thanksgiving recipes (4 of 4): roasted brussel sprouts with shallots and balsamic vinegar

t-day for 2 meant i was only making 1 veggie. neither K or i were ever very fond of brussel sprouts, until having them 1) grilled and 2) served nice & charred in a restaurant... so we say NO to mushy, unflavored brussel sprouts of yesterday, but YES to having them with char and delish seasonings. amazing what a matter of proper prep can do to a dish... more and more things i always said i don't like, i find myself liking now after i have them in a new and better way. 

picture from seriouseats.com 

this recipe was taken from seriouseats.com (my go-to of late), and was so on point. i scaled it back a bit and added in bacon to my portion after (we had a vegetarian over) which threw it over the edge - the sweet/savoriness of the balsamic & shallot were the best of friends with the salty bacon. yum!









ingredients list: (1 lb made enough for 3 ppl)
- 1 lb brussel sprouts, bottoms trimmed, outer leaves removed, split in half
- 1 medium shallot, finely diced
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 slices cooked bacon

thanksgiving recipes (3 of 4): traditional stuffing

photo from mykitchencraze.com

stuffing was never my favorite t-day side (it always looked so mushy and full of i have no idea what...just multi-colored glob), but the last few years i've tried to make my own and tailor it to what i like and it's grown on me a bit. and make it so i can SEE the actual ingredients and know what i'm getting into (same way i've approached coleslaw...another past mush-mystery). Kyle wanted a "traditional" stuffing this year (no apple, no cranberry, nothing sweet), which was surprisingly hard to find a recipe for. i went with the recipe from mykitchencraze.com, which fit the bill and turned out really good adapting it a little bit for our taste/serving size (i actually ate an extra-large serving of it).

K did not love the sweetness from the cornbread, but that's part of the reason i liked this recipe... i like the layered bread approach. to each their own. 

ingredients list: 

- 1/2 the pan of a 8x8 dish cornbread (i used 1 box of jiffy which seemed to be enough)

- 1 loaf of french bread (i used 6-7 gigantic pieces of sourdough, since i needed to use it up)

- 1/2 stick butter

- 1 medium onion, diced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 4 stalks celery, chopped

- 3 cups low sodium chicken or veggie broth (+ extra if needed)

- 1/2 tsp dried basil

- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

- 3 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

- salt to taste

thanksgiving recipes (2 of 4): porcini mushroom gravy

photo by seriouseats.com

i've tried to make gravy on several occasions in the past, mostly recipes made with real turkey drippings, and they have all failed terribly. to the point where we just ended up using a jar of store-bought gravy because they were so liquidy and just useless. this recipe sounded delicious, did not deal with any unwieldy drippings, and on top of it all sounds classy as F, so i gave it a go. not only was the consistency perfect, but this was SO damn good. like... it tasted like real gravy. that i could be served somewhere. and not be disappointed. be actually happy.

i was worried it might be too chunky with the mushroom bits (it was not) or too strongly taste like mushrooms (it did not). happy to report i officially have a go-to gravy recipe. the recipe (and photo since i forgot to take one) are courtesy of seriouseats.com.

ingredients list (makes about 3 cups):

- 4 cups stock (i used veggie stock since we had a vegetarian popping by)

- 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms (i used a dried mix of porcini, oyster, crimini, & a bunch of other mushrooms) 

- 1/4 cup butter

- 1/4 cup flour

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 2 tbsp dry sherry

- 1 tbsp heavy cream

- kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

thanksgiving recipes (1 of 4): jalapeno & lime cranberry sauce

t-day! it was just 2 of us, so we debated between just going out, or doing the whole thang. we ended up doing the whole thang, which was kind of nice since it was the first year that i had full control over what was made. i've never been a huge fan of any of the thanksgiving sides (sweet potatoes of any kind, yams, stuffing... mushy veggies... all of it). so i tried to just make what i like, and some stuff i don't for K. it actually turned into one of the better t-day meals i've ever had, and wasn't as hard as i thought it would be to do everything from scratch. success! 

i did, however, totally forget to take pics of everything i made (which were almost all new recipes i was trying), so i'm borrowing the "official" pics from the recipes sites i snagged them from... i was too distracted by all the last minute stuff and way too damn hungry to think about it. 

