Category Archives: Food & Recipes

Winning Wines

4 Replies

Oregon has nearly 700 wineries and I’m making it my personal mission to go to every one of them. It’s my literal (spit-) bucket list.

I’m certainly no expert but I’ve had a lot of experience drinking and that should count for something, right?

The first full summer we spent out here on the coast was the year I fractured my pelvis in a freak accident falling off some seaweed-covered rocks near the tide pools. After being carried off the beach up a very steep hill on a stretcher, transported 2+ hours away to Portland for complex surgery only two doctors in the state can perform, and finally getting back to the coast, I discovered something useful: Wine tasting is a sport you can enjoy even if you’re on crutches. Yippee!

Anyway, over the past four years, my husband and I have driven to wineries north near Portland, further north to the Columbia Gorge (both Oregon and Washington vineyards), south near Eugene, and closest to home in the McMinnville AVA, one of the six micro-climates of the Willamette Valley.

In case you were wondering, Oregon has 18 approved winegrowing regions, and more than 1000 vineyards utilizing 72 varieties of grapes. The Willamette Valley’s climate (cool, wet winters; warm, dry summers) is especially well suited to the early-ripening Pinot Noir grape, for which Oregon wineries are deservedly famous.

Turns out, McMinnville boasts one of our favorites.

IMG_1187

Yamhill Valley Vineyards is the oldest winery in the McMinnville AVA, established in 1983. They grow, produce and bottle all their own grapes on a beautiful 150-acre estate in the rolling foothills of Oregon’s Coast Range Mountains–an hour southwest of Portland–with a focus on Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling.

True oenophiles will want to know about their plantings (200-700’ elevation), soil (marine sedimentary and volcanic soils), capacity (20,000 cases), barrels (produced in France and Oregon and never more than 20% new oak), climate (35” annual rainfall), awards (many; beginning with their 1983 Pinot Noir, the first place preference at New York City’s famous Wine Center) and so forth.

IMG_1185

Here’s my more lowbrow description:

Yamhill Valley offers several delicious wines (currently, eight — also available online) in a remarkably peaceful and relaxing setting. They have a range of prices (from about $18-$75), so if wine isn’t your idea of a serious investment you can still find something yummy without breaking the bank. Compared to some other wineries we’ve visited, a tasting flight is generous and reasonably priced, too.

IMG_1192IMG_1188

You can take your wine outside to the patio and gaze at the vineyards, or stay inside and chat with Linda Arnold, the delightful tasting room manager. Linda is warm, funny, and knowledgeable and you’ll feel like a dear friend on your first visit. (If you’ve ever had the experience of dealing with a snooty wine sommelier, you’ll appreciate her down-to-earth approach.)

Another thing I appreciate: Their tasting sheet doesn’t just clue you in on flavors and aromas, it also explains why certain wines have specific characteristics and suggests appropriate food pairings. All in all, Yamhill Valley is a sophisticated experience that doesn’t take itself too seriously. My kind of place.

If you’re up in Portland, drop in to another place that doesn’t take itself too seriously: Jeff Weissler’s Pairings wine shop, bar and classroom. Pairings’ mission is to make learning about wine fun and approachable, so they offer classes and events as well as shopping options that match wine “personalities” with everything from food to movie characters, moods, animals or astrological signs. Good wines, good times… and lots of laughs while you’re learning from the experts.

Cheers! [As always, not a sponsored post.]

L.A. Confidential

1 Reply

After a whirlwind few days in Los Angeles (my husband had a work-related event), it’s nice to be back in Oregon.

The two places couldn’t be more different. So in honor of the recent primary, I’d like to share some observations. In the tradition of all the news shows, the following statistics are entirely made up:

  • Percentage of people wearing flannel shirts in L.A.: 0%
  • Percentage of people wearing flannel shirts in coastal Oregon: 93%
  • Percentage of women in Beverly Hills who have had visible work done: 95.7%
  • Percentage of women in coastal Oregon who have had visible work done: 1%
  • Percentage of men in L.A. who color their hair: 88%
  • Percentage of men in coastal Oregon who color their hair: 0.25% (and only because they accidentally splashed some bleach on it while cleaning the garage)

Beverly Hills in particular is its own little world. It’s always fun to hang out, do a little cultural anthropology (i.e., shopping) and catch up with friends and family in the area. A few weekend highlights:

Discovered a wonderful Italian restaurant I have to recommend to you: Sfixio at 9737 Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills. We had dinner there on Friday, when the place was uncharacteristically deserted – everyone was apparently glued to their TV watching the NBA playoffs – so it was like dining at a very chic friend’s house whose husband happens to be an incredible cook.

