Barley-salsify soup

Paired with La Cadalora, San Valentino, Vallagarina Rosso 2007. The BF and I are typically red wine drinkers, but this was a perfect white for a red wine drinker... light but not too light, and fairly dry, with hints of apricots and citrus.

Grilled lamb and lamb sausage

Paired with Foradori, Terodelgo Rotalino 2007 and served with delicious buckwheat polenta, a true staple of the Trentino region.

Apple Fritter with vanilla ice cream

To finish off our tour of Trentino was an apple battered and fried with homemade ice cream.

When Cupcakes Fly

Sometimes Mom calls me with a soft whine in her voice, and I immediately know the score: she's craving Saint Cupcake. But Mom lives many hours away, in a terrible place where they have no Saint Cupcake, so there's not much I can do. Until now, for Saint Cupcake has developed a mouth-watering interactive cupcake shipping process, in their signature cheery pink style.

For $21 (includes shipping!!), you can send someone you like who lives faraway three signature St. Cupcake cupcakes, three icings, and three types of sprinkles. Assembly required, but who doesn't like frosting and decorating a cupcake? If you know such a person, I can't imagine why you'd be sending them gifts in the first place.

Now Mom is happy, so I am happy. You can make someone happy too. Here are the details.

saint cupcake is now shipping!

get ready to give the gift of saint cupcake to friends and loved ones in far off places! or, if you live in one of those far off places and have been dying to try saint cupcake, the time has come! from the comfort of your own keyboard, you can order our yummy cupcakes and have them delivered anywhere in the continental US. simply visit cupcakestakeflight.com to start building your very own cupcake kit. you pick your cake flavors! you pick your icings! you pick your sprinkles! we then pack it all up and send it to you. easy, sweet AND delicious!

we are so excited! aren't you? saint cupcake practically anywhere! seriously? yay!

Shallot madness

Yesterday, for reasons still largely unknown to me or anyone else, I bought two pounds of shallots at Farmer's Market. Clearly, I had shallot fever, which is kind of like spring fever, but with shallots. What the pho am I going to do with two pounds of shallots?  
 

I was feeling lonely all by myself in my kitchen pondering what to do with all these shallots, so I made a shallot man. He smells good and he has really nice calves, two very important qualities in a man.

Shallot man and I were very happy.

That is, until I told him I was going to make one of his legs into a Bibb lettuce salad with fresh herbs and a lemon shallot vinaigrette, glaze his torso and serve it with roasted pork, and make shallot flan out his arms, and then he got all weird on me. What a baby!

Farmer's Market is packed!

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Me and Special Correspondent April

Just finished our Bridge Run and we are now at PSU Farmer's Market! It's opening day!!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Tombo tuna, oysters on the half shell, and an uber creamy Mac n cheese.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Celebrating the demise of a very long week

With $5 glasses of Segura Viudas cava at Davis Street Tavern, which has a truly fantastic happy hour.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

SPRING IS HERE, AND SO IS FARMER'S MARKET!!

This First Day of Spring feels a lot like Christmas Eve to me. Farmer's Market opens tomorrow morning, and I can't wait! I'm so excited, in fact, that I was inspired to write a little poem.

Twas the night before the first Farmer's Market of 2009,
And nobody was stirring because they'd drunk too much wine.
The shopping baskets were hung on the front doorknob with care,
In hopes that the first vegetables of Spring would soon be in there.

Michelle and Jen were passed out snug in their beds,
While visions of little red radishes and crisp green stalks of asparagus danced in their heads.
So tomorrow Michelle will wear her kerchief, and I'll wear my cap,
And we'll buy loads of beautiful just picked Oregon vegetables, Dave's killer bread, Freddy Guys hazelnuts, and a Blue Magnolia gingersnap!

Thank you, thank you. I've had a lot of chocolate today.

Yes, Michelle and I are pretty ecstatic about Portland Farmer's Market opening TOMORROW MORNING AT 8:30 at PSU in the South Park Blocks. Special Correspondent April and I will be getting up bright and early for a Bridge Run, and then heading straight to the market to be there for the 8:30 am bell. We anticipate that Michelle will join us around 4 pm, I mean, 9 am, and then let the shopping begin! I am crossing my fingers that we will find baskets piled high with green garlic, I've missed it so.

We hope to see you there! And remember to leave your beloved Admiral Toot the Puggle at home, because the PSU market has been newly designated a canine-free zone.

"WHAT?" you gasp. "No Admiral Toot at the Market! But Admiral Toot LOVES going to the market! He looks forward to it all week! The very idea! What an outrage!" But, as the PFM announcement said, "The market has received repeated complaints from vendors and shoppers about dogs crowding the marketplace, relieving themselves, taking food, and potentially injuring customers. One patron had to be taken to the hospital after becoming tangled in a dog's leash."

This reminds me of the time Michelle stepped in doody last fall, which was very funny. To me, at least.

Anyhow, see you at the Market TOMORROW!!

Jen's finally cooking me Sunday supper on a Wednesday!

Take a Leek

And put it in a pan to sweat. Michelle is coming over tonight for dinner and a movie and I am cooking dinner. The main course is Fettucine with Prawns, Leek Puree, Blood Oranges, and Spinach.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Jen's eating all the Pate a Choux

Well... she left a little bit for our profiteroles

>

First course is Bibb lettuce salad with shallots and fresh herbs.

Jen's fettucine dish. Oh sis it is sooooooo pretty!!

Michelle is taking a nap in between courses.

The show goes on!

For one horrible moment I thought we were out of bubbly, which can totally kill a great party, but thankfully Michelle stopped by Square Deal Wines on the way over and picked up a bottle of our favorite bubbly du jour, a Bernard Rondeau Bugey Cerdon rose sparkly.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Oh, sh**!! Where is the house elf?!!!

Our house help is so fast

Whipping up a quick ganache

Equal parts cream and chocolate.  

Profiteroles a la Jen

Tiny cream puffs filled with vanilla bean and coffee Haagen Dazs, and drizzled with homemade chocolate sauce. Mon Dieu!! We are disgustingly full now and are going to go lie on the floor and finish the champagne and watch our favorite French movie, Bridget Jones' Diary.