Baked Eggplant Parm


Every summer my father plants gorgeous eggplants. While he doesn’t care for them, my mom and I go crazy.

I love eggplant parm and am still searching for the perfect eggplant parm sub in Cambridge (let me know if you have a favorite place). The eggplant is either undercooked and bitter or super oily. While that search is ongoing, my homemade version is superb!

The main issue with homemade eggplant parm is frying the eggplant, especially in the heat of the summer. This recipe does not fry the eggplant, rather the eggplant slices crisp in the oven, leaving you free to enjoy a nice summer rose instead of sweating over a hot stove

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Baked Eggplant Parm   (click here to print without pictures)

Eggplant
– 2 lbs globe eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/4-in thick rounds
– 1 tbsp kosher salt
– 2 cups bread crumbs
– 1 cup all-purpose flour
– 4 eggs
– 6 tbsp vegetable oil

Tomato Sauce
– 3 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
– 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
– 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed with garlic press
– 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
– 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
– salt and ground black pepper

– 4 oz  shredded mozzarella
– 1 ball fresh mozzeralla, sliced
– 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
– 10 fresh basil leaves, torn for garnish

1. For the eggplant: Toss the eggplant with kosher salt in a colander set in the sink or over a bowl/plate. Let stand until eggplant releases liquid, about 30-45 min. Arrange eggplant slices on triple layer paper towels; cover with another triple layer and firmly press each slices to remove as much liquid as possible, then wipe off excess salt

2. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions. Place rimmed baking sheet on each rack. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

3. Combine flour and 1 tsp black pepper in a large zip-lock bag, shake to combine. Beat eggs in pie plate, set aside. Place bread crumbs on large dinner plate. Place 8-10 eggplant slices in bag with flour; seal bag and shake to coat eggplant. Remove slices, shaking off excess flour, dip in eggs, then coat evenly with bread crumbs. Set breaded slices on wire rack and repeat with remaining eggplant.

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4. Remove preheated baking sheets from oven, add 3 tbsp oil to each and tilt sheet to coat evenly with oil. Place breaded eggplant on each sheet in single layer. Bake until well browned and crisp, about 30 min – switching and rotating sheets after 10 min, flipping eggplant after 20 min. Leave oven on.

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5. For sauce: while eggplant bakes, process 2 cans diced tomatoes in food processor until almost smooth. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat,add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for 1-2 min until fragrant and garlic is light golden. Stir in processed tomatoes and remaining 1 can. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced, about 15 min. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.

6. To assemble: spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of 13×9-in baking dish. Layer in eggplant slices in single layer. Spoon over sauce, top each slice with 1 or 1/2 slice of fresh mozzarella, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Top each slice with another slice of eggplant (to build little columns) and repeat with sauce and cheese. For top layer, dot with sauce, leaving majority of eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp; sprinkle with 1/2 cup parmesan and remaining shredded mozarella.

7. Bake until bubbling and cheese is browned, about 13-15 min. Cool 10 min, scatter basil over top and serve.

 

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Serve with a simple salad – greens tossed with lemon juice, good olive oil and kosher salt

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(adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)




Apple Honey Challah


Rosh Hashannah is the Jewish New Year. We celebrate by getting together with friends and family and sharing apples dipped in honey. The apples signify health and honey is sweet – symbolically wishing everyone a healthy and sweet new year.

This year, I decided to combine the traditional apples and honey with another Jewish favorite of mine, challah.

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Apple Honey Challah     (click here to print recipe without pictures)

For the dough:
– 4 1/4- 4 1/2 (670-710gm) all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
– 1 1/4 cups warm water (105-110 degrees F)
– 1 tbsp active dry yeast
– 4 tbsp sugar (divided)
– 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
– 1/4 cup canola oil, plus extra for greasing
– 1.5 tsp table salt

For the filling:
– 1.5 apples (Braeburn or Granny Smith), peeled, cored and finely diced
– 2 tbsp lemon juice
– 2.5 tbsp honey
– 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

For the egg wash:
– 1 egg yolk
– 1 tsp water
– 1 tsp honey

1. For the dough: Put 3 cups (470gm) of flour in mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Make a well in the center and pour in the water. Sprinkle the yeast and 1 tbsp sugar over water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 min.

