Short Stack

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Location:Tom's Pancake House

Cheese Bar

After having a flight of beers at Hair if the Dog, we made our way to Cheese Bar. It's an amazing cheese shop, complete with an outstanding beer & wine selection. The owner & cheese monger was recently dubbed the world's best cheese monger, and it's easy to see why! The selection is amazing, and the staff is knowledgeable and passionate.



I was mesmerized by the options. And I couldn't resist a hunk of Robiola.



A bottle of wine, some cheese at our table & samples from the bar...what a delight! And somehow I still had the strength to buy a small wheel of Robiola-esque cheese, and a slab of sweet soppressata salami. Life is good!

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Walk The Dog

I took the plunge and got a flight of beers. All so amazingly complex, rich, and surprisingly mouthy. Great first trip to HotD with Kevin.


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Hair of the Dog brewery

The best thing I've ever seen on a menu (hint: pancetta)!


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Pasta Bake

Pasta bakes are great fun, and so easy to put together. keith really wanted some hearty pasta the other night, so we went off to the market to pick up some ingredients. I didn't keep track of everything, as I let him make the pasta (after I set up his mis en place). Comforting & delicious, it's like a big food hug. he cooked a pound of ground sirloin along with some onions, garlic, mushrooms, and red bell pepper. To this he added a big can of whole, peeled tomatoes and the sauce, as well as one small can of plain tomato sauce. There was likely some thyme, oregano and basil thrown in there at some point (really, I think I was playing xbox and just running into the kitchen when he had a question...I'm guessing). As this was cooking, he boiled some farfalle pasta (2 minutes UNDER what it suggests on the box). Once the meat mixture was bubbling and delicious, he added a big handful of chopped pepperoni and poured the whole thing into a big bowl. He added 2 handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese and about a cup of ricotta cheese. Then he added the pasta, mixed it all together and poured it into a baking dish. The whole thing was covered with a nice layer of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and placed in a 375 degree oven for about 30 - 45 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling.

Fall has arrived at our house.

Chris' Cure All

It's very likely I've posted this drink recipe on here previously...I'm just too lazy to look. :) This is a martini that resurges every fall in our household and it sticks around through winter. It started as a way to get some really good and fresh ingredients (namely raw ginger, lemon and honey) into my system when I was feeling the beginnings of a cold. It's warm, soothing, and has healing powers. Honestly, if there isn't some alcohol content in your cold medicine then you don't know what you're missing! As a kid my mom would make me drink hot tea with honey, lemon and a splash of whiskey when I had a cold. I still drink that when I'm sick...there's just a little more than a splash of whiskey, and I add ginger. From that came the Chris' Cure All.

The idea was to make something that would soothe, and please, while providing direct injections of the ingredients (all of which I fully believe aid in the healing process...I'm talking the ginger, lemon, honey, not the liquor). It needed to be sweet enough that keith would enjoy it, yet robust enough for me. There's an old cocktail called The Grandad that mixes scotch and amaretto - the flavors combine so well together I decided that would be the base of the cocktail. And by no means is this a simple drink - you've got to sip, and a couple will knock you out. :) But it's delicious, especially on a cold fall or winter night. And the next time you feel the start of a cold, make a Chris' Cure All and I'll be damned if you're not feeling great the next day.

And just a note, you could make this drink with a scotch that wasn't aged 12 years, but why would you?

Chris' Cure All
1 Tbl. honey
splash boiling water
1/4 inch piece ginger, peeled & chopped finely
1 wedge of lemon (approximately 1/2 tsp. lemon juice)
1 oz. Amaretto
2 oz. 12 year old Scotch (preferable Macallan or Singleton)

In an empty shaker, pour the honey. Add the splash of hot water and stir the honey until it dissolves completely. Add the ginger, lemon juice (and throw in the whole wedge if you're using it once squeezed), Amaretto and Scotch. Add ice and shake vigorously. Pour into a martini glass. Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Breakfast Sandwich

This is a meal that keith learned from his mom - in fact the recipe is part of a collection of recipes she gave him when he moved out of the house so many years ago. It's become a bit of a guilty weekend pleasure for me, and keith makes it every so often (not too often...it's damn heavy, but oh so delicious!). And it's wonderfully simple to make. Pillsbury flaky biscuits in a can; a package of breakfast sausage (bulk, not links, formed into small patties), and sharp cheddar cheese. Bake the biscuits and cut them in half. Cook the sausage until it's completely done, then toss it in the microwave for just a few seconds to help melt the cheddar (you could do this in the pan during the last few minutes of cooking as well, but the microwave is easy). That's all there is to it!

Tacos

I suddenly was craving tacos. When I mentioned that to my husband, he offered to make some for dinner...how sweet! Off to the market for all of the ingredients. And this time, he was going to attempt it without one of those taco seasoning packets (not because he's all that excited about cooking, but because he knows I prefer it that way...still so sweet!).

We, my husband and I, have come to an understanding when he cooks. I stay out of the kitchen as much as possible during the actual event - and for a short period after. Simply because often times the mess brings out my neurotic side and I scurry around behind him cleaning up all of the stuff he's dropped or discarded. I  can't help myself, the kitchen is my domain and I like it to be organized, efficient, and clean! But I've learned to relax. Now I just let him do his own messy thing without a complaint. Don't get me wrong, I often peek over at him mixing something and watch a glop hit the floor. Instead of getting frustrated, I giggle. And then I tell Max to go into the kitchen to help daddy. Max loves it when keith cooks - lots more stuff hits the floor, and as everyone knows, if it hits the floor it belongs to the dog.

All that being said, the tacos were excellent. he always goes all out as well with the toppings: fresh chopped green leaf lettuce, diced raw tomatoes, chopped onions for me, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa, sour cream, and hot sauce (again, for me). I've been favoring this awesome habanero hot sauce given to me by Kevin as a 'welcome to Portland' gift when we first arrived. Intense heat with a great amount of flavor.

One note about tacos - the shells annoy me. I admit it. It's hard to fill them, they always fall over and all the contents explode from inside. This time we thought we'd try the flat bottom tacos. Great idea, right? They'll stay upright! And they do indeed stay upright. However the meat mixture is wet, and within minutes the bottom of the taco is a soggy mess, nearly impossible to get from plate to mouth without making a mess. Alas, back to the originals next time. But still...damn tasty!