Nine days ago, the weathermen predicted a storm so I went to the store and felt a little foolish but thought I’d stock up even if it was a conspiracy to get people shopping. The next day was snowy and I felt wonderfully wise. Now, it’s over a week later, 15 inches of snow higher, and I’m down to my last grapefruit.

My kitchen window view yesterday before another 6 inches came down.

So, it’s been a day of working from home, impromptu chicken (frozen breast) and noodles with peanut sauce (had to substitute ginger powder for fresh, and make my own version of chili sauce) and trying I am to remain optimistic despite losing our LAD holiday party today and many other inconveniences.

It does remind me of the NYC Blizzard of 96 when everything shut down except for my office. I was told that despite the state of emergency those of us who could still walk to work were expected in. I got there, had nothing to do, and made a lunch reservation for Bolo, Bobby Flay’s Spanish place across the street on 22nd. Three of us camped at a table, ordered a bottle of wine, had a 4 hour lunch and called it a day. Snow days are probably not the best days to impose autoritarian rules.

I guess the best thing about storms like this is the opportunity to be reminded that our tendency to think everything is within our control is a comfortable allusion.

It’s been fun to simply get caught up on house projects, pack for Mexico with the hope that I will in fact fly out on Thursday, and enjoy the scrumptous treats in my cabinets.

Tonight, I’ve tucked in with a ginger bread cookie from Two Tarts (Thanks Mark!) and a delicious Chocolate Stout from Rogue’s fantastic Thanksgiving Weekend garage sale. No complaints from this snowed in girl.

Late night Oregon snack -- stout and ginger cookies.

As much as I love decorating for the holidays, it’s hard for me to feel good about buying more “stuff” that gets used only once a year, and sits in a basement the rest of the time. So making ornaments from recycled materials last night just felt… good! The Hotel Monaco Portland and SCRAP (School & Community Reuse Action Project) came together for a DIY eco-ornament night during the hotel’s nightly wine hour - though last night we also imbibed on local beer from MacTarnahans (Snow Cap Ale - Yummmm).

Katie and I cut, glued, pasted and laughed the evening away, and ended up with some very cool danglies for our trees. The favorite materials ended up being used CDs - they really shine on the trees and are a perfect surface to work on. Plus they have this kind of 80’s 90’s retro coolness to them. In fact, I’m thinking of doing an entire tree of them next year, all with pop culture clippings pasted on.

I highly recommend doing some of your own! Once you get started it’s addictive, but the best inspiration to get going is to look at what other people have done.

BTW - You can buy eco-ornaments made by SCRAP that have DIY kits inside them for $5 at the Monaco. All proceeds go to the non-profit SCRAP.

Twas the week before Thanksgiving

And all through downtown,

No construction was ringing

Not one hammer sound

Today was the first day of the downtown Portland construction moratorium, and we have the fat man in the red suit to thank for it! Yesterday, Santa granted Mayor-Elect Sam Adams’ holiday wish… to clear the streets of construction gear and open up more parking spaces for seasonal shoppers. No more traffic snarls downtown? Looks like Santa’s gift is going to bring smiles to more than just Sam’s face.

Sam got a construction moratorium, and all I got from Santa was a mini candy cane. Apparently I need to clean up my act for next year.

It’s that time of year again… time to share some of the trends we have spotted popping up here in Portland and across the country during 2008. Let us know if you have seen these around town and if you have any trends to add to the list!

1. Eggs for Dinner
When life gives you eggs… make a frittata.
The last few years have aimed a bright spotlight on eggs. From consumer designations like cage-free

Tabla Ravioli

and veg-a-fed, to the growing number of backyard coups in urban neighborhoods, eggs are seeing an elevated status as a protein source. Add to that the fact that they’re affordable, and it’s understandable why there’s a growing demand for these savory ova. Eggs have always been popular with home cooks, but we’re beginning to see an increase in egg-centric dishes on dinner menus, like the Tabla Ravioli with housemade pasta, chard, ricotta, poached egg and poppy seed butter at Tabla Mediterranean Bistro in Portland, Oregon. Can I get a cluck, cluck?

