McMinville

Had a glorious day in McMinville with some close friends. The weather cleared up beautifully by the time 3 pm rolled around. With the change in leaves, McMinville had so many colorful trees bursting with bright reds, orange, and yellow. Here is a sample of what we saw down on main street.

Independent flix, books, and of course good food!

Saw a great independent movie last night- "stolen life" all in chinese sub-titles. You can rent it from Netflix. The ending had a sad and fateful twist. Independent movies in all types of sub-titles are the latest craze with Chris and I. Even asian authors like Kazuo Ishiguro and Haruki Murakami completely fascinate me. Their writings and stories often remind me of the surreal artist: Salvador Dali. The book "Wind up Bird Chronicles" will definitely plunge you into a sub-terranean world of mystery, eroticism, and insanity in a pleasureable way, very much like viewing a Dali painting. So as a dedication to asian sub-title movies, and reading japanese novels, Chris and I had a wonderful dinner of steamed pork and tree-ear mushroom shumais tonight. Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb ground pork
2 dried chinese (tree-ear) mushrooms, soaked, then trimmed & chopped fine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh green ginger
2 green onions chopped fine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons potato starch
dash of salt, or to taste
24 gyoza wrappers

PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients except for the wrapper, mixing well. Place about a tablespoon of filling on each wrapper, and gather up the sides to form ripples, leaving the center open. Wack the bottom of the dumpling on the counter so that it will stand up.
When all the shu mais are filled, steam in a bamboo steamer for about 5-6 minutes, until cooked. Served with light soy-sauce mixed with chinese chili paste and sprinkle of sugar or sweet rice wine vinegar in the sauce.

Recipe is taken from Aboutfood.com

Kansas

Of all the places I still want to see, I find myself going back to Kansas where i spent many child-hood summers. So what is Kansas City most famous for?

-The birth place of Hallmark cards

-Amelia Earheart- First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean- born in Kansas

-Former Senator Bob Dole

-The Mid-way & Wheat State

-Kansas has the largest population of wild grouse in North America.

The grouse is commonly called the prairie chicken.

-The world famous fast-food chain of Pizza Hut restaurants opened its first store in Wichita.

-Kansas inventors include Almon Stowger of El Dorado who invented the dial telephone in

1889; William Purvis and Charles Wilson of Goodland who invented the helicopter in 1909; and

Omar Knedlik of Coffeyville who invented the first frozen carbonated drink machine in 1961.

-Chicago got the nickname, but the actual windiest city in the United States is Dodge City,

Kansas, which has an average wind speed of 13.9 mph

-The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum starts and ends with a cyclone and is about a

girl from Kansas named Dorothy Gale.

Wedding Bells!

Aside from a dreaded root canal on Saturday which surprisingly went pretty smoothly, I got the news from my parents that David (my bro) is engaged. Who knew that he was even dating anyone. My parents didn't even know he was seeing someone seriously and has never met this young lady. I'm shocked, but very pleased for my brother. I wish him a happy future with his new bride to be whom I was told dated for all of one year and is getting married in 1 month and a half! Wonder what the rush is? Both mom and i are still scratching our heads, I never thought David would ever settle down, but for my folks to receive the news only 2 weeks ago, and the rush to the alter, makes me wonder.....Either way, I'm very happy. Here is a toast for the upcoming nuptials!

Mom & Dad, check out more pics from Mexico City!

Ooodles of Noodles

I have a date tonight! Meeting up with a very special guy and having dinner with him tonight downtown. Thinking of just going to Pastini for some simple pasta and kanoodling over a bottle of wine. Since I work in a subterraneon office environment, I do not know how the weather will be once I surface for some fresh air. Hopefully the rain will come some other time so I can take a nice stroll over.

Mexico!

Chris on a 3 week hiatus while I stayed back to earn the bacon! More pictures tomorrow

I was told that food in Mexico is delicious, fresh, spicy, and quite inexpensive. Stop by a local street stand, or a restaurant in the city and the locals will be glad to serve up these delicious delights.