photo from seriouseats.com

recipe 1 - jalapeno & lime cranberry sauce, from seriouseats.com.  my first homemade cranberry sauce. i loved the idea of this (huge fan of spicy & sweet), b think it i might have accidentally added too much lime - it was just so, so bitter, which seemed more like a result of the zest than the lime juice itself. if i made it again, i'd probably just add a dash of lime and just let the cran & jalapenos do their thing.

ingredients list: 
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice + 1/2 tsp zest (Warning: scale this back if you don't want it too limey!)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped jalapenos, seeds removed (i used 1 large jalapeno which was just enough)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp mezcal

boxer ramen

from the makers of my favorite Little Big Burgers came makers of noodles (Boxer Ramen), which of course i had to try... finally! similar to LBB the place is packed, and has a simple but fabliss sounding menu, with a tight but carefully selected beer option. i ordered the spicy red miso, and K got the tonkotsu-shio, which is essentially the same thing but not spicy. both came with giant slab of pork belly, about a gallon of broth, and a pound of noodles.






i only made it about halfway through my monster bowl, but what i did have was a GD mouth party - just the right amount of spice, tasty broth (95% importance of the whole thang), crispy green onion... yum. drown me in it.

recipe: slow cooker balsamic beef (or pork) roast

another recipe i've made a bunch of times, went to find on here, and alas... never wrote down. after re-finding it from Skinny Taste's recipe, i made it for Sunday dinner recently and it was so damn good. meat, balsamic... can't go wrong. it's an easy enough that it's good for work nights or a Sunday afternoon that i don't feel like cooking a big meal (the 1 day a week lately that i have been cooking-cooking :).

ingredients list: 
- 2 lb pot roast (or pork shoulder roast, or any other similar cut of beef)
- kosher salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/3 cup beef broth
- 1/3 cup & 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided
- 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 red onion, diced

to make: 
mix the broth and 1/3 cup balsamic in the bottom of the slow cooker. add the beef and season with red pepper flakes, onion powder & garlic powder. pour the honey over the beef, and cook for 6-8 hours on low. add onions during last 10 minutes of cooking. 

once the meat is cooked and tender enough to shred from a pork, remove from the slow cooker, and shred meat with 2 forks. strain liquid from the slow cooker into a sauce pan, and cook over medium heat until liquid is reduced by half. return reduced liquid and shredded meat back into the slow cooker, and add in 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar. eat!

recipe: white wine cream sauce

so - a few weeks ago i made some dope Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza, which resulted in a delicious

problem of having a bit too much (really good) leftover prosciutto. i didn't want to just slap it on a sandwich and was trying to think of a fun recipe to use it in. then i ran into the most adorable little prosciutto pasta purses at Trader Joe's and it seemed like fate. pasta fates. we grabbed a shallot, a bottle of wine, and i went in search for a nice white wine sauce to pull it all together.

i've made a ton of white wine sauces, but some of them i do so quickly i never remember which i've tried, which i've liked,, etc. etc. hence why i need to write all of this down. i used the wine sauce 101 recipe from winefolly.com, which came out so damn good (that article is worth visiting - lots of little tips/facts for every which type of wine sauce). also hence, why i am writing this down. awesome, awesome dish when it all came together - gobs of awesome sauce, chunks of prosciutto and these little purses full of heaven.

ingredients list (sauce - enough for about 2-3 large servings): 

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tbsp butter, divided

- 1/2 a shallot, finely diced (about 1/4 cup)

- 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 3/4 cup wine (i used sauvignon blanc, any dry/minimally sweet wine will do) 

- 1 tbsp flour

- 1 cup heavy whipping cream

recipe: chocolate Reeses Pieces cookies

i've made these cookies a bunch -- they're easy, delicious, and sometimes just more fun to bring somewhere than plain old chocolate chip cookies (which, for being plain, never fail to be amazing and delightful). somehow i never got around to putting them up on here... so alas, the official recipe (taken from allrecipes, Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies).

ingredients list: 