2. CSA – Community Supported (Whole) Animals
Most foodies have heard of the whole animal movement that is gaining popularity among chefs, but for most average folks the idea of buying a whole animal has been unfeasible simply because of the volume of product that comes from a whole animal. We’ve noticed that some intrepid carnivores have taken to forming small coalitions that work together to purchase a complete animal, with each individual or family taking home a quarter or an eighth of the meat.  Not only do you know where it’s coming from, but you might save some money.

Check out eatwild.com to find a local pasture-based farm near you!

3. Fresh Hop Beers
Fall has clearly descended upon us and in the Northwest beer scene that can mean only one thing: it’s time for fresh hop beers. This growing trend takes advantage of Oregon breweries’ close proximity to the abundant hop farms by utilizing fresh picked wet hops that impart earthy and herbal flavors not found in varieties brewed with traditional dried hops. In addition to being available at the recent fresh hop “tastivals” the Oregon Brewers Guild sponsored with Oregon Bounty, many of these once-a-year beers are still available on draft with a few breweries producing bottled versions.

We recommend trying Deschutes Brewery’s Hop Trip and Rogue Ales’ Independence Hop Ale to experience the variety of flavors fresh hops can produce.

4. Bicycle Lifestyle
Bike commuting is no longer just for the spandex crowd. In Portland alone, bike commuting has jumped 28% in the last year, with 8% of Portlanders citywide now using a bicycle as their main mode of transportation to get to and from work. As pedaling becomes more popular, new services and events hit the scene daily. Have you ever seen a coffee shop ON a bike? Check out Café Velo.

How about your neighbors moving furniture by bike? Not yet? Well keep an eye out. It’s coming to a city near you…

5. Chicken Liver Mousse
As a card carrying Unitarian and recovering Catholic, I have led a fairly sheltered life when it comes to chicken liver. It’s one of those culinary treasures I came to late in life. And thank God, which ever you choose, for my savory enlightenment! We’re seeing great versions of this on practically every one of our favorite Portland menus. From Clyde Common to Mother’s to Ten 01 and our current top of the liver list – 50 Plates which features an inspired concept. They take Manashevitz and turn it into a gelée which rests on top an egg cup of delicious chicken liver mousse. Oy, that’s good. ~ Lisa

6. Wine Beauty Products
Enjoy wine? Why not soak in it? We’ve noticed a growing trend towards wine based beauty products that boast healthier skin, hair, improvement of blood circulation and pure relaxation. They are calling this Vinotherapy, a treatment that originated in the Bordeaux region of France. This treatment has now made its

Caudalie's Crushed Cabernet Scrub

way to the US, where manufacturers, spas and consumers are starting to pick up on the craze.

If you want to join in on the Vinotherapy mania or if you’re a skeptic and just want to try this out for yourself, here are some of the products we found: Caudalie’s Crushed Cabernet Scrub, Napa Soap Company’s Shea Cuvee Body Butter, Victoria’s Essentials Burgundy Bath Soak and Desert Essence Organics Italian Red Grape Shampoo.

After you try these out let us know what you think!

7. Prix Fixe Menus
One lump sum, multiple dishes later - the prix fixe has made a come back. Given the unease of the economy, diners are finding ease by adopting the sum dining mentality. Some restaurants are new prix fixe fans, while others have been there from the start. Either way, seek out the set deals while they last! Tabla Mediterranean Bistro’s $24, 3-course dinner…that’s hard to beat.

8. Vintage Etched Cocktail Glassware
Like poodle sweaters, saddle shoes and mid-century modern couches, the 50s continues to inspire us. One home entertaining trend we’re noticing is a flash back to a time when martini glasses were 3 ounces and etched champagne coups did in fact remind you of your mum’s bosom. In fact, food stylists tell us that kitch glassware from local thrift shops and flea markets is always on the top of their shopping for props list.

9. Serious Foodie-Approved Vegetarian
Elevated. Thoughtful. Healthy. Gourmet. Meatless. Vegetarian cuisine has moved from phase to fad, and now gourmet veg-only hot spots are getting National recognition. What do we love the most? Leaving dinner pleasantly full and packed with the Vitas, without the fat. Nutshell, recently nominated “Best Vegetarian Restaurant” by Veg News, is a pioneer in the gourmet veg scene.