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2. Add the remaining 3 tbsp sugar, eggs, oil, and salt to well. Beat together on medium-low speed until a shaggy mess forms, about 2 min. Beat in remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the stiff, sticky dough starts to pull away from the bowl.

3. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low, adding flour 1 tbsp at a time until smooth and elastic, 5-10 min. Transfer dough to a well-oiled bowl, turn once to coat, cover with kitchen towel and let rise at room temp until just doubled in size, about 1.5-2 hours.

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4. Gently punch down the dough, flip it, re-cover and let rise again until doubled, about 1 hour.

5. While the dough rests, combine all filling ingredients in a small bowl and let sit for 20 min, then drain.

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6. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll out each piece with a rolling pin into a oblong or rectangular shape. Place 2 tbsp of filling on bottom third of dough (lengthwise) and roll dough into log. Pinch the seam to close. Set aside and repeat with remaining dough. Let dough rest for 10 min covered with kitchen towel.*

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7. Roll each log into a long strand, carefully not to tear the dough.  See here for picture instructions
(a) Lay the pieces out in front of you, tic-tac-toe style
(b)Each strand should be placed in opposite directions; one side is over/under, the next row is then under/over. There should now be 2 sets of 2 strands each coming out from the four sides of the woven middle, one under and one over in each set

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(c) From each set, pick up the one that was “under” and pull it over its partner, thereby placing each of these “unders” over their corresponding partner, in a clockwise rotation. Practically speaking, this means that the left piece of each set will be placed over the right piece of each set.
(d) When this rotation is done, work in the opposite direction, clockwise. What was formerly the right piece, will now go over the left piece in the counter clockwise direction
(e) To finish, pinch each set of two ends together firmly, then bring all four sets together towards the center
(f) carefully flip over your challah and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet

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8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the egg wash ingredients and brush half onto the dough. Cover with kitchen towel and let rise for 40 min until almost doubled.

9. Uncover dough, brush with remaining egg wash and bake for 40-45 min until golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool. Enjoy!

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*for an easier circular challah, roll the dough into 1 long rope, then place it in a spiral in a lightly greased 9-in cake pan. Or for a traditional challah look – divide the dough into 3 pieces, roll each into a long and braid.

 

(adapted from Williams Sonoma Bread cookbook)

 




Vancouver


In August 2014, we embarked on a Pacific Northwest trip, visiting Portland, Seattle and, finally, Vancouver.

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Getting from Seattle to Vancouver was super easy. We took the Amtrak train, making sure to sit on the left side of the train.

The train travels up the coast, and you get gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean.

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Before I continue with details of the trip, I must make a strong point about avoiding Hastings St between Abbot and Columbia streets. There are a ton of homeless/druggie people in Vancouver. I was surprised at how aggressive they were – they aren’t angry/rude, but will come right up to you and ask for money. At night, they congregate on Hasting St and sell their ‘wares’, so I would recommend to avoid this area. It was very uncomfortable being there, worrying that they will accost you or fall on you, or vomit on you. So just avoid it.

Ok, back to our trip:

Once again, we stayed at an amazing airbnb apartment, right in the middle of Gastown – an ‘up-and-coming’ area of town with lots of bars and cute restaurants.

The building is a newly renovated historic building – Woodward’s Building, an old department store with a distinctive “W” sign.

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We got in at noon, dropped our stuff off and walked around Gastown looking for lunch.

Kevin had read about this taco shop – La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop, so this was our first stop.

