Poolio to the Rescue

We had a hell of a heat wave this summer in PDX. A week of 100+ temperatures. L made the most brilliant purchase ever at Freddie's- an inflatable pool. Not just some 3 gallon kiddie affair- this one has a filter! Every weekday evening and all day on the weekends, various groups of people could be found encircling Coolio the Poolio (must name everything), seated upon lawn chairs, beer in hand. We spent a lot of time in Coolio inventing exercises. Best $100 one could have spent.

Hillbilly Holiday

OK, maybe "hillbilly" is a bit classist, but really- if you resent the stereotype then don't perpetuate it.

We went to Betsy & BiCo's to watch, what we were assured was, a neighborhood tradition of professional-grade fireworks. While it was still light, we enjoyed lots of delicious food and were forced to play soccer with Little D. As night fell, things became a bit dangerous.

I must admit, I had a lovely time watching the annual July 4th display. It was very impressive and injuries and property damage notwithstanding, I quite enjoyed myself. Had to keep our wits about you, as at any moment an unsupervised 9-year old might send a rocket headed straight for your knees, but if you maintained enough sobriety one could leap hop and skip out of danger.

Actually, that's how you could distinguish the the natives from the transplants: transplants squeal and run for cover when a fast-moving fireball heads towards them; natives stay seated and simply lift their feet off the ground while shielding their eyes with a beer bottle.

When a rogue missile ignited the patio unbrella of a neighbor who thought it best to leave town for the festivities (but inexplicably left his SUV parked on the street to be covered with debris and scorch marks), the firework criminals created a drunken bucket brigade using a 2-quart pail w/a hole in it. My finger was poised, ready to dial 911.

Miraculously, the fire was extinguished by the teaspoon-full and damage to the absent neighbor's property simply brushed off as July 4th collateral.

Say "Ceviche"

I don't want to make my New England friends and family feel worse about the weather, so if you want to skip this post and save it for some hot, summery day- fine with me.

The glory days of Portland are here: brilliant sun; deep cerulean skies; flowers blooming; birds singing; trees and grass still lushly green; long, slow, golden evenings. Aaaaahhhhhhh. Well, today and the days that follow the temperatures are predicted to go up and up. Right now at Alder Street the thermometer reads 94 degrees.

Wondering what to make for dinner the other evening I thought "ceviche!" and immediately wondered why I don't make it more often. Anyone who loves seafood will enjoy it, and it absolutely could not be more perfect for a hot summer day. All you need is the raw seafood (almost anything works), lime juice and whichever herbs, vegetables and/or seasoning you fancy.

That evening I just got some rockfish and shrimp. After marinating in the lime juice for an hour I added a diced tomato, lots of fresh cilantro, fresh chiles, s & p and EVOO. Done! I'm making it again tonight and I doing salmon, scallops and shrimp. I'll toss some fresh avocado over it just before serving.

Several years ago I was chatting with the 7-year old nephew of a friend. His father was from Ecuador and the boy would visit during the summer. He mostly enjoyed the his time there, but complained about the food. "All they eat is ceviche!" he said in an exasperated tone, "Ceviche for lunch, ceviche for dinner. They even have it for breakfast. They don't even have milk and cereal!"

Children are idiots.

Nana & Foof PDX Tour 2009

I do not mean to ignore the wonderful visit with Nana & Foof. The reason I haven't posted anything was because I made a great DVD and didn't want to post any pictures of videos before they had a chance to view the DVD. So until I can actually drag my ass to the Post Office, this is the only thing you'll get...

This is a picture of the dynamic duo aboard the Portland Spirit, a small cruise boat that plies the waters of the Willamette while providng beautiful views, a fantastic brunch, live entertainment and lots and lots - and I do mean LOTS- of champagne.

Fava Porn

OK, now that we are all caught up, let's get down to business. That business today my dears is fresh, early-summer produce. What? Food again you cry? You bet your ass.

I planted garlic & onions last fall and peas & favas in the early spring. Well, the onions died, the garlic still has a way to go and the peas had to be planted 3 times before it looked like anything would grow.

But the favas. Oh my.

I only planted 5 seeds and all germinated and all are producing. Now

I wish I had filled my small garden plot with just favas. Yesterday I harvested 7 pods and after shelling and peeling, barely ended up with a 1/4 cup. But even from the farmer's market, I have never enjoyed such juicy, green, tender morsels in all my life. I ate them raw with a salty Pecorino di Sole Sardegna, the perfect contrast to my sweet, little harbingers of summer.

Crappy re-cap

Previously on 'Alder Street', our protagonist, Ofa...

took in a litter of kittens born by a feral cat under her house.

celebrated her birthday at progressively down-scale bars.

started a vegetable garden.

went on some amazing hikes in the Columbia Gorge.

reconnected with friends she hasn't seen for 23-26 years.

was notified that her job, as well as thousands of others, could be in jeopardy.

found homes for 2 of the kittens.

Hosted her parents for a week and had a wonderful visit.

was told that her job had been eliminated, but was offered another...phew!

realized that she got demoted a work but has essentially the same job plus more responsibilities...WTF?

had to cancel her July 4th visit to Wardsboro. Very sad.

continues to have very cute haircuts.

Now has 3 cats.

I Want My Babka

Yikes. It's been a while, huh? Work has been insanely demanding and I just don't have any time to write any worthy posts. The only thing I've had time to do is grab the camera and take pictures.

My friends Gretchen and Alison host a monthly brunch. Last month I decided to make a Cinnamon Babka. I've never made one before, but that does not give me pause. Combinations of flour, eggs, butter do not intimidate me in the least. My only misgiving was the fact that my Kitchen Aid stand mixer is broken and I would have to incorporate a lot of butter into a yeast dough by hand. (I hear all the knowledgeable bakers out there groaning...) But considering the weather has been cool, I was undaunted.

I was very happy with the results. I made 2 small loaves, which turned out fragrant, buttery and tender. I froze one and nibbled away at the other this past week. It tasted equally delicious whether it was toasted or not, eaten for breakfast with Stumptown coffee or for dessert with a glass of eiswein.

I wish I could share the recipe, but I can tell you that my recipe was inspired by the following: Dean & DeLuca; Joan Nathan; Epicurious.com; various blogs. Most recipes I found were for Chocolate Babka, so I improvised the filling using brown sugar, freshly ground cinnamon & matzo meal. I will make fastidious notes the next time I take this on- for my own reference more than anything!

Again, I apologize that I can't provide a more exact recipe, but I encourage anyone who has the slightest desire to make a babka, give it a go. It is one of those delicious foods like fava beans, oysters andsweatbreads that are worth the intensity of labor.