Remember those rhubarb pickles I made earlier this month? I brought them to a book group meeting last night to try them out.
Ooh boy. The good news is, the flavor was quite nice. Unfortunately the texture was very very very bad. I guess processing them in boiling water cooked any trace of crispness out of them - they were somewhere between limp and mushy. Yuk.
I'll puree them and call it a savory sandwich spread (it would be quite nice with chicken or turkey!), and if I see rhubarb the next time I'm at the store, I will try making a batch of refrigerator pickles in hopes of maintaining any level of crunch.
I haven't tried the asparagus pickles yet but am rather gloomily expecting they'll be equally bad. I don't think I really want pureed pickled asparagus for my sandwiches, though. Ah well, live and learn!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
New booze
Well! I had a terrific summer drink last night at local fave the Tin Shed. This lovely goodness was cucumber-infused gin + limeade, over a lot of ice, in a pint glass. So now I'm on a rampage to find out how to make it myself.
Okay, that's not exactly true: I googled 'cucumber infused gin recipe' and found out it's... gin, plus some cucumber. Sure, people have shaken it up some (ha!) by slicing, or peeling, or mashing, but basically you combine the two in a jar for a couple of days, taste it to see how you like it, and strain out the cukes when you're satisfied. It takes very little time.
All I have to do now is pick the gin; I emailed a gin-loving friend to get tips on the most cucumber-friendly option. Another friend and I are each going to try a different type of gin and compare notes/get sozzled in the quest for Knowledge.
It won't be all that warm here this weekend, but I recommend it to anyone expecting a gorgeous three-day weekend!
Okay, that's not exactly true: I googled 'cucumber infused gin recipe' and found out it's... gin, plus some cucumber. Sure, people have shaken it up some (ha!) by slicing, or peeling, or mashing, but basically you combine the two in a jar for a couple of days, taste it to see how you like it, and strain out the cukes when you're satisfied. It takes very little time.
All I have to do now is pick the gin; I emailed a gin-loving friend to get tips on the most cucumber-friendly option. Another friend and I are each going to try a different type of gin and compare notes/get sozzled in the quest for Knowledge.
It won't be all that warm here this weekend, but I recommend it to anyone expecting a gorgeous three-day weekend!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Easy rhubarb custard
I missed blogging yesterday but shall make it up to you with a recipe.
I made a terrific rhubarb dessert yesterday, and it was SO easy, really, anyone could do this. Here is the recipe:
http://www.pinkofperfection.com/2010/04/grand-diplme-book-7-rhubarb-custards/
My only variation was that instead of a blender, I made the custard in a large measuring cup, and used an immersion blender. Mine made 5 ramekins and a small glass dish-full.
The result is both sweet and tart, with a smooth not-too-eggy custard holding it together. Alas, I only have a midpoint photo, but I'm definitely adding this to my spring rotation.
I made a terrific rhubarb dessert yesterday, and it was SO easy, really, anyone could do this. Here is the recipe:
http://www.pinkofperfection.com/2010/04/grand-diplme-book-7-rhubarb-custards/
My only variation was that instead of a blender, I made the custard in a large measuring cup, and used an immersion blender. Mine made 5 ramekins and a small glass dish-full.
The result is both sweet and tart, with a smooth not-too-eggy custard holding it together. Alas, I only have a midpoint photo, but I'm definitely adding this to my spring rotation.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Service with a smile
One of my San Francisco friends was visiting me last night, so we were looking for a good place to eat. She's recently stopped eating gluten, and was happy to find a great online resource, Gluten Free PDX. (pdx is the airport code for Portland, and is often used as shorthand around here)
We decided to go to Tasty n Sons, which is one of many highly-regarded spots in town. I ate there once this winter, so I was glad to be able to vouch for the place. They serve their food in small plates style, with the intent that the diners share their food. When we got there, my friend asked the hostess if they had a gluten-free list of foods, and what happened next was amazing - the hostess grabbed a pencil and proceeded to mark up the menu for my friend's use. She slashed out the items that relied on gluten (like pasta, for example), starred the items that were naturally gluten-free (polenta, steak), and then wrote "w/o" next to all the items that could be made gluten-free (by omitting croutons, crackers, bread crumbs, etc.).
It made SUCH a great experience for both of us, as otherwise ordering can feel pretty stressful when there are food considerations in play.
I didn't take pictures of the food, but we got:
a green salad (a very generously-sized bowl); roasted asparagus with a farm-fresh egg served sunnyside up atop some bacon; shakshuka, which is a baked egg-and-tomato dish; and steak frites. WOW was that steak amazing. It was pretty small, but a nice finish to our meal. We ordered it medium and it was a lot more red than I'd expect, but I loved it. The fries were the way I like them - thin and very crispy - but I was too full to eat very many.