- 1 cup butter, room temp

- 1 & 1/2 cups white sugar

- 2 eggs, room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 cups flour

- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

- 3/4 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 cups Reeses Pieces (or peanut butter chips)

to make: preheat oven to 350 degrees F. prep cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease.

in medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. stir in the eggs and vanilla. combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, and stir dry mixture into creamed mixture. fold in the Reeses Pieces. drop cookie dough into large teaspoonfuls onto the cookie sheets. 

bake for 8-10 minutes, then allow to cool on wire racks. 

recipe: habanero and honey chicken

dinner last night, inspired by the monster chicken breasts thawed in the fridge & small bag of habaneros sitting on my counter. i never know how spicy things are going to be when i add spicy peppers so i usually cook cautiously, but this could have handled another pepper (or few) for a lil extra kick. that said, it was still pretty yum, and easy for a week night dinner since i had prepped the marinade the night prior. boom!





- 2 large bone-in chicken breasts, split
- 3 habaneros, seeded & deveined (mine were very small)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup mango peach juice (orange would work too - this was all I had on hand)
- 1/4 cup & 2 tbsp honey, divided
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar 
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tbsp garlic oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- cayenne pepper to taste

recipe: prosciutto and arugula pizza

after finally being able to find arugula in the store, i celebrated with an arugula and prosciutto pizza. arugula technically is NOT a very good tasting vegetable, it's so damn bitter, but there is something about that bad green flavor that i like. and somehow makes magically little friends with some nice salty prosciutto. i used regular mozz for this, but a fontina or maybe even a gruyere would be nice for a even fancier-pants pie. yum!


ingredients list:
- 1 recipe for pizza dough or fresh store-bought 
- 4 slices of prosciutto, thinly sliced
- 2-3 cups of arugula
- 1 cup pizza sauce (we used red, but white would also work well here)
- 1/2 shallot, diced
- 1.5 - 2 cups mozz cheese
- black pepper to taste
- oregano to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder, divided
- 1/2 tsp parsley
- pinch salt
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp lemon juice

to make: mix 1-2 tbsp olive oil, salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and parsley in small bowl and set aside. mix 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp lemon juice in a separate bowl, and stir in arugula until fully coated.

preheat the oven (with pizza stone in the oven also) to 450 degrees.

roll out pizza dough on lightly floured surface. lightly flour the hot pizza stone, then carefully transfer the dough to the hot stone. spread sauce onto the dough along with the cheese, shallots, pepper, oregano, and remaining garlic powder (+ any other desired seasonings). bake in preheated oven for about 14-16 minutes. brush the crust with the garlic olive oil mixture within the last few minutes of cooking.

sprinkle with prosciutto and arugula, and allow pizza to cool (and toppings to heat up) for a few minutes before serving. 

PDX burgers: Deschutes Brewery

we stopped into Deschutes last week for din - i hadn't been since my apartment-hunting trip out here last year where i had some legit thai spiced wings, so it was about time for a 2nd visit. 

i ordered the elk burger since that was one varietal of animal i have yet to have in patty form -- Durham Ranch elk, gruyere, roasted shallot & thyme mayo, and field greens on a brioche bun. for being a VERY lean/dense type of meat, it still had a fair amount of juice to it, although it seemed to be under seasoned - the meat itself had a good taste to it, but could definitely use a little salt/pepper to make it pop - it was meat and meat alone that you could taste. the toppings were good but also mild, so nothing in it screamed out at me. grade "OK", but with room for improvement (if i can be an uber-picky biatch).  

the wings were spicy, sweet, and lovely, and the curry fries with yogurt sauce dip-dip were on point. just one lil miss in an otherwise good visit. 

