Here's to Good Starts!

Roma tomatoes, Japanese eggplants, pickling cucumbers, sweet basil, and parsley. Welcome to the Rubin Urban Farmstead. Your chicken sisters await your making home near their coop.

I'm getting excited, too. Dan and I had bought some seeds earlier and some of that stuff is working out (go radishes and kale!). Others are not (where are you, my gai lan and green onion friends?). It is our first garden after all.

I would like to do some canning this season. That's why I got the pickling cucumbers and the Romas (for sauce). It might be a lot of work. I just hope it will taste good. I suppose I can't go wrong with the Ball Blue Book of Preserving. They are time tested recipes.

10% Off on the 10th

My neighborhood co-op is having a sale.

A couple times a year, People's Co-Op has a 10% Off on the 10th day. It ends up being quite crowded and a little crazy since it's not a big market but it's great.

I went today and picked up some veggie starts, eco-friendly household items, tempeh and chocolate (hey, I have my priorities). Stop by if you get the chance.

People's Co-Op
Corner of SE 21st and Tibbetts
(between Division and Powell)
Portland, OR 97202

Happy Mother's Day

Today, the dudes dished it out. As they should, right, ladies?

Of course, I was too busy relaxing to have remembered to take a picture of the brothers preparing a fantastic Mexican meal (for their wives and mother). Handmade flour tortillas, black beans, chorizo, eggs, and potatoes with all the fixins. We had fruit salad and honey-sweetened yogurt for dessert. (Oh, and I was too busy eating to take pictures. Sorry!)

It was fabulous. And why wouldn't it? My brother-in-law, Ken, is the director of one of the culinary school's here in Portland and he studied and practiced the cuisine in Oaxaca back in the day.

So Happy Mother's Day to all you ladies who have the rewarding yet challenging job of raising the world's young people. And a special shout out to Mama Lee (who doesn't know how to use the internet).

I love you, Ma...and thanks for everything. Sorry for all the headaches from when I was age 16 to about 25...

Reservations for Mom!

Make your reservations NOW! There was one Mother's Day back in the 1990's when I decided to be spontaneous with my mom on Mother's Day. "Hey, let's go out to Mallard's for brunch," I said.

I think Mallard's has been out of biz for a while but it used to serve a great champagne brunch...we got there and it was a 90 minute wait. Forget that, El Torito, down the road also had a 90 minute wait. Dim sum at Dynasty was packed, too...and we'd always go there. That wasn't a treat.

Anyway, we went around town trying to find a place. We ended up going back to Mallard's, very nearly starving and waiting our 90 minutes after searching for 60...

So, make your reservations NOW...or go out and buy some fancy sausage or nitrate-free bacon and a dozen organic eggs!

Hey, it's your mom or the mother of your child(ren)! You can splurge a little on this day.

Wanna Bite o' Sausage?

Stop by the Deck Family Farm booth at the PSU Farmers Market this Saturday, May 8th (between 10am and 12pm) to sample their new sausages. The booth is located on the west aisle just a few booths down from the Veggie Valet/Info Booth in the Northwest corner. I will be there with my chef coat and a nice collection of tastiness:

Beef Andouille
Polish Sausage
Sweet Italian Sausage
Garlic Sausage
Smoked Bratwurst

Consider getting local, tasty, humanely-raised sausages for a special Mother's Day breakfast. Because nothing says "I appreciate you," more than a sausage, some eggs, and a crepe/waffle/pancake/muffin breakfast...in bed!

Or just stop by and say, "Hello." See you there!

Freeze!

With all that Chicken Enchilada Casserole left over, I'm freezing the rest of the broth so that it won't go bad.

These two quarts will make a mighty fine chili or lentil soup next week.

Stay tuned!

Pinot in the Pearl -- TODAY

Every first Thursday of the month Portland galleries and shops in the Old Town, Pearl District, and downtown neighborhoods stay open late. You can view new art exhibits, sip some wine, and listen to music.

This month, Chehalem Mountains Winegrowers presents:

PINOT IN THE PEARL
Venue Pearl
NW 13th & Flanders
5-9 pm

Tickets: $25 advance/$30 at door

This is no three buck Chuck event. Taste boutique wines unique to the Pacific Northwest--Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Reislings...and some Chardonnay. Then take some home with you. Food tastings will also be available from such restaurants as: 50 Plates, The Heathman, and The Painted Lady. Come hungry. Come thirsty and have a great time!

Look for me there. I'll be the one holding a wine glass.

If you can't make it tonight, visit the many tasting rooms in the Ribbon Ridge and Chehalem Mountains AVA (American Viticultural Areas).

#4 - Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone!

In celebration, I'm busting out with my handmade tortillas, panela cheese, and roasted green chiles. This is a dish for cheese-lovers everywhere!