It felt like a nice contrast to the Bay Area that we could walk into a hip restaurant at 7pm on a Thursday and were offered a few seating options. Granted if we were a party of more than two, we'd have had to wait, but it worked out great for us.
We decided to go to Tasty n Sons, which is one of many highly-regarded spots in town. I ate there once this winter, so I was glad to be able to vouch for the place. They serve their food in small plates style, with the intent that the diners share their food. When we got there, my friend asked the hostess if they had a gluten-free list of foods, and what happened next was amazing - the hostess grabbed a pencil and proceeded to mark up the menu for my friend's use. She slashed out the items that relied on gluten (like pasta, for example), starred the items that were naturally gluten-free (polenta, steak), and then wrote "w/o" next to all the items that could be made gluten-free (by omitting croutons, crackers, bread crumbs, etc.).
It made SUCH a great experience for both of us, as otherwise ordering can feel pretty stressful when there are food considerations in play.
I didn't take pictures of the food, but we got:
a green salad (a very generously-sized bowl); roasted asparagus with a farm-fresh egg served sunnyside up atop some bacon; shakshuka, which is a baked egg-and-tomato dish; and steak frites. WOW was that steak amazing. It was pretty small, but a nice finish to our meal. We ordered it medium and it was a lot more red than I'd expect, but I loved it. The fries were the way I like them - thin and very crispy - but I was too full to eat very many.
It felt like a nice contrast to the Bay Area that we could walk into a hip restaurant at 7pm on a Thursday and were offered a few seating options. Granted if we were a party of more than two, we'd have had to wait, but it worked out great for us.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
yeah, I'm not 20 anymore
Last night I decided to get wild and go to a double feature: Star Trek, and the new Star Trek: Into Darkness.
The first movie started at 9, the second some time after midnight (as only then was it the official opening day). The movie ended at 2:32am, and I was home and in bed 20 minutes later. The movie was good, but I think a second more-alert viewing is in order, perhaps when it comes to the second-run theater in a few months.
And man.. I am TIRED. I have some social things to do this evening, and I hope I manage to keep my face out of my dinner plate.
The first movie started at 9, the second some time after midnight (as only then was it the official opening day). The movie ended at 2:32am, and I was home and in bed 20 minutes later. The movie was good, but I think a second more-alert viewing is in order, perhaps when it comes to the second-run theater in a few months.
And man.. I am TIRED. I have some social things to do this evening, and I hope I manage to keep my face out of my dinner plate.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Diversification checkin
A little more than a year ago, I came up with a diversification plan for my retirement accounts. The plan was:
Large cap/broad market: 40%
Small cap: 10%
International: 25%
Bond: 15%
Reit: 10%
Let's check in, shall we?
Percentage increase in my accounts from March 2012 to May 2013: 34.8 %. Granted that includes my contributions, but excuse me while I say DAMN.
Well, I don't know what I'm doing, really, so I'm going to leave those alone and not do any rebalancing. Now that I have a mortgage to pay (notice I don't say I OWN a home...), I'm less worried about having money in a REIT.
The run-up in the market has been pretty sweet lately; I wish I knew some clever way to lock in my gains. But, I'll just keep on saving like I do.
Large cap/broad market: 40%
Small cap: 10%
International: 25%
Bond: 15%
Reit: 10%
Let's check in, shall we?
Percentage increase in my accounts from March 2012 to May 2013: 34.8 %. Granted that includes my contributions, but excuse me while I say DAMN.
Well, I don't know what I'm doing, really, so I'm going to leave those alone and not do any rebalancing. Now that I have a mortgage to pay (notice I don't say I OWN a home...), I'm less worried about having money in a REIT.
The run-up in the market has been pretty sweet lately; I wish I knew some clever way to lock in my gains. But, I'll just keep on saving like I do.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Surprise!
I've been running a list of the plants I want for my yard: blueberries, daphne, lavender, sage, and rosemary. There are probably other things (such as ground cover that doesn't need mowing or weeding!) but those were tops.
A few weeks ago, I bought sage and rosemary - or so I thought! The rosemary looked like it was doing well, but it looked...funny. It was more green than I expected, and its needles were softer and longer than typical. Today I realized it's blooming...and that it's actually lavender! It even says so on the tag - oops! Fortunately it's in an acceptable location.
A few weeks ago, I bought sage and rosemary - or so I thought! The rosemary looked like it was doing well, but it looked...funny. It was more green than I expected, and its needles were softer and longer than typical. Today I realized it's blooming...and that it's actually lavender! It even says so on the tag - oops! Fortunately it's in an acceptable location.
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