IMG_1172

Mara, the hostess, hails from Milan and her husband, Chef Massimo from Florence, is the gifted visionary in the kitchen. The menu proudly proclaims that the restaurant has no freezer, and you can tell from the bright fresh flavors of the food that everything has been purchased and prepared only moments ago.

We ordered a lot (portions are comfortable but not huge) so we could share everything, including a luscious bottle of wine that Mara suggested. First up, a delicious artichoke salad of thin-sliced baby artichokes (hand sliced by Massimo; no fancy-schmancy mandoline for this purist!) and baby arugula dressed with a light touch of lemon, zingy olive oil and shaved parmegiano reggiano.

Our other appetizer was an eggplant parmigiana that will make you re-think all the gloppy Americanized eggplant parm you’ve ever tasted. Chef Massimo elevates this dish by simplifying its preparation. Super-fresh thin slices of eggplant are tender and flavorful with no hint of bitterness, sauced with beautiful, lightly seasoned crushed tomatoes and a luxurious helping of velvety burrata.

We followed up with a gorgeously fresh grilled branzino and a mixed seafood grill – again, skillfully prepared, deceptively simple and phenomenally delicious. No dessert, just some of Mara’s own homemade limoncello – also fantastic.

I’m no expert or even a serious foodie, but I’ve eaten some great meals around the world and this was one to remember. Can’t wait to return next time we’re in L.A. Check out Sfixio’s reviews on yelp and tripadvisor when you’re in the area.

Above: the wine Mara recommended

Saturday, my husband was working and I had the day to myself. Surprise – I went shopping. One of my favorite things to do in Beverly Hills is roam around the department stores (Neiman Marcus, Barney’s, Saks), marvel at bad wind-tunnel plastic surgery, and eavesdrop on conversations.

The best snapshot of the day – a conversation I heard only part of – consisted of one woman telling her two companions about a couple she’d seen:

“…The bride and groom were on scooters, and they were both wearing Mickey Mouse hats and T-shirts. He had on black socks….” For the rest of the day I wondered if the newlyweds were on their way to the chapel, had actually gotten married in those outfits, or dress like this all the time. And, mostly, were these famous Mouseketeers or just fanatics?

Anyway, back to shopping. I “had” to drop by Hermès to check out scarves (you know how I love my scarves) and spent about two hours prowling around the store and chatting with my completely charming Belgian sales associate, Olivier. Should you be in the market for Hermès anything and happen to be in Beverly Hills, he’s your guy!

IMG_1207

Besides being extremely personable and patient, Olivier shared interesting stories about the brand so I completely justify my shopping as having been an educational experience.

I learned, for instance, that every bag comes with an assigned box and even if it’s dented or imperfect they do not have extras. This is, I assume, a very smart strategy to make sure nobody asks for one and then goes off to sell a replica purse in an authentic box. Olivier also told me that Hermès stores cannot order or ship bags (or anything? I forgot to qualify) unless the products are purchased in store. Every store maintains its own inventory so the sales associate can’t, for instance, look in the system and find you another color somewhere else. Who knew? Good thing there’s a website.

The rest of the weekend was spent socializing, checking out LACMA (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art) and the Getty Museum (both currently have exhibits of Robert Mapplethorpe’s photography including the S&M stuff), visiting with my daughter and her boyfriend who’d just spent time in Ecuador and Peru and, naturally, eating.

Ray’s/Stark at LACMA is quite excellent, especially for a museum restaurant. Check out their salad of black kale, grapefruit, golden raisins, ricotta salata and creamy lemon vinaigrette – or create it yourself at home. (I’m doing that later.)

Sunday night provided an opportunity to catch up with friends in our age group – a casual dinner for four in their art-filled downtown loft. After all the frou-frou of Beverly Hills, it was particularly refreshing to have a no-bullshit, down-to-earth conversation.

You know how when you’re younger, a friend might say, “Your hair looks great”? At our age, my friend says, “I love your hair color”. Because, who are we kidding… there’s no use pretending I come by these highlights naturally!

