WHAT TO EAT WHILE YOU'RE VOTING (WITH WORCESTERSHIRE)
I don’t know about the rest of you but I am so tired of this election I just want a decision made and let's get on with our lives. After almost two years of this election noise I think we are all worn out. Here in Oregon we have a vote by mail election. Vote by mail is great in so many ways, no standing in line, time to think about your choices, and you can have a glass of wine and dinner while you vote. What to eat is the big question…..
After all the turmoil of th...
MEATBALL SEASON
The cold and wet weather is back again after what seems like a very short summer here in the Northwest. Once the rain starts it can be a long haul to get to the sunshine on the other side of fall and winter -- and six months of gray can really take its toll on people. But for me, a native of Oregon, it just means it's time to braise, make soups, bread, and long cooked pasta sauces. Most chefs love to cook as the seasons get colder, mostly because we love those slow cooked foods and our...
Celebrating 23 years together in the woods
Last weekend was my husband John and my 23rd wedding anniversary; yes I was a child bride. And since things have been a bit stressful lately at the restaurant we decided that we would run away to the woods where our cell phones wouldn’t work and it was peaceful and quiet. Now, we don’t camp like those people who backpack into the woods carrying freeze dried foods and power bars. Two chefs bring a lot of food and wine with them when they camp. When we pulled away in our c...
EATING, DRINKING AND LYING AROUND AT JACK!
Every year, like a kid waiting for Christmas, I wait with anticipation for 4 days in summer. These are the 4 days that we go away with a group of friends and family to eat and drink. We plan these 4 days more than most people’plan their wedding. We have theme dinners with crazy themes such as cowboy night and French night. Many times there are costumes involved and always good food and friends.
RICE FROM HELL
Every summer John and I do a charity dinner at a beautiful house in the hills above downtown Portland. The house was built in the 1920’s and designed after a house somewhere in the South of France. Grand and beautiful, it sits high above Portland and has an unobstructed view of the city and mountains. Every year a theme is picked and the dinner is sold at auction which can bring in about 50,000 dollars for the charity. This year the theme was Spain. Spain is a beautiful count...
RIBS!
Ribs are a really big deal in our house; this is mostly because of my husband John. I think it’s because he’s a chef and a southern boy -- but maybe it's just because he's a boy. Whatever the reason, he does make great ribs. He’s also been working on perfecting them for the last 20 years. He has a reputation with our family and friends and they demand to have ribs on a regular bases as the weather heats up. On Sunday, the sun came out and since we haven't had many sunny week...
