Meat and Potatoes vs Sweet and Savory

Most people over a certain age were raised on basic seasonal food. Potatoes and gravy with garden vegetable in the summer and canned in the winter. Salty was salty and sweet was sweet. It reflected the life we lived.

The small changes from year to year and season to season were barely noticeable. If you are like me, you remember the first time you used oregano in the pasta sauce or ate your first bite of

pizza. It was revolutionary and many decided that they were never going down that path. And so they didn't.

As for dessert, the idea of adding a small wedge of cheese to the top of apple pie seems almost evil...I mean who did that?

In our lives we were very narrow too. Cultures did not mix and food from another's world seemed strange and not so good.

As I look back on that world compared to the one I live in now I am amazed at how the foods we ate then and the foods we eat now reflect where we have been, who we know and what we think.

I have come to love sweet and salty or sour together the same way I love living in a world that includes so much more. Isn't it wonderful?

Do you see the connection?

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Pictures are of meals we have eaten at home or with family in their homes. I did not ever have anything like these meals when I was growing up.

Sarguaro Corners in Tucson Az...Friday night just the way I like it!

We love our life in the desert for a lot of reasons. Here in Tucson (The Old Pueblo) we get to live the best of city and village life with a little Harley motorcycle crossroads thrown in the mix. We experience this when we golf, eat out, take road trips and shop. The latest best place is called Saguaro Corners.

There is something very special about driving for a few minutes out into the desert very near the Saguaro National Monument and arriving at a place a place like this restaurant. This is where a unique cross section of people that is typical Tucson gather. (located at the intersection of Escalante Rd. and Old Vail Highway)

This old restaurant has been at the same location for so many years people have stopped counting. It closed for a while and has reopened recently with a menu that is a great fusion of regional food with tastes from other places around the world.

I ordered a dish made with "grits" (polenta), covered with smoked tomato cream sauce, andouille and shrimp. The grits has been cut into square and stacked with spinach between the layers. It was out of this world.

The bar is open air onto the deck where a band plays on Fridays. Reservations are necessary if the weather is warm at all.

But best of all is the mix of bikers, families and retirees all gathered in a room overlooking the desert or outside under heaters.

And, yes...that is a car seat for a baby inside a Polaris four wheel vehicle. A darling pink blanket was in the back. Did I say the Tucson is a unique place? Well here you have it.

I will add that we are a short drive from our house to places like La Encantata, a shopping area that features all of the top designers in shops of their own. Downtown is coming alive with great restaurant like Proper or the Congress Hotel. Tucson is a little bit country and a little bit big-big city! The Old Pueblo is still rocking and we love it!

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Eating Through A Day in Florence, Italy

It's All About the Food...

Feast for the Eyes

Proud chef in Pisa!

Breakfast hour in Italy...no diners just beauty.

Sometimes only a Starbucks will do...
Frankfurt shuts down for Easter
...everyone but SB's!

Gelato and Grandchildren

Outdoor tables at Di Sasso di Dante

French Onion Soup 

Chandelier Distraction...who cares about the food!

Pasta Carbonara with Gluten Free Pasta

Beer of the world including Ommission Beer from Oregon.
Centrale Mercado upstairs eating court...a must!

The NEW BEST Warning Label? Food!

Even though I don't eat fast food
I still fight the weight problem.
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Is this the true threat to our country and its children?  Think about it!
Remember when we first began campaigning against becoming addicted to tobacco? It was a long up hill battle. Now the accepted opinion is that tobacco causes cancer, increases heart disease and so much more. As a young mother I simply called smoking a "filthy habit" and my grown children remember the lesson even to this day.

I am beginning to wonder if fast food is not the new tobacco for this generation. Could it be that we need to begin the long uphill battle for a "warning label" on fast food? This one would protect our children from obesity, heart disease and so much more? Maybe so.

