larry in portland

Social Media - a fad?

2010-01-28T15:49:00.001-08:00

Food for thought...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

The aughts (oughts?) are out and the new decade is in. Yippee hooray! 2009 was the pits, and, that said, I'm looking forward to a sparkling new year. I hope you and yours had a great New Years celebration and that this year is getting off to a good start.

Photos of MC - pt.2

2009-10-04T14:02:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more photos:

Photos of MC

2009-10-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hi all -

While looking for old photos of our cat, Bustopher Jones, I came across many photos of our dear friend MC. She passed away this summer, and we're all still feeling her loss. That said, I thought I'd share these photos with her friends.

If you'd like a higher res image, please email me at larryw79@yahoo.com or leave a comment to this post.

Post Post POST!

2009-09-04T10:39:00.001-07:00

Has it really been several weeks since my last post? Lordy. I need to get back on the ball. Or the wagon. Or whatever.

Anyway, life has been crazy lately. Came back from a week at the beach and our dog passed away, then a dear friend of ours passed away as well. Simply awful. On top of that, my mother and aunt both lost their jobs.

When it rains it pours, no? That said, I'm going my best to hang in there.

Before I forget, for those of you who were friends of Mary Catherine (the friend who passed away), you can read a lovely article about here in the latest issue of the Portland Tribune.

Time to get back to work. More soon!

Sound of Music Dance

2009-04-11T08:42:00.001-07:00

This video has been circulating around Facebook and YouTube. I thought I'd share it with you all. Enjoy!

Snuggie Parody Ad

2009-03-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

Since I don't have any fun food or music things to post, this Snuggie Parody video will have to do. Enjoy!

Zipcar Article from the New York Times Magazine

2009-03-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

If you're a Zipcar member like me, you might find the article "Share My Ride," by Mark Levine, in this week's New York Times Magazine, of interest:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/magazine/08Zipcar-t.html

It's a decent article, with information regarding the origins of Zipcar and the company today. I didn't know that Hertz is starting a car-sharing company to challenge Zipcar. I'll be curious to see how this all plays out!

Inari Sushi

2009-03-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

I hit the Sameunderneath sale this weekend with a few friends. I'm tellin' ya - warehouse sales are the way to go. I found some GREAT clothes for a great deal.

I often get the munchies after a successful shopping trip. That said, we went out for sushi afterwards. I was pleased to see that inari sushi was readily available, as it is often not. Next to mackerel, it is my favorite kind of sushi. I'm not sure why...perhaps it is the simplicity of a fried bean curd shell around sushi rice. Slightly sweet, depending on how it is made, it's a real treat and a great way to end successful shopping venture.

Note: In case you're curious, the sushi image was found via an image search on Google. Sadly, I did not have my camera on me during the trip, hence the lack of my own photo.

I love Jon Stewart and the Daily Show

2009-03-05T16:14:00.000-08:00

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

Sheer brilliance. Thanks to them for putting Rick Santelli and CNBC in their place!

Home, sick

2009-02-24T15:17:00.002-08:00

I'm waiting for the Zicam to do its thing and speed up my recovery. It seems to be working - I feel better than I did this morning. Then again, my sinuses are still stuffed... Oh well, beggars can't be choosers!

At least I can work from home and not have to count the day as a sick day. Woohoo! Believe or not, I actually HAVE been working today. Got a lot done, too.

One of the nice things about working from home is being able to listen to Pandora with no issues. Love it. Been digging the Massive Attack Radio station. I wonder what other folks dig on Pandora. Got recommendations? If so, send 'em my way!

The Onion's Take on new Sony Technology

2009-02-24T15:17:00.001-08:00

Sony Releases New Stupid Piece Of Shit That Doesn't Fucking Work

Cupcake/Chocolate Tasting

2009-02-03T13:18:00.000-08:00

It is important to choose good food for a party. That said, I decided to have a little cupcake and chocolate tasting for the sweets I plan on purchasing for an upcoming birthday party.

I choose St. Cupcake and Alma Chocolate as the finalists. Once done, we visited both and sampled several items. Photos are to come soon, but, for now, you'll have to deal with text only descriptions.

The cupcakes at St. Cupcake are pretty darn tasty. We settled on the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (for example, the Red Velvets), since it trumps buttercream frosting. The hot fudge is good, but I'm still on the fence about it.

As for chocolates, we dig the Mint Meltaways, Salted Peanut Buttercups and the truffles. Yum.

Stay tuned for pics of these fabulous cupcakes and chocolates!

My, what a busy few weeks!

2009-01-30T13:11:00.000-08:00

Hence the lack of posts. What has been going on? Well, I moved (yay!), band started up again and work has been crazy busy. Oh yeah, and the economy is still going to hell in a handbasket. Oops!

Oh well, we're hanging in there, despite the gloom and doom around us. I'm pretty sure my job is solid - it's good to be needed - however nothing seems to be certain nowadays...

That said, my financial plan for the year is to eliminate as much debt as possible. This includes credit card debt, student loans, and the like.

It will be a little challenging to support local charities and restaurants given the budget crunch. But I plan to do my best to support 'em since times are tough for them as well.

Ok, back to work. Look for more posts in the near future!

Happy Holidays... From the Charlie Brown Ad Agency

2008-12-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

For all you creative advertising types...

New was to discover music

2008-12-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

Kyle Judkins created a great post a few weeks ago for the Lost In Technology blog - Top 10 Ways to Discover New Music. If you haven't read it already, do so! It highlights some of the new tools for listening and sharing music.