PDX burgers: Lardo & Davis Street Tavern

last night we decided to check a burger off the list and finally check out Lardo. since we were heading into a movie and didn't want to be over-stuffed we split one burger (double burger, but eeh we tried). i was served on an everything roll (yay!), made with cascade natural beef, porkstrami (i still don't know what this is, but it looked and tasted like bacon and i just know i loved it), cheddar, shredded lettuce, and lardo sauce. the patties were very loosely packed -- i felt like the burgers would be on the verge of falling apart if you manhandled them too much. they just kind of swam around in a sea of delicious burger juice, with a boat of bacony porkstrami and and intensely buttery/creamy combination of cheddar and lardo sauce (whatever that might be) all up on it.

this was one of those burgers that pleasantly surprised me in that, even though i've eaten 12083098023 burgers in my day, it tasted like none of the burgers that i've had before. and i couldn't place why. there was a buttery flavor to the burger i couldn't place (maybe in the sauce? maybe the bun), and other flavors just popping out of the ying yang - even the sesame/poppy seeds were chiming in. it's exactly what i love about burgering - they are SO incredibly simple in theory, but SO hard to pull off well, and can still just knock off your socks with new flavors - even when you're still dealing with the same 5 core ingredients (beef, cheese, bun, lettuce/tomato, sauce). i think i'm still on my Lardo burger high from this! (also - the jalapeno hush puppies with honey butter are a DOPE side) 9/10.

Maui eats

Maui. fish tacos. pineapples. spam. kalua pork. fish. tacos. mas pork. while our first Sunday in paradise was spent watching football (boo team), i dotted up our map with every single taco/burger/shave ice/delish whatever location i had on my little HI hit list, including the recommended meal from each. since we ended up stomping all over the island, it was pretty clutch whenever we needed to make a little food break. when we're traveling, i usually end up missing half of the places i want to try since i don't realize i'm in the area until it's way too late - HOW i have never made a foodie map before now is beyond me. definitely no going back. 

Cool Cat Cafe, voted best burger in Maui 11 years running, and the location of where we celebrated National Cheeseburger Day. the September "burger of the month" was glazed ith homemade teriyaki sauce, topped with grilled onion & pineapple, melted cheddar jack cheese, shredded cabbage and kimchi, a lil of mayo all on a locally baked potato bun. i felt like fat rolly polly after this, but my god it was so much fun to take this messy beast. 

Stillwell's Bakery & Cafe - Spam, egg, cheese, tomato, touch of hot sauce on a fresh made croissant. so simple, so delish. after experiencing this delight we were so impressed by the wonders of the wonder meat we bought a can of Spam to grill up with breakfast for the rest of the week. day 1 Spam, delicious, day 2 & 3... not as good. but it's memory lives on through our memory of this beloved breakfast sandwich. 

Aloha Mixed Plate - why would we come here and NOT order the mixed plate from the menu. shoyu chicken, fresh fish, teriyaki beef, rice, macaroni salad. i don't usually eat macaroni salad (not a fan or cold pasta or macaroni salads really), but something in the slight vinegar sweetness just worked for me here. it was very simple, instead of what usually looks like a giant pile of macaroni mayo mush.






we split the mixed plate with coconut prawns which were actually of my favorite things we ate on the whole trip...and says a lot considering i don't really enjoy prawns or coconut a whole lot. sweet, toasty, crunchy delights. yum.





Hula Barefoot Grill - beer-battered mahi mahi (no pic), with kalua pig & maui onion pot stickers. 

P-D-X! BURGERS

so finding the perfect burger in Albany, NY was a big quest, but one i felt i could reasonably conquer - there were a ton of restaurants we wanted to try, but, they were (for the most part) all achievable in the 5-6 years we were going to be staying there. i had a few left on my list when we moved away, but i felt good - damn good, that i have had albany's finest, and crushed all its burger scene had to offer.

then came the move to Portland. love the city, excited about the city, but SO MANY FOOD OPTIONS that it is/was damn near overwhelming. within a few block radius there are probably 5-10 restaurants/trucks i'd really want to try - throw a stone, pop into a place, odds are you're probably going to leave happy.  with that, i regret to say it took me this long, all of 9 months, to finally pull together my consolidated burger recommendation hit list / research. no more!

as of 9/28/14, i'm starting my list. i have no doubt the list will be ever-evolving since places are constantly popping up, but you've gotta start somewhere, gotta burger somehow. 

all the places with a star are the places i've tried; places in bold are my next targets, for personal reference : ) 

