it simmer while I added the remaining chicken stock to the liquid I was going to cook the quinoa in. The quinoa cooked for 15 minutes, following directions on the box...but it was still a little bit wet? Now it was time to add some sliced fresh mushrooms to the casserole dish and in a few more minutes we were ready to eat.

Very good...but I might add red bell pepper next time, just for the color. And there was a spice missing? I just don't know which one...

So it's back to Trader Joe's for more quinoa and maybe the missing spice. What would I do without TJ? The only other store that fascinates me like the Trader does is Larry's Markets in Washington. Now those are good stores!

Really Good Eats

Couscous (Koos Koos) a lovely little grain, and packaged in a box to be found at your local Trader Joe's. And with this easy to cook grain (just follow the directions on the box) you can make Tabbouleh Salad, a Middle Eastern treat. Tabbouleh (tab ooley) only takes a few minutes to prepare and then let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour; longer is better! Besides the usual chopped onions, tomatoes and green peppers, I added the chopped mint. I also added about a tablespoon of a good balsamic vinegar. (not in the recipe on the box...but worthwhile) A perfect meal all by itself for a hot summer day. Thanks, Denise!

Grilla Bites

An odd name for sure. It's a salad bar and a juice bar and they just opened up a second location in Chico.

"Organic, Natural & Local" is their claim and everything looked fresh and inviting. We tried the salad bar where the price is determined by the weight of your salad, an interesting idea. But it does make you wonder...how much does a strawberry weigh? Should I add those heavy walnuts? Ah, mushrooms are light!

I can't comment on the service as it's all self-serve, but the location and ambience are just fine. A new business center with tables available around an outdoor fountain. And we were asked if we needed "Anything else? Water?" by at least three different members of the staff. Yes, we're going to go again. It's a perfect place for dinner on a hot summer day.

According to the business card I picked up, they also have locations in Medford and Ashland, Oregon.

How?

The How How restaurant on Muldoon Road in east Anchorage. It's attached to the Ramada Quite Limited hotel where we stayed and was the site for our "free" breakfast, included with the room.

It's a Chinese restaurant and it's furnished in an overwhelming display of red, gold and black lacquer. Except for the carpet, which was worn and dirty. I had a feeling we were in for an exceptional treat when I noted the prominent sign as we entered. "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone!" Not a "Welcome! Please wait to be seated." sign, just a clear reminder of who was in charge!

Here's a photo I found on the internet...not very clear, but neither was the restaurant.


There was plenty of cholesterol on the menu and liberal helpings of sweets. And odd...a big pan full of fried chicken wings. I have a feeling that they were left over from dinner the night before.

Do yourself a favor and skip this restaurant. In fact, I tried Googling How How and got no hits at all. Apparently it's unknown...until now.

Here's a view of the Ramada...note the proximity to the Golden Arches, a close rival to the How How.

Simon & Seafort's

Another great restaurant…a little bit of a drive from Orland, but you would certainly work up an appetite on the way; Simon & Seafort’s in Anchorage. We made our reservations for 7:30 and we only had to wait for a few minutes before we were seated. The restaurant is located at the western end of Anchorage, on the bluff that overlooks the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet and it has plenty of windows, so you can watch the boats…and the planes from just about every table.

The menu is designed for seafood lovers, although there were the usual beef options for those who like it. Everyone at our table (except myself) ordered salmon, Copper River salmon, while I ordered the halibut cheeks. Now I have had cheeks before, in Seattle…and they had been quite good, but these were excellent!

Everyone had high praise for the salmon; mild and sweet. The service was great and after the table was cleared, Laurae and I shared a berry cobbler with ice cream. It was huge…made to be shared.

We left the restaurant about 10 PM, put our sunglasses on and headed back to the hotel and sleep. A most enjoyable evening; it really is a 5 star restaurant.

Humpy's

If you're in Anchorage, you can't miss a meal at Humpy's! Great food, but when I ordered a N/A beer, a Kaliber...they were all out. We had the halibut tacos one day and I tried a spicy Thai stir fry dish the next. It's a seat yourself kind of place; lots of noise...and (Boo!) Alaska allows smoking. Most restaurants do ban it anyway, but not Humpy's. With all of these negatives, why do I say it's a great place to go? The food is good!

Movie

A movie I liked! After suffering through Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow… a movie I didn’t even mention in this blog, we received The Talented Mr. Ripley. Now this was a good one, full of suspense and good acting for a welcome change.

More Squash

Although squash might seem like a winter vegetable, with a little help it becomes a great springtime vegetable as well.

I took two Butternut squash and halved them. Placed them in a shallow roasting pan (cut side down) and added 2 cups of water. Set the oven to 350 and bake for about 30-40 minutes. Check with a fork to see when done. Then I scooped out the lovely orange flesh...I mean it's a really great color of orange! Then, inspired by the color...I added a 1/4 can of frozen orange juice. Mix that together. I used a small electric beater. Then add a cup of dried cranberries. Stir to mix. Now put the mixture into a small casserole dish and place in the refrigerator for awhile. You want the cranberries to plump up. Ready to eat? Warm in the microwave...the orange gives the squash a fresh spring like taste.

Movie Review

Matchstick Men… Nicholas Cage stars in this one. And although the reviews ran about 75% in favor of it, I was (we were) 100% in favor. The film did exactly what a good film should do and that’s to entertain. Great twisted ending(s). Some profanity but wasn’t overdone.

The Rice Bowl - on the Esplanade

We went back to the Rice Bowl restaurant last night and I can report that it was a pretty good meal...but first a few comments. It was partly our fault, we really need to speak up when we are seated next to another party when the restaurant is only 20% filled as it was when we arrived last night. And sure enough...we were seated next to a chatty crowd, making our own conversation difficult. OK, so why does this happen? Wouldn't it be a nice gesture to seat everyone with a buffer of at least one table between them? But, as I said...we should have spoken up. And we will.

The service was good and there were no delays. And this restaurant has both a Chinese and a Japanese menu...feel free to order from either one. I went for the Japanese menu, ordering the Miso soup, a Salmon Skin salad and a Volcano roll with Spicy Tuna. The miso was slightly salty and missing the rich taste I am so fond of. It was sort of watery? But the Salmon Skin Salad was a winner! Lightly fried strips of salmon skin with a fancy selection of greenery. The Volcano roll was also a good choice. Spicy tuna sushi with a fancy orange cap of ground salmon. The rest of our party had Chinese and reported that it was quite good as well.

I guess we'll be back. I would give it 3.75 stars...I would have given them 4 stars, but they serve no non-alcoholic beer. That's a must for any restaurant that wants my business on a regular basis.

And Another review...

Hmmm? I can't even remember the title? That tells you a lot about the quality of the movie. OK, it was the movie about Tom Hanks playing an Eastern European traveler who gets stuck in the airport terminal in New York. But...it was mostly a movie about Tom Hanks trying to sound as if he were an Eastern European. By the way, he isn't. The whole "accent" thing put me off. The script? Poor. Plausible? Not even. Give it 2 stars.