The conversation inevitably turned to the big issues: retirement, where do we all want to live, aging parents and our travel bucket lists. Our friends are off to Japan and Vietnam next week; after all the rushing around (and fighting L.A. traffic), we were happy to get on a plane and return to the land of flannel.

Possibly the World’s Best Caramels

2 Replies

Dear Readers, I’d like to introduce you all to my current obsession: the insanely delicious caramels made right here on the Oregon coast and sold online by a young couple with a passion for sweets. If you’ve ever shied away from eating caramels because you found them too sticky, too chewy or were afraid they’d pull out your dental work, I can promise you that these are a perfect, buttery smooth, melt-in-your-mouth consistency.

I asked Skott and Jodi, the creators of Botanical Sweets and Treats, to tell me more about their luscious candy.

basic (18)

How did you get started? “Early on in our relationship, one of our favorite places to visit was Pike Place market in Seattle. We saw past the tourist side of it and enjoyed arriving early and watching the market come to life. We have always loved farmers’ markets and talked about selling at them one day.

We got started almost by accident.

We were visiting family in Idaho and we went to see Skott’s dear Aunt Hazel, the sister to his grandmother (who raised him and was like a mother to him). We told her about our lives on the coast and somehow the conversation turned to all the candy and taffy shops. We started talking about our favorite candy and Aunt Hazel said she loved caramels, but didn’t like chocolate. We asked her if she’d ever had a caramel with sea salt on it. She hadn’t and was very curious about the idea. We told her we would find some at a candy shop when we got home and mail them to her.

When we arrived back in Oregon, we searched everywhere and couldn’t find any salted caramels that weren’t coated in chocolate. I‘d (Jodi) grown up on a dairy and made caramels for many years in my youth. I decided I would dig out the old family recipe and give it a try. I quickly remembered how much I enjoyed making caramels: cooking that sugar until it seemed it was going to burn, then incorporating cream and smelling those wonderful aromas as the house filled with the sweet smell of caramel.

IMG_1293

We sent salted caramels to Aunt Hazel and brought the rest to work to share with our co-workers. Everyone loved them and wanted more.”

Who does what? “We make a good team. Skott is the creative recipe guy and I (Jodi) manage the business side.”

Your flavors are so unusual! Which are most popular? “We started making our own infusions/concentrates/extracts using dried botanicals such as hibiscus, Earl Grey tea, dried Oregon chai tea, rose petals, lavender buds, and the like. Sea Salt is by far our best seller. We have seasonal flavors that we rotate in and out as well.

Last summer’s best seasonal seller was Cherry w/Lime Salt and our best winter seasonal was Pumpkin Pecan Pie. All of our Christmas flavors sell really well: Candy Cane Crunch, Hot Buttered Rum, and Apple Cider. We introduced Irish Cream last year and that was a big hit, along with Cocoa-dusted Bourbon. Christmas is our busiest season, although we are getting more wedding orders this summer as well.”

IMG_1108

How long have you been in business? “We opened our Etsy shop in November 2013, and did our first show the following April 2014. We have a second Etsy shop (beachwalkerz) and now sell exclusively online.

The response we got at our first show was amazing. We quickly learned that people were not expecting caramels to come in such a variety of flavors, and got asked countless times “What is this, soap?” With the name “Botanical Sweets and Treats” and a green logo background, we quickly realized we needed a major rebranding overhaul. We hired a new logo designer and changed our packaging that first summer. Things went much better after that.FullSizeRender (3)

 

From day one, the markets were fantastic. We have always loved the energy found at a farmers’ market—the sounds, the smells, the patrons’ excitement as they wander the booths. Skott especially enjoyed talking to the regular customers, the other vendors, and the little kids who would save up their allowance to buy a bag of caramels (he always cut those kids a special deal). He met people from many countries who bought caramels to take back to their families. It’s very exciting to think of the places our caramels have traveled!

The biggest challenge to doing markets along the Oregon coast is the weather. Skott has quite a few memories of people huddled in the booth, waiting out the rain, everyone sampling caramels, laughing, talking, sharing experiences.”

beachwalkerz

Did you ever try something that just didn’t work? “We tried melting dark chocolate into the caramels (versus dipping them in chocolate) and making flavors such as Cherry Chocolate and Mexican Spiced Cocoa. We loved them, our friends loved them, but they just didn’t sell well, especially online. A big challenge with online sales is that people can’t sample before they buy, so they are hesitant to purchase the unknown, funky flavors.