Acropolis (NSFW) - SE Portland 
*All-Way Burgers - SW Portland (8 / 10)
The Angry Unicorn - SE Portland
Ate-Oh-Ate - NE Portland
Bamboo Sushi - NW Portland 
Bar Bar - NE Portland
Biwa - SE Portland
*Boise Fry Company - NW Portland (6.5 / 10)
*Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries - Jantzen Beach Portland (6 / 10) 
Brunchbox - NW Portland 
*Burgerville - NE Portland (7 / 10)
*The Canyon Grill - Beaverton (6 / 10) 
*Carl's Jr - Literally Everywhere, OR (3 / 10) 
Clarklewis - Central Eastside Portland
*Davis Street Tavern - NW Portland (7 / 10)
*Deschutes Brewery - NW Portland (5.5/10)
*Dick's Kitchen - NW Portland (7.5 / 10)
*Doug Fir Lounge - NE Portland (7 / 10)
Ecliptic Brewing - North Portland 
Foster Burger - SE Portland
*Grain and Gristle - NE Portland (7.75 / 10)
*Gruner - NW Portland (9.5 / 10) 
Helvetia Tavern - Hillsboro
Humdinger Drive In - SW Portland
*Joe's Burgers - NW Portland (6.5 / 10) 
*Killer Burger - NW Portland (7 / 10) 
*Lardo - NW Portland (9 / 10)
*Little Big Burger - NW Portland (10 / 10) 
The Local Cow - Gresham, OR
*Lumberyard Rotisserie & Grill- Cannon Beach, OR (6.5 / 10)
The Old Gold - NE Portland
The Original - NW Portland 
The Original Wow! Burger - NE Portland 
Paley's Place - NW Portland
PDX Sliders - SE Portland/Sellwood 
Red Star Tavern - NW Portland
Rock House Grill - Cartlandia, SE Portland
Skyline Restaurant - NW Portland
*Slow Bar- NE Portland (8 / 10)
Slowburger - NE Portland
Stanich's - NE Portland
Tabor Tavern - East Portland
*Tasty and Alder - NW Portland (9.5 / 10) 
*Tilt - NW Portland (9 / 10)
Toro Bravo - NE Portland 
Trifecta Tavern & Bakery - SE Industrial, Portland (Pimento Cheese)
Yakuza - NW Portland

recipe: cheeseburger dumplings

these dumplings are pretty much the best damn thing i have made in my kitchen in... .... ... as long as i can remember. i've been on a big dumpling kick, with bags and bags of em in my freezer. after getting a little inebriated a few weeks back, i was struck with dreams of homemade cheeseburger dumplings, turkey cranberry dumplings, philly cheese, sausage & pepper dumplings, oreo cheesecake dumplings... the list goes on. i literally have a list on my phone of about 15 different dumplings that are haunting my dreams to this day.

first at bat in the kitchen was the cheeseburger variety, since i had a little burger meat in the freezer just begging for a good time. and cuz you know, cheeseburgers. after they were assembled (which was not too bad at all, no where near my scratch-made pierogi fiasco ), i fried a few up and threw the rest in the freezer. they were SO damn good. like amazingly delicious. like i can't wait to make about 50000 more dumplings. like when i open my slider and tini bar, it might just become a slider-dumpling-tini bar because i can't love them any harder. aaah. don't steal my idea. (c) 2014 that's my jam.

we served them with a little diy fry sauce (half ketchup, half mayo, touch of Sriracha), which seemed to be the just-right little fix for this asia-merican fusion delight.

ingredient list: (makes about 36 dumplings)
- 1/3 lb (roughly) lean ground beef
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1/2 cup red onion
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 green onion
- salt & pepper to taste
- 30 (or so) gyoza / dumpling wrappers
- 3 tbsps vegetable or canola oil, divided
- 1 & 1/2 cups water, divided

recipe: shrimp, tomato, & zucchini ricotta pasta

with a hodge-podge of ingredients in the house (leftover ricotta from lasagna, zucchini, basil, shrimp), we decided to actually make use of them and throw them into a new pasta. i used inspiration from Dinners, Dishes and Deserts, which hit the nail on the head of exactly what we were planning to do here. it was really quick & easy to assemble, and not only was it healthy AND delish, but it made me feel good for actually using the random zucchini's we always end up receiving and forgetting about(zucchini's seem to be the most seasonally gifted veggie, though the one i most infrequently eat). the original recipe also calls for sausage, but we left that out since we were trying to health this one up for a change. 