Cold Mountain - A review

We watched this movie last night and once again I came away convinced that reading the book is a far more entertaining experience than watching the movie. Not that it wasn't a riveting movie...it was, and we were held captive to it for the entire 150+ minutes.

But in a movie, the violence is, well, it's violent. In a book, your imagination is sufficient. You don't need to be slapped in the face with it to know it...

The book was rich with language and this movie was short on riches. It relied on star power to make it a box office hit. I might have enjoyed it more if the actors had been "unknowns". I would give it 3 stars.

Angry

We watched a most provocative movie last night…The Magdalene Sisters. (2003) Sad and startling. Sad because it was true. Startling because it happened just a short time ago. Read the reviews. I couldn’t expand on any of the reviews. I can only say that I was outraged by it…5 stars.

Kalyn's Kitchen
My news aggregator brought me this blog...you might like it. I certainly did.

Great Performances
Great show...you gotta see it if it shows again.
But tonight, Frontline has a special on Meth that should be seen.

Fargo...The Movie

We watched “Fargo” last night. And I’m still thinking about it…If it weren’t for the fact that it was based on a true story, I would have thought it was a “black comedy” sort of film. But where did that true story happen? Apparently not in Minnesota.

(Alrighty dere den, folks in NorDakoda and Minnesoda do talk with an accent. Not all of them of course, but I have heard a few.)

Except for the violence and the profanity…it was a great movie. And I don’t know how they could have made the movie any other way…I give it 3.5 stars.

A Tale of Two Movies

We watched a couple of movies last night, so here goes… Training Day, with Denzel Washinton. That had to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. No, let me revise that. I didn’t really see it. We watched for about 10 minutes and that was enough. Off! Out!

But, I had another movie standing by… Tea with Mussolini. That wasn’t the best movie, but it certainly shone in comparison to Training Day. I thought the acting was only fair and the story line seemed fragmented at times, but it was pleasant. I will give it 3 stars.

And now I’m going to change our Netflix subscription to the lowest level, one DVD at a time. We never get around to seeing them as fast as they arrive with a two DVD subscription. Look at the money we will be saving! The reduced newspaper and movie budget will be our salvation in our old age. We’ll be able to afford new walkers every other year.

Saint Patrick's Day has come and gone. Although the leftover corned beef remains...
And I prepared a non-traditional dinner of Corned Beef and Carrots. You know, to celebrate the wearing of the Orange. (Orange=carrots, get it?)

First, the carrots; about 2# of the baby carrots in the cello pack. Boil till tender, but not too long!
Now take 1/4 cup of frozen orange juice concentrate and mix it with 1/4 cup of melted butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup of Mandarin orange slices. Put carrots in lightly greased baking dish and pour juice/butter/orange mixture over. Refrigerate for 8 hours - overnight. Heat oven to 350. Stir carrots and juice/butter/orange mixture together once more and then cook for about 20-25 minutes.

The corned beef was easy. I found a recipe I liked; rinse the corned beef (3# round brisket) and pat dry. Preheat oven to 300. Put a rack into a roasting pan. Now take brown sugar and coat the corned beef completely, top and bottom. Place on rack, fat side up. Take a bottle of Irish beer and pour some carefully onto the brown sugar to wet it good. The rest is poured into the pan. ( I used Clausthaler, a German non-alcoholic beer with a great bitter taste) Now cover the whole thing with a aluminum foil tent and cook for about 2+ hours. Very good!

And I made Soda bread as well...after a slight hiccup with some old wheat flour, I got the recipe almost right and the next 4 loaves turned out just fine.

And speaking of bread...get the King Arthur Flour catalog. Lots of expensive stuff, but fascinating. Or shop on-line. (Same place)

The Red Violin
That was the film I had picked a week or so ago...just got around to watching it last night. I found it fascinating; Laurae fell asleep. So take your pick. But if you rent it, be sure you TURN ON the sub-titles before beginning the movie. I didn't and had to go back to the beginning after about 10 minutes, switch to sub-titles and begin again. Photography is exquisite, as is the musical score. I'm giving it 4 stars!

A movie review...

We watched Troy the other night. All 163 minutes of it. I think we were too numb to get up and turn it off earlier as we should have. I don't know who starred in it and I really don't care.

But after some thought, it struck me! This movie was exactly like the movies I used to look forward to seeing at the LaMar theatre when I was 12 years old. In fact, it might have been one those movies, re-done.

OK, now I can honestly say that this is a great movie! For a 12 year old...

Pork

It’s time for a recipe here…as you may already know, pork is no longer flavorful. Yes, it’s lean and gets to market itself as “the other white meat.” But it’s just white meat, not necessarily flavorful.

I really do like pork, but I need to find ways to add some flavor to it and here’s a recipe that I tried yesterday. The original recipe made 6 servings and my revised one serves 3.

1 large boneless pork loin chop
½ yellow onion, diced
1 large banana, diced
Additional vegetables as desired (I used a ¼ bag of TJ’s frozen Mexican corn)
Vegetable oil
15 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Pappy’s Garlic Seasoning

Take one of those large boneless pork loin chops, the kind you buy at Costco. Cut it into bite sized pieces. Take half of a yellow onion and dice it. Season and cook the pork in a skillet with the oil, over medium high heat, until browned. Add the onions and cook until tender and translucent.

Add the bananas, tomatoes and any additional vegetables. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low, stirring occasionally, until the pork is quite tender. About 30 minutes.

While pork is cooking, cook a batch of egg noodles (or rice). I used the egg noodles and stirred it all together before serving. I suppose I would serve the rice separately if I used it.

A very good taste!

Recipes

Speaking of recipes…was I? Anyway, if you’re in Trader Joe’s, you might keep your eye open for the recipe boxes that are scattered around the store. Brightly colored 3x5 cards with great recipes are in the boxes and the recipes call for an ingredient near at hand. (Of course…) I picked up 5 of them yesterday.

Tomatoes...
I just had to comment on the tomato harvest from last year. I know, that's history...but I made a quick dinner the other night with some angel hair pasta and a spaghetti sauce from the freezer. The sauce was great! The tomatoes were loaded with natural sugars and the frozen storage seemed to accent that. I didn't use any salt in the sauce and no meat. And it was perfect. I only have two of those left in the freezer, so I need to portion them out carefully until the next harvest. You should try it yourself this year.

A movie review...Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Rated R

A very good movie and quite opportune. With Kenny Boy on trial, it makes sense to watch this movie. And if you're a Californian, you will be quite "Amused" as you listen to the comments of the Enron traders while they worked the system to make a fortune for Enron.

The language is profane at times...but what is worse is the mindset of those uttering the profanities. These people were less than human.