10. Upscale Yurts
Like camping, but not in the rain? Need a vacation, but don’t want to spend $200 for a hotel room? If these thoughts have crossed your mind, you’re not alone and there is a solution. One that more and more people are turning to – yurts. A modern adaptation of an ancient nomadic shelter from Central Asia, the yurt is a

Pacific Yurts

circular structure with a wood lattice-like frame that’s covered in fabric. Yurts can range from rustic to regal, competing for traveler business with both campgrounds and high-end hotels. In fact, Oregon now has yurts for rent at more than a dozen state campgrounds – most located on the coast. The best part – besides oak floors, wall heat, furniture, beds, electricity, skylights – they cost $30 a night.

It was a blue sky and a perfect day for sorting fruit at Penner-Ash Wine Cellars in the Willamette Valley yesterday. The attraction for me is to personally connect with this year’s harvest, to smell the fruit, see the clusters, chat about random things and come home with sticky boots and a little more knowledge about the magic of how these ripe berries become a memorable elusive liquid.

The view from the Terrace which looks onto Mt. Hood

I worked on the sorting line with Lynn and Ron and a few other friends who hand sorted several tons of Pinot Noir from Shea Vineyards.

Fresh from the vineyard

The last time I did this I learned about second crop or fruit that needed to be pulled from the line because it was not as ripe as the main clusters and this time I noticed Lynn pick up one cluster and pull off a few berries. I asked why she had yanked only a couple berries and she showed me that they had a bit of botrytis or rot. Fortunately, we saw this only once or twice but it was a great opportunity to learn how to identify it and to see the real care that goes into this process.

I was impressed that her eagle eye could see such a subtle discoloration so quickly (fruit zips by fast and even though at some points we had up to six people on the line, it is still an intense momentum). I did occasionally feel like Lucy on the bon bon candy belt.

It was a great day indeed.

Lots of laughter, great tasting fruit (yes, it is mandatory to nibble on a few berries) and a good hearty lunch.

a slow moment on the sorting line

We just learned the sad news that David Lett eyrievineyards passed away last evening.  We want to convey our deepest condolences to the Lett family.  

We have had the privilege of working with David’s son Jason over the years and also of joining both David and Jason for one of the most memorable tastings of my career.  In March of 2006 David and Jason graciously opened up their cellars for two of my good writer friends from NY who were visiting as part of the Indie Wine Festival (Malachy Duffy, former senior editor of Food & Wine, and Alice Feiring, Natural wine advocate and wine writer for Departures, LA Times Magazine, etc.)

Alice and David at our fabulous Sunday afternoon tasting in McMinnville

Papa Pinot’s talent, attitude, vision and wine will be enjoyed for many years to come. They will live on in his children, grandchildren and the wine culture here he helped establish.  Let’s all lift a glass this evening in his honor!

Northeast 28th was full of the sweet aroma of tomatoes today as 200 pounds of organic heirloom tomatoes from Red Truck Farm on Sauvie Island got washed, milled, cooked, seasoned and canned by the kitchen at Tabla Mediterranean Bistro.

These cooks crave a closer connection to the season and now guests will be able to enjoy house-preserved fresh tomatoes in dishes well into the rainy winter season.

Gorgeous raw product from Red Truck Farm.

The dirtiest part of the job involved squishing tomatoes in this old-fashioned food mill that Anthony has had in his family forever!

Umm, Umm Good

It was off to the stove top for heat and reduction…

Steaming boiling reduction

Anthony was one of the go-to cooks who got really into the preserving part of the festivities

We can’t wait to try a fantastic inventive dish with one of these wonderful tastes of summer.

LAD's personalized buttons

The 2008 National PARK(ing) Day in Portland was a complete success! Thanks to our sponsors, small parks sprouted up all over Fifth Avenue, between Washington and Alder. There were some very creative minds behind these spaces. Great work to all who participated this year!

LAD sponsored this park with Space Design our favorite floral and design guru in town.

Pazzo and Red Star provided an awesome lunch outside for those strolling by to look at the spaces. Who would really pass up a panini from Pazzo or a pulled pork sandwich and watermelon arugula salad from Red Star?

At the end of the day, Hotel Monaco, Hotel Vintage Plaza, Red Star and Pazzo raised $10,000 for The Trust for Public Land.  Special thanks to our co-sponsor, Space Design whose creative work inspired many to stop and live in our LAD sponsored space.