My husband and I just returned from a vacation in Mexico where we stayed in a resort used by Americans on vacation. The resort had  beautiful pools and everyone, no matter the shape they were in, turned out in swim suits (myself included). It was not a beautiful sight. It is appalling the things we will do to our bodies to satisfy our appetite for food. Why do we overeat?

I have suspected for many years that fast food and junk food is addicting. What do the people that market these products add to their food that leaves us always wanting more? Obese children and their parents stand in line to buy the fries and burgers and load their shopping carts with junk food. Are these people addicted to the fat or the special salt or the calories?

I can foresee a day in the future when there will be warning labels saying that some foods are truly bad for our health. Parents and teachers might be saying "fast/junk food is disgusting" and schools might start programs with pictures of people dying of heart disease directly related to bad eating habits with a picture of junk/fast food inserted.

My husband and I will probably be giving up our "people watching" pastime and take up something else. It is alarming me more and more. The terrorist really don't need to blow us up. We are doing it to ourselves.

Just a thought.

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The Smart Way to Conquer Your Vacation Letdown!

Do you have the urge to tell all your friends in detail about your wonderful vacation? Well you are not alone. Why do we do that?  I don't think it is because your friends are REALLY interested in that museum you visited...I think it is because we want avoid letting the adventure go. The letdown that follows a vacation of a lifetime can be huge. There are BETTER ways to fight that feeling than chasing our friends away.  How? This is what we do.

Food
Isn't is wonderful that food can fix just about anything.  The sensory pleasure we get from great food becomes a memory that should not go away No matter where we travel we manage to come home with a new taste for the food of the country we visit.  On our recent trip to Vietnam we experiences the tastes of that country. Wonderful Pho (pronounced: faw) and fish curry dishes had flavors that made me swoon. Both of these dishes are ones that my friends at home would probably enjoy. This is what I do:

• Bring the recipe home with you.  It never hurts to ask the restaurant or resort you are eating at for that favorite recipe.  On this trip I asked the resort for their fish curry dish recipe.  A couple of days later the recipe translated into English appeared in my room.  
• Bring regional spices/condiments home as gifts to friends and use yourself.  We have always purchased spices.  In Spain the black pepper comes in large bags that you can purchase in street markets.  Saffron used in Paella can be found in grocery stores at a very reasonable price.  In Vietnam we bought the mixture of salt, pepper, garlic, etc. in jars.  This mixture appears on every dinner table.  We also bought star anise, black pepper.  We would have gotten the fish sauce but it appears that if it breaks in your luggage it will stink up the whole airplane up!  :)




Eh Ru (two-stringed Chinese fiddle, violin) more info

• Recreate the food at home. This is the part that brings back so many memories. Last night I made a Pho with chicken for my husband and I. I will make this dish for friends in the near future. I prepared the fish curry a couple of weeks ago. We both smiled as the memories came flooding back. After visiting Thailand we learned to make Pad Thai.

Music

I always try to make my way to a store or even knock off market to buy regional music.  I have cd's of Spanish guitar by the Pepe Romero, Thai music and the beautiful Chinese Er Hu songs.  I even found a Er Hu at the antique market and brought it home.  When I play the music I relive my vacation over and over.

Books 
I usually do not read travel books before I visit a country. I will read Lonely Planet as the adventure presents itself. My husband loves to read the travel stuff online and I let him feed it to me. I am more about the people from a country.  I love learning the culture but I am a bit lazy I think. If I am aware of some fiction I will read those before I go. However, when I get home I will read books about the country; fiction, documentary, travel. I relive that vacation while reading the words. It helps me get past the letdown.

When we returned from Spain I read Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Spain by Chris Stewart.  Stewart is a former British rock star turned expat living in the Spanish countryside. I loved the book because it helped me understand what I had seen and made me laugh. I will download Up Country: A Novel by Nelson DeMille on my Kindle very soon.  I am told that DeMille used his personal experiences in Vietnam when writing the book. It has been recommended to me by several people. I want to watch Good Morning Vietnam again too.