A lovely springtime meal with steamed asparagus, sliced radishes, and a fresh green salad...oh, and the super rich, super delicious Chix Ench Cass. For those who don't want to make a sauce, I suppose you could substitute a nice jar of alfredo sauce and mix the green chiles in that. Don't mix in any flour or sour cream if you are doing that option.





Fresh out of the oven! In a 9x9 dish. I could only eat a 2x2 square serving. I think we will have some leftovers!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole:
9 corn tortillas
2-4 c. chicken, shredded (remaining from Bakee Chicky)
6-8 oz cheese (Monterey Jack, Panela, in a pinch, Mozzarella)
Green Chile Sauce (see below for recipe)

1) Preheat oven to 350*F.
2) Grease 9x9 casserole dish.
3) Wrap tortillas in a moistened towel and microwave for 30-60 seconds.
4) Remove from wrap and cut into quarters.
5) Line bottom of casserole dish with 1/3 of tortilla triangles.
6) Spread 1/3 of chicken on top then pour 1/3 of sauce over that. Sprinkle on 1/3 of cheese.
7) Repeat layer of tortillas, chicken, sauce and cheese until all gone.
8) Bake for 25-30 mins. until cooked to center and bubbly.

Serve hot.

Green Chile Sauce:
2 TBL. canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. mushrooms, chopped
1 can (~15 oz) corn, drained (or use frozen or fresh--in summertime!)
2 c. chicken broth (homemade from roast chicken carcass)
1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 lb. green chiles (of your choice or use two 4 oz. cans chopped green chiles)

1) Heat oil in pan over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic until onions become translucent (about 5 mins).
2) Add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms reduce and liquid cooks off.
3) Pour in corn. Stir.
4) Sprinkle in flour and cook for 3-5 minutes.
5) Add broth 1 cup at a time, stirring continually, to incorporate. Continue until sauce thickens to thin gravy consistency.
6) Mix in sour cream
7) Toss in green chiles. Stir. Remove from heat.

Pre-4 - Chicken Broth

We're almost there, people. Are we tired of chicken yet? Maybe but let's make some soup and disguise the rest with cheese. Everything is better with bacon, butter, or cheese. Isn't that what they say?

So in preparation for #4 and #5, we must prepare our broth. It's simple really. Remove all the meat you can find that remains and set aside for later. On mine, there is still one breast and a bunch of meat on the back. If you peel off the skin you will find more, believe me. Keep the skin for the broth. It makes the broth tastier, even if you skim off the fat.

So let's go. Put the bones and skin in a 6-8 qt. pot (bigger is better...to prevent boiling over--although it's all supposed to just simmer but accidents happen, right? Anyway...) Add any of the flavor bits from the chicken container. Chop up a large onion and one carrot. You can add a stalk of celery if you like. Other optional veggies to add: parsnip, daikon, turnip, parsley. Just don't add anything starchy (like potato, yam), that would discolor (beets) the broth, or make it bitter (mustard greens).

Add enough water to cover the whole lot and simmer for 60-90 mins. If we were making this from raw chicken bones, we would be simmering for half a day, at least, but these bones have already been through the ringer so they don't need much time. Although, the easy way to do this is to use a slow cooker (aka, CrockPot). Set it on low before heading off to bed or to work. It's done when you get wake up/get home. Oh the magic of a CrockPot...

When done (same procedure whether by stovetop or CrockPot), place a strainer over another pot (3 to 4 qts). Pour broth though. Discard bones, etc. Cool broth uncovered for an hour then place in refrigerator. A fat cap will appear on top. You can scrape that off and discard to lower fat content.

Preparing your own broth makes the whole house smell good, too...unless you're a vegetarian or vegan.

Tempura - A Dinner Break from Chicken

Dan and I were tired of chicken so we took a break from it on Tuesday night. That's when I decided that we needed to share Tempura Night with our friends.

Let me just say that it's a lot of work and is better attempted on a weekend night. Don't get me wrong. It was delicious and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. But of course, you know me, I had to make everything from scratch. So it was a lot of work.

--Miso soup made with fresh dashi (Japanese seaweed/fish-based stock),
--My 50/50 rice mix (sweet rice and brown rice) on the stovetop that even my anti-brown rice friend will have seconds of,
--Fresh tempura dipping sauce with dashi, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar (I also grated fresh daikon and ginger to boot),
--Green salad with homemade miso dressing,
--5 different tempura items (sweet potato, carrot, asparagus, mushroom, shrimp)
--and deep fried tofu...hey, I had hot oil and extra tofu left after making the miso soup.

Y'know I think I would have battered and fried an Oreo if I'd had one on hand.

So, if I were to do it again, I'd do it the same, just on a Saturday night! But to make it easier, one can easily buy miso soup mix in the Asian aisle of any grocery store, use a rice cooker, get a bag o' salad and bottled dressing, and only do three fried items. I would still recommend NOT buying the tempura mix though. I think it's a waste. Here's my recipe:

1 egg, beaten
1 c. very cold seltzer water or club soda
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. corn starch
(That's it. What you buy in the box for $2.50 is 25 cents worth of flour and starch that's probably 2 years old. No thank you.)