Superheated steam oven
Is this the new "microwave"? The kitchen appliance we can't live without? I have to admit that it sounds pretty neat...

A good soup. It was certainly soup weather and so I fooled a bit with this recipe and came up with one I liked...

Italian Sausage Soup
INGREDIENTS
1 pound Italian sausage (I used thinly sliced TJ’s Chicken Sausage)
1 clove garlic, minced (I used 2)
2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots (I used peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained (I used White Beans)
2 small zucchini, cubed
2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and torn
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
DIRECTIONS
In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and sweet potato, and season with Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

I'm sure it would be good with bulk Italian Sausage, but I had some (5) precooked chicken sausage with Chipotle pepper. Trader Joe has a wide variety of these and I usually have one kind or another in my refrigerator. The recipe had very little spice? so I added the Italian seasoning. Feel free to add more of course. I served it with a great bread from Great Harvest.

Gift

It’s our anniversary today and we decided to give ourselves a nice present. Last year at this time, we gave ourselves a new stove and so it seems to make sense that this year we would give ourselves another food related item; a new mixer. Yes, we have what our oldest daughter calls, “A Counter Trophy”, a KitchenAid 5 quart mixer. Every kitchen is supposed to have one, whether it’s used or not. Ours is white…and I know that is so boring! But our kitchen has no bold color theme; it’s all wood and white so the mixer will fit right in.

Enchiladas

We enjoyed a good dinner last night and I’m sharing it here…enchiladas. Doesn’t everyone like enchiladas? I started by sautéing 4 boneless chicken thighs. I use the thighs because they have a bolder taste than the breasts, but to each their own! Then I cut up the meat into bite sized chunks and placed them in a bowl. I grated some sharp cheddar and some Jack cheese. A jar of Sunny Select Southwest Salsa (Hot) with corn was opened and I was ready to begin heating the tortillas. And then I decided to add one more thing; spinach. Fresh spinach.

Heating the tortillas briefly in hot oil softens them for rolling. Then I placed a layer of spinach leaves in the middle of the tortilla, followed by chicken, cheese, (both kinds) and salsa. I rolled the tortilla into the familiar enchilada shape and placed it in the shallow baking dish. I made a total of 6 enchiladas and then used one bottle of Trader Joe’s Enchilada Sauce to cover them. The last of the cheese was then sprinkled over the top.

I cooked them at 350℉ for 40 minutes.

Very good…but here is what I will do next time. More spinach. I will add one more layer of spinach leaves to top the salsa layer. And TJ’s sauce is bland. I will use a different enchilada sauce, an ethnic one or make my own.

Since we all love Tilapia, I spotted this recipe and decided to post it here before trying it first.

Tilapia with Old Bay Butter
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup white wine
1 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Tarragon leaves
1 lb. Tilapia fillets

Mix butter, wine, Old Bay Seasoning and tarragon. Brush both sides of fish with mixture. Grill or broil 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Turn fish and brush with remaining mixture half way through grilling.

Friday's Fish...
We had White Sea Bass last night. And it was pretty much a Trader Joe dinner. The bass was TJ's and so was the olive oil. The inspiration was all mine though...

I defrosted two medium sized bass filets. In a saute pan (with cover) I added about two tablespoons of olive oil and placed the heat at medium - low. Then I added a 1/2 tsp of Pappy's garlic spice seasoning and a dozen fennel seeds and let them cook (cover on) in the heated oil for about 10 minutes. I reasoned that it would infuse the oil with the spices and mute their flavors a little.

Then I added the fish and let it cook (cover on) for about 10 minutes. (size will vary cooking times) The fish was very good, moist and flaky...with just a hint of spice. I served the dish with sliced lemons that were beautiful. (From our own tree!) As a side dish, we had "Jewel" sweet potatoes, served with butter and TJ's deep, dark brown molasses brown sugar. A good coleslaw salad complimented the menu perfectly.

I have been a little bit depressed during the past few weeks...so it was time to do what's best for that kind of thinking; time once again to watch "Young Einstein", starring Yahoo Serious!

A classic movie! From his first experiments where he split the "beer atom" and reduced his father's small brewery to a pile of ashes, and then to the end where young Einstein, the Tasmanian genius, invents "Rock and Roll"...just after saving the world from an even larger Beer Explosion. Co-stars Marie Curie, the beautiful French Nobel Prize (1906) winner.

I feel so much better!

Poached Scrambled eggs
I've got to try this one...
"This method requires a degree of blind faith. After all, pouring cold liquid into hot liquid promises to yield little more than murky yellow water. Following a lot of trial and error, I came to a few basic steps that lead to perfect eggs every time.

The most important factor is using only the thick whites and the yolk. At first I could get this technique to work only with very fresh farmer's-market eggs, whose viscous whites are high in protein (the main bonding agent). As eggs age, the thick part of the white erodes, and the thin, watery part increases, which is why fresh eggs (less than one week old) are best for eating, and older ones are better suited for meringues. This flummoxed me until a quick e-mail message to my friend Harold McGee, the food scientist and author of “On Food and Cooking,” solved the problem. He discovered that using supermarket eggs is just fine if you start by cracking each one into a slotted spoon (or sieve) and let the thin white drain away, then work with the remaining thick white and yolk.

Next, beat the eggs with a fork, but don't add salt. (The grains of salt will tear the structure of the eggs, causing them to disintegrate on contact with the water.) Let a covered pot filled with about four inches of water come to a low boil over moderate heat, then remove the cover, add a little salt and stir the water in a clockwise motion. After you've created a mini-whirlpool, gently pour the eggs into the moving liquid, which will allow them to set suspended in the water rather than sink to the bottom of the pot, where they would stick...
After saying a quick prayer and adding the eggs, cover the pot and count to 20. Almost instantly the eggs will change from translucent to opaque and float to the surface in gossamer ribbons. This all happens very quickly, and by the time you lift the lid, they should be completely cooked.

Tilt the pot over the strainer while holding back the eggs with a spoon, and pour off most of the water. A few bits may escape, but the strainer will catch them. When the rest of the water has drained, gently slide the eggs into the strainer and let them sit there for a minute while you get bowls or remove bread from the toaster. "

Peppa What?
Peppadew USA
These are too good...honest. We had some this weekend when Kitty brought some from an Arizona Safeway store. I need to look in the local Safeway...or perhaps I could take a copy of this page to Raley's?

Drunken gluttons order and eat 100-patty hamburger

I had no idea that you could order extra patties...and only $1 apiece. Oh well, two are enough for me.

We ate at the In-n-Out on Truxel Road last night. Enjoyed.

Odd; one of the best parts of a Double-Double is the cheese that spills out and onto the paper wrapping. If you're careful, you can eat that cheese without getting any of the paper...