Out of the tools listed, I found Pandora, Last.fm, and Musicovery to be the most interesting and useful. Does anyone out there have any other recommendations? If so, I'd be glad to hear 'em.

Oregon Food Bank - Show them love during this holiday season

2008-11-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

Oregon Food Bank

The Oregon Food Bank is really hurting for donations this year. According to their latest press release, Oregon ranks #3 in the nation's hunger rating.

That simply won't do.

I encourage everyone to take a moment and take action to help those in need. You can learn more about donating money, time, or food to the Oregon Food Bank by visiting their Make A Difference webpage, which has all sorts of useful information.

Working together we can make a difference in the lives of many hungry Oregonians. Thanks and happy Thanksgiving!

What's on your plate?

2008-11-25T12:47:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is only a few days away! Here's what's on our menu:

Turkey (w/ stuffing)
Green Salad
Ham cooked with maple syrup, sweet potatoes, and carrots
Waldorf Salad
String Beans with garlic (I think)
Squash rolls

Pies, wine, champagne, and sparkling cider will also be served. I'll do my best to take photos and put 'em up.

In the meantime, I encourage readers to share what they'll be eating for Thanksgiving, or any special or memorable Thanksgiving meals from the past.

Late adopters unite!

2008-11-24T09:26:00.000-08:00

I signed up for StumbleUpon this past week. I realize it has been around for a while, so it seems a bit moot to blog about it.

However, I must say how it has introduced me to some pretty incredible food blogs and websites. Here are a few I found very interesting:

A Hamburger Today - A blog devoted to hamburgers.

Sandwich Recipes - As the name implies, a page full of great sandwich recipes.

Chaos in the Kitchen - a food blog with excellent photos and recipes.

I hope to visit more new sites with the aid of StumbleUpon in the near future. I'll keep you posted with what I find!

Music on the mind

2008-11-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

The Beatles "Hey Jude" is playing in the background as I work. Earlier, "Nights in White Satin", from The Moody Blues, was on.

Both of these songs got me thinking about music and what to listen to or to download the next time I log into iTunes or eMusic. My last post was a request for music suggestions, which I'm quite open to. If you have a recommentation, do let me know.

Lately, the following tracks and/or groups have been on heavy rotation on my 'Pod:

* Bloc Party - songs from the album Intimacy, such as "Talons," "Mercury," "Ion Square"

* Portishead - "Hunter"

* Pulp - "Sorted for Es and Whizz"

* Dave Brubeck Quartet - "Take Five"

* The Chemical Brothers - "Galvanize"

* Thievery Corporation - songs from the album Radio Retaliation, such as "33 Degree" and "Beautiful Drug."

I'm sure I'll add more classical music, opera, and rock in a while... I listened to John Adams' "Doctor Atomic" last weekend - which was amazing. I'll be sure to add it to the library soon.

iPod Blues

2008-11-14T09:45:00.002-08:00

Don't know if you've ever felt this way, but I am tired of the music on my iPod. All of it. Well, ok, almost all of it.

I've been purging music like mad over the past few weeks. That said, I need replenish the 'Pod. I know, I know - I dig the new Bloc Party album, but I can't listen to it 30 times in a row.

Anyone have recommendations for new music? If so, leave a comment and I'll be sure to check it out.

Korean BBQ Beef

2008-10-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago the Hardy Boys and I tried a new crock pot dish - Korean BBQ Beef. It's fairly simple to prepare - add the beef short ribs, spices and green onions to the crock pot - and cooks throughout the day.

The dish turned out well, though I was a little disappointed in the short ribs. I'm not used to cooking them, so I was unaware how fatty the cut is compared to other cuts of meat.

The sauce, however, is fantastic. It's a great blend of green onions, soy sauce (or tamari), minced garlic and fresh ginger, and beef broth.

I think I'll try a different cut of beef next time around. I thought about using chicken, but I wonder if the dish would lose its effectiveness by not using beef or pork?

If anyone has thoughts or recommendations, I'd love to hear 'em.

Love Bacon?

2008-10-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

If so, then do visit bacongeek.com. I didn't believe it at first, but a fellow Portlander created a blog that is, ahem, "By bacon geeks, for bacon geeks."

Speaking of bacon, had two great pieces of it at the J&M Cafe this weekend. Had a concert that night, so I loaded up with a big breakfast. In addition to the bacon, I had their garden scramble - eggs, mustard greens, garlic, onions - homestyle potatoes, and toast. Mmm...

So do check out bacongeek.com for bacon-y goodness and visit the J&M for a great breakfast.

Friends don't let friends eat bad sandwiches

2008-10-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

Bad sandwiches should not be forced on anyone. Really. Needless to say, I made the mistake of purchasing a sandwich from a major sandwich distributor and am now regretting the result.

Portland has a plethora of good sandwich producers. One that comes to mind is the Moringstar Café. My favorite sandwich is the Sophie's Extra Special: cream cheese mixed with chopped sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, kalamata olives, garlic; with smoked turkey and l.o.t. on como bread. Oh, my, God. I need a moment after eating one.

As for today's sandwhich. Ugh.

Send me your sandwich recommendations - I'd love to add 'em to the blog.

Ham, ham, ham...

2008-10-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

Made a great dish in the crockpot last week: Fall Ham Supper. I chose it because it seemed simple to prepare and I like ham. Oh, ham... Why are you so tasty?

