Brunch. A deal you cannot refuse.

It’s the weekend, so you get to wake up later than usual and the Northwest clouds are magically blown away to reveal a sun you were assuming didn’t exist in this heartbreak town.

“Let’s do something special today!” says EVERYONE. Why don’t you cross the bridge to Portland and finally try that restaurant you’ve been hearing about everywhere for brunch. GREAT IDEA. 

To be fashionable nowadays we must 'brunch'. Mr. Guy Beringer, in Hunter's Weekly.

 Brunch is usually served in the late morning replacing both BReakfast and lUNCH, so you get to skip that bowl of bran cereal with tea and get enough calories for two meals. Brioche French toast with maple bacon? Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict? Fried Chicken and Waffles with Caramel Butter? Uh yeah, Ill sacrifice my digestive regularity for that. AND you get to drink numerous mimosas sans the guilt. It’s a sweet day ahead.

4 HOURS LATER…

You are overstuffed and sleepy with all the carbs needed for a week.

You are left with no money. (Each piece of bacon was how much?)

You realize its already six o clock and you can say goodbye to any plans of exercising or even moving for the rest of the day.

You are angry as hell. But you couldn’t take it out on the restaurant employees, because hey it’s not their fault.

You can’t believe you fell for this crap.

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?

You recognized the restaurant thanks to the crowd of people standing outside. You get your name down on the list and they say it will be about an hour. Well we are already in Portland, an hour is not that much. You walked around hungrily for a while, spending even more money on all the adorable shops downtown. An hour has gone; the hostess says you are next on the list. Your tummy is growling. Names get called, a two top, a five top, a ten top; excuse me Ms. Hostess I thought we were next. “You are, they have been waiting three hours though”. Oh that’s fine, cause you have only been waiting two and a half, your head is feeling a little light. If you could think straight, you would leave. Finally you get seated and this gets even worse; you get the communal table. Do I look like a friendly person? Do you really think I want to have strangers sit across from me and stare at my food and me, trying to eat it? Talking to your party requires shouting and after hearing your neighbor’s conversation you will be glad Betty finally had a divorce. You choose anything on the menu, JUST BRING ME FOOD. Oh yes the food is delicious; sweet and salty, crispy and tender and fresh from the pan. But, you are done in about ten minutes. And now you can’t wait to leave.

I have been studying Portlanders for a while now, and though they’re a highly evolved compassionate kind, I have yet to find the reason for this brunch ritual to be considered satisfactory. Is it really worth it to spend most of your time on your very precious days off waiting for waffles? A more pleasant meal can be enjoyed for dinner around the same price in a lot less time.

Surprisingly, I found out that Bobby Flay and I share this brunch-hatred, although the reasons are different. This is what he stated in The New York Times:

[Chefs] hate cooking it and they hate thinking about it. Saturday night tends to be the busiest of the week, and they've probably gone out to have a few drinks afterward. Suddenly it's Sunday morning and you have to come in and cook eggs.

Oh Bobby, I love that angry face of yours.

For future mornings that require a “special” menu, I will resort to Alton Brown and his delicious granola. You can find his original recipe online, but I make a different variety every month by altering some ingredients. It takes two hours to make and you can stay in the comfort of your home.

Almond, Cherry and Ginger Granola

-3 cups rolled quick oats.

-1 cup slivered raw almonds.

-1/4 cup whole flaxseeds.

-1/4 cup + 2 T brown sugar.

-1/4 cup vegetable oil.

Raw almonds. Crystallized Ginger, Dried Cherries.

-1/4 cup maple syrup.

-1 T salt

-1/2 cup chopped dried cherries.

-1/4 cup homemade chopped crystallized ginger.Which you can actually make! Another episode folks. 

1) Pre heat oven to 250 degrees F. Mix oats, almonds, flaxseed and sugar in big bowl.

2) In smaller bowl or measuring cup, mix oil, syrup and salt.

3) Toss both mixes together and spread over two baking sheets evenly.  

4) Bake for about an hour and fifty minutes stirring every fifteen minutes for even color.

5) When golden brown, let cool on rack and mix in dried cherries and ginger.

6) Will keep in sealed container for over three months, but I bet it won’t last that long.

Infinite possibilities of eating your granola; add more fresh fruit, yogurt, almond milk, over ice cream, inside a waffle or a pancake, or in a baggie for munching while you are waiting in line to go BRUNCHING. 

With Greek yogurt and fresh pear. 