The line was out the door and moving slowly, but that’s always a good sign and it gave us time to peruse the menu. We ended up getting 4 tacos to share (clockwise from the top): (1) Tinga de Pollo – chicken with chorizo in a chipotle tomato sauce, topped with mexican cheese + sour, (2) Pescado – zarandeado fish with chipotle mayo, radish and pepitas, (3) De Cachete – braised beef cheeks, (4) Pollo con Mole – free range chicken with chocolate mole sauce.

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My favorite was the beef cheeks, but the chicken mole was very tasty too. I probably wouldn’t get the Tinga de Pollo again – it was a bit dry.

They have a salsa bar, along with multiple levels of hot sauce. Delicious!!

We then explored Gastown - named after a man (nickname – Gassy) who opened up a bar in 1867 and the town grew around it.

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Gastown has a bunch of cute little bars and places to eat. They also have Happy Hour!! (a treat, since Boston does not have happy hours).

We grabbed a drink at Tuc -a well-reviewed place for cocktails and small dishes. I got the 3 dots and a dash, which was perfectly crafted and delicious.

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We moved on to 6 Acres for a couple of beers. I ordered a grapefruit beer and Kevin got an IPA. When the beers arrived, mine was spot on, but the IPA tasted more like a saison than an IPA. We thought something was off and asked to taste 2 more beers from the list, both of which tasted differently than what we had ordered. We thought perhaps that the beer lines and taps were incorrectly marked, especially when we ordered a blonde and got a pilsner.

We asked the bartender to look over the beer lines. She returned with many apologizes and said that, indeed, the lines and taps were mixed up. She was astonished how no one had recognized this in days! I’m not a beer drinker, so I was so proud of myself for being able to tell beer varieties apart, I couldn’t stop smiling for hours!

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On their menu, they describe in detail the tastes of a variety of aperitifs and digestifs. I loved this little addition as I have always wondered what the differences were.

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We returned to our apartment, rested for a while, then headed out to dinner.

We went to Chinatown to a well-known place: Phnom Penh

There was a HUGE line and we ended up waiting for 45 min, but it was well worth it! They are known for their chicken wings (which we ordered) and 2 other dishes – Beef Lac Lac with egg and Butter Beef. However, we didn’t find out about the latter 2 dishes until after we ordered, so we will just have to go back to try them!

We ended up getting the chicken wings, dumplings and 2 noodle soups – Pork & Prawn soup and Beef soup with 2 types of noodles. It was a wonderful first meal in Vancouver

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The following day, we took my friend’s advice and rented bikes to ride around Stanley Park.

There are many places to rent bikes from in Vancouver. We rented bikes from Bikes on Robson since we found a coupon on one of the city street maps. They are located very close to the Seawall and the entrance to Stanley Park. They were great and I highly recommend them.

The Seawall is a bike/foot path around most of the Downtown peninsula which takes you through Stanley Park. Along the path, there are many small seaplanes that take off and land, which is definitely a sight to see.

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Stanely Park is a 400-hectacre park at the tip of downtown Vancouver. The Seawall wraps around it in an 8.8-km path and the park is criss-crossed by many bike-accessible trails. I am not great on the bike so I was a bit nervous (to say the least), but the bike path is one-way and is only for bikes, so I didn’t have to worry about weaving through people.

You get amazing views of the bay from the seawall.

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The park is sprinkled with things to explore, including a Totem Pole collection, an aquarium (we didn’t visit, though I hear it’s pretty good), and little statues.

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The path brings you to a few beaches, including Third Beach – which is one of the best places to watch the sunset and swim in the water. (the water was FREEZING, so I only dipped my toes in it)

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From third beach, we headed into the park along Lovers Walk. It was amazing to ride among huge trees and no people! We felt we had the whole forest to ourselves.

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always wear a helmet!

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Since we did the park first thing in the morning, we were ready for lunch after that fantastic bike ride.