As I mentioned earlier, the dish was easy to prepare: add 6 carrots, 3 sweet potatoes to the crockpot, forming a base for the ham. Then add the ham (sliced or cubed). Once done, pour about a cup and a half of maple syrup on top.

Sounds sweet, no? Yes. It was very, very good and I think will make a good side dish for Thanksgiving dinner.

Next time you're at Grand Central Bakery...

2008-10-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

...I recommend picking up a loaf of their Yukon Gold Potato bread. It is like a potato made sweet love to a loaf of sourdough and the result is the potato bread.

Here is the description of this wondeful bread from the Grand Central Bakery website:

"Yukon Gold Potato - Our Potato loaf has the earthy sweetness of roasted Yukon Gold potatoes balanced by a tangy hint of sour. This moist and tender loaf has a thinner, softer crust less typical of our line. This loaf rises naturally with a levain to achieve a chewy texture and rich taste."

WW Restaurant Guide 2008

2008-10-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't already picked up a copy, the Willamette Week's Restaurant Guide 2008 is available in this week's issue. You can also view it online at the Willamette Week website.

I'm surprised at how many restaurants are new to me. I must be getting rusty - I thought I had a pretty good handle on the new and fun eateries around town!

Several of my favorites are listed - Kenny & Zuke's, Vindalho, Southpark - as well as a few that I'm eager to visit, such as Lovely Hula Hands and Beast.

Get a copy (or review it online), find a place to go, eat. Easy!

Lunchtime ennui

2008-10-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

Turkey chili has been a lunch dish for wa-a-ay too long. I need to find a new item to make for lunch. Any recommendations?

Dining on a Dime - pt. 1

2008-10-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

The US economy is in the toilet, but don't let that stop you from eating out. The food service industry is hit hard in times like these so go out there and support your local restaraunts!

But what if you're on a budget? Never fear. Here's a list of great places to eat when you're low on cash:

1. The Carts. There are scores of great food carts in Portland. Two locations of food-cart convergence are across the street from the Galleria (10th and Alder) and on SW 4th, between Oak and Stark (correct me if I'm wrong on this one).

Cuisine Bonne Femme has done a great job of compiling them and listing them on her blog: Food Carts Portland.

2. Dot's. Yes, it is smoky and dark, but it's one of the best places to dine in SE Portland (in my humble opinion). I recommend any of the plates of frieds (hot & spicy is oh-so-fun), as well as the blue cheese burger, spicy chicken pita sandwhich and the vegan deluxe. Check out the rad velvet paintings while you're there. Most dishes are between $5 and $10, so you're pocket book won't be hurting too much after a meal. FYI - cash or checks only, no credit cards accepted!

3. Honkin' Huge Burritos. One of the best things about working downtown is being able to walk to Shelly's Honkin' Huge Burritos. Shelly is a bright ray of sunshine and her burritos are fantastic. If I wasn't concerned about becoming morbidly obese, I'd eat there every day.

That's all for now. I plan on adding more in the near future!

Sister's Wedding

2008-10-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

My sister got married this weekend. The wedding went well, though not without little bumps here and there (glasses breaking, fingers going numb from handling ice, etc.). But, all in all, it was a fine event.

The food was great. Buster's BBQ catered the event. The food options included smoked turkey and/or pulled pork (both covered with the savory and wonderful Buster's BBQ sauce), mashed potatoes and gravy, Texas toast, salad and brownies.

I had the smoked turkey with an ample dose of barbeque sauce. It hit the spot after a day of running around and managing things with the wedding co-coordinator, Angela (who, by the way, did the majority of the work).

Melissa and Brian are now enjoying their honeymoon in Maui. Congrats to the bride and groom and thanks to Buster's for making the event even more enjoyable.

Twittering Fool

2008-10-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

I've been twittering much more lately, since the networking panel discussion at PSU a few weeks ago. The amazing Kent Lewis of Anvil Media brought up the topic of Facebook and Twitter and how the MBA students should take advantage of both resources.

For those of you who don't know, Twitter is, in a way, a mirco-blogging or messaging tool that allows you compose messages in a fast and easy manner. You have only 140 characters per message, so the messages are short and to the point. Handy for those of us who are on the run or only want info that is relevant.

If you can find it, read the article on Twitter and Facebook by Clive Thompson - I'm So Totally, Digitally Close to You. It is an interesting read and a good intro to folks new to Facebook and Twitter.

Of course, if you Twitter and wish to "follow" me, just log into Twitter and look for "larryatoen".

Band Concert - Oh yeah!

2008-10-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't already know, I play clarinet in a community wind symphony - the Portland Gay Symphonic Band. Our first concert of the season is coming up on Saturday, October 25th, at 8 PM. The location of the concert will be held at the lovely Kaul Auditorium, Reed College campus.

You can visit the band website (www.portlandgaysymphonicband.com) for info or, if you wish to purchase tickets, do so by visiting our Brown Paper Tickets page.

Hope to see you all there!

Recently Read - "A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle

2008-09-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

I'm behind the 8-ball when it comes to good travel writing. The book "A Year In Provence", by Peter Mayle, was published in 1991. Yeah, it's only taken me over a dozen years to get to it.

Thankfully, I have a great co-worker that recommends fabulous books to me. She had a spare copy and thought I'd like to read it. And did I! The books focuses on the lives of a British couple that move to Provence, France. It is full of quirky folks, but what got me was the rich and thoughtful writing about food. I found myself getting hungry while reading most parts of this book.

So yeah, treat yourself to a nice read with this one.

What's in a name?