Here is a recipe for Carnitas, one of my favorite things to eat:

As a famous Mexican dish, this simple dish consists of braised pork and can be eaten by itself (and tortillas, a chili sauce) or as the filling in tamales, tacos and burritos (yuk). The pork is first simmered for a long time to make it really soft and then braised in the oven to make it crispy. Since the recipe is very simple and does not involve any chili sauces everyone likes carnitas. You can add the heat on your own as you eat it.
2 (16 ounce) cans chicken broth 1 (4 pound) boneless pork shoulder 1 tablespoon chopped coriander (cilantro) 1 tablespoon cumin (comino) Corn tortillas 2 bay leaves 1 onion, quartered Chili sauce, such as Pico de gallo, chipotle or whatever you like
Pre-cooking: Cut the pork meat in chunks and discard big pieces of fat, leave some fat as it adds to the flavor. Chop the cilantro if you need to.
Cooking: Set tall frying pan over mid-high heat. Add the pork, cilantro, cumin, onion and broth. If necessary, add water so that the meat is covered. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3-4 hours or until the meat is very soft and pulls apart easily. Remove the meat and place it in a roasting pan, discarding the onion and broth, break apart the meat in smaller chunks. Bake for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees F, until the meat is brown and crispy.
Heat the tortillas and enjoy, you can serve it with your favorite chili sauce, chopped onions and cilantro.
Tips:
A pressure cooker really helps here. If you like making dishes like this one often you should consider the pressure cooker. It will cut cooking time to a half hour.
Heating tortillas on a microwave: To heat tortillas you can wrap them in a kitchen towel and put them inside a container. Microwave 15 seconds per tortilla

Rain drops are falling

With the weather getting cooler, and the rain coming down almost everyday this week, I reach out to my trusty old umbrella. I'm running through our torn up down town to reach my bus stop. (Tri-Met Light Rail is expanding their lines to run North/South here in Portland) For once bus #44 is on time. The windows are all fogged up even the driver can't see out his windshield. Maneuvering through detours and the mad rush of people trying to get home all at the same time can be a little frustrating. Luckily, today's bus driver didn't get all herky jerky on his brakes,and we weren't all packed like sardines as we were yesterday. Got back to the Village and enjoyed the fresh air and smell of wet grass and dirt as I make my way across the bridge, down the side steps and onto the street of where my house is awaiting me. The dogs are happy to see me, c. is not home yet as I set about putting French onion soup in the oven. A simple bowl of hot steaming soup with some nan-indian bread to go along will make the perfect dinner for tonight. Recipe for French Onion Soup:

2 large vidalia or sweet onions- sliced (Julienned style), sauteed with cold pressed virgin olive oil over high heat until semi-cooked state, throw in some Sherry (to taste), 2 cans of chicken broth/ fresh or canned, let the whole soup cook and simmer, (you want to gradually cook off the alcohol content of the Sherry), add fresh or dried Thyme (I just pick a fresh stalk from my garden), lot's of pepper to taste. Simmer until onions are quite well done. Feel free to add some mushrooms (just a different twist). Divide the soup into large cups or bowls, take some old crusty bread, preferrably french bread toasted or croutons, place them on top of soup and put a few slices of swiss, not provolone cheese! on top. Stick soup bowls into 400 degree pre-heated oven and let the cheese melt. For a burnt cheese effect, turn your broiler on and let the swiss cheese bubble, and voila, soup is served!! Take your nan-bread (toasted would be better) and dip wedges into soup and enjoy. You can find nan-bread in any ethnic/asian supermarket or Trader Joes if you live in the West Coast! My trader joes link is on the top of my blog site! Simple gourmet food to end a perfect rainy day in Portland.

Fall

The best time of the year! Time to take out those sweaters and shake out the dust. Perfect rainy weather to enjoy a nice steaming cup of hot apple cider with a slice of buttered pumpkin bread, a toast for a good round of cheer for the coming cooler weather ahead.