We returned our bikes, and took the bus to Granville Island - a little island with an indoor market for bread, cheeses, meats, produce and other goodies, multiple art galleries and a few breweries.

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At the market, we grabbed some lunch from the many food stalls and picked up bread from Terra Breads and cheese and meat from Oyama Meats to have for lunch the following day.

After lunch, we walked around the island.

I have never been to a sake brewery, so I was very excited that there is one on the island – Artisan Sake Maker. We had a good chat with the shop keeper and went over the very complicated, multi-step process of making sake. Then we tasted their offerings – they were amazing! I was sad that we ended our trip in Vancouver since I couldn’t buy any to take with me.

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Our favorite was the sparkling sake, though all of them were great!

We walked down to the dock to Dockside Brewery. The beers weren’t great, but we sat on the patio and had a lovely time enjoying the perfect weather.

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We then headed back into the main part of the island to Granville Island Brewing and sat at the bar to get a beer flight. We struck up a conversation with a very nice retired man, who ended up buying us a beer! Their beers are much better and Kevin bought a ‘growlette’ (a mini growler) for the apartment.

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We rode the bus back to downtown to relax and went up to the roof deck for some spectacular views of Vancouver.

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That night, we ventured back into Chinatown for dinner. Vancouver is known for its fantastic Asian food, and we couldn’t get enough of it!

We started at Keefer Bar while we waited for a table at nearby Bao Bei. We sat outside and had a drink. I got the Hei Cha Pimms, which was lovely and refreshing

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We then went to Bao Bei for dinner. I cannot express how wonderful the food was here. Everything we ate made us want to lick the plates. It is not your typical Chinese food restaurant; it is more upscale, similar to Boston’s Shojo (if you are familiar with it).

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We ordered the (1) Shao Bing – sesame flatbread with cumin lamb sirloin, pickled red onion, green pepper, cilantro, and salted chilies. (2) Kick Ass House Fried Rice with a fried egg – Taiwanese spiced pork, lettuce stem, broccoli, garlic stem, pickled royal fern, smoked scallion soy, and (3) Mantou – steamed buns with pork belly, bean sprouts, preserved turnip, sugared peanuts. To drink I got the Girl with a Gun, which was delicious!

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Their bathrooms had creepy doll heads signifying Mens or Womens

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The next day we grabbed a shuttle from the convention center to Capliano Suspension Bridge. The shuttle leaves every 15 min and takes about 20 min to get to the bride.

The bridge is one of the highest and longest suspension bridges in the world. It definitely sways back and forth as people cross it. Apparently, it is very strong and a few years ago a huge tree fell on the bridge. The bridge didn’t snap, but the tree had to be removed piece by piece for fear that the bridge would catapult if the tree was removed intact.

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Once you cross the bridge, there is a short nature walk that goes around the small park and there was even a visiting owl!

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The other thing to do on the this side of bridge is the Treetops Adventure. A walkway 110-feet in the air, among the treetops! You literally get a birds-eye view and look down on these enormous trees.

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you get to see just how high the suspension bridge really is from hereDSC_4600

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Crossing back over the bridge, we headed to the Cliffwalk – a path that is extended over the canyon below.

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Afterwards, we took the shuttle back into town and went to Stanley park to eat our goodies from Granville Market in the grass, as well as tomatoes from my sister’s garden. I had brought along a small blanket from the apartment, so we had a proper picnic lunch!

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After lunch, we walked by a very nice dog park then along seawall on the south side of downtown Vancouver to Yaletown. This area used to be all warehouses, but they were recently converted to tons of bars, restaurants and shops.

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We started with a flight at Yaletown Brewing Company and sat outside, enjoying the sun.

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We ventured over to Rodney’s Oyster House. There are 2 locations, one in Gastown and one in Yaletown (we went to both). They have a Low Tide happy hour with raw oysters, small bites and beer specials.

We got a bunch of different oysters (the selection changes as happy hour goes on) and tried their different oysters sauces.

