Back in the saddle.

alright here I go again. I have decided, for the time being, to chronicle the next few weeks of restaurant acquisition and opening. Katie and I will take over Midtown Marketplace this Tuesday and meld into the daily operations of the coffee shop and bistro, while trying to creatively build additional avenues for revenue stream and multiple use ideas for the 10,000+sq. ft building.

Today is Sunday so I have been working on things at the house, organizing recipes, schedules, graphics etc.
I guess I might be complaining but I do still have to finish tiling the bathroom, so this post will be short, just trying to get back in the saddle.

Today I am prepping a few new recipes for the June portion of our endeavors.
I was recently up in Bellingham Washington with my aunt susie & uncle paul, my meems & my peeps (grandma & grandpa on dads side) and they created a fantastic comfort food dinner for a birthday celebration.
The recipe of the day is straight out of the Silver Palate.
Chicken Marbella (Paul served it with toasted rice and fresh green beans)
Marinate chicken thighs and breasts (bone in, skin on) at least overnight.
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup capers with some liquid
bay leaves
oregano
1 cup dried prunes (halved)
1/2 cup green olives (with pits)
salt & pepper
6 cloves of garlic (crushed)

A great way to marinate is to toss your chicken and then place inside of a plastic bag, squeeze out the air and then tie it up and place in a clean bowl, at least over night.

preheat oven to 350
place chicken skin side up in glass baking dish, pour remaining marinade over and bake approx. 40 minutes.
This dish sounds odd, but I think you will like it.

I am also making a dulce de leche bread pudding with bittersweet chocolate.
first off you need to make your dulce de leche
boil 1 can of sweetened condensed milk for exactly 1.5 hours
allow to cool, open up and add 1/2 of can to:
4 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
a dash of nutmeg
and a little sea salt
approx 1lb. of day old challah bread cut in to large chunks placed in a 9X13 baking dish
sprinkle this bread with bittersweet chunks of chocolate (Trader Joes is fine)
pour egg mixture over and bake for approx. 35 minutes.

allow to cool
mix remaining dulce de leche with 2 cups whipped cream and a 1/4 cup of Irish Whisky
heat until warm but never boiling
serve poured over wedges of bread pudding with a dollop of spiced whipped cream.

The weather in Eugene has turned a little corner and I am not sure if it has plans to double back or if we are in fact headed towards Fall, tantalizing teaser or completely devoted I love it! The cool morning air lasts until 4pm or 5pm and walks around the block can be had at any time of day. I also have affirmed that having a job that I love makes me happy, in general I feel a smile on my face and a calm that consumes me. It feels like finding something that I have been looking for, and I LIKE it!

Treat Yourself..

Every once in a while you have to do some nice things for yourself, if you don't you stand to miss out on some of the really spectacular experiences in life (the ones you can pay for).

I encourage my friends to buy themselves something expensive, I mean something that everyone knows their mother wouldn't approve of.

Yes! buy something for yourself, before you pay the rent, every once and a while.

Last nights splurge was a dinner at the Japanese restaurant at Palmilla called Suviche.

I had a feeling that the other diners in the restaurant didn't seem to think that a $20./bottom shelf martini was a bank breaker, but I decided what the fuck we are here so either we eat a peanut and head the hell home, or just order what ever you want and actually enjoy yourselves.

Because I can be so picky about food I thought the best bet for the location was to pick the chefs seven course tasting, adventure..

Before the first course hit the table 'Octavio' an old fandango employee came out to greet me and thank the lord he had his name tag on, because name recognition is not a strong point for me. We awkwardly caught up for a few minutes, he went back to his sushi bar post, and then the food started rolling. Lets just say that in the moment, I was reveling in a little bit of VIP delusionary fuzz (the double martini, and cold sake didn't hurt- until this morning).

I did make a note to self that the stilletto sporting, linen shift wearing, rolex toting, wine sniffing couple at the next table only ordered 2 items, so yes, I was living large.

Back to the juice.

First course:

grilled paprika/cumin spiced edemame & seriously the best miso soup ever

second course:

ceviche sampler - grilled pineapple sea bass ceviche with smokey tomato sauce, red snapper aguachile (raw with jalapeno-lime marinade) wrapped around a thin piece of shaved fennel and a paper like piece of cucumber, traditional ceviche with a dash of tequila- octopus, calamari and shrimp, salmon with ginger juice

third course:

paper thin slices of sea bass and salmon sashimi in a herb-lime vinaigrette

fourth course:

nigiri sushi- hamachi, shrimp, maguro, octopus, calamari

spicy sesame tuna roll

fifth course:

cold noodle salad with ponzu

sixth course:

kobe beef yakitori

seventh course:

HOLY MOTHER OF CHRIST..

some kind of trio of small tasting things, I think red bean with jamaica, jellied cherries, and cold mint bite sized cakes...

and the best dessert ever.

vanilla panna cotta with fresh passion fruit

I can tell you that as I took the first bite of the panna cotta, a silence fell over the patio, I closed my eyes and the sweet cream combined with the tart fruit absolutely knocked this dinner out of the park..

So in conclusion, I suggest save your mediocre night outs at the local " oh they are consistant" dinner spot and take an adventure that is just an arms reach from your normal realm, these experiences will last a lifetime. This isn't corn, I promise..