Lazy Me

So i guess it indeed has been awhile since I last updated my blog. Okay, here's a quick catch up to what's been happening....Went up to Seattle for a quick trip for work, and the weather up there was like a monsoon. For a minute, I thought I was back in South Florida in the middle of a hurricane, I thought I left that all behind me. It is great to be back home in Portland....the weather has gotten a little chilly, still debating whether to get chains for my tires as we live up near the west hills and it may get quite icy up that way. The trees are starting to get a little bare but the turning of the leaves 2 weeks ago was one of the most beautiful things I have seen. I am looking forward to a nice quiet holiday in my little apt. Guess what? We finally sold our house back in FLA. I am very excited about looking for my new home here. It's going to be so fun searching, and with the market leveling off here, I am hopeful I can a decent size home. Looking forward to entertaining too as I have met some wonderful ppl here, not just at work, but at other places too. Thanksgiving this year was very fun. Went to an "orphans" turkey dinner at a friend's house. What was my favorite dish this year? The drunken yams of course. Marinated and cooked in Grand Marnier and topped off with a brown sugar glaze. My next favorite dish was my potatoes, and of course the gravy. The Turkey that S. made was also very good. I've never made a turkey in a basting bag before. Maybe I will try that next year. This was my first year not cooking, and it was so nice to just spend it with close friends, including my new friends Carol and Mike whom I met at a dinner party. They have this incredible house with a really cool industrial looking kitchen that Mike had worked so hard on. I loved the stainless steel and granite/stone look of their kitchen. It gives me great ideas on how I would like to envision my own kitchen. Of course not the same, but their kitchen and appliances is close to what I had in mind for my own little epicurean adventures. I only stayed for appetizers and champagne, but got to meet Mike's family while I was there. Their baby son Dash is one of the cutest babies I have ever seen. I am so ready to baby sit anytime for them! Thanksgiving was terrific this year, thank you S. for the lovely homecooked feast,and N. for the delicious salad, and Carol and Mike for inviting us to your home.
Cheers and good health to all!

Friday

022812 516 2:50 pm. Going back to Seattle via train on Sunday. Pretty exciting!

The Birthday Boy

Had a terrific evening last night at Brazil's Grille with some friends. Lot's of good healthy laughs and good food to go along. Did we feel a bit carnivorous last night....absolutely. The meats wouldn't stop coming around. Then there was the Pineapple craze. I still believe it was braised in some liqueur, but the waiter swears it was only cooked with sugar and cinnamon. One of my favorite moments last night however, was knowing that a part of the proceeds from our bottles of wine went to the breast cancer cause. Oh! The birthday boy also had a great time too! I've never heard so many toasts and good wishes before, and he ate 2 big slices of decadent chocolate cake that JBO got for him. Hey guys...There's still a lot of cake left...anyone up for seconds??? Saving a piece for Nat. Hope she feels better.

Vino!- Saturday

Dropped C. at the office on Saturday to get some work done while N. & I headed gaily off to Dundee to go hit some vineyards. Ended up at Erath, Duck hollow, and Ponzi for a few tastings. Stopped over at Ponzi's Bistro for a nice lunch of olives, and fresh Halibut fish & chips. It had been J's idea to go and eat at Ponzi so when we did find it, we thought it would be a nice place to scout for some single guys for N, and get some good grub on such a beautiful day. I'm looking forward to seeing N.'s pictures from the wine valley on her blog. C. missed out on a beautiful day. Picked up a decent bottle of Desert Wind Merlot from the Wahluke Slope from Columbia Valley Washington for C. I think N. picked up a bottle of pinot gris to kick back and enjoy with Raven. Thinking of spending Sunday with the hubby and do something outdoors, maybe a picnic as this will probably be one of the last sunny weekends in Portland for awhile. Looking forward to meeting up & seeing some old friends up in Seattle next weekend at their house for a nice brunch and champagne to celebrate good friendship!

Get Motivated!

Went to the Rose Arena to listen to a "Get Motivated" Speaking seminar today with N., S, St., & Jbo. Here are the list of speakers in no particular order:

Motivator Zig Ziglar teaching about how to lead a balanced life in business and in home.
Rudolph Giuliani will teach you how to lead in difficult times!
General Colin Powell, legendary soldier-statesman, will teach you the skills of "take-charge" leadership.
Dr. Robert Schuller, America's best inspirational speaker, will teach you how to achieve your personal and professional goals!
Steve Forbes, President and CEO of Forbes, Inc., will talk about America’s promise: Your keys in growth and opportunity!
Don Shula, Miami Dolphins legendary football coach, will teach you how to lead your team to victory.
Tom Hopkins, America's #1 authority on selling, will tell you how to strengthen your sales and negotiation skills!