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Our favorite sauce was a banana pepper sauce that added the perfect amount of heat and flavor, without overpowering the subtle notes of the oysters

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For dinner that night, we bounced around to a few places.

We started at Pidgin with the oyster shot with apple, horseradish. It was just ok. I’m not a huge fan of oyster shots to begin with so I wasn’t expecting much.

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But, we had the best single dish we tasted all trip: a very simple mushroom dish with snap peas, egg, and soy yuzu brown butter. It was amazing! (once again, we wanted to lick the plate)

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Afterwards, we went to Salt Tasting Room for cheese, meat and sherry

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We returned to the apartment to see the sunset from the roof deck.

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Our last day in Vancouver started with delicious egg sandwiches from Yolk’s food truck. Kevin got the bacon egg sandwich and I got the portobello egg sandwich.

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After breakfast, we went on a Chinatown tour recommended in our tour book (Lonely Planet Vancouver).  It starts at the Chinatown gate and winds through the area, hitting key locations like the Chinese Garden

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The walking tour takes you down Main St and recommends that we try a pork bun (we couldn’t resist!)

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The tour ends at the Jimi Hendrix shrine. The only way to describe this place is “creepy” – it is basically a shack, with random memorabilia of Jimi Hendrix. They even have a repilica of the garden patio set that Jimi sat in a few days before his death. It’s not the actual set – just a replica! It was so creepy and strange, I didn’t even take photos.

 

We continued to walk around downtown, finally ending back in Gastown at Alibi.  Vancouver is not a beer city, but this place is the place for beer drinkers. They have an amazing list and they give you the opportunity to make your own tasting flight, or Frat Bat (as they call it). We also had a great dinner here  – chicken wings, veggie burger and a cheesesteak.

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We flew home the next morning and got an amazing view of Whistler!

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It was a fantastic trip! I can’t wait to go back!!!

 

 

 

 

 




Salt Tasting Room


One of the best places to have dinner in Vancouver is down an alley, where a small restuarant sits, unassuming, yet amazing serving cheese and charcuterie – Salt Tasting Room

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We started with some drinks while we looked over their extensive cheese, meat and accoutrement selections.

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They have a rotating selection of cheeses and meats, so the chalkboard says it all

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We talked for a long time with our waitress (Alyssa) – who was wonderful and very knowledgeable, and finally decided on 3 cheeses, 3 meats, some accoutrements. We let her choose the sherry flights to pair with our selections.

Sherry holds a special place in my heart – we were first introduced to this lovely, complex drink while honeymooning in Spain.

She choose AMAZING sherries!

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The cheeses:  Camembert (ash-aged), Beemster (aged Gouda), and Cabrales (cave aged blue).

My favorite was the Camembert – though I’m always a sucker for fatty, soft cheeses; it was paired perfectly with the cherries. The Beemster was smooth and was paired with olives, though I didn’t love the combination of flavors on this one. The Cabrales was partnered with honey – yum! salty and sweet always work lovely together!

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The meats: Coppa, Argentinain salami (with fennel and spice), and Corned beef.

The favorite here was the salami (though I didn’t love the orange Mostarda jam it was paired with; I felt the fennel was overpowered by the orange). The Coppa was also fatty and delicious, paired nicely with almonds for a great texture change. And the corned beef was predictably paired with a whole-grain mustard, always a great combination.

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Their dessert menu was lacking, so we decided to for-go it. But the meal as a whole was fantastic!

Can you tell how happy we are after this amazing meal???

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Portland and Seattle


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In August 2014 we went to the Pacific Northwest for 10 days. We started in Portland to visit my sister and brother-in-law.

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We got in early on a Thursday and decided to go to the Japanese Garden and the Rose Garden until my family was done with work.

The Japanese Garden was beautifully done. It was serene, with little ponds, waterfalls and statues around the gardens.

 

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Right down the path is the International Rose Garden.