2008-09-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, perhaps it is a bit silly that by adding peanut sauce to a dish it becomes a "Thai" dish. To me, it's a bit like saying a pizza is "Hawaiian" by adding pineapple to it. Why pineapple? Hawaiians eat poi, mac salad, spam and plenty of seafood, yet it seems that adding pineapple to a pizza is the Hawaiian thing to do.

Names aside, I tried a Thai chicken dish in my crockpot a few weeks ago. It was simple: sliced chicken breasts (about 3 lbs.), 2 jars of peanut sauce, carrots, onions, green peppers, all added to the crockpot and cooked on "High" for about 5 hours.

The result was fan-friggin-tastic. The sauce was amazing, and the ingredients complimented one another quite well and it took almost not time to prepare.

Whether this dish is made in Thailand or not, I'd recommend it to any crockpot chefs with limited time and ingredients.

Thai food at Tuk Tuk

2008-09-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

Tuk Tuk is a Thai restaurant on NE Fremont and 42nd (or so). The Hardy Boys and I went there a few weeks ago and had a terrific meal. The sizzling beef was superb, as was the pad khee mao and curried chicken liver.

The great thing about the meal was that the level of "hotness" of the dishes was perfect. We ordered "medium" level spice and we were quite contented with the results. Each dish was spicy enough to be exciting, yet not so much that it was unbearable.

Hmm... perhaps I can pick up some pad khee mao on the way home from work...

Whatnot

2008-09-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

How long it has been since I've added new blog posts! I still have quite a few photos to share - I've been cooking up some crazy good dishes in my crockpot lately. Good times.

Until I get them uploaded, readers will have to do with text-only descriptions of food, fun and whatnot.

What the World Eats - Time Special

2008-08-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm wa-a-ay behind in blog posts. I'd blame it on my internet connection not working for a for a week, or that I haven't uploaded food pics lately, but it really boils down to me being too busy for words.

Anyway, in the meantime, check out these fascinating photos from Time's website:
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519_1373664,00.html

The special is titled "What the World Eats - Part 1". Incredible.

Paella

2008-07-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

A dear friend of mine left Portland a few days ago. A few weeks ago we threw a going-away party for him. Pasted below are a few pics of the fabulous paella we prepared for the party.

The grilled chicken and chorizo

Seafood - clams, mussels and shrimp

Veggies - peppers, onions, garlic in olive oil

The end product!

East Burn Happy Hour

2008-07-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

I think I'm in love.

A bar that has good food, skee ball AND well drinks under $3 during their happy hour. Wow.

A group of friends and I met at the East Burn this past week for their happy hour. It was good to catch up, have really good (and strong) drinks and play skee ball. Their fries are terrific - a little greasy, but thick and salty. Also, if you're a fan of vodka, try their Jimmy Stewart. It's a grayhound (vodka + grapefruit juice) plus a dash of Campari. Double yum.

Visiting the East Burn could become habit forming.

Chicken Merlot in my near future

2008-06-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

I can nearly taste it.

The kitchen is full of activity at the moment. The cat that is visiting our domicile is hiding in one of the cupboards and one of my roommates is doing dishes. So there's no cooking for me until the commotion dies down...Or whenever the dishes are done.

The dish I plan on making tonight is a crock pot dish I tried about two weeks ago. My mother found the recipe in Good Cooking or some other magazine. I'll need to track it down to give it official props.

Anyway, it's great and simple: 3 lbs. of chicken breasts (boneless & skinless), about a pound of mushrooms, an onion or two, basil, garlic, and tomatoes. I added salt and pepper to the original recipe, as well as a little oregano.

Super yum. Can't want to get started!

I gave Pizza A Chance

2008-06-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

I had the most pleasing lunch today - a slice of pizza and a Greek salad from Give Pizza A Chance. Hmm...now that I think about it, I may have the business name wrong. I'll check it later.

I did not, however, forget the food. The pizza was warm and had a great crust (not too thick or too thin), covered with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil. Yum. The Greek salad was sans cucumbers, which made me a happy boy. It did contain kalamata olives, slices of red onions, feta cheese and lettuce. Double yum.

I finished lunch feeling quite satisfied.

2008-05-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

Rosemary and garlic chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy (both include carrots, corn, cream and garlic) and asparagus.

2008-05-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

Rosmary and garlic chicken, prepared by JJ.

2008-05-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

Broiled chicken atop Bermuda onions and romesco (sp?) sauce. The onions had quite a kick!

2008-05-30T17:53:00.000-07:00

A wonderful pasta created by Craig Johnson. Penne noodles with snap peas, asparagus, parmesen and rosemary.

2008-05-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

An amazing salad prepared by Mary Catherine Lamb for Sarah and Shirlee's dinner party. So good!

2008-05-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

Asparagrus with pine nuts, garlic (sauteed), lemon juice and peel.

2008-05-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

An incredible dish - pork loin roast with apricots, figs and carrots in an apricot glaze. Simply amazing.

Brussel Sprouts

2008-05-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hot, steaming, brussel sprouts. Yum!

May Schmay

2008-05-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

My first post of the month is 9 days into it. Sheesh! I need to get on the ball and start blogging more frequently.

One reason why I haven't been blogging so much is the website transition at work. It's eating up much of my time. Also, I had a concert in mid-April and another one next week. If I'm not blogging, I'm practicing. Or sleeping. One or the other.

But one of the biggies is that I haven't uploaded pics from recent meal yet. That will happen this weekend (hopefully), since I have several fun photos to share.