Salad in a roll

I did not want the title of this post to be Salad Rolls, since these are not traditional salad rolls you will find in Vietnamese or Thai restaurants. These are my own creation, ingredients were picked by my own appetite and just mere chance. I recommend you go to the produce market of your choice and choose any vegetables that look good, you can add shrimp, tofu, or any cooked protein; I decided to keep them vegetarian and go with cream cheese, and when that's gone and you still have some more veggies, then it is time to think of your vegan friends (because we love to hate them, or maybe just hate to love them).

This is how your ingredients should look like first.

Sam salad rolls
-1 package rice sheets (because every neighborhood has an Asian market)
-1/2 Jicama, julienned
-1 carrot, julienned
-1 cucumber, julienned
-about 3 oz peeled ginger, julienned
-1 package cream cheese, frozen and then julienned
-julienned mint, parsley, and cilantro.
-1 package bean sprouts.

This is how your ingredients will look like after you have julienned them. Yeah, cream cheese doesn't like julienned.

This is how your ingredients will look like if you have an expensive Japanese knife. You  Wish. 

1)Set up a round cake pan that fits your rice papers with steaming water and turn the burner on to low to keep it warm. 

2)Dip one paper in the water, let soften till its cooked (think about cooking pasta, you want al dente), should take about 20-30 seconds depending on the temp of your water. 

 3)Work quickly! Have a cutting board next to your water and julienned veggies, spread the paper out, but don't worry too much about the wrinkles, if you work fast enough you can fix that.

4)Stack your veggies in neat rows in the center. Leave about an inch in every direction. 

5)Roll up the right side first neatly over your veggies pressing down, fold edges and keep on rolling. Yeah just like a burrito. But sticky and healthy. 

6)Let rolls dry a little bit on cooling racks. And refrigerate. 

What next?

Make a simple peanut sauce with peanut butter, soy sauce, coconut milk and hot sauce. Add water to desired consistency. 

What to drink?

A dry or sweet Riesling will pair perfectly. The crisp saltiness of the rolls goes perfectly with the fresh sweetness of this wine. 

Where should I eat this?

Anywhere! Take them for lunch to work, to a picnic at the park, to a hipster/vegetarian party, on the bus, etc. 

Happy Salad eating! 

Cider House Rules

“Wherever Melony went, she would not be without guidance, she would not be without love, without faith; she had a good book with her. If only she kept reading it and reading it...” 
― John Irving, The Cider House Rules

There is a game I like to play called “The Library”. Every two months or so I take a trip to the local library and get ten or more books/dvds on anything I find interesting; any novel, cookbook, biography, travel book, children’s story or how to train your cat guide (there’s an impressive amount of people trying to train cats, we should probably all give up). I try to read or watch everything I get before that sad day comes when I get a bill in the mail from the library police. My last score was an impressive 10 to 1 in my favor (no time for salsa lessons). I usually win against the library, but what is even more rewarding is finding one of those books that changes your life.

Cider House Rules is a 1985 novel by John Irving that has been made into a major motion picture with actors Michael Cain, Charlize Theron and Tobey McGuire. But don’t even bother with the movie, the novel (as usual) is a thousand and one times better. It deals more deeply into the complexity of the characters, and the controversial situations that arise.

Abortion is one of the main themes in the story, which to this day is still very serious and argumentative. Every character will be very important, but our hero is Homer Wells. Homer Wells comes from an orphanage where the doctor in charge decides to perform illegal abortions to women who desire it. Homer Wells is never adopted by the right family and becomes a student of these practices, yet he refuses to perform such operation. A true inner conflict for an orphan's morals, should there be more orphans experiencing what I have? Or, should I put a stop to it? And who am I to decide? We grow and learn with Homer as he experiences   love, betrayal and friendship in a place where racism, sexism and even incest happen.  Homer Wells has a hard time deciding what is right from wrong, and even the reader will notice his/her opinion on characters and issues will change . This book is a masterpiece, something that will stay in your mind for a long time; a beautiful story about very different people trying to belong somewhere.

“The thing that is most hardest to accept about the passage of time is that the people who once mattered the most wind up in parentheses.” Dr. Larch 

TRUE STORY

1920’s Maine, USA- Abortions are illegal and the use of contraceptives is looked down by religious groups. Poor towns with prostitution had unwanted pregnancies by the baker’s dozen, and it was common for these women to seek abortion any possible way. Toxic medicines were sold over the counter, illicit doctors would charge a lot of money in unsanitary situations, and self-abortion was tried by many. In the late 1920's some 15, 000 women died from abortions. Doctors at orphanages saw firsthand the hard life of an orphan, and were known to perform safe abortions if the pregnancy was not too advanced. John Irving decided to give this grueling job to Dr. Larch, who speaks these wise words about abortion:

“Men who believe in good and evil, and who believe that good should win, should watch for those moments when it is possible to play God” 
 

Flowers and Chocolate

Flowers and Chocolate. Chocolate and Flowers. Flower Chocolates. Chocolate Flowers.