We spent most of our time here smelling the roses. I was surprised at how different each species scent was and how intoxicating the scents could be. I wish I had a nose ‘palate’ cleanser (like coffee beans) to clear my nose and get a better appreciation of the different nuances of each flower.

 

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Mister Lincoln Hybrid Tea rose – smelled like an overpowering perfume that old ladies wear

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White Licorice rose – this won the people’s choice award for best scent. It was nothing I have ever experienced before – sweet like candy with a bitter undertone. It was amazing.

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We built up quite an appetite after the flight and walking around the gardens, so we stopped at TILT for a burger. Luckily we only ordered 1 because the Big Tilt burger is literally larger than my head. It comes with 2 patties, double cut honey smoked bacon, fried egg, American cheese, pickles, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, tilt sauce on a 3-layer bun. It was delicious!

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Afterwards we went back to my sister’s house and took a nap!

That night we met up with my family and some of their friends at Pok Pok.

We sat on the porch of their side building. It was like we had a private little room, and strangely felt like we were in Thailand – the table was covered in a plastic tablecloth and the water tasted funny (turns out they ‘flavor’ their water with rice, it wasn’t bad, but not ‘good’ either).

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We had a great meal – Vietnamese Fish sauce Wings (YUM!), Papaya Pok Pok (papaya salad), Yam Wun Sen (glass noodle salad with pork and dry shrimp), Phak buung Fai Daeng (Oh Choy with pork – one of the best dishes we had), Cha Ca La Vong (catfish with noodles), Khao Soi (chicken curry) and their daily special – Wing Beans.

We also had their Tamarind Whiskey Soda – it was wonderful!

This place has been on my eating list for quite some time and I’m so glad I was able to go there. I highly recommend it!

 

The following day, we decided to get a taste of Portland’s breweries.

Getting around Portland is super easy on the buses, and there was a bus stop about 100 feet from my sister’s front door.

We started at Hair of the Dog

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They have a great tasting list and were the best brewery we went to. We tried Ruth (american pale ale), Lila (maibock), Fred (golden strong ale), Adam (porter), Rooie Dop (strong ale – my favorite), Doggie Claws 2013 (barelywine) and From the Wood (Adam that is barrel aged – too smoky for me; felt like I was drinking a campfire).

 

We continued on to Base Camp Brewery

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Here we tried: Lost meridian Wit, Northwest Fest, Stephan’s Dark Wit, Ripstop Rye Pilsner, Celestial Meridian CDL, Saison de Chetco, In Tents IPL, Bohemian Rip City IP, S’more Stout, Incredible Baltor

I liked these less than the previous brewery, but I’m not a huge IPA fan. However, their S’mores Stout was wonderful. Here is a close up of the taster – yes, that’s a mini roasted marshmallow!!!

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The brewery had 2 food trucks in the parking lot and you can order from the ‘brew-tender’. We got some tasty tacos.

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The third (and last) brewery we visited specialized in sour beers only – Cascade Brewing Barrel House. We actually ran into a guy that we met at the first brewery and had some beers with him!

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We had  Saison de Garde, Apricot, Blueberry and Sang Noir (beer aged in Bourbon and Pinot Noir barrels). The Apricot is a must try, as is the Honey Ginger (that our ‘new friend’ let us try).

 

After drinking the afternoon away, we met up with my family at Evoe (which has since closed).  It was a really great little spot, with fantastic food!

We started with some oysters from Netarts Bay, served with lemon, fresh horseradish

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We moved on to pickles, bread, and  fennel-artichoke salad, along with a lovely summer rose wine.

We also had an amazing Bob the Butcher sandwich – which had salami, cheese and hot peppers.

 

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It was a perfect afternoon.

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That night we went to Ned Ludd – the quintessential Porland/Pacific NW place.

