Cafe Blue Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

My adorable stepfather is Jamaican.  My parents visit the island as often as they can and check on family members and neighbors and make sure that some of the less fortunate have clothes and food.  They're such amazing people.  They also stock up on some of their cooking staples that cost an arm and a leg here!

This trip, she brought me some Cafe Blue Coffee!  After seeing the price online, I about died!  She got a very good deal on it for what she paid but WOW!  For coffee!?  It's now my special occasion coffee :-)

I've served this with desserts and gave some to my mom to try in her one-cup brewer.  She had to call me, she couldn't believe the flavor!

For future dinner parties ... I'm brewing this amazingness and trust me, you will wow anyone if you put this in front of them!  Worth the price?  We'll see how long it lasts and I'll get back to you on that!

I just adore my teal plates and bowls!  It's taken me forever, but I finally found their red counter-part online!!!!!  We are officially ready to have dinner parties!

Red and teal are a strange combination, I know.  But I found some amazing art online that I just couldn't get out of my head.  Artist Megan Aroon-Duncanson is now one of my favorites and I planned my dinner table around her painting, "Twisting Love" But I couldn't stop there!  There were too many I loved!  So .... I made the investment and chose 4 of her pieces that I couldn't live without and that tied in the colors I wanted.  SO happy!  Bring on the dinner guests!!!!

Cheese Board

My dad made these cutting/bread boards when I was a kid.  He did a lot of woodworking and we had booths at Saturday Markets and craft fairs .... it was a blast!  I still remember bringing in the final cuts after the glue dried and sanding and sanding and sanding these until they were smooth.  I have two of them and can't bring myself to cut on them!  :-)  So we use them as cheese boards.

Tonight, cooking just didn't feel like an option, so I stopped at Trader Joe's and picked up what you see here.  TJ's has the best prices on cheeses and meats and wines ... not over-priced and just plain delicious.  In-home movie date night for us!  

Cauliflower Cakes

Sometimes, I'm craving specific things; other times, we're sticking to our budget and just have to use the ingredients we have at home.  Of course, there are other times when I just can't eat any more meat and Brownie works his magic with vegetables.

Today .... we had some cauliflower that needed to be used and Cheesy Cauliflower Cakes and asparagus was born!  These were delicious!  I wasn't in the kitchen with Brownie, this was a surprise invention but .... I highly suggest experimenting with this idea!  I would have sworn there were potatoes in this, but there aren't!

Baked Spaghetti (with recipe)

I apologize for the quick snapshot, the kids were starving and ready to dig in!  I had just enough time as Brownie was cutting to get this picture :-)

As I've said before, we have picky kiddos with very different tastes.  Trying new things isn't always well-received.  This one was a 90% hit!  My daughter didn't like the 'crunchy pieces' - so do beware that the noodles on top can get crispy while baking.  Aside from that complaint, this was devoured in no time!

Now, since it's me .... I use recipes for inspiration.  I don't measure as much, so I can't tell you exactly how much I used, I go by how much I need to make and and what flavors I like.  But I don't have the creative foodie gene, I like recipes.  So here is basically what I did:

Ingredients:

Fresh Basil (however much you prefer)
Salt
Canned Tomatoes
Spaghetti Noodles
Garlic
Mozzarella Cheese (I get the longer 'logs' - I think I used two during this recipe with some leftover)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

-Start boiling your water for pasta
-Put canned tomatoes into the food processor until they're chopped up pretty well, but not saucy
-Heat some oil in a pan and cook some minced garlic (however much you want in your gorgeous sauce) until it smells amazing.
-Add your tomatoes and start simmering to cook down, salt to taste - maybe 15 minutes?  The sauce will seem a little watery - but your noodles are going to need that water during baking, so don't panic!
-While your sauce is cooking, get your pasta cooking - remember to only cook it about 5 minutes or just under the cooking time on the package - you only want them partially cooked!
-Cut 1/2 of your Mozzarella into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside
-Drain your pasta and return it to its pot
-Toss the pasta with your tomato sauce, cut mozzarella and basil
-Transfer mixture into your baking dish (whatever size works for how much you're making here)
-Slice remaining Mozzarella and place in a layer over the top of the spaghetti
-Bake until cheese is bubbly (maybe 25 minutes?)
-Cut and serve!

It's cheesy deliciousness that kids will love.  Yes, one picked out all of the basil but .... we take what we can get :-)  Next time I'll just put the basil in the food processor with the tomatoes and they'll eat it anyway! Muahahahahaha

Brownifer Anniversary Dinner

We like to keep our anniversary private and between ourselves and .. after an expensive and amazing day in Portland on Saturday, we felt like being hermits and creating something yummy at home.  Recently, an old acquaintance of Brownie's gifted us with some Ground Wild Alaskan Mountain Goat.  If you know us at all, you know this was like a little gold nugget that we couldn't wait to play with.

