recipe: Corn Potato Chowder

Reading last week's entry made me want to just publish a self-created recipe that rocks (according to the eaters, and the creator).

Corn Potato Chowder

1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp dried cumin
1 tsp dried cayenne
4 cups veg broth
8 oz. heavy cream (could reduce to 4 oz. or sub. lower cal/fat alternative)
2 large Yukon potatoes, unpeeled, diced unevenly
16 oz. frozen corn
shredded mozzarella (could sub. sharp cheddar)

Saute onion, garlic and spices in oil until onions are tender. Add liquid smoke, broth, cream. Add potatoes to hot soup base and cook 10 minutes. Add corn. Continue to cook until potatoes begin to break down (about 10 minutes). Using a potato masher, press potatoes to aid thickening. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let soup simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more. Serve with shredded cheese on the side. Serve as a meal with garlic bread. Feeds 4 to 6 (depending on appetite).

Buon Appetito!

I'm a dork

Yes, I'm a dork.

When invited to a friend's house for food, drinks and laughs, I asked what to bring.

The answer was vague - just a list of things that others were bringing: bacon wrapped corn dogs, mashed potatoes and sushi dip. Sounds like maybe they're going for a comfort food dinner. So, I'll bring a spagetti - nothing fancy, my favorite off-the-shelf sauce, Classico's Organic Sweet Basil Marinara, with veggie ground round. It's a weekly dish around here...usually lazy dinner night.

So, I walk in to a table covered with fancy finger food. There aren't any mashed potatoes. No corn dogs either. But, someone did wrap bacon around tater tots (and even they were kinda fancy). The sushi dip is actually nice...not cream cheese with onions and salmon in it like I envisioned. Stuffed mushroom caps. Pear, gruyere and jalapeno bruschetta. Cheese and crackers. Homemade salsa and chips. And my spagetti.

It never got opened. Just sat there on the back corner of the table in it's to-go Gladware. Embarrassed by my contrubution, I didn't draw any attention to it.

At the party's end, I quietly picked up my togo containers and took my uneaten spagetti home with me. Not considering that this action made me not only look like a lazy and unimaginative cook, but also stingy with my boring food.

Esh.

So, now, I'm working on some knock-out recipes to redeem myself. That is, if I ever get another invite...

...the bruschetta was amazing. Wish I'd thought of it.

wide eyed, teeth clinched

Too - Much - Coffee.

My eye is twitching.

Mind like a hummingbird.

Nervous limbs of a junkie.

Weave and all...

Every detail was planned and executed perfectly...right down to the weave to make her hair "wedding big".

The wedding was appropriately ceremonious - with obvious input from Jon & Becca. There were a few laughs, a few touching moments. Then Jon started stomping on stuff...oh wait, that was a glass...mazel tov!

The reception was a great gathering of friends - new and old. So much laughter, so much, er, alcohol. Everyone said it was going to be a late, great night.

When we got kicked out of the reception hall, the bride announced: "Everyone is welcome back to our room." (What was she thinking on her wedding night???)

Everyone showed up in their pink Madonna Inn bathrobes. Except me (and some others). I decided I needed to have mine, too. I stumbled to the room to get it...and never made it back.

I hear the rest of the party was a blast.

I can't believe Cahen outlasted me...

Congratulations Becca and Jon!

Now, make a baby already...

food for thought

Overheard at PDX airport, on the parking shuttle. A conversation between 2 "business casual" guys:

Stiff lip: "I do not like going all day without eating."
Long nose: "Well...we had breakfast."
Stiff lip: "yeah."
Long nose: "And, we had those sandwiches."
Stiff lip: "yeah, we did."
Long nose: "And you had that burrito."
Stiff lip: "Yeah...I guess I ate 3 times."

I want to look inside your head

Wes Anderson makes me happy. I'm very excited for the release his new movie "The Darjeeling Limited". And, in the meantime, I watched (free on itunes!) the short film, Hotel Chevalier, which is noted as part 1 of The Darjeeling Limited. His ability to develop characters by using minimal words and gestures delights me. His use of color makes my eyes smile.

But, besides my adoration for him as a filmmaker, I'm excited by his knack for drawing well-deserved attention to lesser-known artists whose talents escaped the mainstream.

For example: Peter Sarstedt, "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)"


God Bless you Mr. Anderson.

Really?!?

Veggie thief: green tomatoes for dinner on Monday

Ok. Here's the plan:

When she leaves for work tomorrow, I'm walking right out there, right up to them, like they're my tomato plants, and picking those 4 green romas that are on the verge of turning.

Then, there'll be fried green tomato chips for dinner. With my favorite lima bean, sweet corn, black-eyed pea succotash.

Stop on by if you want some...

We're not home owners!!!

Yay! As of yesterday, we are no longer home owners!

We are finally rid of the condo in LA. We're FREEEEEEE!

What a great day!

This past Saturday is now one of my favorite days so far this year. Nothing really eventful, just a lot of little things that made it a great day.

I stole the car from Cahen (first time I've driven in about a month...he's been hogging the car and I like using public transportation and/or walking).

First stop: Music Millennium. It's no Amoeba Music (LA and SF), but it's a good little locally-owned music store with nice employees and good deals. I picked up the new Iron & Wine and Ani DiFranco cds. The Ani cd, Canon, is a collection of mostly previously recorded work, with some re-recordings. I have most of her music, but it's nice to have a collection she put together representing what she might consider her best. The new Iron & Wine, The Sheperd's Dog is fantastic! It makes me all glassy-eyed and dreamy.

I loaded the Iron & Wine in the car player, rolled down the windows and drove in the rain.

To my next stop: Stumptown Comic Fest. No, I'm not a big comic book guy or anything. But, there are a few really talented artists who choose small books and/or comics as a medium. I specifically was there to see more work from Theo Ellsworth (www.artcapacity.com), but also took the opportunity to check out a LOT of others, too. When visiting his table, I had the great pleasure of meeting Theo. He's quirky, cute, kinda shy but really nice. And, he's really talented. He embodies many of the characteristics of the people of Portland which inspired me to move here. A quote from one of his books, "Always Somewhere Nearby":
(from the introduction)
"I hope that you gain supernatural powers soon and that you save the world with them. I hope that everyone in the world is uncontrollably happy for the next 11 days strait, and then take a nice hot bath."

{me: bubbling over with glee}

I also met BT Livermore (radrobot.org) and bought his new book. It's the first volume of ten about a real boy who died in 1900, buried in the graveyard close to where I live. He decided to honor the boy, mainly because of his cool name and how short his life was (8 months), by creating this series imagining what he might've done in his life. In the first volume of The Life And Times Of "Baby" Otto Zeplin, Otto has his name legally changed from Frank to Otto, learns to play the sousaphone, has a sold out sousaphone concert, makes a ton of money on the stock market, spends all of his money on candy and is visited by the ghost of Ulysses S. Grant - all within the 1st 25 days of his life. The book and drawings are very well done, too.

Afterwards, I drove in the rain, listening to Iron & Wine, to The Tao of Tea (www.taooftea.com) for some lunch...and some tea. I enjoyed a nice black bean/cranberry/mixed green salad and a Japanese green tea while I read my new books (with a blissful grin).

Lastly, I drove up to Mt. Tabor Park, then parked and walked the rest of the way to the top - where you can see almost the whole city all the way around. I sat in the rain and caught up with old friends on the phone.

(Then, I saw the worst movie EVER - "Sunshine". Don't want to spoil the mood of the entry or I'd elaborate...)