"an extra helping of silly, please"

When is it that life becomes so complicated that the only solution is to turn around and begin again. It is like a perpetual motion, a train that once your on it and start picking up speed getting off becomes harder and harder. Most of my life my comfort zone has been turbulence, balls in the air, movement. Recently I realized that although I carry this part of me (just to keep it dramatic) ingrained in my genetic makeup, from my early years of swapping parents every six months with there humble abodes scattered across states, like seeds in fresh dirt. I feel comfortable in my chaos, but today I am looking to add a dash of control and a teaspoon of positive outlook.

Turning forty has meant a lot to me this year, turning a corner, peering beyond next week and setting solid goals. Besides specific financial goals, goals regarding the future of my family I have set my sights on some simple achievable daily choices.

1. climb more trees

2. laugh out loud, a lot

3. scrabble with friends

4. dance, even if it is in my living room

5. forgive people, carrying around anything, is just plain heavy

6. learn from my kids

7. chase my kids around the block

8. frisbee, swim, tennis

9. stretch

10. smile, a lot and keep up the silly.

CHILE GREEN BEANS

The most important element to this recipe is new tender beans.

In a saute pan (preferably with rounded edges)

1 Tbls. olive oil - turn your stove all the way up

Add to a smoking hot pan your cleaned and dried green beans (approx. 3 cups)

toss your beans

shake your booty

just make sure that the beans keep moving in the pan

when the little beauties are seared on about 50% of there little green bodies, pull the pan from the flame (or coil) - do not over cook your little friends or you will ruin the dish, they should still be crispy

add:

1 teas. of your new favorite chile oil

2Tbls. white sugar

3 Tbls. soy sauce

1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds (include some of the toasted almond powder)

return your pan to the heat for a minute more to finish the dish (watch closely or the soy will burn)

immediately remove from pan on to a platter

Chile Green Beans are good hot/ luke warm / cold - as long as you do not overcook the beans.

CHILE OIL

This is my new favorite thing to eat, on everything!

In a small saucepan:

4 dry guajillo chiles - stems removed

2 cups dry chile de arbol

1 cup olive oil (not extra virgin)

2 Tbls. sesame oil

3 large cloves of garlic (with a little skin left on)

1/2 teas. sea salt (or kosher)

simmer for 10 minutes on the lowest heat possible.

cool completely and pulse in food processor until totally ground up

Mexico for better or worse, a relationship worth having!

Yesterday as I was cruising through my Mexicana errands which included driving along un-railed death defying drops in the Pedregal, dusty back roads in the guts of san lucas and quick zigs and zags down one way streets with locals telling me " no go this way lady".

As if, why would the city planning dept.

(I don't think one actually exists?, but if it does there is definately an incompetent 12 year old at the helm) create 4 one way streets going the same direction all next to each other.

Back to the point, as I drove through the dusty streets of Cabo, my new blog kept popping up in my head, what should I write about tomorrow? I kept thinking about making kind of a funny pros and cons list for our little community in Mexico. As my cons list continued to grow, I decided that to actually focus on the less than perfect things that make up a day- like the ever present thin layer of dust that persistantly covers our lips, uneducated unliscenced drivers showing off there skills as they ride the back of my car like white on rice, spoiled chilangos who leave the car running and the airconditioning blasting as they wait outside the cars tottering on stilleto heels, car seats? seat belts? what for?, if you happen to be next in line at the bank, do not get excited surely someone will walk in (preferably in an unwaffled cowboy hat) with a handful (like 20) individual deposits and kind of merge in with the guy in front of you,- would take away from the true reason that we all put up with all the crap.

June 1, 2010

This day brings, to the fine folks who battle the daily grind of life without infrastructure, a crisp and unblemished sky, dove birds cooing in the distance, rosy red hibiscus flowers, plumeria season, mangos hanging low on the tree, ficus trees the size of my house that my little monkeys swing from (all winter long), calm, serenity and bucketfulls of natural beauty.

te quiero Mexico!!

Home Grown Pig

Last Sunday Gloria asked me out to her organic farm for brunch. As my social calender is usually wide open having a meal with friends sounded inviting but would require a complete adjustment to our Sunday plans with the family. When Gloria mentioned that Patrick was offering a special tasting of his first home grown 1/2 wild, 1/2 cultivated pig, my plans quickly faded into the palm husks as my pork tunnel vision began to take hold. I am a sucker for good pig, and rosemary smoked organic, acorn eating, lovingly butchered pig, hold the fucking boat.

First course:

braised organic chard with smoked pork hash - salty and satisfying 10

a dueling platter of smoked honey ham and brown sugar rosemary - it was hard to share but there was 15 other people at the table so I carefully put the serving fork down and passed the platter 10

perfectly soft with sweet and savory spices, anise, clove, chile. sauteed in butter the little sausage patties were off the grading scale, absolutely my favorite. 11

Second course:

as a comparison plate Patrick served us a pork chop from a local wild pig, along side an uncured chop from his special wild/cultivated breed that the ham/sausage had been made from. The wild pig was much darker, maybe it was the beginning of my pork coma, but I found the cross breed a much better finish to an amazing meal.

If anyone has ever thought to indulge in the heavenly meal of pure pig, I highly recommend a home grown pig from flora farm. We are anxiously awaiting cured sausages and aged hams.