Back Home

Getting over that vacation letdown can be hard.  Fatigue, jetlag and emotional disconnect are going to happen.  But there is no reason why the experience has to die the minute we step off the plane.  Bring the vacation home with you to experience over and over.  

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Wine of the Week...Retire in Style

I wanted to tell you about this great bottle of wine we ordered for my birthday.  We had dinner at a place in Tucson AZ called The Old Pueblo Grill.  The Grill is owned by the McMahon family of restaurants.  I had gone to a wine tasting at one of their other restaurants and tasted some wonderful wines.  Among those that were available on that day,  a California wine from the makers of the Snap Dragon wines stood out from all the rest.

It was my day so I was given the privilege of selecting the wine for our table.   The Snap Dragon wine was listed so I was thrilled.  I ordered the Snap Dragon California Cabernet Sauvignon for $27 a bottle.  It was wonderful!  As it turns out, the wine had been chosen as The Wine of the Week by the Las Vegas Review Journal last April.  

Not that I am bragging but it was a very good choice. 

I just thought you would want to know.

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I did not know they made an electric wine opener...I want one of those for Christmas!  

We own the wine aerator at by Vinturi...it was a gift.  I do think it improved the flavor of a young wine. 

I think the Wine Gum would be a great gift for the boss or a co-worker...not too personal but still classy!

Thoughts on High Blood Pressure, Dark Chocolate, pointy people and Digg!

How pointy are you?
You would think that once you have retired and settled on a second home in a warm climate, you would have it all solved.  Perfect weather, hobbies, and a plan that can be replicated year after yet.  Still, I find people are discontented and always looking for something just a little better/bigger/greener.  Isn't that interesting?

Does it ever end?  Do we ever really, really grow up?  I am beginning to wonder.  As I have said so many times before...just because we get older does not mean we become sweet, cute or settled!  In fact all the sharp and pointy things about our personality become more so.  It is just a fact of life.

Do You Like Dark Chocolate?
I have some good news for you...it is really true.  Dark chocolate will lower blood pressure!  I saw it on the web so it must be so.  To be right honest with you I don't even care if it is a lie.  I like dark chocolate...a lot.  The Aussies are advised to eat a whole bar of dark chocolate which made me want to move there.  Then I read that American doctors say it may only take about a square of dark chocolate to get the job done.  Now, really, is that right?  American's are such spoil sports when it comes to things that taste good.  Anyway you can check it out on the Sun Sentinel website.

What is Digg? +a little education about this blogger and the blog.
Here in the blog world there is a site called Digg.  Some blogs have it at the bottom of their blogs.  My Digg button is in the ShareThis pop up window...the button is found in the footer.  So what does that mean?  Well, believe it or not, those of us that write for a blog depend on you, our readers, to tell us what you do and do not like or even what you would like information on.  That is what the comment button is for.  The Digg button is just a way of supporting you local blogger and maybe helping them get a few more readers.

Picture of the ShareThis button at the foot of the blog.

Actually the website for Digg is very interesting.  It can tell you what the hot topic for today is and how many people thought those topics were worth passing on to someone else.  Like my free blog, it is just there for the using.  

I write on a free blog but I pay in a way.  In order for my time to be well spent, I have to do research for subjects and keep up with those things I think might interest you.  Your way of paying me, the blogger, for my time is to comment, Digg my work, tweet or post to your Face Book account.  The ShareThis button makes it all so very easy.  It also helps if you take a look at the ads that surround my writing.   So, you see, nothing is really free anymore.

Thank you!
Thank you for stopping by.  Leave your url if you have a blog or business and I will visit you.  If you are just an interested reader, go to the foot of the blog and comment or Digg a post that you enjoyed.  I will do the same for you.

I just thought you might be interested.

Have a great Sunday!