Movie Review

Chocolat
What a great movie…one of the best! The plot is predictable, and although I usually find that to be offensive, in this case it was desired. Back in the day…a good review of a movie might include the line, “I laughed and I cried…” and I can say that about this movie. The acting was superb! Johnnie Depp was brilliant as always. Judi Dench; superb. I can’t think of one actor that didn’t give their best for this movie. This is a 5 star movie, no doubt about it.

For more on the movie and some good reviews, click here

A good one...I received this one from Jill and we tried it out last night.

Tasty Onion Chicken
½ Cup butter, melted
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tsp. ground mustard
1 Large can French-fried onions, crushed
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

In a shallow bowl, combine butter, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Place onions in another shallow bowl. Dip chicken in butter mixture, then coat with onions. Place in a greased 11-in.X7-in.X2-in. baking dish; drizzle with remaining butter mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done.

The differences...I used two large chicken breasts and 1/2 can of French Fried onions. Next time I'm using 4 small chicken breasts and the full can. And because I used larger chicken breasts, the 25 minutes weren't quite enough and I had to zap them in the microwave for 2 minutes to get the internal temp past 160 degrees.

Pillsbury

Have you seen those TV ads for Pillsbury® Grands® biscuits where the biscuit is made into a sort of empanada? I have seen them, was intrigued with the possibilities and decided to try it last night. I made up my own filling, chicken and squash. I cooked some boneless chicken thighs with onion and garlic, and then sliced up the chicken into very small pieces. After removing the chicken from the pan, I sautéed the onions along with some cut up bell pepper. The difficult part came next as I tried and failed at making the biscuits conform to a 6” diameter. Laurae did better than I and after some messy experimenting, I was able to close and seal the empanadas; but first I gave them a dollop of salsa over the chicken. They required a full 14 minutes before they were brown enough to call “done”.

Very tasty. But on my next try I will follow Laurae’s advice and brush the tops with egg white to polish them and I will use a food processor to better blend the ingredients into a manageable size. (The zucchini kept trying to escape)

Since my daughter once looked here (in vain) for a good carrot recipe...I thought I should post this one that I just spotted. Sounds good!

Orange Glazed Carrots
3 cups thinly sliced carrots
3 tbs butter
2 cups water
3 tbs orange marmalade
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs chopped pecans

Mix carrots water and salt in crock-pot. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until carrots are done. Drain well; stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on high for another 30 minutes.

Here's something I found in the Bee on Wednesday... -

"This lentil-chicken sausage combination is a comforting, savory dish of the kind that suggests slow cooking but, happily, demands only 30 minutes of the cook's time.

Lentils With Chicken Sausage
1 cup French green lentils (7 ounces)
4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 celery rib, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, quartered, plus 1 large onion, cut through the root end into 8 wedges
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 thyme sprigs
1 cup baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 precooked chicken sausages ( 3/4 pound)
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

In a medium heavy soup pot, combine the lentils with the chicken stock. Cover and bring to a boil.

In a food processor, pulse the carrot, celery, quartered onion and the garlic until finely chopped. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the vegetables and the thyme and cook over moderately high heat until softened, 3 minutes; scrape into the lentils, cover and cook over moderate heat until the lentils are tender, 20 minutes. Stir in the spinach; season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the onion wedges and sausages and cook over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until the onions are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute.

Thickly slice the sausages. Stir the sausages, onions and any accumulated juices into the lentils; discard the thyme sprigs. Spoon the lentils and sausages into bowls and serve.
Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 494 cal., 24 g total fat (4.8 g saturated), 39 g carbo., 9 g fiber.
Wine suggestion: a berry-inflected merlot.

I haven't made it yet as I'm still working on leftovers, but I am gathering the ingredients. I found some lentils at Holiday...but not green ones. The sausage can be found at Trader Joe's.

Decadent!

For a new taste; try a Trader Joe’s French Truffle and a banana. At the same time and at 6:30 in the morning! Gives a whole new meaning to health foods!  

Making a Pie Crust
This looks like it has all the info needed to make the perfect crust. I need to get brave enough to just do it! But first I have to find out if we own a "pastry cutter".

Penna Gourmet Olives
I spotted this in a local newspaper article yesterday. I am hoping for a few of my own olives next year, but if they don't appear...here's my backup source! And they are right here in Orland (Actually a little bit south...)

Eggs!

Marvelous eggs! I read an article in the food section of the Bee yesterday and it intrigued me enough to try out the recipe. Well, it’s more of a technique than it is a recipe. It was all about scrambling eggs…slowly. Very slowly. Here a link to the article (Originally from the LA Times)

I tried it out last night, letting 6 eggs warm up first (30 minutes) and then adding a tablespoon of butter to the frying pan. I beat the eggs lightly with a whip and had the pan temperature at medium-low when I poured them in. I began to stir. And stir some more. You can’t stop, except to add more butter every once in awhile. It takes a long time to see any change in the eggs, but after about 7 minutes, the eggs began to form small curds. Keep stirring. At some point I began to remove the pan from the heat altogether (temporarily) and stir some more, all in an effort to slow things down. After about 15 minutes, the eggs were an unusually rich color of yellow and were soft and moist. Yes, they were cooked. I added them to a few slices of our leftover ham and it was a most delightful meal. The taste of the eggs is more pronounced, “eggy” and very rich tasting!

Cold and raining...

Speaking of stew…There’s something about winter that always makes me think of lamb. I ran across this recipe and I think I need to make it.

3 lbs of lamb stew meat
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 potatoes, cubed
15 baby carrots
1 turnip chopped
2 bay leaves
3 cups of water with 3 cubes of beef bouillon
1 tsp salt
½ tsp rosemary
½ tsp black pepper
4 tbsp oil
Flour

1. Heat oil in skillet.


2. While oil is heating put flour in a paper bag.  Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to the flour mixture. Seasonings to taste.


3. Put some stew meat in bag and shake to cover.


4. Put meat in pan and brown on all sides.


5. When all meat is browned add to crockpot.


6. Add all other ingredients to crockpot.


7. Cook 6 to 8 hours, depending on your crockpot.

I’ve never used a turnip in stew and so I think I should give it a try. And the recipe says that it will serve 6.

More Recipes!

I was taken to task recently because there weren’t enough recipes posted here, and there were no links to sources for recipes. I guess I forgot that this is supposed to be “food” blog. And upon review, it does look like there haven’t been that many recipes posted here recently. OK, I will try to make amends by giving out this link to one of my favorite recipe sites…Allrecipes.com and I promise to add some other links as well.

Critique

Since I have made this blog into more than just an “eats” blog, I want to report on the movie we watched last night, “Million Dollar Baby” with Clint Eastwood. It is a “fight” movie; specifically a movie about a woman who is a professional boxer. That’s not exactly what I would call a compelling story to base a movie on, but Clint Eastwood did a great job with it. I was very conflicted while watching the movie as I reject boxing on an intellectual basis, and at the same time, boxing appeals to some base element within me. I hate that!  