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We started with some cocktails that came in mini bottles. I got the Ned Flanders (white, orange shrub, aperol, bitters, bottled and fizzy) and my sister got the Petite Somme (gin, aperol, pampelmousse, cucumber, bitters, bottled and fizzy ). The boys got beers.

For appetizers we had (1) Bay shrimp salad with zucchini, string beans & lemon vinegarette; (2) cucumber and feta salad with wheat berries; (3) chef’s charcuterie & cheese board, accompaniments; (4) Fried green tomatoes with reduced balsamic

Our entrees consisted of: (1) Oregon albacore with corn-tomato salad and grilled cipollini – this was flawlessly cooked, rare, with crispy skin and sweet cipollini onions; (2) Pork with zucchini, squash and okra – I couldn’t get over how perfectly roasted the vegetables were (I wanted to ask for more!)

And for dessert: (1) chocolate chip cookie in cast iron skillet with a side milk (holy crap was this good! We poured the milk over the still warm cookie, which became an ooey gooey dish of amazingness); (2) berry tart with anise cream – the tart berries paired beautifully with the anise cream

The decor of Ned Ludd is of an old cabin in the woods with little knick-knacks everywhere. It is all wooden and feels very warm and welcoming.

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It was a great night!

 

The following day we went for a great hike on Mount Hood – Tilly Jane Hike

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There was a forest fire about 10 years ago, so you can see a ton of charred trees, but also some new growth coming in.

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It wasn’t easy. The air was thin due to the high elevation and it was uphill for all of it, but it was totally worth it. The views were amazing!

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They brought some cheese, salami and bread; I brought some sour patch kids; and we had picked up some peaches from a farmers stand on the road so we had a great lunch with spectacular view!

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We were almost at the edge of the glacier!

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The way down was much easier. We even found a porcini mushroom!

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We ended our day at a BBQ at friends place. It was great to meet my sister and brother-in-law’s friends. Everyone was really interested and very friendly.

The next day was our last in Portland. We went to Dim Sum at HK Cafe for breakfast.

We came back to the house, lounged in the chair hammock and picked tomatoes from their amazing garden!

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These yellow cherry tomatoes were Kevin’s favorites.

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These were my favorites. They are Risentraube tomatoes – see the little point on the end? They are super fruity and sweet!

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They also grew a crazy amount of swiss chard, but we didn’t take any with us.

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Then we were on our way to Seattle!

Seattle

We took the Amtrak Train to Seattle. It was super easy and took about 3.5 hours. There was a ‘viewing’ car with park rangers giving commentary on the scenery as we passed it by. Just make sure to sit on the left side – you get the best views!

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The viewing car was mostly windows, which was wonderful!

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We sat next to a couple who offered to take our picture!! (always a plus when traveling alone)

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Once we got into Seattle, we checked into our AMAZING airbnb apartment. If you haven’t heard of airbnb, you should check it out. It’s apartments that people put for for very short-term rent (like a hotel).

This place was ridiculous. It was between the Space Needle and Pikes Place market, on the 19th floor with a spectacular view!

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Since we got in late (and brought along snacks on the train) we weren’t really hungry for dinner, so we decided to check out some local bars.

Our first stop was Shorty’s – a true dive bar. I had a great Dark-n-Stormy and we played some Buck Hunter (Kevin was way better than me)

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Our next stop was Bathtub Gin – a real speak-easy (it was super difficult to find! Down a urine-scented alley).

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But it was worth the hunt! The place was tiny, but meticulously designed, with perfectly concocted cocktails, a beautiful wooden bar, super dim lighting highlighted by a chandelier

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I asked for the dealer’s choice with whiskey – he created a not-too-sweet whiskey and peach cocktail that was delicious!

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We had fun taking photos of our shadow profiles

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After the bar, we walked out to find a hot dog cart on the street corner (and you could see the stand from the apartment). Of course, we had to have one! Apparently, the Seattle-style hot dog is one with cream cheese, but I opted for one with just mustard.