1) Add cold setzer/soda to beaten egg and mix.
2) Pour in flour and starch all at once.
3) Stir sparingly. The batter should be runny and lumpy.

The keys to good tempura:
--Use cold water and keep the batter cold (that difference in temperature helps batter to be lighter and less oily)
--Stir batter sparingly
--Make sure oil temp returns to 340-350*F before adding new items.

The only thing I was disappointed in was the carrots. The oil must not have been hot enough cuz it was oily and the batter didn't stick well. My favorite is, of course, the shrimp. There's a trick to that, too. Y'know, in order for it to not curl. Email me if you want to know.

Hey, I can't give away all the culinary secrets in one sitting!

#3 - Japanese Chicken Salad

Oh, the radishes are popping up in our garden already. It is truly wonderful to experience the bounty of one's garden. I had no idea. So I made a salad for our lunches. Yum.

Miso Salad Dressing
1 fl. oz. rice vinegar
2 tsp. yellow miso
1 med clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. sugar
1/3-1/2 tsp. ginger, grated (depending on how spicy you like it)
1.5 fl. oz. canola or olive oil

1) Mix together the vinegar and miso. The miso tends to stick together and clump. Whisking helps to smooth the mixture.
2) Add garlic, sugar, and ginger. Incorporate.
3) Slowly drizzle in oil while whisking to emulsify (or you can put everything in a jar and shake it...that's often fun for the kids).

Toss with salad greens and chicken (I used meat from the other leg and thigh for our two salads). I packaged Dan's for travel.

Remember, save the bones. We have one chicken breast left for Cinco de Mayo. Ole!

#2 - Curry Chicken Salad Lunch

Take one chicken breast (chopped or shredded).

Add a handful of raisins, cranberries, or dried fruit of your choice.

Put in half a handful of almonds (I used sliced almonds. If you only have whole almonds, chop them first).

Slice two green onions very thinly and mix all together. Sometimes I include chopped apple or celery if I have that on hand.

Yellow Curry Dressing:
3 TBL mayo (or plain yogurt for a lower fat option)
1 TBL yellow curry powder

Mix until powder is completely incorporated into mayo or yogurt. Nothing is less desirable than encountering a pocket of curry powder in one's mouth. Believe me on this one.

Combine dressing and chicken mixture. Voila!

Curry Chicken Salad. Eat over a bed of lettuce, spooned onto crackers, or spread over bread for a delightful sandwich.

The no brainer lunch.

#1 - Chicken Dinner

Ok, this one is pretty simple. Serve up a steaming portion of your roasted/rotisserie chicken. Hey, we just got started. No one's tired of chicken yet.

My husband and I like dark meat so we split a thigh, drumstick and the two wings. I separated the meat from the bones and reserved the bones (keep them refrigerated with the rest of the bird). We will be doing that all week for a special surprise! No it's not a bone necklace. I'm not Wilma Flintstone.

I hand-made some corn tortillas (you can buy them ready-made/packaged since we'll be using more of them later in the week) from a bag of instant masa. It's even better if you use moistened masa from a Latin grocery store. Just serve them warm.

The artichoke was steamed and has a special Tabaco dipping sauce. No, not Tabasco (as in the hot sauce). My friend's dad, George Tabaco (RIP Mr. Tabaco), used to make this dipping sauce all the time. It's mayo and soy sauce. If you don't like mayonnaise then this is not for you. However, if you do, try it. Use as much or as little soy sauce as you like. Start with mayo in a bowl and add soy sauce a little at a time. Stir. Be careful not to have a sea of soy surrounding a tiny island of mayo ;-P

The Many Flavors of One 3 lb. Chicken

I used to be a vegetarian...or a "fish"-etarian. I couldn't give up sushi. But that's another story rife with hilarity and well, ultimate failure. I am no longer a vegetarian after all. But I did learn a lot about alternative protein sources and that one can actually O.D. on peanut butter.

When I cook, I try to think about all the ways I can use every ingredient to its fullest extent. I'm most proud of multi-stage cooking/eating of a roast chicken. So follow me and Bakee Chicky on our culinary adventure. You can find a Bakee Chicky of your own at any grocery store deli or (if you're into such tom cookery...) in your oven. Over the next few blog posts, we will be tempting your tummy with much more than simple roasty goodness.

Usually I bake my own but I was feeling a bit lazy and they were being packaged just as I was approaching. It's like fresh popped popcorn...who can resist? And who has time during a busy work week. These birds run about $5-8 depending on where you shop (more if you're going organic).

I will show you how to make this chicken into 5 (count 'em 5) tasty and distinctly different meals for two (or for one if you're a big eater). Follow me...