I thought Guiliani, Powell, Zigler, & Don Shula were the best. The others were not really my cup of tea. I wanted to get away from selling for the day, instead we heard 2 speakers talk about Investment opportunities, and the other about real estate opportunities. It seemed very presumptious of the 2 speakers to tell everyone that they need to sign up for these investment courses and that it is possible to become a millionaire overnight! If that were the case....everyone would be millionaires! The crazy thing is that hundreds of people from the crowd started flocking to the tables with the cd.'s, books, and forms telling you that you need to hurry up and sign up for these clases, for $10,000 over a due course of time.. No problem! All you have to do is fill out the form and include.....your trusty credit card! I'm sure these courses are very legitimate, but it amazes me on just how trusting people are, that they are willing to do anything to strike it rich. Overall, this portion of the program was mildly amusing. However, I loved everyone' else's speech. Am I motivated? Absolutely! I am generally a motivated, take charge kind of person, but it's nice to hear and learn a thing or two from leading experts. We also learned a little about each other too. For instance, what is each of our personalities: The gang said that I am a Bold person, JBO and N are both Expressive individuals, while St. & S both have steady personalities. Whatever....I think each of us have a little of everything in us. All in all, I had a fun day, a little long, but a nice diversion from work and who better than to spend it with my dear friends of whom I have gotten to know better and cherish!

OMSI

Saw "Black Holes" at OMSI this afternoon. Took a stroll first through the esplanade and read interesting historical facts on the Floodings of Portland with the recent flooding of 1996. The pictures showed water levels reaching up to roofs of homes, kind of reminiscent of Katrina and New Orleans last year. Hope history doesn't repeat itself anytime soon. With this thought in mind, i finally headed inside to go to the Planetarium for a half hour of science where i got to see some incredible stars, super novas, black holes, singularities (an absolutely exception unlike another) and the event horizon....The point of no return. How eerie is that? The Black hole as explained today is a huge gravitational force that was created when a massive star collapses in itself from the excessive gravity, it's so powerful that even light cannot escape from it. (Lesson 101) The question is...where do things go when it gets vacuumed into a black hole?? Then there is the matter of worm holes....theoretically you can jump into a black hole and jump into the other side of the universe? Impossible...since the black hole is incredibly dense that anything going through it would shatter into a million pieces. But..there is a theory that a worm hole could be connected from a black hole thus leading a path to another partof the universe within space time. This my friends...is what Albert Einstein said...and proved.

Sauvie? or not Sauvie??

Today is a good day to just stay in and read a good book. I was thinking of going over to Sauvie Island either today or tomorrow as I often hear from N. just how great it is. Looked it up on line and saw that they have a haunted corn maize that will be open to the public throughout October. Not sure if this is of interest to me, but the idea of going through an un-haunted one sounds better. Oh! My dear friend from FLA is coming next weekend! I plan on taking her all over Porland. She is going to fall in love with the area. We're going to take a look at different neighborhoods and houses together. I also promised that I would treat her to a nice bowl of steaming pho before she heads back to Florida. The Saturday market is always a must for first time visitors, and of course the japanese gardens that she wants to go see. I haven't personally been there, not exactly my cup of tea but will go with her if she insists. I forgot to also mention that the reason why she is coming is for the big interview. I know m. & d. are interviewing other candidates, but it seems positive if they are willing to fly her here for a second one. I can only hope that everything goes well. N- if you are reading this, let's keep mum about this for now. It may or may not work out, however if it does, I'm confident then that you and the girls will all like her very much.

Essen Sie Getränk? Seien Sie Glücklich!

Essen Sie Getränk? Seien Sie Glücklich!
Jetzt mit der kühleren Wetterankunft ist es Zeit für gutes Bier, bratwurst, und kraut! Oktoberfest at Sherwood ist an diesem Wochenende. Wenn irgendjemand bessere Pläne hat, lassen Sie mich wissen....

A Book, A Play, & a Movie

Just finished a great book called the Wind up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. This author is extremely unconventional in his topics and his writings. Very surreal, dreamlike, and multi-dimentional. Not the typical type of books I generally like to read, but it was unbelievably good! Also recently saw an incredible low budget play called Betrayed. There were only 3 main characters and the director who is very famous in the world of theater-Harold Pinter does a great job of telling the story backwards from the first scene starting with the presenting and working his magic with the final act being the past. A few weeks before seeing this play, c & I also saw an independent british film called Confetti. I couldn't remember the name earlier today, but would love to have the girls at work see it. I'll see it again because it was so darn funny, and the Brits have a strange sense of humor. You will either love it or hate it, but I'm sure my friends would love it. N-google the movie and read about it, let me know if you want to go see it!