At 4:00 p.m. the “Party in the Park” kicked off where the Oregon Brewers Guild sponsored beer garden poured local micro-brews such as Deschutes Brewery’s Green Lakes Organic Ale and Hopworks Hub Lager. Vendors strolled the streets giving out snow cones and elaborate balloon animals.

Lota and her balloon alien

This years PARK(ing) Day in Portland was just the beginning for an annual event that will continue grow and gain supporters in Portland. We are all excited to see how PARK(ing) Day will evolve in the next few years. Congrats to Portland’s Kimpton properties!

Kegs

Are 21 year olds interested in beer and food pairings? What’s the best social media platform to reach young consumers? Which craft breweries have the most brand awareness with the youth market?

These are just a few of the many questions we’re trying to find answers to here at LAD comm headquarters. To help us in our mission and to provide more industry insight for our client partners, we’ve developed a new online survey that we’ve sent out to our network of targeted beer-loving consumers.

If you’d like to chime in and give us your two cents, check out our Zoomerang survey here. The survey is quick and easy (it should take about five minutes.) We’re interested to hear your thoughts - but don’t worry, all responses remain anonymous.

*UPDATED 10/1/08: Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our beer survey.  Due to the high volume of responses we received the survey is now closed.  We’re excited to start analyzing the data and reading your feedback.   Please check back soon, we’ll be posting some of our findings in the coming weeks.

For those of you who know me, you know that I prefer to be behind the camera, not front and center, so when Lisa called me into her office last Tuesday to ‘brief me for my Wednesday webisode debut’ you can imagine my surprise!

Of course I played it cool. Rachael Ray, no big deal – she only just won an Emmy for her talk show, which happens to be one of today’s top daytime cooking shows. Whew! The nerves started pick up, but luckily the busy working day kept me from daydreaming about potentially embarrassing scenarios…tripping and falling, starting a fire in my kitchen…okay maybe I did a little drifting, but it turned out to be such a blast!

I awoke Wednesday morning and after a quick dose of ‘why I love Oregon’ sunshine, I knew it was going to be a great day.

Call time 9:30 am. The Rach To The Rescue team was downstairs with cameras ready to roll. There were three guys, Josh, Alex and Zsolt, two cameras, and a huge RV out front. I think they could tell I was a bit nervous so Alex, the host and star of Around The World For Free, and Zsolt, the director, quickly explained what was in store.

Rach To The Rescue is traveling across the U.S. searching for hidden culinary gems and helping Rachel Ray viewers with their cooking dilemmas. Starting in NYC, the Rescue crew has hit several states and last week, they finally made it to the Pacific Northwest.

The agenda for the day was the following:
1) walk to the downtown farmers market.
2) explore the market and pick up ingredients for my favorite homemade pasta dish.
3) head back to my place and cook up a feast.

Alex and I strolled down Everett, through the Pearl and down to the Portland Farmers Market chatting away – I completely forgot that the cameras were rolling. Upon entry, I immediately bought a box of blueberries from Viridian Farms to munch on while we shopped. We soon met up with Lisa and Stephanie and together we stopped by our favorite Portland Farmers Market lunch spot, Tastebud Farm. There we chatted with owner and chef Mark Doxtader about his tasty Montreal bagel and Tastebud’s new home on the east side.

@ farmers market

Alex and the guys were in heaven - they were taken aback by the abundance of fresh, organic and local Oregon produce. Needless to say we got distracted. Orange, yellow and pink watermelon here and cheddar cauliflower there, we finally picked up our key ingredients - tomatoes, basil, maitake mushrooms and garlic.

We rode the Max back to Northwest eager to start cooking. The pasta dish came together beautifully. Alex and I christened my food processor, which finely chopped our four plump tomatoes. Alex took on the role of garlic mincer (my garlic press got lost in the move…) while I tore the basil into chunky shreads. Once the garlic was chopped and ready to go, 3/4 of it went into a large heated skillet with a splash of olive oil - it smelled so good! Next I cut the maitake mushrooms and threw them into a small heated pan with some butter and garlic. Who doesn’t love garlic?! Finally, we combined everything into the large skillet with a bit of salt and let it simmer for about 20 minutes while the water boiled and…

Alex and I paused for a quick photo in my kitchen

30 minutes later, we enjoyed my homemade fresh tomato basil pasta dish.
Easy, healthy, fresh and sooo delicious!!

The segment is now live! Check it out here.