Ok, enough meandering. Back to work. More later.

Onigiri - Hawaiian Style

2008-04-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

A friend forwarded a link to me to the blog (?) "Simply Craving." One of the more recent posts is a recipe for Onigiri with spam. It reminds me of spam musubi, sans the seaweed wrap and teriyaki sauce. But it still looks darn tasty. Check it out at: SimplyCraving.com.

No. 2 in Lust Ranking

2008-04-23T10:23:00.001-07:00

Portland, my hometown, is listed as no. 2 in the "Most Lustful" cities in the US, according to Forbes Magazine. You can check out the info on their website: Forbes.com.

I must say I'm a bit shocked that Denver beat us in regards to lustfulness. Really? Denver?

Hmmm... Perhaps the altitude has something to do with it?

Bobblehead Pope Video News Story

2008-04-10T08:34:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I'm Catholic. Not only Catholic, but I enjoy the kitsch that accompanies Catholicism. Needless to say, I got an immense kick out of the promotional video for the DC Metro system's instructions on attending the Pope's papal mass.

You can check it out via the CBS Website by clicking the start button on player on the page.

Upon first viewing I nearly wept I was laughing so hard. The latin vocals in the start of the video are great. As is the comment about avoiding the "unholy" traffic.

Unholy indeed. :)

Come to my concert! (Shameless Plug)

2008-04-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

That's right kids - Larry's gonna be in a show. Well, not a show per se, but a sweet band concert that's coming up on April 12th, 5 PM, at Kaul Auditorium.

I play with gay/lesbian wind ensemble (the Portland Gay Symphonic Band), and this will be our spring concert (second in the performance season). We'll perform works from Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, Ticheli and others. It will be a rad show.

So why wait to buy tickets and see yours truly tooting his clarinet? Visit our website at www.rcgfb.org for concert details and to buy tickets.

See you there!

Eating Lunch - So Good!

2008-04-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

Today's lunch is from Pazzoria. It contains:

Cream of porcini soup
Albacore tuna salad (with capers, red peppers and tomatoes)
Tomato salad with onions, goat cheese, basil, olives and in a vinagrette.

To top it all off, I have a chocolate chip cookie. Yum.

Fun on Mississippi

2008-03-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

I really need to visit North Portland more often. I had a great evening last Saturday on Mississippi. The Hardy Boys and I had pizza and Caesar salad at Mississippi Pizza, then we sauntered over to Mississippi Studios for a performance of the River and Sound Review.

The performance was a kick - we heard readings from the wonderful and talented Ann Whitfield Powers, Bryan Doyle and the "East Meets East Meets West Book Club." Mr. Rodger Larson was a ROCK STAR in the book trivia game, answering all the questions correctly and evening stating the first sentences of the book before the host. Simply incredible - way to go Rodger!

We also heard several numbers from the group Swingin Amiss, which was such a treat. I'm all for supporting local bands and this group ROCKED. Clever lyrics to fun, enjoyable and sonically rich music. Go listen to their album!

Lent is OVER

2008-03-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

...time to party (again). Attended the Good Friday service this past week - so good. I didn't venerate the cross this year, which is unusual, seeing as how I've done it the past several years. Dunno...just didn't feel appropriate this time around.

As a result, I was smited (smote?) on Sunday - my car caught on fire, I misplaced my metronome and clarinet neck strap and was generally stressed out on a day that should have been relaxing. Arrrgh.

But that's life, no? One must roll with the punches or else one risks being pummeled.

Now that Easter has passed, I can resume eating red meat and sweets. Yum. Had a few Girl Scout Cookies yesterday afternoon while cleaning. Their Tagalongs are good, but nowhere (and I mean nowhere) as good as the Samoas (sp?). Yum.

What's on your iPod?

2008-03-06T16:16:00.000-08:00

In lieu of posting fun food images, I've decided to list a few of the tracks that are currently on heavy rotation in my iPod. (The listings are track first, then artist.)

This Time Tomorrow / The Kinks
Blood on Snow / Horse Feathers
Moon River / Henry Mancini, sung by Audrey Hepburn
Don't Look Away / Helio Sequence
Gay A / Menomena
White Ghost Shivers Ball / White Ghost Shivers
She Sells Sanctuary / Arr. by the Dandy Warhols
For the Price of a Cup of Tea / Belle and Sebastian

I never thought I'd enjoy folk music (too twangy and whiney for my erudite ears), but I've started to get into it. Slowly, mind you. I'm not going to rush out and buy a Pete Seger box set just yet. But I've really enjoyed the latest (first?) album from Horse Feathers. It's groovy. Same goes for the White Ghost Shivers (but they're more bluegrass/traditional jazz, not folk).

You gotta show love to your local bands. The Helio Sequence, Dandy Warhols and Menomena are a kick, especially if you are into rock and/or electronic music.

And last, but certainly not least, Belle and Sebastian. I've been listening to the album "The Life Pursuit" almost non-stop for the past several weeks. Simply amazing.

Stir Fry

2008-03-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

A delicious stir fry composed at the Hardy Boys' place a few weeks ago. It contains pork, red and green peppers, onions, mushrooms, cashew nuts and asparagas. The sauce is a combination of hoisin (sp?) and black bean garlic sauces.

2008-03-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

Embrace the pizza from Rocco's Pizza. Or simply eat it!

Love the Food Cuber

2008-02-26T13:20:00.000-08:00

Check out this great local (Portland) company that has a neat little product:
http://www.foodcuber.com/index.php

If you have the opportunity to chat with their CEO, Lisa Brock, do so - she's a kick!

