A Reminder of the Good Ol' Days at Kennedy School

Who didn't love elementary school?

We went for a meal at McMenamin's Kennedy School and relived our greatest childhood experience while eating a very good hamburger and fries. The boys enjoyed a draft beer and Tiff and I ordered a bottle of Edgefield Black Rabbit Red. We ate out on the patio across from a wonderful fire in a monstrous brick oven surrounded by patio heaters complete with a funny waiter. After our meal we made our way to "detention" where the boys were happy to discover a cigar room! I left dinner with my old school song running through my mind..."hoover, hoover, that's our name, we're the hoover hurricanes!"

my favorite lasagna

Thanks to my Everyday Food subscription, the perfect lasagna is only an hour away. I was feeling very restless and needed to do something with my hands - I didn't have the patience or attention for a craft project, but cooking a yummy meal is something I could do. Pair it with a salad, a baguette from Trader Joes, and a glass of red and ta-da, I'm a genius.

If you don't have the stomach for red meat (I can't handle a lot) or would like to cut a little off the cost, the eggplant is a welcome addition. I also read where someone added zucchini in place of the eggplant and said it was amazing.

*****

"Healthier Meat Lasagna" from Everyday Food

6 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 4 ounces total), broken in half
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small eggplant (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 pound ground sirloin
1 can (10.75 ounces) tomato puree
1 pint (1 percent) cottage cheese (2 cups)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (1 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (2 ounces)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place noodles in an 8-by-8-inch baking dish, and cover with hot tap water; set aside to soften.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, eggplant, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is very tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add sirloin, and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato puree, and cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season meat sauce with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Remove noodles from baking dish, discarding water.

Spread about 1/4 cup meat sauce in bottom of dish, and top with 4 noodle halves. Layer with 1/3 cheese mixture, then 1/3 sauce. Repeat twice with remaining noodles, cheese mixture, and sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until lasagna is bubbling and cheese topping is golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

A Diversion from Moving House

So yes, we've been in the midst of moving, and NO, we're not done yet. Lucky for us, we were able to get out of our boxed apartment and the heat (yes, the Portland heat!) to drive up to Bellingham for the night and visit some friends and leave the chaos at home behind. We wandered down to the Fairhaven area by the water and stopped at a little coffee bar for a soy mocha and a scone. To my delight, it wasn't your average Starbucks fare. The white chocolate and berry scone was soft, warm, and delicious. The mocha, although made with soy, was topped with good creamy foam and not one bit burnt. Not being a fan of soy's usual foam, I was pleasantly surprised. The coffee bar was modern-ish with warm walls and leather furniture, with tall windows to let in the light and plenty of space for quiet conversation. The staff was very friendly and confidently knew how to make a good coffee. Sometimes it seems to me that you get one or the other - a friendly barista who makes a burnt coffee, or a snobby barista who makes a super good coffee. I love it when you can have it both ways. It was a nice change from the usual fast-paced, crowded coffee atmosphere that we had found so far in Portland, and our little Bellingham getaway was just what I needed to work up the energy to tackle the mess at home.

Lobster Alfredo & Chicken Katsu

So, do you want the BEST recipe for 1) Fresh Lobster Alfredo and 2) Chicken Katsu? Of course you do, because they are AMAZING. Melt-in-your-mouth-and-make-your-stomach-dance kind of amazing!

Tiff posted them on her blog in much better fashion than I could do, so kindly follow the links below.

Lobster Alfredo
http://fortheloveofpaisley.blogspot.com/2008/09/lobster-alfredo.html

Chicken Katsu
http://fortheloveofpaisley.blogspot.com/2008/09/chicken-katsu.html

Seriously, enjoy.

A Goodbye To Remember...

The greatest friends EVER. Period.

Our friends threw us a memorable and wonderful goodbye party. Drinks, games, dessert, laughter, and FUN. It was a blast. So many great memories.
The boys, they'll sure miss each other.
Whether it's a beer at 4 Daughters or in the Hagler's backyard, coordinating their Black Rock clothing (accidentally of course...), or the "occasional" smoke, they're best buds.
The girls...what can I say? I've never had such good, true friends in my life. They are loving, compassionate, hilarious, genuine, and committed. Morning coffee, hotpots, and cooking dinner in tiff's kitchen are some of the best times of my life. I love them dearly.

I will miss these girls so desperately when we go. I'm excited to see the places that Andy and I will go in the years to come, but I'm also excited to keep growing in friendship with "my girls". These are the friendships that last a lifetime.

Our New Place...I'm In Love!

You can't see it, but there's a beautiful rose bush below the steps.

Living Room
Master Bedroom
I love the kitchen! So retro. Lots of potential!

My parents took me up to Portland to drop off a load of house stuff before we do the big move next Monday. I also was able to take my mom with me to IKEA, and my Dad and sister came along as well. They were great sports :). Mom + IKEA = great ideas!

Quite, Quite!

Sometimes I just need my UK fix. When I do, I look at pictures like this. I took these last time I was there a year and a half ago. I loved Portobello Market and want to go so bad again - this time WITH money. I was just about to get married so I had hardly a dime to my name (Wait, not much has changed there!) but I did buy a beautiful wrap for 5 quid!

My aunt and uncle lived in a beautiful home in the West Midlands, and this was the property that behind their back garden. It was the perfect country walk. The old barn was icing on the cake.

Birthdays are the Best...

What do you do when you have a ton of pretty paper and a very special friend's birthday breakfast?

Making a handmade card is one of the most enjoyable things on the planet...for both the giver and the receiver.

Making placecards are also very fulfilling...and EVERYONE likes to feel special!
And homemade ice cream pie/cake is probably the BEST thing you will ever eat. Tiff Noel's masterpiece!

Wine Tasting Birthday

A group of friends headed out to Troon Vineyards in the Applegate Valley for my bday, and oh what fun!

We sat on the patio and enjoyed their VinoLab, a series of tapas (shrimp guacamole, anyone?) paired with their different selection of wines. We also ordered the a meat and cheese plate, of course. A fantastic birthday.

Caramelly Caramel Corn

Mmmm. Caramel Corn. It's so easy to make and SO good, plus it makes a great gift for friends with a severe sweet tooth. My favorite caramel corn recipe right now is from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

You need:7-8 cups freshly popped corn, preferably from your own popper (no butter!), 6 Tbsp. butter, 3/4 c. brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. vanilla, and 3 Tbsp. corn syrup.

Remove the unpopped kernels from your popcorn. Put the corn in a baking or roasting pan and keep warm at a 300 degree oven.

Melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup over medium heat until mixture boils, and continue boiling without stirring for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour mixture over warm popcorn.

Bake in 300 degree oven for 15 mins, stir, bake 5 mins more. Spread caramel corn on a large piece of buttered foil or waxed paper to cool.

This lasts a week, but it will be gone before then, guaranteed!