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The thought of hot dogs and cream cheese does not appeal to me. (I’ve had it in Portland and it tasted exactly as you imagine – the flavors don’t mix, you just end up with a few bites that taste like hot dog and a few bites that taste like cream cheese)

 

We woke up early the next day and walked around town. We  came across a “walk through fountain’ or an ‘urban waterfall’ in Westlake Park on 4th and Pine. Kevin walked through with no issues.

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However, the following day I walked through and got completely soaking wet!

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After the fountain we made our way down to Seattle Center where the Space Needle, EMP museum and Chihuly gardens are located

Our first stop was the EMP museum – a museum dedicated to music, sci-fi  and pop culture. The building is designed to represent a broken guitar.

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The museum has a very nice permanent Jimi Hendrix exhibit. One of the exhibitions they had when we were there was a LEGO exhibit – artists had built famous skyscrapers from legos. You may not know this about me, but I LOVE legos, so this was super exciting for me!

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They also have sound-proof studios with drums, a guitar and a bass that you can play with

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The building reflects the Space Needle, which is across the park.

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We decided not to go up since our apartment had similar views.  So we moved on to the Chihuly Gardens.

Dale Chihuly is a glass artist with crazy ideas. The image below was made by dropping molten glass to the floor from various heights.

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Chihuly was inspired by Native American blankets

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This is his Under the Sea piece

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And his garden

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He was also inspired by Venice

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Outside of the main building is the Chihuly garden where he mixed plants and glass

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Just outside the main entrance to Chihuly is a Sonic Blood piece:

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Each flower has a little sensor speaker next to it, so I had a great time running from flower to flower to make them sing!

It was lunch time so we walked down to Pikes Place and got some snacks.

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We started with Piroshky, Piroshky – an Eastern European bakery that sells hand-held pies. We got the Smoked Salmon Pate pie – it was warm, buttery, creamy and delicious.

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Then we walked around, grabbed a beer at a little cafe in the market, and stopped at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese to watch them make their cheese.

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On the waterfront is Elliot’s Oyster House, which has an oyster happy hour from 3-6. Oysters start a $1/each and go up by $0.50 each hour. They are served with a slushy mignonette. YUM!

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We went back to the apartment to watch the sunset before going to dinner at Shiro’s.

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Shiro’s sushi

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The following morning, we went back to Pike’s Place Market for roll call and some coffee

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Our tour book had a walking tour of downtown Seattle, so we followed it around.

 

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At the top of the Columbia Tower there is a viewing center, the Sky View Observatory, which has amazing views of Seattle.

It’s not terribly crowded (definitely quieter than the Space Needle). However, there was a group of little old ladies who were very loud and one even elbowed me in the ribs for standing in the exact spot she wanted to stand! (even though there was PLENTY of room)

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Apparently the top spike on the building is 1 apartment!

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It even showed us how far we were from home:

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The next place was the Seattle Public Library

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We were hungry after all that walking, so we went to Salumi - a sandwich shop owned by Mario Batali’s family. They make their own cured meats and they are only open Tues-Fri 11am-3pm and there is ALWAYS a line! But it’s worth it!

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I got the beef tongue with onions and peppers – it was great! Kevin got the hot soppressata.

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In the afternoon we went up to the Ballard area of Seattle to see the Ballard Locks – a set of 2 dams between fresh water and salt water. There is the Salmon ladder, built to allow salmon to pass between fresh and salt water, and to navigate the locks. Glass panels below the water line make it possible to watch the fish as they swim through the ladder.

We even saw a seal in the water!

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We then went to a few bars in the Ballard area, including Noble Fir and met up with Tamira.

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For dinner we went to Chippy’s Fish and Drink – which had some of the best, lightest and freshest fish and chips I have ever had! We also go the crab-avocado dip and the salmon chowder (more of a bisque, a bit smoky but overall pretty good).

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That was our last night in Seattle. The following day we went to the train station for our trip to Vancouver!