Me & My Sangarrrrria!

What I will share with you now, are two recipes that have played a leading role in my summertime menu. The Peanut Noodles are nothing fancy, just a really good, simple dish that with the right concoction of ginger, garlic and soy can really pack a punch. They especially come to life, when accompanied by the real star of the summer, Sangarrrrria! In order to get the true Sangarrrrria experience, you must say it like you mean it, rolling the r’s and the a ending in a near whisper.

Peanut Noodles, recipe courtesy of Epicurious

The Pork Store's Finest

Holy Pork!

This was the first lunch stop on our recent visit to San Francisco. My husband Patio has been wanting to check out the Pork Store for years, on the recommendation from a good pork loving friend. Boasting two locations, The Haight and The Mission, we opted for the Haight Street location. A very small, hole in the wall greasy spoon kinda place, the Pork Store is a salty meat lovers delight. Besides, who doesn’t love bacon? If you haven’t noticed, bacon is uber trendy. It’s making a statement in food, fashion, decor, literature, you name it it’s everywhere. While the Pork Store caters to the meat lovers of the Bay, they offer quite an extensive menu of vegetarian and vegan options. Their tofu scramble has been voted best in the city, numerous times.

Patio ordered the Chicken Fried Steak, of course. For those of you that know my artery killing kind of food loving husband, he is an official Chicken Fried Steak connoisseur. He would become certified on the CFS board, if there was such a thing. He first started this obsession back in the early 90′s on a visit to Jackson Hole, WY where we stumbled upon another greasy diner, and his arteries have never been the same. I think I will save that story for another post, dedicated to Patio’s quest for the ultimate CFS. The verdict on the CFS from the Pork Store? “Just  Average”.
I wanted to go for a straight up bacon strip experience, so I ordered the bacon cheeseburger, with fries.  My sister Kelly ordered the B.L.A.T.- Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato sandwich. The bacon cheeseburger was fantastically bacony delicious! Just enough bacon to satiate my craving. The B.L.A.T. was reported as “Delicious”.

On our next visit to the Pork Store, I think I will try the Eggs In A Tasty Nest: 2 eggs nestled in a bed of hashed browns with bacon, grilled green peppers, fresh tomatoes, onions & garlic topped with cheddar cheese and served with biscuits. Although I think it’s best to give my arteries plenty of  time to recover before our next visit.

If you are ever in The Haight, on Haight, and have a hankering for some bacon, porkchops, sausage, or even a tofu scramble,  do give the Pork Store Cafe a try.

Till next time.

CFO

My it seems like a lifetime since I was in the UK, and at the Great British Eatery in Birmingham. This place came very highly recommended, from a very reliable “almost English” source, my husband Patio O’Rourke. Patio’s roots are very English, but being the first-born American of the lot, his memory of English food includes only meat pies, fried fish, anything Cadbury and of course extra strong black tea. I think what sold him on this place was their assortment of “Mad ‘O’ Rourke’s Pies”. How can you blame him? This time, however he nailed it and we were not at all disappointed with the Great British Eatery.

Known best for their famous fish and chips, this place offers so much more than just your standard British fare. I should begin by telling you of our journey to the GBE. We (myself and three coworkers) were in Birmingham for the Focus on Imaging Convention. Which for those of you who are not in the loop with professional photography conventions, is the largest imaging show of its kind in Europe. After a very long day working the show, we were very excited to find dinner quickly and easily at the GBE. Well, turns out, not so quickly or easily. Three trains, and several U turns on foot in the cobble stone- like streets later we finally stumbled on the GBE. Much to our surprise, it was a tiny “fast food” looking place. Not at all like the quintessential pub we had been searching for. We looked at each other in disbelief, and then quickly made the choice to give it a try.

Mini Fried Fish

I will never forget the experience at the Great British Eatery. Conrad, the “man in charge” was immediately engaging, offering us free fish appetizers and telling us of visitors from all across the globe coming to try their fish and chips. We took him up on his offer of free mini fish, served with of course mayonnaise for dipping.

We also had to try the famous Mad ‘O’Rourke’s pie. Against my gut’s better judgment, we decided on the lamb with mint. Now, I know better than to order anything with mint that doesn’t come as a dessert, but hey, I was in a foreign land and when in Rome. Too bad, should have gone with my gut and ordered the chicken and mushroom instead. The crust was divine, the flavors cooked perfectly, just can’t stand mint. Good thing the fish and chips made up for it. The chips were perfectly bathed in salty, vinegary goodness, at the time I was in full potato nirvana.

Mad 'O' Rourke's Meat Pie

Some of my favorite memories of this place (aside from the food, of course) are the conversations we had with Conrad. Craig, one of our crew, was experiencing a bad toothache that wouldn’t quit. We asked Conrad what his thoughts were on what our chances were of not only Craig, but all of us getting some work done while over there, to avoid the costly services in the US. I think at first he really thought we were being serious, and perhaps even we were. We just laughed and laughed and laughed.

To complete the evening, Conrad had insisted we visit a “proper” pub while there. He promptly “tinkled” (hee hee) a cab for us, and off we went. The next stop was the Waverly, a very old, yellow wall papered pub complete with 30 or so very proper English ales on tap. My kind of place. We didn’t last too long there, before having to head home and rest for the next full day at Focus.

Good times in Birmingham. Good food in Birmingham. Good drink in Birmingham. Good friends in Birmingham. Good bye for now.

Till next time.

CFO

Portello Spinach Salad

Portello is very much a small plate kind of place. Their ala cart bruschetta is fabulous, and their salads and paninis are delicious. On this visit I ordered the Spinach Salad with hazelnuts and avocado. Yum-e.