More food pics coming soon...promise!

2008-02-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy few weeks! I haven't found the time to add new food pics or recipes lately. Sigh. Even after discovering the ever-cool "Blogger" button in Picasa2, I still have yet to add more photos.

Guess that's what happens when work and oodles of birthday parties get in the way. Sheesh.

Speaking of work, back to it. Got to get my groove on for tonight's PubTalk.

First Breakfast in Madrid

2008-01-27T14:22:00.000-08:00

Churros con chocolate. The breakfast of champions!

Museo del Jamon

2008-01-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

If I'm not mistaken, the sign of this restaurant reads "The Museum of Ham." This wouldn't be too strange in Spain, since dried and cured meats are quite common.

2008-01-27T14:18:00.000-08:00

Another photo from the Spain 2007 trip file. This dessert stop was made outside of the cathedral in San Sebastian. We found a lovely little place ("Coffee") and purchased desserts there. The dessert closest to the camera is a chocolate croissant; to the left is a waffle with chocolate drizzle and the drink (in the tall glass) is ice cream in coffee. The drinks in the cups are cafe con leche (which I still can find in Portland). Sigh. :)

2008-01-27T14:14:00.000-08:00

I found this image while going through my Spain 2007 trip photos. The meal in this picture is one of the best I had in Spain. The dish items are as follows: ensalada mixta (sp?), red peppers stuffed with tuna and salmon wraps with an unknown filling. The bread in the background has a covering of tomatoes and olive oil. Simply superb!

Naughty little bears, indeed!

2008-01-27T14:07:00.000-08:00

Still life with white cake donut and chai

2008-01-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

Photo taken at Boyd's coffeeshop (on 10th).

Slap me with a wet noodle!

2008-01-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

It has been ages since I've added any food pics to this blog! I simply must do it right away. Perhaps I'll take a photo of the lovely spaghetti I made last Sunday.

It's marvelous - I added angel hair pasta to sautéed onions and mushrooms. The marinara is a decent brand, but I can't remember the name of it at the moment. I'll find it later.

Ok, time to get back to work. More writing (and food pics) later.

Wiki, wiki, wiki

2008-01-17T10:57:00.000-08:00

This isn't a food post (shocking!), but it's about cool Web 2.0 stuff:

If you haven't heard of wikis yet, you really ought to check 'em out. Wikipedia is a prime example (the dictionary that anyone can edit).

OEN has been working with AboutUs.org, a great Portland-based wiki org that, to develop wiki hotness.

If you're interested, you can visit my personal wiki page here: http://www.aboutus.org/User:Larryatoen#Larryatoen

So what are you waiting for? Visit AboutUs.org right now to bathe in the warm, wiki goodness.

Tuna in a jar

2008-01-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

As some of you already know, I support the wind ensemble I play in by purchasing gift cards. A portion of the proceits go to the band and everyone wins.

That is, until I run out of gift cards. That's the case at the moment and I'm scouring my cuppords for food. It's kind of fun, in a way - finding out how creative I can be with the most basic ingredients.

I busted out a jar of tuna that I received from a friend last night. He had picked several jars up from a bunch of friends that caught, prepared and canned the tuna themselves. All I can say is "wow."

The tuna as safe in its sealed container. I opened it and sampled it - again, wow. I was blown away by the rich, yet not fishy, flavor.

Needless to say, I finished the jar this morning.

Happy New Year (belated)!

2008-01-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's the new year and I'm finally getting around to writing a new blog post. Sheesh!

Knock on wood, this year has gotten off to a pretty good start. No major catasrophes or deaths in the family. I hope this remains the same for the rest of the year. :)

Many new restaurants in town and beautiful dishes to make and eat. I think 2008 will be a great year for food and I look forward to it!

Cookbooks galore!

2007-12-31T13:00:00.000-08:00

Can I say that my friends and family know me well? I've been very enthusiastic about using my slow cooker to make magical meals over the past few months. I've been raving about the great soups, stews and other dishes that I've prepared, eaten and loved. As a result, my parents and a few other friends gave me slow cooking cookbooks for Christmas. Hooray!

The only dilemma know is what to make first...

Holiday Eats 2 - Crustacean Christmas, pt. 2

2007-12-28T15:49:00.000-08:00

Challah bread was baked that afternoon. (I know, I know, Christmas Eve didn't fall the Sabbath. What can we say? We love our challah.) Salads were prepared as well. It was a simple salad of iceberg lettuce, onion and a light mayo/white vinegar dressing.

Champagne and white wine was poured at the beginning of the meal. I brought a light and frilly vino verde, which, lately, has been rocking my world.

We were concerned that there wouldn't be enough butter or lemon to go around (for the crab). However, it wasn't needed - the crab was perfect. Rich in flavor, not too fishy and certainly not in need of any condiments. I struggled a bit with the crab at first (apparently my upper-body workout routine has not produced enough muscle mass to assist in rending crab). I did my best and was rewarded with succulent, juicy morsels of meat. Yum.

There was much good eating and mirth that evening. I hope we can recreate it again sometime in the near future!

Holiday Eats 2 - Crustacean Christmas

2007-12-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

This Christmas, I had crab for the second time in my life. It was a brilliant experience, unlike the first time I had crab (it was messy, stressful, and resulted in much weeping and gnashing of teeth).