We had some gorgeous pasta in the pantry, so we decided on goat meatballs and some of our home-canned marinara from last summer.  Our marinara by itself is incredible, but the flavor of this goat meat was to die for!!!!  I have never met this acquaintance, but my heartfelt thanks goes out to him for sharing this with us!!!

Happy Anniversary to US!!!!

Le Pigeon

We've been in a daze since dinner last night. This seems to be the inevitable outcome of dining at Le Pigeon in Portland; the restaurant just never disappoints. I say restaurant, because it isn't only about the chefs. The food they so eloquently prepare is the star, yes: but without every integral player, the experience of tasting impeccable food would be deficient. Let me break it down.

Wolfgang Puck said, "Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors - it's how you combine them that sets you apart." Let me tell you that this statement won't make any sense to you (even if you think it does) until you try Chef Rucker's creations. Honest, well-sourced, humble ingredients fondled and displayed in ways designed to take your breath away and question everything you think you know about putting food together. It's so incredibly daring and sexy. If a dish has ingredients at which I normally upturn my nose, at Le Pigeon I eat it fearlessly. I know and trust that it's a vital part of the flavors Chef Rucker has put together. And I love it. Every. Single. Time.

Seared Foie Gras, wild rice pancake, trout roe, sour cream, green onion, soy maple syrup

Food as music or poetry? Definitely. If Le Pigeon's food is the music, then his staff are the dancers in a flawless ballet. My favorite part of a culinary experience is getting lost in the food and wine so that my senses are swimming in a silvery pool of nirvana with not a care in the world. I shouldn't have to think about a THING but what that sophisticated food is doing to my innocent taste buds. At Le Pigeon I don't even have to choose my wine; they pair it perfectly with each dish I'm being served. And I do mean perfectly. The thing I love about wine (aside from the physical effects) is what it does to the food you're eating. If Chef Rucker's musical food is the peak of perfection, then the wines become part of the crescendo in a symphony written to entice your taste buds into a dancing frenzy you will never forget. Yes, there was a ballet in my mouth last night. (insert jokes here) and I freely admit it.

Scallop Crudo. Scallops, celery root, avocado, green apple sorbet, jalapeno, mezcal

Pan seared rainbow trout, crab, black lentils, five onion salad, chive, tarragon, crab hollandaise

Aside from the wine pairing and impeccable knowledge of each member of the staff on said wines, there are so many other nuances that make the experience amazing. Silverware is never a worry, the used is whisked away and fresh, clean brought in for the next course. If I place my napkin on my chair, table, if it's dangling from a rung on the chair when I get up to use the bathroom, it's neatly folded on the table when I return. The staff asks about food allergies, they know the food, if you're celebrating something special, they're sure to gush and join in the excitement. You are left to think of NOTHING but the food. You know how much I love a well-choreographed dance! 

Beef Bourguignon '2016'. Pinot noir braised beef cheek, potato latke, red onion marmalade, carrots montreal

Cheers to this amazing staff for the warm and inviting atmosphere they create for the guests. I always feel welcome.

The ambiance in the restauraunt (or the beautifully painted sets, if you will) deserves to be mentioned.  It's entirely unpretentious.  The chefs set the tone with their relaxed t-shirt/apron/tattoes ensemble; it's like your neighbor invited you over for some good food.  There may be 90s R & B, there may be gangster rap...whatever they feel like jammin' to while they make you some good food.

Foie gras profiteroles. Foie gras ice cream, foie gras infused powdered sugar, foie gras infused caramel sauce, sea salt 

Speaking of neighbors, you're close by the other guests so that, if the mood is right, you may strike up a conversation with a friendly stranger over your meal.  That person may be wearing a $500 suit and you may be in Levi's and a flannel.  He may be eating a $300 meal while you're splurging on a $14 burger and a domestic beer.  No one cares, no one notices.  It's about the food, not about being snooty and pompous.  There is no room for inflated egos in this inviting atmosphere.  It's a dinner-table-away-from-home.  Bring your bunny slippers.

Stumptown Coffee

Needless to say, anything we eat for the next month will pale in comparison to the experience we had last night.  For now, we're deliriously spoiled and satiated.  And I've rambled on for way too long.

All I really wanted to say was, Chef Rucker:  composer and choreographer of my favorite edible ballet.

After-Dinner Chocolate Mints