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What's for dinner? Let's talk about Mexican + grilling for a minute.

Photo from Yelp...carne asada at Peppers!  By Fuey S.

Food is on my mind.  After a weekend of specially prepared meals I need to talk food.

• We ate Mexican food this noon at a  little restaurant here in Hillsboro, Oregon call Peppers.  It is one of our favorite stops for good Mexican food.  The ambiance is nothing to write home about...scuffed floor, kitchen totally open to viewing...but the bathroom is very clean and the food is just wonderful.  It fills everyday at noon.  There is a little bar and outside eating but the patio is next to 10th Street and very noisy.  City Search gave it 4.5 stars and Yelp gave it 4!
• We had a bbq rib "throw down" yesterday.  My son did his on the barbcue all day by piling a small mound of charcoal in the corner of the grill and placing a rack that held the ribs off to the side.  When the coals turned white  and began to be finished he added more charcoal.  I put mine in the oven for 3 hours at 300 degrees and put them on the grill with wood chips to get a little carmelization.  He made his own sauce I used bottled.   We both used a rub.  I mixed chili powder, brown sugar, salt and celery seeds.  They were both wonderful but his had a smoked for such a long time they had that delicious smokey flavor.  I vote for on the charcoal all day!
• We had salmon on the grill on Saturday.  We purchased a whole salmon at Costco on Friday.  A whole salmon put on a cedar plank and grilled until the top just bubbles is so perfect.  We place sliced lemon inside too but it is great without that step.  I think it takes a little longer that way. 
• I found out last winter the left over fajitas make wonderful tortilla soup.  Add the seasoned meat/vegetable combination to chicken broth and gather the toppings.  You are good to go!!!

We had a great 4th of July...I do love this country.  Have a wonderful week.

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MIX Portland's Magazine of Food and Drink...Must have!!!

A description of Pok Pok Thai Restaurant was in the last MIX magazine recognized as having a great patio.  The Oregonian voted it the restaurant of year in 2007  Image via Wikipedia

THEOREGONIAN NEWSPAPER

    The Oregonian, Oregon's newspaper, is surviving as it always has.  It is delivered to doors in communities throughout the state.  I lived in Eastern Oregon from 1941 to 1959 and the paper came to our door even then.  We used to have two Oregon newspapers...one Democrat and one Republican.  If you went to visit a home and saw the newspaper on the couch you would know where their political sentiment were.   The Oregonian was the Democratic publication and The Journal the Republican.  The Oregonian's owner bought The Journal newspaper in 1961 much to the disgust of it's loyal readers.  After publishing both papers for several years, the Journal fell out of favor and the state was left with one major newspaper.  

     In a time when newspapers are closing their doors completely, the Oregonian has morphed into a new entity...while the print edition is still delivered to our door, an online version called OregonLive.com allows us to stay abreast of news all day.  There is no charge for OregonLive.com so they must depend on advertisers to stay up an running.

MIX MAGAZINE

    For the last year or so they have been printing a magazine called MIX Portland's Magazine of Food+Drink. The promotion that the Oregonian has done for the magazine has been, I think, nothing short of genius.  In our trendy neighborhood, the magazine was delivered at our door by some mysterious person at no cost.  I don't know who else got it but our local grocery carried the magazine on it's racks.  Then it came in the mail for several months.  This last month it actually was included in our newspaper.  This magazine is not one big advertising puddle of nothing like so many city magazine are.  I keep each issue and will subscribe to the magazine now because I simply cannot do without it!
     The last issue had a list of places to eat and drink with outdoor patio seating...isn't that what we are all looking for in the summer.  We keep it close at hand for reference.    It also included recipes for salads that made you want to lick the pages.  One recipe went like this:

The Smokery stall at the Saturday Portland Farmers Market sells an insanely delicious smoked salmon that's good all by itself on crackers, or in a salad with whatever produce looks best that week -- including fennel, cucumber, or in this case, green beans and cherry tomatoes.

• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
• 6 ounces smoked salmon, broken into bite-size pieces
• 1 teaspoon garlic, mashed to a paste with the side of a chef's knife
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook until they turn bright green and are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain the beans and immediately put them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the green beans, cannellini beans, olives, tomatoes, chives and salmon in a large serving bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the garlic and red wine vinegar together. Slowly whisk in the oil. Add the vinaigrette to the salad, season with salt and pepper and toss gently with your hands. Serve at room temperature.
-- Ivy Manning

     I could only think that even if I didn't want to make the salad, which I do, I would want to make a trip to the Portland Saturday Farmer Market to buy that smoked salmon.  MIX has made the little city feel very intimate.  
      If you are from out of town you can go to the OregonLive.com website for the magazine and get a lot of great ideas for recipes or even a future a future visit.
      I  need to go now...the Sunday paper is calling...I love big paper day.  I will read all that cool Sunday stuff that we all enjoy so much.  I hope you find the information helpful or just interesting.

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Yes, You Can Brew Beer! Links to Information!

We are a little most sophisticated than this!  Image via Wikipedia

     My husband brews homemade beer.  I help him drink it.  It is a plan that has worked out pretty good for us.  Since Portland Metro is the micro-brew capital of the world (maybe) it was only natural that sooner or later my husband would give birth to the idea that he could brew beer himself.  Our children were always at a loss for gifts and they saw an opportunity for many years of gift giving.  This is a beautiful plan that came together....it was so perfect.  Every birth should be as perfect of this was.    Now we are all enjoying the results.
        Here in Hillsboro the go to location for everything beer is Main Street Homebrew & Bread Supply Company.  They have anything you will need to brew beer,  Not only does my husband get quality supplies, the owner gives very good advice when he needs help.
    So I am here to tell you that brewing beer is not hard.  You can do it!  You can go online and learn everything you need to know as well as places to order supplies.  Every person that ever has brewed beer loves to talk about it so there are many discussion site available too. 
LINKS

• Starter Set (similar to the one my husband started with)
• Recipator
• Tasty Brew (recipes and discussions)
• All Recipes.com (beginners information)
• Beginning Equipment
• Beer 101 (what to eat with your specialty beers)
• Cooking with Beer
• Beer Recipes.org  (beer mug choices)
• Gluten Free Beer
• Bottled Gluten Free (location)
• How-to Home Brew Magazine
• All About Beer Magazine

BACKGROUND
     My husband and our children brewed their first beer in a warehouse over in Tigard.  It has been at least 13 years ago.  Someone one had the idea that if they set up enough carboys and big kettles for brewing they would come.  And so they did...come that is.  The family set up an appointment and went to the warehouse where they purchased ingredients and learned to brew their own beer.  The rest is history.  We have been enjoying the fruits of this lesson in brew ever since.
     Back in the beginning the kitchen was our lab.  Our children bought my husband a starter set of equipment at Costco for his birthday.   We brewed, sanitized, stirred poured and waited...all in the kitchen.  When the brew had fermented for the allowed amount of time we added the sugar, bottled the beer using a syphon and clamped lids on the bottles.  The we put the beer in the garage and we waited for the brew to self carbonate.
    The first bottles we opened of that homemade beer were served with a cheese soup.  It was a crisp fall day and we had gone with our family and friends to pick pumpkins.  It must have been October.  I remember the beer was a little young but we could not wait.  We raised the glasses in a toast and took a sip.  The look of surprised around the room was something to see.  OH MY GOSH!  THIS IS REALLY GOOD! came out of mouth and we all cheered.  My husband was a little insulted I think.  Still who knew we could make this wonderful brew at home.
     Since that time he has purchases coils for cooling, beer brewing books, a conical fermentor and equipment I cannot not even name or explain but have seen in use.  We even have a special refrigerator with a carbonating system like the one used to give you soda pop at the fountain.  I think he found these on Craigs List second hand. The result is draft brew served in our garage.   He will brew a batch with our daughter-in-law in July.
    If you are interested at all, buy a starter kit and give it a try...it really is fun and the cost for a bottle of beer will pay for you equipment or we tell ourselves it does.  PLUS, you will be the most popular people on the block!  How can any of this be a bad thing?

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Fall? It's Time for Friendship Cake

"The only way to have a friend is to be one."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

We were invited for lunch with friends. When we arrived with the bag of Friendship Cake starter batter the first question was "How do I make it for my daughter?" The second from the friend from Sumner, Washington was, "How did you know I have been making them all summer? A friend gave me the starter!"

So, the Amish Friendship cake is making the rounds it seems. A couple of weeks ago at Sharon's house, Janice was passing out plastic bags with the starter and the recipe. About 8 days later I had two beautiful cakes resting on my kitchen counter.

We also have home brewed beer in kegs in the basement. My husband is a brewer extraordinaire and we have enjoyed the fruits of his labor for years. In fact when he brews, men from around the neighborhood appear at our garage door asking for lessons or better yet, free samples.

So, you ask, how do these two things tie together? Well, when I showed my husband the cake in a bag, his eyes lit up and he began calculating and planning to make the cake. You can only make so much beer and bake so many cakes but if you do a little of each, you can stay busy and well fed. The recipes that follow were found online when I typed Amish Friendship Cake in the google search line.

FRIENDSHIP CAKE STARTER

1 (16 oz.) can fruit cocktail 1 (16 oz.) can peaches 2 1/2 c. sugar 1 (20 oz.) can pineapple tidbits 2 1/2 c. sugar 1 (8 oz.) jar maraschino cherries 2 1/2 c. sugar Combine fruit cocktail with juice, peaches with juice and 2 1/2 cups sugar in large jar. Stir with wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved, cover. Let stand at room temperature. Stir each day for 10 days. Add pineapple with juice and 2 1/2 cups sugar, mix well. Stir each day for 10 days. Add cherries (cut in half) with juice and remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar, mix well. Stir each day for 10 days. Store in refrigerator. May store in refrigerator indefinitely. Yields enough for 7 cakes. FRIENDSHIP CAKE: 1 (2 layer) pkg. white cake mix 1 1/2 c. Friendship Cake Starter 2/3 c. oil 4 eggs 1 c. chopped pecans Combine cake mix, Friendship Cake Starter, oil and eggs in bowl, mix well. Stir in pecans. Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Cool in pan few minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Can be baked in 2 loaf pans.

• The Friendship Cake Starter

2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup flour

Mix in plastic or glass container with tight lid. Cover, store at
room temperature for 17 days, stirring once a day.

After that, leave undisturbed for 1 day. Stir again daily for 3 days.
Add 1 cup each of sugar,milk,and flour, then stir the next 4 days.
Add another cup of each sugar, milk and flour. Mix well.

Give 1 cup each to 2 friends, use 1 cup to make a cake or use as base
for another batch of starter.

• The Friendship Cake

1 cup starter
2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups chopped (apples,or blueberries, or any kind of fruit)
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 to 1 cup nuts (optional)

Combine all ingredients until well mixed.

Grease and flour a bundt or loaf pan.  Pour batter into pan and
bake in preheated oven 350 until cake test done 40 to 50 minutes.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and continue cooling.

• "Amish Friendship Bread"

1 cup starter
2/3 cup oil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix listed ingredients -- I'd sift the dry ingredients together first,
but the original sheet doesn't say to.

You may top with candied fruit, nuts, or apple slices before baking.
Pour into 2 well greased sugared loaf pans. Bake 40 to 50 minutes at
350 degrees. Cool ten minutes before removing from pan.

*Have lots of fun.  I gave the recipe to The Neighbor and she will be having cake before long.

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