Food and Drink

Cooking, dining, and all things sustenance-related.

Moroccan-Inspired Salad: Dates, Mint, Quinoa, Beets and Arugula

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During a recent après ski evening, some friends compiled a series of side dishes, and the quinoa, date and arugula salad simply stole my heart! It’s the perfect spring salad: mint, dates, peppery arugula and quinoa for some extra texture and protein. I made my own version and decided to add beets: huge win! The original concoction did not include cheese, but at a friend’s recommendation, I added some chèvre and it was a double win. Picnic season anyone? Continue reading

Homemade beef meatballs

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First of all, let me just give the disclaimer that there will be a LOT more beef posts coming in the near future. I went in on a cow share this year, and this is now what my freezer currently looks like. I am a fairly conscious meat eater, choosing leaner meats and locally raised when I can, but my perspective may be permanently altered after having some of these Eckler Mountain Meats. The beef was raised on grass pasture, supplemented in the winter with the farmers’ own barley hay, oats, and alfalfa, and are corn-, antibiotic- and hormone-free. What’s that they say? The best things in life are free?

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Queso: Austin lives in Portland

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Last week I had the privilege (and duty) to participate in my first SXSW Interactive Festival. It was a week filled with innovation, meet and greets, celebrity sightings (most notably Grumpy Cat, Mindy Kaling, Edward Snowden–by satellite, Snoop Dogg and George Takei) and tons of amazing food. I only visited Austin one other time, when I was introduced to the amazing signature dish of Texas: queso.

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Scallops with Salsa d’Acciughe e Rosamarino

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It’s no secret that one of my favorite places in the world is Hipcooks. I’ve written about them many a time, and am happy to say that I have recreated multiple dishes they taught me, but I think this one is my favorite. To ward off the initial scrunchy face syndrome, Hipcooks wisely calls the sauce for this dish “Salsa d’Acciughe e Rosamarino”, which has a lovely ring to it, rather than what it actually is: garlic, rosemary, lemon and anchovy sauce. No matter what, it’s delicious, so wipe that scrunch off your face, make this up and enjoy the hell out of it! Continue reading

Easy (as) Cherry Pie

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I have been waiting for Brandie of Spoon and Saucer to come out with this recipe ever since I tasted the pie at Heartspark. This gluten-free (yes, GLUTEN-FREE) crust is flaky and delicious, and the filling is the perfect blend of sweet and tangy. Her recipe does not include lemon zest, but I would recommend throwing some in there, just to get that back of the throat bite (you know what I’m talking about!).

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Thai Ginger Chicken and Coconut Rice

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Wow! I was not confident this experiment would pan out, but I am happy to report it was a great success. Last week I assisted with the Thai Two On class at Hipcooks and was inspired to try my own variation of Thai chicken. Our instructor, Tristan said the easiest way to create a Thai tasting dish is to marinate some meat in garlic, ginger, brown sugar and fish sauce. And away I went! Continue reading

Hot Cocoa and Homemade Cayenne Marshmallows

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That’s right, you heard me! It’s been snowing hard (ok, for Portland) with a side of freezing rain, and a necessary contribution to my comfort and survival during such times includes hot chocolate, a liquor of choice and preferably some amazing homemade marshmallows for toppers.

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Prosciutto wrapped manchego and persimmons

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This is a delightful appetizer that will surprise and please any party guests. Persimmons are wonderful during the winter, but can be replaced with Roma tomatoes as the spring and summer come around. I have to give a big THANK YOU to Hipcooks for introducing me to this deliciousness.

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Linguine with Kale Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes, and Shaved Parmesan

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I am a big, big fan of The Dough Will Rise Again blog, and this morning’s kale pesto post has me drooling. Looking forward to trying it myself!

Tina's avatarThe Dough Will Rise Again

Happy 2014! I apologize for the gaps in posting… like about half the country, Michigan got pounded with a few intense snowstorms over a span of 10 days, and then our temperatures plummeted for a while (on a Tuesday, our wind chill was -40° [yeah, you read that right]… 3 days later, on Friday, our high was 42°). Trying to accomplish everyday activities while fighting 2 feet of snow gets exhausting pretty quickly; and the crazy, intense cold lead to a lot of evenings where I refused to come out from under a pile of 7 blankets, for fear of frostbite. So, no posting. But, the weather has relaxed a little bit, the temperatures no longer begin with a negative sign, and I can once again feel my hands!

Linguine with Kale Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes, and Shaved Parmesan

I realized a couple days ago that I had a giant bunch of kale wilting away in the fridge. It was…

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Orange Balsamic Beet Salad

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Yes, even in winter there is the possibility of a bright, spring-like salad. During a recent discovery of Buyers’ Best Friend, I walked away with some basil infused olive oil and orange balsamic vinegar and have been eager to test them out.

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