We found out (the hard way), that a beer-flavored caramel is NOT good :-). We tried reducing stout beer and adding it into a caramel. It produces a really sweet, beef-bouillon-flavored candy. Blech! We also tried doing some two-layered caramels like Rum & Cola, and Peanut Butter & Jelly. They were fun to make but very time consuming.

One of our Etsy customers requested a Peanut Butter and Banana flavored caramel. We used peanuts to make an extract, boiled banana in water and made an amazing Elvis-inspired caramel. It was actually quite delicious!”

What are your plans for the future as you become more successful? “We have worked very hard to get back and live at the coast that we love so dearly (we relocated here from Wisconsin five years ago) and we don’t want to leave the area. This poses many challenges from a business standpoint, the main ones being commercial kitchen availability and distribution.

Last year we really maxed out on production capabilities. We cook in small batches. We cut, wrap, and bag all by hand. Our online sales have continued to grow, to the point that we’ve stopped attending the markets.

IMG_2009

After meeting with a local investment group we’ve decided that we want to keep control of our company, even if that means keeping it smaller at this point. Caramels are best when fresh; they don’t have a super long shelf life. Even though they never really “go bad”, they lose their brightness after 3-4 months. And we don’t want to start adding a bunch of chemicals to increase shelf life!

So in a nutshell, our plans are to continue to grow our online sales via Etsy and maintain our handcrafted quality rather than becoming automated. We have a lot of fun making caramels together!”

Special Offer Just for OFH Readers! I promise you’ll have at least as much fun eating these caramels as Skott and Jodi have making them. They’ve generously offered us a special discount coupon to use when you shop online. Enter BLOG10  at checkout to save 10% on your order.

My personal recommendations are Original, Sea Salt, and whichever coffee flavor is available. But honestly, they are all wonderful!! (And, by the way, this is not a sponsored post; I’m just a fan!)

Easy Peasy

Leave a reply

What could be more springy and inviting than the cheerful green color of peas? This quick and easy recipe uses fresh or frozen peas to capture the brightness of the season.

Easy Peasy Quick Pea Soup

Ingredients

  • ½ cup minced Vidalia onion or shallots
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 TBSP minced garlic
  • 4+ cups of chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 bags (about 2 lbs.) of frozen peas or equivalent amount of fresh, shelled peas
  • 1-2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 tsp ground pepper
  • Tiny splash of fresh lemon juice
  • Optional: Greek yogurt; chopped scallions or chives; parsley; sliced ham, pancetta or prosciutto

Directions

  1. Sauté the onion or shallots in 1-2 TBSP of olive oil until they begin to soften.
  2. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
  3. Add the chicken stock and peas, 1 tsp each of salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer, add lemon juice and cook for about 5 minutes.
  4. Add more liquid if soup is too thick. Season to taste if more salt or pepper is desired.
  5. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until creamy.

Optional garnishes:

  1. A dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of chives
  2. Fresh parsley
  3. Crispy ham, pancetta or prosciutto: Heat oven to 425°F. Roast pieces on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes until crisp, and crumble on top.

Yield: approximately 4-6 servings

My Dark Secret

3 Replies

Dear Readers,

While I’m pretty good at a lot of things – at-home facials, finding a sale, folding a fitted sheet – I absolutely suck at technology. Which is why it took me several weeks to realize I needed to install a widget to create a “Follow This Blog” button. Pathetic, I know!

So, to thank you for your patience and understanding I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes: a rich chocolate mousse you whip up in the blender. This is so creamy, delicious and fancy looking that everyone will think you spent hours on it, yet it takes under 10 minutes (plus time to set up in the fridge). Enjoy!!

Blender Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

  • 6 oz. of chocolate morsels (use good quality chocolate; e.g., Ghirardelli Dark)
  • ¾ cup milk*, heated just below boiling
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Pinch of salt
  • (Optional: a splash of black coffee or your fave liqueur)

Directions

  1. Put everything except the milk into a blender.
  2. Heat the milk and add it last.
  3. Blend for 2 minutes on low-medium speed. (Note: this melts the chocolate and “cooks” the eggs)
  4. Give it a quick blast on high and pour immediately into 4 large or 6 small ramekins.
  5. Chill for at least 2 hours or until firm.
  6. Garnish with whipped cream, fresh berries or just dive on in.