As the story unfolded, I was gripped by the “reality” of it and had to tell myself that it was simply a movie. The acting was that superb. At one point, I had to stand up, walk around and look elsewhere and not at the screen. Also, about halfway through the movie I knew that the ending was not going to make me happy and from then on, it was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Scary. But it was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time.

spicy snacks
Peppadews? Where do I find them?

A new year has arrived and I must have some goals for it...and one is to learn how to make a lemon meringue pie. I have all of the lemons I will ever need; I just need the skill to make the pie.

Here's a site that proclaims to have the BEST pie recipe, but they didn't include the pie shell in the recipe and that has to be excellent as well, or the pie is a flop. I guess I have to start somewhere and I might as well start with this one.

Oops. I looked a little further on that site and spotted a pie shell recipe...so now I'm good to go!

A stormy day! And a good time for a cup of tea. And now I can tell you about a new tea I found the other day, Bigelow's "Eggnogg'n" - "An Eggceptional Winter Tea"

I'm enjoying a cup right now. It has a lot of vanilla tones in it with a touch of cinnamon. I have added a teaspoon of honey but the honey flavor is barely noticeable in the complex of flavors.

Unfortunately, it comes in bags so I can't enjoy it in my new Ingenuitea cup.

Teapot from Adagio Teas
I received this for Christmas and I'm thoroughly impressed with it! It works perfectly! Thanks!

Great Pumpkin Bread

…no, not bread made from Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin, an ordinary pumpkin will do just fine.

2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned* pumpkin puree
1/2 cup oil
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 medium orange, juice and grated peel
1 apple, peeled, cored and grated
1/2 cup yellow raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Beat together first 4 ingredients until blended. Stir in the remaining ingredients until dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not overmix.

Divide batter between 4** greased and lightly floured mini-loaf pans (6x3x2-inch), place pans on a cookie sheet and bake in a 325 F. oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester, inserted in center, comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then remove from pans and continue cooling on a rack.

When cool, brush tops with orange honey and sprinkle with a few chopped toasted walnuts.*** Yields 4 mini-loaves. Or 2 (8x4-1-inch) loaf pans OR 1 (9x5-inch loaf pan. Adjust cooking time and bake at 350 F. until cake tester, (toothpick) inserted in center, comes out clean.

This is very good!

*I used fresh pumpkin and it makes lighter bread than the processed pumpkin.

**The 4 overflowed…I’m going to try it with 5 next time.

***I used finely chopped pecans.

Movie Review time...
We watched "Coach Carter" the other night and here is what Netflix has to say about that...

Coach Carter (2005) PG-13
Samuel L. Jackson plays the titular, controversial coach, a hardliner who firmly believes that scholarship and a sense of ethics go hand in hand with excellence on the basketball court. A man of his convictions, Coach Carter benches his undefeated team of high schoolers when they turn in poor academic grades (much to the chagrin of the players' parents and many of his fellow teachers). Co-stars Ashanti. Thomas Carter directs.

Great movie! Some scenes and the language were irritating, but in the end did not factor into our overall enjoyment of the movie. I have to admit that I wasn't all that keen on seeing the movie...but I was wrong. The story is a no-brainer, but the acting is so well done that you will enjoy it despite the fact that the ending is obvious.

I gave it 5 stars.

Wednesday night and...

Before the concert we decided to try a “New to Us” restaurant. And this time it was the Caffe Malvina. A good choice. We arrived at 5:45 and found the restaurant empty. Now for us, that’s a good sign, signaling a quiet evening ahead of us. We were greeted quite warmly by the hostess (family?) and seated at a nice table by the window. The menu holds no surprises, it is Italian! And there are no signs that it might be a trendy sort of place. The menu said “family”.

We made our choices, pastas with squid. But two different entrees…And at 6, a crowd began to fill the restaurant. A piano began to play and soon it was difficult for us to hold a conversation. (It is a small room.) Service was smooth though not polished. Our hostess was constantly in motion, moving from one table to another with greetings and concerns. It was quickly apparent that the dinner crowd was comprised of returning customers. I’m sure that we were the only “strangers” in the room and the hostess went out of her way to make us feel at home in her “home”.  

Good, simple Italian food…give it 4 stars, but come early! (And come to eat on Thursday nights, it will make the owner happy.)

Concert Time

A night at Laxson. A great evening with Joan Baez in concert. We easily found our seats, high above the stage in the balcony section and then noted the grand architecture of the hall. I guessed that it had been built in the 1930’s but it turned out that I was off by a few years as it had been built in the late 20’s. It certainly has that Classical Moorish look and feel to it. It is a small venue so most seats are good ones. The more knowledgeable around us had brought small binoculars to get a better glimpse of those on stage, but we didn’t miss out on anything by not having binoculars for ourselves.

I haven’t heard complaint or praise for the acoustics in the hall, so I had no bias…but I would have to think that they could have been better. Joan’s voice easily rises above mere electronics, but I could hear a brassy overtone every once in awhile. And since the hall has obviously never been remodeled, the acoustics are the same as they were in the 1920’s. Hard surfaces abound in the room, though they may have used acoustical paint on them. (Here's a link to more information than you will ever need about the auditorium)

But, I’m looking forward to seeing more at Laxson. Next year I will spend more time reviewing the season’s offerings and making some early reservations. I will have to seek out some knowledgeable persons to discover the best seating choices. Anyone?

One Pot Sauce...something new from Trader Joe. It's a Mexican style chili sauce; all you do is add the meat and one can of beans. I tried the sauce with the last of the turkey (dark meat) and had it on tortillas, with cheese, tomatoes and avocado as sides. It has some heat, so you won't need any salsa for fire...and it's quite good! It has a sweet aftertaste that I found appealing to my taste.

Another new item is the Carrot Ginger Soup. I will try that in a few days.

All in all, it's great to have the old familiar TJ "stuff" close by. But I'm hoping that the tourists will soon depart and go back to Safeway or Albertsons. They stare at the shelves and block the aisles as they try to make sense of the offerings. I was thinking of just grabbing some good stuff off of the shelf, throwing it in their baskets and sending them on their way..."Here! Now go...you'll like it!"

Teaz Me just got better! I stopped there this morning for a hot chai before heading to Trader Joe’s. As I was putting my change back in my wallet I noticed a good looking scone in the display case and decided to order it. In a few minutes my chai and scone were delivered to my table. The scone, a cranberry-orange one, was served on an oriental style of dish, rectangular with a sloping surface. And on the plate were an orange twist and a small serving of orange marmalade. Very good! The orange marmalade went well with a perfectly baked scone. And the scone was as good as the ones served at Higher Ground.