ingredients list:

- 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined

- 1/2 container (about 6 oz) ricotta cheese 

- 8 oz pasta (any kind)

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 medium sized zucchini, diced

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, drained

- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp black pepper

- 1/2 tsp dried oregano

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 2-3 tbsp fresh basil leaves

- salt & pepper to taste

misc. PDX eats

1) East India Co Grill & Bar- Chicken Vindaloo & lots of garlic naan, not shown. they promised spice, they delivered - enough to get my nose runny, but not enough for it not to be an absolute delight. the garlic naan was GD divine. i was so full i felt sick, but kept shoveling it all in my face. we went during din, but hopefully i'll make it to a lunch buffet so i can eat um... everything.  

2) Son of a Biscuit - the hubs wanted to try this place for a while, cuz 1) fried chicken 2) owned by the same folks as Little Big Burger, and 3) the building is adorable. i could not disagree with any of those points. we split a spicy fried chicken meal which came with a few pieces pieces of chicken (obvi), 1 side (mac & cheese...ooomn), and a biscuit. + 1 extra biscuit. the chicken isn't your traditional fried chicken - it's mixed up with a lot of sweet & spicy seasonings. a little 5 spice even. of course fried chicken evokes strong feelings in many, because the reviews i've seen online are either "hate" or "love". i think that's because everyone goes in thinking of their cliche staple fried chicken... which this is not. and if you let go of that, on it's own this spicy fried piece of bird is delicious IMO. the mac & cheese was also reallly good (even a little sweet?), though super-heavy, of course. the biscuits were dense, but delish. we ordered one each, but after realizing they weigh about 5 lbs each realized we only needed 1 after the heaviness of the rest of the meal. that left sweet, sweet leftovers of extra mac & cheese and a biscuit for later, which is OK by me. would definitely go back. 

3) Sauvie Island Farms - we heard of this mystical land in Portland where you can pick-your-own anything. which was weird, since back in NY you picked pumpkins or apples, and nothing else. we went a little late in the season so it was a little picked over, but what we did find was delish. and not all that expensive, especially considering the quality vs. traditional grocery store groceries (i don't really buy organic Whole Foods fancy pants veggies). we got this lil haul for all of $13 bucks. blackberries were the winers of the bunch, though we had no complaints.



4)Pine State Biscuits - we finally tried the legeitnd. my sister was in town, so since it was an 'occasion', it made me feel a lot less guilty for this heavy fat-laden treasure.  i ordered the sausage egg & cheese, with a peppering of hot sauce. biscuit was delicious, the sausage tasted a little weird to me, but that may be because i'm used to out-of-the box bad part of the cow/pig sausage as opposed to a housemade (not from garbage) sausage patty. i felt a little guilty after eating this, but the satisfaction outweighed the guilt. even after having a voodoo doughnut for desert. cuz you know, house guests ; ) 

misc PDX burgers

i still have yet to make my official hit list of Portland burger targets... one being lack of time, two being the overwhelming amount of good burgers in this city. the perfect burger quest is much larger here than it was in good old Albany. this past week i decided to stop being intimidated, refocus, and get all over it. no more random burgers - i need burgers with a purpose. a few misc randoms from the last month or so:

1 ) Boise Fry Company. This little gem opened down the street, with a focus all on fries, and burgers on the side. contrary to everything i believe in, but i love the concept. they have several different types of potatoes, served unseasoned but with your choice of a ton of different salts and fry sauces. we had the purple potatoes, and i ordered a buffalo burger with lettuce, tomato, red onion gastrique and garlic aioli. it wasn't an uber-juicy drippy meatfest since it was buffalo, but it was still a tasty little nosh. i'd definitely go back again.