* I use fat-free milk but of course 2% or whole milk tastes even better.

Hi Pumpkin!

Leave a reply

I made this yesterday and it was too good not to share!

SPICED PUMPKIN LOAF

You will need a small loaf pan, approximately 5″ x 9″ x 2-2 ½”

Ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp salt

—

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup canned pumpkin*

½ cup butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 eggs

¼ cup milk

Powdered sugar for dusting (or make glaze, below)

Directions

1. Oil and flour the loaf pan or use baking spray (Tip: spray your pan in the dishwasher to avoid getting it all over your countertop!)

2. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

3. Combine flour, baking soda, powder, spices and salt in a bowl and set aside.

4. In bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugars, vanilla, pumpkin, butter, eggs and milk. Mix until smooth.

5. Add flour mixture and mix until you have a smooth batter.

6. Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake 40-50 minutes or until done. (Test by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf. It should come out clean or with a few crumbs.)

7. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn over onto a plate to cool completely.

8. Dust with powdered sugar or glaze.

Glaze:

In a small bowl combine: 1 cup powdered sugar, ½ tsp vanilla, 4-5 tsp milk (just enough for a thin icing you can drizzle over the cake.)

*NOTE: By mistake, I used about 1½ cups of pumpkin. It was very moist and needed another 15 or so minutes to bake fully but was delicious. If you prefer a wetter consistency use the larger amount and just keep checking for doneness!

Mouthing Off

Leave a reply

Yesterday I went to the dentist to have a crown made. “Crown” sounds so elegant, like you should dress up and be all Downton Abbey-ish, rather than the disturbing reality of someone jamming their elbow into your mouth while you’re drooling and wearing a paper bib.

I started wondering what kind of person chooses a profession where no one wants to see them. Sure they make good money but you could be a podiatrist. Feet have to be more appealing than rotting teeth and bad breath. Are all dentists masochists? Personally, I’d rather have a colonoscopy than visit the dentist. At least you are asleep through the ordeal and they give you nice warm blankets and juice. At the dentist you get lidocaine and vile-tasting mouthwash, and stumble off with lipstick all over your face because you can’t feel where your lips end.

Leaving with a swollen jaw and an admonition not to eat anything hard or sticky (Nuts! Caramels!) I decided on cauliflower for dinner. It’s nice and bland and won’t stick to the temporary crown. If you’ve never puréed cauliflower, it makes an excellent substitute for mashed potatoes, which I didn’t have in the house. It won’t fool anyone but it’s quite tasty and low cal too. All you do is steam the head and mush it up in a food processor with some milk, salt and pepper, plus grated parmesan to offset all that healthiness. Go easy on the milk, adding slowly until you get the right consistency.

Still, modern dentistry is a big improvement over the “good” old days, when they didn’t have anesthetic. If you’re not squeamish, check out http://hubpages.com/health/A-Short-Painful-History-of-Dentistry, which is fascinating. Did you know that an ancient Roman toothache remedy was gargling with urine? Aren’t you glad I told you?

I’ll have the temporary for 2-3 weeks so I’m thinking about other soft foods to eat.
Since it’s chilly I’m focusing on soup. In this easy recipe for veggie soup, start with whatever’s in the fridge and add your favorites. Bon appétit!

vegetables-140917_640

Veg Out Soup

INGREDIENTS
• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lg. onion, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 medium yellow squash, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, any color, chopped
• Trimmed green beans, cut bite size
• 1 lg. can fire roasted (or other) diced tomatoes
• 8 cups low fat chicken broth (enough to cover all veggies)
• Rind of Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Any other veggies you like, such as turnips, parsnips, chard, etc.
Optional: add a can of beans at the end of cooking

DIRECTIONS:
• Cover bottom of large, heavy soup pot with olive oil
• Turn heat to medium
• Add chopped onion to pot, stirring occasionally so it browns lightly
• Add other veggies to pot, stirring with each addition. Start with thicker, heavier vegetables, then add lighter ones
• When all fresh vegetables have been added, add can of tomatoes, Parmesan rind and enough liquid to cover veggies well
• Raise heat until soup starts to bubble, then lower to a simmer
• Simmer for several hours, until liquid has reduced and soup has thickened
• Remove rind and season with salt and pepper to taste
• Serve with crusty bread and more grated Parmesan

Makes about 8 servings