The Hardy Boys and I decided that having crab, a side salad and loaf of homemade bread was THE dinner of choice for Christmas Eve. This resulted in a quest for crab on Christmas Eve morning that was quite the experience. Apparently most of the folks in SE Portland decided they were to eat crab that day as well. Go figure!

We visited several stores and called many others. It wasn't until we hit Zupan's (on Belmont) that we reserved several crab from a clandestine delivery that was to take place at an unknown time that day. Mysterious, no?

So we picked up the remaining supplies (wine, flour, lettuce, etc.) at New Seasons - Seven Corners, and then made our way back to Zupan's after the crab delivery arrived. There was much joy when we picked up the large, plastic wrapped crab.

Holiday Eating 1 - Le Reveillon

2007-12-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

My my, what a busy holiday season it has been!

Due to being ill, I haven't spent much time on the blog. Pity, since there has been quite a number of enjoyable meals I've been meaning to record. The first in the list is the staff holiday lunch we had at Higgins.

The meal started with a warm and delightful black bean soup. Bean soups can sometimes be a disappointment (the beans are either too mushy or hard as rocks), but this was not the case. The beans were done to perfection and had just a hint of cilantro (or was I imagining it?).

The main course was squash cakes covered with slivered almonds in a curry and pumpkin sauce. Being a fan of winter squash, I greatly enjoyed this dish. Not too heavy, but very rich in flavor and texture. The pumpkin curry sauce was slightly spicey and added a nice kick to the dish.

Dessert was a maple panna cotta with apple compote and spiced walnuts. The panna cotta was great but what made the dish special was the compote. Yum. I had the urge to lick the plate afterwards, but, since Higgins is an upscale kind of place, I resisted the urge.

Weekend Eating

2007-12-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

For lunch today I ate a burrito from Honkin' Huge Burritos. The feeling of heaviness induced by food made me think of my meals this past weekend. Here's what went on...

Friday Night
Met the ladies (several female friends of mine) for drinks at East after work. We made our way over to Huber's. If you haven't had a Spanish Coffee and a turkey rueben sandwich at Huber's, go do it now! But I digress...

We discovered Huber's was full, so we walked to Al-Amir, a great Lebanese restaurant in the old Bishop's House building. The staff were great - we were served hummus and oh-so-warm pita bread while we waited for a table. We were then treated to more hummus, baba ghannooj, warak malfouf and falafel. After our appetizers (!), we then feasted upon chicken tikka, kafta kabobs, rice and pita bread. Our dessert, baklawa, was light, sweet and just right.

But why stop at baklawa? If I'm downtown in the evening I make it a point to stop by Voodoo Donut for a maple bar. That night the place was packed, but I still made out with a great maple bar. Keturah picked up a donut with marshmellows and orange Tang sprinkled on top. Yum.

Sunday Evening
As you may already know, last Sunday fell within Hanukkah. So the Hardy Boys and I prepared a few traditional dishes - potato and noodle kugel - for a small group of friends. In addition to the kugel, we made applesauce, roast chicken and steamed broccili. Super fun and good. If you haven't had potato kugel with sour cream lately, I suggest doing so soon!

Procrastinate, test your brain and do something good all at once

2007-11-30T08:55:00.000-08:00

This is a snippet from my work blog regarding FreeRice.com. The site launched in the fall of 2007, but I've just now heard about it (I know - way behind the times).

FreeRice.com is great - I love word games and puzzles and, by answering the questions correctly, I donate rice to people who are hungry. How cool is that?

Thinking of rice, perhaps I should go prepare some...

Enjoy the post!

From www.oen.org/blog:

Want to feel good, flex your vocabulary muscles AND do something good all at the same time?

If so, then visit the website freerice.com. At the site you play a simple word game - select the correct one-word definition of a given word. It’s fun and even better, a small amount of rice (20 grains) is donated by the United Nations World Food Program to people in need after every correct answer!

The OEN staff, while hard at work in preparing for Angel Oregon 2008, the upcoming SwapMeet and other various events, have found FreeRice to be quite a tasty treat!

Food Coma

2007-11-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

Raise you hand if you ate as much as yours truly over the holiday weekend. Goodness gracious is all I have to say. The quality of food (and amount of it) was astonishing. Here's a recap:

Had a nice lunch with the family. Got to see my sister (a rare treat), parents, cousin and aunt. The standout dish was the 7 layer taco dip, prepared by my aunt. Good times with copious amounts of refried beans, sour cream, peppers and tomatoes.

Later in the day I stopped by my Erin and Wil's place to say hello and drop off a bottle of wine (vino verde - yum). They were smoking their turkey and broadcasting the smoking on www.turkeytracker.com. In addition to their marvelous turkey, they had prepared challah, pear and sweet potato pie (pictured), stuffing and corn chowder.

I didn't partake in any of the pie (had to leave to make it to another dinner), but I did get to sample a the challah. It was marvelous - warm, rich and slightly sweet.

I made it to Howard and Grey's later that afternoon. We had a fairly traditional Thanksgiving meal - mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey with cranberry sauce, white wine. Though please don't mistake "traditional" with "boring." The food was rich in flavor, yet not heavy or labor intensive.

All in all, a very pleasant food experience. Now it's time to hit the gym and burn off a few calories!

Don't cry over spilled mushrooms

2007-11-15T10:11:00.001-08:00

No, not the magic ones. Tsk tsk.

One morning on the way to work I passed Mother's restaurant (www.mothersbistro.com). A delivery truck was parked outside and a food delivery was taking place. I noticed that a small box containing mushrooms had fallen out of the truck and the mushrooms had spilled on the road.