A little something added...OK, I tried the recipe that my daughter had concocted, (see below) but I changed a few things; only because I didn't have all the ingredients that she used. For instance...I used a couple of large pork loin chops. They are really the size of small roasts, though they have a different taste. I added some fennel seeds (1 tsp) because I like that taste. I used Pappy's Garlic Herb rub and not the barbecue rub. I only had one jar of bruschetta (Trader Joe) but that, plus one small tomato sauce was enough. Then I added half a dozen sliced fresh mushrooms at the very end. And while I was at Holiday market buying the wide egg noodles, I spotted a freshly made jalapeno bread. That made the perfect accompaniment to a great meal!

Got a good one from my oldest...Here it is, verbatim;

"Hey Da, Made a really yummy dinner last night….well I worked on it all day while I was at work…the famous trio of pork roasts from Costco…in my roaster/slow cooker….sprinkled pappys (Pappy's Choice, Dry seasoning) on them (cooked two). Seared them in the pan….then poured two jars of the bruschetta (Trader Joe's) ½ cup red wine, and one can of tomato sauce. Slow cooked all day then added sliced black olives when I got home. Served them over hot buttered wide egg noodles…..it was a big hit! "

Sounds good and I can already taste the leftovers.

It's Monday.

Another day and another movie…this time it was “Hidalgo” 2004  PG-13

Here’s what Netflix says about it.

“Viggo Mortensen stars as Frank T. Hopkins, reputed to be one of the best riders of the Wild West. His chance to prove his talent comes when an affluent sheik invites him to join one of the most outrageous and grueling races of all: a 3000-mile trek across the Arabian Desert. Previously open only to those who ride Arabian horses, the event allows Hopkins to join with his Mustang, Hidalgo. Can they win?”

What a stinker of a movie! I’m surprised that the director couldn’t find a way to include a scene where the heroine was tied to the railroad tracks with a train fast approaching, ala the “Perils of Pauline”. It was sort of like watching an old Lassie re-run; substitute a horse for Lassie and you have it all. Give this one no stars.

A good sign! I drove by the Teaz Me! location this morning on my way to the park and noted that there was an "Open" sign glowing in the window. On the way home I stopped in to see if they were really open or had mistakenly left the light on overnight. They were open...and so I had a chance to enjoy a black tea latte with vanilla. The new hours make sense; open at 7 AM.

Check out their morning tea...I will be there after each walk at Bidwell.

Movie Time! With the house silent once again, it was time for a movie. This one had arrived earlier but we didn't get around to watching it because of the holiday. As it turned out, we didn't miss much by waiting.

Sahara (2005) Rated PG-13

Here's what Netflix has to say..."Based on Clive Cussler's best-selling novels starring action hero Dirk Pitt, Sahara sets the daring adventurer on a mission to save the world from destruction. While investigating a deadly water-borne epidemic along the Nile, Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) uncovers a secret dating back to Lincoln's assassination and battles an evil industrialist bent on killing every living thing in the world's oceans. Also stars Steve Zahn and Penelope Cruz"

Let me say this about that...I think we both fell asleep within the first 10 minutes. But, we resumed watching again after about 30 minutes had passed. And missed nothing. After all was said and done, the movie was light and predictable. A completely implausible story, but what else do you expect from Mr. Cussler? I would give it 2.5 stars.

Sorry about the absence...There was a holiday and I was soon swamped by other demands.

And one of those demands was to find a cranberry jelly recipe for Jill. She had left her copy at home and so I went searching for the Fannie Farmer cranberry jelly recipe and soon found it. It's quite simple:

Pick over and wash four cups cranberries. (1-1/2 pkgs)Put in a stewpan with two cups boiling water, and boil twenty minutes (keep stirring!). Rub through a sieve, add two cups sugar, and cook five minutes. Turn into a mould or glasses.

She cooked it up and we poured it into a small mold and then let it set overnight in the refrigerator. It has to be the best cranberry jelly in the world!

I'm going to try a variation on that recipe by adding orange to it. Maybe 1/2 cup of concentrated orange juice and only 1-1/2 cups of water?

Movie Time

It’s time for another movie review. An American Rhapsody (2001) PG-13
NetFlix says…“Amidst the shadows and secrets of Communist Hungary, one family's desperate escape plan goes terribly wrong. By dark of night, the family attempts a daring getaway, sneaking over the heavily armed border, but at an unthinkable price - their infant daughter is mistakenly left behind.”

Scarlett Johansson, (“Girl With a Pearl Earring”) really stars in this movie. Although the movie “feels” as if there were some important scenes left on the cutting room floor…(what happened to about 10 years of her life?) the movie was quite good. I really enjoyed the depiction of Southern California life in the 1950’s. That part provided a little comic relief from the heavy drama that comes from a family torn apart by the early loss of their daughter and her rejoining them. The father’s part is shallow and could have been improved upon. The same could be said of the sister’s role. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. I was entertained and that’s what I paid for.

It's kind of quiet right now. The twins, Jill, and Laurae have gone to town for some shopping and I have been left alone to deal with the pomegranates. I have plenty! I want to make pomegranate jelly once again and to do that I need lots of the little bright red and juicy seeds. I use a labor intensive method of extracting the seeds, though it is a little less messy than most methods. First, you fill the sink with cool water. Make a few cuts in the skin of the pomegranate and then split it apart while holding it under the water. Now you begin to tear the sections apart while carefully pushing the seeds off of their attachments. All of this is done under the water. The white pith and outer skin will float on the surface while the seeds sink to the bottom. Soon the bottom of the sink will be covered in seeds. After processing 4 or 5 of the fruit, skim off the floating debris and then remove the seeds from the sink. All of this work makes for a sweeter jelly with a real pomegranate taste. In other methods of extraction, the pith is included in the process and that imparts a slightly bitter taste.

OK, 10 pomegranates done...40 more to go!

Girl With a Pearl Earring

Girl With a Pearl Earring.  2003 PG-13

Here is Netflix’ description of the movie. “Sometimes, inspiration is found in the most surprising places ... or people. In this cinematic adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name, Scarlett Johansson stars as Griet, the young housemaid with a hidden appreciation for art who becomes the muse of Dutch master painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth), famous for capturing the luminosity and grace of women in their domestic setting.”

A great movie. The acting was superb and the photography was even better. Every scene could have been framed and hung in a museum; they were that beautiful. Although the plot has the characters confined to a very small portion of the 17th century town of Delft, Holland, the photography is innovative and you are never bored. Scarlett Johansson does a great job, easily gaining the full attention of this audience. Colin Firth, as Vermeer, did a good job but I felt less than sympathetic for his character. This is a 5 star movie…

Another night and another movie...The Man Who Cried (2000) (R)

Here is the Netflix' description..."The "it girl" of the indie scene, Christina Ricci is Suzie, a Russian Jew adrift in the world after her father leaves the family to make a fresh start in America. Immigrating to England, Suzie flowers into a no-nonsense showgirl who eventually ends up in Paris (on the eve of World War II), where she soon becomes involved with Cesar, (Johnny Depp) the head of a small band of gypsies."