Till next time.

CFO

Happy Birthday Laura!

Happy Valentine’s Day to the world! What an interesting “holiday” Valentine’s Day is, eh?

Today I was thrilled to be sharing both Valentine’s Day and Laura’s birthday with my bestest peeps, and Chow, in Bend.
Chow is a lovely little cafe/restaurant on Newport directly across from Newport Market. I have had the pleasure of dining there on several occasions within the last 6 months or so, and I think it’s safe to say that it just keeps getting better and better with age.

Today, being Valentine’s Day, it was packed with a capital P. Fortunately we had made reservations the day before, but it still didn’t really seem to make a difference as we waited for a good 15 minutes before being seated. No sweat really though, as we were in the front of the pack of the dozens of waiting patrons, all looking very hungry and impatient.

Once seated, we promptly ordered beverages- the Man Mosa for Laura and Anna, and the spicy bloody for Mary and myself.
The bloodies were fantastic, complete with pickled veggies that all true pickle lovers can appreciate.
The only thing, and I truly mean the ONLY thing that peeves me about Chow, is that they simply have too much on their menu to choose from. It can be really daunting, when you are starving and all the different flavors of the dishes all seem to be calling your name at once. Today, I gave in to the Eggs ala Kent, a traditional form of benedict, with ham, hollandaise and perfectly poached eggs. It was delicious!

Visit Chow, and challenge yourself: how long will it take you to decide what to order?

Till next time,

CFO

The spicy buffalo mac and cheese is undeniably some of the finest mac this side of the Mississippi. While the Cobb salad, I am sad to say for McKay Cottage, has now been crowned THE BEST IN TOWN. (sorry McKay, still love you lots too).

I have to say what also makes Brother Jon’s my favorite is the friendly atmosphere and service I have always received. While you should not expect  the most gourmet, fancy meal in a super elegant atmosphere, what you can expect is much better. It’s like coming home for a good home cooked meal, complete with a full bar

Check it out, it’s not to be missed.

Till next time,

CFO

Nothing fancy with this pot roast, just simple deliciousness fit for a king!

Thanks Sista P! xo

Till next time.

CFO

The salad plate was delicious. The chicken was seasoned really nicely with dill and had just the perfect amount of mayonnaise, while the potato cheese soup had great flavor without being too salty. The atmosphere of Cafe Yumm? Well, I have to be honest by saying it kinda reminded me of being in an airport or mall restaurant. Large wooden booths with cafe style tables, and not a whole ton of soul to be found. But what can you expect for a chain style cafe restaurant, on a really chilly Wednesday night in he middle of January?

I will try out Cafe Yumm again, sometime this summer when the Old Mill is hopping and they have the outdoor tables set up.
Only about six more months to wait .

Till next time.

CFO

I woke up yesterday with the hankering to bake some cookies. I don’t think I have mentioned yet how much I enjoy baking. Even more so than cooking. There is something really satisfying in making something so deliciously decadent out of a few simple key ingredients- butter, sugar, flour and eggs. One of the tricks I have learned over the years that really makes a HUGE difference in any recipe that calls for flour, baking soda, baking powder or salt is to sift them all together. I don’t exactly know why, but I do know that the finished product always comes out with a much smoother texture to it. I don’t have an actual sifter, I use a wire meshy colander placed over a bowl. Another even easier way is to skip the bowl and use a piece of wax paper on the counter. Sift onto that and then you can really easily pick up the wax paper and pour directly into the mixing bowl.

I decided to make cookies from one of my mom’s old recipes. This recipe is the ultimate cookie recipe, in the fact that you can add whatever you want to it- raisins, chocolate chips, m&m’s, dried cherries, dried blueberries, chocolate chunks, whatever your heart desires. They always turn out amazingly delicious!

I decided to make a version that would later be coined as “The Breakfast Cookie”. I added white chocolate chips and dried blueberries. With the oatmeal and blueberries, coupled with a glass of milk, it could make a breakfast fit for a champion Here is the recipe:

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
5 cups oatmeal
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda

Add in: chocolate chips, dried berries, raisins, nuts, chocolate chunks, etc

Cream together the butter and sugars till fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda. Add to the creamed mixture until thoroughly mixed. Stir in oatmeal, add chips, fruit, nuts etc.

Bake for 8-12 minutes in preheated oven at 375 degrees, or until slightly golden around the edges. Do not overbake, as they will turn into hockey pucks before you know it.
This recipe yields about a thousand cookies, so be prepared to take them on!

Enjoy!

Till next time.

CFO

My favorite sushi joint in Bend is Yoko’s. Now I know a lot of you out there won’t agree with that, but we have always had great food and service at Yoko’s, every time. I won’t even try to compare it to Kanpai, where you can always count on getting the worst service in Bend, coupled with overpriced sushi. While Yoko’s is definitely not the fanciest, most outstanding place you will ever experience,  it’s easy, affordable and tasty. Today was no different, we went in for a late lunch and ordered up two orders of my all time favorite dish there, the seared albacore. Whatever it is they put on that stuff, it is like crack to me and I could eat a dozen plates of it, no joke.

The second dish we ordered was the Firecracker Roll. This was the first time we ordered this special roll, and I will be ordering it from here on out, on every visit to Yoko’s. It is the seared albacore again, on top of a spicy scallop roll, with the tiny roe on the inside. Yummy. Also comes in the boat with a vinegar for dipping, more tangy goodness!

Last but not least, we ordered the Dynamite Roll. Super yum roll with salmon, avocado and some other fixings I don’t recall.

Give Yoko’s a try, or another try if you have not been there in a while. You won’t regret it.

Till next time.

CFO