It was a sad moment, seeing the stark white mushrooms spilled on the pavement - wasted. I thought, perhaps I should scoop some up, put them in a stew, to make the most out of this tragedy. Upon closer inspection, it appeared they were too dirty and smooshed to adequately use. So, alas, I moved on.

While thinking of mushrooms, my beef and sausage dish came to mind. I added sliced Crimini mushrooms to the latest batches and, to my delight, the dish was quite improved.

It's a crock pot dish, so prepare for 5 to 6 or 10 to 12 hours of cooking. Here's the recipe:

A big handful of mushrooms
1/2 lb of Chorizo chicken or pork sausage (ground)
1/2 lb of spicy chicken sausage (ground)
1 medium onion (yellow works well), sliced into edible chunks
1 can of diced tomatoes (the kind w/ garlic and herbs works well)
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of thyme (crushed)

Instructions:
Rolled the chorizo and spicy chicken sausage into balls and brown over the stove. Once brown, toss 'em into the crock pot with the other ingredients. Cook in the crock pot for 5 to 6 hours on "HIGH" or 10 to 12 on "LOW". Eat and enjoy.

Open in new tab

2007-10-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

Can I say that I love tabbed browsing? It rocks my socks.

Sigh. Back to work...

So much food, so little time

2007-10-21T11:58:00.001-07:00

The past few weeks have been busy ones, hence the lack of posts. Here's a little recap of a few fun things I've eaten and/or done:

Western Beef Casserole - a fun, "comfort food" type of dish that's made of rice, ground beef and sautéed veggies (peppers, onions, olives, etc.). Great for a cold day, which we've been having here in Portland as of late.

Early morning on Hawthorne Blvd.

Visited Uwajimaya today. It's a large Asian grocery retailer over in Beaverton (and a few other locations in the Northwest, if I'm not mistaken). I drove over around 10 AM which turned out to be an ideal time to visit - there was little traffic and the store was practically empty.

The main reason for my visit was to pick up guava jam. Hawaiian Sun produces a variety of jams, jellies and other fun products, but my favorite is their guava jam. It's nothing short of magical.

I picked up several jars, nearly depleting the shelf of jam (I left a few bottles since I would feel a little guilty if I took them all). After picking up the jam I meandered through the store. It's like being a kid in a candy store - so many goodies, so much to see. I picked up a few bottles of soy sauce, a mortar & pestle, Hawaiian sweet bread (YUM!), Kona coffee (also yum!), and a package of wheat cakes.

With the store sale of 10% off everything (this weekend only), I made out like a bandit. Now that it's nearly lunchtime, I believe I will make myself a peanut butter and guava jam sandwich...

Food Face Off! in The Portland Mercury

2007-10-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

If you haven't picked up a copy of the most recent Mercury, do so. It's a food fight bonanza - steak vs. meatloaf, bagels vs. donuts and more. I'm a little disappointed that they glossed over my favorite donut shop in town (Voodoo Donut), but, overall, the article is great. Lots of fun venues listed - St. Cupcake, No Fish! Go Fish!, Spoon Soup Co., Kettleman Bagels - and reader reviews as well.

Check it out at the Portland Mercury website.

Dinner

2007-10-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

Had a great meal with the Hardy Boys a few days ago. I must say it's a beautiful thing to be friends with people who can cook and cook well. Here's what we ate:

Sausage (pork), apples (Fuji), onion, white wine dish

Sliced avacado and tomatoes

The meal was great and easy to prepare. The avacado and tomatoes were sliced and arranged in a very sensitive and artistic manner (if I do say so myself). The guys worked on the entree. The sausage was fried and, when browned throughout, moved to a seperate plate. Then, in the same dish, wine was added, as well as the onion and then the apples. Once those babies were golden brown, the sausage was added to the mix (as well as more wine and olive oil) until cooked thouroughly.

Needless to say, the dish was popularly received.

Dining at Imbibe

2007-10-03T13:09:00.001-07:00

I had a beautiful food experience with the Hardy Boys last night at Imbibe (located on SE Hawthorne, between 22nd and 23rd).

We started with bottle of Erath Pinot Gris (2006), bread and olive oil w/ a dash of balsamic vinegar.

Since it was happy hour, we ordered several small plates:
Wontons - fried goodness with a great mint/cilantro dipping sauce
Burgers - sauteed onions and melted Tillamook cheese over the burger, w/ a light aoili
Calamari - yum
Salmon stickers - with wasabi mayo. Also yum.

The food was excellent, the waitress was a gem (she made me smile after a long day at the office) and the mood was very chill. Just what I needed.

Thanks Imbibe for making my night!

Maple Bars

2007-10-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

Don't know why these delicacies aren't available in other parts of the country. They're a godsend. The pic was taken during a trip to SF this past year. There wasn't a good breakfast place nearby, but there was a Happy Donut located a few blocks from the hotel.

Truely priceless.

Intro

2007-10-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

Hi all.

Blogging is one of my many job duties. In order to get practice, I thought starting a personal blog would be a good idea. The challenge, however, is what to write. So many options, so little time, right?

The adage is write what you know. Well, I know lots of things, but most of it probably isn't of much interest! So I settled on the topic of food. I like food. I like eating it and cooking/preparing food. To quote one of the Hardy Boys, "it's a beautiful thing."

So there you have it. Food. I plan on writing about what I cook and eat. Restaurants that I like and other cool dining spots I find 'round town. Should be fun, no? Yes.