This could have been a great movie, but the editor failed to make the movie come alive. The scenes are cut in all of the wrong places and you have to make a mental shift on your own to try and regain the story line. The colors are garish and more disturbing than dramatic. And the movie ends in a rush, a most improbable rush as the heroine suddenly...well, I can't tell you if you haven't seen the movie. 5 stars? No, try 2 stars.

Movies

OK, I will try some reviews here. Starting with the review of a movie recently watched.

“Elizabeth” (1998) (R) this is what Netflix said about the film.

“Cate Blanchett plays England's Queen Elizabeth I, a young woman who took the throne of a Catholic country, declared it Protestant and then ruled successfully for 45 years. But a unified England came at great personal cost, as the young queen sacrificed any chance at true happiness. Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes and Richard Attenborough co-star in this riveting depiction of absolute power and its human toll.”

First, let me tell you that you will need to re-acquaint yourself with the story of Elizabeth before you watch the movie. The cast is superb and the photography is stunning, but the actors quite often speak in whispers, and if you miss the crucial whispered clue, you will be saying, “What? Who is that? What’d she say?” quite often.

Don’t let the fact that you need to know your history put you off watching this film. It’s really quite good. Oh, I almost forgot. There is a lot of violence, gruesomely displayed. Those were violent times, you know. But if you can watch those ridiculous C.S.I. television shows, this will be a piece of cake.

No, I haven't stopped eating, but I am out of ideas or thoughts for this space. More later!

Pumpkin Nook
Yesterday we took another dozen small pumpkins to Little Red Hen Nursery and added to their spectacular collection of colorful pumpkins. That leaves us with about half a dozen pumpkins for our own consumption. So I was browsing the web for some good pumpkin recipes and ran across this site; all you ever wanted to know about pumpkins, including a cookbook. My plan is to make some pumpkin soup and I will let you know how it turns out...

Update on Teaz Me...the Chico tea house.
I went there today after my walk in the park and ordered the Ooolong Caramel tea. I was a little disappointed as it wasn't very hot. I was hoping to read the newspaper and sip on it, but since it was only warm to begin with, it was soon gone. And then I decided to try their rice bowl for lunch. It's a little pricey at $8.45, but I figured I should try it at least once.

The bowl arrived and it was a great presentation; lots of color and the square bowl looks pretty classy. Besides the chicken, there was carrot slivers, pickled ginger, paper thin cucumber strips, sprouts and avocado slices. All combined with a wasabi ginger sauce over a bed of rice. The chicken is advertised as Sweet Chili Chicken, but I felt it should have been called Very Salty Chicken. Too bad! That ruined what could have been a very good dish.

The service was great, but the food was so-so. I guess I will have to try it one other day but I will order the Summer Roll ($4.95) and see how the sushi stacks up. So far, the restaurant has some negatives to deal with; they open too late in the day. (11 AM) And their menu is far too limited.

Pazzo Ristorante - Welcome!
This is the restaurant in Portland where Jill and I had our carb loading dinner on the night before the race. Now I had been here before, in fact it was in 2001, when Laurae and I had come for the marathon, so I already had an idea of what the menu consisted of.

We decided to go to dinner about 5:30, hoping to beat the crowds. Wrong! When we arrived we were told that there was a 3 hour wait! But...there was immediate seating in the bar area. We opted for that and I scanned the bar looking for a small table for two. Not one was vacant and so it was up to the bar itself, not my favorite place to be. The bartender was a most gracious host though and quickly made us feel right at home within the confines of his domain. Place settings arrived and bread was served while we looked at the menu. (It's a very impressive menu and worth downloading the .pdf file from this site to read it.) I chose a chickpea pasta with lamb ragu and mint, while Jill chose a black and white ravioli with salmon, spinach and lemon sauce. The dishes arrived in short order and we tasted. Good. I also sampled the ravioli and wished I had made the same choice; it was excellent. The pasta with lamb was good, but it didn't have that special flair that the salmon imparted to a pasta dish.

Since we were in "race mode", we didn't order anything else, just the pasta, but I remember having a more complete dinner in 2001 and it was delicious...I'm sure it would have been again. So if you're ever in Portland, try this restaurant for the food, the service and the ambiance. Moderately priced as well! I would give it 4 "Raviolis".

Dan and Louis Oyster Bar...Portland, Oregon.

This was the scene of our "victory" dinner after after the marathon. It's located in a less than ritzy neighborhood, (The Salvation Army and the Rescue Mission are close neighbors.) but it's worth the trip. This was my second visit to the restaurant and I chose the same dish that I enjoyed on my first visit, back in 2003; the Commander's Stew. A rich stew of oysters, clams and shrimp, combined with plenty of butter. The others in our party had Alaskan crab and crab cakes, plus an order of clam chowder.

Prices aren't bad at all...remember, it's a low rent district and the restaurant has been here for close to 100 years. Take time to look at all of the memorabilia on the walls.

Here are some links to learn more about the restaurant...I would give it 3.5 clams out of 5.
http://www.aracnet.com/~histgaz/hgv1n8.htm

http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=21948135&stx=&csz=Portland+OR

Teaz Me Tea Bar & Asian Cafe
Of course they have a web page...why didn't I look here first?

_

Yesterday, our day was filled with errands and we went from one end of Chico to the other. And while heading back downtown, I decided to stop at a restaurant we wanted to try out. (We had stopped there earlier in the day, but they were closed and didn’t open till 11.) The name of the restaurant is Teaz Me and it’s a tea bar with somewhat limited, but very interesting food service offerings.

A tea bar? Yes, they serve all kinds of tea and in all sorts of exotic ways. They serve it both hot and cold. The large tea menu, 34 items, quickly had me debating with myself, but I finally decided on a Steamed Oolong Caramel Crème while Laurae decided on a cold drink, a “Tropical Madness”. For entree’s, the menu has a large rice bowl and a salad bowl. There are also a couple of sushi rolls available, plus some Asian themed appetizers. Since we had already eaten lunch elsewhere, we passed on the food and went outside to the shaded tables to wait for our teas. It was quite pleasant outside, though the view from this area isn’t the best…the parking lot for the Morning Thunder Café. But you can glimpse the trees of Bidwell Park from here and so not all is lost.

The tea was delivered to our table promptly and it was quite good! At the same time, we enjoyed hearing some modern jazz being played nice and low. I can see that we will be trying more from their menu…perhaps a Summer Roll, with Chili Chicken & Fresh Basil?

After that pleasant interlude, we headed down to the university box office to redeem the gift certificate that the Kelly’s gave me for my birthday. We decided to see Joan Baez in concert on December 7th. Joan is one of our favorite artists and seeing her perform (live!) has always been one of my dreams. Thanks, Kelly’s!!

I was reading the Chico News and Review, the controversial weekly "free" newspaper of this region. And once a year, they have a special article about all things considered The Best of...Chico.

Of course I didn't agree with most choices, but you already knew that, didn't you?