Anyway, anywhere, anyhow, I will take these two things from anyone who is offering. What girl wouldn't? 

And if you are ever wondering what to give to any female friend or relative for any special occasion, this is the perfect solution. I decided to make them more personal making homemade chocotejas for a very special aunt who recently visited South America and fell in love with these Peruvian treats. For all who don't know Chocotejas, these are chocolate covered dulce de leche and pecan balls; other fillings like dried figs, macerated raisins in pisco, lemon confit, and guava paste make it an even more exotic treat. I went a little gourmet and sprinkled Hawaiian Sea Salt before they hardened because salt makes life better. 

  

THREE STEP DULCE DE LECHE!

Dulce de leche is the most delicious thing that comes from a can, and these easy steps could even beat J. Timberlake's "junk in the box" recipe. Its a treat in a can, a treat in a can girl. 

 1)Buy a can of condensed milk.

2)Fill your crockpot with water on low setting and insert the can (take label off, duh) and put lid on. 

3)Wait 4-6 hours. 

And thats the way you do it...

Venting the can is the easiest way to getting your liquid gold. I have no pictures of this because I already had a full jar  reserved for sweet tooth attacks, and morning toast.

CHOCOTEJAS (for 24 chocolates)
- 1 can dulce de leche (you will probably only use about a third)
- 10 oz bittersweet chocolate (not chocolate chips!) chopped.
- 50 pecans (a small bag should be enough)
- Hawaiian sea salt (optional)








1) Once your dulce de leche is cool, lay out parchment paper over a cookie sheet and work with your hands making small (about half ounce) balls of it. Stick two pecans on each side and set on paper.
I added dried figs to half of mine, and only used one pecan on these.

2)Its time to temper your chocolate! Dont be nervous, its quite easy as long as you have the right equipment: a baine marie (a glass or metal bowl over a small saucepot with steaming water will work perfectly) and a thermometer. Melt your chocolate over your baine marie slowly and stirring frequently until it reaches 110 degrees, not more! Take bowl off heat and stir to cool until it reaches 80 degrees. Last step, put back on steaming water and let it rise to 90 degrees again. Ta-da! 

 3)Have another cookie sheet with parchemnt paper ready next to your melted chocolate and your pecan/dulce balls. Work fast with two forks dipping the balls in the chocolate, making sure you are covering all of it and carefully setting on the parchment. Sprinke with sea salt if desired and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

4)There might be some chocolate spread on the bottom, use a small knife to cut the edges off. 

Yeah go ahead and try one, and that word you are trying to describe them with is mouthgasm (Auntie Meg's invention). I decided to go practical on the flowers this time and make a.....

FLOWER BOX!

-Chinese food take out box. 

-Old fake flowers from Goodwill or your grandmas house. 

-Glue 

-Scissors

Destem the flowers and cut most of the tip off trying to keep the flower together. Glue your big leaves on first, let try and then  glue your bouquet of flowers. 

Avoid temptation to eat half of them and wrap your chocotejas in parchment or wax paper. Once your basket is full you are ready to make a lady very very happy. Honestly, don't be surprised if the only thing she can do after the first time is to sigh and ask you for a cigarette. 

Merciless Words

Change is irrevocable; Change is necessary and Change is sometimes good. After all, living beings are adaptable; we are constantly changing physically and mentally according to circumstances.

Circumstance of my position could be what brought me today to sit in front of my computer, yet again, thinking of words. But I like to believe that its something else, something a little more interesting; like an inner compass that points you towards your true desires  (that sounds way better, doesn’t it?). That stupid compass took me through 3 years of Culinary achievements, from nailbreaking-potscrubbing moments to that rockstarfeel when customers and coworkers demand your recipes. All in all its been a great part of my life, BUT its time for a change.

Writing has always been there for me, to communicate, to express, to liberate and to be myself. So why not make a living out of it? This blog is a mere starting experiment to the field I would want to belong in the future. “Food, Books and other Drugs” is a suitable title since my main interests (food and books, of course) are its stellars, in addition, restaurant reviews, craft projects, pictures of baby animals, or really anything that I find interesting, will be here. Sorry.

Words are not quite compassionate and sometimes the time I spend begging for them to come to my mind is a long one, but once they make sense and are typed I loved those little suckers so much I cant help but come back for more. If you love them as much as I do, let me know through your comments that all that pleading was not only for my own satisfaction. That they please us all with that special merciless power.

<><><><><><> <> <><><><> <><> <> <><><><> <><><>

Zen Writting