 2) Doug Fir Lounge. Portland Burger week. imagine my surprise when i heard of this magnificent week. a slew of great PDX restaurants (20 in total?), all offering their most creative little burgery creation for a mere $5. heaven. we hit up Doug Fir Lounge (which i wanted to try regardless, #burgerfates), which featured a 6oz hand-formed Wagyu patty, candied bacon, mozzarella cheese, smoked and candied jalapeño aioli, shredded iceberg lettuce, all on a Portland French Bakery bun. so good. my only complaint was that the bun was a bit too bready for the burger and drowned it out a bit... i think it was designed for their regular sized burger. picky yes, but i hate when i have more bready edge than i have burger, stresses me out trying to reposition my patty & such. pure drama. net/net: drop the bun down a notch, let the burger & fixins shine, and my gawed great burger. jalapeno artichoke dip and thai spice tots were AMAZING on the side. 

3) Burgerville. we needed something quick, and -thought- that infamous wala wala onion season had kicked off at Burgerville... seemed like a perfect time for some onion rings and to officially hit up their burger. we initially scoffed at "burgerville" since we're ~sorta~ leaning in the burger snob direction unfortunately, and assumed a cliche sounding burger chain just couldn't be good, BUT the more and more good reviews we heard, the more we were intrigued. at that, i had no expectations going in, but was pleasantly surprised with the experience. first by the fact walla walla onion rings didn't start until the following day (booo!), but second by the fact that they offered a mighty respectable burger for a fast food joint. it was very clean - similar to In & Out (which i liked, but do not obsess over my any means) - it's just a straight up burger. it felt healthy, even though i'm sure it was not. burgerville can hold its own - well above Jack in the Box & Carl's Jr., i'd take b-ville over them any day hands down. the day i have to make a decision between b-ville and my BK bacon double cheese burger though... that will be a mighty fight. 

Seattle eats!

i'm finally sifting through my pics, and all the delish snacks along the way. it's a good time to reset now, as i'm back down to the weight i was when i first came to PDX. too much delish food, too many new places to try. we spent a weekend in Seattle, trying to eat as much as possible along the way, starting with one of the must-do's, Pike Place Chowder (which was worth the ridic long, rainy line).

for seafood, Queen City Grill - sauteed wild mushrooms on polenta cake with shaved pecorino; sea scallops pan-seared with sake ginger vinaigrette; and seared ahi tuna with mashed potatoes and a szechwan red pepper sauce. the mushrooms might have been my favorite part (and resulted in a failed re-attempt of me making these at home); the tuna was good but sadly overcooked a tad. even with that, still an overall amazing meal. 

for dim sum, we hit one of the recommended places in the international district that i can't remember the name of (and they are all on the same block so i can't place them), but i remember loving everything, and ordering way too much food. spring rolls, shrimp shu mai, ginger beef something-something. it unfortunately wasn't that busy at the time we went so we didn't have cart service (i have yet in my life to get to one), but it was still a charming, quiet little large meal before we hit the road home, a massive helping of leftover beef something-something smelling up the car most of the way. 

next time, i actually have to get a cup of coffee. too little sleep, too many cocktails to handle a cup. 

recipe: broccoli & cheddar twice baked potato

these potatoes were another find of mine from my intoxicated journey through foodgawker.com this past weekend. the recipe is taken from Good Life Eats, although i left out the bacon and cream cheese to make them a little healthier (booo!), and added in a bit more seasoning to compensate for that sad, sad piggy elimination.

although i'm not a big broccoli fan (delicately put, i hate it and hope it dies), these were pretty good - enough so that i would make them again. while broccoli on it's own can be offensive IMO, here the flavor blends well with the rest of the potato/cheesy goodness, so it's more like secretly sneaking in veggies than it is being overtly "healthy". i topped these with crushed red pepper flakes and some smoked chipotle bacon sea salt, which gave me that little hit of bacon these needed.

ingredients list: 
- 4 russet potatoes
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1.5 cups (roughly) of broccoli florets, chopped (*the original recipe calls for the broccoli to be steamed, i left it raw since i prefer uncooked/crunchy broccoli)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 green onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt & pepper to taste

noodle stir fries & Uwajimaya market love

Uwajimaya Asian market - not many stores here in PDX (or anywhere really) that can keep me endlessly entertained as well as this one. go in for one quick item, leave with a few bags full of mystery groceries, and another hour off my life. aaah. 