Best Nursery: Little Red Hen should have been first, not second and Zamora's shouldn't have been on the list at all.

Best Asian Food: Should have been blank.

Best Pizza: Should have been Gas House Pizza.

Best Italian Food: Italian Cottage? You must be kidding!

Best Mexican: Speaking of kidding...it should have been La Familia.

There, that's enough to chew on.

Sorry about the lack of posts here...it's not that I quit eating! Not at all. In fact, I had far too much ice cream last night at a church social event. And at that event, we were asked to think about bringing some ice cream to the next event like that. Which made us curious as to what kinds of ice cream recipes are available. Google tells us that there are more recipes than we could possibly try!

And the recipes are most interesting. Imagination abounds in the world of ice cream. And that has made me curious and wishing to try some of those recipes. Yes, I know that home made ice cream will be expensive, but if you calculate the cost of gas into the price equation each time you go to the store to buy ice cream, it might even be cheaper. Let's see...it's 27 miles to Shubert's and at $3 a gallon for gas and fuel economy of 20 mpg. Carry the 2 and move the decimal to the right...yep! it's cheaper to make your own. I knew it!

And since I haven't been posting here as often as I would like, perhaps I should expand the content to include movie reviews, book reviews and television reviews?

It's time for another restaurant review...The Berry Patch restaurant in Orland.

We had been somewhat hesitant to try this restaurant because of its location. It is situated at the on/off ramp to I-5 at the Highway 32 intersection. And it's a general rule that restaurants near freeways are only there to snare the hungry traveler and not to provide good food. Witness; thousands of Denny's and Waffle House's located at off-ramps.

OK, so rules are meant to be broken. And we were pleasantly surprised by the Berry Patch and will return. No, it's not Haute Cuisine, but it was good and simple food, served well and with pleasant wait staff. The outside of the restaurant is in need of some sprucing up, but it is very pleasantly decorated inside.

The menu holds no surprises (yes, they have meatloaf!) and the prices are reasonable. I decided on the small cut of Prime Rib and that was $16, while Laurae had the breaded Cod for $10. The beef was cooked medium rare, just as I had ordered it and it was quite good, with very little fat. The bread that came with dinner was very good! A small baked potato was served, along with a side dish of vegetables. The only complaint I had was with those vegetables, as they were tough and tasteless.

I will give it 3 stars.

I have become a fan of salad in a bag. It's so easy to rip open a bag of lettuce and add whatever suits your fancy. And one that I would recommend is the "cheap" $1.29 bag of Classic Iceberg (Dole) from Raley's. Yes, I said iceberg, and although that's usually not the most interesting salad around, the Dole bag has added purple cabbage and slivers of carrots. It's actually colorful before you start adding your favorites to it.

This evening I added chopped red onion, cranberries, tomatoes, yellow banana peppers, cantaloupe, walnuts and some avocado...excellent! And think about it; $1.29 and it lasts us for 3 meals.

Basque Restaurants of the United States
Who knew? There are plenty of them and Basque Norte is listed among them. On reflection, I won't argue with that...

Noriega's and the Wool Growers in Bakersfield are favorites from long ago, as is J & T's in Gardnerville, NV. More recently, Louis's Basque Corner in Reno would be one of my all time favorites.

Memories of the Wool Growers restaurant...A platter filled with steaks. Countless bowls of pink beans. Pickled lamb's tongue as an appetizer. Bottles of red wine with no labels and screw caps. The story of a secret tunnel that ran beneath the street and connected Noriega's and the Wool Growers.

Speaking of Eats...I went by the site of the new Trader Joe's market and saw that progress was being made. Good times will soon be here!

Plaza III Steakhouse
Now here is a restaurant that deserves a visit from you...I've had the good fortune to have eaten here about a dozen times as part of my duties when I was involved with training at our corporate (PCI) headquarters near Kansas City. I've always eaten in the downstairs section, which is very much like an old fashioned jazz club. It's intimate and when a group of jazz artists are performing, you're close enough to hear all the nuances of the music, but not so close that the music overpowers you.

Before you make your selection from the menu, you will be presented with a "live" display of the actual cuts of beef, so that you can be better informed. But it's not all about beef. The restaurant has accomodated vegetarians (and me) on occasion, whipping up a great vegetarian dish when needed. No, it's not on the menu, but you can ask for it.

And the steak soup...you have to try it!

1 lb. ground beef or leftover roast
1/4 lb. butter
1/2 to 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 qts. water
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
1 lg. carrot, grated
1 med. onion
2 stalks celery
Pepper & salt to taste
1 tsp. sugar
4 beef bouillon cubes
Touch of green pepper
1 c. peas, beans or mixed vegetables

Make a roux: Melt butter, stir in flour and gradually add 2 cups water. Stir until smooth, add all the water, vegetables and beef. (If using ground beef, saute until brown.) Drain off grease (can be browned in microwave). Add meat to mixture and simmer until vegetables are done, stirring as needed. Cook about 1 1/2 hours. Add tomatoes and simmer a little longer. Yields about 1 gallon.

Basque Norte

Basque Norte
That is the name of the restaurant where I enjoyed my birthday celebration. It’s located on the Esplanade, at the north end of the city; hence the name, “Norte”. It has been a part of the Chico restaurant scene for many years and I suppose if I were to research its history, I would find that it has been a very popular destination for all of those years, serving tasty steaks to thousands of Chico residents. How else could they survive, located as they are on the fringes of the city?

The décor is definitely “old steakhouse” and surprisingly, not Basque at all. Almost all Basque restaurants copy the boardinghouse fashion of communal tables, but here we had individual tables. The menu was fairly simple and steak was prominent; so that was my choice. I ordered the petite cut of sirloin.

The meal begins with a soup course, a tomato garlic soup that could have benefited from a little less garlic and a little more tomato. Some additional spice would have been good.

The salad was simple, lettuce, tomato and onion. That was followed by a pasta dish that was quite tasty, although I wondered why the vermicelli pasta had been cut into pieces? And though the pasta was advertised as pasta with sausage, I didn’t spot any sausage at all.

The entrée arrived with an accompaniment of potatoes and green beans. These were simply great! I could have had a complete meal with just those two items. The beans were not overcooked as they so often are and the potatoes had been boiled to perfection and not a second more. The steak had been marinated, which often gives the meat a “sameness” that doesn’t quite excite the palate; and that was the case here. It was good…but not spectacular. (I heard that the halibut was quite good!)

After dinner, it was time for the dessert dish of ice cream (included). And, since it was my birthday, I was honored with a small slice of cake, complete with flaming candle. Actually, I was doubly honored, as the cake, an amaretto mousse, was one of the most delicious desserts I have had in a long time!

The best part of the dinner? Being surrounded by my family. Absolutely!

Now to rate it…All in all, a very good dinner and I would give Basque Norte 3 ½ stars as a steakhouse. But Basque…it’s not.

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