my cauc-Asian Potsticker Stir Fry recipe is in constant rotation in my house, always with varying types of dumplings and/or meats, depending on what we have in the fridge (and how many types of potstickers/dumplings i have stocked up on, which is usually quite a few). for a recent rendition of the noodle noodle din din i threw in some sukiyaki hot pot beef from Uwajimaya (they have a full fridge JUST for all natural hot pot meats), along with ramen noodles. SO good. worth the visit, and definitely one of my favorite quick mid-week throw together dinners. 

is it wrong if i have learned to love rice noodles more than pasta?

recipe: baked Sriracha potato chips

the Kettle brand cheddar beer chips are devine. the Kettle Sriracha chips look devinulous. i'm on a healthy streak and denied myself a bag. and proceeded to get mildly intoxicated and spend a good portion of Saturday night pouring over recipes on foodgawker.com and try to deny myself food. what resulted... was this little number from Oh My Veggies. if god gives you potatoes, you make yourself some damn potato chips.

they came out delightful (it took 5 minutes tops for us to devour these), although they were a little too soft to be perfect. a few were starting to burn when i took them out, so i think next time i make them i'll try to bake them low & slow versus the 20 minutes @ 400F degrees. (though in part, my inebriated inconsistently sized slicing could have played a part in that as well. perhaps.) a garlic Sriracha aioli for some dip dip on the side would not hurt either, mmmmm.  all in all - worth the effort, fun lil snack without having to feel -as- guilty as eating "real" chips.

ingredients list: 

- 1 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 tbsp Sriracha

- 1 large russet potato, cut into 1/8" slices

- salt to taste

misc PDX burgers II: Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries; Tasty & Alder

another day, another burger. Boardwalk Fresh is a very cute little chain tucked away into a corner of the Jantzen Beach plaza. their menu is simple - burgers, fries, dogs, chicken & shakes. i hadn't checked any reviews prior to popping into the location, but by all appearances i was first struck by the adorableness of my perfectly plated little burger. it was juicy, had very fresh toppings, and a good old time. while it was tasty, the meat didn't pack a TON of meaty, seasoned kick to it. my only complaint was that the bun, albeit fresh, was just too dense and bready for my taste - it was a bit disproportional to the burger. would i have it again? yes. am i just being a picky pants? yes. would i order their fries again? yes yes yes - those stood out from among many a fry - they have that fresh cut thang down to a science. and amazing taste in honey mustard.

Tasty & Alder had been on our hit list for a while - it always

pops up in PDX reviews. they had a fun, varied menu, and i was almost disappointed to see they had a burger - as soon as i see that and i have good faith in a restaurant, it's almost impossible for me NOT to try it. even if i'm craving lamb. or short ribs. their burger is served with Cascade beef, chabut cheese, hazelnut romesco, and a big hunk of perfectly cooked bacon. the meat was cooked perfectly medium rare, juicy, well seasoned; cheese was balanced and thick enough to stand up against the burger & bacon; bacon was sweet, salty and to die for; and the bun was so bakery soft and perfectly proportioned - and substantial enough to catch all the juices from the burger. here is where we're assholes. every part of the burger was just right, pretty much perfect - too perfect. there wasn't one thing that jumped out and smacked us in the face because it was insanely over the top. every element almost cancelled out the rest. and yes we are jerks for turning up our noses in the face of a delicious burger. we remember it as perfect, wouldn't change a thing, but if i were to name my top 5-10 burgers, it may/may not hit the list. does that make sense? no not at all. do they have an amazing burger? absolutely. is this the least helpful review ever? yes probably.  

recipe: chicken pad thai II

so i was on the hunt for a pad thai recipe, forgetting that i already have one that i've beaned about. maybe it was a good thing i found my last recipe forgettable though - this one turned out to be good - REALLY good - and better than any pad thai i ever remember making. i used a recipe from See Brooke Cook, which i found through old trusty foodgawker.com. i added chicken to mine but outside of that followed the recipe mostly verbatim otherwise - it came out pretty damn close to tasting like a Thai restaurant version. can't ask for anything more than that!

ingredients list: 
- 1 chicken breast, diced into 1-inch cubes
- 7-8 oz rice noodles
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 heaping tbsp peanut butter, microwaved until just melted
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- 1 cup cilantro (i had no cilantro so tossed in a bunch of fresh basil instead)
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts